Man About Canton: Changes at the JRC
By Joe DeFeliceDID YOU KNOW …
There’s a big change happening at the controversial Judge Rotenberg Center on Turnpike Street (Route 138). Their founding executive director, Dr. Matthew Israel, has resigned after leading the center for over 40 years. His resignation reportedly was to settle any and all pending legal charges against him for allegedly interfering with an investigation of an incident that occurred at one of the school’s group homes. Dr. Israel’s resume shows that he earned his doctorate in psychology from Harvard University and trained as a behavioral psychologist under noted behaviorist B.F. Skinner. Now age 77, Dr. Israel says he plans to move to California where he will join his wife, Judy. In the meantime, the JRC Board of Directors has appointed longtime assistant executive director Glenda Crookes as the interim executive director, and they authorized a national search for a permanent successor for Dr. Israel. The board says the JRC will continue to serve its approximately 225 clients with a staff of more than 850 full-time employees.
On to other matters, a rare tie vote by the Canton Town Meeting turned down the article calling for the town to adopt the optional .75 percent restaurant meals tax, which supporters said would generate thousands in new tax revenue for the town. A subsequent attempt a few nights later to reconsider that vote easily failed, so proponents must now wait for a future town meeting to bring it up again.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, the Blue Hill Observatory atop the Big Blue Hill in Canton is the windiest spot in the United States with an average annual wind speed of 15.4 mph.
The Canton 4th of July Committee is happy to report that additional sponsors have been added to this year’s five-mile road race: selectmen Sal Salvatori and John Connolly. MAC, as the road race chairman, sends a special “thank you” to all of the sponsors. Remember, the race will start and end at the Canton Town Club with the starting gun going off at 9:30 a.m. sharp.
MAC was impressed with the recent Sunday morning pancake breakfast held by the Canton Lions Club at the Knights of Columbus Hall, which benefited eye research, local scholarships, and blindness prevention charities. Those who attended the affair enjoyed a great pancake breakfast, and all said they look forward to the next one.
It appears that the Westwood-based LoJack Corp. may soon move its corporate headquarters to Canton. News reports say they are looking at the vacant Tweeter headquarters complex on Pequot Way off Route 138.
For the first time, Americans who are age 45 and older now make up the majority of our voting age population. This will give our seniors wider influence in the election, especially if the government starts curtailing Medicare and other benefits for seniors.
Things are really getting serious next door in Stoughton. Stoughton town meeting voters approved setting aside another $50,000 for their anti-South Coast Rail Project litigation, increasing the litigation fund to $204,000. They also turned down the article that would have allowed tattoo parlors in their business district.
The Canton selectmen recently filled several vacancies, including Robert Panico and Dina Kazis-Panico to the Youth Commission, Thomas Liddy to the Conservation Commission, and Rosalea Moore as library associate for children’s services.
The Board of Selectmen has voted to allow the Halfway Café at Cobb’s Corner to open earlier on Sunday mornings to serve brunch and alcoholic beverages, and they indicated they would consider other restaurant applications on a case-by-case basis.
The Board of Selectmen has reorganized for the coming year. Longtime Selectman John Connolly was elected board chairman, Avril Elkort vice chairman, and Sal Salvatori was elected clerk.
For the third year in a row, Canton-based Baskin-Robbins donated and served 1,200 gallons of ice cream at the 29th annual All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival, presented by Fed Ex June 7-9 at Boston City Hall Plaza. Other firms participating in the event included Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Brigham’s, Ciao Bella Gelato, Edy’s, Friendly’s, H.P. Hood, and SoCo Creamery. Proceeds for the event will go to the Jimmy Fund.
The Norfolk County Mosquito Control Project is conducting early morning ULV aerosol applications, and they will take place from 2-4 a.m. (sunrise) Monday through Friday and will continue until September 30. If you want to know when the spraying will be done in your area, you can go to the project’s website at www.massnrc.org/ncmcp or contact the Canton Board of Health.
The Canton Community Theatre will be presenting its 10th anniversary production of the Broadway musical “George M” on September 23-24.
Finally, it appears that the Luce Elementary School will soon have a new playground. The school’s CAPT has privately raised almost $32,000 and needs just a bit more to complete the project. The playground will be built near the right field area of the school’s ball field. Volunteers are needed to assist in the installation.
How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most. (Stephen Covey)
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=6102
Posted by Joe DeFelice
on Jun 22 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion.
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