VFW bar, Town budgets, MediaOne, St. Patricks addition...
Published on February 23rd, 2000
VFW
The bar at the Stoneham Veterans of Foreign Wars building at 89 Hancock St. is closing. Post Commander Frank Geary will release further information about the organization's future in upcoming weeks.
Town budget
Draft one of the fiscal year 2001 town budget totals $45,835,839.
According to Town Administrator Jeff Nutting, requests for funding exceed available revenue by over $1,100,000 — $500,000 over for the schools and $225,000 above on the town side.
"Major areas of concern will be underfunded, most notably sufficient overtime for police and fire departments and school collective bargaining settlements," Nutting wrote in a Feb. 9 letter to all town departments.
And if an estimated $431,000 in state aid and $150,000 in revenue from the former Boston Regional Medical Center property do not materialize, more cuts will be necessary, meaning a reduction in services to townspeople.
Selectmen will hammer out the details of the town budget department by department in meetings this month and next.
Registered voters exercise their power of final approval of the budget at the Annual Town Meeting in May.
MediaOne
Tim Murnane of MediaOne government relations said he is looking into problems the company has had in televising local meetings.
Selectmen Chairman Al Conti demanded answers at the last selectmen's meeting.
"I am writing a letter to Chairman Conti," Murnane said on Monday, Feb. 21.
St. Pat's addition
Construction of a $3-4 million dollar addition to St. Patrick Church and School could begin as early as spring 2001, according to the parish newsletter.
A preliminary design by architect Angelo Petrocelli would double the capacity of the upper church, adding a multi-purpose parish center seating 300-500 people. The structure would link the church and school and add an elevator providing access to all levels of each.
Archdiocese approval, town waivers and financing must be obtained before the project goes out to bid, but Father Bill Schmidt was optimistic in his written words to parishioners:
"I think the majority of people...(reviewing the plans) felt that this was a very attractive alternative and would result in a truly beautiful building that the people who really make up the church could be very proud of."
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