New zoning, chemical spill and contaminated soil
Published on September 27th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - Zoning articles The town has placed five zoning articles on the warrant of the Oct. 23 Town Meeting.
A public hearing on the articles is scheduled for Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Hearing Room.
The first article asks to create a medical / office district. The second asks to place the Gutierrez (formerly BRMC) property in the new district. The third asks to place this new district in the wireless overlay district, meaning cell towers are allowed.
The fourth article asks to release Gerry McCarthy's property at 128-136 Franklin St. from a restrictive covenant limiting the use of the property to assisted living and limiting the height of buildings to 40 feet and the land use to 20 percent. Kindercare plans to build a one-story day care facility on 13 percent of the land on the property.
According to Community Development Director Steve Sadwick, Kindercare asked that the restrictions be rescinded before closing the deal.
In 1997 Town Meeting voted on the restrictions, so the Town Meeting must vote to lift them.
The fifth article bans pawnshops from Stoneham.
These articles can be read in their entirety on today's legal pages.
Stevens Street soil woes
Contaminated soil from the Central School construction site has remained at the Stevens Street Dump longer than the school's contractor, Alexandra of Newton, had promised.
However, the contractor has not yet violated the Department of Environmental Protection's 120 day limit for temporary storage of arsenic contaminated soil.
Sources close to the work say the contractor has found a site and will move the soil any day now.
Chemical spill
Firefighters from Stoneham and Woburn rushed to control a sulfuric acid spill from the Atlantic Gelatin factory last Thursday. The plant, which makes gelatin for Kraft Foods products, is tucked beside Route 93 in East Woburn.
Cathy Pernu, spokeswoman for Kraft, said the spill resulted from the failure of a back-up safety system. A valve malfunctioned, allowing sulfuric acid to leak out from a pipe onto the ground.
Woburn Fire notified the Department of Environmental Protection. Kraft is cooperating in the clean-up effort and working to repair the faulty valves.
Atlantic Gelatin uses sulfuric acid to control the pH of its waste water.
—Reporting by Gordon Vincent and Jim Haggerty
The coffers
The town received $247,000 more than expected from the state for fiscal 2001 for a grand total of $8 million, including money for the schools.
This sounds good, but the excess isn't much more than expected and is much less than in years past.
"We always estimate everything low, so we won't get caught off guard," Finance Board member John Warren explained.
Townspeople will listen to recommendations of how to spend this dough at the Oct. 23 Town Meeting.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!