Plympton Fire Chief Stephen Silva, who is nearing his one-year anniversary, gave an update on the state of the department during the Monday, Sept. 23, Board of Selectmen meeting.

Chief Silva gave a rundown of the various grants that had been awarded or are soon to be awarded to the department during his nearly yearlong tenure including $16,000 for a needed piece of medical equipment, $25,000 from the Gary Sinise Foundation for specialized protective gear, and $17,000 from FEMA used toward a gear washer and dryer. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of town administrator Elizabeth Dennehy in securing a green grant, new appliances will be purchased for the fire department.  In total, $83,000 of grant money will have been procured by the end of the year. An additional $10,000 has been raised through fundraising efforts.

A lack of record keeping had plagued the department prior to Chief Silva’s arrival. Despite some vehicles being ten years old, there were no records of them having been formally assessed. In the last ten months, $15,000 worth of repairs have been performed on department vehicles to correct problems with pumps, transmissions, brakes, and many other issues. Captain Paul Lamoureux, who is currently a captain with the Bridgewater fire department, has been brought on to oversee the now formalized maintenance program. “Let’s just say he knows trucks,” Silva said of Lamoreaux. While acknowledging that there are no guarantees, Silva said, “Unanticipated major failures should be a thing of the past.”

The department now has a trained, nationally recognized fire prevention officer. Additionally, firefighter Keith Pontes, who is a facilities manager at the power plant on the Canal as well as a Mass Maritime graduate, has taken the lead on the department’s rehabilitation project.

Silva also stressed the importance of communicating with Plympton residents through social media. Regarding the department’s Facebook page, Silva said, “It’s an incredibly good communication tool; the citizens and businesses of Plympton are our customers and it’s our responsibility to let them know what we are doing with their money.” For those wishing to visit the station, an open house will be held on October 26 from 10-2.

Selectmen John Traynor asked the Chief about strides made within the department with respect to recruitment and retention. Silva explained that the lack of applicants for civil service positions such as firefighters and paramedics is widespread and is even affecting larger communities. Silva, who serves as a liaison between Plymouth County fire chiefs and Plymouth County police chiefs said that it is an ongoing concern and conversation. Silva referred to the shortage of paramedics as “if not a crisis, close to it.” Despite these conditions, however, Silva said, “We are retaining more and we are starting to get more people in.” Silva explained that with the blessing of some other local fire departments, some veteran firefighters that had previously left the Plympton Fire Department to work in other communities, have actually returned either per diem or part time.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy asked Silva what could be done to entice more residents to take an interest in the Fire Department. Silva said, “It’s all about getting out in the community and letting the community know there is a spot for everybody. If you don’t want to be a structural firefighter or an EMT or if you do, that’s fine, there is always a place.” In addition to open houses, the department will also be offering CPR courses monthly beginning around the first of the year for those wishing to become CPR certified. There are also plans to resurrect the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in the coming year. The Selectmen thanked Silva for his work and Vice Chair Mark Russo summarized their feelings saying, “You’ve done a wonderful job righting the ship.”

Selectmen

appointments

Several appointments were made during Monday’s meeting including Jennifer Macdonald and Gail Knight both to the Cultural Council through June 30, 2020. The Selectmen also appointed Jay Cohen to the Planning Board through June 30, 2020. After being selected through an interview process, Brian Vasa was also appointed as the town’s first Conservation Agent through June 30, 2020. “Thank you all for agreeing to come and serve on these important boards and committees,” Joy said. Traynor commended the town for their volunteer outreach saying that of 130 elected or appointed positions within Plympton, all but four are currently filled. “I think that’s a testament to the volunteer spirit of the town,” Traynor said.

Killing frost needed

Correspondence from the Board of Health was read during the meeting which cited the continued warm weather as the reason for the recent additional aerial spraying as well as emphasizing that it is the “killing frost” rather than the “first frost” that will eliminate the threat posed by mosquitos. While the first frost occurs once temperatures hit 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the killing frost doesn’t occur until temperatures hit 28 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive hours.

Cathleen Drinan,
Health agent for Halifax
Special to the Express

On Monday afternoon, 9-16-19, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) held a conference call for boards of health to discuss the aerial spraying in response to the continued seriousness of the mosquito borne virus of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

While this aerial spraying could be considered a fourth or a continuation of the third, their point was to take advantage of our warm temperatures and do what can be done to reduce the risk of this deadly virus.

Any towns at high or critical risk for EEE, that were not covered in the recent aerial spraying are planned to be sprayed beginning the evening of 9-16-19 and continuing, weather allowing.

Some nights, the plane sprays only part of a planned area because it rains or the temperature drops below a point where it will not be effective, around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

As with previous aerial sprayings this year, the public is to be informed after the fact.

While DPH recognizes the concerns and wishes of the public to be informed ahead of time, they have learned that they must give the pilots the choice to make the decisions, as to what can and cannot be accomplished, according to the weather conditions.

It is only after the fact that DPH can produce the map of what areas were sprayed.

Please visit https://www.mass.gov/guides/eee-in-massachusetts#-september-2019-aerial-spraying-information-

That page also has the dusk to dawn time guidelines.

Protect yourself and your family. Use EPA approved repellants. Cover yourself, whenever possible, with long sleeves and pants and avoid being outdoors from dusk to dawn.

Do all you can to prevent the bite!

Several appointments were made during the Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, Sept. 9. Justin Shepard, who was in attendance, was named to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) through June 30, 2022. Shepard will fill a vacancy left after longtime CPC member Dave Chandler decided to step down.  Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair and Chair of the CPC Mark Russo described Chandler as a “wonderful member and wonderful contributor.” Russo said, “We are absolutely thrilled that Justin has come aboard.” Board of Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said of the CPC, “It’s an important committee that has a lot of impact in the town.” The deadline for CPC applications is October 15.

Other appointments included Harry Weikel to the Town Center Campus Committee indefinitely, Christine Kelly as Assistant Treasurer/Collector, Inez Murphy to the Council on Aging through June 30, 2020, and Dorothy Martel as the Old Colony Service Representative for Plympton, also through 2020. Marylouise Sayles and Richard Stover were both appointed to terms on the Historic District Commission ending June 30, 2022.

The Board also approved a motion for a memorandum of agreement with Terry Walker to provide grant writing services to the town of Plympton.  The inactivity of the Cultural Council due to its lack of members was also discussed. The Council, which normally has five members, is currently down to just one.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy shared that her application for a Green Communities grant was successful and that the town would be awarded the grant in the amount of $239,202. The goal of the grant is to aid municipalities in finding ways to reduce energy use and costs via clean energy improvements to municipal buildings and schools. The money awarded to Plympton will be used toward several projects at Dennett Elementary School as well as new thermostats at the Highway Department and energy efficient appliances at the fire station and town house.

The Board congratulated Dennehy on a job well done and Joy said, “We can do a lot of good with that kind of money.”

Russo gave an update on the two Brooks Preserve lots for sale on Prospect Road. The bid deadline of Tuesday September 3 came and went without any bids. Russo said that they were going to have to renew the one-year loan which will incur with it a $15,000 annual application fee that will be paid privately and cost the town nothing.

The Open Space Committee is hard at work devising a plan to put the lots out to bid again, most likely in the fall sometime. The price will likely be reduced and serious consideration is being given to offering to pay a buyer’s agent fee as the complicated bid process can be intimidating without an agent’s help and is likely driving buyers away. Joy confirmed with Russo that the bid process is the only way to sell the lots. Russo emphasized that there was no need to panic saying, “These are good lots and sooner or later they are absolutely going to sell.” Regarding the lots, which abut 150 acres of conservation land, Russo continued, “It’s a little bit of a niche property and with niche properties it just takes the right person to come along and we have very little doubt that the right person is going to come along.”

Selectman John Traynor discussed with the rest of the Board a request by a resident to use the old town house to host a family party. While organizations and groups are eligible to use the old town house for meetings and gatherings, the issue of having private residents use it has never been explored previously.

Traynor said, “We have this beautiful building and somehow we have to figure out how to make use of it because it’s gorgeous and the residents paid for it.” Russo, who had mixed feelings on the topic, said, “If we were going to think about going ahead, we would really have to have a lot of policy and procedures setup first.” The general consensus among the Board was that while they would like to investigate private use of the old town house further, a lot of work would have to be done prior to it being a possibility and therefore the answer to any inquires of private use in the near future would have to be a no.

Despite private use of the old town house being off the table for the time being, the Board did approve of the Plympton Girl Scouts using the building on November 30 for an event pending approval from other town officials. The Board also voted to approve a one-day liquor license for the fall antique fair to be held by the Plympton Historical Society on October 5 and October 6 from 12-4.

A resident in attendance at the meeting asked the Board and Dennehy if there were any developments in the plan to possibly regionalize the Council on Aging (COA). Dennehy said that she met with Halifax town administrator Charlie Seelig and Carver town manager Michael Milanoski to devise a plan for testing the prospect of regionalization. Both Plympton and Carver currently employ part-time directors for the Council on Aging and Halifax is currently in the process of hiring a full-time director. Once the Halifax director has been hired, the towns would like the three directors to come together to tour one another’s facilities and begin work on a joint calendar. The plan would be to combine the calendar for the three towns thereby making it easier for residents to pick and choose which events they would like to attend regardless of location. The calendar would include exact locations of the facilities, instructions on where to park, and information on transportation if available. This approach would help the towns gauge the level of interest amongst residents by seeing how many seniors attend events outside of their towns.  Dennehy said that the towns agreed that taking small steps toward regionalization without making any drastic or permanent changes would be best until further research could be gathered. Russo said to Dennehy, “I salute you guys for coming up with a really nice, easy, non-threatening way to get started and see what happens.”

Old Jail cell

The discussion as to what to do with the jail cell from the former police station was continued from a previous meeting where a resident had expressed interest in taking the cell in the name of posterity. The cell is no longer viewed as historical as it appears to date back only to the early 1990’s. The police chief expressed interest in making an in-kind trade of the cell in exchange for new signage. Dennehy suggested to the Board that it would be cleaner to officially declare the jail cell as surplus town property. The Board voted to do so on Dennehy’s suggestion. The plan would be to advertise the cell and require a minimum bid equal to the cost of the signage with the stipulation that any takers would have to pick it up. Dennehy said that she would verify all necessary steps to make sure things were done properly.   

PLYMPTON – The Plympton Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is currently accepting applications for FY2020 funding. The deadline for completed applications is October 15.

Projects funded in prior years include a safe in the Town Clerk’s office to archive important historical records; installation of a chairlift and new insulation for the “Old Town House” building at 189 Main St.; a comprehensive drainage system to solve a chronic wet basement in the Plympton Library; funds to acquire and improve the 11 acre parcel on Main Street now known as Churchill Park which offers access to the abutting 87 acre parcel known as Cato’s Ridge thereby forming a large natural preserve with walking trails;  improvements at Harry Jason Park to make it more accessible for family and recreational use; the installation of a chairlift in the Plympton Historical Society Building; renovation of the old Winnetuxet swimming hole into a recreational area; and facilitating the donation of O’Neil Marsh on Ring Road which offers additional access to Cato’s Ridge.

More recent projects include clapboard painting and window restoration and replacement at the “Old Town House”; repair and restoration of Town Green gazebo; creation of the 150 acre “Two Brooks Preserve” off Prospect Road; and funding for improvements to the playground at the Dennett Elementary School.

The CPC takes very seriously its responsibility to administer Community Preservation Act funds and is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve and improve the town through acquisition and protection of open space, historical preservation, community housing and increased recreational opportunities. New projects selected by the CPC for further consideration will voted on for approval at the 2019 Annual Town Meeting.

Project guidelines and applications can be found on the Plympton town website at http://www.town.plympton.ma.us/community-preservation-committee. Click on “Documents” at the left hand side of the web page to bring up the Plympton Community Preservation Plan which includes the application and criteria. The CPC Plan and application are also available at the Town House and at the Plympton Public Library. Questions can be addressed by contacting CPC Chair Mark Russo at [email protected].

Yet another member of the Silver Lake High baseball team will one day be an NCAA Division 1 college baseball player.

Halifax native Nolan Hughes still has another season as a member of the Lakers baseball program, but after that, he knows where he is going to play. Earlier this month, he committed to play college baseball at Fordham University in New York City’s Bronx borough. Hughes will be attending the school on a partial scholarship for baseball.

As a junior last season, Hughes was dominant on the mound for the Lakers. He went 7-1, posting a 1.02 ERA. He also tossed a one-hitter against Whitman-Hanson, helping the Lakers capture their Patriot League Keenan Division title.

Coming to the decision now ensures Hughes will not have to worry about it during the school year. For him, it was a long process. Initially, Hughes committed to Bryant last September. However, when Bryant’s coaching staff left for Rutgers University in New Jersey, Hughes decided to look elsewhere for a place to play.

The Lakers have had plenty of talented baseball players over the years, who ended up playing college baseball. Currently, Kingston native Anthony Videtto plays Division 1 college baseball at UMass Amherst, as does Halifax native Jason Johndrow, a member of the University of Hartford’s team.

Hughes is not the only active member of the Lakers baseball program committed to a Division 1 school either. His classmate Mike Quigley, another talented pitcher, is committed to UMass Lowell.

Fordham, where Hughes will presumably start his NCAA career in 2021, is coming off a strong season. They went 38-24 last season, including 20-4 during their home games.

Meanwhile, the Lakers baseball team went 15-6 last season, fell in the first round of the Division 1 South playoffs, but is expected to have a plethora of returning talent this season.

Cathleen Drinan
Special to the Express

With two human cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and one goat that has died from it, and twelve towns at critical risk, it was time for the Department of Public Health to have a conference call for health agents to be informed.

A second round of aerial spraying for mosquitoes in areas of southeastern Massachusetts was scheduled to begin Wednesday evening, August 21, and to continue for several evenings. It remains crucially important for people in communities at critical, high and moderate risk for EEE to continue to take personal precautions against mosquito bites. These steps include using EPA-approved bug-spray, wearing long sleeves and pants outdoors to reduce exposed skin, and cancelling outdoor activities in the hours from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

Please be aware that while the count of live mosquitoes lessens after an aerial spraying, our risk stays the same. The virus is still out there in remaining mosquitoes!

The ability to spray any area is weather dependent. The pilot must have maximum flexibility to work with changes in the weather. As a result, we will not know for certain which towns will be sprayed on which night. A map will show the areas of spray the following afternoon.

The list of communities entirely within the spray zone (except for exclusions, such as organic farms and surface water supplies):

Bristol County: Acushnet, Berkley, Dighton, Freetown, Norton, Raynham, Taunton.

Plymouth County: Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Carver, Hanson, Halifax, Lakeville, Middleborough, Pembroke, Plympton, Rochester, West Bridgewater, Whitman

Communities partially in the spray zone:

Bristol County: Attleboro, Dartmouth, Easton, Fairhaven, Fall River, Mansfield, New Bedford, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea.

Plymouth County: Abington, Brockton, Duxbury, Hanover, Kingston, Marion, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Norwell, Plymouth, Rockland, Wareham

The following towns are at critical risk for EEE:

Middleborough, Carver, Lakeville, Wareham, Rochester, Acushnet, New Bedford, Raynham, Norton, Easton, Freetown

Please see the following links for more information:

www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito 

https://www.mass.gov/guides/aerial-mosquito-control-summer-2019#-latest-spray-updates-

Halifax Assistant Town Clerk, Susan Lawless, recently completed her third year of studies at the New England Municipal Clerks’ Institute at Plymouth (NH) State University. Year Three is the final year of the Institute program, continuing its emphasis on public relations, parliamentary procedure, decision-making, personal development, management, computers, public speaking and professionalism.

The New England Municipal Clerks Institute is a three-year program, which assists clerks in developing and maintaining the high level of administrative expertise needed for the successful operation of increasingly complex municipal governments. Completion of the three-year Institute program entitles graduates to apply for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks’ coveted Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation.

NEMCI&A is the only program of its kind in the country, run exclusively by and for city and town clerks and their office staff. The Board of Directors consists of two representatives from each of the six New England states and meets year-round with faculty and University personnel to develop the best possible week of intellectual stimulation, personal growth and challenges for attendees.

Begun under the direction of the Rhode Island Department of Community Affairs and the guidance of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks, NEMCI&A has grown from one class with 32 students to the point where it now offers three Institute classes and several advanced Academy classes. Over 500 cities and towns have sent Clerks to the New England Municipal Clerks’ Institute and Academy over its forty-five year history.

Academy is a continuing education program designed for clerks who have completed their Institute training or have already attained their CMC certification. Academy courses are more in-depth and intensive, fostering the development of high-level administrative and executive-level management skills.

A pair of Kingston natives are set to play roles on a local college football powerhouse this upcoming season.

The Harvard football team has not had a losing season since 1998 under the direction of Kingston native Tim Murphy as its head coach. For the third consecutive season, he is not the team’s only Kingston connection. Rather, junior defensive back Mike Silva hails from Kingston as well.

Murphy has been Harvard’s coach since 1994 and in that timeframe, his teams have won the Ivy League Championship nine times. His record at Harvard is an impressive 174-75 and overall as a Division I college football head coach, it stands at 206-120-1.

A 1978 Springfield College grad, Murphy got his start coaching at the collegiate level as a part time assistant at Brown in 1979. The next year, he hired on as an assistant offensive line coach.

The following year, he took the offensive line coach job at Lafayette before holding the same job at Boston University for three seasons. From 1985 to 1986, he served as the University of Maine’s offensive coordinator before taking their head coaching job in 1987. He held that post for two seasons before becoming the University of Cincinnati’s head coach from 1989 to 1993. He has been with Harvard ever since.

Meanwhile, Silva, a Milton Academy product who appeared in four games at Harvard last season and recorded a tackle, could see an expanded playing role this time around. After all, the team lost its two starting safeties to graduation following last season: Zach Miller and Cole Thompson. Plus, defensive backs Wesley Ogsbury and Tyler Gray, who each appeared in all 10 games last season, will be graduating. That said, Harvard will look a little different in the secondary and have spots up for grabs.

Harvard’s first regular season game this year will be Saturday, Sep. 21 on the road against the University of San Diego.

It is hard enough for a local athlete to earn the honor of being named a league All-Star or an All-Scholastic by a media organization. However, it is far more rare for one to be recognized at the national level — especially when they are not even a senior yet.

Even so, this was the case for Alexa Connors, a junior on the Lakers girls swim team this past winter. The standout swimmer was named to the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s All-American team.

Connors earned the cut in the 500 freestyle despite the list encompassing the entire country and being limited to just 100 spots. Overall, she was one of just two Massachusetts natives to earn the honor. Her 4:53.14 time in the 500 freestyle ranked 58th in the country and the highest of any New England high school girls swimming athlete since the other five states did not have anyone selected.

Last winter, Connors won the MIAA Division 1 state championship in both the 200 and 500 freestyle respectively (1:50.84 and 4:53.14). She also shined regionally, winning the 200 freestyle at the 2019 New England 15-18 Age Group Championship meet. That time, she finished it in 1:52.35.

As Swim Swam reported earlier this month, Connors will also continue her swim career after she graduates from Silver Lake next year. She is committed to the University of Richmond (NCAA Div. I) as of earlier this month. At the school, Connors has the potential to make a serious impact. Her personal-best time in the 500 freestyle would rank seventh all-time in the record books at Richmond.

While Connors has that to look forward to in the future, she also has a chance to shine for the Lakers once again next winter and defend both of her state titles.