Man About Canton: $100M Proposal

Did you know …

The Canton School Committee has applied to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to seek approval for the renovation or construction of a new Galvin Middle School. It has been estimated that the cost will exceed $100 million. It is also expected that the town will require a special election to exempt this debt from Proposition 2 1/2. According to Selectmen Chairman John Connolly, the middle school is in need of a complete overhaul, and the selectmen have given their approval to continue the pursuit of this undertaking.

Talking about a special election, the town would need about twice the amount of money that it received from the insurance company, $2.7 million, to repair the damaged Canton ice rink. Voters at the annual town meeting would have to approve additional funds to repair the rink, which has been unusable since the roof collapsed in February 2015. It has been estimated that at least an additional $4 million will be needed to supplement the $2.7 million received from the insurance company to rebuild the ice rink. It is also expected that the funds that will need to be borrowed for the rink repair will require a special election to exempt this debt from Proposition 2 1/2.

The commonwealth of Massachusetts has awarded the town of Canton a $15,000 state grant to study downtown parking along Washington Street. Canton was one of 19 communities awarded $15,000 through the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Technical Assistance Program. The program enables municipalities to access specialized expertise to support downtown revitalization efforts that includes economics of downtown, as well as parking, which are problems Canton center has had for years. The grant will allow the town to work with expert consultants to help alleviate the growing downtown problems.

It’s pothole season and did you know that there is a state law that requires municipalities to reimburse people for property damage or personal injury caused by defects in their streets? The law states that drivers can recover a percentage of their vehicle’s value up to $5,000. However, the law further states that people can only recover up to $5,000 for personal injuries suffered due to a defect in a municipal street. In addition, there are very short time limits for a person injured on a public way to give written notice to the entity responsible for maintaining the public way. See Massachusetts General Laws c. 84, Sec. 15 and c. 258, Sec. 4 for further information.

Over the past six months, the Massachusetts state housing market shows that the number of homes for sale remain at record lows while prices have kept on rising. According to the Warren Group, which tracks real estate transactions in Massachusetts, the median price for both single family homes and condominiums is currently at $350,000, which is 18 percent higher than one year ago. The median price in the greater Boston market, which encompasses 64 cities and towns, including the town of Canton, has risen to $549,000 for single-family homes. Based on Warren’s data, the median prices have risen for 23 consecutive months, and “there’s no sign that they’re slowing down.”

A single-family home at 193 Bailey Street recently sold for $850,000, while 141 Dedham Street went for $737,000.

Walgreens pharmacy has completed its takeover of 1,932 new stores with the Rite-Aid Corporation.

Charles P. Lazarus, the man who founded Toys R Us, the toy store chain that for decades captured the hearts of American consumers, died recently at the age of 94. His death came just one week after Toys R Us announced that it would start liquidating its stores in the United States. The closings will result in more than 30,000 employees losing their jobs. The main reason Toy R Us went out of business is that it could no longer compete with Amazon and Walmart.

Despite what race officials said were the worst conditions in the Boston Marathon’s 122-year history, 27,042 runners were at the starting line of the April 16 race, and 25,822 completed the 26-mile course, which is 95.5 percent of the runners. Canton’s top finisher in the race was Sean McNeil, who placed an impressive 146th overall with a personal-best time of 2:40:30.

Bertucci’s, the brick oven pizza chain with 59 locations in the United States, including one in Canton, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The main reason for the filing is the use of cell phones, which has led to a growing number of people who prefer to have food delivered to them. There’s nothing more convenient than having the restaurant come to you.

2 Meetinghouse Road Realty Trust/Donald McNeice is looking for site plan approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals to raze the existing single-family dwelling currently located at 2 Meetinghouse Road and construct a new six-unit dwelling in combination with a retail space, or other permitted use, in a business district located on the property.

And finally, Canton officials are still looking for the person or persons who have been throwing plastic bags of dog waste into the town drains/sewer grates causing a blockage and backup in the sewage system. DPW Superintendent Mike Trotta stated that it created quite a mess, cost thousands of dollars in repairs, and hurt the environment.

The best way to learn is by doing. The only way to build a strong work ethic is by getting your hands dirty.

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=38808

Posted by Joe DeFelice on May 4 2018. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.