Dedham Department Heads Peppered with Questions

Prepared from a few years experience under his belt, Joe Flanagan anticipated the most widely asked question at the ever-so-popular "Town Hall to Your Neighborhood" meetings: "When is my road getting paved?"

And with that Flanagan, the town's public works director, brought with him the list of the roads receiving new pavement for the next three years. Sure enough, it was the popular question on the minds of residents in precincts five and sevent that turned out Monday night at the Endicott Estate.

Besides when neighborhood roads get paved, the panel of nearly every town department head handled questions, comments and complaints from residents.

18-Wheels and Zooming

Several residents in the two precincts voiced concern over tractor-trailers banging and bouncing down East Street in order to connect to Rte. 128 from Boston. Residents said the speed of the trucks, the noise and their recklessness caused safety concerns in the neighborhoods that East Street cuts through.

In response, police Lt. Michael d'Entremont said his department would seek state help with inspecting trucks to make sure they follow weight guidelines.

D'Entremont represented the department as the current acting chief, and the confirmed, but not sworn-in, permanent chief of police.

According to selectman Sarah MacDonald, a bill to ban tractor-trailers on East Street has stalled in the state legislature for several years with no sign in sight for moving.

Abandon Houses an Eyesore

Some houses on and around Lancaster Road are abandoned, dilapidated and causing an unnecessary eyesore in the neighborhood, said Ron Brock, a resident of Lancaster Road.

He said some of the homes attract animals, kids playing basketball out front, and a target for littered beer cans.

One of the properties is well-known to the town, according to Ken Cimeno, the building commissioner, and he said he would follow through on looking into the other homes.

"It's like broken windows in a building [theory]," Brock said. "It's getting worse and worse on Lancaster Road."

Brock pushed the town to see if they could acquire the land, a move Bill Keegan, the town administrator, declined to support.

Citing laws regarding private ownership and a hard economic climate, Keegan said, "Dealing with property ownership is very difficult."

Speed Bumps on Fox Meadow

A few residents - again with roads a major issue - asked the police to up patrols on Fox Meadow Lane to watch for people that speed down the road to cut through from Vincent Road to Greenlodge Street.

One resident proposed a series of speed bumps as a solution, and offered a cheaper solution of a three-way stop sign halfway down the street.

Neighborhood Watch

Brock and Jim Maher have formed a neighborhood watch group in the area surrounding Lancaster Road that focuses on crime prevention, especially drugs in the area.

The group will meet next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Endicott Estate.

Selectman Paul Reynolds encouraged the group to take the neighborhood watch effort a step further and look for other parts of their community they can improve.

Maher said his group has worked closely with the police department in providing information about suspected drug dealings and houses that may have ongoing drug activity happening inside of them.