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Fieldstone Farms agreement re-do; MWA toxin warning

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HALIFAX– On Tuesday, May 3, Halifax selectmen met after a long break, and discussed two major issues in Halifax: the horse shows at Fieldstone Farms and modifications to the legal agreement that governs them, and a presentation from the Monponsett Watershed Association regarding the potential dangers of cyanobacteria in Monponsett Lake.

Fieldstone Farms

legal agreement

Scott Clawson, proprietor of Fieldstone Farms, accompanied by his son Shawn, came before the board for a public hearing regarding changes that he would like to make to the more than 20-year-old legal agreement between the farm and the town that governs the horse shows he puts on throughout the summer.

Clawson, who set off red-flags among town officials by advertising more shows than were allowed in the agreement this year, managed to turn the verbal chastising he got from the board for that transgression into a full-blown discussion about changing the contract.

This was the latest of several meetings where Clawson, his attorney and the board tried to painstakingly work out the details of changes that Clawson would like to see. Clawson was not accompanied by his attorney on Tuesday, claiming that both were not aware of the date.

Clawson was present at the meeting, as was his attorney, when the date for this public hearing was set, and several neighbors of the property were there to express concerns and ask questions.

Some of the many topics debated were the definition of a “warm-up day” for the horses, increasing the maximum number of show days, raising the maximum number of horses allowed for various shows, provisions for signage and shrubbery, allowing more RVs to house security staff on-premises, whether radios and open fires could be used, and changes to the type and number of vendors. Alcohol, and previous violations were also part of the discussion.

None of these issues

was resolved.

While Selectmen Troy Garron and Tom Millias observed most of the hearing, Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy presided over the hearing, and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig was quite vocal, frequently speaking back and forth with Clawson.

Neighbors were not shy with their suspicions of changes to the agreement because of their concerns regarding traffic, noise, and litter.

Roy wrapped things up after more than an hour of discussion, telling Clawson to come back with a new draft agreement, that addresses the concerns, and they can then pass them along to town counsel– again.

The original agreement came into being when the Halifax Building Inspector took action against Fieldstone Farms 23 years ago.  Following litigation, a settlement was reached with the town.

The agreement, signed by Clawson, the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Building Inspector, has been in force since then, and changes, if the board agrees to them, will have to be agreed to by the courts.

  Monponsett

  Watershed Association

Paul Collis, president of the Monponsett Watershed Association (MWA), presented scientific information that his organization had discovered to the board. The research shows a correlation between cyanobacteria (also referred to as blue-green algae) toxins, which are found in the lake and may become airborne– to ALS and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The research, conducted by Dartmouth University and the University of New Hampshire, and reported in various news outlets prompted the MWA to release a statement regarding the perceived threat, which Collis read to the board:

“Previously public health authorities warned that physical contact with water containing high levels of cyanobacteria could cause skin rashes, gastric distress and/or respiratory problems.

Now research is showing that the cyanobacteria toxins can become airborne and can afflict people who have no physical contact with the water. Moreover, this research shows a correlation between these toxins and devastating afflictions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s.

The cyanobacteria toxin research has shown that people can be afflicted by the toxins even if they do not live near the water bodies. One study suggests that the toxins have a range of 18 miles. Additionally, studies have shown that crops (lettuce, blueberries) irrigated with algae laden water contain the toxins.

According to the Collis, cyanobacteria thrive in conditions where there are nutrients, warm temperatures and stagnant water.

He faults a cranberry bog on West Monponsett Pond that has the right to take and discharge water from and into the lake, as well as septic systems and storm-drain runoff for these nutrients. This all increases phosphorous in the lake, which helps cyanobacteria to thrive.

“We don’t want to be

alarmist, but this

research is alarming.”

They also, as Selectmen appear to, blame the City of Brockton for part of the water quality problems. Brockton has the right under a 1964 law, under certain conditions, to divert water from Monponsett Lake via Silver Lake into their drinking-water supply.

The MWA blames Brockton as well for artificially manipulating the water levels in the lake in order to meet the requirements for diversion laid out in the law.

Every summer since 2008 one or both of the Monponsett Pond basins has been under a public health advisory from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). In 2015, MDPH tested West Monponsett Pond for 175 consecutive days, June-November, and a public health advisory was issued for 133 of those days,” said Collis.

The MWA has six demands, he went on:

“1) Regular, state funded testing at Monponsett Pond year ‘round;

2) No diversion of water from Monponsett Pond if testing shows an algae bloom above the MDPH guidelines;

3) No diversion of water from Monponsett Pond after May 1 and fully open all gates in the Stump Brook Dam to promote natural water flow and combat stagnant water;

4) Require the coordination of discharges from the Winebrook Bog on West Monponsett Pond and the opening of the gates of the Stump Brook Dam throughout the year. Reports on coordinated discharges must be submitted to the DEP and/or the Central Plymouth Water District Commission

5) Eliminate the use of phosphorus in fertilizer at the Winebrook Bog and upstream bogs that flow into West Monponsett Pond because phosphorus is the prime nutrient in blue green algae growth and is banned from residential fertilizer in Massachusetts; and

6) State funded aluminum sulfate treatments in Monponsett Pond to combat cyanobacteria that exists in the Pond.”

Halifax Health Agent Cathy Drinan has noted in the past that regular testing is done to determine if toxins produced by cyanobacteria are in the air around the lake, and states that they have not been found in the air.

She was also quick to highlight that the preliminary links to disease found in the research cited by the MWA did not necessarily prove causality between airborne toxins produced by cyanobacteria and the diseases mentioned, just a possible correlation.

While the research is certainly cause for concern, the issues surrounding the water quality at the Monponsett Lake are multifaceted, and the public should follow guidelines issued by state and local officials as they are issued.

At this time there is no known danger in breathing the air around the lake, according to Drinan.

Collis ended by saying, “We don’t want to be alarmist, but this research is alarming.”

• The Halifax Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting will be held Monday, May 9, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St., Route 106.

Please don’t take my house!

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, May 2, a new controversy reared its head before the Board of Selectmen. Increasingly, issues in Plympton that the board has no jurisdiction over end up before them at informal hearings, allowing the public to voice their opinions, but leading to little in the way of concrete action.

The major issue before the Board on Monday involved a commercial development project  entirely outside the town limits of Plympton, and it is not clear why Plympton abutters to the Town of Carver appealed to Plympton selectmen, but none-the-less the meeting room was full.

Commercial Development

A developer who own property in Carver, Route 44 Development, has proposed several projects over the past year that would be assisted with state urban redevelopment grant money.  Residents who live near the Plympton/Carver border on Montello Street and Heather’s Path are concerned.

The latest iteration of the proposal, which includes a hotel and a mall, made some residents nervous because, they say, at a Carver Planning Board meeting the words, “eminent domain” were used in conjunction with the project, and 12-16 properties were listed. Eminent domain is when the government takes a property for public use, or in this case, commercial development.

According to residents, a U.S. Supreme Court case involving New London, CT, granted this expansion in eminent domain powers of governments, allowing private property to be taken for commercial development if it benefits the city or town. Although only two Plympton residents have properties which straddle the Plympton/Carver line that were on the original list of properties being considered for seizure by eminent domain, they are fearful, as are their neighbors, that their properties could be the ones selected.

Carver Selectman Alan Dunham was in the audience to allay some resident concerns, and the Plympton board allowed him to address the room. While he noted that the Carver developer has a right to build on his property, he said that 0-3 properties would be considered for seizure via eminent domain. He also noted that Carver would have no power to use eminent domain to take property physically in Plympton.

Dunham says that the project will not include a hotel, and is still in the early stages of planning. As the Carver Redevelopment Authority is providing assistance, the plan must first go from that board to the Planning Board to assure that it fits in with the town’s master plan, and then to the Carver selectmen, who would hold a hearing, and only then on to the state for approval for urban redevelopment funding.

Brian Cherry, of Trout Farm Lane, a candidate for Selectman, asked Dunham whether he was ready to support a project that would take, “half of this man’s property,” referring to one of the two border-straddling residents. Dunham was careful in his response, stating that he couldn’t lock himself in as he hasn’t seen a final plan. He also noted he was speaking personally, not on behalf of his five-member board.

The neighbors opposed the development in general, although from what they said it seemed as if many of them could have accepted living with the original, smaller plans for a two-building distribution facility in their backyards, which they were first notified about in May of 2015, they say.

The scale of the current plan is what appears to have struck a chord with so many, despite Selectman Dunham’s assurances that the current plans are a stretch– although the eminent domain issue certainly looks to be a real fear.

Lisa Maffioli, of Heather’s Path, characterized the project as a “monstrosity,” as well as a, “safety issue.” Jean Winslow, also of Heather’s Path, said she had received a notice from the Carver Planning Board that up to 30-50 trucks would pass through the Plympton section of Montello Street during the construction phase.

Some residents even suggested physically blocking off Montello Street at the Carver line, essentially creating a very long cul-de-sac from Route 58 to the end of Heather’s Path, but Town Coordinator Dale Pleau said that this could not legally be done for safety reasons. He also mentioned a statutory limit for the length of cul-de-sacs.

He did mention that the functional equivalent could possibly be achieved with signage designating the Plympton portion of Montello Street as forbidden to “thru-traffic”.

What began with residents and a lone Carver selectman arguing in the hallway ended in a civilized, if passionate discussion, and residents were respectful to each other, the board and to the visiting selectman.

There was a palpable sense of relief from those gathered that their concerns were being heard, even though the Board of Selectmen has little to no authority over the situation.

As the selectmen were also meeting the next day to finalize preparations for Town Meeting, much of the rest of the agenda was moved to Tuesday, and the meeting ended shortly after the hearing.

• The Plympton BOS next meets on Mondays, May 9, May 16, and May 23 at 6 p.m.

Plympton Selectmen set warrant

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PLYMPTON– Plympton Selectmen met on Thursday, April 21 and Monday, April 25 and despite discussing a proposed medical marijuana grow-facility at both meetings, also discussed other town business.

Town Meeting Warrant

The Selectmen have closed both the Annual Town Meeting and the Special Town Meeting warrant for 2016 on April 25. The ATM includes, in addition to its 41 articles, ten citizens’ petitions as well. The STM contains nine articles. The meeting will be held at the Dennett Elementary School, Wednesday, May 18 at 7 p.m.

Randall Gravel Permit

Jeffrey Randall, of Ring Road, has been operating a gravel excavation business without a town permit since October 2015, something that neighbors opposing his proposed medical marijuana grow facility brought to light. He has had gravel removal permits from the town before, and never allowed them to expire, officials say. Randall asserted that it was something that had just slipped through the cracks.

The BOS voted to approve his permit renewal application pending a satisfactory site-visit by Selectperson Christine Joy. Joy conducted the visit between the two meetings and reported at the second that she found no issues with Randall’s gravel removal operations.

Town Clerk Seeks Website Assistance

Town Clerk Tara Wick reported to Selectmen that she has been volunteering a lot of her time maintaining the town’s website. Noting that all department heads and many committee members have passwords and user-privileges to modify and update sections of the website that pertain to their department or committee.

Wick stated that she hoped that more department heads and committees would take on this task themselves, saying that she would post instructions or help anyone that felt uncomfortable making changes. She also said that many had already taken a class from the company that provides the website service to the town.

Next Meetings

The Plympton BOS will meet next on 4/25, 5/2, 5/3, 5/9, 5/16 and 5/23 at 6 p.m., with the exception of 5/2 when they will begin at 5:30 p.m. The meeting on 5/3 is to meet with town counsel in preparation for the Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting.

Drug OD calls Sharply rise

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Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros says that his department responded to ten calls for overdose-related emergencies in a recent 12-day span. The spike is part of a two-year trend showing a marked increase in the frequency of overdose calls, he says.

Of these ten recent calls, two were for accidental overdoses of prescription medications. The rest were for overdoses of illicit drugs. Four calls were on Monday, April 25 alone, in a less than a four-hour period.

The patients ranged in age from 24-65.

Viveiros also noted that emergency responders were seeing the same patients with increased frequency.

Noting a lack of resources to help people struggling with addiction, he said that some people have addiction issues and their families don’t have the financial resources to get appropriate treatment, which may be one of the causes of those who repeatedly overdose.

Pot project laid to rest

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PLYMPTON– In a surprise move, on Monday, April 25 Plympton Selectmen voted unanimously to put on hold a decision on writing a municipal letter of support, non-opposition, or opposition for a proposed medical marijuana grow facility that was to be located at a cranberry farm on Ring Road, until a bill before the state legislature settles the matter of whether a zoning exemption, known as Chapter 40A(3) applies to marijuana or not.

The exemption would allow the grow facility in an agricultural/residential zone, according to Plympton’s bylaws, if the facility is in fact applicable for relief under 40A(3). But the bylaws do not allow medical marijuana to be grown in agricultural/residential zones unless the facility meets the requirements for the exemption.

Chapter 40A(3) is a law, also known as the Dover Amendment, which prevents municipalities from interfering with a broad range of certain activities, and to some extent, in this case, agriculture. The bill, H. 4186, is moving its way through the legislative process, and would exclude marijuana from the 40A(3) exemption.

As there is no accurate way to predict what will happen to a bill as it makes its way through the legislative process; the bill may take some time to become law, conceivably years, if ever.

The letter of support, non-opposition or opposition is the first step in the process of participating on the production side of the medical marijuana regime overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Applicant Jeffrey Randall first came before the Board of Selectmen on January 4, 2016 with a detailed proposal. It is within the full purview of the BOS to make this decision, according to town counsel.

The Board appeared to tacitly support the proposal that night. Selectperson Christine Joy, said she was “personally uncomfortable” and “not a huge fan”, but said that if the townspeople supported it, she would support it. Selectperson Colleen Thompson said she was “not opposed”, but not sure if she would lean more towards a letter of non-opposition or support. Board Chairman Mark Russo was enthusiastically supportive.

As abutters and neighbors learned of the proposal, opposition in town quickly grew. Although Selectmen Russo and Thompson both stated at numerous meetings that there were many in town who supported the proposal, a vocal group opposed formed and began to appear weekly at each board meeting.

Joy quickly seemed to ally herself with those opposed to the proposal, and often spoke out against the grow facility. Thompson repeatedly stated that she was staying open-minded and listening to citizens regarding the application, and Russo remained the voice of enthusiasm for the proposal. The BOS maintained those positions unwaveringly over months.

Board Chairman Russo spoke out against the tactics of those opposed to the proposal and seemed especially frustrated at a recent Public Records Request for some 14 months of his e-mails, written correspondence and meeting notes between himself and Jeff Randall, Randall’s attorney, business partners, associates as well as any emails, written correspondence or meeting notes that mention “marijuana, marihuana or cannabis”.

The request resulted in Russo turning over more than 600 pages of printed material.

The issue has split the town, Russo said on Monday night, and he thought he had enough information to make a decision right then. Saying that the subject was way too divisive right now, and Thompson noting that she wanted some peace, saying it was a motion he hated to make, Chairman Russo moved that the board delay its vote until the bill before the legislature had clarified the zoning issues. Thompson seconded the motion, and the board unanimously put the application on hold.

Randall, his wife and his attorney left the room quickly.

Sullivan charges reduced

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PLYMOUTH– On Thursday, April 14, Sean P. Sullivan, 25, of Boston was finally arraigned at Plymouth District Court, Plymouth, the Commonwealth’s fourth attempt to hold the proceeding. A plea of “not guilty” was entered on his behalf by the court, and Marshfield-based defense attorney Michael Bergeron, who has been appointed by the court to represent Sullivan, who claimed to be indigent. The case will remain in the District Court, according to officials, who chose not to move the case into Superior Court, where charges and penalties are greater.

Sullivan gained notoriety in Plympton following a dramatic incident in which he left the Brook Retreat, a “sober-living” facility at 55 Brook Street where he had been a guest, and allegedly caused property damage and attempted to gain entry into a neighbor’s home on March 6, around 11:45 p.m. causing an uproar in town over the safety of residents and the safeguards at the group-home, located in a residential neighborhood.

Sullivan, seemed confused when led from lock-up into the courtroom by a court officer, and was expressionless.  He did not appear to have supporters in the courtroom.

Sporting a buzz-cut and an orange Plymouth County Correctional Facility (PCCF) issued jumpsuit, he did seem to know where he was, though, according to his attorney, he was earlier begging to be returned to Bridgewater for mental health treatment rather than returned to PCCF, where he had previously stayed for a brief time prior to the arraignment hearing.

Sullivan was being held for a “15B” forensic psychiatric evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital (BSH), a secure mental health facility run by the state Department of Corrections at the Bridgewater Correctional Complex, Bridgewater, to determine his “criminal responsibility” (CR) and his “competency to stand trial” (CST). According to public court records, there was at least one period of time where he was on “suicide watch” at BSH.

Visiting Judge Mary Amrhein presided over the proceedings.

Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Sarah Onori represented the Commonwealth. She argued that because the state’s psychiatrist(s) ruled that Sullivan was competent to stand trial, he could be arraigned, although the ADA asked the judge to allow a motion to amend the most serious charge, felony home invasion, to a lesser felony, “Breaking and Entering in the daytime or at night, for felony, armed, firearm, person in fear,” codified under M.G.L. c. 266 s. 17, according to the Plymouth District Court Criminal Clerk’s office. It should be noted that Plympton Police allege Sullivan was armed with an icepick, not a firearm, although this is the wording that the Commonwealth uses to summarize the law.

The statute reads: “Whoever, in the night time, enters without breaking, or breaks and enters in the day time, a building, ship, vessel, or vehicle, with intent to commit a felony, the owner or any other person lawfully therein being put in fear, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than ten years. Whoever commits any offense described in this section while armed with a firearm, rifle, shotgun, machine gun or assault weapon shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than seven years or in the house of correction for not less than two years nor more than two and one half years.”

The judge allowed the motion to amend the charges– which vacates the original felony home invasion charge and replaces it with the above charge.

Judge Amrhein next heard the subject of Sullivan’s bail in the current Plympton case and in an ongoing case at Chelsea District Court, where he faces charges of shoplifting and possession of a Class E substance. An ADA from the Chelsea District Court had previously filed a motion with the Plymouth District Court asking a Plymouth judge to revoke bail in the Chelsea matter.

ADA Onori noted that Sullivan has an eight-page long criminal record, had several warrants out for him when arrested, multiple past arrests and convictions for larceny and forgery-type crimes, and drug arrests and convictions for possession of class A, B, C, D and E substances. She suggested that there were other offenses and convictions as well.

Defense counsel Bergeron stressed that his client, Sullivan, was severely mentally ill and that he was, “very apologetic for the situation.” Bergeron stated that this was a very sad circumstance, and that his client had not only been diagnosed with major depression, anxiety disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after time living on the streets homeless and suffering from addiction, but was also in fact experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations, which he said was supported by the Commonwealth’s forensic reports.

He also noted that although the Commonwealth had determined Sullivan competent to stand trial, they came just short of declaring him not criminally responsible, leaving it to the Court to make that call.

Judge Amrhein set bail in the present case at $10,000 cash/$100,000 bond and revoked his bail in the Chelsea District Court case, automatically triggering a 90-day jail sentence for Sullivan for violating the bail conditions set in Chelsea.

Arguing that his client needed further treatment at Bridgewater State Hospital, Bergeron asked the judge to remand Sullivan back into the custody of BSH.

Judge Amrhein did not allow Bergeron’s petition for Sullivan to be sent back to the hospital  saying,  “I’m sure if his medical needs warrant it, that’s where he’ll [Sullivan] end up.”

With that, court officers led Sullivan back to the lock-up in Plymouth District Court. While being removed from the courtroom, Sullivan politely mumbled, “Thank you, your honor.”

The alleged victims, Dean and Marsha Limitone, of Brook Street, waited patiently in the courtroom the entire day for a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. but that did not occur until well after 3 p.m.  Speaking with the Express after the proceedings, they expressed their disappointment with the outcome, especially the District. Attorney’s office’s decision to downgrade the most serious charge of felony home invasion.

Despite an official from the D.A.’s office telling them that this was in fact a “good” outcome, they stated that they are still living in fear, and that their only comfort at the moment was that Sullivan would be “locked-up” for at least 90-days.

“After that, we’ll have to see what happens,” said Marsha Limitone. “I don’t think people understand the terror we are still living with every day.”

Sunday night, March 6, Shane Sullivan was located shortly after the Limitone’s called the Plympton Police reporting an individual causing property damage to their shed and attempting to break into their home with a weapon. According to the police narrative, Sullivan was making bizarre statements while being apprehended, such as, “I killed Satan,” and, “I killed that whole family,” when he was found wandering barefoot shortly after the call.

SLRHS STEM club shows how to make ice cream!

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SILVER LAKE/HALIFAX– On Monday, April 11, and Tuesday, April 12, students from Silver Lake Regional High School (SLRHS) STEM club (an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) travelled to Halifax Elementary School to tutor first, second, third and fourth graders in that school’s STEM/STEAM club (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) in the science of making home-made ice-cream (and, of course, understanding the principles of heat transfer and states of matter).

Halifax Elementary School kindergarten teacher Lisa Whitney joined other colleagues from the club that she advises in the collaborative project, along with a colleague from SLRHS, overseeing 56 first and second graders on Monday and 54 third and fourth graders on Tuesday as well as a group of high-schoolers as the older students taught the younger ones how to make their own ice-cream, and the scientific principles behind ice-cream production.

According to Whitney, the STEM/STEAM concept has “exploded” in the last few years, as the number of jobs in those fields have grown. Their stated goal is to encourage and show students that they can go into these fields. At HES, the ‘a’ was added to signify “arts” to the STEM club because the arts and sciences are closely related and early-childhood educators are often focused on creative activities. Whitney says that while she loves to get students excited about science, many of the club’s activities relate to the arts in one way or another, and the subjects are not mutually exclusive.

“Educators need to show all students that it’s possible for them to enter STEM fields,” she said.

When asked if the STEM/STEAM subjects are more important than other subjects, or if the clubs promote those subjects over others, Whitney responded by noting that the STEM subjects are not more important than others, stating that the “arts, languages, and social sciences are huge parts of a student’s education… I think the important thing to demonstrate is there is an explosion of STEM careers and showing more students that they can enter these fields.”

Whitney also responded to a question of whether the STEM/STEAM clubs target or recruit students that in the past have not traditionally gone into these fields, such as women, for example.

“[T]he short answer is “no”,” she said. “[I want all] students to realize and to have the confidence that they can participate in STEM activities, even if they don’t think they are good [at], say math.  But more importantly, it’s the skills that they are working at– students are learning what they can do when they are asked to imagine, create, design, experiment, problem-solve, persevere, collaborate, and have fun. These are important skills for any student to learn.”

Whitney says that she and colleague Laura Piccirilli, a Title-One reading tutor, started the STEM club in January of this year, and used kits from a company in Shrewsbury to begin working on projects with students. This ran for six weeks, and after that, due to the club’s popularity, the two added the “a” for “arts”, started creating their own kits, and have continued to run the club on their own.

Whitney’s favorite part of advising the club? “[I] love science, and… love watching students participate and get excited about hands-on science activities…[t]he students bring so much energy and enthusiasm to the club that it’s been a lot of fun!” she said.

She went on to note, “What’s great about the club is [that] we are not doing a lot of direct teaching– we teachers are giving the students a little bit of knowledge and then letting them explore and learn on their own. I love watching students figure things out, because projects may not always be easy, but they can always be rewarding in some way.”

The HES STEM/STEAM team instructors are Whitney, Piccirilli, Linda Ford, Jen Belsky, JoAnn Croce, and Elaine Fryer. The more than 100 Halifax Elementary School students who participated are too numerous to name.

The Silver Lake Regional High School students involved last week were Will Parker (President of the SLRHS STEM Club), Hope Moran (Vice President of the SLRHS STEM Club), Glen Birch, Teddi Moskowitz, Bryn Hooper, Caitlin Scully, Joshua Towne, Hayden Wechter, John McCarthy, and Patrick McCarthy. Their club advisor is Vivi Liousas.

Whitney also wished to especially thank middle-schooler Mark Piccirilli who has volunteered at all 19 sessions of the HES STEM/STEAM club to date.

Halifax car crash in front of town hall

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HALIFAX– On Wednesday, April 13 Halifax emergency personnel were dispatched to a severe motor vehicle crash at 499 Plymouth Street, in front of Town Hall. According to Halifax Fire Chief Jason Vivieros, a mid-size sedan with two male occupants in their 20’s collided head-on with a pick-up truck driven by a 61-year old male.

 

The two sedan passengers were transported via two separate Boston MedFlight helicopters to Boston Medical Center with potentially life-threatening injuries. The helicopters’ landing zone was in the parking lot of the Halifax Walmart.

 

The 61-year-old male was transported by the Halifax Fire Department to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth with non-life threatening injuries.

 

Chief Vivieros stated with thanks that the Hanson Fire Department provided assistance.

Halifax Selectmen attempt new legal agreement

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HALIFAX– Halifax Selectmen met on Tuesday, April 12 and two major items dominated the meeting: an attempt to negotiate with Scott Clawson and Fieldstone Farms regarding an update to the 1993 legal contract with the town to give him more flexibility with his horseshows, and some bad news for Robert Bergstrom, who found out that due to zoning regulations, his planned “music event” to be held at Fieldstone Farms was not an acceptable use of the property in an agricultural zone, effectively ending the project as conceived. MudFest, held at Nessralla Farm, is also now in question, as the board may have erred in providing permits for the event previously, according to Robert Piccirilli, Halifax Building Inspector on advice of Town Counsel. The news was also not great for Clawson, who has been looking to diversify the events held at his farm.

Fieldstone Farms legal agreement

Scott Clawson, proprietor of Fieldstone Farms, was again before the board with his attorney, this time attempting to negotiate modifications to a years-old legal agreement that he and the town entered into in 1993 allowing him to hold commercial horse shows. The legal agreement was necessary because commercial horse shows were not considered an allowable agricultural use of the property at the time, which is in an agricultural/residential zone in Halifax.

Clawson wishes to add to the total number of shows per year that he can hold, but claims that for at least a few years they will not increase drastically. He also wants to allow more RVs to house staff –  (up from 5 to 25) that often accompany the valuable horses on show days. His attorney also debated with the Fire Chief, Jason Viveiros, over the type of medical personnel necessary at the shows, at one point even questioning Viveiros as to who he had spoken to at the state-level for his information.

Viveiros took the questioning of his authority in stride, but appeared visibly surprised at the remark. Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy made it quite clear that speaking for herself, not the whole board, that she would take the advice of Chief Viveiros on that matter.

Clawson, who was recently called before the Board for advertising more horse shows than were in his agreement, did not escape a rebuke from Selectman Troy Garron during the negotiations, who reminded Clawson, “You do remember how we got here, right?”

Two neighbors were present, and another who was not present wrote the board, all with noise concerns, as well as a concern about trash after the shows. Clawson stated that he will do more to control noise in the future and will work with neighbors on any issues they have.

The board will continue to negotiate the draft agreement with Clawson, but is seeking input from abutters, neighbors and the public before approving any changes and moving forward with the legal process of changing the agreement.

Bombshell Dropped On Bergstrom

Charlie Seelig, Halifax Town Administrator, delivered some bad news to Robert Bergstrom, who is known for his MudFest truck-racing event and more recently for planning a large-scale two-day concert to be held at Fieldstone Farms this summer.

Seelig and Building Inspector Robert Piccirilli had done some further zoning research, and consulted Town Land Counsel, and all agree that commercial or entertainment events cannot be held on property in an agricultural zone.

Thus the concert will not happen without a change in zoning by-laws, which require both the planning board’s approval and a 2/3 vote at Town Meeting, which cannot happen this year given how quickly town meeting is coming up. Seelig said that zoning by-laws are notoriously difficult to change, even for a future year.

MudFest, held at Nessrella Farm, is now being called into question as well. Seelig stated his belief that the board may have erred in their decision to permit that event previously, as they didn’t have that information at the time.

Selectmen Roy and Garron expressed that they wished they had had this information earlier, and Piccirilli stated, “This was not my intention. I was really looking for a way to fit you in [to the zoning by-laws].”

The only hope for MudFest is if the area of the property where it is held happens to be in a “conservancy zone”, but other zoning challenges exist, such as crossing differently zoned property to get to the event.

Bergstrom has worked diligently with the board for several years to put together the MudFest event that the board was initially skeptical towards, but has been increasingly popular and well-known, and the board did come around to support it in the past. Sadly for Bergstrom, it may need to find a new home.

In other news:

Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor is requesting that all Town Census forms, which were due in late January, be returned to Town Hall as soon as possible.

Opening Celebration for Plympton Parks

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The Plympton Open Space Committee invites residents and friends to join in celebrating the official opening of Plympton Parks on Saturday, April 23, from noon until 3 p.m. The festivities feature several special events, including a “scavenger hunt” for children, guided tours of the trails and ongoing acoustic music for all to enjoy.

  At 1 p.m. there will be a short ceremony to thank the organizations and individuals who have given their time and talents to make the Parks a reality. Invited guests include the descendants of the Churchill Family, Representative William Keating, the Wildlands Trust and the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts. The old “gravel pit” is the location for the ceremony and the start of all other events.

Attendees are asked to park at the Dennett School and use the Ring Road entrance to the Parks. Plympton police will help facilitate safe crossing of Ring Road for attendees and their families. If you require transportation to reach the gravel pit area, volunteers will provide you with a ride from the school area. Please call Jane at 781 585 4771 to request this assistance.

Rain date is Sunday, April 24. The Open Space Committee thanks everyone who has supported this project and hopes you will be there to help celebrate!