Man About Canton: Milton’s 40B

Did you know …

Canton selectmen and the Canton Planning Board have joined forces in opposition to a 40B affordable housing development located on the Milton/Canton town line off Brush Hill Road. Part of the proposed 276-unit development extends into the property in Canton known as the Hemenway neighborhood off Green Street and Hemenway Drive. Canton neighbors abutting the property have met with the Canton Planning Board expressing their concerns on the impacts to the historic nature of the Hemenway neighborhood as well as traffic and environmental issues that will arise from this $46 million development. The Canton Planning Board voted to insert an article for the next town meeting proposing that Hemenway Drive be designated as a scenic way, which would further help to protect this historic road.

It seems that all five selectmen are dead set against the present Plymouth Rubber proposal, especially if it includes any rental units. In MAC’s opinion, the development of the Plymouth Rubber property under its present proposal has too many obstacles to overcome, such as rental densities, traffic issues, the impact of adding more children to the Canton school system, and the affordable housing units. MAC believes it is time to go back to the drawing board for a new Plymouth Rubber proposal.

According to the Boston Globe, foreign investors, especially Chinese and other Asian buyers flush with cash, are purchasing properties in Boston and its high-end suburbs (Wellesley, Needham, Canton, Sharon, etc.) in increasing numbers. They are motivated by Massachusetts’ improving economy, the quality of schools, and the region’s clean environment.

Tom MacDonald of Canton, host of the award-winning television program “Rough Cut – Woodworking with Tommy Mac,” was named spokesman for the Hardwood Forest Foundation, the first person to serve the Memphis-based foundation in that capacity. MacDonald, 47, is a graduate of Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton, where he studied carpentry, and the prestigious North Bennet Street School in Boston.

In May, the median price for a single-family home in Massachusetts jumped by 12 percent to $324,000.

Fran DeFelice, a Canton native, recently retired as the building commissioner for the town of Eastham and was appointed by the Carver selectmen as their new part-time building commissioner.

Crescent Ridge Dairy, the popular ice cream stand on Bay Road in Sharon, is currently hosting a farmer’s market every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through October 19. Each week an estimated 22 to 30 vendors offer fruits, vegetables, wines, meats, fish, baked goods, jams, honey, and more.

The town of Foxboro is in the process of constructing its first synthetic turf athletic field. The project is expected to be finished by the end of October 2013 and cost $1.6 million ($200,000 of which was a donation from the National Football League).

In a recent letter to the editor, Canton’s new town moderator Alan Hines mentioned that “one of my responsibilities is to appoint new members to the various town committees,” which includes, among others, the Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee. Anyone interested can contact Alan at alan.hines@us.pwc.com.

Some information we don’t want to hear: According to Attorney General Martha Coakley, less than 50 percent of charitable donations made in Massachusetts in 2012 actually stayed with the charity, while the rest of the money, totaling millions of dollars, went to cover expenses and fees of professional solicitors. If you wish to donate to a charity, you should first determine where the donation is going, what it will be used for, and how much of it will ultimately benefit the charity. On a side note, the Canton Lions Club returns 100 percent of its donations back to the town and to eye research and its charities.

Life might not be the party we hoped for; but while we are here, we might as well dance.

That is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=21698

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Jul 25 2013. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.