Thursday, May 16, 2013
Following the annual town election, the Mansfield Board of Selectmen reorganized board positions.
Jess Apowitz was named the new chairman of the Mansfield Board of Selectmen during their annual reorganization at their May 15 meeting. Apowitz returns to the position after serving as the board's chair during 2011-12. Kevin Moran nominated Apowitz for the position and was voted in 4-0-1 with George Dentino abstaining. Doug Annino was named the vice-chair with a 3-0-2 vote. Annino and Dentino abstained from the vote. Returning to his former position, Kevin Moran will be the clerk for his final year as a selectman after a 5-0 vote. "I came in as a clerk, I'll go out as one," Moran said. For light commissioners, Dentino will remain the chair after a 5-0 vote, Olivier Kozlowski was voted as the vice-chair 5-0, and a 4-0-1 vote made Apowitz …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Mansfield voters at the annual town meeting were unable to pass zoning changes for the Chocolate Factory but voted in favor of adopting a BYOB Policy
At least for now, the chocolate factory will remain empty. Despite being favored by a majority of voters at Mansfield’s annual town meeting, the article that would have allowed the old chocolate factory to be rezoned from industrial to residential was rejected as it was unable to obtain the two-thirds super-majority needed for zoning articles. There were 130 voters at the meeting who supported the article while 110 were against it. While article 40 would not have approved a specific plan for apartments, it would have amended zoning bylaws to allow for the renovation and reuse of older buildings such as the chocolate factory. Developer Joseph Mulkern was responsible for the citizen’s petition article to get the zoning changes. Mulkern’s …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The selectmen had plenty of praise for Town Manager Bill Ross during his evaluation.
Three years after arriving in Mansfield to be the new town manager, it appears Bill Ross will continue to serve in that capacity for the foreseeable future. With the selectmen performing their evaluation of Ross at their May 1 meeting, the town manager was given an average score of 9.79 out of 10. The selectmen praised Ross for his job in Mansfield and his leadership ability. "I think all five of us have the same exact same message here. As close to perfect, I think that’s what you’ve been," Selectman Jess Apowitz said. Across the board, Ross was given high marks by the selectmen in six categories. In legislative relations and responsiveness to the selectmen, school committee, town meeting representatives, Ross' average score was a 10 out …
The decision effectively dissolves the district at the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
Only a week after the selectmen said that Manfield had no intent of leaving the Crossroads Veterans Services District, the town will do exactly that after a 4-0 vote by the selectmen to take such action. The vote will dissolve the district at the end of June since Mansfield was the only town that bordered the two remaining towns of Norton and Foxborough. The selectmen were forced to make a decision during their May 1 meeting, otherwise they would have been requiered to stay in the district for another year. Disagreements over issues such the structure of the district and who was responsible for the hiring of veteran service officers (VSO) led to Mansfield’s exit of the district and a bleak future for the year old venture. Since district …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Easton officials cited "cultural differences" with the other towns in the district.
Easton selectmen voted unanimously Monday night to leave the Crossroads Veteran's Services District and hire it's own full-time veteran's agent. The decision came after Easton town administrator David Colton sent a memo to selectmen recommending the town leave the district, citing "cultural" differences with other towns involved. Easton is a member of the district with Norton, Foxborough and Mansfield. "Although, cost-savings was not the reason to create the district, avoiding the costs associated with this 'mission creep' is a good reason to consider leaving," he wrote in his memo. The decision caught the Mansfield selectmen off guard, as a vote to leave the district was not expected. "This has totally hit us by surprise," Mansfield …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The selectmen voted 3-1 to renew a Chauncy St. commuter rail parking lot's license only if all the money the lot owes to the town is paid by May 1.
In less than one week, local train riders could arrive at a Commuter Rail parking lot on Chauncy St. and wonder why they are unable to park in the private lot. While approving commercial parking lot licenses for 2013, the selectmen voted 3-1 to renew the license for a lot owned by A-C Intermediate at 75 Chauncy St. pending the payment of money owed to the town by the lot's owner. Currently, the operators of the parking lot owe the town $7,151 in real estate taxes and have not paid taxes on the land for three consecutive quarters. The resolution allows the lot to pay their taxes before their current license expires on May 1 without the need for the selectmen to approve a new license at their next meeting which does not take place until the…
Monday, April 22, 2013
The selectmen discussed the issue after receiving a request to hang an event banner featuring cooperate sponsors.
When the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce places their banner over Rt. 106 to promote their Monte Calro night fundraiser, it will against the practice of the selectmen to not approve banners featuring corporate logos. The 3-2 vote to allow the banner to hang near the North Common came after a discussion with members of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce and the selectmen over if there is a place for the logos of businesses that sponsor events on banners. The banner in question is for the chamber’s Monte Carlo night and contains logos for businesses that are sponsors for the event. Selectman Doug Annino came out the strongest against the logos, citing a fear that it could lead to Mansfield becoming “logoville.” “If you want to display your logo …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A look at the top stories around Mansfield.
Family of Mansfield Marathon Runner Fortunate to Escape Injury If Marsha Whitman was a few minutes slower or if her family stayed in the stands, the Mansfield resident’s day at the Boston Marathon could of been a lot more tragic. Crossing the finish line with a time of 3:46:42 at 3:32 p.m., Whitman was able to finish the race about 18 minutes before the first explosion went off near the finish line on Boylston St. She was the 13,015th person to cross the line and only a little more than 4,500 runner make it to the finish line after her. Shortly after completing the marathon, Whitman was leaving the athletes' area to regroup with her family in the family meeting area on St. James Ave. when the explosions began to go off behind her. “When …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
With a vote of 3-2, the selectmen voted to allow the South Shore Antique Auto Club to hold their annual flea market despite issues with vendors and the crowd at last year's show.
The South Shore Antique Auto Club’s Trading Bee has been in Mansfield for over 20 years but it wasn’t until recently that town officials became aware of the problems at the event held yearly at the Comcast Center. “I was not aware of the nature of this event prior to a few years ago. When my crew got out there they said ‘Wow you need to see what’s going on,’” Fire Chief Neil Boldrighini said. Despite issues surrounding the management of 1,500 vendors, an expected crowed of over 6,000 people during a two day period, and the behavior on display at the event, the selectmen voted 3-2 at their April 17 meeting to allow the auto club to hold their annual antique car parts flea market. Doug Annino and Jess Apowitz voted against the event. Due to…
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A look at tonight's selectmen meeting.
Tina Mqs
8:41 am on Friday, May 10, 2013
True and I hope not! The old buildings need to be maintained and kept up to code and safe so they don't have to be torn down. I still would love to see more to do though. Activity-oriented. more ›