Town Notes: FY 2001 over budget; October Town Meeting planned; Big money lost for soil clean up
Published on August 16th, 2000
Stoneham, MA - Budget update: Town Administrator Jeff Nutting warned selectmen Tuesday night that Stoneham is $187,056 over its fiscal year 2001 budget, with large items such as the clean-up of contaminated town land looming.
Police and Fire Department overtime are the greatest cost overruns, $50,000 and $85,000 respectively.
The Northeast Metro Tech budget that the town opposed was passed by a majority of the communities served by the regional school, so Stoneham has to pay up — an additional $23,556.
Another traffic director costs $7,000.
Election costs are $5,000 higher than expected due to the increased volume of activity surrounding the census.
Audits requested by the selectmen ran $9,000.
And the remaining $7,500 is amorphously categorized as community service expenses.
Selectmen plan to discuss these matters in more detail at their Sept. 5 meeting.
At this meeting the board plans to open and close the warrant for the October Town Meeting.
Central School project
The Conservation Commission may have cost Stoneham thousands of dollars.
Members decided not to approve an access road for Middle School parents running behind the Central School construction site.
If the School Department got the road, the department was going to pay for removal of contaminated soil from the entire railroad right-of-way.
The state reimburses 63 percent of construction costs for School Building Assistance Bureau projects like the Central School. The plan was that the School Department would fund the clean up, get reimbursed, and then get the difference from the town.
But without approval for the road, the School Department has no reason or justification to excavate outside school property.
Nutting estimates the clean up will cost the town $250,000. A different vote from Conservation Commission could have saved the town $157,500.
But the commission is entrusted with protecting the environment. Members thought work on the road would adversely affect wetlands in the area.
Voting reminder
The last day to register to vote in the Sept. 19 State Primary Election is Aug. 30, until 8 p.m., in the Town Clerk's Office at Town Hall.
Day care at 136 Franklin
Selectmen approved a site plan for a 10,123 square foot day care center at 136 Franklin St. requested by KinderCare Learning Centers, Inc.
Gerry McCarthy, owner of Mac's Landscaping at 128 Franklin St., owns the land.
Selectmen made site plan approval conditional on addressing traffic concerns and environmental issues.
Neighbors worried about increasing traffic on busy Franklin Street.
Matt Smith, an engineer for KinderCare, said that tests of the soil have revealed levels of contamination.
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