Washington St. detour to restart for up to 10 days

Selectmen reluctantly re-instated the Washington Street detour beginning today, Thursday, October 25, for up to 10 days to complete sidewalk and final paving from Washington Street near Adrienne Drive to St. Gerard’s Church.

The detour will force traffic traveling from Canton Center to turn up Randolph Street to Route 138 and traffic coming from Route 138 to go down Randolph Street and then turn left onto Washington Street to proceed toward the center. Detour hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The only exception is for school buses bound for the Hansen and Galvin schools.

Selectmen, in particular John Connolly, were upset that the contractor did nothing with the project for about two weeks after the initial paving. DPW Superintendent Mike Trotta said that because the project is funded by state Chapter 90 money, the only stipulation is that the contractor has to finish the project by year’s end. If the town paid for the project itself, it could have stipulated the start and end dates.

Trotta said there is a possibility that the detour may finish earlier than 10 working days if the weather is favorable. Selectmen asked Trotta to halt the detour on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6.

In a related matter, selectmen voted to deny a late application by John Marini Sr. to close or detour traffic along Pecunit Street on October 29 to lay a new sewer pipe near the Blue Hill Country Club. The request would detour traffic along Pecunit to Mohawk Road. Selectmen denied the request until their next meeting, November 13, because the application came in one day before the meeting, it lacked complete information, and it impacted the current Washington Street paving project. Selectmen Chairman Bob Burr and Selectman Victor Del Vecchio raised concerns that Marini was still involved with this three-home project while still serving as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

In other news, selectmen were pleased to authorize money from the Stoughton Mitigation Account to pay for two portable electronic speed signs on York Street. These two signs will cost $12,400. A third sign, amounting to over $5,000, will be donated and paid for by Terry Conroy, a York Street resident who asked that the permanent traffic radar sign be site specific and placed near Weathervane Road. Selectman Avril Elkort said York Street residents are delighted that traffic calming signs will be implemented in the neighborhood.

In other news:

* The Water Department will begin using chloramine disinfectant in the town-produced water, the same method used by the Mass. Water Resources Authority (MWRA). DPW Superintendent Mike Trotta said the water will have less of a chlorine taste and odor. Full implementation of this method should be completed by the end of November.

* Selectmen voted to approve a new three-year contract with the Canton police officers union, which represents officers and sergeants. The contract, retroactive to July 1, 2012, and ending July 1, 2015, allows for a 2 percent cost of living increase each year. Town Manager Bill Friel said the last major town contract to be bargained is the ASFCME union covering 80 employees in the DPW, building maintenance, and recreation departments.

* Selectmen voted to close the Neponset Street septage facility on November 16, and septage haulers will be told to use a new facility in Walpole. The MWRA informed the town that the facility must be upgraded for security. Trotta said the upgrade costs are too expensive and most of the waste is from out of town. The town still retains the right to reapply to the MWRA to use the site if the upgrades are made.

* At the recommendation of Police Mobile Officer Donald Wolffe, selectmen voted to post a no-parking zone on the Canton side of Pine Street directly across from the Green Brook Condominiums. Operators who live in the condo development have been parking their cars overnight and during the day because of parking restrictions within the site.

* Columbia Gas has rescheduled the gas main installation on Will Drive for Saturday, October 27. The entrance to Will Drive from Pleasant Street will be closed for most of the day with the entrance from North Street remaining open.

* Kathleen Kalell of the Mass. Hospital School along with Canton resident Peter Pineo announced a holiday Winterfest to be held on the MHS grounds November 30 to December 2. The three-day event will be a fundraiser for the school and will feature donated Christmas trees, hayrides, carriages, miniature horses, breakfast with Santa, a 5K Jingle Bell Run, and performances by Canton High musical groups.

* The Town Hall parking lot will be repaved and cracks will be sealed between now and December 1. The estimated $6,500 cost will be paid out of the NSTAR Mitigation Account and work will be done on a future Saturday.

* The Recreation Department-sponsored Halloween Parade will be held this Sunday, October 28, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Bank of Canton. The parade will follow on Washington Street to Canton High School.

* A Veterans Day breakfast will be held at the American Legion Post #24 hall on Sunday, November 11.

* Tuesday, November 6, is Election Day and the Salah Meeting room will be used as a tabulating area for election results. Selectmen will next meet on Tuesday, November 13, at 7 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Oct 25 2012. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.