The Halifax Board of Selectmen appointed three new police officers to the department including James Coughlin, Andrew Lyczynski, and Richard Crespi III.

Coughlin moved to Halifax when he was in high school and attended Silver Lake. He said, “Since I moved here, I realized it’s a great town.”

Working at Walmart for a number of years, Coughlin eventually moved into loss prevention. This allowed him to become familiar with the police officers in town. He said they’re “role models” for him.

When asked by Selectmen Clerk Troy Garron about how his experience working in loss prevention helps his decision-making, Coughlin said he tries using “positive reinforcement” to help people. One example he brought up is if he caught someone stealing food, he’d confront them, but try to help them by giving them information on the local food pantry.

Coughlin received his degree in criminal justice from Bridgewater State University and is also a Marine Reserve member. He said he sees a future being a full-time police officer. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to give him a part-time position.

Andrew Lyczynski is 22-years-old and lived in Halifax his entire life. He said a lot of his family works in law enforcement, which pushed him towards that same goal.

He received his degree in criminal justice at Bridgewater State University. Lyczynski also has a minor in Spanish. Since graduating, Lyczynski worked as a part-time officer in Hull.

He expressed a strong desire to work in Halifax. Lyczynski said, “I want to get in the town I grew up in.”

Selectmen Vice-chair Kim Roy said she was impressed with Lyczynski’s involvement in the community. Lyczynski volunteered with the HOPS race and also worked in the town’s Parks and Recreations Department when he was younger.

Lyczynski was asked by the Board of Selectmen if having grown up in town, would have any impact on how he goes about dealing with people he knows personally, who might have broken the law.

“It’s an honor to work in the town you grew up in,” said Lyczynski, “At the end of the day, it’s my job.”

The Board appointed Lyczynski unanimously.

Richard Crespi III didn’t have the typical criminal justice background the other two new officers had. He attended the University of New England and received a degree in psychology.

Crespi’s goals were realized while working on Cape Cod, often with children under the care of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Crespi said he was inspired to become a police officer by the officers who would arrive for these kids late at night when incidents such as abuse would occur.

Currently, Crespi works at the Cardinal Cushing Center in Hanover, which works with people of all ages who suffer from intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Given that the position is part-time, Crespi plans to continue working at the Cushing Center. However, he said becoming a police officer is his primary goal and will be his first priority.

The Board of Selectmen appointed Crespi with a unanimous vote.

Marijuana Host Community Agreement Update

Town Administrator Charles Seelig posted a draft of the marijuana community host agreement between Halifax and 4 Daughters Compassionate Care.

Four Daughters wants to put the proposed marijuana growing facility on River Street. The proposed location is in Halifax’s industrial zone.

Leonard Ticino attended and said he did his own research on community host agreements, including calling the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. He said the town needs some clarity for how the impact fees work.

He cited impact fees for community host agreements in other industries outside of marijuana. He said the impact fees have been pulled and money deemed invalid because of specifications surrounding the laws unknown to the host municipality.

According to Seelig, the Cannabis Control Commission is working through these issues. There isn’t a clear grasp on this yet, so Seelig said the town isn’t taking action until this factor, along with others are known.

School Budget Update

Finance Committee is asking the Board of Selectmen to meet with them on Monday, February 26, 2018 to discuss the school’s budget for the coming fiscal year. The meeting comes from an initial request from Selectman Roy.

Seelig said the town is being hit by needing more funds for this year’s special education budget, especially at the elementary school level.

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias said priorities are going to have to be made for this year’s budget. This sentiment was shared by the rest of the Board and Seelig.

When speaking about priorities for the budget, Roy said, “This is the year of the need.”

The budget will be discussed more with the Finance Committee on Monday as the two boards try to create a budget before town meeting.

Other News

• The Board of Selectmen approved a common victualler license for Nicholas Varvitisiotis to open a pizza shop providing he completes all necessary paperwork and inspections.

The restaurant will be called Famous Pizza and Seafood. It has limited seating inside, so Varvitisiotis said it will primarily be a take-out and delivery shop.

Varvitisiotis has been in the restaurant business for thirty years. He bought his first pizza shop when he was still in college at the age of 20. He lives in Abington with his 12-year-old triplets.

• The Board of Selectmen approved two appointments to the Beautification Committee. Jeanne Kling and Tom Fitzgerald were both appointed to terms lasting until June 30, 2018.

The next Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 27, 2018. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor has announced the following positions will be on the ballot at the Halifax Town Election on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at the Halifax Elementary School, Rte. 106, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Board of Assessors, seat currently vacant.  Term of office three years.  Holly Merry has drawn nomination papers for this position.

• Board of Health, seat currently held by Alan J. Dias.  Term of office three years.

•  Town Clerk, seat currently held by Barbara Gaynor.   Term of office: three years.  Barbara Gaynor will seek re-election.

•   Town Treasurer-Collector, seat currently held by Pamela Adduci.   Term of office: three years.  Pamela Adduci will seek re-election.

• Holmes Library Board of Trustees, seat currently held by  Ava Grimason who is not seeking re-election.   Term of office: three years.

• Holmes Library Board of Trustees, seat currently held by Maureen C. Thayer who is not seeking re-election.   Term of office: three years.

•  Housing Authority*, seat currently held by Lee Mulready.   Term of office: five years. *Contingent on State approval.

•   Town Moderator, seat currently held by John Bruno.   Term of office: three years.

•  Park Commission, seat currently held by Gerard Elliott.   Term of office: three years.

•   Planning Board, seat currently held by Mark T. Millias.   Term of office: five years.

•Elementary School Committee, seat currently held by Alexander Mead.   Term of office: one year.

•Elementary School Committee, seat currently held by Summer Schmaling .   Term of office: three years.

•Elementary School Committee, seat currently held by Linda Twiss Gioscia.   Term of office: three years.  Linda Twiss Gioscia is not seeking re-election.

•Silver Lake School Committee, seat currently held by Mark J. Aubrey.   Term of office: three years.  Mark Aubrey is not seeking re-election.

• Board of Selectmen, seat currently held by Thomas Millias.   Term of office: three years.  Thomas Millias will seek re-election

• Water Commission, seat currently held by Daniel O. Bosworth, Jr.   Term of office: three years.

Nomination papers are now available and can be obtained at the Town Clerk’s office during regular office hours through Wednesday, March 28, 2018.  All completed papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 30, 2018.

This list may be revised due to resignations or other changes.

State police are continuing their investigation into the accident that ultimately killed Daniel A. Newcomb, a 31-year-old East Taunton man, Friday night, Jan. 12, on Route 44 in Carver.   Newcomb is the son of Michael and Melissa Newcomb of Halifax.

A 23-year-old Monponsett man was traveling westbound in a 2001 Mitsubishi Gallant on Route 44 when he struck a 1998 Saturn SL2,  that was stationary in the breakdown lane.  Newcomb was believed to have been outside of his vehicle at the time of the crash, according to preliminary reports by State Trooper Justin Greene who is investigating the crash.

Newcomb was transported to South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth where he later died.

The crash remains under investigation with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, and troopers assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

No charges had been filed as of press time Thursday.

State Police Nicole Morrell, when asked by the Express the identity of the other driver, said it is not the policy of the State Police to identify parties involved unless they face charges.

State Police were assisted on scene by the Carver Fire and EMS and MassDOT.

On the same night that Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy was appointed to Plympton’s Local Emergency Team, the Plympton selectmen’s meeting’s major focus was on addressing emergency situations caused by the Jan. 4 “bombogenesis” winter storm.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy spoke of the recent cold temperatures that caused a water pipe to break at the Plympton Town House. Dennehy said. “There was a fairly extensive amount of damage.”

She said most of the damage was in the lobby, Town Clerk Tara Shaw’s office, lunch room, and small area by the the vault. Much of the tiling had to be scrapped completely.

Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo praised the town custodian for his response and how fast he was able to get the Town House in clean, workable conditions. The Fire Department was also involved in the stoppage of the leak and salvaging the town hall.

Dennehy said most of the town hall was open again by Wednesday, Jan. 3. Town Clerk Tara Shaw’s office took longer to be operational again.

Issues at the School

School Committee Representative Jon Wilhelmsen attended the selectmen’s meeting to discuss the broken backup generator at Dennett Elementary School.

The school held a test for the generator prior to the blizzard. Wilhelmsen said, “The test fired and blew a part…It’s a miracle we didn’t lose power.”

He added that on Friday evening, Fire Chief Borsari came to inspect the broken generator and noticed an electrical fire smell. The well pump failed and there ended up being a small electrical fire in the fuse panel.

According to Borsari, it took Eversource 4 hours to respond, so the fire department issued a fire watch during that time.

The school is currently being powered by a portable temporary back-up generator. However, its lease is costing the town $1,500 per week. Schools cannot have an occupancy permit without a backup power source, so a permanent solution needs to come in the immediate future.

Wilhelmsen and the Board of Selectmen explored options for a permanent solution for the school. One option explored was repairing the 15-year-old generator. Wilhelmsen estimated the cost will be in the $8,000 to $12,000 range.

Given the cost and age, the Board is seriously considering a new and larger generator.

Selectman John Traynor wants to explore if a larger generator would be more efficient from a cost and performance perspective. Wilhelmsen estimated the cost to set up a new generator to be in the $25,000 to $35,000 range.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said the Board of Selectmen will also explore grant options.

Old Town House Update

The Board of Selectmen discussed the renewal of the lease for the Old Town House. A large aspect of the renewal was centered around who will provide maintenance for the building.

Going forward, the town is setting up a plan to be responsible financially for the maintenance of the Old Town House. The Board of Selectmen wants the town custodian to maintain the building.

In order to accomplish this, the Board discussed increasing the town custodian’s hours from 15 per week to 20. Increasing his hours to 20 per week would make the town custodian eligible for benefits.

The Board of Selectmen fully intends to do this for the next fiscal year that starts in July. Traynor said the Finance Committee would also have to be involved because of the inclusion of benefits.

In the meantime, Dennehy suggested raising the town custodian’s hours to 19 per week for the rest of this fiscal year. All three members of the Board said they liked the idea.

Other News

The draft of Municipal Resources, Inc’s consulting report is still pending. Dennehy said the draft won’t be ready until the first week of February.

The next Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting is Monday, Jan. 22. Open session begins at 6 p.m.

Plympton Library Director Debbie Batson invites townspeople to visit the library on Saturday morning, Jan. 6, from 10:30 to noon, to greet Plympton’s first Town Administrator, Elizabeth Dennehy at First Saturday Coffee Time.

Stop in, enjoy a cup of hot coffee and a goodie, meet your friends, and say hello to Ms. Dennehy who began her position in Plympton in early December.

Ms. Dennehy has more than 10 years of experience in municipal government, including serving as the Community Development Director in Walpole and as Planning Director and Environmental Affairs Officer in Fall River.

“We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Dennehy as Plympton’s first Town Administrator,” said Christine Joy, Chairman of the Plympton Board of Selectmen. “Her skills, experience, and local knowledge will prove beneficial to the Plympton municipal team and will help us to achieve continued success for the community.”

Ms. Dennehy, of Raynham, was one of two finalists for the position.

“We were highly impressed with the qualifications of both finalists,” Chairman Joy said.  “It was a difficult decision for the board.”

There were a total of 38 applicants for the position. The Board of Selectmen were supported in the search by a seven-member Town Administrator Screening Committee and by Community Paradigm Associates.

In Walpole, Ms. Dennehy was responsible for all aspects of the town’s Community and Economic Development Department, including preparation of the annual budget, attracting and negotiating with new businesses, hiring and supervising personnel, providing technical assistance to various boards and commissions, and updating zoning bylaws. Her work in Fall River involved managing all aspects of the city’s Planning Department.

Ms. Dennehy holds both a Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth/Environmental Science from Bridgewater State University. She is a Notary Public, and served on the Freetown Cultural Council from 2008 to 2014 and the Freetown Emergency Management Agency from 2005 to 2013.

Over the past two decades, a magical snowy village has grown, changed, and morphed into the beautiful community in a train layout on display in the Great Room on the second floor of the Halifax Town Hall.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig remembers when he first began his job in Halifax in 1997, he thought of a train setup as something for little kids to enjoy  – and geared the guage to be eye-level with a 3 or 4 year-old.  The train is  “G” gauge, or garden gauge, bigger than the usual livingroom sets.  “It began with a single loop of railroad track and a single building so the train would have someplace to go,” Seelig recalls.  “Every year, to a large extent, we’ve kept adding to it… To see the look on that 3 or 4 year old’s face as they see the magic of it, makes all the effort worth it.”

Over the years Seelig has had a lot of help with the project, which is set up each December as a focal point in the Halifax Holidays in Lights celebration.  “I’ve been very lucky,” he said.

John Nolan, son of the town’s accountant, with Guy Bosworth, both friends and classmates at Silver Lake, took over setting up the village, and helped out for many years, through high school, college, and beyond. 

Last year Nolan “retired” from the position, giving it over to another helpful model train enthusiast Griffin Kelly, 13, a student at Silver Lake Middle School.  Griffin, with help from his dad Bill, has set up the village and its train last year and this year, and hopefully for many years to come. 

Trouble has followed Tarawood Kennels from Halifax to New Hampshire where three dozen dogs and puppies have died in two separate fires in the past three weeks in Bristol, NH.

The first fire at the facility on Nov. 22, property that had been owned by Bobbie Choate’s step-father, Oley Firth, killed two adult dogs and five puppies.  The fire appears to have been caused by a heat lamp that had been knocked over. Although the cause is listed as “still under investigation”.

The alarm was called in at 4:28 a.m.  Bristol FD arrived on scene eight minutes later at 4:36 a.m.    Initial observation of the 90 Chestnut St. property  showed the fire spreading outside the building to the second floor.

The homeowner was located removing a dog from the walkout basement.  She told firefighters that she was the only one at the residence and she was fine.

The last unit cleared the scene almost five hours later at 9:35 a.m.  According to the report, the fire originated in a common room or den of the 1 ½ story cottage.  The cause of the fire remains undetermined and is under investigation.  Loss due to the Nov. 22 fire is estimated to be $165,000.

The latest fire on Wednesday, Dec. 13, burned an outbuilding on the property, killing 3 adult dogs and 26 puppies.  The nine dogs housed in the burned cottage survived.

The alarm came in at 7:45 a.m. Dec. 13, with Bristol FD on the scene four minutes later at 7:49 a.m.  Firefighters had been alerted that there were dogs in the building and once the fire had been knocked down, two closed-top kennels were observed with an adult dog and puppies in each, and an open top kennel with multiple puppies but no adult.  The adult dog was later found under debris just inside the front door.

Bristol police were notified and obtained warrants.

New Hampshire’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took the surviving dogs into their care, and two SPCA workers took custody of the bodies of the deceased dogs and puppies.

The surviving dogs remain in the care of the SPCA according to communications liaison Sheila Ryan.

It remains to be seen when and whether they will be returned to Choate, who also is known by the name Bobbie Harmon.  The property ownership is listed to Bobbie Harlfinger on Bristol, NH, real estate records.

The process determining the fate of the dogs, according to Ryan, could be lengthy, with an expedited hearing expected to review the case and determine if the animals should be returned to Choate or placed for adoption.  Then Choate would have the right to appeal. “It could be months,” Ryan said.

Choate and her Tarawood Kennels on Plymouth St., Halifax, near the Plympton town line, were the subject of much concern.  As her operation grew, and the number of dogs her permit allowed was increased, Halifax neighbors complained, citing the increased noise level of dogs continually barking at all hours. Choate, also known as Jennifer Harmon, had applied to the Halifax Zoning Board of Appeals to increase the number of dogs at her kennel to 100 with unlimited litters of puppies.  That application was later withdrawn.

Halifax selectman Kim Roy made several trips to the Tarawood Kennels property to record the noise from the dogs and replayed it at one of several hearings.  That, in addition to other evidence presented, caused selectmen to vote to limit the number of dogs allowed at the property to 25, and permit only six litters of puppies per year.

Choate was not happy with the decision and expressed her displeasure at the hearing.

At a subsequent July 25 hearing to answer a dog bite incident at the kennel, Choate told selectmen that the Halifax property had been sold and the kennel operation would shut down August 10.  Choate told selectmen she was moving her kennel operations to New Hampshire after closing Halifax.  At that time she told selectmen she was also moving a 30-horse facility to New Hampshire.

New Hampshire, according to SPCA representative Ryan, doesn’t require a breeder’s license for operations that produce less than 50 puppies per year.  She also said that the SPCA is encouraging legislation that would put stronger regulations in place to protect the animals.

The dreary, misty morning on Wednesday mirrored the atmosphere of the  close-knit Lingan St., Halifax, neighborhood.  The lurking stillness was a stark reminder of the sexual assault on a young woman who was out walking her dog on Sunday, just before sunset.

Halifax Police Chief Edward “Ted” Broderick told The Express that the attack, which appears random, occurred as it was getting dark.  He asked neighbors to be aware of their surroundings and to watch out for one another.

Broderick explained that the details of the assault remain restricted, both to protect the victim, who was treated medically for the attack, and for the integrity of the investigation.

The department is investigating every lead and persons of interest, but is asking anyone who may have witnessed something at that time on Sunday or who has information which they think might be helpful, to contact the Halifax Police Department.

The area of a cranberry bog off Lingan Street and a fenced park with a beach are diagonally across from one another.  Broderick did not specify the exact location where the assault took place, but urged people to be aware of their own safety wherever they are.

“Besides taking all precautions while in this area, we also need your help.  If you were in the area Sunday night and think you saw anything that would help the investigation, please call the station and speak to Officer McDonnell or Officer Schleiff,” Broderick said. 

“It’s with regret I have to ask this, but when walking the area after dark, that you do it with a friend, or try to do your activities during the day,” Broderick said in a media post.

Without a suspect in custody, neighbors remain cautious.  A woman walking her dog while pushing a baby stroller, told The Express that she would be paying extra attention to her surroundings, but as a general safety rule, she never leaves the main walking area of her street – a safety plan she will continue.  The assault has left neighbors on edge.

The neighborhood, made up of many closely spaced former summer cottages on Monponsett Pond, polkadotted with children’s swing sets, and decorated with Christmas lights, is on alert. 

Anyone with any information should call the Halifax Police at 781-293-5761.