Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express

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Caregiver Registry wins unanimous approval

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State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) has announced that the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to create a registry of care providers who have harmed a person or persons with an intellectual or developmental disability, with a goal of preventing these providers from being hired for programs funded or operated by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

The legislation, An Act to Protect Persons with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities from Abuse, will create a registry of care providers against whom the Disabled Persons Protection Commission (DCCP) has made a final decision regarding “substantiated findings” of acts resulting in serious physical or emotional injury of a person with an intellectual or developmental disability. The legislation requires care provider employers to check the registry prior to hiring or retaining any person as a care provider and prevents employers from hiring or retaining any provider who appears on the registry.  Those employers include those with DDS licenses for day services, those that have contracts with DDS, and those receiving funding from DDS.  Under the bill, DCCP imposes monetary fines or other penalties on any employer that fails to comply. The legislation also includes due process protections for care providers.  Representative LaNatra said, “I’m proud that the House of Representatives voted unanimously to take this important step, to further ensure the well-being of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.” The bill now advances to the Senate for consideration.

Her district includes all  of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.  She maintains regular office hours throughout the district.

Nightmare on Elm Street

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Friday morning’s weatherman said he wouldn’t be surprised to see old fashion liquid barometers overflow, the barometric pressure was going to be that low.

The Feb. 7 storm was presaged all morning by dark, smoky skies and wind whipping all around. There were trees and limbs down throughout the three Silver Lake towns, but it seems that Plympton got the worst of it.

Capt. John  Sjostedt said that his department answered  18 storm-related calls.

Trees were twisted 10-20 feet high, and snapped like twigs, falling everywhere.  Elm Street seems to have suffered a microburst.

Eversource had its work cut out for them and tree crews were kept busy.

Veterans surprise Halifax Walmart manager

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Halifax Walmart manager Martin Disla was surprised on Friday, Jan. 24, by members of the Halifax Veterans of Foreign Wars Post  6258, in appreciation of his ongoing support of the Post and all veterans in the surrounding area.

“They have been such a supportive force to our community, not only to the military, but also to many other chariites needing assistance, Post Commander David Walsh said,  “They have been gigantic in support of Children’s Hospital as well as providing assisting to the local fire and police community.”

Walsh continued, “Post 6258 Veterans of Foreign Wars of Halifax is proud and honored to award Walmart Manager Martin Disla and the Halifax Walmart Crew a special Community Service Award and a plaque to permanently remain in the store to remind all patrons of Walmart’s many accomplishments and continuing commitment to our community.  Thank you Halifax Walmart!”

Halifax PD wins OFGR grant for traffic control enforcement

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The Halifax Police Department has been awarded a grantEach December, the Office of Grants and Research (OGR) partners with police agencies across the state as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement mobilization.  OGR recently awarded grants to 125 local police departments, including a grant that reimburses the town of Halifax up to $7500 for extra patrols during the mobilization period of Dec. 11 through Jan. 20, to pay for overtime patrols to increase impaired driving enforcement targeting drivers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs during the holiday season.

Complementing these efforts was an educational campaign titled Wisdom featuring local cannabis users talking about their personal experiences with, and thoughts on, driving after consuming cannabis, alcohol, or other drugs.  Impaired crashes are not accidents; they are preventable.  Wisdom’s ads serve as a reminder for drivers to recognize the responsibility they have to drive safely and to avoid getting behind the wheel if they are impaired.  Remember – If you feel different, you drive different.

The next mobilization period is March 6-22, the spring speed enforcement campaign, followed by the April 1 – 30 campaign for distracted driving, then May 14 to 31 Occupant Protection/Click it or ticket.  From June 11 to July 5 is the Summer Speed Enforcement mobilization and final period is Aug. 20 – Sept. 8 Drive Sober or get Pulled Over.

The grant will reimburse the town of Halifax up to $7500 dollars for extra patrols during these periods.  The officers on these patrols must document at least 3 stops per hour unless an arrest is made then time is allowed to process the arrest.

Register to vote for primary election

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HALIFAX – The Annual Street Listing form has been mailed out to all Halifax households.  Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor requests that residents please fill out the form and return it as soon as possible.

Filling out the form DOES NOT REGISTER you to vote.   

If there is no letter such as D; R or U listed under Party beside your name, then you are not registered to vote. You may register to vote at the Town Clerk’s office or online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/.

The last day to register to vote for the Presidential Primary, is Wednesday, February 12.  The Massachusetts Presidential Primary is Tuesday, March 3.

The Annual Town Election will be held on May 16.  Nomination papers will be available beginning Tuesday, January 21 at the Town Clerk’s office and must be returned by March 25.

Nomination papers are available for the following:

Board of Assessors, three year term; Board of Health, three-year term; Highway Surveyor, three-year term; Library Board of Trustees, two positions with three-year terms; Halifax Housing Authority:  three positions: three-year term, four-year term and a five-year term; Park Commissioner, a three-year term and a one-year term; Halifax Elementary School Committee, two three-year terms; Silver Lake Regional School Committee, three-year term; Board of Selectmen, three-year term and Board of Water Commissioners, three-year term.

Halifax seeks volunteers to serve on COA

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers to serve on the Halifax Council on Aging as the Board has received notice of two vacancies on the Council.

The Council coordinates and carries out programs designed to meet the needs of seniors in Halifax in the areas of health, welfare, education, recreation, and transportation.

Residents interested in serving on the Council on Aging can download a talent bank form at
http://www.halifax-ma.org/board-selectmen/files/talent-bank-form-2019  and submit it to the Board of Selectmen, 499 Plymouth Street, Halifax, MA 02338 or contact the Selectmen’s Office at 781-294-1316 to obtain one.

Plastic bag ban begins March 1

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Jeanne Kling of the Halifax Beautification Committee wants to remind residents that the ban on single use plastic bags in the Town of Halifax will begin Sunday, March 1, so retailers and shoppers alike should be prepared.

The article was passed at  the Halifax Town Meeting in May 2019.

The reusable bag bylaw, designed to reduce the use and distribution of single use plastic shopping bags, will take effect on March 1, 2020.

This bylaw was voted at the Annual Town Meeting in May, 2019 and has been approved by the Attorney General. It applies to all businesses operating in the town of Halifax.

No plastic bags will be permissible for distribution at checkouts (points of sale). There is no thickness, or percentage of plastic content acceptable.

The Beautification Committee, on clean up days and at other events, has distributed free reusable bags while supplies lasted. Start gathering your reusable bags now!

For more information about the bylaw, or with questions, please contact the Halifax Beautification Committee at beautification@halifax-ma.org.

Changes at Plympton Post Office

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Residents may have noticed a new emptiness at the Plympton Post Office.  While the clerks remain the same, and the service over the counter is the same, where are the mail carriers?  Where is the mail?

Online shoppers during the holiday season bombarded the little building with an avalanche of packages that made sorting the mail and preparing it for delivery a dangerous proposition.

One worker noted that it became an emergency situation and became unsafe for everyone behind the counter.

Now Plympton mail carriers are working out of the spacious Carver post office.  The same rural carriers are working their same postal routes, they said, but the carriers work from the Carver location.

“There is no plan to bring the carriers back to Plympton – not to this location – because it is just too small, “ a worker told The Express.  For now, service will remain the same, just happening from two locations.

Local fire dept. grants

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KINGSTON -State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) commended Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito recently for their support of $920,000 in grant awards to 174 Massachusetts fire departments for gear and equipment for that will reduce firefighters’ exposure to cancer-causing chemicals on the job.

All of the communities within Representative LaNatra’s district, with the exception of Duxbury, received funds in these grant awards. There are two different grants. For the first, the Firefighter Turnout Gear Grant program will provide firefighters in 144 departments with new hoods and gloves for structural firefighting activities. These items will reduce exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in the head and hand areas, which are high-risk areas for dangerous chemicals to enter the body. In total, approximately 3,000 hoods and 3,000 pairs of gloves will be purchased with the $500,000 from this program. Communities receiving grants in the district included Halifax, $2,390.07; Kingston, $2,506.25; Plymouth, $2,496; and Plympton, $2,440.

Through the Washer-Extractor Equipment Grant, $420,000 was awarded to 75 departments that will receive a new washer-extractor to clean their structural firefighting gear after exposure to smoke and other toxic chemicals. Because some of the recipient agencies are purchasing regional-use machines, 84 departments will actually benefit from them.  A national standard set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on the care and cleaning of structural firefighting gear delineates specific types of machines that should be used to effectively remove cancer-causing chemicals after each fire. All washer-extractors purchased with this grant will meet this standard, and enable personnel to wear clean gear each time they leave the fire station for an emergency. The town of Middleboro received a grant of $5,000.

Representative LaNatra said, “First responders face so many dangers on a daily basis. I am thrilled to see the Baker-Polito administration taking an active role in first responder safety and ensuring that they are able to perform their jobs without the risk posed by out-of-date equipment.”

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.

She maintains regular office hours throughout the district. For additional information, please contact Chris Jean, Christopher.Jean@MAhouse.gov. Meetings can also be arranged by appointment.