Selectman proposes master plan for Rez waterfront

Selectman Victor Del Vecchio, in an effort to improve public accessibility at the town-owned Earl Newhouse Waterfront area leading to Reservoir Pond, has proposed a master plan for the site. Del Vecchio, who announced the plan at Tuesday night’s selectmen’s meeting, said the cost is estimated at $65,000 and would be paid for with Community Preservation Act funds, pending a public review.

A view of Reservoir Pond courtesy of George T. Comeau

Del Vecchio said the goal would be to hire a professional consultant to conduct a survey of existing conditions, site analysis, landscaping, and design plans to transform an underused space into a more accessible and desirable waterfront area with improvements for parking, landscaping, and a possible motorized boat launch.

The inaccessibility of the Newhouse waterfront has been a major concern for local boaters in recent years, particularly since the closure of Pleasant Street boat access two years ago.

Selectmen will vote on this measure at its November 15 meeting and, if approved, will forward it to the Community Preservation Committee for possible consideration at the May 2017 town meeting.

In related news, Selectmen Chairman Bob Burr responded to a series of questions concerning the reservoir that were raised by resident Jim Park in a letter to the editor published earlier this month in the Canton Citizen. Rather than submitting a rebuttal letter, Burr decided to voice his comments in a public session and allow fellow selectmen to add additional comments.

Burr stressed that the reservoir has not been closed to the public since 2014 as the author of the letter had asserted. Although public access through Pleasant Street was closed in June of that year on the recommendation of Police Chief Ken Berkowitz due to pedestrian safety concerns, Burr said that within weeks of that decision, selectmen and the DPW took steps to improve access through the Earl Newhouse Waterfront area. These steps were made in consultation with the DPW and the Conservation Commission, which governs the site. Burr said the site improvements continued into 2015 and 2016 and will continue with Del Vecchio’s proposed master plan improvements, if approved.

On the matter of jet skis, Burr said the recent vote to allow jet skis on the Rez was 3-2 and is subject to review by the board.

Burr did acknowledge that the board could have done a better job following the meetings of the Reservoir Pond Advisory Committee but said that the board did take into consideration the recommendations of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Burr said selectmen set the opening and closing of the pond based on the seasons and closed it at the onset of winter because of the condition of the access road.

Other selectmen supported Burr on his assertions, and Selectman Kevin Feeney suggested that residents who have questions should bring them directly to the board rather than turn to social media where facts are often not substantiated. Several selectmen stressed that there are no conspiracy theories with regard to the Reservoir and that the board did what it felt was best for the general public while weighing the desires of both abutters and non-abutters …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the October 18 selectmen’s meeting, including an update on negotiations with Verizon, plans for the Paul Revere Heritage Site, and more. Not a subscriber? Click here to order your subscription today (also available in digital form).

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Posted by Mike Berger on Oct 21 2016. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.