Town pool, medical zoning changes headline 2019 TM
By Mike BergerA total renovation of the town pool on Bolivar Street, projected to cost $4.6 million and requiring approval of a debt-exclusion override, is the most visible impact for taxpayers among the items up for consideration at the upcoming 2019 annual town meeting.
Selectmen released the 40-article warrant last week, with the first session of ATM set to commence on Monday, May 13, at 7 p.m. in the Canton High School auditorium. Early indications suggest that the town will require two or three sessions to act on all proposed town meeting business.
Acting Selectmen Chairman Chris Connolly said the Finance Committee at its January 17 meeting confirmed that a debt-exclusion override would be necessary in order to meet the projected town pool renovation budget of $4.6 million. The Canton Community Preservation Committee (CCPC) recently voted to recommend a grant of $200,000 to put toward the project, subject to approval by town meeting voters. CCPC members had discussed other funding options, including financing a portion of the cost with a long-term bond, but they felt that doing so would jeopardize future CPA funding requests and ultimately settled on a one-time contribution while agreeing to back the project on town meeting floor and in the lead up to an override vote.
Of the 40 articles on the 2019 warrant, Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall reported that 16 are standard annual articles while 11 are new proposals and 10 are zoning related. There are also two street acceptance articles as well as the general town budget appropriation article.
Besides the town pool renovation project, the other two articles expected to draw much of the town meeting discussion are a new zoning amendment developed by the town planner amending regulations for hospitals, long-term care facilities, substance abuse detox or treatment centers, and other types of medical facilities. The other is a proposed bylaw that aims to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags at retail.
Other zoning amendments include proposed changes to bylaws concerning special residential regulations, off-street parking, tables of dimensional requirements, and the timeframe for special permits to lapse, as well as the removal of the village overlay and senior housing overlay districts, and the rezoning of certain business parcels to single residential zones.
Under new articles, there is one establishing new revolving fund accounts for the Paul Revere Heritage Site and open space and another proposing an increase in the School Department’s special education reserve account. There are also proposed street acceptances for Cedarcrest Road and Beatrice Way and a proposed transfer of funds to the Solar Facility Stabilization Fund.
Other new articles call for the approval of a special tax agreement with Spear Street Capital, owners of the former Reebok campus; a cable TV public education and government access special revenue enterprise fund; a five-year lease of Fire Department equipment storage; and establishment of the town’s Mapping Commission.
Another article asks voters to adopt the Municipal Modernization Act establishing speed limits and safety zones and bringing the Canton bylaw into conformance with state regulations concerning violations of dog licensing.
Also on the warrant are articles for the town’s FY20 capital spending program, which includes acceptance of design and construction funds for the Washington-Randolph Street intersection.
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Feb 1 2019. Filed under News, Town Government.
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