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Selectmen may
seek new cable provider
By Mike Berger
Citizen Staff
Selectmen,
upon the advice of the Cable Advisory Committee, plan to notify
Comcast that unless it improves several aspects of a new
contract with the town, Canton will be looking for a new cable
provider after the current ten-year contract expires on
September 30.
Selectmen
Chairman John Connolly said Tuesday night that it is his
understanding that Comcast will provide cable service to
residents until a new provider agrees to a contract. The
difference is that after September 30, the town will not receive
any financial assistance from Comcast.
Selectmen
are obligated under state and federal law to stipulate to
Comcast a preliminary denial of the contract by the end of
August, although the town can still negotiate a new contract
until the current one expires.
However,
according to Jim Sims, chairman of the Cable Advisory Committee,
it is unlikely a contract will be reached with Comcast due to
the substantial differences that exist between what the
committee wants and what Comcast is proposing to deliver.
For one,
Sims said the company is unwilling to host a customer service
center in Canton after the contract expires. Selectmen had
lobbied hard for the current service center, which is located in
downtown Canton, after the original center on Bailey Street
closed.
Comcast is
also reportedly unwilling to commit to the funding of equipment,
facilities and technical assistance for Canton Community
Television, or Cable 8. For example, Comcast has been unwilling
to pay for repairs to a remote van, which enabled Cable 8 to
televise from various locations. In addition, Comcast is
unwilling to pay for improvements and is lobbying to
decommission the I-Net, which allows for a quality cable
transmission line.
Sims also
said Comcast has no plans to fund the transition to digital
transmissions, and will not allow Cable 8 programs to be aired
on other cable providers.
Last year,
selectmen signed a contract with Verizon to provide additional
cable service to residents. Selectmen said they made sure that
the same provisions contained in the Comcast contract were
repeated in the Verizon contract so that neither utility had an
advantage.
Connolly
said the board stands clearly in support of Canton Cable 8.
“People in this town love it,” he said. “It is huge.”
Selectmen
Victor Del Vecchio, who is an attorney for Verizon, recused
himself from the cable hearing.
Traffic
calming
In other
major business, selectmen approved several traffic-calming steps
to ease the concerns of residents on Reynolds, Cotter, and
Vaughan streets, which make up the neighborhood that abuts the
athletic fields behind Canton High School.
The DPW will
install speed tables, and police will increase speed enforcement
before and after school. Residents have complained that young
motorists, particularly after school, are speeding down the
streets.
The
recommendations came from Tim McIntosh of VHS Traffic
Consultants, whose recent traffic study found that an average of
1,223 motorists used Reynolds Street on weekdays, 766 on
Saturday, and 616 on Sunday. In addition, although the posted
speed limit is 20 miles per hour, the study determined the
average speed of motorists to be 26 miles per hour, with 85
percent traveling at 30 miles per hour.
Traffic and
speed concerns in the area are nothing new to residents or
selectmen. A few years ago, selectmen heard from residents who
were against speed bumps and wanted one-way access to the area.
Selectmen maintain their opposition to the one-way access,
however, citing traffic implications to Washington Street,
busing, and the unique placement of the ball fields next to the
high school.
Despite
residents’ opposition to speed bumps, Elizabeth Zack of Reynolds
Street said in her opinion, the general consensus of the
neighborhood is that they would agree to the speed tables.
Selectmen
plan to publicly announce the exact location of the speed tables
within the next two weeks and have them installed within the
next month. McIntosh said the plan is to locate two speed tables
along Reynolds and Cotter streets and one on Vaughn. He said
they are three inches thinner than traditional speed bumps, make
less noise, and will not interfere with snowplowing.
In other
news:
• Final
paving of Washington Street between Pecunit Street and St.
Gerard’s Church, along with Oak Road, will be completed
tomorrow. Selectmen also approved the paving of Fairview Road
between Chapman Street and Cedarcrest Road at a cost of
$110,000, to be paid through the NSTAR Mitigation Account.
• Selectmen
appointed Scott Lenhart to the position of appeals board
alternate member replacing Robert Quigley.
• Selectmen
approved liquor and entertainment licenses for the Irish
Cultural Center to hold its annual ICONS Festival September 12
to 14. Center officials said the music and entertainment at this
year’s festival will be toned down, with a greater emphasis
placed on showcasing Irish culture.
• Recreation
Commission Chairman Tim Brooks gave selectmen a preview of the
Homecoming Event on Saturday, September 27. The annual CAI
Reebok road race will start at 8:30 a.m. at CHS, followed by a
parade at 5 p.m. and the opening of downtown shops and
restaurants until 10 p.m. Special liquor licenses can be granted
to restaurants from 6 to 8 p.m. Brooks said an outdoor theater
is being planned to show family movies, along with rock walls
and a carnival. Information is available at cantonhomecoming.com.
• Selectmen
held a moment of silence in honor of the late Beverly Foley, who
served on many town and civic boards.
August 21, 2008
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