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Previously on Page Two

Page Two items will be entered chronologically with the most recent first. If you don’t visit regularly you have to go to the bottom and work up. Always thought that is the way it should be. Thanks for visiting.

3.11.08

From A Reader: 

Hello.  I receive your emails and thank you for keeping me in touch with what's happening in Canton.  As a resident who works full-time in the City I don't have as much time to keep up with everything as I would wish to. 

I do have a question or perhaps just an observation.  Algonquin Gas/Spectra Energy is set to do major digging in some areas of Canton (directly behind my house for one) between now and next year to install a new large (LNG I believe) gas pipe as part of a nationwide infrastructure.  This is going to entail major disruption to many people in my neighborhood and others.  (How dangerous seems to be a bone of contention.)  However, there seems to be virtually no interest from what I can see from the Town officials.  I went to an open house at the high school in 2007 and the only people there were me, a couple of neighbors and Rep. Galvin...no town officials from what I could see and I stayed a while.  I went to an information session in Randolph and while Stoughton was heavily represented (they are actively fighting this pipeline going past an elementary school driveway, the Sinai Hospital and some residential areas), I was perhaps one of two or three Canton people with no town representation.  Senator Joyce showed up briefly but I don't know that he is doing much.  The only one who I have found who cares even slightly is US Rep. Steven Lynch's office.  They sent someone to attend the meeting and I discussed my concerns with him.

There seems to be concern as to any effect the pipeline would cause to the Irish Cultural Centre, the Sinai and how dangerous this might be to the elementary school children during the school year, but it doesn't seem like the town of Canton is much concerned as to the people of our town who live within feet of this pipeline.  My older neighbors tell me this pipeline was foisted on them decades ago with little attention paid to their concerns.  Perhaps you can give me more information on this.  In addition, as part of the material Algonquin/Spectra sent they indicate that, if necessary, temporary and permanent land takings could take place should they need to do so.  Again, very disconcerting.

Maybe this only seems like a big deal to me.  However, since the town takes so much interest in fixing streets and renovating buildings, perhaps a bit of time for people facing this type of intrusion would be warranted.  Many thanks for any information you can provide.

I haven’t followed this closely at all. However, I happened to be at the Conservation Commission meeting at which it was discussed. My understanding is that it is not a new pipeline. It is a replacement line for the existing pipeline. Much larger in capacity to accommodate a much higher volume of natural gas. My understanding is that any land taking would be construction land taking that would revert when construction was finished. It seemed logical to go along with a proposal that replaced an aging line with a new one, albeit a larger one, that would be underground and invisible. We have a looming power shortage in Massachusetts and have proposals for new power generating plants in Walpole, Billerica and Brockton. If the Walpole plant happens it will be gas powered and the larger gas supply would be needed to support that use alone, as well as the growing number of home owners who are eyeing gas as an alternative to oil for heating their homes. Now I have a tendency to oversimplify so if I have misstated the case in my quest for clarity I would be happy to “publish” a correction or rebuttal.

I would be equally happy to have someone tell me I am wrong about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are not being put to their best use by going to the lawyers who are contesting the state agency decisions on the Westwood Station project.  Rush hour traffic seems to be the number one concern among hundreds of people in a town that has almost thirteen thousand registered voters. As I sat in traffic on Chapman Street waiting my turn to play "traffic roulette" getting on to Washington Street north it occurred to me that a traffic light at that troublesome intersection would probably cost less than two hundred thousand dollars. Wouldn’t that do more to mitigate our current traffic problems than a prolonged court battle to oppose perceived future problems?  Maybe it’s just me but I can’t escape the feeling that our priorities are a bit out of whack.

Take care and good luck to us all.

3.02.08

Info item first – the Canton Barking Dog website is up and updated - as you can see. The migration from one server to another on the web host was a bit dramatic. A great deal was lost. However, what has emerged is a leaner more focused site that will serve those folks who have a newspaper approach to learning about current issues. That is, they want to know but they don’t want to be bothered. Computerless people who are content to head over to the Canton Public Library and make use of the impressive Reference Center computers and then pick up a book (or maybe a DVD) just for entertainment.

Speaking of entertainment. Most of you probably have this but for the website people and just in case:  COME AND ASK THE CANDIDATES QUESTIONS!!! The Canton High School chapter of the JR. STATESMAN OF AMERICA and the BLUE HILLS CIVIC ASSOCIATION PRESENTS CANDIDATES NIGHT MONDAY- MARCH 3, 2008 -6:30 - 9:00 P.M. @ THE CANTON PUBLIC LIBRARY - 786 WASHINGTON STREET- CANTON. MEET AND QUESTION THE CANDIDATES.

** REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED**
CANDIDATES FOR THESE OFFICES   HAVE BEEN INVITED:

BOARD OF ASSESSORS,

BOARD OF HEALTH,

LIBRARY TRUSTEE,
PLANNING BOARD,

HOUSING AUTHORITY,

SCHOOL COMMITTEE,
AND BOARD OF SELECTMEN
CANTON TOWN ELECTION APRIL 8TH! VOTE

Although Selectman Sal Salvatori is the lead on the Streetscape Project, this question from a reader might be a good question for the BOS.

Hi Carl,

    I heard a disturbing rumor this morning about the Canton Streetscape Project, but I'm not sure if there is any truth to it. I thought I'd ask you since you always have your ear to the ground.

    I was told that driving toward downtown Canton from Cobbs Corner, cars would no longer be able to turn right unto Bolivar (due to a "bump-out" placed on the corner). Also, cars would no longer be able to turn left onto Revere Street due to an island. I have a hard time believing the Revere street rumor because then the Fire Trucks returning from the Cobbs Corner area would have to drive past Revere street to find somewhere to turn around.

    If either of these things are true, (though I'm not a traffic engineer) I think they would make driving downtown almost impossible.

    I'd be interested to hear what you know.

Well some of what I know sometimes “ain’t so” but I am pretty sure that the original Streetscape Plan called for bump outs at those locations but not large enough to prohibit turning. Most of the bump outs etc. are in place so anything new would be a surprise.  But if the BOS are in executive sessions with Napleton & Co to ameliorate their pending traffic catastrophe on Revere Street anything is possible. In which case there will be a lot of people joining me under this bus. This is what it was supposed to be: Streetscape Plan.

The BOS incumbents who will be at Candidates Night alternate the Chairmanship of the Board (how does that work?) so they should be on top of this.

By the way – this is not a club. Anyone who wants to take the time to ask can be added to my email list. I have over a hundred names in my address book that are not on the email list simply because I didn’t think they were interested.  And by the other way – continuing thanks to those of you who print out copies of these emails and pass them along to friends who choose not to have computers but still want another point of view.

Take care and good luck to us all.

2.20.08

My mind is in the sewer. Not just any sewer – the section of the MWRA’s Stoughton Extension Sewer that runs from our DPW yard along Forge Pond, along Neponset Street across from the PR factory to the old Stone Factory site at the Viaduct at which point it connects with the new Stoughton Extension Relief Sewer. In 1998 this section of the system was determined to be able to handle the sewerage flow – it was OK. Above this section (Bolivar Pond and beyond) and below this section (Factory to the Neponset River) the sewer was determined to be over capacity, which resulted in sewage overflowing onto Canton’s streets. For the most part all town sewer in this area was determined to be at full capacity. To remedy this and similar conditions throughout the Upper Neponset Valley and in anticipation of growth and development; an extensive MWRA construction project created parallel relief sewers for the over capacity system components. You may remember the blasting around Bolivar Pond. Another component was a high volume pumping station off University Road in the Fowl Meadow. It appears to be working. But the section that was “OK” received no relief or additional capacity.

In Canton we have both town and MWRA sewer. The town sewer system feeds into the MWRA system, which then takes everything to Deer Island for processing.

Now I don’t understand all I know about sewer projects. But unless our town sewer has capacity that we didn’t have twenty years ago I have to believe that all of the development that has taken place since 1998 in the area bounded by Washington, Revere and Sherman Streets is sewered into the section of the MWRA’s Stoughton Extension Sewer that had previously been OK. My empirical research on the subject was focused on the bellmouth where the town sewer connects with the Stoughton Extension Sewer in my backyard. There are two additional town sewer manholes on my property that regularly overflowed during rain events up to 1998 but not since. Some of you probably remember similar events on lower Neponset Street and the old Canton Airport. So it doesn’t appear that those developments used the town sewer system.

It occurs to me that given the development cushion that was built in to the capacity projections, that the OK section should be OK for the immediate future. However, it also occurs to me that no one could have foreseen the scope and density of development currently proposed for the former Revere Copper Rolling Mill property. Do we in fact have sufficient sewer capacity in that area for a project of this size? Even if the sewer line can handle it, does this increase to our inter-basin transfer violate the restrictions imposed upon us as a result of our Well #9 mis-step? Or have I just missed a key Planning Board meeting?

This issue goes beyond this one example. Last Fall at a meeting of the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce held at the Bank of Canton headquarters, Bob Coughlin the President of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council referred to sites that are “biotech ready”. When asked for a definition it came in two words - water and sewer. Framingham came close to missing out on hosting the new multi-m/billion dollar headquarters and research center for Genzyme because their site didn’t have adequate water and sewer. They fixed it. If Canton is looking to attract that kind of industry to our town we have to be “biotech ready”. We are well on our way with regard to water even though it is more reactive than proactive. It’s getting done. Sewer should also be on our agenda. Even if the Dog is barking for no apparent reason on the Napleton issue we should wake up to the fact that there is more going on in the world of municipal infrastructure than automobile traffic. And there is a lot more going on around the generic term “sewer”. Say “sewer” but think “waste water disposal”. Don’t just think “pipes in the ground”; also think “on-site waste water treatment”. We may all have to get our minds into the sewer – conceptually anyhow.

Good luck to us all. 

2.17.08

Remember me? Thank you for worrying about me but I am fine. It is true that I get a few less miles to the gallon but I still have plenty of gas in my tank. I have simply been too busy to set aside time for being philosophical. A mistake.

I don’t have a lot of friends. The truth is that I am not a very sociable person. Friendly and helpful wherever possible, I hope, but I value my privacy. Having said that I am aware that not too long ago I announced to the world that I wear a size 9W shoe – to make a point. So, for me to say that I mourn the passing of a friend, Ed Lynch, is a bit presumptuous. But I can say that I mourn the passing of a kindred spirit without qualification. Not to measure my twenty-five years of “Cantoning” against his lifetime of service to this town but to acknowledge the respect and admiration I had for him and for those things for which he stood. For if nothing else Ed Lynch was a man of principle.

I want to believe that he understood the fact that we cannot have progress without change. I don’t think he was among those who insist on doing the same things over and over again while expecting a different outcome. But I do think he believed that change should be managed. Not exploited, not controlled but managed – for the good of the town. In Canton we have too many bosses and too few managers.

Change seems to be the political catch phrase these days. Change is needed but not change for the sake of change. Not the interminable incremental adjustments usually associated with governmental change but neither are we talking about revolutionary change. We need change with a purpose done purposefully. Know our goal and focus our changes on achieving that goal.

Right now our goal should be achieving financial stability – in case you didn’t know. As I have said before – that doesn’t just mean cutting costs; it means increasing revenue. Increasing revenue doesn’t just mean raising taxes; it means encouraging economic development. I think we have finally figured out that residential development is not the answer. The short-term benefit of permits and building fees are quickly eaten up by the long-term infrastructure costs associated with providing services to a burgeoning population. The encouragement of commercial development should be a goal and that message finally seems to have gotten through.

Attracting new business should engage all of us. Companies do extensive research before deciding on a site as a new location. The same applies to an expansion or relocation within the town. Infrastructure, zoning, workforce, amenities, ambience and the good old tax structure are all carefully considered. Town government plays a huge role in this operation but none so great as that part of the government that we call Town Meeting.

Many propose but only town meeting disposes. And I am going to try to get back on track with some things I would like you to consider as we gear up for Elections and Town Meeting. But I think this is enough for tonight. I do want to leave you with something to peruse until the next time. I got it from George Comeau but Ed Lynch would have loved it. The torch is passed. Click on this - Updated information.  

Good luck to us all.