Halifax selectmen met Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the Halifax Town Hall. They first awarded an energy management proposal for the coming year. Out of the three bidders, Energy Advocates, LLC., of North Easton was $2,000 per month; Amado Energy Solutions from Attleboro at $4,000 per month, and Wesson and Sampson, with a number of offices throughout the East Coast was highest at $7500 per month.
Kathy Stanley’s company, Energy Advocates, LLC, was lowest by far, Town Administrator Cody Haddad said, and she has worked with several other area towns. Haddad has worked with her in the past, saying her credentials are outstanding. The funding for the first year will be paid for with $24,000 ARPA funds and year two costs will become part of the operating budget for Halifax. The town may also apply to Green Communities to fund part of that cost. Selectmen awarded the contract to Energy Advocates, LLC.
Jonathan Saphire, representing Monponsett Events LLC d/b/a The Lake House, met with selectmen in a scheduled hearing to see if the board will approve a change to their all alcohol and common victualer’s license to include a secured lawn space and courtyard area at their 550 Monponsett St. location. Saphire told the board that they would have security through the Halifax Police for each event. Selectman Jonathan Selig asked how close the area is to Monponsett Pond; saying he didn’t want patrons to end up in the water. Saphire responded that they don’t want that either and they have plantings that help delineate the water’s edge.
One of the Monponsett Street neighbors voiced her concern that event guests outside with their drinks and cigarettes would put their litter into the pond: flip a spent cigarette or toss an unwanted drink. Saphire responded that they generally have a designated smoking area, and the area would be supervised. Selectman John Bruno pointed out that the pond is a treasured resource in town and echoed the concern that the integrity of the pond be foremost. Saphire agreed.
Jeremy Gillespie of Richview Avenue told selectmen that he is concerned that outside music would disrupt nearby family life. Saphire assured him that any complaints would be handled appropriately. Selectmen voted to extend the area covered by the All Alcoholic and Common Victualer’s license as requested.
Selectmen approved the requests from Steven King to use the Town Green for live entertainment and a Farmers’ Market for multiple dates during the upcoming warmer months.
Bruno asked his board to approve the new contract negotiated with Chief of Police Joao Chaves. “Glad to have you on board for three more years, Chief,” Bruno said.
Bruno asked his board to acknowledge a $20,000 check from MacDonald Industries for landfill repairs. The board accepted the check with their thanks.
Chief Joao Chaves asked selectmen to approve the appointment of Stephen Raddatz as a Police Patrolman. Chaves praised Raddatz as a good applicant who will become a valued member of the department. Raddatz came to Halifax from Whitman, where he has worked as a special police officer and also from the Weymouth School Dept. where he has worked as a security paraprofessional. Raddatz told selectmen his approach to conflict resolution is “Cool, calm, and collected.” He grew up in Whitman and is a graduate of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and lives in Hanson with his wife.
Jeremy Gillespie told selectmen that he would like to reactivate the waterways for the river herring to make it back to spawning areas that have been previously blocked. Gillespie said that everything is looking pretty good and now is the time to get the Alewife Restoration Committee active again. Bruno asked Gillespie what his goals are for the committee. Gillespie said that there is grant money available to help defray any restoration costs. “I think it’s important we do this now.” Selig told Gillespie, “If we can get the herring running back, it would be fantastic,” but expressed concerns as to how the committee would work and who would have ultimate authority to co-ordinate the work needed. Gillespie said that the ultimate authority for the work done would lie with the Conservation Commission. Town Administrator Cody Haddad will research the committee and bring his findings back to the board at the next meeting.
Bob Valery, Halifax Health Agent, spoke to the board regarding landfill repair and engineering at the capped MacDonald Landfill. The TRC Environmental Corp. will provide engineering work to solve the perennial problem. Haddad said he is looking for a long-term fix and wants to be able to show the plans to a contractor and say this is what Halifax wants done. The expected cost for the engineering is $17,400, less than the gifted $20,000 from MacDonald Landfill.
Haddad complimented the consultant who is helping Halifax develop an MBTA Action Plan, saying the consultant from the public planning partnership did a really nice job with his presentation last week, listening to the concerns of what Halifax wants in that while Halifax wants to be compliant, it also doesn’t want the by-law change to have a major impact on the community… the culture of the town.

Burning season for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts began Monday, Jan. 15, and will continue through Wednesday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In Halifax, burn permits may be obtained immediately 24 hours a day by paying $25 online at halifax-ma.org/pay. Your payment receipt serves as your valid burn permit for the season. Online registration/purchase is preferred.
For residents without internet access, you may obtain a permit by mailing a check or money order made out to the Town of Halifax for $25.00 along with the physical application or you may leave the application and payment in the designated box at the front desk of the Fire Station. Please visit halifax-ma.org/OpenBurning for more information.
In Plympton, please follow the link below to complete the permit. As always they are free of cost. The Permit only needs to be filled out once per year, then on days when you wish to burn call (781)585-2633 ext 212 to see if burning is allowed that day.
https://docs.google.m/…/1FAIpQLSeywwni0HM…/viewform…
In Kingston, residents can go to Kingston.firepermits.com to apply for a permit. Once you are registered you can apply for and pay $10 for your burn permit online through UniBank. Residents will receive an email notifying them when their payment has processed and the permit is approved. If conditions are not safe for burning, notification will be posted on the homepage.
com/…/1FAIpQLSeywwni0HM…/viewform…

In Kingston, residents can go to Kingston.firepermits.com to apply for a permit. Once you are registered you can apply for and pay $10 for your burn permit online through UniBank. Residents will receive an email notifying them when their payment has processed and the permit is approved. If conditions are not safe for burning, notification will be posted on the homepage.

HANSON – State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, is leaving his seat in the General Court to take a position with the Healey Administration as undersecretary for apprenticeship, work-based learning and policy in the Executive Office of Labor and Workplace Development.
The move clears the way for a race to fill the open seat, and area candidates are already expressing interest in, or intention to, run.
“It’s been the honor of my career to serve the residents of the 6th Plymouth District in the Mass. Legislature for the past 11 years,” Cutler wrote in a statement posted on his Facebook page and circulated to supporters last week. “This is a job that I have truly loved! So it is with mixed emotions, but a grateful heart that I write to share that I will be stepping down as a state representative.” The 6th Plymouth District includes Duxbury, Pembroke and portions of Hanson and Halifax.
Cutler described the new position as a “great opportunity to advance the workforce issues I’ve championed in the Legislature as House chairman of the Labor Committee these past two terms.
“Rep. Culter has been a tremendous partner in advancing workforce development, and we are excited that he will continue his leadership in our administration as we work to grow important programs like registered apprenticeship,” said Gov. Maura Healey in a statement on the appointment. “I’m confident that Rep. Cutler will continue to support Massachusetts residents and businesses in this role and add great value to the team.”
As part of his responsibilities, Cutler will oversee the Division of Apprentice Standards including the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship, the growth of work-based learning career pathways in partnership with the Executive Office of Education, and the Department of Economic Research and other policy efforts for the secretariat such as future of work, caregiving in the workplace, and more.
“Josh Cutler has been and will continue to be an advocate of workforce development initiatives. He has been very supportive of South Shore Tech’s efforts to modernize our school through MSBA,” said the school’s Superintendent/Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey. “Furthermore, Josh understands that South Shore Tech is a key player in workforce training after hours and I know he will continue to be a strong partner on the Career Technical Initiative and other programs that strengthen our local economy.”
Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green expressed both disappointment about hearing about Cutler’s decision, as well as hope for a good relationship with a new representative.
“I am excited to join the Healey-Driscoll Administration and look forward to working with Secretary Jones as we implement policies and programs to help support our workers and enable our businesses to thrive,” said Cutler who is the Chairman of the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee. “I am grateful to the Sixth Plymouth District for giving me the honor to represent them in the House for the past decade and look forward to supporting them and communities across the state in this new role.”
“Of course, he’s going on to an important position and it’s a loss in a legislative partner for the town of Hanson,” Green said. “But we look forward to who his successor will be and establishing a great new relationship with that legislative partner when they come on board. We wish Josh Cutler all the best of luck.”
According to Hanson Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, both Ken Sweezey – the Republican who ran against Cutler in the last election – and Becky Colletta, Cutler’s friend and law partner, have individually informed her they are running for the seat.
“From the moment that Josh declared his candidacy [in his first campaign for the State House] I have supported him, and I’ve never regretted it,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I’ve been nothing but grateful for his partnership and his support of our community all these years. He’s gotten us all kinds of grants, he understands Hanson, he advocates for us and I just hope the next person that we get does half as much as Josh – he’s been amazing. I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about him.”
Sweezey has already submitted a candidate’s announcement to the Whitman-Hanson Express [See page 2].
“Becky Colletta is running, and I texted Ken Sweezy yesterday and he confirmed to me that he is running,” she said Monday.
“I want to thank Rep. Cutler for his years of service – but I truly believe the residents of this district are looking for a new vision and fresh leadership that more accurately reflects the values of our neighbors on the South Shore,” Sweezey stated in his announcement. “I promised a common-sense conservative approach during the campaign in 2022 and I reaffirm that commitment now. I will be a representative for everyone – which includes many of us who feel they have not been represented on Beacon Hill for far too long.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Duxbury, Pembroke, Hanson, Halifax, and Marshfield,” Sweezey continued. “Let’s get started!”
Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan, however, said she had been unaware that Cutler would not be running again and that no nomination papers had yet been pulled for the race.
Cutler’s friend and supporter Joe Pelligra said that, as he understands it, the office change will be a slow transition.
“I think it will be over the next five months,” he said. “He’s just not going to run again, which leaves the door open to a lot of competitors.”
Pelligra said Cutler felt that being offered the position in the Healey administration was something he couldn’t pass up.
“He’s been in the Ways and Means for labor and workforce development in his job duties as state Rep., so this ties right into what he’s doing.”
Cutler was under the weather last weekend and unable to return calls for comment, referring press inquiries to his statement.
“I leave with warm feelings for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” Cutler said. “I know that our delegation will continue to work together in a bipartisan way. It’s never been about party affiliation for me, but always about working together to help people and solve problems. … Thank you for your trust, friendship and the honor of allowing me to serve!”
President of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable J.D. Chesloff and the President of the Massachusetts Building Trades Union Frank Callahan have both supported Cutler’s appointment, as has President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Chrissy Lynch.
“During his time in the legislature, Chair Cutler has been a great leader, partner, and advocate for our workforce and has championed efforts to grow and expand opportunities for residents across the state,” Lynch said. “While we will miss his leadership and presence on the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, I know he will work just as ferociously for our workers in his new role within the Healey-Driscoll Administration.”
Cutler is a six-term state representative and House Chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee. He is a member of the Mass. STEM Advisory Council and recently served as co-chair of the Future of Work Commission and the WorkAbility Subcommittee on disability employment. He also co-chairs the Coastal Caucus.
In the House, Cutler has been a champion for workforce development, vocational education, and career center funding. He is lead sponsor of the wage transparency act, disability hiring tax credit, and apprenticeship standards and re-entry works legislation.
Cutler was a recipient of the Thomas M. Menino Public Service Award for his work on disability employment policy. He has also been recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Mass. Developmental Disabilities Council, the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, the Mass. Mental Health Counselors Association, and the Plymouth-Bristol Central Labor Council.
Cutler holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and a juris doctor degree from Suffolk Law School. He is also an attorney and the author of two books on local history.

Two docents from the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Nancy Gentile and Captain Michael Taylor, will present a program titled, “A Day in the Life of a Whaler,” on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Faunce School, 16 Green St., Kingston.
Gentile and Taylor will use a PowerPoint presentation to help describe the typical whaling vessel, captain and crew, geography of whale hunts, and products created from whales. The duo will also discuss details of the whaling business and talk about the wives that accompanied sometimes their whaling husbands on long voyages. The program also features a demonstration of how baleen and harpoons were used.
Gentile served as a research librarian in various capacities for 39 years in private and public libraries. He has been a docent at the Whaling Museum since 2017 and enjoys giving tours to visiting student groups and adults weekly.
Taylor spent the first half of his career in the British Merchant Navy, starting as an Apprentice in 1958 rising as high as Ships Master. In retirement he farmed in South America before returning to Massachusetts, where Taylor volunteers at the Whaling Museum.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org.
For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at [email protected].

For the second consecutive year, North Easton Savings Bank proudly announces it was named a Top Places to Work by The Boston Globe for 2023.
In addition to the overall award, the bank also earned eight Top Workplace Culture Excellence Awards for innovation, work-life flexibility, employee well-being, employee appreciation, professional development, compensation and benefits, leadership, and purpose and values.
These new awards for 2023 come on the heels of the bank also winning major awards in 2022 for Top Places to work (The Boston Globe), Top Workplaces USA (USA Today), and Best-in-State Banks (Forbes).
“I am grateful for the opportunity to be included on this esteemed list once again,” stated Rich Spencer, president and CEO of North Easton Savings Bank.  “I want to thank all of our amazing employees throughout the organization who work hard every day to support our customers and the communities we serve. But more than that, I thank them for supporting each other, being there for one another, and truly making our Bank a wonderful place to build a career.
An award-winning local bank with over $1.5 billion in assets, North Easton Savings Bank is uniquely situated to provide personal and commercial banking and lending solutions to southeastern Massachusetts.
Founded in 1864, North Easton has a proven track record of growing the community through fair banking practices, financial advising, and local philanthropy. Looking forward, North Easton is well-positioned as the preferred area banking partner with a powerful combination of convenient features like mobile and online banking and the personal, hometown touch of a local bank. North Easton Savings Bank is fully insured by the FDIC and the DIF and is an Equal Housing Lender. For more information, please visit NorthEastonSavingsBank.com.

The Town of Plympton and Plympton Police Department are pleased to announce the kickoff of a new traffic safety and speeding enforcement campaign. This campaign will be run through the Police Department and is a multi-faceted approach tasked with the mission of keeping our roadways safer for our residents and slowing down traffic passing through town.
The Police Department has successfully secured grant funding to support additional hours for traffic patrols and for the installation of a new solar powered speed monitoring sign through the FFY 2024 Municipal Road Safety (MRS) Grant. These funds will be used as part of a High Visibility Enforcement program that will allow for committing a significant percentage of enforcement to several targeted areas in order to begin to mitigate aggressive, impaired, and distracted driving to prevent motor vehicle accidents.
The following action items are already in progress or will be commencing within the upcoming days:
• Each week there will be a street selected that will have officers on each shift conducting targeted Radar Patrols.

• Streets with a high incidence of reported speeding will be prioritized at key times of day.
• The Police Department will purchase 100 bicycle helmets for bike safety programming. School Resource Officers will provide these to any child needing a helmet or a new sized helmet.

• Over the next few months, we will be conducting several traffic initiatives such as click-it or ticket, school bus safety, distracted driving, hands free operation and winter impaired driving.
• Citizens can help us with this campaign by driving the speed limit as a way to model the behavior we are encouraging. Another benefit of this type of community involvement is that it will also help to slow down traffic generally, which will in turn slow down those speeding through town. Additionally, if citizens notice a particular street or a specific time of day in which they typically witness speeding issues, they are urged to reach out to the Police Department to let them know.
The main point of contact is Lieutenant Dan Hoffman. Lieutenant Hoffman can be reached via Email: [email protected] or by phone at (781) 585-3339 Ext. 502

The Central Plymouth County Water District Commission (CPCWDC) announces the public release of the Silver Lake Water Quality Monitoring Program Technical Memorandum: Halifax, Plympton, Pembroke, and Kingston, Massachusetts (2021-2022 Monitoring Results). The report was prepared by TRC Companies (TRC), on behalf of the CPCWDC, to address concerns regarding potential aquatic life and recreational water quality impacts to Silver Lake from watershed sources and water diversions to the Brockton Public Water Supply (PWS). The primary objectives of this Technical Memorandum are to provide a baseline understanding of current water quality to support aquatic life, identify key water quality drivers in Silver Lake, as well as potential management solutions and the next steps needed to address the observed conditions.
The Silver Lake Technical Memorandum findings raise concerns for public water supply consumers and the residents who live in the vicinity of these waterbodies. Silver Lake is the primary source of water for Brockton Public Water Supply System, and the supplemental sources of Monponsett and Furnace Ponds experience similarly compromised water quality. If source waters are left unmanaged, there is potential for blooms to increase the cost of finished water treatment and the associated cost of water. “We encourage the City of Brockton to collaborate with surrounding towns and other stakeholders to address water quality in the lake and the associated waterbodies as well as immediately pursue back-up alternatives, such as a connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)” stated Jack O’Leary, Chairman of the CPCWDC. “The reduction in water withdraws from Silver Lake would also help mitigate the stress on aquatic systems identified in the report.“ The Silver Lake Water Quality Monitoring Program Technical Memorandum: Halifax, Plympton, Pembroke, and Kingston, Massachusetts (2021-2022 Monitoring Results) can be accessed at: Technical Memorandum.
The full water quality data set can be accessed here: Data Set Public flyer can be accessed here: Trifold More information on Cyanobacteria can be accessed here: EPA Fact Sheet for Public Water Supply MassDEP Cyanobacteria Resources MassDEP Guidance Cyanobacteria and Public Water Systems Questions and written comments on the report or the monitoring program should be directed to:
Francis G. Basler Jr.
Administrator, County of Plymouth
44 Obery Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360
o: 508.830.9104 m: 781.718.9967 f: 508.830.9106
[email protected]