The Town of Plympton Residents will be accommodated by the Town of Plympton Town Clerk, Tara J. Shaw, to “Early Vote” in the November 8th Election based on the terms provided in M.G.L. c. 50, § 1 (950 CMR 47.00: EARLY VOTING PROCEDURES).

Qualified voters may vote early in person at the Town of Plympton Town House or by mail and only in the town in which he or she is registered to vote. The deadline for the last day to register to vote for the November 8, 2016 Election is Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. The designated polling location is the same as all other Town of Plympton Elections located at the Plympton Town House, Community Meeting Room, 5 Palmer Road, Plympton, MA 02367. The mandated early voting period is Monday, October 24, 2016 and Friday, November 4, 2016. (Guideline specifics are as follows:  The voting period for early voting shall run from the eleventh business day preceding the general election until the close of business on the business day preceding the business day before the election; provided, however, that if the eleventh business day before the election falls on a legal holiday the early voting period shall begin on the first business day prior to the legal holiday.) To help clarify this law, and in the case of the Town of Plympton, Early Voting hours will be limited to the normal business hours of the Plympton Town Clerk which are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Monday evenings 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The specific dates are October 24-27 and October 31 – November 4.

“Generally, keeping polls open under normal circumstances is expensive, and that is true for early voting as well. This is the reason we are conducting early voting using the Town Clerk’s Office regular business hours within the time period mandated by the state. Back in January when meeting with the Finance Committee for the FY17 Budget, the specific guidelines for Early Voting had not been ironed out by the state, therefore, I did my best to predict costs for at least one additional Election Worker in addition to myself and my Assistant Town Clerk to accommodate Early Voting. In an effort to not put a strain on the already tight budget needed to perform all of the tasks in my office mandated by the state, and in a lot of cases, unfunded mandated costs, I am prepared to put in additional time if needed to help streamline the process and to keep the residents of Plympton informed. More informative material will follow by way of Town of Plympton website News and Announcements and Plympton-Halifax Express updates. Thank you for your patience as we launch ourselves into a new era that includes Early Voting!”

~ Town Clerk Tara Shaw.

HALIFAX/PLYMPTON– With several weeks of summer left, public safety officials are warning of the proper first aid for both heatstroke and sunstroke. Although similar in cause, the two conditions must be distinguished between as each requires different treatment.

With heatstroke, the skin becomes cold, moist and pale. Body temperature is lowered, lower than normal. A victim’s pulse is rapid, but weak, and breathing is quiet and shallow. They may be perspiring excessively and experience dizziness, faintness, loss of consciousness and cramping.

First aid for heatstroke involves loosening the clothing of the victim and putting them in a relaxed, reclining position. Lowering the head and body temperature should help. Call 911 or a doctor for professional medical care.

With sunstroke, the victim will usually have hot, dry and red skin and a raised body temperature, even a fever. Their pulse will often be rapid and strong and their breathing will be loud and rapid. They may not be perspiring at all. They may also experience nausea, vomiting, thirst, drowsiness, or unconsciousness.

First aid for sunstroke involves loosening the clothing of the victim and putting them in a relaxed, reclining position. Raise the head. Do not attempt to lower the body temperature or apply cold water.

Both sunstroke and heatstroke can be medical emergencies. Do not hesitate to call 911 or a doctor for professional medical care.

PLYMPTON – A postcard produced by the Plympton Community Preservation Committee demonstrating what the CPC does, in preparation for a Town Meeting warrant article that sought at a future point to ask voters to eliminate the CPC on a ballot, has been cleared by Town Counsel.

Former selectman John Henry questioned the legality of spending town funds on the post card – about $1,000 according to the CPC – from CPC administration funds.

Although town funds cannot be used to influence an election, educational materials are exempt from this campaign finance law when a Town Meeting warrant article is involved.

The postcard was sent to each mailing address in town educating the population about the projects that have been done in Plympton with Community Preservation funds since the Town voted to be included in the CPA.  It also answered questions about low income and senior exemptions.

The Selectmen expressed concern that this might have been a grey area since the Town Meeting article sought to put a question on a ballot at some future date to put an end to Community Preservation Act in Plympton, so they brought the question to Town Counsel for clarification.

Town Counsel Ilana Quirk referred the matter to another Kopelman and Paige attorney, Lauren Goldberg, who cleared the CPC of any wrongdoing, citing several precedents showing that, in her opinion, no issues were raised under the Campaign Finance Law, and the CPC had done nothing wrong or illegal.

PLYMPTON– On Tuesday, August 2, the Board of Health met and took on an agenda full of mostly old business, and heard status updates.

• There is forward movement in the sale of 59 Parsonage Road from the USDA to Richmond Poole. Town Counsel has reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that Poole and his attorney seek from the board drawing up the terms under which the BOH will lift conditions it has placed on the deed to the property. Town Counsel made only minor changes to the draft MOU from Poole’s attorney.

• Of the two Maple Street properties that the board has been trying to ascertain the number of bedrooms, the Assessors have not been able to enter one of the dwellings because it is not time for an assessment. The other is a four-bedroom home, and therefore it is in compliance with state septic codes as its septic system is designed for four bedrooms.

• There is no news on the Upland Road rat infestation. Board Chairman Art Morin agreed with the room that no news was good news on the infestation.

• A Center Street resident who is in dire need of a new septic system was able to obtain a loan to complete the work. The only other option for the resident was to sell the home.

• There are two outstanding complaints for rubbish that has piled up outdoors. One involves a Grove Street property, where a one-time intervention might help. “My dump-truck stands ready,” said member Ken Thompson, although the board is working with the Council on Aging to make sure this isn’t an ongoing problem. The other is a Mayflower Road foreclosure, where notice has now been sent to the bank that owns the property, ordering them to clean up the property. That lender is in Texas, meaning if they don’t have a local code compliance unit, the order may be fruitless.

• A couple from Forest Street came before the board because they realized that they unwittingly don’t have a proper septic system for the number of bedrooms in their home. The system is rated for three bedrooms and is quite old, while there are five bedrooms and five residents in the house. They are in the process of refinancing to pay for a new system. The board asked to be kept up to date.

• Nearly 27 months after it was funded at a Town Meeting, a design for the water filtration system at the Dennett Elementary School has been sent to the Department of Environmental Protection for final approval. The school uses bottled water for drinking due to a series of failed water safety tests and procedural failures by SLRSD officials over a period of about a decade.

HALIFAX– Despite Halifax Selectmen finishing the bulk of their seemingly brief agenda in about 10 minutes on Tuesday, July 26, the agenda actually contained many scheduled appointments which kept the board busy for hours. Among the appointments were the ninth meeting with Fieldstone Farms proprietor Scott Clawson, a hearing on no-parking signs on Brandeis Circle for the purpose of discouraging access to Silver Lake and a continuation of a dog hearing for Tarawood Kennel.

Fieldstone Farms consent agreement signed

Finally, after nine lengthy meetings with Scott Clawson, a contentious update to the legal consent agreement under which he operates horse shows was signed by Clawson and the board.

There was a sense of relief in the room as the lengthy process, which had been adversarial at times, is coming to an end. The agreement still needs legal review.

The update to the 20-year-old legal agreement came after Clawson set off red-flags among town officials by advertising more shows than were allowed in the agreement for this summer, but Clawson turned the chastising he received from the board for that transgression into a discussion about changing the contract.

Lawyers for the town and for Clawson worked out the details of the changes that Clawson wanted to see, up until past 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Clawson will see an increase in the number of shows, an increase in the number of RVs on site to house show security and other personnel as well as an increased number of horses counted by entries, not heads.

He had to compromise on several issues, including the number of RVs, whether they could have generators or not– they cannot– and concerns that various public safety officials had, especially regarding the on-site medical staff.

He will also be able to ask for an extra date if he gives the Board sufficient notice.

The agreement was renegotiated line-by-line in painstaking detail over the course of the process.

Brandeis Circle

The board rejected a proposal to put up “No Parking” signs on Brandeis Circle in order to prevent access to Silver Lake via a property that is no longer in use and has a trail to the water’s edge.

Reportedly, many recreational users of Silver Lake leave their vehicles in front of the property, and Jeffrey Bolger, a neighbor, suggested “No Parking” signs to discourage this illegal trespassing.

Yet, despite a recent drowning, neighbors expressed their disapproval for the signs, saying that they would prevent get-togethers where extra parking is required.

Police Chief Edward Broderick stated that his department stood ready to assist neighbors if they called in what they believed to be parking violations, or trespassing on the parcel or their property, at any time.

Although the board will continue to monitor the situation, they were not prepared to have signs installed.

Silver Lake is a public water supply and is not open for recreational use, although due to a lack of enforcement and unclear jurisdictions, people often use it for recreational purposes.

Tarawood Kennel

Tarawood Kennel, at 7 Plymouth Street, is owned by Jennifer Choate. The board called her back before them for the third part of a dog hearing to address on-going barking issues.

Last week the board ordered her to take remedial action immediately to reduce barking that neighbors say they can hear at all times of day and night and to hire a sound engineer to look into fixing the problem in a more permanent way.

Although the board, Choate, her attorney and some of her supporters were speaking back and forth, no one in the room from the public was recognized to speak by Chairman Troy Garron. Neighbors turned out in droves, to the point where extra chairs had to be found by Town Administrator Charlie Seelig.

Choate has spoken to a sound engineer, and began moving around some dogs within the facility in an attempt to reduce barking, she said.

They all agreed to continue the hearing until August 23rd at 8 p.m. until some more work can be done.

Further complicating matters, though, was a citizen’s petition that Selectmen are obligated to take up, giving them authority over the entire kennel operation, not just the barking issue. Since 25 residents signed, they must hold a hearing. That hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9 at 8 p.m.

This may obviate the Aug. 23 hearing, but Seelig recommended that the two processes run parallel to each other.

Choate is currently seeking an increase in the number of dogs she can have on premise from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Selectmen will now have authority superseding that of the ZBA in all aspects of the kennel.

PLYMOUTH COUNTY– On Wednesday, July 13 the Central Plymouth County Water Commissioners met to edit a letter they are sending as a direct appeal to Brockton water consumers.

Only two of the four commissioners were present, although the third appeared by cellphone and the Brockton Commissioner did not attend the meeting.

The thrust of the letter is to make Brockton residents aware of the consequences their water consumption is having on neighboring communities, and their officials’ lack of a response to the issue.

Brockton, which can divert water from the Monponsett Lake into Silver Lake and pumped out as Brockton’s supply, is under the microscope as their diversions are blamed for keeping Monponsett Lake, especially West Pond, stagnant and unhealthy, encouraging cyanobacteria to reproduce.

This summer cyanobacteria numbers have soared as the temperatures have risen, causing MassDEP to recommend closure of West Pond.

This has done little to stop recreational boaters from using the pond, even fishing in it, despite posted warnings that the West Pond of the lake is closed.

A test on Monday, July 11th was even more disturbing than previous tests. According to the MassDEP and local officials, the West Monponsett Pond samples showed cyanobacteria levels of 1,174,000 cells/ml, up from 613,000 cells/ml at 4th Avenue Beach the week before. Last week, 592,000 cells/ml were found at the state boat ramp, and 632,000 cells/ml were found at Ocean Avenue Beach.

This is much higher than the cutoff rate of 70,000 cells/ml that the state considers for human safety.

The East Monponsett sample, collected at the Rt. 36 boat ramp, showed a cyanobacteria level of 14,500 cells/ml, up from 950 cells/ml the week before.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recommends that the current advisory remain in place, and the town is abiding by that recommendation.

MassDEP plans to collect samples again this week.

PLYMPTON– After a hearing on a gravel removal permit which, due to a clerical error, referenced an incorrect map from nearly a decade ago and will be reissued, Meaghan Randall, daughter of Jeff Randall, wished to let her neighbors know: “stop harassing my family.”

In an emotional statement, the daughter of the farmer who in the last six months has brought the town apparently full-circle in proposing a medical marijuana “grow-facility”, a Chapter 40B mixed-income housing development and finally back to the cranberry and horse-boarding business, accused her neighbors and former friends of “retribution” and “harassment”.

Randall, who lives at Hayward Farms with her parents, stated that she was afraid that the harassment would go on unabated until her father is caused financial hardship through their opposition to various activities that go on at Hayward Farms.

To bolster her claims that these regular complaints to Town House were retribution for the proposed grow facility, she read from a  May 9 e-mail from Sharon Housley of Ring Road that Housley wished to, “establish a record that Mr. Randall does not follow regulations put forth by the town.”

She called the neighbors on Ring Road, three couples which she specified by name, “not only petty but spiteful,” and stated that she worked with High School students that had better manners.

She also accused them of spreading false information, eye-rolling, laughing at her parents, and ‘snarky’ comments.

Chris Housley of Ring Road responded briefly and mentioned again the history of trucks bringing dirt onto the farm, something that had been discussed in terms of the gravel removal permit, although the dirt has nothing to do with gravel removal, says Jeff Randall.

Randall says that dirt is brought onto the farm, mixed with horse manure, and sold as compost. For that operation, Randall has agreed to limit truck traffic, although he asserts that he does not have to because it is an agricultural by-product. Neighbors are complaining of truck-traffic very early in the morning, which Mr. Randall denies.

The Selectmen are clarifying that assertion.

One neighbor said that they had been “letting this go for years.”