Select Board may seek input on Dedham St. islands

Officials from the Canton Department of Public Works will soon be looking for an answer fron the Select Board on whether the DPW should construct three to four traffic-calming islands on Dedham Street. Board members are unsure how Dedham Street residents feel about the proposal and may call a resident meeting to gather more input. The islands would be located near the Kennedy School, Cedarcrest Road and Maplecroft Road.

The discussion first arose with the construction of the University Station development in Westwood and the subsequent infrastructure upgrade project led by the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT). DPW Superintendent Mike Trotta and Operations Manager Bill Walsh said residents at that time wanted the islands and believed they would help to reduce speeding and improve safety. Acting Chair JR McCourt, who is a resident of nearby Cedarcrest Road, said he recently spoke to 30 area residents about the idea and only four were in favor of it.

Walsh said with the other construction and paving underway on Dedham Street, the DPW would need to know one way or the other within the next month.

In other major news from Tuesday’s meeting, Kristine Meaney, the town’s stormwater manager, proposed that the town implement a stormwater utility fee to augment what the town is spending on stormwater management plans. Meaney said the town budgeted $592,000 in FY25 to meet the requirements of its new stormwater permit but will need almost three times that amount to bring the plans up to federal standards.

To date, 25 Massachusetts communities have instituted a fee, which Meaney estimated at $100 to $125 annually. However, board members, particularly John Connolly, voiced concerns about the unfunded federal mandate and were hesitant to impose another fee on Canton residents.

In other news:

* McCourt said he would discuss the possibility of returning to in-person meetings with Chair Mike Loughran when he returned from vacation. Three of the five residents who spoke during Tuesday’s public comment period were critical of the board for continuing to hold remote meetings and depriving the public of the chance to come to a live meeting and engage with …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Aug 22 2024. Filed under Top Stories. Both comments and pings are currently closed.