|
NO MONEY FOR TRAILSIDE MUSEUM
AGAIN
DID YOU KNOW…
For the second
year in a row, the Blue
Hills Trailside Museum will have no money in the
state budget; however, officials say they will be able to keep
the state-owned and privately managed museum going with the help
of volunteers, private money, program fees, and by an
anticipated capital grant from the state. The museum is located
on Canton Avenue (Route 138) in Milton and serves as the center
for the 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation. The museum is owned
by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and is
run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
The
post office is also having
money problems. Claiming massive losses and declining
mail volume, the U.S. Postal Service is requesting
another rate hike,
which will increase the cost of stamps by 2 cents to
46 cents starting in January. The cost of an additional ounce of
mail would go up by 1 cent to 10 cents, and a postcard would
increase 2 cents to 30 cents.
The
Savings Bank Life
Insurance Company is the largest life insurer in
Massachusetts. The 103-year-old SBLI was founded in 1907 by
Louis Brandeis and sells billions of dollars of life insurance
each year.
Opponents of
the so-called
affordable housing law (Chapter 40B) will get a
chance to abolish the controversial law in the upcoming November
state election. The repeal question has finally qualified to be
on the ballot.
Speaking of
the upcoming November state election, in addition to the Chapter
40B question, there will also be two other questions on the
ballot. One measure will seek to
eliminate the sales tax on
alcohol that was imposed last year, and the other
measure will seek to
reduce the state sales tax to 3 percent from the
present 6.25 percent. Proponents and opponents are already
gearing up for an intense campaign.
According to
the Centers for Disease
Control, the smoking rate in the United States
dropped 50 percent from 1965 to 2006, going from 42 percent of
adults to 20.8 percent. Unfortunately, the declining rate has
been offset each year with the addition of about one million
young American smokers.
Published
reports say the town of Canton is negotiating to obtain a
long-term contract to lease the old town-capped landfill on Pine
Street in order to install a
“solar farm,”
which the last town meeting approved. The town hopes to obtain a
yield of $250,000 to $450,000 in annual revenue or obtain a
reduction of town energy bills or energy credits for the next 20
years. Town
Administrator Bill Friel says he hopes negotiations
can be completed by this summer with construction to begin soon
thereafter.
DPI-Mid Atlantic
has signed an extension for its 102,000-square-foot lease at 135
Will Drive in Canton. The company stores and distributes
Starbucks dairy products.
It looks like
the “Village People” will have to modify their popular hit song
“YMCA”
because, according to the New York Times, the non-profit Young
Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) has decided to officially
adopt a new name and henceforth will be simply known as
“The Y,” a name
by which they have long been known.
The Massachusetts Housing
Finance Agency has named the Bank of Canton as the
top producer of first mortgage loans through Mass Housing for
the second consecutive year, and they have also received a
special achievement award for being the top lender to minorities
for the fourth consecutive year. Congratulations go out to the
Bank of Canton.
Five area high
schools were recently recognized by Newsweek Magazine’s list of
the top high schools in
the country. There were 27 Massachusetts high schools
on the list. Cohasset was ranked 8th, Norwell 12th,
Milton 13th, Sharon 19th, and Hingham 26th.
A
Five Guys Burgers and
Fries restaurant is slated to open at the Village
Shoppes at 95 Washington Street at Cobb’s Corner. The
Virginia-based chain also has other area stores in Randolph,
Walpole, Dedham, and Foxboro, and some of their customers have
expressed an outstanding rating to MAC.
Now that the
zoning board has approved it, it appears the Canton DPW can
begin work on the new
driveway at the Luce Elementary School.
It is estimated that the work will be completed by
the start of the school year in September.
Finally, MAC
extends congratulations to
Jill Stevens of
York Street for her 10-month interim appointment to the Canton
School Committee. She will complete the term of Tim Brooks, who
resigned because of increased job responsibilities at Cumberland
Farms. Let’s hope Ms. Stevens will bring a new perspective to
the School Committee and that they somehow manage to find a
solution to the school system’s serious fiscal problems.
Draw from the past,
live in the present, and work for the future.
This is all
for now folks; see you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at
manaboutcanton@aol.com
July 29, 2010
Return
to Columns Page
|
