Mosley submits plans to subdivide Park Street site
Published on December 26th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - Local resident and longtime town official Fred Mosley plans to subdivide a lot off of Park Street in order to construct a single family home.
According to local attorney Charles Houghton, who is representing Mosley and his wife Diane, the couple is seeking Planning Board approval of the subdivision, which would create a 16,872 square foot lot off of Katherine Road.
A previous subdivision for the parcel in question had been authorized about 40-years-ago, but that approval placed the frontage and access to the lot along Park Street.
The Planning Board is expected to deliberate on the proposal on Jan. 23.
"Obviously, there's a lot more traffic on Park Street now, so we figured we'd just do it off of Katherine Road," said Houghton.
"Katherine Road ends at a dead-end, so we'd put a t-intersection. It's a dead end. There's no cul-de-sac, it just ends," added the local attorney, who believes the new access to the lot would facilitate the flow turn-around traffic at the end of the residential street.
Arena study committee expanded
The town's Board of Selectmen recently expanded the make-up of a study group that will explore the possibility of expanding the Stoneham Arena.
Funding for the feasibility study was approved at a recent Town Meeting after Selectman George Seibold pitched a proposal that would add a second sheet of ice at the skating facility and create an indoor soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey field.
While deliberating on requests from six citizens to sit on the study group, the Selectmen approved a request from Town Administrator David Ragucci to expand the nature of the study.
Specifically, the group will now explore the economics behind a redevelopment of the Stoneham Oaks golf course as well.
"What's going to be the scope of that study? Is there any chance to broaden the scope?" asked Ragucci, who has also recently recommended that the town lease the rink to an outside management firm.
"There are proposals for that whole area, so I would imagine they would look at that," responded Selectman John DePinto.
In past years, several Selectman, notably veteran town official Robert Sweeney, have suggested that Stoneham Oaks would generate more revenue if it was turned into a driving range.
Based upon informal plans, the indoor sports field and extra skating space would be built at the Arena, while the driving range would be situated to the rear of the property.
Sweeney later successfully lobbied his counterparts to add three additional members onto the study group, so that representatives from the Open Space and Recreation committee, the Board of Selectmen, and the Finance Board could offer their input during the Arena discussions.
Local residents Paul Sacco, Robert Nolan, Kevin Dolan, Thomas O'Grady, Charles Houghton, and Dana Marek were all appointed to the Arena study group, along with Selectman Paul Rotondi.
Senior Center developments
The Town Administrator has approached a Stoneham based agency to gauge its interests in taking over the operations of the Elm Street Senior Center.
According to Ragucci, he met with a representative of the Community Service Network recently to pursue the possibility of having the non-profit organization manage the Senior Center.
With Senior Center Director Jane Lavender retiring this coming spring, the Selectmen agreed to explore the change in management, if the shift has no impact on the level of services offered.
Ragucci suspects that the town could save a significant portion of the Senior Center's $160,000 in annual operating costs by having a non-profit run the facility.
Under the Town Administrator's informal proposal, Stoneham officials would still dictate policy at the Senior Center and maintain oversight control of the programs.
"There is a little matter that needs to be solved and that's the format of the oversight," said Ragucci, explaining that the non-profit has its own Board of Directors. "We may have to do it through our Council on Aging, which already exists."
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