A band made up of current Silver Lake students and recent graduates, came together over the summer with a plan to showcase their talents. Many practices, and fun times, culminated in an end-of-summer live performance for friends and family held at the Carver School of Music on Friday, Aug. 12. Pictured are, front row: Nathan Saad, guitar. Back row, from left, are Rosella Hoffman, piano/vocals; Patrick Bray, vocals; Laurel Fallis, vocals/guitar; Brennan Fallis, drums; Connor McKinnon, MC/vocals, and Ben Webby, bass. Photo by Roseann Fallis
Archives for August 2022
Dog license late fees begin Sept. 15
Beginning Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, a $50 late fee will be charged on all Dog License registrations. Residents can submit their dog license registration in-person, by mail or by using the drop-box located at the Town Hall parking lot entrance.
Please include cash or a check payable to the Town of Halifax, a completed Dog License Registration form, rabies vaccination certificate(s), and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Alternatively, residents may process their dog license registration online at (https://www.halifax-ma.org/pay). Online registrations are only valid if the Town Clerk’s Office has a current rabies vaccination certificate on-file.
It is highly recommended to verify that all required materials are on-file before proceeding with a dog license registration online. You can do so by calling (781) 293-7970 or e-mailing ClerksOffice@halifax-ma.org.
An owner who has not licensed their dog(s) by 4 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 14, will incur a late fee of $50 per dog plus the cost of the license(s). An owner who has not licensed their dog(s) by Nov. 1 will be issued a court citation of $25 per dog, plus the late fee of $50 per dog as well as the cost of the license(s). The cost of a dog license is $10 for neutered or spayed dogs and $15 for dogs that are not neutered or spayed. All dogs must be licensed in accordance with Massachusetts General Law.
The Town Clerk’s office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Halifax PD wants two officers
The Halifax Finance Committee met on August 15 and all members were present.
Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves attended the meeting to state his case for the hiring of more officers. He had previously attended a Board of Selectmen meeting and got the green light from them to begin the search for two full- time applicants but wanted to also have the backing of the Finance Committee. “We’re in the process of doing background checks on these two individuals but obviously, like anything else, they are also contemplating other offers because everyone is looking for people,” Chaves told the Committee.
Chaves said that from July 1, 2022, to August 14, 2022, there were a total of 18 unfilled shifts. The Department recently lost three special police officers. Chaves said that were a third-party agency come to do an evaluation of the Department using State metrics, they would estimate that the Department should have 18-19 full-time officers. Chaves said he wasn’t looking to reach that number but wanted to increase from 11 officers to 13. He told the Committee that the Department has been at 11 officers since 1980. He said that Plympton, which is significantly smaller than Halifax, has 16 officers. He named some comparable towns all of whom had significantly more officers than Halifax.
Chaves said that demand from residents for a school resource officer is also contributing to the desire to grow the staff. Right now, we have a liaison officer who works a regular shift and then when she can, she stops by the school. She can’t be starting programs at the school like you would like to because she is a midnight shift officer because of contractual obligations,” Chaves explained. He said the plan would be for her to transfer to days to free up some time. He said that another factor in requesting to hire more officers is the increased demand for police presence given the growing cannabis industry in the area.
Chaves, who talked numbers with Town Accountant Sandra Nolan, said, “Budgetary-wise, financially-wise, I think we can sustain it.” He said that in fiscal year 2019, the Department returned $16,000 back to the town, in 2020 $56,000 was returned, in 2021 $39,000, and in 2022 $70,000 was returned to the town budget. He further said that they have $90,000 allocated to fund the new positions. He said that looking forward to the next fiscal year, a Sergeant in the Department would be retiring, and the incoming Sergeant would make less money which would add a cost savings that could be allocated to the salaries of the two new officers.
Regarding additional cost savings, Chaves said that every year the Department asks for two new cruisers. He said that the Department’s fleet is in the best shape it has been in in a long time and as a result, they could skip a year. He said that the community impact fee from the new cannabis stores could also contribute to offsetting the cost of the officers. The Finance Committee voted to approve the Chief’s request.
The Committee also discussed the empty Finance Secretary position. They were told there have been no candidates and not a single response. It was suggested that the Committee explore the possibility of bringing on an intern to take on the secretary duties. They agreed to do some research and reach out to local colleges and universities.
The Committee also discussed renewing their membership to the Association of Town Finance Committees. The Committee members agreed that they enjoyed being a part of the Association and found it helpful.
The Chair said that the only communication received was from the Superintendents of schools looking for alternatives to the bussing issue. He said that even with a $400 a day reduction due to a change in vendors, they were still going to be significantly over budget.
The Committee also discussed the need to appoint citizens-at-large to the Personnel Advisory Board. They also said that they would be inviting Frank Johnston to the next meeting to hopefully interview him for the open spot on the Finance Committee. They were all in agreement that he was qualified.
Plympton, Kingston Cub troops combine
Cub Scout Pack 4480 is recruiting children from kindergarten through fifth grade to join their Pack which serves both Kingston and Plympton. They will be participating in a National Joining Day that will be in conjunction with Troop 4480. Pack leader Ross MacPherson explained the day saying, “We plan to have stations staffed by Boy Scouts of America Scouts to show kids how to tie knots, build a campfire, administer first-aid, and a few other yet to be determined skills responsibly learned in Scouting.”
MacPherson explained that this year, the pack will be covering the cost of dues for all families, an expense that usually totals $90 annually. This leaves just the National fee of $75 and the Council fee of $36 which are used to pay for the administration of the scouting program, insurance, and all associated fees. The dues, which will be covered in full, are what are used to run the pack at a local level including costs associated with adventures, events, and awards. “We don’t turn any scouts away based on an inability to pay; any family with a need should reach out to myself or anyone in the Pack leadership,” MacPherson said.
MacPherson, whose children are in first grade (lion cub) and third grade (bear cub), said he participated in scouting from second grade through high school. “I believe that Scouting teaches both hard and soft skills that are no less necessary today than they were 50 years ago,” he explained. He continued, “I got involved because I wanted to ensure that a local Scouting program was continuing, not only for my boys but for anyone who wanted to join. My goals are to grow the pack and see that it is well positioned for continued success when my boys move on to the BSA Scouts in the 6th grade.”
“Our pack has a diverse leadership group made up of former Eagle Scouts, parents without a scouting background, and female leaders,” MacPherson explained. He also emphasized that scouting is now open to both boys and girls saying that Pack 4480 “welcomes both equally.”
The Pack meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at the Knights of Columbus hall in Kingston. Once there, the scouts split into their age specific dens to work on activities and advancements. “This model was pioneered in our Pack by Brian and Shawn Donnelly and has been well received compared to the older model of individual den meetings at different times and/or locations. It has been particularly well received by parents who have multiple children in the Pack who now have just one meeting for all their children,” MacPherson explained.
Pack 4480 spent an overnight last year on Battleship Massachusetts. “The kids got to explore the ship and experience its history in a unique and meaningful way,” MacPherson explained. Events planned for the coming year include a bike rodeo, multiple campouts, hiking, a pinewood derby, and potentially even an overnight at the Museum of Science.
MacPherson briefly touched upon the more than 92,000 sexual abuse claims that eventually led to the organization filing for bankruptcy. Earlier this summer, most aspects of a compensation plan that would end the Boy Scouts’ Chapter 11 case and settle sexual abuse claims was accepted by a bankruptcy court. “Scouting has come a long way and moved through a very dark chapter,” MacPherson said. He continued, “Fortunately, I didn’t personally experience or see any abuses in my scouting organizations; it was nonetheless a serious breach of trust that we continue to repair. There are multiple safeguards now in place to prevent these things from happening again – specialized training, CORI checks, and two-deep leadership are just a couple of the current requirements.”
Anyone with questions can check out the website pack4480.org or email cubmaster4480@gmail.com.
Halifax BOS makes Chief choice
The Halifax Board of Selectmen interviewed the two candidates for Fire Chief at their meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 9, and voted to offer the position to Michael Witham, a candidate known to the Halifax Fire Department.
While selectmen agreed that Brad Cronin had an exceptional resume, his admitted lack of grant-writing experience was a drawback.
Witham has accepted the position and pending contract negotiations will be on the job soon.
Morse Bros. scales back project size
Halifax selectmen heard from a throng of more than a hundred residents voicing their concerns regarding what they call gravel mining on the cranberry bogs off Lingan Street.
Morse Bros. Cranberry Co. had been on the agenda with their earth removal application. Before the meeting, however, the company withdrew their application.
Select chair Ashley DiSesa read an email from Halifax Police Chief Joao A. Chaves, copied to the Town Administrator Marty Golightly and the members of the Board of Selectmen stating they were pulling their earth removal permit and would not be present at the hearing Aug. 9.
Chaves, through his email to the board, said that there would still be some trucks moving material from their site to their other bogs in Middleboro and Hanson as part of their bog maintenance and dam rebuilding at those sites, actions that are permitted under Chapter 137 “Right to Farm” laws, requiring no permits as they are just doing agricultural and farming work.
The email went on to explain that Morse Bros. had notified the police department in the event that residents called to complain about the trucks. “They are just doing normal farming tasks,” the email continued. Chaves told the Morse Bros. representative that he would notify the Board of Selectmen and the members of his police department of the change.
Residents present at the selectmen’s meeting wanted to be heard but select chair DiSesa told them that since there was no issue on the table for discussion.
“We have heard all of your concerns,” DiSesa told the group. She said that when they sent the Zoning Enforcement Officer to investigate a claim at the site he found Morse Bros. was operating within the law.
Selectmen went on to interview the final two candidates
In other business, selectmen
• allowed the moving of a utility pole.
• appointed James Hill to the Halifax Fireworks Committee. His wife Susan is already a member.
• appointed Lind McCarthy as Parking Clerk
Plympton’s ‘Two Brooks Preserve’ is now open!
Plympton’s Conservation Commission is happy to announce that the Town’s new Two Brooks Preserve is open.
A band of hearty volunteers have been working tirelessly during the fall and winter months clearing trails, building boardwalks and installing a parking lot on Prospect Road to ready the Preserve for public use. Our thanks again to them and to all the residents who have supported creating public access to this special area.
In order to protect the Preserve’s outstanding natural resources, including its significant groundwater and wildlife species, please remember that dogs must be leashed at all times; bicycles and motorized vehicles are not permitted.
Please respect neighboring properties as you travel the paths.
The Preserve’s boundaries have been professionally surveyed and legally verified by multiple entities to ensure their accuracy. No private property has been taken or infringed upon.
The Commission and the Open Space Committee look forward to welcoming everyone to this beautiful area in the Winnetuxet River Watershed.
IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT OUT IN PLYMPTON!
Summer Wods, 4, of Halifax, was all aglow with her rainbow butterfly face adornment. Face painting, balloons, hot dogs, great raffles, henna art, K-9 dog demonstrations, food trucks, all to celebrate National Night Out – Plympton style – Friday, Aug. 6, from 4:30 to 7:30. More photos page 7.
Exciting changes at the Plympton Public Library
The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, August 8. Plympton Public Library Director Mike Slawson attended the meeting to provide an overview of the work being done within his department.
Slawson, who has been in his position for just over a year, said that they have two major initiatives currently going on within the library department. The first is National Night Out which will be held in Plympton on Friday, August 12 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Explaining the intent of the event, Slawson said, “The gist of it is that it is a Police and Fire, mainly Police, appreciation night.” Slawson continued saying, “It gives the residents of Plympton a chance to meet and interact with Police personnel and Fire personnel in a different capacity than they normally would.” According to Slawson, a lot of hard work has gone into the evening over the last few months. Slawson said that he hoped that it would be an opportunity for community-building.
The second initiative is the reorganization of the library’s collection. Slawson explained, “This project has several facets; we are going through the collection literally book by book and deciding, do we want this book in the collection?” He called the project a “massive undertaking” and said that they have been examining how long it has been since books have been checked out of the library. He said that a “decent portion of the collection” has not been checked out in the last 5 or even 10 years. The library is in the process of weeding those titles out of the library’s collection.
Slawson said that they are also relabeling materials to make them easier for both library personnel and patrons to find. He said that all books will have tags that identify both where they are located as well as the last three letters of the author’s last name. “Finally, another facet of this collection reorganization is we are moving some of our collections around… just as an example we moved our young adult collection to a different section of the library to give young adults their own area,” Slawson said.
The library has also been hosting programs on the first and third Saturday of each month. Slawson credited Selectman John Traynor with the success of the programs saying, “John’s been great about finding local and relevant speakers.” Slawson also said the programs were an opportunity to “have some breakfast and catch up with some friends.”
There are other new elements at the library as well including kits curated by local Girl Scouts. Slawson said the bags, which can be found in the children’s room, are available for checkout and cover an array of topics like cooking and animation. Another new element is the seed library. “Considering the amount of gardeners we have in Plympton, this has been something that I think has been enjoyed by the residents in Plympton,” Slawson explained. Another new collection is the library of things which consists of anything “not books.” “Things like board games or puzzles… we have yard games if people are having a party, they can check out… we have STEM kits,” Slawson said of the collection. He said they are also looking to get together a collection of items that someone may only need a few times a year like a power washer. “We’re looking into expanding that some more as we go along,” he said.
Regarding the budget, Slawson said it is “looking really good.” The municipal appropriation required to stay certified is $163,893. Slawson said that their requested budget was just above that. He said that $62,000 of that goes toward materials and the rest goes to personnel.
A few upgrades have been made to the library including new carpet in the children’s room and improvements to the front entrance. Slawson said that they are looking at ways to make the ramp less slippery during the winter months including purchasing gallons of clear coat with grit in it. “Hopefully it will fix it and help me sleep at night because that is really worrisome to me having that ramp be really slippery in the winter,” he told the Selectmen.
Selectman Mark Russo said he hears nothing but good things from all different sources regarding Slawson. Russo also paid high compliments on the concept of the library of things and said he wonders if there was room to expand upon the concept even more. “I always tell people libraries change; libraries have been around for thousands of years because we adapt,” Slawson replied.
Town Administrator Liz Dennehy asked the Selectmen to approve the early voting hours for the primary town election in September which they voted unanimously to do. She also asked them to accept changes to the law regarding scheduling police details for election days. She said it would make it so the Police Chief was the appointing authority and can coordinate those details rather than having the Selectmen’s office do it. They, again, voted unanimously to accept the changes.
Dennehy also said that they were waiting for bids on the Engine 1 refurbishment project for the Fire Department. “Hopefully they are affordable to us because we only have a certain amount of funds allocated to this…we’re hopeful that this can get the project done for the amount we have appropriated,” Dennehy explained.
Dennehy said that the town is still waiting to hear back on a few different pending grant applications. She told the Selectmen, “I’m also happy to announce that the Soule Homestead project… has finally come to closure… the lease agreement has been recorded with the registry… that’s a win for the town.” She also told the Selectmen that she would be setting up a public hearing for their September 12 meeting for Eversource regarding the installation of some poles.
Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen attended the meeting to provide an update on the Dennett solar rooftop project. Dennehy told the Selectmen, “Unfortunately, we are still not ready… I believe that the attorneys are still working out some of the details… we are going to do things we can to expediate it as soon as possible.” Dennehy and Wilhelmsen said they were hopeful that the Selectmen could vote on the terms of the lease during their next meeting.
Before moving on to their customary raves, the Selectmen also voted to approve the use of the Town Green on September 3 from 11-1 for a flower show. A food truck will also be present.
Traynor said his rave was for National Night Out. Russo said that his rave was for the “lovely meeting tonight” naming in particular the National Night Out and the expansion of the lending library. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy joked that they may need a bigger building. Joy said her rave was for “John Traynor.” “The first and third Saturday at the library, you made it happen and you’ve done a great job with it,” she told Traynor.
Ava Mirisola of Kingston earns Dean’s List honors
BOSTON – Ava Mirisola of Kingston has earned Dean’s List honors for the Spring 2022 semester at Emerson College.
The requirement to make Dean’s List is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester.
Mirisola is majoring in Business Creative Enterprises and is a member of the Class of 2025.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning.
The College has 3,780 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups.
Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in the States and other countries in the world.
in Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals, with the first program launching this fall in Paris. The College has an active network of 51,000+ alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit emerson.edu.