Selectmen seek clarity on PRHS land restriction

The Board of Selectmen wants clarification on what is considered “passive” recreation before agreeing to a conservation restriction with the Canton Historical Society for the town-owned land at the Paul Revere Heritage Site.

Selectmen are still reviewing the proposed restriction, which would prohibit future playgrounds or active sports on the new town green.

At the selectmen’s meeting two weeks ago, George Comeau from the Canton Historical Society and Lisa Lopez, former chair of the Community Preservation Committee, defended the restriction and said the intent when the town acquired the land was to preserve it as a town green for passive recreation. The covenant, if formally adopted, would require joint approval by both the BOS and Historical Society in order to make any future changes.

In reviewing the proposed restriction at their meeting on Monday, March 2, selectmen discussed the possibility of having an outdoor public skating rink, similar to the rink at Patriot Place in Foxboro. Selectmen generally had a favorable opinion of the idea, but they were unsure if such a use would be considered passive recreation. They also seemed to be amenable to having temporary structures on the land but appeared to reject the idea of building any permanent structures.

Selectman Mark Porter said the current conservation restriction as written is too strict and could tie the hands of future boards. The board will take up the issue again at its next meeting on March 17.

In other news from Monday night’s meeting:

* Selectmen gave the go ahead to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to work overnight from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weeknights from March 15 to May 21 on the Dedham Street improvement project. DOT had initially sought permission for overnight work from March 15 to the first week in August; however, selectmen said they would prefer to review the work completed by May 21 and have requested a progress report, including information on daytime staffing and whether the nighttime work and detours are accelerating the project timeline.

* Selectmen are nearing an agreement with American Outdoor Advertising to allow a billboard to be installed along I-93 near the Dunkin’ Brands sign. The town will receive $125,000 annually in addition to a one-time payment of $35,000. Selectmen are prepared to commit $25,000 of the annual payment to the traffic mitigation account. American Outdoor Advertising, represented locally by attorney and former selectman Bob Burr, gave approval to non-commercial town announcements such as congratulations to CHS sports team on winning state championships …

See this week’s Citizen for more highlights from the March 2 selectmen’s meeting. Click here to order your subscription today.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Mar 5 2020. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.