Public access tv signal muddy

January 3, 2008

The fate of public-access television in Avon is up in the air since Comcast plans to close the Easton-based studio that Avon shares with four other towns. The station will not close until the contracts with all five towns - Avon, Easton, Holbrook, Raynham, and Stoughton - expire, sometime late this year. Avon uses cable to televise selectmen's meetings and other public and educational events. - Joan Wilder

SNOWPLOWING PRIORITIES - Andrew Bagas, the town's highway superintendent, has warned that residents may notice roads aren't cleared as quickly this winter as usual, especially less heavily traveled roads and those in subdivisions. There may even be times when minor roads are impassable, he said, noting the Highway Department has 10 fewer employees because of budget cuts. With more than 300 streets and a total of 130 miles of roadway in town, he said, snowplowing won't begin until about 3 inches of snow have fallen, and the initial focus will be main and through streets, followed by minor roads and residential subdivisions. - Christine Wallgren

GRANT TO HELP HOME BUYERS - A new program to help first-time home buyers navigate the mortgage process has received a $250,000 boost from NeighborWorks America, a national community development organization. The money will be used to fund a Brockton Homeownership Center, a consortium of local banks working to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure. The center works in tandem with the HarborOne Multicultural Banking Center, established to help non-English speakers learn more about the mortgage process. Brockton has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the state, and in an effort to address the problem, Mayor James E. Harrington has established foreclosure roundtable discussions. The mayor is expected to hold a ceremony Jan. 24 to accept the grant. - Milton Valencia

FIREFIGHTER BACK FROM KOSOVO - The town welcomed home firefighter Leo Reardon, who returned recently from an 18-month tour of duty in Kosovo with the National Guard. "He's full of smiles," said Fire Chief Thomas Ronayne. Reardon was newly married and had been with the department for about a year and a half when his unit was called up. "He did it for all of us," Ronayne said. Reardon, who is in his 20s, lives in Weymouth with his wife, Lisa. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

OFFICIALS PUSH COMMERCIAL IDEA - Town planners met informally last month with representatives of the A.D. Makepeace Co. on plans for a residential subdivision off South Meadow Road. The Carver Planning Board would prefer to see the Makepeace parcel, which is near Plymouth Airport, developed as a commercial property to build up the town's tax base. They urged Makepeace to meet once more with South Meadow Road neighbors to gain support for a commercial development on the site. A meeting with neighbors last year failed to win support for a commercial project. - Robert Knox

AVERY SCHOOL REPLACEMENT - School officials will meet with the state School Building Authority on Feb. 15 to discuss a feasibility study on the merits of replacing the Avery School, according to Superintendent of Schools June Doe. Dedham is one of 83 districts competing for $500 million available this year in school construction aid. A few weeks ago, Katherine Craven, the authority's executive director, and other staff members toured the Avery School to assess its deficiencies. Concrete school walls are crumbling, and the brick exterior is eroding, Doe said, adding that classroom space is tight and the building lacks a cafeteria. Dedham would like to build a new school near the high school. "I think we are all eager to see this project moving ahead," Doe said. - James Vaznis

A PEEK AT POLICE JOB - Want to know what it's like to be a police officer? The Police Department plans to host a Citizen Police Academy in February, offering residents a 10-week program on police protocol and policies. Classes will be held once a week and will be conducted by police officers and guest speakers. Police officials said they hope the program will allow residents to interact with officers in a positive setting, and provide them with an understanding of how officers manage their jobs. Anyone interested may pick up an application at the Police Station, or call 508-230-3322. - Milton Valencia

COPPOLA TO BE FETED BY SENIORS - Former State Representative Ginny Coppola will be honored at an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday at the Senior Center as part of the center's celebration of its recent building renovations. The renovations - which include work on its computer lab, office, and access for the handicapped - were paid for with a $75,000 grant from the state. "Ginny Coppola was instrumental in getting the grant," said Vicki Lowe, director of the Foxborough Council on Aging and Human Services. - Joan Wilder

LIBRARY DIRECTOR VOWS FIGHT FOR FUNDS - Dorothy Stanley-Ballard, the newly appointed library director, said she is looking forward to weeding out book collections at the town's two libraries and writing grants for new materials. But Stanley-Ballard also said she is concerned about town officials' recent talk about closing a library to save money. "I'm looking forward to interacting with patrons from a community that's not confined," said Stanley-Ballard, who worked for 20 years as a librarian with the state Department of Correction at Bridgewater State Hospital before beginning her half-time position in Freetown on Dec. 17. She said she is ready to go to bat for funding for the library and she is fortunate to have a "very active board of trustees." Library trustee Lucille M. Rosa said closing the libraries would net the town only about $107,000 for the nearly $20 million budget and would be "a great disservice to the community." - Elaine Cushman Carroll

INDOOR GOLF CENTER IN THE WORKS - Local golf enthusiasts will have an indoor venue to keep their swings sharp. Businessman Francis Dodero plans to open a virtual golf center, known as The Tee Box, upstairs in the new strip mall at the corner of Monponsett and Plymouth streets. Selectmen have scheduled a hearing on Dodero's request for a liquor license for 7:40 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall. Dodero also has asked for a billiards license, so his patrons can play pool. - Christine Wallgren

OFFICIALS IN DARK ABOUT COMPLAINT - Former Mansfield Electric Department employee John Beliveau has filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, alleging that the selectmen, as the town's Light Commissioners, and Town Manager John D'Agostino continue to discriminate against him by making false statements about him in public. Beliveau, who was fired by the town in 2004, won a court settlement of $1.6 million against the town and D'Agostino late last summer. Louis P. Amoruso, the chairman of the selectmen, said his board has asked the MCAD to obtain more specifics concerning Beliveau's complaints. "He charges that we discriminated against him, but he doesn't provide details," Amoruso said. "We have responded to his complaint by saying, 'Tell us what we did.' " - Christine Wallgren

PRIMARY REGISTRATION DEADLINE JAN. 16 - Officials in the registrar of voters office have notified residents that because the presidential primary date was moved up to Feb. 5 (it was March 2 in 2004), the last day to register to vote in the primary is Jan. 16. The town clerk's office is scheduled to be open that day until 8 p.m. Voters also may register using mail-in forms available at various locations and at the Marion Town House at 2 Spring St. - Paul E. Kandarian

FREE TAX-FILING HELP - Beginning Feb. 4, the tax foundation of AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people 50 and older, is scheduled to provide free tax help to at the Council on Aging at 17 Barstow St. A certified counselor will be available Mondays and Thursdays by appointment until April 15 to provide free tax counseling and basic income-tax filing preparation. For more information, including what documents to bring, call the council at 508-758-4110. -Paul E. Kandarian

GRADE REALIGNMENT POSSIBLE - The impending retirement in July of Fred Morris, the principal at the Burkland Intermediate School, has given school administrators the opportunity to reassess how the grades in the Burkland and Mary Goode elementary schools are arranged. Grades 1 and 2 are housed in Mary Goode and 3 through 5 in the Burkland. Their buildings are connected, but each has its own principal. Superintendent Robert Sullivan told the School Committee he will study alternative arrangements and present his recommendations at the committee's meeting in February. -Christine Wallgren

PUBLIC FORUM ON RAIL PROJECT - Kristina Egan, manager of the state South Coast Rail project, has set a public forum on the rail extension to Fall River and New Bedford for 7 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Solmonese Elementary School. The first phase of information gathering for the project ended in December. State rail experts will, over the next two months, ask residents in the region for reaction to the 30 or so alternatives that have been suggested for providing public transportation to the southeast corner of the state. Those seeking information on the project may visit southcoastrail.com. - Christine Wallgren

AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS FUNDED - The airport will receive $200,000 in federal funding to reconstruct and improve existing airport lighting, pavement, and landscaping. The funding was proposed by US Representative Stephen F. Lynch and signed into law Dec. 26 as part of the fiscal year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill. "Norwood Memorial Airport is an asset not only to Norwood but to all of Massachusetts," Lynch stated in a press release. -Sara Jacobi

COMPUTER CLASS FOR ADULTS - Selectmen on Monday will discuss a proposal to have an adult introductory computer class taught at the Dennett Elementary School, according to board secretary Lisa Krance, who suggested the idea. The tentative plan is to offer the class on three evenings in February. - John Laidler

FINANCIAL AID FOR COLLEGE - The Old Rochester Regional High School guidance department's annual financial aid information night is to be held from 7 to 9 p.m. next Thursday in the high school auditorium. Financial aid forms will be available at the event and in the school's guidance office during regular business hours. -Paul Kandarian

WELLNESS CLASSES AND BOOK CLUBS - The Sharon Adult Center's weeklong open house will begin Sunday. The center is on the garden level of the new community center. Facility tours will be given and participants may sign up for wellness classes and book clubs. To arrange bus transportation, residents may call 781-784-8000. The grand opening for the community center will be held in the spring. -Franci Richardson Ellement

KUDOS FOR SCOUT'S PERGOLA - Andy Bornstein, 18, has been honored for his Eagle Scout service project. The son of Bob and Lesley Bornstein, he built a 24-foot-long, 10-foot-high pergola for residents at the Rode Forte housing complex. The structure officially opened Dec. 27 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by members of Bornstein's Troop 516 and Planning Board members. "It took about 300 man-hours to build," said Bornstein, now a freshman at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. "I had a lot of help. I always wanted to be an Eagle Scout. Only 2 percent of those who join Scouts ever earn an Eagle badge." - Robert Carroll

FIRE WHISTLE TO BE MUFFLED - The town's fire whistle, which was sounded twice daily and whenever there was a fire, has gone the way of the dinosaur. When the long-used horn broke recently, officials decided not to spend the money to fix it because the old firebox, of which it was a part, will be replaced with a new radio alarm technology within a couple of months. "Not too many people are happy about losing it," said Deputy Fire Chief Michael Laracy. -Joan Wilder

WINTER WATERWAY WARNINGS - The Wareham Harbormaster Department has issued safety guidelines for using local waterways during the winter season. Avoid being on frozen saltwater, always wear life jackets when boating, and never skate or go ice fishing alone, warned Harbormaster Michael L. Parola. If you witness someone falling through the ice, dial 911, he added. The guidelines also state that if you're on ice and you hear it cracking, you should lie down immediately. That way, your weight can be distributed more evenly. The guidelines can be viewed at wareham.ma.us. - Emily Sweeney

COMMUNITY BOOK CHOSEN - Dennis McFarland, author of "Letters from Point Clear," which was on The New York Times Best Sellers list, will be featured in the Westwood communitywide reading program, scheduled for April 12, the library announced this week. The community reading program, instituted five years ago by longtime library director Thomas Viti, incorporates as much of the Westwood community as possible. Events include the lectures, readings and discussion groups, Viti said, as well as less-common offerings such as art exhibits, folk dancing, jazz concerts, and activities at the high school and Senior Center. - Sara Jacobi

SHOVEL OUT HYDRANTS - Fire Chief Timothy Travers has asked that residents make certain fire hydrants are shoveled out after every snowstorm so that they can be easily located in an emergency. During the house fire on Bedford Street on Dec. 22, both hydrants used by the department were shoveled out. "But that's not always the case," Travers said. "It's the responsibility of the people in the neighborhood to make sure they are always shoveled." - Christine Wallgren