HALIFAX – Halifax Selectmen held a brief meeting Tuesday, Oct. 23, where they chose a police chief (see accompanying story), heard about challenges to the local and worldwide recycling industry and held a dog hearing.

Recycling Concerns

Sue Johnston, the town’s recycling coordinator and Todd Koep, of the MassDEP, appeared before the board. According to both Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, and Koep, China has been the processor of about 40 percent of the recycled materials for the world for many years now.

About 12 years ago, according to Koep, the entire world was put on notice by China to clean up their recycling. Too many contaminants were making it through in bundles of recyclables. “It’s not that the Chinese aren’t accepting materials, it’s that they’re not accepting contaminated materials.”

In fact, he says, inspectors from China now inspect all loads here in the U.S. before they are shipped to China, rejecting contaminated loads.

In order to prevent this contamination, materials are being run through MRFs (or Material Recovery Facilities) such as the one in Avon that Halifax uses for its recycling program more than one time (sometimes two or three times), to reach the target of only 0.5 percent contamination.

“Halifax has one of the cleanest streams around,” said Koep. “But, most towns are running 20-40 percent contamination,” he added.

Costs are increasing in the short term, and are up to $72.50 per ton, said Johnston.

When the board asked what to do about the problem, Johnston said she simply didn’t know. “Raise the recycling fee?” she asked, tentatively.

Selectman Troy Garron noted that citizens have to dispose of their trash and recyclables properly.

Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy thanked both Johnston and Koep for the history and their time.

Dog Hearing

A dog hearing was held in the case of a 1-year-old Halifax puppy, owned by Erika Azuma, of Lake Street.  The puppy jumped up on a Quincy woman after she attempted to pet him. Noreen Callahan, the Halifax Animal Control Officer, described the incident.

While the owner’s boyfriend was walking the puppy, a Quincy woman and her Halifax date were walking as well. The woman had her sunglasses knocked off when the puppy, apparently excited, jumped up at her while she attempted to pet him. Callahan noted no reports of a bite, injuries or a hospital visit.

The parties went their separate ways, said Azuma, until the Halifax date called the Town Clerk’s office, not wanting to file a complaint, but wanting “owner information” and threatening to sue, according to Callahan, who said he had left two “long-winded” messages.

Callahan, a warm but stern character, was unusually sympathetic to the owner and the puppy. Although she said the dog had “lunged at the victim,” she also noted that “puppies jump.”

“He’s a big puppy,” said Azuma, a veterinary technician, who attended the hearing with her mother. “And sometimes puppies are going to jump,” she added.

Roy, who historically has taken dog hearings very seriously, asked if the dog was in any kind of training program.

“Yes, since February,” Azuma replied.

This prompted Roy to make a motion to take no action regarding the incident, although Garron, himself an animal lover, interjected and made a motion that a standard letter reminding the owner to keep all vaccinations up-to-date and to ensure the dog is licensed be sent.

The motion passed unanimously.

Azuma and her mother thanked Callahan for her help and thanked the board for their decision.

In other BOS news:
• HOPS received permission to raze the playground at the Halifax Elementary School in mid-November so that they can get a head start on building the new playground when the winter is over. They are still short some money, said Jonathan Selig, of HOPS, and any donations are appreciated.

• Evergreen Beverage, doing business as Twin Lakes Liquors, has had their liquor license revocation hearing continued. They are behind on a tax payment plan, and are being given the chance to catch up by the board.

• The board will next meet Monday, Nov. 5, at 9 a.m. (Note the unusual time and date due to scheduling conflicts.)

The Silver Lake High football team continued its Patriot League play last Friday night at home and ran into yet another tough foe.

The Lakers hosted the Whitman-Hanson Panthers and while the game was competitive for the majority of it, Silver Lake was not able to get enough big plays to overcome a now-healthy Panthers squad. The Lakers fell 29-6 in the game and to 1-5 on the season.

At first, it looked like Whitman-Hanson could run away with the game. They scored a pair of touchdowns and hit their extra points just three minutes into the game, making it a 14-0 contest before the Lakers had a full offensive drive. However, the Lakers would fight back with a big play of their own later in the quarter.

Sean Waters reeled in a 71-yard touchdown pass from Ben Lofstrom with 2:53 remaining in the first quarter, making it a 14-6 game. The Lakers played stout defense for the rest of the first half, so this would also end up being the score headed into halftime.

Neither side got much going offensively in the third quarter either, but Whitman-Hanson pounded their way downfield and took a two-touchdown lead with 7:29 left in the game with a short touchdown run and successful two-point conversion.

About a minute later, the Lakers threw an interception which set the Panthers up for a 76-yard touchdown run with 5:23 left in the contest to go up 29-6.

Ultimately, that would end up being the final score because when Whitman-Hanson got to the Lakers 4-yard line with under two minutes remaining in the game, they knelt to run out the clock.

The Lakers next bout is this Friday, Oct. 19 (7:00 p.m.) on the road against the Duxbury Dragons, who are 6-0 so far this season.

The Silver Lake High football team went up against one of the top teams in the Patriot League and could not get much going against the formidable opponent in their homecoming bout.

The Lakers hosted the Hingham Harbormen on Saturday, Sept. 29, after playing on the road for the past few weeks. Ultimately, home field advantage did not help the Lakers as they fell 46-6, 1-3 on the season.

On the opening drive, the Lakers did make a great defensive stop on Hingham. Matt Gabra intercepted a pass at the Lakers’ own 4-yard line, giving his team some momentum. However, Hingham managed to force a safety on the Lakers to go up 2-0.

From there, Hingham proved themselves as the more dominant team in the bout. They had no problem moving the ball downfield, forced a Lakers interception and blocked a punt as they put up 24 unanswered points. In that span where the Lakers could not get much going offensively, punter Owen Thompson had a 54-yard boot that pinned Hingham at their own 10-yard line midway through the second quarter.

The Lakers lone touchdown of the game came with 3:11 in the first half. Quarterback Ben Lofstrom tossed a jump ball to wideout Bobby Ohlson who snagged it for a 31-yard touchdown grab. The team’s two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, so the Lakers trailed 24-6.

At halftime, the Lakers were down 32-6. The Lakers were unable to make a big second half comeback. They threw a pick six in their own red zone in the third quarter which put Hingham up 40-6 with a successful two point conversion.

This week, the Lakers will be challenged yet again. They will host the Plymouth North Eagles, who are 3-1 on the season, on Friday, Oct. 5 (7:00 p.m. start time).

PLYMPTON– Plympton Selectmen heard some good news about the Dennett Elementary School Monday night, such as the long-awaited water filter coming online, and a new generator being installed, reimbursed by Town Meeting.

But the theme of the presentation to the board by Jon Wilhelmsen, Chairman of the Plympton School Committee and Joy Blackwood, Superintendent of the Silver Lake Regional School District, was that of a leaky roof.

The elementary school needs a new roof, and, “It’s not in great shape and it’s not going to be cheap,” said Wilhelmsen.

Blackwood said the roof was leaking in many places, and therefore insulation was wet underneath.

“It’s just a mess,” she said.

The two stated that the leaky roof is leading to inefficient air circulation in the building all year-round, causing classrooms to be too hot or too cold. Blackwood also mentioned that she believed this in turn leads to what she sees as high electricity costs at the Dennett.

A Massachusetts School Building Authority grant may be able to pay for somewhere in the range of 40-50% of the project, which Selectmen seemed to reticently accept.

Blackwood, as Superintendent, must apply for the grant and then Plympton assumes responsibility for the project. She noted that the due date for the grant, mid-February of next year, comes at a bad time for her.

“It is an astounding amount of work,” she said of the MSBA grant. “It is an onerous project.”

No work will begin on the project until summer of 2020 at the earliest, if the grant application is accepted. An STM approving the funds for whatever portion is not covered by the grant, must be held before then as well, said Blackwood.

Selectmen Chairman John Traynor asked if there would be patching in the meantime, to which Wilhelmsen said, “Yes, we’ll have to.”

Selectman Mark Russo asked if there was any sense of what would happen to the roof if the project was delayed, and Blackwood responded that water problems tend to get worse with time. Grants also come and go, and costs can go up, they said.

“We don’t want to use the ‘m’-word.” Blackwood said, referring to mold.

All agreed that the Dennett roof must be replaced sooner rather than later.

Old Town House

After putting new windows and painting out to bid, contracts were awarded by the selectmen on the recommendation of Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy. MJ Connors Company Inc., of Hanson, won the bid for the new windows for $46,964, after the lowest bidder, Aden Construction Company, Inc., of Dudley, which bid $34,900, withdrew. The painting project was awarded to the lowest bidder, DeMelo Construction Services Corp., of Whitman, for $19,435.

Last week, Dennehy said that the bids came in higher than expected.

Traynor wants to change the lettering on some of the signs on and in front of the building. Dennehy recommended getting one of the historical wooden signs from the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Special Town Meeting Debriefing

Selectmen also spoke about the special Town Meeting held the previous Thursday. 193 registered voters were in attendance, which Russo said was, “pretty amazing.”

“That sense of shared purpose, sense of community was really a beautiful thing, kind of in sharp contrast to other issues we’ve had at Town Meeting,” said Russo.

That kind of attendance rivals some annual Town Meetings, pointed out Traynor and all the board agreed.

The board was very pleased with the Town’s approval of the project to acquire the Twin Brooks Preserve.

In other news:

• The board will next meet Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at Town House.

• Town House will be closed Oct. 8 in observance of Columbus Day.

PLYMOUTH– Documents at Plymouth Superior Court show that allegations against Robert Tinkham, the current Plympton Health Agent, have been amended. The complaint, submitted by counsel for the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, details and expands allegations against Tinkham, specifically.

He stands accused of nine civil charges, including Conversion and Civil Theft, Fraud, Civil Conspiracy, as well as violations of the Uniform Procurement Act and the Conflict of Interest Law.

He is accused with two other defendants, Ray Pickles and his wife, Diane Bondi-Pickles. Pickles is the elected Marion town clerk while Bondi-Pickles is a real-estate agent.

The corruption by the defendants has resulted in monetary damages to the waste district in an amount in excess of $838,458.22, according to court records, and the investigation is ongoing by state and local officials.

The Office of the Inspector General is investigating, as well.

Tinkham, of Carver, previously worked as the Carver Health Agent, and, in that capacity, served as Carver’s representative to, and, at times, chairman of the committee overseeing the waste district. Pickles was the Executive Director of the waste district and the authorized signatory of all its accounts.

Committee members did not receive compensation for their services to the district, yet Tinkham received monetary payments from the district for periods of time between 1995 and 2018. He did not have a contract or employment agreement with the district, and no taxes were withheld on the payments, according to the lawsuit.

He stands accused of billing the waste district for landfill inspections while working for the Town of Carver. The Town of Carver job description for the health agent includes inspecting the Carver landfill, according to public records.

In 2007, Carver officials reaffirmed this aspect of Tinkham’s job description, and that he would be “paid for such work by Carver, even if the work occurred outside his normal working hours.”

But, the Carver landfill, leased by the district, is inspected by a professional engineer. Tinkham is not an engineer, according to his résumé, and he kept no records of his inspections for Carver, if they indeed occurred, the lawsuit alleges.

The total amount paid to him for inspections by the district was $88,990.

The plaintiffs submitted 13 representative examples from 2004 and 2005 alone of Tinkham collecting payments from the district while being paid a salary from the Town of Carver.

Tinkham also stands accused of providing no goods or services in connection with money he was paid for the district’s “Grant/Recycling” services, between 2012 and 2018, totaling $88,100.

He allegedly submitted false documentation for payment for that work.

Tinkham finally stands accused of receiving payments not supported by any documentation at all. “In total, there are 82 payments totaling $86,703.82 for which payment was made but the District has no invoice or proof of any services rendered.”

The fraud was discovered when Pickles, in 2017, without the authorization of the committee, sought payment of assessments from the district towns for the first time since 2015.

When Carver and Wareham refused to pay, claiming a lack of documentation, Pickles used district counsel, again without authorization, to sue for breach of contract in Wareham District Court.

That suit was voluntarily dismissed.

The actions by Pickles led to the discovery of inappropriate expenditures by the district. Pickles was terminated Jan. 29, 2018.

The district is seeking triple-damages, interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.

The district was created as a regional refuse disposal district in 1973 by a special act of the General Court. It is an independent body-politic, based in Marion, funded by user-fees, assessments to the member towns and agreements with third-parties.

Pickles and Bondi-Pickles are seeking to go to trial. Tinkham is seeking to have the proceedings dismissed.

Tinkham denies all accusations.

The Silver Lake High boys’ football team will stay within the Patriot League in the first week of the regular season.

The Lakers are scheduled to host the North Quincy Red Raiders on Saturday, Sept. 8 (2:00 p.m. start time) in their opener. Certainly, a win to start the season would give the Lakers a leg up on the competition as they hope to earn their third straight playoff bid. Right now, it appears as though the Lakers have a strong chance to achieve that feat.

The Red Raiders are in a different position than many teams this season. They went 4-7 last year, graduated the majority of their offensive line and will have a new quarterback taking over. Plus, they have a new head coach in Ryan Craig, who coached youth football for the past several seasons.

Since the Red Raiders experience is primarily on the ends on both sides of the ball, as well as at running back and in their secondary, a strong run game and tough run defense will likely be the key to victory for the Lakers in this one.

Neither team has much experience on the line, but having senior co-captains Marshall Roy and Cam Danahy at linebacker should give the Lakers some confidence when it comes to stopping the opposing running backs.

Regardless of who is at quarterback–junior Jesse Miller or sophomore Ben Lofstrom–having Bobby Ohlson, a senior co-captain, at wide receiver should help the team gain some yards in the air when needed. However, the running back corps led by the other team’s captain, Jake Waters, will likely determine how the game goes offensively for the team–as will the protection they receive up front.

Per usual, the first game of the season will give fans a glimpse of what the Lakers are capable of achieving this season. Playing against another young team should be a good test to see how they will fare in the league this season.

The SIlver Lake High football team has a bit of a different look this season.

The team which made it to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, graduated quite a bit of talent and is now working with a younger, less experienced squad.

This time around, the Lakers have just nine seniors on their roster and more than 20 juniors; the issue they face is that not a lot of these players have a ton of varsity experience. Perhaps the biggest unexpected blow was losing their return man Diamani Williams, whose family moved elsewhere.

Right now, it’s unclear who will be the team’s starting quarterback; competition exists between Jesse Miller, a junior, and Ben Lofstrom, a sophomore. What is clear is that the Lakers do have some talent at wide receiver. Two of their captains, Bobby Ohlson and Jake Waters, man the position.

Defensively, the linebacking corps should be a strength for the Lakers. This is because two more of their captains, Marshall Roy and Cam Danahy, play there. Waters also brings experience on the defensive side of the ball, playing cornerback.

However, the Lakers offensive line will be brand new. They lost every one of their starters to graduation which gives opportunities to some other players like seniors Alex Duke, Derek Ingersoll and juniors Will Hesketh and Aidan Crone.

T he Lakers are coached by Chris DiGiacomo, who is in his fourth season with the team. So far, he is 18-15 in his head coaching tenure with the Lakers; last year’s squad finished the season at 7-4.

The Lakers open up their regular season at home on Saturday, Sept. 8 against the North Quincy Red Raiders (2:00 p.m. start time). In all, they have seven regular season games scheduled, not including their annual Thanksgiving day bout with the Pembroke Titans.

PLYMPTON/HALIFAX– On Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018 candidates for federal and state offices will face off in party primaries. In Plympton and Halifax, residents will choose from the following candidates. (In no particular order.)

Democratic Ballot

Incumbent Elizabeth Warren, of Cambridge, is running uncontested for another 6-year term as U.S. Senator.

Two candidates for Governor are running in the primary, Jay Gonzales, of Needham, and Bob Massie, of Sommerville along with their respective Lieutenant Governor candidates Quentin Palfrey, of Weston, and Jimmy Tingle of Cambridge.

Incumbent Maura Healey, of Boston, is running uncontested for another term as Attorney General.

For the office of Secretary of State, incumbent William Galvin is running against Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, both of Boston.

Incumbents Deborah Goldberg of Brookline and Suzanne Bump of Easton, are each running for Treasurer and Auditor, respectively, uncontested.

Incumbent Bill Keating, of Bourne, is running for Congress again in the Ninth District, and is being challenged by Bill Cimbrelo, of Barnstable.

Incumbent Christopher Iannella, Jr., of Boston, is running for Governor’s Council. Mark Rooney, also of Boston, is running against him.

Senator Michael Brady, of Brockton, is running for another term as State Senator for the Second Plymouth & Bristol District.

For the Twelfth Plymouth District, Kathleen LaNatra, of Kingston and a former selectman there, is running uncontested for State Representative.

Robert S. Creedon, Jr., of Brockton, is running for Plymouth County Clerk of Courts and John Buckley, Jr., also of Brockton is running for Register of Deeds, both unopposed.

The Democrats do not have anyone running for Plymouth County District Attorney or Plymouth County Commissioner.

Republican Ballot

Republicans have three choices for U.S. Senator, Geoff Diehl, of Whitman, John Kingston, of Winchester, and Beth Joyce Lindstrom, of Groton.

Governor Charlie Baker, of Swampscott, and Karyn Polito, Lieutenant Governor, of Shrewsbury, are running for another term. Scott Lively, of Springfield, is running against Baker.

James McMahon, III, of Bourne, and Daniel Shores, of Hingham, are facing off for Attorney General.

For the office of Secretary of State, Anthony Amore, of Swampscott is running uncontested.

Keiko Orral, of Lakeville, and Helen Brady, of Concord, are each running for Treasurer and Auditor, respectively, uncontested.

Peter Tedeschi, of Marshfield, is running uncontested for Representative in Congress for the Ninth District.

The Republicans are not fielding candidates for Governor’s Council, Plymouth County Clerk of Courts or Plymouth County Register of Deeds.

Scott Hall, of Brockton, is running for a term as State Senator for the Second Plymouth & Bristol District.

For the Twelfth Plymouth District, Halifax’s own Summer Schmaling, an Elementary School Committee member, is running against Joseph Truschelli, of Plymouth, for State Representative.

Timothy Cruz, of Marshfield, is running uncontested for Plymouth County District Attorney.

Sandra Wright, of Bridgewater, is running again for Plymouth County Commissioner uncontested.

The Republicans are not fielding candidates for Governor’s Council, Plymouth County Clerk of Courts or Plymouth County Register of Deeds.

Libertarian Ballot

The Libertarians are offering one candidate for office, Helen Brady, of Concord, for Auditor. Brady is also running for the office as a Republican.

Where do I vote?

All Plympton residents vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Road, Plympton.

In Halifax, all precincts vote 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the all-purpose room at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street, Halifax. Voter registration for the primaries has closed.

The winners of the primary election races will face off in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.