Highlights from the Canton Board of Selectmen: A Change in Recreation Department and Landfill Concerns

The Canton BOS interviewed candidates for Recreation Director and addressed allegations by the IBEW.

There was no word on the outcome of the executive session held to discuss possible charges against a public employee, but when it concluded at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Canton selectmen got right down to business interviewing candidates for Canton Recreation Director. Vying for the position were candidates Rodger Ribeiro, Robert McGann and Janet Mcguire. Town Administrator Bill Friel kicked off the interviews by noting that the three were selected from among around 40 applicants vetted by a nine-person search committee. Asked about their experience, each candidate described many years of experience directing recreational programs, but there were big differences in the types of recreational programs each has been involved in. Rodger Ribeiro …

• Photos (3)
• Documents (2)

Canton Selectmen Meeting Tonight

Budget, CPA and Avalon Bay on the agenda.

There is a full agenda for the Canton Board of Selectmen's meeting tonight.  The BOS are meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall. The agenda includes several items. The board will hear an "application for the alteration of premises" for Halfway Café; an operational budget presentation from Police Chief Ken Berkowitz; a presentation on the Community Preservation Act; and a Capital Budget overview, according to the agenda. Also on the agenda for tonight is a presentation from Avalon Bay Communities for Avalon Canton. The BOS will discuss updates on the recreation director recruitment process, Green Lodge Street/Add-a-Lane Project and the health reform law. Tonight's public meeting is held in the Salah Meeting room at Town Hall.

• Photos (1)

Highlights from the Canton Board of Selectmen: Animal Control and Reservoir Pond Updates

The Canton Board of Selectmen will meet again tonight at 7:00 p.m.

The Canton Animal Control Department is now part of the Canton Police Department. The Canton Board of Selectmen approved the merger last week. Town Administrator William Friel said the town has been looking at merging the two departments for several months. The move makes sense and is similar to the way other communities handle their Animal Control Department, he noted. Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz and Animal Control Officer Nadya Branca shared their praise for the move. "It's really a natural partnership that's already there," Berkowitz said. The Canton Police Department has worked closely with Animal Control over the years, the chief said. Especially with the new Animal Control Officer's law enforcement background, the chief said he…

• Photos (2)

Canton Will Be Lighting Up With Solar Power

The town can now add the school buildings into the solar power mix.

Canton schools are taking a cue from the town's solar farm project and pitching in to save energy. Earlier this month, the Canton School Committee approved a solar project that will add solar panels to some school buildings' roofs and cut the district's electric bill. Representatives from Kearsarge Energy and Johnston Controls presented their solar proposal to the Canton School Committee. Through a federal grant, the company partners with nonprofits to add solar energy and cut spending on electric costs. Kearsarge will install solar panels on several of the schools' roofs. The company will lease the space from the schools, then provide electricity at reduced costs, Managing Partner Andrew Bernstein told the school committee. Installing the…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

AvalonBay Now in Charge of Randolph Street Project

The apartment complex in Canton is now being developed by AvalonBay.

Canton's Randolph Street Project is now in the hands of developer AvalonBay. At last week's Board of Selectmen meeting, the selectmen heard an update on the project, which will bring 196 upscale apartments to the town. AvalonBay Communities, Inc., is a well-known developer in the Commonwealth, with upscale and luxury apartment communities in Sharon, Randolph, Quincy,  Weymouth, Boston, Hingham, and Cohasset, among many others. Many of the Avalon communities feature a pool, fitness center, and one and two-bedroom apartments, according to their website. Attorneys Paul Carroll and Mark Bobrowski gave an update to the BOS. AvalonBay is committed to attaching a new water main for all the existing users on Randolph Street, according to Bobrowski…

• Photos (1)

Canton is Closer to Renewable Energy from Solar Farm

Canton selectmen received updates on the Solar Farm project Tuesday night.

Get ready for some renewable energy this summer, Canton. At Tuesday night's Board of Selectmen meeting, the board heard updates on the construction of the town's renewable energy project. Representatives from Solar Sky Renewable Energy updated the selectmen on the Solar Farm, located on the site of the town's former landfill on Pine Street. Preliminary site work has begun on the project, according to Town Administrator Bill Friel. "We are pleased to be able to" build the largest solar farm in New England, Southern Sky Renewable Energy Attorney Frank McMahon said. Construction began on the site on December 5, McMahon said. The panels will be delivered to the site in January, he said. A total of 19,800 solar panels will be used in this …

• Photos (2)

Highlights from the Canton Board of Selectmen: Update on the Res and Tax Rates

The board set Canton's tax rates and discussed updates on Reservoir Pond.

Canton residents will see a slight increase in their tax rates next year. The Canton Board of Selectmen approved tax rates for 2012-2013 at this week's meeting. The BOS approved the recommended rates set by the Canton Board of Assessors. The BOS approved a residential rate of $11.91 (up from $11.55) and a commercial and personal property rate of $23.04. The next re-evaluation for the town will be in FY 2014, according to the Board of Assessors. Chairman of the Board of Assessors Rocco Digirolamo said there are currently 5,316 single-family homes in Canton. There are 1,313 condos in Canton, with the average assessment of a condo being $228,734, he stated. The average, singe-family home is assessed at $464, 008, he noted. Next year's tax …

• Photos (1)

Highlights from the Canton Board of Selectmen: New HR Administrator and 9/11 Services

The Canton Board of Selectmen met this week and hired a new HR administrator.

The Town of Canton has a new Human Resources director. The Board of Selectmen, along with the Canton School Committee, officially offered the job to candidate Jody Middleton on Tuesday night. In the public meeting, the BOS and the school committee members did a final interview with Middleton, a Canton resident with an extensive HR background. After remarks from both committees and Middleton, the BOS offered the position to Middleton, who seemed happily surprised. She thanked the board and the school committee. "I started this journey back in May," Middleton said. "You really brought me out of my the comfort zone...I'd be proud to work with the town of Canton." The new HR director will be working for the town and the school district. In …

• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: July 5

Here is what is happening in and around Canton today.

Five Things You Need to Know Today is a new Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. Check back later for more, and let us know what you think of the new feature in the comments section. 1. For those returning to work after a long weekend, enjoy your short week ahead. Temperatures are expected to be in the 80s all week. 2. Does your teen have an interest in archaeology? The Summer Archaeology Institute is starting today. Click here for more details. 3. Seniors, unwind this morning with a yoga class at the Canton Council on Aging at 10:30 a.m. 4. The Canton Board of Selectmen are meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall. 5. Pack up your little one and your stroller for some exercise during a …

• Photos (1)

Canton Board of Selectmen Considering HR Options

An auditor presented findings to the Board of Selectmen on expanding the department.

An auditor presented findings to the Canton Board of Selectmen last week and suggested expanding the town's current one-person Human Resources Department. The town is in the process of hiring a new HR administrator to work for both the town and the school department, according to Town Administrator Bill Friel. The town had received 50 applications so far and a the screening committee will begin review them at the beginning of July, he told the board. Sandy Stapincksy, president of Human Resources, Inc., did a full audit of the town's human resources department. At Tuesday's meeting, she presented the findings to the board. After interviewing managers and comparing the town services to other towns, and comparing HR jobs with the private …

• Photos (3)