CANTON — People visiting the Town Office next month will find it in a bigger and more structurally sound building.
Selectmen decided Thursday night to close the Town Office at 9 Staples Hill Road and move its contents into the new building beside the fire station on Route 108/Turner Street on April 9.
Administrator Scotty Kilbreth said the new office at 94 Turner St. will open for business April 13.
“Later on,” he said, “we’ll have a ribbon-cutting ceremony.”
The board also discussed what to do about the multitude of keys to town buildings.
“Now that we’ve transitioned from a bunch of buildings to four, do we want to re-key our buildings?” Selectman Robert Walker Jr. asked.
“I think we need to,” Selectman Brian Keene said. “We also need to see what it will cost.”
Board of Selectmen Chairman Donny Hutchins asked if anyone knew how many locks there are on town buildings.
“That’s the thing,” Keene said. “We don’t know who has how many keys.”
He said members of several committees have various keys to offices. Town employees do also, he said.
Fire Chief Shane Gallant said he and his officers and selectmen have keys to several locking doors at the fire station.
“If they have keys to this (Town) Office, it isn’t going to do them any good once you move out,” resident Chris Dailey said.
Hutchins asked Walker to get prices to re-key the town’s buildings and determine how many doors have locks requiring keys.
In other business, selectmen decided to revive past traditional ceremonies that award the Boston Post Cane to the town’s oldest citizen and the Honor Roll, a plaque that recognizes residents and their years of service.
Kilbreth said he found the plaque recently and asked selectmen about it Thursday night.
“Jackie Conant started this years ago to honor people who serve or have served the town,” he said.
The board also appointed Torey Johnson to a three-year term on the Budget Committee and signed deeds for the Jewett Hill and Golden Ridge roads’ properties that were awarded to high bidders two weeks ago.
Selectmen left a decision up to a committee to hire a landscaping company or the highway department to maintain town parks and trails. The Parks and Trails Committee would like to hire help for the work.
“They want a company to come in in the spring, you know, do a good cleanup, mulch and all that stuff,” Kilbreth said.
“The reason why they want to go with a landscaping company is, because a landscaping company knows more about flowers and plants than our Highway Department, so they wouldn’t be pulling flowers thinking they was weeds.”
Selectmen told the committee to get back to the board when they decide whether to go with a landscaping company or the town’s hired help.
Selectmen also established May 2, 6, 9 and 13 for spring cleanup. Residents are urged to “bring everything you’ve got in the house to throw away,” Kilbreth said. Well, everything but tires, he clarified.
On those days, people may take demolition debris to the transfer station. Archie’s Inc. of Mexico will provide Dumpsters for it.
“There will be attendants up there to ensure people have their permit stickers and they’ll have an extra helper up there, too; probably the road foreman,” Kilbreth said.
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