With opening day inching closer, pressure is building for the town to settle on a name for the new municipal rink on Concord Avenue.
At Monday’s Select Board meeting, board members agreed to prepare naming proposals for their next meeting, scheduled for Aug. 25. Select Board Chair Matt Taylor said he plans to accept public comment. The plan, ultimately, is to “try and at least come up with a game plan” for what to call the rink for opening day, even if it may change.”
This week’s discussion followed a lengthy Town Meeting discussion last month on whether to name the rink for the late James P. “Skip” Viglirolo. The article, submitted as a citizen petition by Gail Harrington, passed 128-56, with 44 abstentions. At the time, town counsel advised Select Board members the vote was advisory in nature, rather than binding, citing state law and Belmont’s general bylaws, which give Select Board management authority over town buildings.
In the weeks since, however, residents have argued the vote should, in fact, be binding, and some have questioned whether the Select Board truly has sole naming authority for town assets.
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“These provisions give it management authority, but nothing gives the Select Board naming authority, thus it cannot lawfully issue a policy setting forth procedures for how it will exercise authority it does not have,” said Wendy Murphy, an attorney and resident of Belmont. “Management authority refers to maintenance, rent, and usage. There may even be a degree of naming authority implicit in management authority, but Town Meeting, because it is the lawmaking body, has superior naming rights.”
A new capital asset naming policy, which revised one created in 2018, was adopted by the Select Board on July 7. The policy outlines the process for naming capital assets in town, and includes policies such as a 20-year sunset on names and not allowing a building to be named for someone within one year of their death. It also includes a public hearing process and stipulates that a unanimous vote of the Select Board is “strongly preferred” before naming a public asset for an individual or organization other than the town of Belmont.
Murphy told Select Board members she intends to file a lawsuit against the Select Board if it does not abide by the will of Town Meeting and name the building for Viglirolo. The lawsuit would include one count of ultra vires action (the board acted beyond its powers by issuing a policy granting itself exclusive naming rights of town buildings), and one count of Violation of Separation of Powers/State Law (refusing to accept Town Meeting’s vote as binding).
“If you guys make a decision to take the name [Skip] out, that would be very unfortunate for the town,” said Belmont resident Dante Muzzioli. “Town Meeting spoke loud and clear.”
Part of the discussion between board members Monday night was whether the board would be setting a precedent if it ignored the naming policy and accepted the Town Meeting vote.
“I think if the first thing we do with this new policy is to abdicate it, it is fundamentally unfair to anyone else who goes through the process,” said Select Board Vice Chair Taylor Yates. “I feel … uncomfortable going through this exercise creating a policy, then setting it aside immediately.”
Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne also noted that she was familiar with at least one campaign forming in town to name the building for someone else.
“We’re not going to have another building any time soon. This is a $32 million asset. I frankly find it really troubling we would not even put a woman’s name in a mix,” said Dionne. “I’m not saying it has to be named after a woman, but I do think for us to have a full and fair process, there has to be a woman … considered.”
Board members also discussed the possibility of naming sponsorships, noting that naming the building after an individual might hinder the town’s ability to attract potential sponsors. Taylor referenced Gloucester, where a school field, prior to its renovation, retained its former name (Newell Stadium) while also attaching a sponsor’s name to it (New Balance). Town Administrator Patrice Garvin cautioned that the bid process for naming sponsorship would take time.
At the very least, both the town name and Viglirolo’s name could be included, Taylor said, by naming the rink for him and the facility for the town.
“We are trying to find a balance of preserving and acknowledging history… and make room for the future,” he said. “I think names are best with their short and having, say, Belmont Community Sports Complex and naming the rink for Skip makes room for both.”
