MAC: What’s up with the trees

Did you know …

A few weeks ago, residents began to notice that the trees at Sydeman Park on Washington Street next to the waterfall had been hastily chopped down, leaving unsightly and possibly dangerous stumps, each more than two feet tall. According to the selectmen, the trimming of trees was performed at the request of the owner of the adjacent property who intended to have the trees only slightly trimmed, but the landscaper instead chopped the trees down, leaving the stumps. The Board of Selectmen recently voted to have the business owner pay to have the stumps removed and replaced with eight large (10- to 12-foot) arborvitae trees and one 10-foot dogwood. It is estimated that the cost to replace the trees will be more than $5,000. The business owner has been cooperative and will pay to replant the trees. The town is seeking proposals from contractors to remove the tree stumps and replant the trees. The planting will be done in the spring.

State legislators have received a raise of $2,515 a year, or 4.19 percent in base pay. It is the first increase since 2009 under an amendment that ties legislators’ salaries to changes in the state median household income. The salaries of the 200 members of the house and senate will increase to $62,547 a year. The median household income in Massachusetts grew from $67,789 in 2013 to $70,628 in 2015, an increase of 4.19 percent.

According to an article in the Boston Globe, Massachusetts has the highest legislative salaries in New England. Here’s a look at how the states compare on base pay: Massachusetts – $62,547 per year; Rhode Island – $15,414 per year; Connecticut – $28,000 per year; Maine $24,056 per year; Vermont – $693.74 per week during the legislative session; and New Hampshire has the lowest pay with only $200 for each two-year session. On the high end, California has the highest paid legislators at $100,113 per year followed by Pennsylvania at $85,339 and New York at $79,500 per year.

The Stoughton Board of Selectmen recently voted not to renew the contract of Town Manager Michael J. Hartman of Canton when it expires on June 30, 2017. The vote was 3-1.

Jennifer Robillard was named the new head varsity coach of the girls softball team by CHS Athletic Director Danny Erickson.

The public reaction this year to the holiday lights at the town hall, library, and in the downtown business district has been generally positive, but residents would like to see more of the lights in the Washington Street areas between the library and the railroad crossing where there are none. There have been many suggestions for next year, like decorating Sydeman Park next to the downtown waterfall and maybe lights at the Viaduct beside the waterfall. It would make it more festive during the holiday season.

Losing weight is the most popular New Year’s resolution. It is also the most likely to get you ripped off. The Federal Trade Commission says that more people are defrauded through weight-loss scams such as buying “miracle” supplements, “easy” exercising gimmicks, and “breakthrough” diets than any other produce category it monitors.

Burning permits are now available at the Canton fire station for the burning season that runs from January 15 to May 1. However, there are rules to follow. Permission must be obtained for each day of burning by calling the Fire Department at 781-821-5095. Open burning must be at least 75 feet from all dwellings, take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on land closest to the source of material to be burned, and be attended at all times by the permit applicant or designee. Burning can also be halted at any time if the weather is dry or windy.

According to the United States Mint, it now costs 1.8 cents to make a penny; 9.4 cents to make a nickel; 4.6 cents to make a dime; and 11 cents to make a quarter. Today, a dime and a quarter contain 91.67 percent copper and 8.33 percent nickel, while a nickel contains 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. It costs the government about $104.5 million a year to make pennies and nickels, but they turn a profit on dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and dollars. The Mint has tested copper-toned nickels that would share the look of the penny, enabling the Mint to make the nickel for about 5 cents.

Certified results in all 50 states and the District of Columbia show Hillary Clinton receiving 65,844,610 million votes (48 percent) to Donald Trump’s 62,979,636 million votes (46 percent). But Trump finished with 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 227. Clinton is the fifth presidential candidate in American history to win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote.

Had votes from the liberal states of California and New York not been counted in the 2016 general election, President-elect Donald Trump would have beaten Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton in the popular vote by 3 million votes. It should be noted that Trump received 62,979,636 total votes, which was the most that a Republican presidential candidate has ever received in American history.

Most of us go through each day looking for what we saw yesterday; and not surprisingly, that is what we find.

That 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=35285

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Jan 20 2017. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.