|
The July Ringside Observer
GOING TOPLESS: That
must have quite a sight a few weeks ago when Selectman Richard Cretinon
sauntered into Town Hall to sign the warrant with no shirt on. Aside from
being disrespectful and uncouth, it could not have been a pretty sight.
Shirts and shoes are required at most public places…Town Hall included
Richard.
HOUSE MOVE: Speaking of Richard Cretinon,
remember all the hoopla that was created when he bought the St. Joseph’s
Parish House for $1.00 and had it moved to his homestead on Pembroke
Street? Well, there it sits, months later. At what point does the eyesore
go away. The plan we hear, is to connect his small, original house to the
Parish House. Right now Cretinon added a second level to the little house
and has to exit and enter the place via a 16' ladder. That probably works
ok for Cretinon, but how would you like being his dog?
BE PREPARED: Our local Post Office was ill
prepared for the first day of the new postage rate of 37˘. With all the
34˘ stamps out there now requiring an additional 3˘ stamp…there we
none to be had. Only 1’s and 2’s. That requires more licking or
sticking than is necessary. To their credit, they were all stocked up with
3’s the next morning. No it’s not Jimmy’s fault, although we like to
blame him for everything else.
LOCKED OUT: It must have been a bit of a scene
recently to see Selectman Dick Kenney lock himself out of his car at the
Town Hall parking lot. Seems the police wouldn’t respond because they
don’t do lockouts anymore. So who saved the day? Town Administrator
Kevin Donovan. Being a Selectman in Abington must require a course in
picking locks. Dick spends too much time at Town Hall anyway, it must have
been a sign of divine province suggesting to Dick that there is life
beyond Town Hall.
MORE KEVIN: Speaking of Kevin Donovan and
reminding you that he is an Abington Selectman…it must have created an
odd feeling a few weeks back when he voted to fire Abington Town
Administrator John Sanguinet. There are those in Abington that have
suggested that Donovan would give a left arm for that position in his
hometown. We asked Kevin directly if he was angling for the job. His
response: "Absolutely, positively and unequivocally, NO!” Time will
tell.
TKO SCORES: We are pleased to report that two
editorial positions taken by the Observer last month have been followed.
Not only did the Silver Lake Regional School Committee reinstate class
ranking, but they also axed those two educational consultants that were
being paid $100,000 for curriculum development, a job best done by a
superintendent, of which we now have one (not two).
NO SCREENING: Last month we were grousing
over the fact that the Selectmen were going to conduct closed door
screening interviews for Highway Superintend candidates. It never
happened. Town Administrator Kevin Donovan thought it best to simply
interview all the candidates. The Selectmen were able to save face when
one candidate dropped out and only three were interviewed. They can now
say that’s why they dumped the screening process. Use whatever rationale
you want, just so it didn’t happen. We did have to laugh though. One of
the candidates mentioned that he was a good friend of Sewer Commission
chairman Garry Monahan. With the seething relationship that exists between
Monahan and the Selectmen, it was just the wrong thing to say. You could
read their faces and minds and we could almost hear the words "next”
emerge.
CONGRATS PAUL: We were delighted to see the
Selectmen, by a 5-0 vote, officially hand over the reigns of the Highway
Department to Acting Superintendent Paul Basler. It’s a great morale
booster to see an in-house guy emerge through the ranks. Paul is a
Kingston product who took over the Highway responsibilities almost 15
months ago when Jerry Jewers left for reasons still unclear to the public.
Paul was a fast learner and a guy not afraid to ask for assistance. He is
a straight talker and has no political motivations. Folks thought that
nobody could fill the shoes of Carl Atwood when he retired about four
years ago. Paul will come close, due in large measure by a terrific crew
of workers.
NEW CHIEF: We hope that the Selectmen decide
that we have an able candidate in Deputy Fire Chief Dave McKee to replace
the retiring Jon Alberghini. As was the case with with Paul Basler, McKee
has come up the fire ranks but over a lot more years. Everybody likes Dave
and he has proven himself over time. It is his moment to take over the
reigns and there should be no need to go out on a search. For what? We
have the right man for the job already reporting to work each day right
now.
OLLY’S EAGLE: You gotta give DeMacedo credit.
That eagle he built for the Fourth of July Parade was spectacular. Imagine
a moving 18' wing span. Pretty impressive. It graced parades in both
Plymouth and Duxbury. His quest for a County Commissioner’s seat will
keep the Democrats on their toes. Olly is resourceful and we predict a
very close race at this point.
LOWE DOWN: For people wondering why Lowe’s is
not progressing at the south end of town, we have this for you: the
drainage, electrical, paving, curbing, signage and all other aspects of
the home improvement giant are all complete. This means we have a
beautiful site…but no building. We understand that the construction bids
are not even awarded. So, what’s the problem. We asked Rob Kraus,
Kingston resident and attorney for the company’s local efforts. Rob says
that Mass Highway must approve the 75% construction completion plans
relative to roadway design. With state agencies working with fewer
resources, Mass Highway has yet to approve the plans. Kraus doesn’t
blame anyone for the delay and states that Lowe’s has made a major
commitment to the community and will open, later then sooner. They will,
in fact, miss their planned November opening date.We asked Rob if they
will open for Christmas and he did not wish to speculate. For our own
part, our Ringside Observers note that the Town cannot fully assess the
building until it is complete. Therefore, we will not benefit from that
aspect, probably until 2003. Also, the Recreation Commission, Ballfield
Committee and the Bradford House, all of whom were presented with
substantial facsimile checks during the ground breaking ceremony many
months ago, will not see the cash for now. The money, you see, would only
be paid after an occupancy permit is issued. For our own part, we never
published pictures of the check presentations because we felt it to be
somewhat disingenuous. These recipients should not have to wait for funds
when Lowe’s was getting the PR for money yet to be spent. Especially the
Bradford House folks who need the money to complete their barn project.
Another disturbing aspect is the news that Lowe’s has an opport6unity to
once again pursue their plans for a location in Pembroke. Why would that
be the case with a planned Kingston opening? Follow this one, it hits us
as a wee bit troubling.
RABOTH ROAD access issues are back in the
news. Seems folks up at or near Smelt Pond are less then thrilled with the
new road layout which will reconfigure the entranceway to the mall. Travel
from homes further down Raboth Road will, if plans remain unchanged,
create a more complex set of turns before getting to the Route 3
interchange. This thing should escalate in the near future. There is a
distinct possibility that Raboth Road could eventually be fully paved and
join the ranks of accepted streets. That would create a mini housing boom.
SMITHS LANE could be seeing future roadwork if
Mass Highway has its way. Seems they don’t like the egress and access
issues that Crescent Street presents. The state would rather take
Cumberland Farms by eminent domain and run Smiths Lane right on through to
Route 3-A allowing for 90° turns. What with Exit 8 closed permanently, we
believe there will be significant traffic impacts on Smiths Lane. Mass
Highway must believe this too or they wouldn’t be showing the interest
we hear they are.
WATER TOWER: The new water tower is now up on
the Regional School grounds. Erected and all painted…with one problem.
The Regional School Committee wanted the word Lakers painted on the tower.
The Water Commissioners would have had no problem with that, except acting
Superintendent Maurice Splaine never asked them to. It was no secret that
Splaine felt it was cheesy, but it wasn’t his call. It’s a bit late
now, what with all the scaffolding down. We think that Splaine should be
sentenced to community service for his transgression and be assigned the
paint job himself.
JUNE BALLINGER has not been seen around
town of late, and there is a reason for that. June underwent surgery at
the Jordan Hospital just before July 4th. She is expected to be
hospitalized for several more weeks or longer while she undergoes
chemotherapy. June is a fighter and we, in our phone calls and visits have
seen her gumption at age 77. June can sometimes be a royal pain, but she
is purely Kingston and does serve to keep a lot of people on their toes.
We have battled with her on some occasions and hugged on others. Now is
the time for support, and we wish her all that and more. We urge those who
know June to write her or call at the Jordan.
SEPTIC WOES: We hear that The Stop & Shop Plaza treatment plant is
being watchdogged by the DEP. Also, the Kingsbury Club needs a treatment
plant for their expanded premises. Why don't all the businesses up that
end of town pool their collective resources and go on the sewer line? If
they all chipped in for the infrastructure it would probably save them all
money in the long run. It would also expand the type of allowed business
uses. For the big boys, it would probably be cheaper than maintaining an
on-site treatment plant.
BIRTHDAY WISHES: Benny MacFarland turned 90
this month, the ever popular Benny is joined by wife Ruth, 84 (center) and
sister Nancy MacFarland, age 98.
WELL DONE: Water Commissioners (l-r) Fred
Svenson, Bob Kostka, and Bud Loring receive accolades from Nida
Rosenberger, from State Rep. Tom O’Brien’s office. The board was
honored for their role in making possible the construction of a Senior
Citizen complex just across the line in Plympton.
Paid Advertisement
 |
