Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Albertini plant opens officially in Mansfield.
Two years ago, Mansfield broke ground for the Albertini Water Treatment Facility, and has now officially finished the project. Town manager William Ross said the plant, along with the Cate Springs and Walsh Plants, were designed to improve the water quality and remove any unwanted minerals/toxins from the system. “We wanted to reduce any of the manganese and improve water quality,” Ross said. “It’s a good well field for the town, I think 20 to 30 percent of our capacity is in this wellfield and so we need it to improve the water quality coming out of here and ensure the chlorination was right.” Ross added the well will provide this service to the town for the next 20 to 30 years. “Overall this will maintain a continuous supply of high …
Monday, December 17, 2012
New owners have to pay for act of previous tenant on previous owner.
The Mansfield Board of Selectmen recently voted 3-1, with George Dentino, against to demand payment in full concerning an old water bill from the new owner. The tenant of the previous owner had used the water and accumulated a bill of $2,316 by not turning off the water. The property is on 360 Chauncy Street and was recently bought by Lester and James Michael Epstein. The property had liens on it and selectmen voted to direct the Mansfield Department of Public Works director Lee Azinheira to demand payment in full, instead of $1,700 the two offered as a settlement. Once the tenant moved out, the water was cut off and the town filed the lean before the property owner sold the house to the pair. Town manager William Ross said that the …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
DPW say no warning on the snowfall was the main reason for a slow response in salting, sanding and plowing.
Mansfield was slow to respond in the surprise snowstorm that came down on Wednesday. Mansfield Department of Public Works director Lee Azinheira said that because there was no snow expected response has been slow. “If the weathermen would give us better info we would be better prepared,” he said. “The response was not quick for that reason." He went on to say that contractors had no drivers readily available as well, further hindering plowing and sanding efforts. “We weren’t supposed to get snow in Mansfield and the contractors were not ready,” he said. Azinheira also said that key roads in Mansfield, like Route 140 and Route 106, were covered first before other areas.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
According to Mansfield director of public works Lee Azinheira, the town was escaped Sandy with little damage.
Mansfield, unlike many eastern-facing coastal towns in New England, was spared much of the damage other towns faced during Sandy. “There’s downed trees spread out around the town, but it wasn’t as bad as the storm we had last year at the end of the summer,” Director of the Mansfield Department of Public Works Lee Azinheira said. “I mean, there’s always old trees and every storm weakens them even more, so there were some downed trees in the streets and near people’s homes.” Azinheira said that the damage and cleanup was minimal compared to last year’s storm with Irene, which blocked roads, brought down power lines and sprayed debris everywhere. “There is some cleanup to do,” he said, “but it could have been far worse. I’m glad we didn’t …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The following is a summary of items discussed at the Sept. 12, 2012 Mansfield Board of Selectmen's meeting.
The Mansfield Police Department performed an induction ceremony for three new officers (Mark Lennore absent on vacation) and the promotion to sergeant of another. Christopher Walsh and David Kerr were inducted as new recruits and David Sennott returned to duty after a serious back injury. Officer Roy Bain was also promoted to a full sergeant position after being an active sergeant for a few months. The Cocmast Cable Company sent a letter stating that the channel WGBX HD will be switching from channel 818 to 801. Recently appointed Finance Committee member Jim Regazzo sent a letter to selectmen stating that he can no longer serve on the committee and the Planning Board. Mansfield Town Manager William Ross said that Mansfield is currently …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The following is a summary of items discussed and voted on at the Mansfield Board of Selectmen Meeting for Sept. 5, 2012.
Mansfield Selectmen voted 4-0 (with Doug Annino absent) to approve a motion for a sign for the Animal Shelter and Friends adoption event in October, to be up from Sept. 7 to the event. Town manager William Ross and selectmen discussed the downtown-parking situation. Currently, the biggest problem is that many residents who live on North Main, Crocker Street and the Western part of Pratt Street cannot finding adequate parking. Also discussed were the implications of the new condo building currently being built on Old Colony Road. Michael Feck and Cheryl Collins interview for either a alternate position or the soon-to-be vacant planning board position to be left by Jim Ragazzo when he moves tot he Finance Committee. Selectman Jess Aptowitz …
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Town manager William Ross says the state will no longer allow many DPW vehicles on the road.
The Mansfield Department of Public Works may have some issues doing their jobs this year, as the Massachusetts Registry of Motor vehicles has informed the town of Mansfield that some DPW vehicles are no longer licensed to be on the roads. Sidewalk snowplows, front-end loaders and backhoes, according to a statewide order, are no longer able to drive on public roads, according to Mansfield town Manager Ross. “I’ve reported this to the [Massachusetts Municipal Association] and our state representatives,” Ross said. “[The state is] claiming that a statute says they are not licensable vehicles. It’s strange, because there are no new laws.” According to Ross, such vehicles will now have to be transported by a truck to a work site to perform …
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Rate increases part of a scheduled projection to help pay for capital projects.
The Mansfield Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 on Wednesday, with chair Jess Aptowitz voted against, on two motions that increased water and sewer rates by six-percent respectively, to be implemented June 1 of 2012. Mansfield Department of Public Works Director Lee Azinheira presented the increase to the board and said that the rate increase was discussed in 2006 and in 2010. "We need to continue on the [rate increase] schedule to avoid larger issues in the future,” Azinheira said. Water rates have now increased to by six- percent in the 2013 fiscal year. The rate per household is based on water usage, but year-to-year increases only see a maximum increase of no more than $15 dollars. A 6 percent increase is scheduled until fiscal year 2015, …
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Low light roads in Mansfield originally a cost-saving measure, now a safety hazard, residents say.
More residents have come forward to urge Mansfield selectmen to shine some light on older residential streets and some subdivisions. A move several years ago to shut down every other streetlight to save money has combined with burnout of some older streetlight bulbs to produce long stretches of road with no light at all. After former selectman Amos Robinson of Mill Street appealed to the board twice recently to pay attention to some now dark rural roads, a second former board member, Sandy Levine, seconded that request this week, saying a one-size-fits-all approach to street lighting does not necessarily work in an older community. At the same meeting, resident and business owner Karl Clemmey said the blacked-out North Common contrasts …
diana L cole
5:18 pm on Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Better still how about the Water Dept, doing what it does to other people, shut the water off when it reaches 200- to 400 dollars. lets face it the water did not run by itself. I am sure there may be other circumstances I do not know of. But I do know when my bill is up to 250 or so, I get that shut off notice on my door. They are always gracious to me, and work with me on a payment plan. The … more ›