Public forum planned to gather input on St. Gerard’s

Town Administrator Charles Doody, chairperson of the St. Gerard’s Reuse Committee, reported that the first public forum on the new town property will be held sometime next month with the final details to be announced soon. Doody said the committee, which is tasked with identifying the best uses for the former church buildings and grounds, recently went on a tour of the site and has held three meetings to date. Doody said the committee will continue to meet on the first and third Wednesday of every month, and those meetings are open to the public as well.

Assisting Doody in a leadership capacity are Gene Manning, committee vice chair and Canton’s interim town planner, and Bob Quinn, committee clerk. There are three subcommittees — one to conduct public sessions at the library; another to coordinate resident surveys; and a third to hold one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, including town department heads and various civic leaders. Doody said the committee will also have a dedicated page on the town website, where relevant information will be shared.

Doody said their ultimate goal is to prepare a report for the Select Board by September 2023 containing three to five recommended uses. In the meantime, committee members have agreed to keep an open mind and will consider any and all ideas, with Doody noting that, at least at this stage, “No idea is a bad idea.”

Contractor electrocuted on University Rd.

Canton paramedics transported a utility contractor to the hospital with burn injuries after he was electrocuted while working on a transformer on University Road on Thursday, December 8. Fire Lt. John Hutchinson said the worker, a 22-year-old male, inadvertently came into contact with the energized equipment and was kicked free by a co-worker. OSHA is investigating the incident.

On another call on Friday evening, December 2, firefighters responded to a fire inside a commercial building at 250 Royall Street. Crews advanced inside the building and located the fire in a suite under renovation. The fire was quickly extinguished and firefighters used fans to ventilate the area. Lt. Hutchinson said damages caused by the fire, smoke and water was estimated at nearly $50,000. Firefighters were on scene for about an hour and no injuries were reported.

Hutchinson said the fire was caused by the improper storage of oily rags used by painters. He explained that when rags containing polyurethanes, thinners or varnish are stored on top of each other, the normal drying process produces heat, and when that heat cannot escape the rags can ignite — sometimes in a matter of hours. Hutchinson said rags should be rinsed and laid out separately to dry or stored in a metal container with a self-closing lid …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Dec 16 2022. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.