Man About Canton: New Library Sign Has Problems

DID YOU KNOW…

The new information sign in front of the Canton Public Library may be colorful and look nice, but some people driving by on Washington Street, even at a relatively slow speed, find it difficult to read. The messages change too often, and you either have to be a sidewalk pedestrian, or pull your vehicle over to the curb to properly read the several messages being displayed. Let’s hope the problems are corrected, and the sign becomes an informative asset to the town.

The recent public dedication of the new memorial at the Viaduct Park on Neponset Street by the Masons of the Blue Hill Lodge A.F. and A.M. of Canton was a top-notch affair. The new granite memorial obelisk was erected to honor the operative and speculative freemasons who engineered and erected the Canton Viaduct 175 years ago, which has become a national architectural treasure.

If you haven’t heard, the Hockomock League has now split into two divisions. The Kelly-Rex Division is for the larger schools and the Davenport Division is for the smaller schools. Kelly-Rex includes North Attleboro with 1,188 students;King Philip with 1,311; Mansfield with 1,502; Franklin with 1,626; and newcomer Attleboro with 1,953 students. Davenport consists of Oliver Ames with 1,178 students; Stoughton with 1,177; Sharon with 1,157; Foxboro with 873; andCanton with 836 students, which is the smallest school in the league.

CVS reports it is laying off nearly 300 employees nationwide, including 150 at its Woonsocket, Rhode Island, headquarters. The layoffs will take place within the non-store retail field operations as well as corporate jobs.

Many people still refer to Massachusetts as “Taxachusetts,” but national data indicates that the overall rate of taxation in Massachusetts is lower than in 30 of the 50 states; and according to the non-partisan organization, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, Massachusetts taxes are lower than the other states in the northeast except for New Hampshire, which has an extremely low tax rate.

The “new” Stoughton Central Street Fire Station has been re-opened and re-occupied after being closed since December 2006 because of heating and ventilation system problems. Built in 2001 for approximately $1.5 million, the station has been plagued by an infestation of mold, reportedly due to improper installation of equipment, and the town had to appropriate $300,000 to replace the climate control systems.

Congratulations to the Canton High boys’ soccer team and the field hockey team for winning their Hockomock League championships and for going so far in the MIAA tournament — both teams bowed out in the state semifinal. They were outstanding.

The Braintree Licensing Board has approved a liquor license transfer and restaurant license for the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse at the former Rock Bottom at the South Shore Plaza, which closed last year. The new restaurant is expected to open in February. In Canton, the 7-Eleven convenience store at 504 Washington Street has applied for a beer and wine license.

The Transportation Department reports the number of highway deaths has fallen to the lowest level in 60 years, helped by a combination of seatbelts, safer cars, and tougher enforcement of drunk driving laws. Traffic deaths fell 9.7 percent in 2009 to 33,808, the lowest number since 1950. In 2008, an estimated 37,423 people died on the highways.

The State Division of Standards recently issued more than $140,000 in fines against a variety of large food retailers after state inspectors found 2,443 instances where items were missing price labels. The biggest fines were against BJ’s Wholesale Club and Wal-Mart Stores as well as Shaw’s Supermarkets and Stop & Shop. State law requires that food stores put price labels on each individual item with some exceptions, such as eggs and soda. The Division of Standards can fine a retailer $100 for each missing price label.

If you attend a game or other event at the TD Garden in Boston, you no longer can get a free drink of water. Garden management has had all water bubblers removed; and if attendees want water, they now have to purchase a bottle at the cost of $4 at a concession stand. You are not allowed to bring in your own water. What a rip-off.

The Patriot Ledger recently printed Nielsen Media Research figures regarding the number of hours Americans watch TV, which MAC found interesting. The figures show that the average number of hours that Americans watch TV each week is 35. Children between ages 2 and 11 watch 25 hours, while adults over the age of 65 spend 48 hours per week watching TV.

The Boston Globe reports that the old Canton airport on Neponset Street is scheduled to become a public park once the site contamination cleanup is done. The cleanup will cost around $840,000, which will be completely paid for by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Finally, MAC predicted the final score of the Canton-Stoughton Thanksgiving Day football game would be 27-7. The actual score was 26-6. MAC thinks he’ll play the lottery but will subtract one from each number picked. You’ll know if he wins … someone else will be writing this column next week!

Use your mind to be creative. Don’t be afraid to do things differently.

This is all for now folks; see you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=1367

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Dec 2 2010. Filed under Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.