Citizen recalls top stories of 2010
By Jay Turner
Editor’s note: Although it is impossible to properly measure the importance of one event against another, the editors of the Canton Citizen have carefully reviewed all of the stories that made headlines this year and have selected the ones that they feel have had the greatest impact on the community. What follows then, is the Citizen’s list of the top stories of 2010.
Separate tragedies claim two young lives
Although 2010 certainly had its moments of triumph and joy, the year began on a deeply somber note with the tragic death of 18-year-old Scott Herr in a traffic accident in upstate New York. Herr, a 2009 CHS graduate, was universally beloved and respected, and his loss was felt across the Canton community. An honors student and three-sport athlete, he had been the inaugural male recipient of the Paul Matthews Cup, which is given to the CHS senior who best exemplifies the values of scholarship, sportsmanship, and service. As a tribute to Scott, his family established a scholarship fund in his name, while an anonymous donor presented a $50,000 check to Canton High School that went toward the completion of the Scott Herr Memorial Fitness Center.
Sadly, the town lost another one of its best and brightest only a month later when 21-year-old Brendan Burke, a graduate of Xaverian Brothers and team manager of the top-ranked Miami (OH) University hockey team, was killed in a traffic accident in Indiana. The son of NHL executive Brian Burke, Brendan inspired millions when he opened up about being gay in a widely publicized article on ESPN.com. Yet he also refused to let that define him and will be most remembered, much like Herr, as a great friend, son, and brother who made others around him better people.
ATM voters rescue budgets with more free cash
The town’s free cash reserves took another big hit this year when town meeting voters, acting largely on faith, agreed to supplement both the FY10 and FY11 school operating budgets with separate transfers totaling $803,000. The transfers were used to address sizable deficits in both years, after school officials, who were hamstrung by unanticipated special education costs, had exhausted all other options. Meanwhile, voters also appropriated another $400,000 to cover unforeseen snow and ice removal costs, bringing the free cash balance to less than $400,000 and, according to the Finance Committee, leaving the town ill-equipped to handle any future budget emergencies.
Canton mourns the loss of Joe U
It was a bittersweet homecoming weekend for many Canton residents after longtime Recreation Commissioner Joe Uliano passed away at the age of 77 on the eve of the annual parade and block party — an event he had helped to establish along with close friend Billy Armando. Fittingly, the day had already been declared “Joe Uliano Day,” but it took on even more poignancy in light of his passing, as friends and coworkers shared stories of the unassuming, fiercely loyal, and “incredible person” they knew affectionately as Joe U. In addition to his three decades of service with the Recreation Commission, Uliano was a longtime member and past president of the Canton Town Club. A lifelong resident, he was inducted into the CHS Hall of Fame in 2004, and in 2008, he was honored as the Blue Hills Civic Association’s “Citizen of the Year.”
Massive rain storm leads to widespread flooding, road closures
Like the rest of eastern Massachusetts, Canton residents could only watch as a record-setting nor’easter pummeled the region in mid March, dumping more than nine inches of rain over a 72-hour span and wreaking general havoc on local roadways — many of which had to be closed for several days due to severe flooding. The storm also caused a dam to burst within the Waterfall Hills residential complex, forcing the evacuation of 25 residents. A second storm on March 23 brought another two-plus inches and only added to the misery for many homeowners who were already dealing with flooded basements. A number of these individuals later applied for and received federal assistance after the storms were declared a major disaster by President Obama.
Bob Burr for state Senate
For the second time in as many years, Canton Selectman Bob Burr made a bid for a higher office as a Republican candidate, but ultimately came up short against a bigger name opponent. In 2009, Burr announced he would run for the late Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat, but he bowed out just six weeks later after struggling to collect the requisite number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot. This year, Burr joined the state Senate race in the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district and fared significantly better, capturing the Republican nomination with a convincing win over Milton resident Richard Livingston in the September primary. However, Burr’s luck ran out in the general election as incumbent Senator Brian A. Joyce cruised to an eighth straight term with well over 60 percent of the vote.
Town steps in after Rez sinks to new lows
Canton’s most popular recreational spot, Reservoir Pond, became borderline unusable this summer thanks to a standoff between the owners of the pond, the Illinois-based Napleton Company, and local and state officials over much-needed repairs to the Pleasant Street dam. The dispute resulted in the removal of the dam’s boards, which lowered the water level by more than five feet, sparking outrage among abutters who could no longer use their watercrafts. It took several months of intense negotiations, but eventually the two sides reached an agreement whereby Napleton would pay for the repairs and then donate the pond to the town. The architect of the deal on the town side was Selectman Sal Salvatori.
Schools welcome all-new leadership contingent
The Canton Public Schools’ leadership team got a whole new look when several top ranking administrators and one School Committee member all stepped down for varying reasons within a span of two months beginning late last spring. Already set to lose Superintendent John D’Auria and Assistant Superintendent Alan Dewey to retirement, the schools learned of the resignations of both Robin Billing, the district’s head of curriculum and instruction, and School Committee member Tim Brooks on the same night in June. The departures then caused even more of a shakeup when D’Auria tapped Kennedy School Principal Jen Henderson to fill Billing’s shoes, which resulted in JFK assistant principal Jan Chamberlain sliding into the role of interim principal. Meanwhile, former Norwood interim superintendent Jeff Granatino became the new superintendent of schools, former Masconomet administrator Debra Bromfield took over for Dewey as head of student services, and Canton resident Jill Stevens was chosen to fill the remainder of Brooks’ term.
Town loses legal battle with Roseland Property Co.
Local officials thought they were well within their rights back in 2003 when they first rejected a bid by the New Jersey-based Roseland Property Company to build a large affordable housing development near the Randolph town line. However, seven years and multiple legal appeals later, the developer was able to emerge victorious, bolstered by the fact that Canton was below the state’s affordable housing threshold at the time of the initial rejection. The town’s zoning board then reluctantly signed off on the project in late July, but the two sides continued to quibble over the various conditions of the approval. Most recently, the developer has forged ahead with plans to construct a subdivision, which accounts for only a small portion of the 200-plus units that Roseland has in the works.
Life is good festival comes to Prowse Farm
For two days in September, Canton’s Prowse Farm was transformed into a family-friendly version of Woodstock as the Life is good Company, a Boston-based apparel retailer, brought its popular music festival to the foot of the Blue Hills. After holding a series of smaller festivals in major cities in an effort to raise money for its Kids Foundation, Life is good decided to up the stakes in 2010, bringing in a star-studded musical lineup headlined by Grammy winner Jason Mraz as well as top children’s performers Laurie Berkner and They Might Be Giants. The event was a universal hit, attracting more than 25,000 festival goers while raising more than $600,000 for children facing life-threatening challenges.
Canton Viaduct, Bank of Canton both turn 175
A pair of Canton institutions both celebrated their 175th anniversaries in 2010 — first the Bank of Canton, which opened its doors on March 4, 1835, in Bent’s Tavern in the Massapoag House, followed months later by the Canton Viaduct, which opened to rail service on June 6. Bank of Canton, now a leading residential mortgage lender, celebrated its milestone by giving small gifts at each of its five branch locations, while the viaduct, which is the only bridge of its kind in the western hemisphere, received its due on October 10 with a special ceremony and monument dedication sponsored by the Blue Hill Masonic Lodge in honor of the Freemasons who engineered and built the famous structure.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=402
Posted by Jay Turner
on Dec 30 2010. Filed under News, Photo Gallery.
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