Local Boy Scout earns Heritage Award
Published on May 28th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA - A local Boy Scout became the youngest person to ever receive the annual Heritage Award from the Historical Commission last week.
At last Tuesday's Selectmen's meeting, Historical Commission members bestowed the honor upon Zach Kline, a member of Stoneham's Boy Scout Troop 513.
Kline, who just completed his final project to earn the challenging Eagle Scout rank, received the accolades for working to do a complete inventory of Stoneham's Old Burial Ground.
In particular, the youth photographed every headstone and transcribed the inscriptions on the graves. Afterwards, that data was entered into a database and later burned onto compact discs, which can now be distributed.
"In 1992, the commission established this award to honor an individual, establishment, or business that has made a significant contribution to the preservation of historic [sites]," said Historical Commission Chairman Stephen Rotondi.
"After hearing we were looking to do a complete inventory, this applicant came forward and offered to do this," he explained.
Kline later thanked the leaders and scouts within his troop for all their assistance during the project, which needed to be completed in order to be considered for the rank of Eagle Scout.
"I want to thank all my friends and all of those in the troop who stood out in the cold to help me do this project," Kline said.
FEMA grant planning
The town's Board of Selectmen was also presented with a flooding and disaster mitigation plan from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).
According to a representative from MAPC, who did not identify herself at last week's meeting, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was requiring that all cities and towns prepare the comprehensive proposal before applying for grant funding.
In particular, the plan identifies several areas within Stoneham that are most prone to flooding or other types of disasters, such as large scale brush fires. The proposal is not meant to identify ways to respond to such an emergency, but rather to mitigate the causes of problems before a natural catastrophe occurs.
Both Melrose and Saugus, which have already completed their plans and submitted them to FEMA, received funding to improve drainage in flood zones.
In Stoneham, McArthur Road, Montvale Avenue, Stevens Street, Spring Street, and Park Street were identified as the areas most prone to serious flooding, while the Middlesex Fells Reservation was listed as a spot where a major brush fire could occur.
"I wish we had this package prior to this meeting, so we could ask some questions. This is kind of a surprise to us," said Selectman Robert Sweeney, after the informal plan was submitted.
The Selectmen will wait for input from other municipal department heads, who were involved in crafting the proposal, before approving the plan at a future date.
Once it is submitted to FEMA, it will then return to the Selectmen for final approval. At that point, the town can submit an application for grant funding, which will likely be available for the next five years.
Redstone MBTA service
The Selectmen also authorized Town Administrator David Ragucci to approach MBTA officials to inquire about adding an additional bus route from Oak Grove to the Redstone Shopping Plaza.
According to Sweeney, he had recently received correspondence from workers at the shopping plaza, who were being forced to wait for transportation to Redstone due to a gap between the arrival of MBTA trains at Oak Grove and the scheduled departure time of busses.
"The bus stop is not the question, it's the number of busses. As we're well aware, when you add a bus to a route, there's extra charges [from the state to the town]," Ragucci cautioned.
"Maybe if the commuters are missing the bus at Oak Grove, they can have the first [train run] earlier," Sweeney later suggested.
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