Articles By And About Mark Snyder

ARTICLES BY AND ABOUT MARK

Snyder: The metamorphosis of Page Place
By Mark Snyder/ Snyder's Stoughton
Friday, June 23, 2006
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The Page Place condominium project has started construction on Route 139, between the Exxon and Gulf Stations, across the street from St. James Church. The developer, attorney Stephen T. David of Dedham, whose original plan for apartments at the site was rejected by the Zoning Board of Appeals, got approval from the Housing Appeals Committee (HAC) for 42 apartments.

The developer decided it would not be economically feasible as apartments. He came back to the ZBA and asked to convert their apartment plan to condos. The ZBA rejected the request. The developer appealed to the HAC, who approved the change to condos.

The ZBA requested that selectmen provide legal counsel to appeal the HAC decision. The selectmen refused. Herb Musmon, the chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals during this discussion, said that he had voted with Jerry Capozzoli and Steve Mitchell to recommend selectmen legally challenge the move to condos.

Sensing the future possibility of litigation, the developer then offered some mitigation to the town to settle the case out of court. According to a myriad of sources, the selectmen met in executive session and, feeling that HAC would approve the developer's latest plan anyway, decided to save the town from exorbitant legal fees and to request more affordable units to help the town's count.

They agreed with the developer to settle and ended up with 17 affordable units out of the 42 being built (normally about 25 percent of the units are "affordable." This translated to between 10 or 11). At the same time, Musman said that after considering the costs of litigation, and a strong feeling that the HAC would approve the plan anyway, he decided to ask for reconsideration for the previous ZBA vote and cast the swing vote that helped support the selectmen's position not to further appeal the case, by a 3-2 margin.

"I just felt we couldn't win this case. I prefer mitigation to litigation.," Musman said.

ZBA member Jerry Capozzoli insists his board never approved the change to condos.

"I don't know how they convoluted a vote. I was at the meetings. It was never approved for condos," Capozzoli said.

According to one source inside town hall, "It's all above board and done with the authority of the selectmen."

Sources tell me that the developer donated a large amount of cash to the town for local improvements (and possibly to fund a town planner), well as additional money for the large clock that will be downtown in a newly-created island in front of Eden Hair Salon and Parshley and Layton Real Estate.

The Park Place project consists of two buildings, each with 21 units. Each building is three stories in height and will feature two bedroom and two bath units. This project is close by the proposed Target / T.G.I. Fridays development, and less than half a mile from IKEA in North Stoughton.

Rumblings Around Town

While taking a ride to Canton, and having a nice meal outside at Centerfield's, it occurred to me that there aren't many choices for outdoor dining in Stoughton. Some research provided only a few places with outdoor seating. Honey Dew donuts downtown has a patio that they built last year. Owner Gary Lewis said that the weather (from rain to steamy hot) has prevented full usage, but that it's starting to fill up.

The 12 seat space is utilized by "people having iced coffee and pastries, as well as during breakfast for sandwiches and coffee." Lewis has added flowers to beautify the outdoor patio. Pages II, at the corner of Turnpike and Page streets, has two new picnic tables outside. I asked owner Steve Goulston what was on the menu there, but he never answered an e-mail.

Dave Foley, owner of Backstreet Grille on Pearl Street, has a full patio, but is not utilizing it currently.

"I have not decided whether to offer patio dining this year," he tells Snyder's Stoughton. "In order to do it right, I'd have to make some changes within the operation."

McDonald's on Washington Street has seating for eight in the outdoor playground area. Manager Jeff Burger (really, it is) said that most people eat outside only to watch their children in the play space. Mur-Macs has tables in the rear deck of their Park Street building, where patrons can enjoy roast beef, ham and cheese sandwiches, and a soft serve ice cream. So, get out an enjoy the weather and some fun foods in your hometown.

Joe DeVito, president of the Stoughton Historical Society, was the recipient of the Norfolk County Teachers Association "Layperson of the Year" award. In addition, the Stoughton Historical Society received the Stoughton Teachers Association "Friend of Education" award. The society is being recognized for the wonderful work they do in the Stoughton Public Schools.

Who said children aren't doing anything positive? We've told you previously about the St. James Parish trip down south to aid in the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Now, another story to warm the cackles of your heart, from Kevin Leaver.

This July, Stoughton LIFE TEEN at Immaculate Conception Church will be taking nine teenagers and four youth leaders to SHINE Catholic Work Camp in Memphis, Tennessee, along with 300 other youths from across the nation. The work camp is a retreat-style environment in which the focus is for the youth to go out and serve the needy and elderly community in some of the most poverty stricken neighborhoods in the country.

The youth, as well as their leaders, will serve the greater Memphis community by doing yard work, painting houses, rebuilding deteriorated homes, babysitting - anything that lends a helping hand. The SHINE Mission Trip 2006 will be Stoughton LIFE TEEN's largest mission trip in over five years.

In the past, Stoughton LIFE TEEN has always been blessed to receive greater Stoughton's support both financially and prayerfully. With the rising costs of gas, rental van prices, and the SHINE tuition itself, the teens have set a goal to raise $6,000 for this mission trip.

They will be holding many fundraisers around Stoughton and surrounding towns within the next couple of months to help pay for the Memphis trip. Some of the fund-raisers include: selling acupuncture gift certificates (contact Renee LeBlanc at ReneeL@stoughtonlifeteen.com); canning at Roche Bros. in Easton on Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and a car wash July 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church at 122 Canton St.

Jerry Capozzoli let us know about his granddaughter, Jennifer A. Lewis, who was the president of the National Honor Society and copped six awards at the Southeastern Regional graduation. She's made her grandparents (Jerry and Pauline) and her parents (Donald and Pauline) mighty proud.

This week on Snyder's Stoughton TV Show. Guests: singer Michelle Romeiro; Seth Mitchell, owner of Stoughton Book Shop; Morton Street resident Bill Coughlin, known as the man with the signs. Watch the show Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. on Comcast Channel 9.

Mark Snyder is the published author of three books, and is CEO of PMPNetwork.com. He is retired vice chairman of the Stoughton Finance Committee and an elected Town Meeting member. Past chairman of the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce and current board member of the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce, Snyder can be reached by fax at 781-344-7207, or by e-mail at snydersstoughton@aol.com. His radio feature, The Entertainment Minute, is heard 35 times a week on WMJX-FM/ Magic106.7 FM, WROR-FM 105.7 and WBOS-FM 92.9.

CURRY MAGAZINE
April 2006
Curry Alumni Profile

Mark Snyder

Mark Snyder has spent his career innovating and going out on his own; characteristics he honed while studying at Curry College in the 1970’s. As the CEO and host of PMPNetwork.com, Mark oversees a wide range of media outlets including a web site that catalogues over 1,000 interviews (www.pmpnetwork.com), a regular article in the Stoughton Journal, a television program on Comcast, and several radio outlets including WMJX, WROR, and WBOS. Mark also conducts and airs interviews for FOX and Sony to help them promote new television shows. Recent work has included That 70’s Show and American Idol.
While at Curry Mark gained a wide array of experience by involving himself in what was available, and helping create what was not. On assignment for his high school newspaper, Mark interviewed then Curry College Public Relations Director Warren Bazirgan. He was looking for a student that could write and do Sports Information work for the college. Mark worked 25 hours a week in this capacity, all four years he took classes. Mark was a founding member of several Curry College institutions including the College radio station, where he served as the first Promotions Director and the Curry Arts Journal magazine (still in existence today). Mark also served as Music Editor for the school newspaper and Copy Editor for the yearbook his sophomore year and Editor in Chief his senior year.
Mark has also had two poetry books published; the most recent included a forward by Dr. Francis M. Kohak, who was serving as Chair of the Division of Language and Literature at Curry at the time of Mark’s graduation.
Mark lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with his wife Pamela and children Dan (15) and Leesa (12)..