Medway and Millis January 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Page 14 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com January 2018 A Year in Review: Medway 2017 By David Pasquantonio It was a busy year in Medway, said Michael Boynton, Medway’s town administrator, as he reviewed the town’s 2017 highlights and accomplishments, but it was also a good year. Perhaps the biggest news, and the item with the most future financial impact, was the final approval of the expansion of the Medway Exelon plant on Summer Street. This will result in an estimated $3.8 million annual payment, in lieu of taxes, to the town starting in FY 2019. Boynton said that the town is looking at minimal staff expansion, instead slotting money towards various education and infrastructure needs, along with residential tax relief. The $10 million Route 109 redesign project is finishing up another year. Although some of the more complex work has been completed, there’s still plenty to come in 2018, including work at two Main Street intersections, at Franklin and Holliston streets. “I would say that there have been no surprises,” said Boynton, adding that the town has worked hard to minimize delays. Traffic has ramped up on other key streets, including Village Street, as drivers seek alternative routes. Boynton said that the town has ramped up traffic enforcement as a result. New speed limit signs on Village Street have sprung up in the past few weeks. Beyond the ongoing Shown is Michael Boynton, Medway Town Administrator. Route 109 project, improvements were made to many local roads, including sidewalks at Saddle Hill Road, in efforts to enhance road and pedestrian safety. The fire department added four personnel while continuing its move towards providing Advanced Life Support services in its ambulances. Four additional hires will start in the department on January 1, thanks to a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, Boynton said. The police department bid goodbye to four retiring officers: Lt. William Boultenhouse, Det. Donald Grimes, Officer David McRoberts, and Officer Richard Simard. Lt. David Mc- Sweeney and Sgt. John Meincke were promoted, and the department added four graduates. The Medway Oak Grove Urban Renewal Plan received the needed local and state approvals for the Medway Redevelopment Authority to begin work on the “bottle cap lots” and a few other adjoining parcels. For those unaware of why this project has such an interesting name, here’s some information from the town’s website: “The Bottle Cap lots derive their name from a 1920’s marketing promotion by Clicquot Club, which awarded small parcels to customers with winning bottle cap lots. There were originally approximately 1,018 Bottle Cap lots with an average size of approximately 1,600 square feet and dimensions of approximately 80 feet by 20 feet. The ownership of many Retired But Not Ready to Stop Working? Help a Senior in your Community Home Instead Senior Care JOB FAIR Home Instead Senior Care is looking for CAREGivers AVAILABLE POSITIONS: in the Natick, Framingham, Wellesley, Millis, Medway, Westwood, Dedham, Dover, Sherborn, Weston • and CNA’s Sudbury & HHA Expired area to or help Current senior citizens stay in their homes. • CAREGiver’s • Companions • Home Makers No experience needed. APRIL 20TH 10AM-3PM Metro Church 401 Elm Street, Marlborough Call 508-393-8338 Please or apply call 508-393-8338 online at www.homeinstead.com/151/home-care-jobs to book an interview A Step Forward, with a Look Back As 2018 begins, Local Town Pages took a journey at the issues and accomplishments at the forefront of both Medway and Millis. of the lots has been consolidated over the years, but the configuration of many small, irregularly shaped lots with multiple owners remains a significant obstacle to redevelopment of the area.” In development news, in May, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a comprehensive permit for Timber Crest Estates, which will add about 150 units of rental-affordable housing to the town. In August, the board granted a permit for Glen Brook Way, which will add another 48 units, and Boynton said that this brings the affordable housing total to about 7.2% of the town’s housing stock. The town also continued work towards final approval of Salmon Health’s Willows at Medway, the 57-acre, 200-unit adult retirement community slated for Village Street. At the fall town meeting, voters approved a comprehensive playground plan for Choate Park and Oakland Park and improved tennis courts for the middle school. The plan was the result of much hard work from the Evaluation of Parks, Fields, and Recreational Areas Committee, Boynton said, adding, “EPFRAC did a wonderful job.” Work will commence in the spring. In Department of Public Services news, after former DPS director Thomas Holder resigned in late 2016 to take a position in Wayland, deputy director Dave D’Amico was named director, and Barry Smith, the former water and sewer superintendent, was named deputy director. In the spring, Medway unveiled an upgraded partnership with Cleargov.com, a website that uses snappy graphics to provide a snapshot of the town’s budget, population, and median home prices, among other stats, and allows residents to compare how their town stacks up against similar municipalities. The town said goodbye to a longtime building. In April, selectman voted to raze the former St. Joseph’s Men’s Club building behind Town Hall and the fire department, with plans to turn the ensuing space into additional parking. The building was deemed a structural hazard, and mailings to the listed club trustees were returned by the post office. Boynton has been the Medway town administrator for about three and half years, and previously held stints in Mendon, Sutton, and Walpole. HAPPY NEW YEAR "She breathes dance in and out like oxygen, and reveres the craft and her role as a teacher." ~ Parent
January 2018 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 15 A Year in Review: Millis 2017 By David Pasquantonio The biggest issue in 2017 in Millis, and certainly the one most discussed by residents, was the new school, but there were many other newsworthy items and accomplishments. Town Administrator Michael Guzinski and Selectman James McCaffrey reviewed Millis’s 2017 key happenings in a recent interview. On December 8, a groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of construction for an elementary school to replace the aging Clyde F. Brown Elementary School. Voters approved an override at the spring town meeting, and reaffirmed that decision at the fall town meeting. The project was delayed due to citizen concerns and a few lawsuits, but was given the go-ahead after the November meeting. Clearing of the site, including the former 6.4- acre Town Park, began almost immediately. The Massachusetts School Board Association will reimburse the town for about $20 million of the estimated $51 million project. Construction will be completed in 2019. Guzinski and McCaffrey said that although there was divisiveness among residents concerning the project, in the end, they hoped that the high level of civic engagement will carry over into other areas, like volunteering for boards and committees or regularly attending more meetings. Residents approved a plan to create a stormwater utility to pay for compliance and maintenance costs of meeting more stringent EPA regulations on stormwater runoff, containment, and management. The owners of each of the approximate 4,000 land parcels in town will pay into the utility. One of the biggest events in Millis in 2017 was the groundbreaking of the new Clyde F. Brown Elementary School, which took place on December 8th. The Town voted twice on the hotly contested override, overwhelmingly supporting the new MSBA-supported construction. “All communities in the Commonwealth will have to find a way to either absorb the costs of developing a program, or find a new way to pay for it,” Guzinski said. McCaffrey added that while sometimes Millis waits for new programs to be “tried and true” before the town adopts them, in the case of the stormwater utility, Millis is proactively at the forefront. The separation of the town’s public safety departments into two buildings was completed after the fire department fully took over the building previously shared with the police department, which moved into its own facility in 2016. McCaffrey said that the meeting room in the facility has seen extensive use, as have the meeting spaces at the library and town hall. The active adult community at Glen Ellen has received a number of approvals, with the next phase of the project being a proposal to hook into the town’s existing sewer system rather than having an on-site treatment facility. McCaffrey and Guzinski noted that some potential road work on Orchard Street, among other areas, has been delayed pending that outcome, as there would be little sense in repaving roads only to have them torn up again for the planned Toll Brothers community. Other developments in town have seen action, including the continued building of residences at South End Farm and the clearing of land in preparation for an assisted living facility on Dover Road. The new Tractor Supply Company store on Main Street was the biggest new retailer in town. The Department of Public Works had a busy year, including some key road work on Village Street, the completion of the Veterans Memorial outside of Town Hall, and improved access for the Life Experience School. The latter two projects were delivered with minimal outside aid, an example, McCaffrey said, of the department continuing to deliver cost-effective local solutions. The police department added three experienced officers to the force, an outcome possible after a previous town decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth’s civil service system, thus allowing departments to hire officers based on their own criteria rather than a state ranking system. The fire department finished up training as part of a move to providing Advanced Life Support services for ambulatory care. No recreational or medical marijuana facilities started up in 2017, although the issue saw much debate and planning. Millis issued a moratorium on recreational marijuana establishments as the town waits to see how regulations surrounding the Commonwealth’s vote to approve marijuana play out. McCaffrey and Guzinski said that the town’s most prudent approach was to issue a moratorium. One medical marijuana facility has obtained a license to open a facility along Main Street towards the Medway line. The Millis girls’ varsity soccer team won the state Division 4 championship, and the varsity football team won the state Division 8 championship. In May, local landmark Bob’s Family Restaurant was destroyed by a fire. And a trail camera caught the image of a bear wandering through town in August. Guzinski started in late March as the new town administrator, replacing Charles Aspinwall, who had taken a similar role in Canton in 2016. Guzinski was the town administrator in Douglas for 13 years before taking the position in Millis, and had also worked in Rowley and Blackstone. Galante’s ✻ Fridays: Fish & Chips Includes FREE Hot Coffee or Tea ✻ Early Bird Specials $ 4 99 2 Eggs, Homefries, and Toast. (Mon-Fri, 6-9 am) Wednesday is Senior Discount Day Receive 10% off. Breakfast • Lunch • Daily Specials 320 Village Street, Medway • 508-533-4473 • www.galantesrestaurant.com 508-429-2535 Propane Open Sat & Sun Gas Grill Tanks Filled Neil Lazzaro ASE Technician 1292 Washington Street, Holliston Tires & Alignment Suspension & Steering Exhaust & Brake Air Conditioning Factory Scheduled Maintenance Mass. State Inspection Station
Page 1 and 2: localtownpages Medway & Millis PRSR
Page 3 and 4: January 2018 Medway & Millis Local
Page 11 and 12: Plainville January 2018 Medway & Mi
Page 13: January 2018 Medway & Millis Local

Medway and Millis January 2018

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?