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Area is deemed “low risk” for EEE and West Nile Virus

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As of August 15, Halifax and surrounding towns are listed as a “low risk” community for EEE and WnV.

The Halifax Board of Health has been notified about a mosquito with EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis) in Middleborough (July 12) and one in Kingston (August 15). It was found in a Culex mosquito, the Culex restuans. Natural and artificial containers are the preferred larval habitat of this mosquito. It feeds almost primarily on birds but has been known to bite humans on occasion. This species is typically collected from May to October but can be found year round as it readily overwinters in man-made structures.

Cx restuans has been implicated as a vector of WNV. Take this bird biter as a warning. People have control over stagnant water in containers: buckets, tarps, tires, etc. Rinse them out, turn them over.

Rinse bird baths at least twice a week.

Residents should continue to take precautions including removing all containers with standing water such as accumulating junk in the yard, not maintaining swimming pools and allowing them to sit with green stagnant water, along with toys, tarps and tires.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health wrote:

Although there has been less evidence of EEE activity this year than in some recent years, the late heat and humidity this summer are perfect conditions for mosquito activity.

The peak time for transmission of EEE will continue through at least some of September.

The types of mosquitoes most likely to carry EEE are considered to be active dusk to dawn but the timing of that activity can be impacted by temperature, humidity, cloud cover and day length. In addition, active participation in outdoor sports increases our availability to mosquitoes. Physical exertion and sweating may also change individual attractiveness to mosquitoes and may decrease the time that repellents are effective.

DPH is writing to ask you to help us get the word out to residents, schools and athletic groups, that it is important to take steps to avoid mosquito bites. Know the drill – mosquito repellents, clothing and limiting outdoor activity during peak mosquito activity hours.

Also, keep in mind that our residents travel between cities and towns regularly and some of those may travel from areas not familiar with EEE.  They may not be mindful of the importance of preventing mosquito bites.  Please remind them.

To call for ground spraying of your property, call Plymouth County Mosquito Control at 781 585 5450.

Individuals can call the Project, between 8:00am and 3:00pm on Monday through Friday, to request that their property be sprayed. The Project’s phone number is (781) 585-5450, fax (781) 582-1276 or mail us at P.O. Box 72, Kingston, MA 02364. To find out where the spray routes are going to be, call (617) 582-6219 (during spray season). Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project

For more information on EEE and WNv, please see DPH’s site at: http://www.mass.gov.

MOU signed for Parsonage Rd: One step closer to closing on the property

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PLYMPTON– The Plympton Board of Health held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, August 16. Several status updates were heard and new business was signed off on. Most notably, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the board and Richmond Poole so that he can close on the property owned by the USDA at 59 Parsonage Road.

• An MOU was signed between the board and Richmond Poole– conditional on some minor paperwork on Poole’s part– outlining the conditions under which the board will lift the letter on the title to the property. The property was re-inspected, and the only issues other than the trailers on the property involve securing a bulkhead. Mr. Poole’s attorney was present.

Board will monitor

Upland Road rats

• A rat infestation on Upland Road continues to seem to have abated itself. The board wanted to monitor the situation until the end of August, and will inspect the property once more before closing the matter.

• A resident on Elm street with multiple septic tanks on his property wants to reuse one of them. The board will write him a letter stating that he needs to have what is currently there inspected so he knows which one is in the best shape.

Rubbish on Grove St

And Mayflower Rd.

• A resident on Grove Street is working with the Council on Aging and the Board of Health to remove a dumpster’s worth of rubbish from her property. Since the resident hasn’t purchased a transfer station permit, even offers to volunteer to haul the trash– as board member Ken Thompson had offered– cannot be taken up. The board wants the resident to find a permanent solution to the trash problem. “She’s got to take care of it,” said Art Morin, board chair. “That’s the end of the story.”

• A property on Mayflower Street that was foreclosed by their bank and left with rubbish out front is being ordered by the board to clean up the mess. Since the lender is in Texas, the response hasn’t been adequate, but health board staff has found a phone number for the lender and will contact them again.

• Three Building Department permits were signed off on prior to the meeting: one for a Main Street renovation, one for a Main Street handicap ramp, and one for a Prospect Road rebuilding of a collapsed post and beam barn.

Plympton Selectmen hear about plan to lower electricity costs

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, August 8, the Plympton Board of Selectmen handled a brief agenda. The main item was a presentation from Colonial Power Group on community choice aggregation.

Brian Murphy, of Colonial Power, an electricity aggregation consultant, presented a detailed plan on how an electricity aggregation program might work in Plympton. The town voted at last town meeting to adopt the statute into the by-laws allowing for such a program, but it must be administered by a consultant. Colonial Power was suggested by the Old Colony Planning Counsel.

Community choice aggregation is a buying group organized usually by one municipality (but occasionally a group of municipalities) in order to reduce the cost of electricity for customers in that buying group. It originated in the late 1990’s with the Massachusetts Utility Deregulation Act of 1997.

All customers in Plympton would be part of the program, unless they opt-out. Colonial Power, if chosen as the consultant, would notify customers of the change and their chance to opt-out. NSTAR would still deliver the electricity, bill the customer and maintain lines. About 1/3 Massachusetts communities have aggregation in place.

Advocates say the benefits are choice, stability and savings to customers.

“We’ve never had a CCA program where prices have gone up for customers,” said Murphy.

The next step is for the Selectmen to adopt an aggregation plan, followed by several steps at the state level handled by the consultant.

Murphy mentioned some concerns that residents might have with CCA. One is that tax-dollars would be used. No tax dollars are used, he said. Also, rate-payers can opt-out, but as well, with Colonial they can opt-in and opt-out at any time, which is beyond what state law requires.

He said that if the selectmen choose Colonial, there will be ample question and answer sessions to explain what is exactly going on with rate-payers power.

D.A.R.E. program mixes fun, sobering safety messages

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There was a lot to be loud and proud about last week at the Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education (DARE) Summer Program held at host school Whitman-Hanson July 25-28 as more than 600 campers cheered for their teams and took over the grounds for fun and education in the sun.

With the temperature reaching 90 degrees nearly all week, campers had both in and outdoor activities where special guest performers and educators spoke to them about DARE and avoiding situations or substances that could potentially cause them harm.

Lead Camp Organizer Peter Veneto spoke to families, campers and staff at the closing ceremony on Friday as campers from 20 of the 27 communities within Plymouth County gathered to share a week of non-stop fun. The camp celebrated its 22nd year in Plymouth County and is sponsored by Plymouth County D.A Timothy J. Cruz., The Plymouth County Police Chiefs and Drug education and resource officers.

“Your behavior was fantastic,” Veneto said. “As campers you have earned your T-shirts — wear them proudly as leaders in the community. Let your friends know who you are: Leaders of a drug-free community. Be proud of yourselves.”

Host town DARE Officer Billy Frazier of Hanson asked for a moment of silence honoring law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty across the United States over the past few months, as well as three former DARE Officers who have passed away since the camp was established.

Awards honoring the former DARE Officers were presented to Peer Leader Liz Short of Hanson’s Team 5 in memory of Officer Robert Quigley of the Marshfield Police Department, student service awards were presented to Emma Wojag of Hanson in memory of Helen Gray and Brayden Ferguson of Whitman was presented with a student service award in memory of Officer Gerald Mont of Whitman police.

District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz pledged his efforts to continue the camp and reminded campers that it took many officers, and donations of food,  time, money and most of the things they were able to participate in were due to the generosity of so many local companies.

Cruz intends to see the camp grow and eventually have all 27 communities in Plymouth County have resource officers and participate in the camp.

On Tuesday, July 26 Cruz and Sherriff McDonald presented two Hanson natives — Chief Warrant 3 pilot Scott Landis and Anthony Celia — with recognition awards for their decade of service in the Army flying Black Hawk helicopters. The pair talked with campers after landing on the soccer field, giving a tour of equipment and allowing the kids to explore the aircraft.

Kudos

DARE Camp organizers thanked Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr. and the Hanson Fire Department for its help in making the Thursday, July 28, foam and water day a success as well as the following: Plymouth County Police Chiefs: Christopher Delmonte of Bridgewater; John Crowley of Brockton; Marc Duphily of Carver; Matthew Clancy of Duxbury; Scott Allen of East Bridgewater; Walter Sweeney of Hanover; Michael Miksch of Hanson; Glenn Olsson of Hingham; Robert Sawtelle of Hull; Frank Alivihiera of Lakeville; Philip Tavarers of Marshfield; Theodore Ross of Norwell; Richard Wall of Pembroke; Michael Botieri of Plymouth; Patrick Dillon of  Plympton; John Llewellyn of Rockland; Michael Stewart of Scituate; Kevin Walsh of Wareham; Victor Flaherty of West Bridgewater and Scott Benton of Whitman. Thanks were also extended to Chief Christopher Cummings of the Massasoit Community College Police and Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald Jr.

Water Risk Rises for Brockton & Monponsett Pond

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By State Representative Tom Calter (12th Plymouth District)

Fifty-two years ago, neighboring communities of Brockton came together, despite concerns, to provide a stopgap measure to supplement Brockton’s insufficient water supply during a time when drought left the City at risk of burning from fire.

Yet, as we face a looming public health crisis with the continued degradation of Monponsett Pond, and cyanobacteria counts growing more hazardous by the week, Brockton water officials continue to refuse to change their irresponsible practices that have defined their management approach for over five decades.  In fact, they won’t even acknowledge their role – as dominant as it is.  Recently, Brockton Water Commissioner Chair Ossie Jordan, claimed that there is “no problem” with water quality or quantity for residents of Brockton and challenged people to “get the right information”. With that in mind, I’m writing this article to provide some important facts that he omitted. 

In 1964, the passage of emergency legislation, Act 371, authorized Brockton to access Monponsett Pond in Halifax and Furnace Pond in Pembroke as part of their supply, which already included Silver Lake.  The fact is: hand-in-hand with granting this access, Act 371 also established the Central Plymouth County Water District Commission as the legal water management authority charged with ensuring that practices promote safe and sustainable drinking supplies for all of central Plymouth County, as well as protecting the ponds’ pre-existing recreational and economic uses.

Following years of closure of West Monponsett Pond due to spikes in unsafe cyanobacteria levels and negative ecological impacts on the pond and Silver Lake, the CPCWDC and I have been working diligently with Brockton officials for over 3 years to get all parties talking about solutions.  Originally we had hoped that with the sharing of facts and data, Brockton would show interest in the same common good that delivered them a drinking water supply amidst their own crisis.  However, the fact is, despite scientific research and data presented, Brockton continues to keep the sluice gate at Stump Brook closed, ignoring the authority of the CPCWDC in the process.  In doing so, they keep West Monponsett Pond stagnant, all-the-while knowing that such action is a significant contributing factor that makes conditions ripe for cyanobacteria blooms to grow and flourish. And flourish they have.

The Mass Dept. of Public Health sets the safe contact standard for cyanobacteria at 70,000 cells per liter.  The fact is that a sample collected from West Monponsett on July 11th came in at over 1 Million cells per liter. Over 1 Million –that’s 15 times the public health threshold for contact.  Certain strains of cyanobacteria can manufacture toxins and these toxins can produce adverse health effects.   Physical ingestion can cause illness and research now shows that these toxins can even become airborne, with a range of miles, bringing respiratory problems and increased rates of ALS and Alzheimer’s with it.  Residents who live around the pond are often afraid to open their windows or leave their homes when the cell counts are high.  The notion made by Brockton Rep. Michelle DuBois that residents of Halifax want their beaches back to sunbathe is beyond offensive.

While disregard for their neighbors’ health is bad enough, perhaps what’s worse is disregard for their own responsibility to ensure a sustainable and safe water supply for residents of the great City of Brockton into the future. Many times over many years, Brockton has been advised that reliance on Silver Lake for the majority of its water source was inadequate and that additional supplies must be developed to ensure a sufficient water supply in the event of a drought.  This prompted the use of Monponsett in the first place, and now that source may be ruined.  Yet, they evidently continue to view Silver Lake as ‘theirs’, when in reality Brockton doesn’t own Silver Lake, any more than any municipality can.  The fact is – it is a Great Pond and is owned by all people in the Commonwealth. The privileged rights of access Brockton enjoys absolutely do not give them the right to destroy it. 

Moreover, the bacteria cell count in Monponsett Pond far exceeds the safety standards for swimming and yet this water is dumped by the billions of gallons into the Silver Lake drinking water supply, with a nod from Commissioner Jordan that they “might increase some of the chemicals we put in if that became a problem.”  I’m not a chemist, nor a doctor, but I’ve learned enough about the harm of chemical exposure on the human body to be weary of that as a go-to solution for an ongoing problem.  Prior to becoming a legislator, I spent 30 years in the environmental remediation industry, I know an environmental blight when I see it, and I know that knee-jerk chemical treatments are merely masking the problem.

Brockton officials deny the risk to public health and to the sustainability of their water supply.  Monponsett’s degraded water quality is fueled by excessive nutrients and the presence of cyanobacteria cells.  During the non-summer months Brockton diverts that highly degraded water into Silver Lake.  It is only a matter of time before Silver Lake is also pushed over the edge and mirrors the dangerous conditions in Monponsett.  So, while Rep. DuBois and others mistakenly believe that this is purely a recreational problem, it could soon be Brockton’s drinking water crisis.  Brockton’s citizens and the residents around Silver Lake cannot afford this destruction of a precious resource.   

The towns of Halifax and Hanson, the CPCWDC, and local watershed associations all recognize that there are multiple contributing factors to the cyanobacteria problem. They are all doing their part, spending significant money and time in upgrading septic systems, water treatments, public education on fertilizers, and working with the agricultural industry to stem the problem. The one significant contributing factor that remains unhindered is the water stagnation. That is controlled by Brockton water officials and they must do their part.

The fact is, the City of Brockton has an alternate water source readily available through its contract with Aquaria, yet they rarely use it and when they do, it is minimally.  Water from Silver Lake is “free” after all and Aquaria water is not. I represent constituents of 6 towns, all of whom pay for the precious resource of clean water. We’re not asking Brockton to do anything we aren’t already doing. Tying in to the MWRA is another solid alternative with hook up points in neighboring Stoughton that make it a very viable option. The cost of responding to a water crisis far exceeds a proactive approach and if these existing sources are lost due to water safety and poor management, there is no predicting how expensive that “free” water will become.   

The MA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has long been aware of the draw-down impacts on Silver Lake and the deterioration of Monponsett Pond, and at my urging eight months ago, began preparing a new Administrative Consent Order for Brockton to comply with. However, I am extremely disappointed that several months of negotiation with Brockton has not resulted in any work product, and the heat of the summer is now upon us.

I’ll remind readers that the water crisis in Flint, MI was borne out of prioritizing cost savings over water safety. Citizens of Flint repeatedly raised concerns about the quality of the drinking water, and repeatedly, these concerns were dismissed. The water crisis in Toledo, OH, caused by a massive cyanobacteria bloom, left a half a million residents without safe drinking water despite continual advance warnings from the EPA about its vulnerability and the Toledo’s lack of preparedness.

Similar to the crises in Flint and Toledo, the warnings about Brockton’s water supply are being voiced and dismissed.  No one wants to see this evolve into a public health emergency and yet, the path to that end is visible. If Brockton officials choose again to look the other way and not take meaningful action, I will file legislation requiring them to hook up to the MWRA as a sustainable and reliable water resource.  For the sake of meeting basic water needs for the people of Brockton, AND for the sake of the health of residents living in proximity to Monponsett Pond and Silver Lake, it is time for Brockton Water Commissioners to finally change their ways and do what is right – for the common good.

Plympton Board of Health Meets: Progress on 59 Parsonage Road

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PLYMPTON– The Plympton Board of Health met on Tuesday, July 19, and discussed a variety of topics, most notably:

• Progress has been made on the closing of 59 Parsonage Road between the USDA and Richmond Poole. An attorney for Mr. Poole was present, and all agreed that the board would first inspect the property to find out if any remaining orders need to be complied with, and then move forward with removing trailers that were left on the property. Now that the process has been agreed upon, it is just a matter of carrying it out.

• Assessors still cannot get access to two homes on Maple Street to determine the number of rooms, which is directly related to the septic system.

• Although rats have been seen in the area, the rat infestation on Upland Road seems to be under control and continues to be monitored.

• The sale of the home on Grove Street where a dumpster company dumped the refuse in the driveway because the dumpster fee went unpaid has fallen through. The dumpster company is unknown, and the garbage has been bagged and is in the backyard of the home now. Ken Thompson of the Board of Health volunteered, on a one-time basis, to help haul away some of the trash, but wanted to make sure that a plan for getting rid of trash was in place for the future.

• A home on Mayflower Road that went into foreclosure also has a rubbish problem; this time trash was just left in the driveway. The lender will be contacted and asked to comply with code.

Driving us buggy Gypsy moths begin egg-laying

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Motorists may have noticed lately that they’ve been driving through flurries of moths on the region’s roadways — the latest stage of what entomologists are calling the worst gypsy moth infestation since the early 1980s.

Those moths are now laying masses of beige eggs before they die off, leading experts to fear a worse infestation next year.

Hanson and Kingston are among the state’s communities seeing spotty damage from the moths that, in their caterpillar stage, can irritate more than one’s nerves. Tiny hairs on the caterpillars can cause skin irritations for some with allergies.

There may not be much one can do to combat them at this point, however.

“It seems like the consensus is that, because we’ve had two very dry springs in a row, the fungus Entomophiaga Maimaiga … needs a lot of moisture to get going and it has to happen early enough in the season — a nice, wet April and May,” said Tawny Simisky an extension entomologist specializing in woody plant entomology with the UMass, Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. The fungus is a natural enemy of the gypsy moth caterpillar that winters over in the soil and is most effective when it can get into the caterpillar population at an immature stage.

“Although we did see some of the fungus this year and we’ve had more reports recently about the fungus, it didn’t get kicked up into the population soon enough — or early enough — back in April and May,” Simisky said. “We didn’t have enough rain to have the fungus do enough damage to the gypsy moth caterpillars.”

Now the male moths are flying about seeking females with which to mate, as the females do not fly.

“They [caterpillars] were able to eat quite a bit,” Simisky said, noting her office has received a lot of reports about defoliation. “Unfortunately, we do not map it, but I do have some lists of towns [where damage has been reported].”

spotty damage

Besides Hanson and Kingston, there have been reports of spotty damage in, but not limited to, Sturbridge, Monson, Uxbridge, Brimfield, Charlton, Northborough, Westborough, Plymouth, Carver, Wareham, Sharon, Winchendon, Framingham, West Bridgewater, Braintree, Rowley, Georgetown, Ipswich, Newbury, Boxford, Topsfield, Gloucester, and Wrentham have reported continued and elevated caterpillar activity paired with defoliation this spring.

“Defoliation (mostly oaks) was observed by motorists driving in certain areas on Route 3 (Plymouth area), I-495 (Acton, Littleton, and Worcester areas), and the Mass. Turnpike (I-90) near Charlton. However, there have been multiple reports of gypsy moth caterpillars having fed on pines and spruce this season,” according to the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment’s periodic Landscape Message. A lot of calls were also received concerning the sound of caterpillar waste — known as frass — falling from the trees.

“It’s psychologically difficult for people to deal with, it seems,” Simisky said.

what to do?

What is a homeowner to do?

Some extension services across the country have suggested soap and water as an acceptable method for removing egg masses within reach. But Simisky said that is not a very effective method, instead recommending horticultural oil applied by a licensed company.

Simisky said each cluster laid by gypsy moths contains 500 or more eggs.

“Where folks are seeing a lot of egg masses being laid right now, that’s a likely sign that next season they’ll have a lot of gypsy moths again, unless we have a wet spring,” she said. “I’ve been advising folks to make their management plans now.”

The horticultural oils suffocate the egg masses, while soap and water requires one to scrape the egg masses into a container of the solution.

“That is really, I think, futile, labor-intensive work,” Simisky said. “You have to be able to reach every single egg mass and getting good coverage with those horticultural oils can be difficult, too.”

That’s where a Massachusetts-licensed pesticide applicator is important in targeting host trees that are covered in egg masses early next spring.

According to UMass entomologist Dr. Joseph Elkinton, Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.), a low-toxicity pesticide option that only acts on moths and butterflies may be sprayed on susceptible host plants (such as oak) when gypsy moth caterpillars are still small and feeding. The compound is created from a naturally occurring bacterium that is relatively safe for other beneficial insects, but can harm pollinating butterflies.

“It is derived from a bacterium specific to that group of insects and is considered to be safe for people and pets,” Elkinton stated in a recent article. “There is nothing that can be done now to manage the adult moths.”

Wrapping trees in foil — as was the common “remedy” for saving trees from caterpillars in the 1980s infestation — is also considered ineffective today, Simisky said.

Rat infestation on Upland Road seems under control

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PLYMPTON– The Plympton Board of Health met Tuesday, July 5 and mostly heard updates on old business. Several of the more notable topics addressed were the following:

• Two houses on Maple Street need to be inspected by the assessor in order for the Health Department to ascertain the number of bedrooms, which is directly related to the size required of a property’s septic system. 48 Maple Street is refusing access while 66 Maple Street cannot find a mutually agreeable time for the inspection.

• A rat infestation on Upland Road seems to have abated. A neighbor moved a wood pile where rats seem to have been living, and the properties will be monitored.

• An inspection of a septic system was conducted by a licensed inspector on Bradford Road, but the inspector was not licensed in Plympton. Not all towns require local licensure; many just require state licensure, according to Cathy Drinan, Health Inspector. The Board will fine the company that the inspector works for $150 for the unlicensed inspection.

• Someone sold a Grove Street property, but the culprit cannot yet be ascertained. They left a dumpster in the driveway. The dumpster company was apparently never paid, so they dumped the contents on the driveway itself and left the pile of refuse. The Board of Health isn’t sure who to take action against– normally it would be the buyer, said Drinan, but the dumpster company should not have left the trash on the driveway. Because this was an anonymous complaint, the Board’s options are limited at this point in time.

• The sale of the property at 59 Parsonage Road from the federal USDA Farm Service to Richmond Poole has not closed yet as Mr. Poole’s attorney is traveling in Europe.

Upland Club event will help Amy Breault: Go to Russia for stem cell treatment

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Amy Breault, who grew up on West Street, Plympton, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was just 16 years olf.  That was in the year 2000.  Since then, she has become legally blind and needs assistance walking.  She hasn’t let that slow her down, though, or dulled the smile she always wears.

Today, Amy is a loving 32-year old mother fo a beautiful 3-year old daughter, Arianna.

Since her initial diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS, she has continued to jump life’s hurdles as she now battles secondary-progressive MS.  There are few effective treatments for this type of the disease. Local practicioners have been unable to find an effective FDA-approved medication to slow the MS progression.

Amy has the opportunity to use her own body’s stem cells to repair what was once considered permanent damage.  Because this highly-effective treatment is not available in the United States, she will travel to Russia to receiver her autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant, where she has been invited for treatment.

Amy, with her sidekick Brendan Bibaud, invite the community to join them at the Upland Club, Upland Road, Plympton, Saturday, July 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a chicken bake.  There will be a DJ, raffles, and much more for a family afternoon for all ages.  There is no charge to come and meet Amy under the Upland Club Pavilion and lend your support to her mission.  Optional tickets for the chicken bake dinner are $20 per person and can be purchased at the Upland Club r by calling Kim at (781) 585-5741.  All proceeds will go to Amy for her stem cell treatment in Russia.

For those who wish to help but cannot attend, donations may be made directly at http://www.youcaring.com/amy-breault-360701.

Plympton-Carver TRIAD 10th Anniversary Gala Luncheon

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This year marks the tenth year for Plympton and Carver TRIAD a group of local elders working together with fire and law enforcement to meet the needs of seniors.

Among the many who attended the event were both Plymouth County D.A Timothy Cruz and Sherriff Joseph McDonald along with local fire and police chiefs.

  Plymouth County D.A.  Timothy Cruz addressed those in attendance.

“Great job everyone. The seniors, law enforcement and fire working together… it really is a collective group who work together,”

On his public website the TRIAD efforts are described:  The Plymouth County TRIAD is a cooperative effort that consists of the district attorney, the sheriff, the local police chief, the local fire chief, the council on aging director, S.A.L.T. council members, seniors, and representatives from the supportive services that assist seniors in their community.

TRIAD assesses the needs of each community separately. Every community that adopts the TRIAD approach is able to tailor the needs of TRIAD to their seniors.

Sheriff Joseph McDonald commended Janine Eaton liaison for the TRIAD program and Resident Service Co-coordinator for Hallkeen Corporation at the Woodlands.

“We appreciate the cooperation and help for all the group has done and the hard work of Janine Eaton because without her there is no us,” said McDonald.

Keynote Speaker Alice Bonner Secretary of Elder services at the executive office of Governor’s affairs said their vision and mission is promoting the independence and empowerment of older adults and people with disabilities and their care givers so they will have access to the resources they need to live well and thrive in their community.

She has been traveling around the state in honor of Older American’s month, which was established by President John F. Kennedy in the 1960’s  to recognize the value and importance of adults in our community.

The theme this year is Blaze a Trail.

“There is no better example of blazing a trail than the Duxbury Police chief getting an idea and having you guys really make it happen…then sustaining it for the last ten years,” she said of the TRIAD members.

Bonner urged those in attendance to keep thinking about positive aging… “One of the really important things is being protected from elder abuse, financial exploitation and we need to build communities like this where people are looking out for one another,” she said.

Eaton also thanked longtime group members and founders of Plympton Carver TRIAD Plympton police Sergeant  Steven Teri,  Heidi Bassett (retired Carver police)Barbara Faherty  of D.A .Cruz’s office and Lissa Budge Johnson along with numerous others who have helped run all the programs  over the last decade.