BOS begins process of rezoning Gridley School building

The Board of Selectmen earlier this week authorized the start of the process of rezoning the former Gridley School — which has been deemed unsafe — from a public building to a residence for sale. Selectmen also authorized Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall to work with the Zoning Board of Appeals and Building Commissioner Ed Walsh on the rezoning work.

At the BOS meeting on Tuesday night, Selectman Kevin Feeney reopened the possibility that the former school could receive Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to develop affordable housing. Feeney said a portion of the town’s CPA funds can and should be spent on community housing opportunities — one of the four pillars of the state program along with historic preservation, open space, and outdoor recreation.

The Gridley School, located at 314 Washington Street, was shuttered last spring due to structural deficiencies. At the 2018 annual town meeting, voters gave selectmen the authority to repair, sell/lease, or find another use for the building.

In other action, Selectmen Chairman Mark Porter asked the DPW and consulting engineers from Stephens Associates to monitor the draining of Reservoir Pond during upcoming dam work and its effects on the home of Richard Karp of Morse Drive. Karp said his home was impacted with water from a nearby brook when previous dam repairs were performed. Karp criticized the Conservation Commission and Finance Committee for failure to either hold open meetings or answer his questions about the project. Daniel Deutsch, managing attorney and principal for Brooks & Derensis (town counsel), said there was no requirement for MEPA (Mass. Environmental Policy Act) or similar state environmental review in connection with the dam repairs. Deutsch said the repair work amounts to maintenance of an existing dam structure.

The project gets underway the first week of September and the DPW will check the property and work with Karp to mitigate impacts as the water level is lowered.

Karp said he and other residents thought the project would begin in the fall of 2017 but never heard anything else about it. Work was originally slated to commence last September, but the project was put on hold after bids came in higher than anticipated. A total of $1.25 million has since been earmarked for the project through debt capital appropriations at the 2017 and 2018 annual town meetings.

The Mass. Audubon Society has also inquired about potential impacts from the dam repairs …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the August 21 selectmen’s meeting. Not a subscriber? Click here to order your subscription today (also available in digital form).

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Posted by Mike Berger on Aug 24 2018. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.