Town Meeting members have approved a citizen petition seeking to name the new municipal rink after the late James P. Viglirolo, known to most as “Skip.”
The article passed 128-56, with 44 abstentions after roughly three hours of debate last Wednesday. Conversation, which concluded around 10:45 p.m., included a failed amendment—which effectively tossed the motion in its entirety and instead moved that Town Meeting express its support for a recently adopted capital asset naming policy—and a failed motion to dismiss indefinitely.
Town officials have said the vote is advisory in nature, rather than non-binding.
“We’re residents who respect the contributions of Skip and others like him, who selflessly made Belmont what it is: a better community,” said Precinct 1 Town Meeting member Anne Marie Mahoney. “We do not want our history erased.”
Select Board Chair Matt Taylor said in an email following the meeting that at the board’s next meeting on Aug. 11, it will debrief both articles and on Aug. 25, he plans to hold a public forum.
“I think this timing is our best available option to wrap up the discussion,” he wrote. “We have limited staffing and numerous demands on everyone’s time and attention. The rink should start making ice in September in preparation for opening and the hockey season.”
The special Town Meeting last week was called in response to a citizen petition filed by Viglirolo’s family after previous attempts to submit a naming proposal under the 2018 capital asset naming policy failed to receive consideration by the Select Board. The first submission was in March 2024, and the second in April 2025, according to petitioner Gail Harrington, one of Viglirolo’s daughters.
“I replied that the Select Board did not have a time frame for making rink naming decisions, due to the looming override campaign and Annual Town Meeting,” said Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne, referring to the 2024 request. “I told her that we would let the family know when we would consider the rink name.”
Dionne explained that in response to a stream of requests coming in to name elements of the building (such as the ice sheet or locker rooms) after other figures in town, Dionne began the process of reviewing the old capital asset naming policy and drafting a new one. That policy, which took several meetings to review, was adopted by the Select Board on July 7.
Despite the family’s intention to have the petition included in the October special Town Meeting warrant, the Select Board was advised by town counsel of their statutory obligation to schedule a special Town Meeting within 45 days of receipt of the citizen petition, which garnered more than 200 signatures.
The remote meeting heard debate from those who felt the petition should not, in fact, be advisory in nature (and simultaneously urged Town Meeting members to vote ‘Yes’), and others who felt that a ‘No’ vote was not a slight on Viglirolo’s contributions to the town, but rather a signal that the process of naming the building should include the general public. Some Town Meeting members questioned whether the town would lose out on sponsorship opportunities if the building was named for an individual rather than the town. Others argued the town shouldn’t depend on one-time funds to solve its financial issues.
“Tonight’s debate follows zero public hearings,” said Town Meeting member Angus Abercrombie, who filed the amendment to strike the motion entirely, and replace it with a motion to follow the process outlined in the 2025 capital assets naming policy. “A naming should follow a rigorous public process and that has yet to occur.”
Abercrombie’s amendment added yet another layer of debate, with some arguing it was beyond the scope of the article and not a true amendment. Town Moderator Michael Crowley, however, said he would allow the amendment, as he viewed it as “akin to a motion to refer to committee.”
Claus Becker, representing Precinct 5, voiced support for Abercrombie’s amendment.
“There’s no emergency to the naming,” he said. “I think it’s very important that we insist on good governance…so these decisions are being made in a way that allows everyone to participate.”
In prepared remarks supporting his amendment, Dionne noted that other recent capital projects in Belmont did not retain the names of the buildings they replaced. She pointed to the Beech Street Center, which was built to replace the Kendall Center for the Arts after it burnt down. Of the past five major capital projects, she said, none were named after a person, with the exception of the Underwood Pool, which retained its name, as it was on land deeded to the town by Henry Underwood in exchange for its use for recreation.
Precinct 8 Town Meeting member Fitzie Cowing, however, argued that another recent town project — the relocation and redevelopment of the Brendan Grant Memorial Field — was an example of a situation where the former name was retained.
And finally, before returning to the main motion, Town Meeting members considered, and subsequently rejected, a motion by Precinct 7 Town Meeting member Geoff Lubien to dismiss the motion, allowing more time for membership to consider the implications of retaining Skip’s name.
“There was a naming policy; the petitioners were well within it,” countered Cowing. “For some reason they were ignored by the Select Board twice. They have now come before us. It is our responsibility to hear, discuss, debate, and vote. I believe postponing yet another citizen petition to whenever … this just disappears into the ether and requires them to engage in the democratic process again.”
Final Business
A second citizen petition passed Wednesday night with no discussion. That petition sought to eliminate the seating capacity requirement for all-alcohol licenses, increase the number of licenses available, and modify policies to simplify eligibility requirements.
“As times have continued to change, we’ve seen towns take steps to expand their licensing standards … to encourage new restaurants to come to their town,” said Precinct 7 Town Meeting member Carol Berberian, who filed the petition with Max Colice.
That article also passed, 189-6, with 5 abstentions, authorizing the Select Board to file a Home Rule petition with the Legislature “so as to expand eligibility for restaurants and simplify the application process for restaurants, the Select Board, and the staff.”
