Canton To Hold Special Town Meeting Wednesday

CANTON, MA - The Town of Canton will hold a Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Canton High School Morse Auditorium to vote on the potential purchase of the former St. Gerard Majella Church's property for town use.

The property, located at 1860 Washington St., includes the church, which has worship space, a basement, classrooms, kitchen and bathrooms. It also has a second lot where the rectory is located, and that property has residential and office space.

The first lot is located in a Single Family Residence A zoning district, while the rectory is in a Single Family Residence B zoning district because its lot size is more than 15,000 square feet but less than 30,000 square feet.

According to the town's website, the church announced its desire to sell the property in July, although the ultimate decision about its sale is up to the Boston Archdiocese of the Catholic Church. It closed at the end of September.

If Town Meeting members approve the purchase, there would be a special election on Dec. 14 to allow voters to approve or deny the purchase through a debt exclusion. If Town Meeting does not approve the sale, the election will not be held.

Other sources of funding also be used, including free cash or money from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

Outside bidders also have been sought for the five-acre property, which has been listed for sale at $4 million, according to Redfin.com. The town cannot submit a bid without approval of both the STM and voters.

Some potential uses for the site if the town purchases it include a community center, School Department offices, or space for the Veterans Services Department and the Department of Elder and Human Services.

If the property is purchased, there will be a public process to determine whether the structure would be maintained or if it would be torn down for a new building.

The other article to be voted on will be an appropriation for the reconstruction of Metropolis Rink. The reconstruction was approved by Town Meeting in December 2018 with an $11 million budget. The former rink partially collapsed in 2015.

Because of the rink's history, the town decided to exceed the building code and use a steel frame rather than a wooden one. This put the project over budget by $22,322. In addition, there is a need to purchase a second Zamboni, some minor ceiling repairs, and concession hookups and plumbing. All these expenses total about $204,000.

The article would authorize the Town to transfer the $204,000 in surplus funds from the Bolivar Pool Capital Project Fund into the Metropolis Rink Reconstruction Project Fund to complete the rink project without drawing upon any new funds coming into the Town government treasury. The Bolivar Pool project currently has a final surplus of approximately $625,000.