Man About Canton: Electronic Billboards

Did you know …

Two years ago, the state approved electronic billboards along Massachusetts highways. The town of Canton has allowed one on Route 95 in the Shawmut Park area off Dedham Street. The sharp looking, well-lit digital display is generating revenue for the town. However, MAC wonders if the town has approved any regulations for electronic advertising boards? For example, is there a specification as to what type of messages shall be permitted? Are there height restrictions? Will there be an impact to any residential areas? Are animated or moving images allowed? These are a few of the regulations other towns are proposing. Advertisers are now looking up and down Route 24 to install electronic billboards, and one mile of Route 24 travels through Canton.

Selectmen recently announced the retirement of two public employees: Robert Schneiders, who will step down after 21 years of service as a Canton police officer, and Richard Gilson, who is retiring after 15 years at the DPW.

The Bank of Canton is requesting a special permit and/or variance to construct a telecommunications facility on property located at 490 Turnpike Street.

The Canton Historical Society has recently compiled the Canton High School graduation pictures from 1880 to the present. These albums will be made available to the general public.

Corvo Properties of Stoughton is constructing a four-story building at Washington and Monk streets. The top three stories will have 21 one- and two-bedroom rental units while the ground floor will be retail space. They expect to open within one year. The property is just outside Stoughton center on Route 138.

In case you missed it, selectmen voted to add three flashing pedestrian lights at the crosswalks near the new roundabout at the intersection of Pleasant Street, Bolivar Street, and Lincolnshire Drive. MAC still feels this was a waste of Canton taxpayers’ money. It’s also more dangerous now and an accident waiting to happen.

Canton Police Officer Glen Nix recently stepped down as an adopt-a-school officer after serving for nearly a decade in the role. He served at the Hansen and Luce schools, and according to Lt. Patty Sherrill, he was a “great role model and great representative of the Canton Police Department.” Officer Jonathan McCourt will replace Officer Nix. The Police Department also reassigned Officer Sean Goode from the Hansen School to the Luce School while Officer McCourt will take over at the Hansen School.

As of Sunday, October 25, liquor stores will be allowed to open at 10 a.m. The state legislature passed that law, and prior to its passage, liquor stores were prohibited form opening until noon. A total ban of Sunday sales of alcohol was a state law until 2003, when the ban was repealed.

The most expensive city in the United States to rent a two-bedroom apartment is San Francisco at $4,845 per month. This is followed by New York City at $4,141 and Boston at $2,811. The least expensive city is Fort Wayne, Indiana, at $615, followed by Toledo, Ohio, at $629; Wichita, Kansas, at $652; and Detroit at $689.

California recently became the first state to ban plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores. The law does not apply to bags used for fruits, vegetables, or meals. It also allows grocers to charge a fee of at least 10 cents for using paper bags. The law is being appealed by a national coalition of plastic bag manufacturers. In Massachusetts, the ultra-liberal town of Brookline has banned plastic bags and Styrofoam. The town of Concord recently became the first community in the nation to ban the sale of water in bottles smaller than a liter, which is another example of a small fringe that can control a town meeting, banning a perfectly legal product. In MAC’s opinion, the government should stop interfering in the marketplace.

According to Consumer Reports, extended service contract warranties are rarely worth the cost, and what you spend will be money down the drain. It found that the median price for in-store electronic warranties was $75 while major appliance warranties cost $118.

A new law that establishes nurse staffing ratios in intensive care units of Massachusetts hospitals recently went into effect. The measure limits the ratio to one nurse for one patient, or one nurse for two patients in special circumstances as assessed by the nurses on that unit.

All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people.

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=27516

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Nov 13 2014. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.