Man About Canton: Time for a Change

DID YOU KNOW …

The town of Canton does not require a quorum of any kind to start a town meeting. As one politician said, “Perhaps it is time to give up the old town meeting form of governance. The average citizen does not have the time or inclination to attend. They only go there when something they are interested in is on the warrant.” File under: “It’s time for a change.”

Bob Burr has replaced John Connolly as chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Avril Elkort was elected by the selectmen as vice chairman.

The Canton Zoning Board of Appeals recently voted 3-0 to approve plans submitted by Canton developers John McNiece and Scott Lenhart to raze an existing three-family house on Plymouth Street and replace it with five two-bedroom condominiums. The Planning Board was opposed to the project and voted 2-1-1 in opposition. ZBA members voting in favor of the condo project were Greg Pando, John Marini, and alternate member Kevin Feeney. It was also pointed out by Pando that the Planning Board does not have the authority to grant special permits and only serves in an advisory capacity to the zoning board, which has the authority to make the final decision.

Derek Folan, Canton High School’s new principal, signed a contract and will officially begin at CHS on July 1.

Members of the Canton Town Club recently voted to allow women in. The sports club, founded in 1939, will undergo renovations to meet the needs of the ladies.

The town will take over the Knights of Columbus building on Pleasant Street and turn it into a new senior center.

Stella Karavas, a Canton resident and CEO of Voltree Power, a Canton sensor manufacturer, was named executive director of Massachusetts Competes, a trade group that advocates for protections against information technology and intellectual property theft.

According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, there are between 35,000 and 95,000 deer in the state. Their population has flourished in the south shore area with carefully tended landscapes and few hunters to contend with. State laws prohibit discharging a firearm or arrow within 500 feet of a building and within 150 feet of a paved road. There is no hunting allowed in the town of Canton.

Scituate is another town following in Canton’s footsteps. Construction will start next month on a three-megawatt solar farm with 10,500 polysilicon panels being installed atop the town’s capped landfill.

There are some real memorabilia nuts out there. Charlie Sheen, a sports memorabilia enthusiast, bid $230,401 for Lawrence Taylor’s 1991 Super Bowl ring. A buyer that wants to remain anonymous paid $418,250 for the baseball that went through Boston Red Sox player Bill Buckner’s legs in the 1986 World Series. Last month, a lineup of Babe Ruth memorabilia went up for auction, with his 1916 Red Sox baseball card going for $30,343; his game bat used in 1927 for $591,007; and his game-worn 1920 road jersey for a new record for sports memorabilia at $4,415,658. See what MAC means about “memorabilia nuts?”

Canton High School senior Joe McCabe was named to the Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic basketball team for the second straight year. McCabe, the MVP on the CHS team, averaged 15.5 points and 8 rebounds per game. According to Canton coach Ryan Gordy, the honor roll student was the most consistent player and the player other teams game-planned for.

The average income per resident in Massachusetts is $28,058. In Canton, the average is $42,000. In Sharon, it’s over $50,000. Westwood is the highest on the south shore at $72,467. Stoughton is less than $28,000, while the average in Brockton is the lowest at $18,000.

Cape Cod’s Coast Guard Beach in Eastham was listed as No. 6 of the top 10 beaches in the United States.

The Canton Council on Aging is sponsoring a “Not So Senior” Olympics on June 23 at the Massachusetts Hospital School on Randolph Street. As a kickoff to the Saturday event in which the seniors will be participating, the COA will also sponsor a celebrity volleyball game at the school gymnasium at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 22. Many Canton celebrities, including MAC, have signed up for the volleyball game.

Hall of Fame baseball player Duke Snider once said, “Swing hard in case they throw the ball where you’re swinging.”

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=14171

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Jun 6 2012. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.