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You are here: Home / Archives for Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Girls Golf demolishes Falmouth

April 13, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Kathleen Drane

Coach

The Silver Lake Girls Golf Team notched their first win in a crushing victory over Falmouth at Halifax Country Club on Tuesday, April 11.

The entire squad won their matches, including the two tie-breakers sr. Bea Haens 2-up  and sophomore Emma Lee Deeley 1-up.  Winning at the number 1 spot was captain Olivia Ahlman 4-up; at second spot, jr Anna Lambert 3-up; third spot, sr. captain Alexa Roche 5-up; sr. captain Isabella Levesque 5-upat the 4th spot;  sr Olivia Hughes 4-up at the number 5 spot; and sophomore Nicole Ahlman at the number 6 spot 1-up.   

The girls are now 1-2.

Filed Under: More News Right, News

Selectmen vote to euthanize dog

March 30, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

HALIFAX – Tuesday night, at the continued dog bite hearing, selectmen voted to euthanize a young male German shepherd whose apparently unprovoked attack caused great harm to a young woman who was visiting at Tarawood Kennels with kennel owner Jennifer “Bobbie” Choate.

The victim was present at the hearing, with her arm in a cast and a bandaged foot, as were the dog’s former owners, testifying on behalf of the dog.

Choate told selectmen that she has a person willing to take the dog, a man who works with problem dogs.   This person is out of state, she said.

The people who raised the dog had no incidents, Choate said.  She doesn’t know what triggered the attack.

The couple who raised the dog came to the hearing with their infant son, and told the board that the dog had been raised in their family, with an infant, a toddler, and two other children, and had no problems with the dog being aggressive. 

The Halifax Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan told selectmen that she had seen the dog and would characterize him as an Alpha dog, high energy, appearing healthy.  When asked by Selectman Kim Roy if she thought the dog could be placed, Callahan answered, “I don’t see him being placed with a family.” 

Callahan furthered, “If I was at the site of the attack, I could say more,” but not seeing the attack, the reason for the attack is difficult to discern.

Roy said her biggest concern is for the liability of the town, should the dog attack again.  When Selectman Tom Millias said that any agreement to transfer ownership of the dog would need to be iron-clad in that the Town of Halifax could in no way be held liable.

Roy told her board she didn’t want to spend even a penny of the townspeople’s money to have an attorney draft such an agreement.   “This was a vicious attack.”

Millias asked if the person out of state had actually agreed to take him.  Choate said he did, but that she, too, was concerned about the liability if the dog were to bite again.

Roy asked the victim if she had ever had a dog bite her before, and she answered that she had, but that this incident was unprovoked.  The young woman suffered a broken arm and as many as 29 puncture wounds, and an injured foot.

Troy Garron, selectmen chairman, told the assembly, “You’re playing Russian Roulette … I’ve been around dogs all my life.” Even though he said he didn’t want to see the dog euthanized, he wasn’t comfortable passing the problem to someone else.

Milias said it is unfortunate to ship the dog out of state to then potentially hurt someone else.

Roy moved that the dog be euthanized, but added, “We all feel awful!” 

Town administrator Charlie Seelig noted that there is a 10-day appeal period from March 28, the date of the hearing, which would end April 7. 

Choate said she would not appeal.

The dog is still under 45-day quarantine, which is required by law.

In other business, selectmen:

• appointed Joanne Andrews as a Republican member of the Board of Registrars.

• appointed Richard Gilcoine as fence viewer, effective June 30.

• congratulated Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor for her certification as a Commonwealth Town Clerk.

• signed a one-day permit for MudFest Sunday, June 18, Father’s Day performance. 

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Missing Teens are found safe

March 23, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

PLYMPTON – The town breathed a collective sigh of relief when the follow-up “robocall” came to Plympton residents at 12:07 p.m. on Tuesday that the missing teens had been found and were safe.

At 11:05 p.m. Monday night, Plympton Police put out an automatic call to all Plympton residents:  “We are currently searching for a missing teenager, Sydney Adams, white female, approximately 5’4”, 120 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing black pants and a white sweatshirt with “TEXAS” across the front.   She was last seen with a Donald Johnson, 14, from Kingston.  Any information on her whereabouts, please immediately contact the Plympton Police Department at 781-585-3339.”

Kim Adams, Sydney’s mother, also posted photos and messages requesting help on the Plympton Facebook page, bringing the community into the search.  The response was overwhelming.   “It takes a village…” was the recurring theme once the news was announced that the two were safe.

When the phone rings late at night, it isn’t usually good news, and the missing teenagers were on everyone’s mind.  The first thing said among friends and neighbors Tuesday morning was, “Have they found them yet?”

Adams posted her thanks to all who helped.

Plympton Police issued the following statement:,

“The Plympton Police Department is happy to announce that both Sydney Adams and Donald Johnson have been located.  Both are safe and have been transported to area hospitals, as a precaution, for evaluation.  We would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police, Kingston Police, Pembroke Police, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department and SEMLEC Search & Rescue for their assistance in the matter.  We would like to thank the Plympton Fire Department with their assistance this morning.  We would finally like to thank the many members of the community that assisted in the search and the numerous telephone calls we received from concerned citizens with tips.”

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

Special Town Meeting Tuesday: Special election March 11 to exempt school repairs from Prop. 2 1/2

March 2, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Tuesday, March 7, Halifax voters will convene at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St., Multi-Purpose room, at 7:30 p.m. for the purpose of conducting a Special Town Meeting.  The warrant, which includes eight articles, two that cover funding for repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, zoning changes for commercial indoor or outdoor amusements, PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement for a Solar Energy installation on Summit Street, collective bargaining, and a nonbinding vote to voice the approval or disapproval of the townspeople of Halifax regarding the sale of Silver Lake School District Land to the Town of Kingston, among others.

Saturday, March 11, a special town election will be held to approve two questions for repairs to the Halifax Elementary School.  Voting will take place in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If the school repair project or projects are approved both at Town Meeting and at the Special Election, work can be done during the summer months when school is not in session.

The first of the two articles asks for $7,262,124 for repairs to the roof of the Elementary School, windows, doors, siding, and tree work, as well as the architectural and engineering support that the project would need.  Halifax will receive approximately $3,472,607 from the SBA (School Building Authority) toward the project.  The remaining sum will be funded through a 20-year bond that will add .4946 to the tax rate, or about $147.25 to the tax on a median valued house.  This will decrease each year as the debt is paid, and by year 20, will be -0- and no longer included in the tax rate.   In order to do this, the amount needs to be exempted from the so-called Proposition 2 ½.

The second school repair article asks for  $687,876 to work on the fire suppression system (sprinkler system) and security system.  The Finance Committee will make its recommendations at Town Meeting.

The HES roof was last replaced in 1993-94, 23 years ago. 

Absentee ballots are available at the Town Clerk’s office for those not able to vote in person.  For details on how to vote by absentee ballot, call the Town Clerk at 7981-293-7970.

The complete Special Town Meeting warrant follows:

ARTICLE 1:

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds, $7,262,124 to be expended under the direction of the Halifax School Building Committee for repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, located at 464 Plymouth Street, including but not limited to the roof, windows, doors, siding, and trees, including but not limited to any architectural, engineering, and administrative work associated with this project; which proposed repair project would materially extend the useful life of the school and preserve an asset that otherwise is capable of supporting the required educational program and for which the Town has applied for a school construction grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”). The Town acknowledges that the MSBA’s grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and if the MSBA’s Board of Directors votes to invite the Town to collaborate with the MSBA on this proposed repair project, any project costs the Town incurs in excess of any grant that may be approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the Town.

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 2: Proposed by the Board of Selectmen

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds, $687,876 to be expended under the direction of the Halifax School Building Committee for repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, located at 464 Plymouth Street, including but not limited to the fire suppression system and security system, including but not limited to any architectural, engineering, and administrative work associated with this project.

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 3: To see if the Town will vote to amend Chapter 167-7(C) (Schedule of Use Regulations) by changing to the following from:

Commercial indoor or outdoor amusements, recreation places, or places of assembly, excluding outdoor movie theatres [See § 167-7D(6)], adult clubs, adult mini motion- picture theatres and adult motion-picture theatres Agricultural-Residential Business Industrial Industrial-2 Conservancy

(AR) (B) (I) (I-2) (C) N Y SP N SP

(6) Commercial indoor or outdoor amusements or recreation places, permitted in the B District and allowable by special permit from the Board of Appeals in the I and C Districts. This excludes outdoor movie theatres. It requires that the building be so insulated and maintained as to confine any noise to the premises and that it be located at least one hundred (100) feet from a residential district.

To:

Commercial indoor or outdoor amusements, recreation places, or places of assembly, excluding outdoor movie theatres [See § 167-7D(6)], adult clubs, adult mini motion- picture theatres and adult motion-picture theatres

Agricultural-Residential Business Industrial Industrial-2 Conservancy (AR) (B) (I) (I-2) (C)

SP Y SP N SP

(6) Commercial indoor or outdoor amusements or recreation places, permitted in the B District and allowable by special permit from the Board of Selectmen in the AR, I and C Districts. This excludes outdoor movie theatres. It requires that the building be so insulated and maintained as to confine any noise to the premises and that it be located at least one hundred (100) feet from a residential district.

And to amend Chapter 167-12 (Density regulations for specific uses) from:

D. Commercial indoor or outdoor amusements, recreation places or places of assembly must be located at least one hundred (100) feet from a residential district.

To

D. Buildings for commercial indoor or outdoor amusements, recreation places or places of assembly must be located at least one hundred (100) feet from a residential district. and to take any other action relative thereto.

Proposed by the Board of Selectmen

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 4 To see if the Town will vote to provide the authority for the Board of Selectmen (or their designee, The Board of Assessors) to negotiate a proposed Solar Energy PILOT Agreement between the Town of Halifax and SunConnect MA12 LLC on behalf of the Town and to take any other action relative thereto.

Proposed by the Board of Assessors

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 5 To see if the Town will vote to approve the Agreement for Payment in Lieu of Taxes for Real and Personal Property (the “PILOT Agreement”) as approved by the Board of Selectmen on February 28, 2017 among and by the Town of Halifax and the solar energy generation company SunConnect MA12 LLC as such PILOT Agreement was negotiated by the Board of Assessors on behalf of the Board of Selectmen and to take any other action relative thereto.

Proposed by the Board of Assessors

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 6 To see if the Town will vote to request that the Board of Selectmen notify the Silver Lake Regional School Committee that the Town of Halifax recommends approval or disapproval of the proposed sale of land owned by the Silver Lake Regional School District to the Town of Kingston for a police station in the Town of Kingston and to take any other action relative thereto.

Proposed by the Board of Selectmen

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 7 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds a sum of money to fund the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement for Fiscal Year 2017 between IAFF, Local 3159 (Firefighters) and the Town of Halifax, including a provision that the Town pay the difference in pay between the pay received by an employee in military service and the amount that the employee would receive working for the Town or take any action thereon to take any other action relative thereto.

Proposed by the Board of Selectmen

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

ARTICLE 8 To see if the Town will vote to accept Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 110A allowing Town departments to remain closed on Saturdays or take any action thereon to take any other action relative thereto.

Proposed by the Town Clerk

Finance Committee Recommendation at Town Meeting

Special Election March 11

And on Saturday, March 11, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to meet at the Halifax Elementary School:

QUESTION 1

Shall the Town of Halifax be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued to pay for the costs of repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, including but not limited to the roof, windows, doors, siding, and trees, including but not limited to any architectural, engineering, and administrative work associated with this project?

QUESTION 2

Shall the Town of Halifax be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued to pay for the costs of repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, including but not limited to the fire suppression system and security system, including but not limited to any architectural, engineering, and administrative work associated with this project?

___ Yes ___ No

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

DEP: Monponsett Ponds are impaired

February 23, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has issued an Administrative Consent Order and Notice of Noncompliance to the City of Brockton that would hold the City to enumerated standards regarding when and under what conditions diversionary flows from Monponsett Pond into Silver Lake can occur.

Several of these orders take place immediately:

• Brockton must not divert water from Monponsett Pond to Silver Lake when there is a cyanobacteria bloom in Monponsett Pond that exceeds the MDPH standard of 70,000 cells/ml.

• Brockton must continue manually opening the Monponsett to Silver Lake diversion structure/apparatus to provide lower water transfer rate (approximatly 12 to 14 million gallons per day, which is about half of the maximum diversion rate) with the intended goal of pulling less water from West Monponsett to East Monponsett during diversions.  This provision may be waived at the discretion of the DEP should unanticipated environmental conditions warrant

• Brockton will begin operating the Stump Brook Dam/Fish Ladder in a manner to ensure that at least 900,000 gallons per day (g/d) is leaving West Monponsett Pond and entering Stump Brook whenever Brockton is actively diverting from Monponsett Pond to Silver Lake in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 91 License 4987.  Brockton will also see that the Stump Brook Dam Fish Ladder remains open and passable for migrating fish during the herring migration seasons in Spring and Fall of every year.

• Brockton will make immediate efforts to contact area cranberry growers to coordinate Stump Brook Dam openings so that the Stump Brook Dam Fish Ladder and Sluiceway can be opened to coincide with releases of cranberry harvest and flood return flows to West Monponsett Pond/Stump Brook so that those return flows exit the Monponsett Pond system as quickly as possible as long as pond elevation supports the flow.

• Once Monponsett Pond reaches a level of 53 feet, six inches above zero elevation of 52.5 feet, or June 1, 2017, whichever is earlier, Brockton will begin operating the Stump Brook Dam fish ladder gate in a manner to ensure at least 900,000 g/d is leaving West Monponsett Pond and entering Stump Brook at all times, unless the pond elevation cannot support it, with the fish ladder gate placed at its lowest elevation, about 51.8 feet. This requirement will remain in force until it is further evaluated as part of the Resource Management Plan development and otherwise approved by Mass DEP.

Within 60 days:

• Brockton will complete installation of stop logs on top of the dam-like structures separating the Monponsett intake chambers from the diversion pipe intake.

Within 6 months:

•  Brockton shall submit for MassDEP review and approval a proposed Final Scope of Work (SOW) for preparation of the Resource Management Plan, based on scientific data and evaluation, that will include recommended metrics and procedures for Silver Lake Diversions and Stump Brook Dam Operations intended to improve Monponsett Pond’s water quality and ecosystem while maintaining Brockton’s drinking water supply system reliability.

• Before submitting the proposed SOW to DEP, Brockton will release a draft for public comment and conduct at least one public meeting to discuss the report and gather public input.   The Draft SOW will be posted in the Environmental Monitor and properly advertised with copies of the Draft available in each respective community library or designated repository.

Within 24 months:

• Brockton will submit to MassDEP a final Resource Management Plan and Implementation Schedule developed in accordance with the Resource Management Plan Scope of Work as approved by MassDEP.

Within 6 months of the DEP’s approval of the Final Resource Management Plan and Implementation Schedule:

• Brockton will commence implementation of the MassDEP approved Resource Management Plan and Implementation Schedule.

• Brockton is ordered to continue to operate so that the 12 month running average of water pumped into Brockton’s water distribution system must not exceed 11.3 million g/d or 110% of the MassDEP approved system safe yield.  Brockton must continue to submit monthly reports to MassDEP showing the 12 month running average of water from all sources.

• None of Brockton’s activities are to interfere with the recreational uses of the ponds for boating, bathing, or fishing.

Because MassDEP has listed Monponsett Pond as impaired, to comply with the requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act, the MassDEP will prepare a Total Maximum Daily Load report for East and West Monponsett Ponds that wil estimate the annual nutrient additions to the ponds, calculate the nutrient load-carrying capacity for each, and set goals for nutrient reductions according to the land uses and activities around East and West Monponsett.

For a complete copy of the Administrative Consent Order, go to our web site: PlymptonHalifaxExpress.com

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

Rocky Mountain Water settled

February 23, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Plympton Selectmen Thursday night, Feb. 16, announced at a special selectmen’s meeting they had reached an agreement with Robert Smith, R&M Realty Trust and Rocky Harvest, LLC, ending years of litigation which has cost the town of Plympton more than $83,000 in legal fees, according to Selectman Christine Joy.

The terms of the settlement agreement were disappointing, not only to selectmen, but also to the few townspeople present. 

According to the new agreement, Plympton will receive $20,000 as a one-time payment for all of the water payments held for years while litigation was pending, and $13,500 per year as an annual fee, beginning January 3, 2017.  So Plympton will receive $33,500 in fees March 1, and $13,500 per year going forward..

John Henry asked the board what happens to the approximately $200,000 in fees over the years which have been held in escrow – “What happens to that?”

Joy answered, “We got what we could.  $20,000 was what we were able to get.”

Henry said that the town should have appealed the verdict of last summer when the town lost a major piece of its litigation.  “I heard that the judge fell asleep twice!”   He also pointed out that town counsel Ilana Quirk, from Koppelman and Page, Plympton’s regular counsel, did not represent the town at this trial and instead sent an “underling” to present the case that was lost.  Henry continued that the agreement is “blatantly unfair to Plympton.”

    Joy answered that she disagrees.

    Selectman John Traynor explained that after losing the case last summer, “what rights did we have?  We weren’t going to win this.”  Selectman Joy further noted that had they appealed that case and lost, “We would have lost everything.”

Traynor explained that the new agreement reiterates the original hours of the Sept. 26, 2002 agreement for judgment limiting the number of tanker trucks to 15 per day, only during the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.  There is to be no operation of water sales or tanker truck traffic on Sundays, and 10 federal holidays throughout the year.

According to the settlement agreement, further disputes will be settled in arbitration, less expensive than in court.

Last summer’s lost court case upheld former Selectman Joseph Freitas’ letter on Selectmen’s stationery allowing Rocky Harvest to operate at any hour, even though it was never voted by selectmen. In fact selectmen were only made aware of the letter when neighbors complained about the increasing truck traffic and Rocky Harvest produced the letter as a defense.

Town Counsel Quirk, according to Henry, said that Freitas did not have the authority to write such a letter, and in fact the full board, had they voted on it, would not have had the authority to lift the court’s mandated hours of operation.

In summary:

Plympton has entered into a settlement agreement to acknowledge that Rocky Harvest LLC is a successor in interest to the 2002 Agreement for Judgment and that the 2002 Agreement remains in effect and that Rocky may continue commercial water extraction so long as the requirements of the 2002 Agreement are satisfied and the uses at the 225 adjacent farm are agricultural.

Rocky’s agreed to pay Plympton $20,000 and to adhere to the original hours of operation negotiated in the 2002 Agreement for Judgment – not the hours set forth in the 2008 Freitas letter – and to pay the town an annual fee of $13,500.

  

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Halifax FD launches Fire Cadet Program

February 16, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros is asking all Silver Lake High School students interested in fire science to sign up for the Halifax Fire Department’s Fire Cadet Program.

The program is designed for students who would like to learn more about an exciting career in firefighting and emergency medical services.  Applications are available at the Halifax Fire Station or at the Silver Lake Regional High School Guidance Office.

Beginning March 1, the curriculum, broken down into nine two-hour weekly classes, will cover firefighter safety, personal protective equipment, 911 and emergency communications, Firefighter Level 1 program, first responder, EMS; fire department organization and structure, hazardous material awareness, search and rescue, strategy and tactics of firefighting, fire streams, hose and hydrants, fire extinguisher use and selection, extrication and rescue, public education and code enforcement.   And at the end of their training, they even get to burn down a building and fight the fire!

Firefighter/Paramedic Jordan Hill will lead the workshops, as he did last year.  Hill told the Express that the program started several years ago and is a good opportunity for high school students to see what a career in firefighting can offer.

Contact Chief Viveiros with any questions, at 781-293-1751 or email chief@fire.halifax.ma.us

Filed Under: More News Right, News

31 graduate from the Mass. Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program

February 10, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Jennifer Mieth

Public information Officer

Special to the Express

On Thursday, Feb. 2, 31 fire service leaders from across Massachusetts graduated from the 23rd offering of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program.

This fourteen-week program was developed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association Standards for chief fire officers, and is delivered jointly by the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. It is a comprehensive course providing training in the non-fire suppression aspects of managing fire departments.

State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said, “These fire service leaders are committed to continually developing their management and leadership skills in order to provide the highest level of service to the communities they protect.”

The 31 graduates serve the following fire departments: Andover, Barnstable, Burlington, Cambridge, Concord, Dartmouth District #1, Foxborough, Gloucester, Halifax, Harwich, Hingham, Leicester, Lynn, Marshfield, North Andover, Northbridge, Orleans, Oxford, Plainville, Revere, Sandwich, Tewksbury, Waltham, Westborough, Westfield, Weston and Worcester.

The curriculum covers a spectrum of topics considered essential for effective public sector management. It includes human resource management, ethics, executive leadership and legal issues, governmental and organization structures, information management, customer-focused strategic planning, budgets and public finance, community awareness and public relations, and labor relations.

The Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program expects to help fire officers improve their ability to lead and manage personnel and the department, to provide skills to understand employees’ needs and problems, to promote personal productivity, to increase the capacity to manage both human and technical resources, and to increase inter-agency cooperation.

Participants are required to write a formal applied research paper that identifies a current problem or challenge faced by their organization and proposes a viable solution. The officers must then present their proposal to a panel of municipal officials for their consideration.

The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, a division of the Department of Fire Services, offers this program, tuition-free.

 

Filed Under: More News Left, News

Special Town Meeting March 7 : HES roof, bylaw changes, SL sale of land top warrant

February 10, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Charlie Seelig

Special to the Express

The Town of Halifax will hold a special town meeting on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Halifax Elementary School.

The warrant includes the following articles: two articles authorizing borrowing for repairs to the Elementary School, one for $7,262,124 for work on the roof, windows, doors, siding, and trees, the other for $687,876 for work on the fire suppression system and security system.

The other articles include a change in the zoning by-law regarding commercial indoor or outdoor amusements, two concerning a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for a solar farm on Summit Street, a non-binding article concerning the possible sale of land by the Silver Lake Regional School District to the Town of Kingston for a police station in Kingston, a proposed change, dealing with pay while serving in the military, in the contract with firefighters, and acceptance of a State statute regarding the opening of Town departments on Saturday.

A copy of the warrant is available at http://www.town.halifax.ma.us/Pages/HalifaxMA_Bcomm/Selectmen/townmeetings/20170307stm-warrant.pdf.

In connection with the two proposed articles concerning repairs to the Elementary School, the Town will hold a public presentation concerning the project on Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Elementary School.

Approval of the two appropriations for the school project is contingent upon approval of debt exclusions for this project. The debt exclusions will be on the ballot at a special town election on Saturday, March 11 from 10am to 6pm at the Halifax Elementary School Gym.

If approved, the Town will receive approximately $3,472,607 from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help fund the project. The remaining amount, $4,477,393 would be paid through a 20-year bond. The cost of the bond would increase the tax rate by $0.4946 and the additional taxes on a median value house would be $147.25. These amounts would decrease in subsequent years. At the end of the 20-year bond, these amounts would no longer be included in the tax rate.

These repairs have been proposed because of the age of these parts of the school. The roof was last replaced when the last addition was constructed back in 1993-1994. The windows and doors that will be replaced are either older than that or can be significantly improved with modern models. A tour of the outside of the siding will show significant decay. The trees in the courtyard need to be removed as part of the work on the roof. The fire suppression system is leaking in a number of places. The security system needs to be updated to meet the standards set in the other school buildings in the district.

The Town Meeting is scheduled for next month so that if the school repair project is approved, the work can begin this summer. If the Town waited until May to approve the project, then the work would have to wait until the summer of 2018.

ownmeetings/20170307stm-warrant.pdf

In connection with the two proposed articles concerning repairs to the

Elementary School, the Town will hold a public presentation concerning

the project on Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm in the Multi-Purpose Room

of the Elementary School.

Approval of the two appropriations for the school project is contingent

upon approval of debt exclusions for this project. The debt exclusions

will be on the ballot at a special town election on Saturday, March 11

from 10am to 6pm at the Halifax Elementary School Gym.

If approved, the Town will receive approximately $3,472,607 from the

Massachusetts School Building Authority to help fund the project. The

remaining amount, $4,477,393 would be paid through a 20-year bond. The

cost of the bond would increase the tax rate by $0.4946 and the

additional taxes on a median value house would be $147.25. These amounts

would decrease in subsequent years. At the end of the 20-year bond,

these amounts would no longer be included in the tax rate.

These repairs have been proposed because of the age of these parts of

the school. The roof was last replaced when the last addition was

constructed back in 1993-1994. The windows and doors that will be

replaced are either older than that or can be significantly improved

with modern models. A tour of the outside of the siding will show

significant decay. The trees in the courtyard need to be removed as part

of the work on the roof. The fire suppression system is leaking in a

number of places. The security system needs to be updated to meet the

standards set in the other school buildings in the district.

The Town Meeting is scheduled for next month so that if the school

repair project is approved, the work can begin this summer. If the Town

waited until May to approve the project, then the work would have to

wait until the summer of 2018.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Mind-Body Component Impacts Psycho-social Support for those affected by Cancer

January 26, 2017 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

The Halifax Board of Health, in conjunction with the NVNA and Hospice will present the Mind-Body Component and the Impact of Psycho-social Support for those affected by Cancer on Monday, Feb. 13, at 1:30 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. at the Holmes Public Library, 476 Plymouth St., Halifax.

Kathleen Armany, RN, BC-HN, Program Director of The Cancer Support Community of Massachusetts, South Shore will present the program.

The medical community is increasingly aware of how the mind and body work together in our overall health and recovery from illness.  Being diagnosed with cancer doesn’t just have an effect on your body; it affects the entire individual with an impact on thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes.

Making the mind-body connection can have a significant difference in your quality of life and may affect your body’s response to treatment.

Attend this informative presentation and learn the “patient active” concept and the value of a supportive community can ease the distress of a cancer diagnosis.

Filed Under: More News Left, News

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  • Curry College welcomes Melanie Martin-Plant into the Alexander Graham Bell Honor Society
  • Holmes librarian honored on her retirement
  • SLRSD Industry Showcase on May 9
  • New Selectmen in – Plympton override out
  • Halifax Town Meeting action …
  • Memorial Day Memories and the Civil War
  • Memorial Day – Lest We Forget
  • Kingston adopts new math for K-8
  • Sen. Fernandes secures $75,000 for Silver Lake schools

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Plympton-Halifax Express  • 1000 Main Street, PO Box 60, Hanson, MA 02341 • 781-293-0420 • Published by Anderson Newspapers, Inc.