Man About Canton: Winter Parking Restrictions

DID YOU KNOW …

November is here, and it is time to think about winter’s overnight parking restrictions. Town bylaws specify that all overnight on-street parking (1-6 a.m.) is prohibited between November 15 and April 1 so that streets are kept clear for snow removal. Violators are subject to a $15 fine for each violation.

The Canton Council on Aging is planning a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino on Wednesday, November 14. The cost for the trip is $25, but those going will receive a $15 food credit and $15 worth of free bets. For reservations, contact the Senior Center at 781-828-1323.

The Council on Aging has a number of tickets for a dinner and show on Thursday, December 6, at the Lantana in Randolph. It is an Irish Christmas show with international singing sensation John McNally. John is one of the best known and internationally acclaimed Irish tenors of our time. The cost is $45 per person, and it also includes a turkey dinner with all the fixings. Again, for reservations contact the Senior Center at 781-828-1323.

The Canton Citizen recently listed 26 Canton residents who made the honor roll at Boston College High School, which itself is a large number of students going to a private school from Canton.

Duggan Builders has petitioned the Planning Board, seeking approval of a definitive subdivision plan for nine lots on property located off Pleasant Street. The subdivision plan is titled The Beaver Meadow Estates.

The Canton School Committee recently extended the contract for Superintendent of Schools Jeff Granatino through 2015.

The new dean of students at Canton High School is former CHS football coach Jim Goff.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Canton High School has one of the lowest dropout rates on the south shore. Only four students dropped out of school during the 2010-11 year (a 0.5 percent rate). The national and state average is 3.4 percent. In comparison, Brockton High at 6.0 percent and Randolph at 4.4 percent are the highest in the area.

Talking about Brockton High School, with an enrollment of 4,145 students, it is the biggest high school in the state.

The estimated cost of heating a home with oil this winter in Massachusetts is $3,300 (and that’s using an estimate of $3.58 a gallon). Oil prices could be heading toward $4 per gallon. The alternative of heating a home with wood is estimated at only $1,600. According to NStar and National Grid, an estimated 10,000 homeowners this year will convert from oil to gas.

As of January, you can no longer itemize deductions for unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. The new threshold will be 10 percent. Just another example of how the government is hurting the middle class.

The town of Walpole recently passed an abandoned building bylaw that was approved by the attorney general’s office. The bylaw targets owners of abandoned properties where the building inspector has found substantial physical distress, such as broken windows or doors, fire damage, collapsed roofs, or accumulations of debris. Owners would be required to register those properties with the town and submit plans to remedy the problems. Owners whose abandoned properties remain on Walpole’s registry for longer than 90 days will be charged fees to cover the town’s monitoring cost. If the town is forced to ultimately do maintenance work, liens can also be placed on the property to cover those costs. Canton has a number of abandoned properties, and town officials should look into passing a similar bylaw. The goal of the bylaw is to get properties up to code, not to fine their owners; but if they have to, there would be a bylaw to fall back on.

Now that the Boston Red Sox have, sadly, failed to make “a game out of it,” finishing the season in last place with their worst record in 44 years, it is time to think about “next year” again, and there is a lot of speculation about who is going to stay and who will be going by the time next season comes around. GM Ben Cherington and his new assistant, Jason Varitek, will be seeking to put together a new team that we hope will go further than the present team did. And like most fans, MAC will be an interested observer.

You may not be aware of it, but the Neponset River, which runs through and is adjacent to Canton, is about 30 miles long. It meanders from Foxboro to Dorchester Bay. Along the way, it not only touches Canton but also Sharon, Westwood, Norwood, Dedham, and Quincy and also part of the Blue Hill Reservation and Fowl Meadow, which is in Canton. As a matter of fact, the river and its watershed encompass land where 330,000 people live; and if you are so inclined, it is possible to rent a canoe and paddle around the river between April and late October.

Finally, keep in mind that you should vote on Tuesday, November 6. Remember that every vote counts, and this is probably the most important election that we will have in years.

There are two sides to every question. The wise man hears both before he acts.

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=17054

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Oct 31 2012. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.