Margaret “Peggy” Fitzgerald, 84, of Halifax, passed in her home, after a long and heroic battle with cancer.

A loving wife of 60 years to Tom; devoted mother to Tom, Michael, Brian and Margaret (Dietz); Nana to Stephen, Taryn, Charlie, Olivia, William, Mimi and Grace; Mother-in-Law to Michele, Kristen and Brian; lifelong champion for the town of Halifax; and keeper of a warm, welcoming home for an endless stream of nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers, friends, colleagues and occasional strangers.

Peggy’s was a life defined by service, courage and generosity, suffused with a joy in the simplest pleasures of life. A 75-year resident of Halifax, she served on a dizzying array of boards and committees, including as Chairman of the School Committee and Board of Selectmen, Town Accountant and member of the Finance Committee. During her 50 years of service to the town and region, she helped navigate the Silver Lake School System through a complex and emotional split from Pembroke and served on the Alewife commission to repair dams and return fish to the rivers of Plymouth County.

As a public servant and active citizen, Peggy never feared to speak her mind for what she knew was right, but also never was afraid to recognize a better idea or embrace a shared viewpoint to reach a common goal.

She was an avid gardener, and her work was admired daily by the thousands of passers-by on Route 106 in Halifax, as well as by the daily mass of elementary school children boarding buses across the street every morning. She loved the physical work of the garden, toiling alongside her husband, and she and Tom dined all year on the fruits of their labor.

Peggy lived a life of learning and exploration. She could impress with her knowledge of art, history and architecture and she never passed a museum or garden she could not linger in for hours.

She pursued further education, both due to her belief she should always be able to help her children with their own studies and to satisfy her own never-ending curiosity.

A staunch believer in the power of the democratic process, Peggy followed politics at the local and national level with equal passion, devouring television news and newspapers and embracing debates with like- or opposite-minded friends and family members.

Born in Roxbury in 1931, she moved to 13th Avenue in Halifax in 1940 and lived with her parents James and Margaret, and siblings James, Mary Ann, Robert, Ellen, Ann, Larry, Kathleen, and Judy.

Her family gained local fame after World War II when her father James was identified by Yankee Magazine as the ‘Kilroy’ of ‘Kilroy Was Here’ – the well-known saying carried by American troops throughout Europe. Peggy and Tom married in 1957, and purchased their house on Plymouth Street in 1958, which she called home for the rest of her life. She spent her last days in peace with Tom and and the constant buzz of visitors, watching the leaves turn along the Monponsett lakes from her cottage on Paradise Lane. She will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Halifax Food Bank, 503 Plymouth Street, Halifax, MA 02338. Visiting hours were in the Sullivan Funeral Homes, 2 Maquan St.,  at the Junction of Rtes. 14 & 58, Hanson, Thursday, Nov. 5,  from 5 – 8 p.m.  Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Lake Church, 580 Monponsett St, Halifax, Friday, Nov. 6, at 11 a.m.  Burial will be in Halifax Central Cemetery. For directions and to sign Peggy’s online guest book, go to  SullivanFuneralHomes.com

Mathias service is Sunday Oct. 25: In memory of Jeffrey A. Mathias, 42, of Kingston, Lost at Sea with El Faro

Jeffrey A. Mathias, 42, was lost at sea on October 1, 2015 when the ship SS El Faro sank near the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin.

He leaves his beloved wife, Jennifer (Brides) Mathias, his three adored children; daughters, Hayden 7, Heidi 5, and son Caleb 3, all of Kingston; his parents J. Barry and Lydia (Jones) Mathias of Kingston; his brother John, his wife Carrie and daughter Meghan of Plympton; his uncle, Philip Jones and wife Mary of Plymouth, his aunt, Ellen Jones-Roth and husband Vincent of Hull, and his 97 year old great-uncle Francis (Brud) Phillips of Kingston.  He also leaves behind his in-laws, Philip and Joan Brides of Halifax, brother-in-law J. Michael Brides and his wife Janet and their children Matthew, Nathaniel, William and Sarah.

Feeling the loss of Jeffrey also are the multitude of friends he had here and all over the world.

Jeff attended Silver Lake schools and graduated in 1992 from Tabor Academy in Marion.  While attending Tabor Academy he spent many hours working and sailing aboard the school’s sailing ship the Tabor Boy. His expertise in engineering and love of the water steered him to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where in 1996 he graduated with a degree in Marine Engineering. Upon graduation he worked at Seamass followed by Altran where he was involved with nuclear power plants. His dream, however, was to sail the seas and in 1998 shipped out aboard cargo vessels.

Jeff sailed all over the world in his chosen career traveling to Africa, Europe, North Korea, Alaska, Hawaii, California, and the Caribbean. He was sought after for his incredible knowledge and vast experience in engineering. He reached the officer’s position of Chief Engineer. 

During this time he also worked as a consultant for the marine engineering firm Maritech out of Acton, MA.  He traveled far and wide for this firm and was responsible for shaft repairs on many vessels. Jeffrey had worked on two of the coast guard ships out of Miami that were used in the search for him and the El Faro. He also worked on the Massachusetts Maritime training ship the TS Enterprise and in 2003 delivered it to its home berth at the Academy. 

Jeff was involved in his family’s cranberry business and Bog Hollow Farm. He had his own bogs, one in Kingston and one in Pembroke. Anything that Jeff could create, fix, fly, or sail he did with the best of his abilities.   He designed and built the amazing maze, slide and children’s play area at Bog Hollow. His dream was to further expand the family’s Pumpkin Patch business with his many ideas for creating an even better place where families could enjoy the beauty of nature, spend quality time with each other, and escape the hustle and bustle of daily living.

His friends and family called him “The Pied Piper” because wherever Jeff was, people were always around him. They loved his outgoing personality, many stories and jokes, and his magnetic smile. A huge beacon of light has gone out in his family and friend’s worlds. The devastation is immeasurable.

A memorial service and reception for Jeffrey will be held at Massachusetts Maritime Academy on the canal at Mariner’s Park on Sunday, October 25, at 1 o’clock. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Jeffrey Mathias Family Memorial Fund at Weymouth Bank, 83 Summer Street, Kingston, MA 02364.

For online condolences, please visit www.shepherdfuneralhome.com

Plympton solar purchasing talks begin with BlueWave Capital:

Bluewave Capital has developed other projects in the area, including this solar field in Plymouth. Courtesy photo.

Plympton Selectmen met Monday evening and tackled a wide-ranging agenda, including agreeing to sign a letter of intent to move forward with the latest BlueWave Solar power purchasing agreement, a proposal to name a street corner after four brothers who were veterans, fielding a request by the Board of Assessors to not have their meetings videotaped and a request from the Board of Health to meet with Town Counsel.

Solar agreement to be signed

The board agreed to move forward with a non-legally binding letter of intent to negotiate with BlueWave Capital, a solar development and investment company, to sell the town electricity credits from a facility being completed in Mattapoisett.

If the project and agreement do come to fruition, the town would expect to see significant savings on their electricity bills over the course of the twenty-year agreement.

Selectperson Christine Joy had some questions regarding an option that BlueWave has proposed for the town, called an escalator. If the town chose this option, the cost of energy purchased would be even lower than the 10.5 cents per KwH proposed, then would increase by a fixed percentage over the course of the agreement.

BlueWave Capital representatives did not discuss this option at their presentation to the board two weeks ago, leading to the questions. The board decided that they would have to do some math to figure out the best option for the town, but that they were ready to move forward with negotiations.

Tribute to Veterans?

Scott Baker came before the board to propose the idea of a tribute to four of the Benevides brothers, all veterans, who had grown up in the family home at 104 Main Street. The Benevides family is well established in Plympton and, according to Baker, would have passed the corner of Main Street and Palmer Road every day of their lives.

He enthusiastically provided with board with photographs and other documentation. His suggestion was to name the street corner after them.

While the board was excited about the idea, they agreed it needed some refinement, possibly to be more expansive and include all veterans, in a centralized location, perhaps near the gazebo. There was some concern of running out of street corners.

Veterans’ agent Roxanne Whitbeck agreed with the more expansive plan, so that no veteran is excluded from a memorial. She suggested something that could be expanded, with bricks or plaques, so that it could be added to in the future as necessary.

Joy suggested forming a committee to further look into the idea, suggesting that this could become a much larger project, possibly for the Boy Scouts and possibly could go along with rehabilitating the gazebo on the town green.

Board of Assessors doesn’t want cameras

The idea of filming the Board of Assessors meetings was floated, prompted by the e-mail of a concerned citizen who did not understand their tax bill and the abatement process.

According to the agreement with the tri-town studio, Area 58, Plympton receives 100 events and meetings filmed for free per year.

Ethan Stiles, a member of the Board of Assessors, objected to this proposition. According to Stiles, the board meets 15 times a year, often in executive session to protect privacy when making decisions about taxpayer abatements. As well as his expressed belief that filming the meetings would be un-substantive, he stated that the Board of Assessors office at Town House can supply guides and offer non-legal advice to taxpayers who have questions. “No one comes to the meetings to watch them for their own sake,” he said. “People are there to deal with their own specific problems.”

Selectperson Joy disagreed. She stated that as public boards, the public shouldn’t feel as if the town government has anything to hide. Her one concern was that filming meetings would have a “chilling-effect” on citizens who wish to address concerns to the board.

Selectman Colleen Thompson stated that she wished all meetings could be filmed, “but we’re not there, yet.”

The eventual consensus was that a public forum should be held by the Board of Assessors to address any questions from citizens, and that it be filmed. Possibly, a question and answer section could be added to the recording, or to the board’s website.

Questions for the town counsel

Ken Thompson, treasurer of the Board of Health, requested permission to consult town counsel to determine the proper course of action when the board is trying to enter a property and is being refused access.

“People are being denied access for trying to do their jobs,” he said.

Selectmen approved his request, but asked that the meeting be as general (and brief) as possible so that other boards and committees could use any useful information. Board Chairman Mark Russo asked that Thompson report back after meeting with town counsel.

Later in the evening, Selectperson Joy requested further clarification on how the town should move forward managing small parcels of town-owned land, such as those taken through tax-title.

Russo, an abutter to town-owned property, recused himself, but spoke as a private citizen, noting that he believes in being very cautious about selling off town property.

Joy countered that she intended to inquire about small, possibly useless properties to the public.

Selectman Colleen Thompson noted that the town treasurer had prepared a guide to managing such properties, but Joy received the permission of the two members voting to consult with town counsel.

Joy will also be inquiring with town counsel about personnel policies and CORI policies, at the same time as Town Coordinator Dale Pleau collects these from other towns for comparison.

“Ho Hum” Special Primary Election:
Turnout was lukewarm at best, with barely 2 percent coming out to vote

Co-authored by Tracy Seelye

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s special primary election showed a very ho-hum response to the contest. 

Barely 2 percent of the 2,130 registered voters in Plympton came out to cast their ballot; the total number of votes cast was only 45 for the 13-hour election day beginning at 7 a.m. and winding down at 8 p.m.   At 7:30 p.m. Plympton Town Clerk Tara Morrison said that she doubted the count would reach 50 ballots for the day.   She was right.

Halifax Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor said that enthusiasm for the election didn’t fare any better in Halifax, as a mere 107 ballots were cast by the 5,145 registered voters in that town, or 2 percent. 

The unanticipated cost to Halifax for this special election, she said, was $2,554.46.  “And we do it again in November.” 

The two area state representatives Rep. Michael D. Brady, (D-Brockton) and Rep. Geoff Diehl, (R-Whitman) will face off, along with unenrolled candidate Anna Grace Raduc of Halifax, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as they vie to fill the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol District seat left vacant due to the death of State Senator Thomas P. Kennedy in June.

On the Democratic side, Brady, handily defeated businessman Joseph Lynch, also of Brockton.  Brady got 49 votes in Halifax to Lynch’s 7, while Brady netted 18 votes to Lynch’s 2 in Plympton.

Diehl was on the GOP ballot but faced no opposition.  He got 51 votes in Halifax, and 22 votes in Plympton.  “For me, today was just another day on the campaign trail,” he said.  “My focus is November.”

There were no candidates listed on the Green, Rainbow, or United Independent Party ballots.

Voters may have been looking ahead to November as tallies throughout the district saw a similar low turnout.

In Whitman, where 384 of the town’s 9,631 voters cast ballots, Democrats backed Brady with 141 votes to Lynch’s 29.  Hanson saw 232 votes out of about 7,000 voters turnout to give Brady a 115 to 15 win over Lynch

The margin was similar throughout the district with Brady taking 2,533 votes in Brockton, 94 in Easton, 88 in East Bridgewater, and 219 in Hanover.

Neither Brady nor Lynch was available for comment on the primary election result, but Rep. Diehl expressed his gratitude to the voters.

“The response to the campaign has been overwhelming,” Diehl stated.  “When I am door-knocking, people are thanking me every day for repealing automatic gas tax hikes.”

He also stressed the differences between his tenure as a representative for the 7th Plymouth District where he has served since 2010, and Brady, the 9th Plymouth representative for more than seven years.

“I am the only candidate in this race who has cut people’s taxes,” Diehl said.” My opponent has voted to increase taxes every time.  He doubled the tax on alcohol, raised the gas tax, sales tax, utility taxes, supported increasing income taxes and voted for higher fees.”

Diehl pointed to his accomplishments, including the automatic gas tax repeal and work against legislative pay raises and opposition to taxpayer contributions to balance cost overruns for the Olympics.

While Brady is strong in Brockton where he has served on the school committee and 13 years as a city councilor, Diehl’s best chance is, considered by political observers, to be centered in the surrounding suburban communities.

Here today, gone tomorrow–For a while! The jersey barriers will be removed from the Halifax boat ramps so that residents can remove their water crafts. The scenic view belies the fact that bacteria has been blooming in the waters of West Monponsett Pond. Photo by Deb Anderson.

The Town of Halifax will remove the barriers to the boat ramps on Route 58 (Monponsett Street) and Lingan Street/4th Avenue on a temporary basis from Friday, October 9 to Monday, October 12 to allow boat owners to remove their boats from Monponsett Pond. The barriers will go back into place on Tuesday, October 13.

Jersey barriers were put in place at the beginning of October at the Route 58 boat ramp and the Lingan Street/4th Avenue boat ramp in order to prevent easy access to the ramps. This was done because, despite having signage up indicating that West Monponsett Pond is unsafe to use for recreational purposes (swimming, boating, fishing), many people have continued to use the Ponds. The barriers will be removed if two consecutive weekly samples show algae counts of less than 70,000 per milliliter. The counts this year have been significantly less than last year but still above this limit so the advisory has been in place since the middle of July.

While the Town has put up barriers at these two locations, there are other locations for which the Town does not have jurisdiction and there are a number of residents with docks or other means of obtaining access to West Monponsett Pond. The Town will not be patrolling West Monponsett Pond, ticketing or fining anyone, but wants to discourage residents and non-residents from using the Pond due to health concerns.

East Monponsett Pond will continue to be open for all uses.

If anyone has questions, please contact Town Administrator Charlie Seelig at 781-294-1316.