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THE JOKE’S ON US
DID YOU
KNOW…
A member of
the Board of Selectmen emphatically told town meeting
voters that he opposed the recent Plymouth Rubber re-zoning
article because, “We should have got more [from Napleton, the
new owner].”
By now, the
selectmen and town meeting voters know that as it stands, we are
getting nothing instead of over $800,000 in new annual tax
revenue, and the $5 million mitigation package Napleton had
offered the town.
 Thanks
to the selectmen and town meeting voters, not only are we
getting nothing, but it now appears we are in the process of
losing a couple of historic buildings that date back to
the time of Paul Revere, which will be torn down to make
room for a 39-acre industrial subdivision on the property.
Moreover,
thanks to the selectmen and town meeting voters, we are not only
getting nothing, but the property on Revere Street will also not
be totally cleaned of all the contamination that has built up
over the years, and the dam on the property will probably not be
repaired or re-built as planned.
Lastly,
thanks to the selectmen and town meeting voters, we are not only
getting nothing, but our school department will not get the
$700,000 Napleton was going to give them as an outright gift;
and even worse, there won’t be a new community/senior center, a
new park, or walking trails that were promised on the property.
Yes,
thanks to the NIMBY selectmen, Planning Board (MAC didn’t
want to leave them out, as they also voted against the
development), and town meeting voters, we are getting
nothing; and as a result, the joke’s really on us.
MAC and many
others were pleased to see the late Augie Decembrele was
honored by the Canton Recreation Commission on Saturday, June 7,
by having Tilden Field dedicated in his honor. Augie was one of
Canton High’s most distinguished athletes, a member of Canton
High’s Hall of Fame, and he was a member of the Canton
Recreation Commission for many years, including many as
chairman, and he was a renowned benefactor of many Canton events
and programs.
With the
economy being so bad and the cost of food soaring so high, MAC
was interested to see that the sales of SPAM, the
much-maligned canned meat product manufactured by the Hormel
Foods Corp., have increased by 14 percent. In case you didn’t
know, SPAM was invented 71 years ago in 1937 and gained fame
during World War II as the meat that fed allied troops.
A
business-related story in the Patriot Ledger said that the sales
of Canton-based Casual Male XL stores have dropped off,
apparently due to the declining economic climate during the
first quarter. Overall sales fell 3.7 percent from the same time
in 2007 to $107.6 million. Stores open at least 12 months fell 2
percent. At the quarter’s end, Casual Male operated 492 stores
in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain; and they reportedly
intend to open three more stores this coming year while closing
seven others.
MAC was
sorry to hear that after several years, Lisa Campanella
has left the Patriot Ledger where she was a staff reporter who
covered the towns of Canton and Milton. She will continue to
actively write as a free-lance reporter, and we can expect to
see her by-lined stories in other papers.
Surprise,
surprise. The Patriot Ledger recently printed a refreshing story
by reporter Sue Scheible about Dr. Thomas Kline of
Canton, a 65-year-old physician who still does house calls on a
limited basis. According to the story, Dr. Kline limits himself
to a caseload of 20 to 25 patients at a time, seeing most of
them once a week or more; takes on a new patient every few weeks
or months; and Medicare and most insurance companies (except
some HMOs) will cover his home visits.
MAC was
sorry to see that Isabel Pierce passed away on May 23 at
the age of 87. Many of you will recall that Mrs. Pierce was the
Assistant Town Treasurer for over 20 years until she retired in
1985.
The new
officers of the Canton Lions Club for the coming year are Bob
Lash, president; Joe DeFelice, first vice president; Joan Pagel,
second vice president; and Matt McGinty, third vice president.
Finally, if
you know where to look, you’ll find that a former Canton
resident has a stunt part in the “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull” movie now showing in most theaters. Look
for Dave McSweeney, CHS class of ’98 (formerly of Elmwood
Road) who is sitting at the counter of a diner when a fight
breaks out and gets hit with a mug at the end of the action.
Dave currently lives in Glendale, California, and has appeared
in other films such as “Flags of our Fathers” and in some
television series such as CSI/NY, Jag and
American Dreams.
Change
really becomes a necessity when we try not to do it.
That this is all for now folks;
see you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at
manaboutcanton@aol.com
June 12, 2008
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