The Town of Halifax is in the process of updating its Housing Production Plan (HPP) with technical assistance provided by the Old Colony Planning Council, the Regional Planning Agency for this area. 

Residents can help participate by completing the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BD7Z3QZ

A Housing Production Plan is a proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing.  

The State’s regional planning statute, Chapter 40B, is a law that seeks to ensure that all 351 of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns provide for the creation of new homes for individuals, families and older adults, across a range of incomes. 

The goal of the statute is for every city and town to have 10% of their year round housing units qualify as affordable to households making up to 80% of the area median income.   The statute helps communities meet the Commonwealth’s housing needs, by providing a flexible zoning approval process (comprehensive permit) for developments that include 25% affordable units.  At the same time, Chapter 40B provides opportunities for municipalities to control their own housing growth.  

The law enables agencies like MassHousing to deny 40B project eligibility to projects that are inconsistent with local planning priorities in localities that have demonstrated commitment to planning and delivering housing growth.  That is why it is important to have an up to date Housing Production Plan and have it approved by The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).  

HPP’s give communities that are under the 10% threshold of Chapter 40B, but are making steady progress in producing affordable housing on an annual basis, more control over comprehensive permit applications for a specified period of time. Communities that demonstrate planning and production for affordable housing may also be eligible to receive priority scoring for Commonwealth Grant Programs as well as access to capital grant programs and technical assistance.  

Community input is a key part of the planning process and this survey will help provide a better understanding of the needs of Halifax residents. It is important to understand who currently lives in the community, demographic trends affecting future growth, existing housing stock, and future housing needs.   

By engaging the community in discussions about the need for affordable housing and taking a proactive approach in updating its Housing Production Plan, Halifax is more likely to achieve its long range housing and community planning goals, allowing for more diverse housing opportunities for residents of all income levels.  

With the amount of talent that exists in the league, it has become a tradition for players from several different schools to come together to compete in the Patriot League All-Star basketball games.

The games, that take place on an annual basis after the teams wrap up their regular season, feature the best competition the league has to offer with Patriot League Keenan Division teams taking on those of the Fisher Division. Both games took place on Friday, Mar. 8, at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and the Lakers had representation in both of them.

On the girls side, Holly Reeder-Morning got the nod for Silver Lake. She was one of nine players on the Keenan team this time around. The team featured three players from Plymouth North, another three from Duxbury and two from Whitman-Hanson. The Hingham girls did not have any representatives there, however, as they were still competing in the Division 2 South playoffs.

Ultimately, the Keenan ended up winning that contest over the Fisher, 71-70.

Lily Gustafson represented the Lakers well in the three-point contest as well prior to the game. She exemplified her ability from beyond the arc and lasted three rounds into the contest.

The Silver Lake boys had three participants in their respective All-Star game: Danny Duggan, Josh Gilbert and Josh Murphy. Murphy was also the team’s participant in the three-point shootout, and he made seven of them.

Since none of the boys’ teams were still in the playoffs, all of the teams competed in the All-Star game, and the Fisher Division boys beat the Keenan Division 110-90.

This past season, the Silver Lake boys’ team finished the year at 13-9 and beat Stoughton in the preliminary round of the Div. 2 South playoffs before falling to Tech Boston in the first round. The girls’ squad was on the younger side and finished the year at 4-17.

Facing tough competition early in the season, the Silver Lake High girls’ basketball team had a hard time picking up wins at the beginning of their season. However, they continued to grow as a unit as the year progressed and ended up enjoying more success in the second half of the year.

Six of the first seven teams the Lakers faced at the start of the season ended up being tournament teams: Bridgewater-Raynham, East Bridgewater, Duxbury, Pembroke, Plymouth North and Falmouth. While they started the year off by losing their first five games, the team coached by Olly deMacedo did pick up wins against New Mission, North Quincy and Quincy in the final month of the season to finish the year at 4-17.

Once Holly Reeder-Morning come back to the team from her ACL injury midway through the season, they saw an uptick in their offensive production and their overall success. A junior this season, she will be back again next season for her fourth year on varsity.

This season, the Lakers had a healthy mix of veterans and younger players, so experience should not be a big issue for them next season. This time around, they had five seniors on their roster: Izzy Ruprecht, Jessica Stas, Brianna Villanova and Stephanie Bennett.

On the other hand, they will have plenty of players coming back next season, who are varsity contributors. These include players such as Molly Turbush, Riley Dunphy, Erin Demacedo, Lily Gustafson, Lilly Noonan, Kiley O’Brien and Natalie Bouchard, as well as Reeder-Morning.

That said, the Lakers have the foundation set so that they can keep working hard in hopes of enjoying more success in the future–and it is certainly attainable. After all, the team won 16 games and made it to the tournament in the 2017-2018 season.

Eight — that is the number of games the Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team had won in a row. At the midway point in the season, the team had a losing record and their playoff chances were in doubt, but they have been dominant ever since. The latest example of this came in their home Valentine’s Day bout against the Hingham Harbormen. In it, the Lakers overcame a double-digit point deficit in the second quarter and picked up a 70-58 victory. The win improved their record to 12-6 on the season.

With the team trailing 30-17 a few minutes into the second quarter, Josh Gilbert hit a three-pointer and Josh Murphy followed it up with a fast break to cut Hingham’s advantage to single digits. The team continued playing sharp defense and early in the third quarter, a Murphy three-pointer made it a 37-33 game.

Hingham then hit a three, but the Lakers responded with a 13-0 run of their own. Nolan Hughes started the run with a bucket. Murphy followed up with a layup. Then Gilbert hit a three to tie it at 40-40; Gilbert then gave the team the lead on a trey. At the end of the run, they led 46-40.

The fourth quarter was hard fought, but the Lakers got hot towards the end of it and ended the game on a 12-4 run to secure the victory.

Gilbert led the team’s offense, scoring a team-high 23 points against Hingham. In addition to the points, he also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in the winning effort.

The Lakers excelled from three point territory in the win, hitting 47 percent of their shots from outside the arc.

This weekend, the Lakers will likely find out who they are set to face in the playoffs next week.

Matthew Will, 37, of Halifax, owner of Five Star Discount Roofing, appears in Plymouth District Court Feb. 11, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal/Express News)

PLYMOUTH — Two of roofer Matthew Will’s five larceny-related cases– those with alleged victims in Kingston and Hanson– were continued for a month by District Court Judge Franco J. Gobourne at the request of Plymouth-based Attorney Jack Atwood.

Atwood told the judge that bank records turned over by the commonwealth in the discovery process were in “very small print” and that they were “too small to read.”

The discovery compliance and jury election hearings, where issues with evidence discovery are discussed before the court, were not held, although Gobourne said, “Let’s get this case moving,” to Atwood and the assistant district attorney.

Will, 37, of Halifax, owner of Five Star Discount Roofing, stands accused of victimizing 23 area households in at least three communities across Plymouth County by beginning contracting work and not completing it, or not doing work at all, after accepting deposits. They claim they have lost a combined $153,197.34, with individual losses ranging from $695 to $15,569.

Most of these victims are over age 55, and many are elderly, according to police reports. The alleged victim who lost the most money is 78 years old.

Will continues to hold construction supervisor licenses, according to state records, and continues to work according to a source who hopes that outstanding work will be completed by Will.

Dressed in paint-spattered pants in the Plymouth Trial Court hallway after the hearing, Will said, “I’ve been in business for 22 years without a problem. I don’t know why I’m even in court … There’s a very good reason this happened. I just had a bad year and couldn’t get the work done. I’m a good guy.”

Both matters were continued to March 12, 2019, at 9 a.m. for discovery compliance and jury election hearings. The case has been moving its way through the district court system since early August 2018.

Sophomore Forward Ben Lofstrom looks for the rebound. (Photo by Aaron Duke)

The Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team was dominant in the second half against a tough opponent, and their prowess from the floor made the difference.

The Lakers hosted the Quincy High Presidents on Wednesday, Jan. 30 and walked away with a 61-47 win. With the win, they improved to 7-6 on the season, according to MaxPreps.

The Lakers found themselves in an early hole with the opposition leading 15-6 late in the first quarter. However, a Ben Lofstrom fast break and layup gave the team some momentum–which carried over into the second quarter.

A couple of minutes into it, Lotstrom hit a three-pointer, bringing the Lakers within two points 18-16. Still, the Lakers would not end up holding the lead just yet. That happened as the third quarter progressed.

Down 39-35 early in the third quarter, Silver Lake’s offense exploded. They went on a 26-5 run which extended well into the fourth quarter and ended up being the difference maker in the bout.

Lofstrom tied the game at 39 apiece while a Josh Gilbert three pointer at the end of the third quarter gave the Lakers a 42-39 run. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, a three pointer from Danny Duggan extended the team’s lead to 45-41, and they continued pulling away.

Duggan and Matthew Bettle sank back-to-back three pointers in a 12-0 run which put the Lakers up 57-43 with a few minutes left in the game, essentially putting the contest out of reach for Quincy.

In the win, the Lakers hit 53 percent of their shots, including 62 percent of their three pointers and 85 percent of their free throws. Meanwhile, they held Quincy to a 38 percent field goal rate.

The Lakers next bout is this upcoming Tuesday, Feb. 11 on the road against the Falmouth Clippers (6:30 p.m. start time).

The Silver Lake High girls’ swim team will have some competitors at the state championship meet later on this month.

That is because they have had strong performances during Patriot League meets this season, showing their talent in a number of categories.

Junior Alexis Connors will make it back to states for the third straight year and will show off her versatility in the process. She qualified for the state championship in three different events through the Lakers first five meets of the season (in which they went 2-3).

Leading the way for the team, she has earned the right to compete in the  200 freestyle, the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle. Plus, qualified to compete in sectionals in the 100 breaststroke.

To qualify in the 200 freestyle, she swam a 1:56.71 in the team’s meet against Duxbury last month; in the 200 IM, her first place finish against Quincy (2:17.56) got the job done; and in the 500 freestyle, her winning time against Duxbury (5:08.55) also got the job done. She qualified for sectionals in the 100 breaststroke against Rockland (1:14.71).

Connors will not be going to the state meet alone. Senior Katherine Morrissey has also qualified to compete there for the Lakers in the 100 butterfly. She swam a 1:01.13 against Duxbury in order to earn the nod. She will also compete in the sectionals meet in the 100 breaststroke.

The girls 200 freestyle relay team also qualified for sectionals earlier in the season. In addition to Morrisey and Connors, junior Chloe Duran and sophomore Aly Truckenmiller round out that team.

The Lakers wrapped up their regular season on Wednesday, Jan. 30, against Hanover. Now, a handful of their swimmers will continue practicing to prepare for sectionals and states–although those dates have not yet been announced.

An empty nip, or small bottle of alcohol, litters the side of the road on Jan. 25, 2019.

HALIFAX — The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, Jan. 22, and discussed banning nips (small liquor bottles), a possible room tax option on AirBnB rentals and other such related services, as well as had a volatile discussion with Scott Clawson, of Plymouth Street (Route 106), and his attorney regarding a possible increase in the number of horse show days allowed at Fieldstone Farm, which he owns.

Clawson request not denied, but derided

Although not a formal public hearing, the board continued to hear from Scott Clawson and his attorney regarding a request for more horse show days than is allowed under a modified consent agreement approved by the Superior Court. The judgement between the Town of Halifax and Clawson, first agreed to in 1993, was signed and then updated following at least nine lengthy board meetings before August 2017, when a new agreement was signed into force.

The current agreement allows 30 shows a year. Clawson is asking for 33 shows this year. His Stoneham-based attorney, Phil Taylor, asserted that the selectmen have the right to add additional shows under the agreement without going to court to modify the current agreement. The board said that two of the town’s attorneys disagreed with Taylor, saying that any changes to the consent agreement, should the board allow them, must be approved by the Superior Court.

The board also made a “slippery slope” argument, all asking at one point or another if they were to allow three more shows, what would stop Clawson from asking for more in the future?

Taylor argued at some length with the board, who were visibly and vocally frustrated, trying to convince them that their attorneys were wrong. He said that he did not have time to understand the town counsels’ rationale because he had not spoken with them.

At several points, Taylor asserted that the capitalization of a letter in one line of the 10-page judgement changed the meaning of the agreement, causing stifled laughter from the board and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig.

Taylor was successful in convincing the board to allow him to speak to one of the town’s attorneys– at taxpayer’s expense– to see if they could reach an agreement on whether the board or the Superior Court had the authority to change the consent agreement.

“You’re a really good lawyer for Mr. Clawson, as I’ve pointed out before, but you don’t represent the Town of Halifax,” said Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy.

Nip ‘em in the bud…

Selectmen are interested in a suggestion from Seelig to ban the sale of nips, or small liquor bottles typically containing 50 milliliters of alcohol that are intended as an individual serving of liquor. They are often used by drivers who drink and drive, and then throw them out their windows, in order to avoid charges of carrying an open container if they are stopped, according to police. They are a frequent source of litter around town, said Seelig.

He suggested that the best way to go about banning them would be to do so in concert with surrounding towns, otherwise people who intend to drink and drive while consuming nips will continue to buy them elsewhere and litter on Halifax roads.

Seelig says the City of Chelsea has already banned nips and that a Halifax ban would be as simple as ordering liquor license holders in town not to sell alcoholic beverages under a certain number of milliliters.

A rooms tax in Halifax?

Although Halifax has no motels or hotels, it could still profit from a local option on a rooms tax, said Seelig. Services such as Airbnb, a San Francisco-based company which is an online marketplace allowing members to offer lodging, primarily homestays, to strangers, is being taxed at 5.7 percent by the state beginning in July, the same as hotels. Localities will have the option of charging a local rooms tax up to a maximum of 6 percent, he said.

The tax, at the state level, has caused much controversy, and was fought by AirBnB.  Although the board took no action on the proposal yet, it is something they will continue to discuss in the future.

Next meeting

The board may hold an emergency meeting to deal with Fieldstone Farms before their next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of  the Halifax Town Hall.