TM voters approve CPA projects; rink still in limbo

Walsh Field at CHS was approved for new lights. (Michelle Stark photo)

While Monday’s opening session of town meeting saw continued progress being made on a number of public projects with the help of Community Preservation Act funds, the news about renovating the damaged Metropolis Skating Rink was, according to Selectmen Chairman John Connolly, “disheartening.”

Selectmen had hoped to bring a consultant’s report to town meeting outlining a plan for repairing the rink along with detailed cost estimates, but in the absence of that report, voters elected to follow the lead of the Finance Committee and postpone the article indefinitely.

After the meeting, Connolly said that when the report does arrive from the consultant, selectmen and the Building Renovations Committee will review it before determining next steps.

The town has received $2.7 million in insurance proceeds to date but must spend the money by February 2019 or risk losing the funds. Connolly believes the total insurance award may approach $3 million but he does not expect the state, which owns the rink, to come up with any additional money.

Any supplemental funds needed to repair the rink would still need to be appropriated — most likely through a debt-exclusion override, which requires approval at town meeting and in a subsequent special town election.

Connolly said he remains hopeful that the rink repairs can still be completed, citing the high demand for ice time and the popularity of youth hockey in the area. He said the rink has been a mainstay in the town for several decades and should be reopened.

As for the CPA funding recommendations, all were approved at Monday’s town meeting except for one — a $300,000 request for resurfacing and deck replacement at the Bolivar Town Pool. While the Community Preservation Committee had issued a favorable recommendation for the project, CCPC Chairperson Lisa Lopez said the Recreation Commission needed to “rethink their approach” after receiving a report from a consultant that raised several new questions. However, Lopez stressed that updating the pool is still very important to the CCPC and the community.

CPA projects approved for funding included a new irrigation system and underground wiring for future lighting at the Paul Revere Heritage park ($325,500); restroom and storage facilities at the Kennedy School athletic fields ($173,500); lights at the Walsh Softball Field at CHS ($150,000); Ponkapoag Playground renovations ($63,500); and replacement exhaust fans at the Rubin Court senior housing complex ($80,000).

The costs for the JFK fieldhouse are being shared between the town, which also appropriated $173,500 at last year’s town meeting, and Canton Little League, which has contributed $116,000 toward the project.

Also approved at Monday’s town meeting was a motion put forward by the CCPC to convert $362,697 in funds appropriated at ATM 2015 for renovation of the historic David Tilden House (Little Red House) into a grant to be spent by a third party lessee with experience in historic rehabilitation. The authority to lease the house — which dates to the early 18th century — was approved at the 2017 town meeting and Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall said selectmen are still in the process of evaluating bids. It was announced on Monday night that the Canton Historical Society, a private nonprofit organization, had submitted a bid for the project.

In other town meeting action, voters approved an amendment to the development agreement governing the Plymouth Rubber development/Paul Revere Heritage Site so that any changes to the agreement can be executed with a super-majority (four-fifths) vote of the Board of Selectmen following a public hearing. The original development agreement stipulated that any changes needed to be approved by a vote at town meeting. The purpose of the amendment, according to FinCom, was to facilitate a “smoother and more timely achievement of developmental milestones.” Those who spoke in opposition to the article felt that it gave too much authority to the selectmen over an agreement that was developed collaboratively with input from multiple town boards and committees. However, selectmen said waiting for town meeting each year to approve any changes could delay building progress significantly.

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=38895