News:
Organogenesis to Expand in Canton
Senate Budget Includes Funds for Blue Hills Mounted Unit
Dear
Canton
Resident,
We recently passed the Senate’s
version of the FY 2009 budget and it contains several items
relative to the Town of
Canton
.
First, Representative Galvin and
I are pleased to announce the House and Senate Joint
Local Aid Resolution contains:
·
An increase of $407,403 or 6.2% in total local aid
·
An increase of $390,953 or 11.6% in Chapter 70 state aid
to Canton Schools
The budget includes language I wrote authorizing the state to lease
Ponkapoag Golf Course to the Town of
Canton
or a private management company. Ponkapoag was one of the first public golf
courses in the
United States
and has a storied design heritage. Today
however, Ponkapoag rates as one of the worst golf courses in the country and
has developed a reputation for irrigation problems and general disrepair. Fairways are often unplayable because of
standing water and summertime drought conditions keep frequent golfers away in
droves.
By allowing
Canton
or a private operator the opportunity for a long term lease, residents will be
assured the necessary capital improvements will be made to the course and the
once thriving facility will remain open to the public. Previously, I helped facilitate a similar
lease for the Metropolis Skating Rink. This has resulted in a far better run rink with more ice time for local
teams and additional revenue for the town.
A revamped Ponkapoag would no doubt attract
attention from the Professional Golf Association (
PGA
)
which has held its
PGA
Championship event at similar public courses and once expressed interest in
Ponkapoag. The economic benefit of such
an event would be substantial with tournament spectators spending tens of
millions of dollars at local businesses.
Indeed the potential exists for a top notch golf
course which would be a credit to our community as well as a regional economic
engine. Without a long term lease in
place however, that potential will never be realized. Course conditions will remain poor, more tax
dollars will be wasted and the legitimate golf community will continue to shun
Ponkapoag.
During final hours of budget debate, I was able to
insert an amendment placing severe restrictions on the use of so-called
aversive or shock therapy. Shock
therapy is the deliberate and controlled induction of some form of
physiological state of shock in an individual for the purpose of psychiatric
treatment. The controversial method is
used by Canton-based Judge Rotenberg Center (
JRC
)
– which may be the only institution in the nation to use aversion shock therapy
on its students. Specifically at the
JRC
, shock therapy is used on children who display
some types of behavior ranging from self-mutilation to a reported case of
failing to maintain a neat appearance. Many of the children have autism and/or developmental disabilities.
Passage of this amendment is the culmination of
hundreds of hours spent working with legislators, state agency representatives,
behaviorists, disability advocates, lawyers, psychologists and the parents of
children with autism. This budget
language seeks compromise between an outright ban on aversive therapy and its
heavily regulated use in certain individual cases where self injury could
result in a life threatening injury. The
government has a fundamental duty to protect vulnerable populations, and the
Commonwealth
of
Massachusetts
has a moral imperative to
address this issue once and for all.
The budget provides $42,975 to the
Blue
Hills
School
to Careers Partnership to fund a
Student Internship Program and a Teacher Externship program. The
Blue
Hills
School
to Careers
Partnership organizes and administers both the teacher externship program and
student internship program. The
Partnership places teachers for two weeks in the following areas: engineering,
banking/finance, communications, government, health/medical, hotel/hospitality
management, and technology. High school
students find internship opportunities which helps them in their decision making regarding college and careers. This program is extremely valuable because it
provides teachers and students the opportunity to receive hands on experience
in real work settings. Now teachers can
better prepare students for what they will face in the workplace, and students
are equipped to make more informed decisions about their future. I have hosted several externs in my State
House office over the years.
The budget also includes $100,000 for the Blue
Hills Park Ranger Mounted Unit. This
unit patrols the Blue Hills Reservation and provides for the safety of the visiting
public. The Rangers also function as
park stewards educating the public about recreational opportunities and
protecting natural resources for future generations. The mounted ranger has enhanced vision
because of the added height of the horse and greater flexibility to navigate
difficult terrain. In addition to public
outreach and crime prevention, the Blue Hills Park Ranger Mounted Unit is
responsible for finding lost children, escorting emergency vehicles, and
patrolling our park trails. The unit has
also provided critical assistance during public safety emergencies in
conjunction with the local police departments.
A Conference Committee of the Senate and House of
Representatives has convened to resolve differences between budget
blueprints. Once accepted, the Committee’s
report will be sent to Governor Patrick for his consideration.
In April I joined Governor Patrick to announce the expansion of Canton-based
Organogenesis, the regenerative medicine leader which once planned to move its
operations outside
Massachusetts
. The expansion will create hundreds of new
high-skilled, high-paying jobs (average salary of $77,000) for our local
economy.
The Organogenesis decision to expand in
Canton
was due in large part to our commitment to the life
sciences industry in
Massachusetts
. The Senate just passed the highly-anticipated
life sciences bill which among other provisions commits $500 million in capital
funding for life sciences construction and improvement projects and supports
$250 million in authorized tax incentives for life sciences companies like
Organogenesis that commit to grow jobs.
I am happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions
at my office (617-722-1643), home (617-696-0200) or by e-mail ( BJoyce@senate.state.ma.us). Thank you for the continued opportunity to
work on your behalf.
Sincerely,
BRIAN A. JOYCE
ncerely,
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