Updated: Selectmen finalize Blue Ribbon Traffic Committee

Update: Last week the Citizen reported all of the names considered by selectmen for the committee. Selectmen did, however, limit the committee to one representative per precinct as well as two selectmen (Kevin Feeney and Mark Porter) and Town Planner Mark Richard, who will serve as a non-voting member. The official eight-member committee, besides Feeney and Porter, includes James Fitzpatrick (Precinct 1), Gary Ronan (Precinct 2), Kathy McCormick (Precinct 3), Peter Pineo (Precinct 4), Armin Azar (Precinct 5), and Matthew Donahue (Precinct 6). Selectmen have asked the other residents who were not selected to attend the meetings as associate members. The committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, August 10, at 7 p.m. in the Salah Meeting Room at Canton Town Hall.

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night formally appointed the new Blue Ribbon Traffic Committee with at least one resident from each precinct to examine all traffic issues impacting the community. The goal of the committee is to proactively identify traffic issues and present novel solutions to the existing Traffic Study Committee for technical review and eventually report its findings to selectmen.

The other goal of the committee is to listen to the concerns of neighbors and report back to them on any progress made toward addressing those issues.

The committee was the brainchild of new selectmen Mark Porter and Keven Feeney, who repeatedly heard about traffic issues while on the campaign trail. Both will sit on the nine-member committee, and Town Planner Tim Richards will provide input as a non-voting member.

Other members are Peter Pineo (Precinct 4), Armin Azar and John Blundo (Precinct 5), Kathy McCormick (Precinct 3), Gary Ronan and Kristin Merenda (Precinct 2), and Matthew Donahue (Precinct 6). Feeney said since the selectmen’s last meeting two weeks ago, more residents applied than were seats available; however, both he and Porter said they would like to have the people who were not appointed serve as associate members.

Feeney said the committee will hold its first meeting within the next few weeks. Some of the upcoming topics will include Wentworh Road traffic-calming measures, the Dedham Street corridor, Chapman Street, and the intersection of Randolph and Washington streets. Selectmen were due to hold an informational meeting with Wentworth Road residents on July 29 at Town Hall and will schedule a formal public hearing in the coming weeks. The DPW has completed a new sidewalk along a portion of Dedham Street with other traffic-calming measures expected to be completed before the end of the summer.

In other business at Tuesday night’s meeting, selectmen informally rejected a proposal by Town Administrator Bill Friel to limit access to the bulk waste receptacle at the Yard Waste Recycling Facility on Pine Street to the regular months of operation (April 1 to November 30). Several selectmen said they wanted the bulk waste receptacle to remain open year round for the convenience of residents but were open to Friel’s suggestion of using an automated pass key system for residents and/or monitoring of the receptacle by senior residents as part of a tax reduction work plan. Friel said he is concerned that too many non-residents and businesses are using the receptacle …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the July 28 selectmen’s meeting.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jul 30 2015. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.