Town Notes
Published on July 25th, 2001
STONEHAM, MA -
Sweetser on the move
Richard Johnson is moving the Sweetser House today to his lot at the corner of Franklin Street and Dale Court.
No liquor license
Selectmen denied a liquor license requested Tuesday night by Bruschetta Restaurant.
The pasta and sandwich counter restaurant at the corner of Main and Pleasant Streets wanted a beer and wine license.
Selectmen voted four to one to deny the license basing the decision on the proximity of the restaurant to the Congregational Church and St. Patrick Church; the fact that the counter-style restaurant has no wait staff to monitor customer’s consumption of alcohol; and because school children frequent the restaurant after school due to its location along the St. Patrick and Middle School walking home route.
Citizen Alice DelRossi applauded the Board’s decision.
“If we didn’t stop here, how about the burger places? Are we just going to drive through?” she asked, only half kidding.
In the minority, Selectmen Sweeney agreed with Bruschetta owner Anthony D’Alelio that serving beer and wine with dinner at Bruschetta would not attract any trouble.
Mysterious death
called ‘natural’
A Stoneham man found dead last September, with what looked like a bullet wound on his head, died of “natural causes,” according to the District Attorney.
Toxicology reports held up the investigation for months.
The bullet, or whatever left a hole in 28-year-old Jamie Kenney’s head, did not kill him; the wound came from a previous incident, according to the State Medical Examiner’s Office. Kenney died in his Montarosa Condominiums unit at 159 Main Street on Sept. 13, 2000. He was found in his home several days later by the condo manager.
Police originally thought the wound was the cause of death. The body had decayed to a point where the age of the head injury was not apparent. But after an autopsy and the long-awaited toxicology screen, the state concluded that Kenney died of “natural causes.”
Lead paint removal
The Stoneham School Department and the SEEM Collaborative will share the cost of removing lead paint from the windows of the East School and the railings of the North School.
If all the bids are in on time, the cost of clean-up will be discussed at the July 26 School Committee meeting.
The Department of Education requires all public school programs to file permits attesting to the safety of buildings and grounds.
SEEM, which is short for the Special Education Educational Mutual Collaborative, is a part of the public school system. SEEM educates children from several communities, grouping them into classes based upon similar needs. This way communities don’t have to develop separate specialized curricula for as many children.
When SEEM filed with the state, a lead paint test was not included. The law requires a lead paint test for schools with pupils ages six and under. SEEM’s kids are older, but, according to the Department of Education, a lead paint test is required if the mental capacity of any children is at or below a standard age six level. Some SEEM students have the cognitive abilities of younger children.
Testing turned up lead paint, and the schools were closed. The SEEM summer program was displaced, moving into the South School and several nearby SEEM campuses.
SEEM Executive Director George Flynn plans to have his students back in the East and North Schools for the start of the school year in September.
This spring SEEM signed a one-year lease to rent the East School on Beacon Street for $89,600. Earlier this year SEEM renewed a similar lease of the North School.
Assistant Superintendent
The School Committee will announce the schedule for interviewing semi-finalists for the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum position at the Thursday, July 26, meeting.
Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Keroack left this month to work for the Malden schools. She would have made $97,000 in fiscal 2002. Her replacement will make between $80,000 and $90,000 based on experience, Superintendent Connelly said.
The anticipated start date for the new hire is Sept. 1.
BRMC update
House Bill 4180, which would stop the Gutierrez Company’s office park project on the old BRMC campus, was shelved by the State Senate until November.
Meanwhile, Gutierrez filed its environmental impact report with the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA) on July 16. The report will be made public today and should be available in the Stoneham Public Library.
The public has until Aug. 24 to read the report and contact MEPA with feedback. Then the state decides whether or not to grant permits for the project.
Rebate this
Don Hutcheson of Hancock Street enjoyed donating his income tax rebate check from George W. to the Democratic National Committee.
A commentator on CNN’s “Crossfire” mentioned that someone had emailed the show with the idea; the email came from Hutcheson.
Status quo on Gould Street
After studying parking problems on Gould Street for months, Selectmen and residents agreed to do nothing.
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