Town Notes - Town Common over budget, Jarmusik Leaves St. Pat's, MDC rink bill drafted
Published on July 12th, 2000
Stoneham, MA- oTown Common: The Town Common project, originally budgeted at $4.6 million in January of 1997, is approximately $60,000 over budget.
At their July 11 meeting Selectmen gave the Common Committee permission to raise money from private citizens.
Citizens will donate money in exchange for "recognition" on benches or other objects on the Common. Selectmen reserved the right to reject any recognition deemed inappropriate.
"I don't want advertising," Selectman Darin Leahy said.
Common Committee member Steve McDonough assured the committee that there would be no advertising.
"This is a grassroots effort. We are going to the citizens," McDonough said.
One citizen thought the committee should go back to Town Meeting.
"None of the work town employees did around the Common was charged against the project, so, really, it is much more than $60,000 overbudget," said John DeGeorge of Franklin Street.
Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello told DeGeorge that the town did what it had to do because "many people in town feel very strongly about having a Common."
None of the other selectmen disagreed with this comment.
Two pending eminent domain land taking suits could also add to the final cost of the project.
oSt. Patrick School: Therese Jarmusik is leaving St. Pat's School after six years as principal to become the principal of the Galvin Middle School in Wakefield.
Pastor Fr. Bill Schmidt and the students and staff of St. Pat's are sad to see her go but wish her well.
oMDC rinks: Local state legislators at an April Board of Selectmen's meeting said a bill that would allow the MDC to lease 16 acres on Pond Street to a private corporation, the Bourque Group, to build and operate hockey rinks, was not yet in the works.
According to State House documents, such a bill has existed in draft form since May 24.
The MDC is also proceeding with environmental testing of the site. Bids for site professionals had to be in by early June, according to a letter from MDC Contract Admin-istrator Alan Jewett.
oStonehill Towers: The management and owners of the Stonehill Towers Apartments on Stonehill Drive off Main Street are preparing a comprehensive list of the permits they neglected to file for renovations.
Building Inspector Gene Argiro said he plans to process the permits after seeing the complete list.
Stonehill resident Paul Werzanski is upset about the enforcement response time, but Argiro does not seem worried.
"I don't think it's a safety issue. They put in some new appliances and cabinets..." Argiro said. "It may take awhile but we won't forget them."
Werzanski questions the safety of uninspected wiring.
Argiro said he will follow up with a phone call in a week if he has not received a complete list of permit requests. The building department, as usual, is swamped.
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