Man About Canton: Canton Misses the Boat

DID YOU KNOW …

Canton has missed the boat on the local option meal tax. The recent town meeting voted against the additional .75 percent tax, which would have been added to restaurant bills on top of the 6.25 percent state sales tax. In the past year, Stoughton collected just over $350,000; Walpole collected $290,000; Hingham collected more than $430,000; and the city of Quincy collected more than $1 million. Local governments that have passed the .75 percent tax receive the money with their quarterly disbursement of state aid.

Bars and restaurants were concerned the tax would discourage customers, but those fears haven’t materialized. As of July 2011, 42 percent of Massachusetts cities and towns had adopted the tax increase. Sorry to say Canton’s on the 58 percent side. On July 1, 2011, neighboring towns of Foxboro, Mansfield, Norwood, and Randolph added the .75 percent increase. It is estimated that Foxboro has lined itself up for about a $750,000 boost to its coffers, much of it from eateries at the Patriot Place retail complex and from the Patriots games at Gillette Stadium. MAC hopes the town of Canton passes the increase at its next town meeting. It could certainly use the money.

The selectmen have hired a transportation planning consultant, Gary McNaughton of McMahon Associates, to check on and monitor the possible effects of the South Coast Rail expansion on the town of Canton. The proposed Canton/Stoughton route would expand service between Boston through Canton and Stoughton to Fall River and New Bedford.

It was interesting to note during the recent heat wave that the all-time record high temperature for Boston is 104 degrees, set on July 4, 1911. On Friday, July 22, 2011, the temperature reached 103 degrees.

A monument will be unveiled on September 11 at 8:45 a.m. to honor Michael A. Uliano. Mike, or “Uli” as he was called, was killed on September 11, 2001, when an airplane hijacked by terrorists struck the World Trade Center, slicing through floors 94-98. Mike was working as a broker with Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the North Tower. At 10:28 a.m., the tower collapsed. The dedication will take place at the Canton Corner Cemetery next to the war memorials.

Borders, the nation’s second largest bookstore chain, will be closing the book on a 40-year run. It will close its 399 stores, including 14 in Massachusetts. According to news reports, Borders is $220 million in debt. According to news reports, Borders president Mike Edwards has said that the “rapidly changing book industry, e-reader revolution, and the turbulent economy have brought us to where we are now.”

The Bank of Canton recently donated $5,000 to My Brother’s Keeper, a volunteer Christian ministry in Easton.

The Copeland Family Foundation recently donated $5,000 to be used for the town’s animal shelter on Bolivar Street.

Construction work on Turnpike Street (Route 138) from the intersection of Washington Street to the intersection of Randolph Street is nearing completion. The roadway, sidewalks, and drainage project will be a marked improvement to that section of Route 138.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reported that during the school year of 2009-2010, 16 students dropped out of the Canton schools, while three years before that, only five students dropped out. In comparison, Stoughton had 27 students drop out in 2005-2006, and 28 in 2009-2010. Most south shore towns have seen a decrease in school dropouts, but Canton has had a steep increase.

Ninety percent of all alcohol consumed by teenagers is done while binge drinking. Forty-one percent of 12th graders report having had a drink in the previous 30 days, and by the time kids are in college, that number climbs to 72 percent.

Sean Fallon was recently appointed as a paramedic for the Canton Fire Department. Sean is from Stoughton and comes from a family of firefighters. His father, Charlie Fallon, was a longtime firefighter in Stoughton and his uncle, John Fallon, was also a Stoughton firefighter. MAC welcomes Sean to the Canton Fire Department.

Danny Thomas once said, “All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It is what you do for others.”

This 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=7026

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Aug 3 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.