Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express

You are here: Home / Archives for News

Plane crashes into icy Halifax Lake

By

HALIFAX — A man is lucky to be alive after his plane crashed in the water behind Lake Street in Halifax Saturday afternoon around noon.

A portion of the Piper Archer 28-181, single propeller could be seen partially submerged near 78 Lake St., Halifax where first responders spent hours securing the oil spill from the plane with containment booms and awaited removal of the craft.

John Keegan of Hanson was helping his brother- in- law Aaron Sellers with a repair on the roof of his home when he saw the small plane skim the roof of the neighbors’ roof next door.

“His wings hit the ice then he popped back up and then crashed over there,” said Keegan pointing to the icy water.

Keegan, along with another man who heard the call from nearby  Cranland Airport in Hanson, were able to flip a canoe over that was at the bottom of the Sellers’ property, paddled through the ice to reach the pilot, and helped him to shore. The man was reportedly soaked but talking and said he was not hurt according to Keegan.  He was standing on the plane’s roof when the pair reached him.

In a press release Halifax firefighters reported they began the process of launching their marine craft in an attempt to reach the plane and encountered thin layers of ice and cold weather which prohibited the rescue boat from initially reaching the airplane.  A mutual aid airboat from Middleborough was called to assist in reaching the aircraft.  Companies then began the process of securing the surroundings with inflatable booms to stop any fuel leaks.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Environmental Protection, National Transportation Safety Board, Sheriff’s department, and State police were called to assist in the aircraft recovery, according to the press release.

The pilot later returned to the scene.  He was seen walking with a police officer in dry clothing and shook hands with Sellers as he passed by his home where Keegan had assisted him earlier. The man declined to comment to this reporter.

Other hazardous materials units were called in from Kingston and Duxbury.  Andy’s Towing and other tow companies were called to standby the incident.  The Plymouth County Dive Team was also activated with members from Hanover, Hingham, Abington, and Plympton.  Hanson Fire provided coverage at Halifax fire station

The name of the pilot has not been released by authorities and the cause of the crash is currently under investigation, according to the Halifax Fire Dept.

Halifax COA holiday luncheon

By

Halifax’s first responders were on hand to serve  up a delicious roast beef lunch to the seniors on Tuesday, Dec.10, at the annual Halifax Council on Aging Holiday Luncheon,

Guests enjoyed Christmas music from Corey Winters  and organists Vivian Cardinal and many guests  sang along.

Santa himself made a special appearance and many guests enjoyed taking selfies and photos with the jolly old elf himself.

Interim COA Director Brenda Fitzgerald welcomed all and thanked all the volunteers including members of the Halifax  Police, Halifax Fire, and the Plymouth County Sheriffs’ Office who helped make the luncheon a success.  Also helping was Jim Brenton from State Senator Mike Brady’s office.

Due to the large number of seniors participating in this event, the lunch was prepared and served at the Our Lady of the Lake Parish Hall .

New solar regs pass at Plympton STM

By

A special town meeting was held Monday, December 16 at Dennett Elementary School in Plympton. Each speaker was allowed three minutes during the first round of discussion on an article and up to two minutes during the second round. Town moderator Barry DeCristofano said, “we come here as friends and neighbors; we will leave here as neighbors and hopefully still friends.”

Planning Board Chair Ann Sobolewski spoke to Article 1 which strikes section 6.10 of the Plympton Zoning Bylaws that regulates solar facilities and replaces it with a significantly revised article. Sobolewski asked that section 6.10.6.2.2, which prohibited the use of herbicides, be changed to allow them as they had since learned that prohibiting them could negatively impact the site if agricultural. Sobolewski asked that the warrant be approved as otherwise printed in the warrant.

Sobolewski explained to her fellow residents that the current by-law regarding solar facilities was adopted wholesale directly from a model provided by the state that was meant to encourage large scale ground mounted solar facilities. She further explained that this article is an attempt to change the  bylaw to make it more beneficial to the town.

Sobolewski addressed her fellow residents saying, “I can tell you the only thing the Planning Board has done since I have been chair as of this past May is look at enormous large scale solar energy facilities being installed in Plympton one after the other after the other; they don’t stop. There is lots of deforestation associated with them and the way the bylaw is currently written there is literally very little we can do.”

A properly published public hearing on the matter was held back on Nov. 12 to discuss the bylaw changes. Regarding the public participation, Sobolewski noted that “in general the comments were favorable.” At the conclusion of the hearing the Planning Board Recommended Article 1 with four in favor and one abstention. The abstention felt that the changes were not necessarily strong enough.

Co-chair of the Open Space Committee Linda Leddy, who also served on an active subcommittee regarding the bylaw change, asked to speak to the article. Leddy asked to acknowledge Amy Cronin who also served on the subcommittee but was unable to attend the town meeting. Planning Board member John Schmid also served on the subcommittee and was in attendance. Leddy echoed Sobolewski’s sentiment saying that the model bylaw they adopted had very few parameters associated with it. Leddy said that the number one concern as expressed through the Open Space surveys is keeping the character of Plympton rural. Another major concern was that the town continue to support the local farmers. Leddy explained, “What we’re really trying to draft in this is to find the middle road between the basic bylaw we have right now and one that would be more extreme and shut many things down.” Leddy said that limiting forest cutting to no more than ten percent of the acreage on the property was one of the ways that the subcommittee hoped to ensure that the rural character was maintained.

Article 1, which required a two-thirds majority to pass, was passed with a show of nearly all hands in the crowded room. There were only a handful of residents voting against.

Article 2  would enable the Board of Selectmen to appoint Matthew Clancy as the new Plympton police chief. Chair of the Board of Selectmen Christine Joy moved the article as written in the warrant. Joy spoke on behalf of the article saying, “Matthew Clancy is uniquely qualified to serve as our chief of police and it is in the town’s best interest to secure his services.”  Before returning to Plympton as the interim police chief, Clancy served as the Plympton police chief from December 2002 to April 2010. The article easily passed.

Article 3 would allow the Board of Selectmen to establish designated safety zones for roads that are not a state highway. The article would give the Board the ability to reduce speed limits in such zones without Massachusetts Department of Transportation approval. Selectman Mark Russo spoke to the article telling residents the article would provide an “easy, inexpensive fix for some safety problems rather than expensive construction.”  Russo also assured those in attendance that the Board would not take action without significant input from abutters and other concerned residents. Nearly all in attendance voted to approve the article as stated in the warrant.

Article 4, which had the support of both the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee, would transfer available funds in the amount of $12,501 from the general stabilization fund to pay for an eight passenger, wheelchair accessible van to be used by the Council on Aging (COA). Selectman John Traynor explained that the current van used by the COA is not wheelchair accessible. Traynor further explained that the town received a Massachusetts Department of Transportation grant in the amount of $62,800 but that the town was required to match 20 percent of the grant.

A resident asked what would be done with the current van and if an additional driver was to be added. Traynor said that currently the COA utilizes a non-wheelchair accessible van as well as a sedan that formerly belonged to the police department. Traynor said that they will most likely be getting rid of one of the vehicles though it may be the sedan. Traynor also said that currently the COA has one paid driver and one volunteer. He said he is hopeful to have more volunteers in the future. COA director Joy Marble addressed the crowd saying, “It is very much needed, not just for seniors but for handicapped residents.” The article passed with what appeared to be unanimous support.

Article 5 proposed increasing the fines for dog related offenses to match the standard rates required by the state. Animal control officer Brian Kling explained to residents that the fines imposed by municipalities cannot be lower than those in the statute. There were a few questions by the public regarding the bylaws affecting the control of animals though none specifically about the increase in fines. Sobolewski elected to address the crowd reminding them that they were mandated to increase the fines. The article passed.

Article 6, that was not recommended by the Board of Selectmen or the Finance Committee, was to transfer funds from an available overlay surplus fund in the amount of $270,000 in order to reduce the fiscal 2020 interim tax rate. The Board of Assessors made a motion to pass over the article rather than voting upon it. The motion was approved.

Article 7 generated the most controversy albeit still minimal. The article would transfer $20,000 from available overlay surplus funds for the purpose of purchasing and installing an update for the Assessors’ CAMA system software. Neither the Board of Selectmen nor the Finance Committee recommended the article. Chair of the Board of Assessors Ethan Stiles explained that fiscal year 2022 is a revaluation year where the assessors must update all the assessments in the town. According to Stiles the Board of Assessors last updated their software in 2014. Stiles referred to the conversion as a “nightmare” and explained that the Board doesn’t want to wait until the spring to bring their request to town meeting as they want to avoid having to convert the software during a revaluation year. Planning Board member John Schmid asked several questions of town accountant Barbara Gomez before saying, “I support this.” Finance Committee Chair Nathaniel Sides said, “Speaking on behalf of the Finance Committee, the reason the Finance Committee does not feel that this is an appropriate article to entertain at tonight’s town meeting is exactly the fact that we have not had the opportunity to do our due diligence the way we normally would do when an article like this is presented… so that is the primary reason we voted against recommending this article at special town meeting. We are not necessarily saying that this item isn’t worthy of funding at a future town meeting, but we feel very strongly that this is the type of article that should be entertained at an annual town meeting and not rushed at a special town meeting.” Joy agreed saying that it is not that the Board of Selectmen doesn’t support the request but rather that they don’t feel it is appropriate for a special town meeting. The article failed to pass but the vote was the closest of the night.

Auto accident closes Rte 58; driver is OK

By

A passenger vehicle collided with a log-carrying truck, ending up underneath the truck, closing down Route 58 in Plympton, near the Winnetuxet Road intersection Wednesday at 11 am.

The single passenger, a woman, did not appear to suffer serious injuries, but was transported to the South Shore Hospital trauma center in South Weymouth as a precaution, according to Capt. John Sjosted.  Plympton firefighters were needed to extricate the woman from her vehicle.

Photo on page 2

Girls win basketball opener

By

The Silver Lake High girls’ basketball team has a new head coach, and they will look to bounce back from a rebuilding year under him.

Now the Lakers coach is Tony Pina, who also coaches softball at Silver Lake. The former Carver Crusaders head coach won 150 games during his decade-long tenure with the girls team–and it only took him one game to get his first win as the Lakers head girls basketball coach.

The Lakers kicked off their season against the Duxbury Dragons on Friday, Dec. 13 with a 42-26 win to improve to 1-0 on the season. In the win, Lily Gustafson, a junior, and Kiley O’Brien, a sophomore, led the way; they scored nine points apiece. The Lakers also showed off their depth in the victory as eight different players scored points for the team.

The Lakers starting five in their first game of the season featured: junior Riley Dunphy as point guard, junior Molly Terbush as shooting guard, junior Erin deMacedo and sophomore Kiley O’Brien as their two forwards as well as senior Holly Reeder-Morning as their center. As a sophomore, Reeder-Morning was a Patriot League All-Start and led the team in scoring. She missed much of last season recovering from a knee injury.

Off the bench, Gustafson provides the team with a boost–as she exemplified in the team’s opening win against Duxbury. Additionally, they will look to senior Jordan Carroll, juniors Lily Noonan and Natalie Bouchard, and sophomores Reese Colon and Samantha Kelly for contributions and to provide depth.

As of Wednesday, the Lakers were 1-2 on the season. They fell 54-36 to Norwell on Monday, Dec. 16 and one day later, they fell 45-31 against Pembroke.

The Lakers next contest is a non-league matchup this Friday at home. They will host the Marshfield Rams (6:30 p.m. start time).

Plympton School Committee begins budget deliberations

By

The Plympton School Committee met on Monday, December 16 to hear presentations from two department heads in addition to the usual updates and upcoming budget discussions.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto gave an update on the events of the past month. Report cards went out on December 9 and the school’s holiday concert was held on December 12. “It’s been a great month,” Veneto said. “We had a ton of parents come in for the Grade 2 Heritage Fair; we’ve seen a lot of parents in the building this month – the parent involvement has been terrific and it just goes to show that they’re very supportive of what goes on here and we’re very happy about that.” Veneto also called the Girl Scouts’ Holiday Craft Fair this past weekend “a huge success.” Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen also had praise for the Thanksgiving feast held at the school last month. The winter break will be from Monday, December 23 to Friday, December 27.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy gave an update on the financials saying, “We’re progressing very nicely through the year; there have been no unexpected events that we haven’t been able to financially take care of.”

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable gave a presentation, just as she had done at the Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting the previous week. Grable began by defining special education as “specially designed instruction to help students with various disabilities anywhere from age 3 through age 22. Our focus is to try and equal the playing field for all students so that they can all access curriculum similar to their non-disabled peers.” Grable stressed the importance of the team in special education saying that it takes the cooperation and efforts of many including the student, parents, the school representative, the evaluation expert, the regular education teacher, the special education teacher, the child expert, and community agencies. At 14, the student becomes a legally recognized member of the team process.

The state gives ten classifications for schools to draw upon to determine if a student is eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Grable said that there are currently 53 students from Plympton, both at Dennett and out of district in K-6, that are receiving services via an IEP. Grable said that the number of students in out of district placements is going down. In fiscal year 2017, there were six out of district placements and in the current year there are only three.

Grable also spoke about the budget for special education tuition and transportation. One of the ways in which special education is paid for is through the state Circuit-Breaker program which reimburses school districts a percentage of the costs over a certain threshold which are accrued educating severely high needs students. For Plympton, that threshold is any amount over $45,792 per student. Out of district tuition for the town of Plympton this year is $535,381 and out of district transportation is $90,000. Some of these costs are offset through Circuit-Breaker. Two entitlement grants, Grant 240 and a smaller Grant 262, also help offset special education costs. According to Grable, the district needs to be cautious of the fact that the 240 grant is diminishing each year. A good portion of the 240 grant money is used toward the paraprofessionals that are working with the students receiving special education services. Grant 262 which targets students ages 3-5, is mainly used toward contracted services at the preschool level. Grable also said that in speaking with Superintendent Joy Blackwood, Assistant Superintendent Jill Proulx, and Principal Veneto about budget preparations they have decided to include a proposal to add a special education teacher.

Grable gave an overview of the post-secondary Pathways program for students aged 18-22 which helps students transition into the community. The students in the Silver Lake Pathways program were acknowledged during a ceremony in November along with their colleagues in the neighboring communities of Carver, Pembroke, Duxbury, Hanover, Marshfield, Plymouth, and Whitman-Hanson. Grable said, “This program is doing such an outstanding job and all of the programs work so well together. Our students are over in Pembroke, and Marshfield, and Hanover, and they’re working alongside the students in some of the other communities in the communities and the workforce.” Grable continued, “I’m so proud of the fact that the school committee and the superintendent have had the vision to allow this program to move forward.”

Technology Director for Silver Lake Steve Pellowe also gave a brief presentation to the committee. Pellowe referred to the department as “small but mighty” saying that they manage over 7,000 individual devices. Pellowe said that the department’s budget is up only $270 from last year. “We try not to ask for more than we need,” Pellowe explained. Vice Chair Jason Fraser said, “It’s amazing what you’ve done with the amount of money you’ve asked us for the years you’ve been here.” “The budget number is ridiculous but in a great and welcoming way,” Fraser continued. Wilhelmsen added, “I think it also speaks to how you are doing your budget.”

Blackwood said that initial budget discussions had already been had for Plympton. The district will be going out to bid for buses. As mentioned during the special education presentation, the addition of a new special education teacher will be proposed. Of the request, Blackwood said, “I fully support and believe this is the right thing to do; I believe it will be a savings to the town once we educate the public to understand what it will mean if we aren’t able to provide those services within the brick and mortar of the Dennett Elementary School.”

Blackwood said there would be a slight increase in maintenance costs for the building. Wilhelmsen said that he thought it best that regular maintenance items be included in the budget while “one-of” maintenance items would best be paid for through special town meeting. Blackwood also announced the retirement of long-time kindergarten teacher Donna Resmini at the end of the school year. Blackwood said that her retirement would be a great loss for the school but did acknowledge that it would result in a roughly $25,000 cost savings to the school.

Blackwood likened the building of a budget to a puzzle and said that they hope to bring forth a budget that is fiscally responsible while still meeting the needs of those in the building.

District committee hears department reviews

By

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting Thursday, December 5 began with a performance of Frozen Jr. by the Middle School’s Drama Club.

The students, who were led by their Program Director and school nurse Carol Beck, performed a number of songs for the school committee and administration.

Committee Chair Jason Fraser thanked the parents for bringing their students and said, “Break a leg next week obviously, and thank you so much; we always look forward to seeing the students… we never really get to see the fruit of our labors and it is lovely to see.”

Silver Lake Regional Middle School principal James Dupille said, “I want to thank my students for coming and doing Frozen Junior.” He also praised Carol Beck for her work as the program director and told the committee that Beck was a big part of the annual New York trip where she took several students to see Frozen on Broadway. Showtimes for the middle school performance are this Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. and  Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.

Nutrition Director Megan Ahrenholz gave a follow-up presentation to the one she had presented in the spring. As she had done in her previous presentation, Ahrenholz brought one of her newer dishes for the committee to try, in this case, mango salsa. Ahrenholz, who is in her second year at Silver Lake, said that the department ended the previous year with a profit of $24,480. The current year is not looking as good with an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 loss anticipated. Ahrenholz said that an 8 percent increase in the cost of food, only one grocery vendor bid, and a decrease in school lunch participation were all significant factors in this year’s loss. Fraser said that they were having difficulty securing multiple bids in other areas as well, including school buses.

Ahrenholz shared with the committee several initiatives meant to reverse this trend. Amongst those were beginning breakfast at the high school in early 2020, offering new ala carte options at the middle school, and changing to a lower cost chicken patty. Ahrenholz also shared that she hopes to start a social media account for the nutrition department as well as having all recipes entered into the NutriKids menu planning program so parents, etc. can easily access nutrition and allergen information. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said, “I always think its wonderful when anybody comes to any meeting with a problem, also comes with a list of potential solutions, so I applaud you.”

Administrator of Special Education for Silver Lake Marie Grable also gave a presentation to the Committee. Currently, there are 637 total students in the district receiving special education services. The number of students in Halifax is 133, the number of students in Kingston 214, in Plympton the number stands at 53, and for the regionalized schools in Silver Lake 237. In terms of percentages, 16.8% of the Halifax student population have Individualized Education Programs (IEP), 15.1% of those in Kingston do, 16.8% of those in Plympton do as well. For the regionalized grades 7-12, 14.8% of the student population have IEPs. McGee asked Grable, how many, if any, of the students with IEPs were in mediation. Grable said that none of them were.

IEPs are contracts between the school and the family. When disagreements arise between the two parties that cannot be easily resolved, the case is sent to mediation with the most drastic outcome being a hearing before a judge. Committee members agreed that it was wonderful news to hear that none of the IEPs in the district were in mediation. The Committee also applauded Grable and her team for reducing the number of students with disabilities going out of district each year.

Fraser said, “Being able to keep our students here, in home, getting very specific instruction for very individualized needs and saving money at the same time is an unbelievable win-win-win situation. I know these are just numbers, but these are also kids and these kids all have families and the amount of difference that this makes in the lives of so many human beings is just remarkable.”

Grable’s presentation leaned heavily on the concept of equity rather than equality. As explained by Grable, equity equates to fairness, whereas equality equates to sameness. Essentially, just giving everyone the same opportunities does not amount to equality since that assumes that everyone is starting from the same place. Grable played a video for the Committee and administration entitled “Why Special Ed Isn’t” by Jennifer Sommerness. Sommerness argues against students being confined to self-contained special education classrooms. She also argues for thinking of students in strength-based ways.

Principal Dupille gave a report on some of the significant events that have either taken place or are scheduled to take place at the school.

The annual Head Start holiday party coordinated by the National Junior Honor Society is scheduled for December 16 from 4-6:30 p.m. Dupille also reported on the Jingle Ball Tournament this past Monday, December 9 where all participants brought in donations for Toys for Tots.

Other goings on in the spirit of giving include a coat drive from mid-December to mid-January where gently used winter coats will be collected during winter concerts as well as a giving tree organized by Carol Beck where donations will be made for fifty local families. A recent food drive at the school also resulted in donations of over 700 items. Staff and students had the opportunity to face off against one another, Principal Dupille among them, during the Turkey Bowl the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Silver Lake Regional High School principal Michaela Gill was unable to attend due to a family commitment so superintendent Joy Blackwood showed a video Gill had prepared. Various department chairs were recorded giving an update on changes within their departments.

Melissa Fontaine, the chair of the social studies department, said that they were reviewing changes to the framework to align with statewide curriculum standards. Fontaine also said that they were adding a student-led, non-partisan civic project to their U.S. history requirements.  Kelley Depasqua, who heads up the fine and practical arts department said that the department is working toward embracing more modern types of music and will be offering a modern band course that is more in line with rock band style music. On the art side of things, the department is working toward offering more digital media and graphic design-oriented classes. Chair of the foreign language department, Buffy Hines, said that the department plans to rename themselves world languages, rather than foreign languages. Computer science and mathematics chair Kevin Sawyer said that a new course called business and money management will be offered. English and language arts department member Nicole Afanasiw said that a creative writing 2 course will be added as well as a humor writing class. Committee members praised the presentation format.

The Superintendent gave a report that included an update on the budget process. Blackwood said that she had met with the principals of the various schools to have initial conversations. The hope is to have a clean budget by January. Among the requests to potentially be made in the school’s budget is the addition of a teacher for the Allied Health program at the high school as well as potentially making the part-time adjustment counselor position at the middle school a full-time one. Fraser said that the addition of the allied health teacher would qualify the program for Chapter 74 funding which would practically pay for the additional cost of bringing on another teacher. For her part, Blackwood would like to see more hours added for the school resource officer at the middle school. Currently, Plympton is paying for 8 hours a week, but Halifax voted against funding the position at town meeting. Kingston currently pays for the high school resource officer. Blackwood believes that the position should be built into the police budget as is done in other comparable districts. Blackwood would also like to see a full-time nurse leader position added. Blackwood also said that she would like to see the pay for substitute teachers increase from $85 to $95 per day and for substitute nurses from $125 to $175 daily. Blackwood urged that the increase is only fair and would ensure better applicants to fill the positions. The district will also be going out to bid for bus transportation.

Fraser gave an update on the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) Conference that both he and Blackwood attended in November. Fraser said he had the opportunity to take a picture with Attorney General Maura Healey.

Fraser said the he told Healey that Silver Lake would potentially be interested in signing onto the lawsuits that the state is pursuing against the vaping industry. Both Principal Gill and Principal Dupille have been tracking some of the data related to school spending on the epidemic. The Committee recommended that it be complied into a document of some sort.

Fraser also said that Resolution 1, which Fraser wrote and which bans polystyrene foam from public school cafeterias by the school year 2022-2023, was passed by the MASC. There are currently three bills at the State House regarding such a ban. Fraser said he was hopeful that this resolution would help give those bills momentum.

WHSL girls’ hockey co-op ready for new season to begin Dec. 12

By

After undergoing a rebuild last season, the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey co-op appears to be in a position to take a step in the right direction, led by a Silver Lake-heavy team.

A young team last season, the Skaters had just two seniors on their roster. They got off to a slow 0-7-0 start, but enjoyed better results as the season progressed, picking up at least a point in the standings in six of their final 12 games to finish the season at 4-13-2.

The team enjoyed most of its success last season offensively–primarily from the stick of senior captain Alyssa Murphy, a Kingston native. A Patriot League All-Star last year, she had 42 points on the season (27 goals, 15 assists) and nearly half of the team’s 62 goals.

On top of that, Lilly Ulvila (9 goals, 3 assists) of Kingston showed promise as a freshman last season, finishing second on the team in goals scored; junior Ellie Grady (7 goals, 6 assists), also from Kingston, ranked third on that list. Outside of Silver Lake, Emily McDonald (6 goals, 9 assists), a junior at Whitman-Hanson, was also a key offensive contributor as a sophomore last season, ranking second in total points.

Junior Kat Gilbert, a Halifax native, returns in net for the third straight season. Before high school, she had not played goaltender full-time, so she will continue to gain experience. Defensively, however, the Skaters likely won’t have a ton of depth after two captains to graduation on that side of the puck.

The Skaters first game of the season was this Thursday, Dec. 12 on the road against Bishop Stang. Their next game is this Saturday, Dec. 14 on the road against the Canton Bulldogs. That game will take place at the Canton Ice House (7:55 p.m. start time, according to My Hockey Live).

Fire Dept. hosts Santa & Mrs. Claus

By

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus were the guests of honor at the Plympton Fire Dept. Saturday morning.  Good little children stopped by to enjoy breakfast with the Jolly Old Elf and his bride, and to tell their secret wishes for Christmas morning.  Mrs. Claus gave each child a candy cane.

More Photos by

Kristy Zamagni-Twomey on pages 8, 9, and 13.

   

New COA Director selected

By

The first item on the agenda at the Tuesday, Dec. 10 Halifax selectmen’s meeting was the Council on Aging (COA) Director search. One of the final two candidates is the current assistant town clerk in Halifax, Sue Lawless. Chair Troy Garron said, “I think by appointing Ms. Lawless it sends a message out to the town employees that there is an opportunity to move up within the organization.” Selectman Gordon Andrews and Selectman Tom Millias agreed with the decision to appoint Lawless as the new COA Director. Millias said, “A big thank you to the screening committee… it was a long time, there were a lot of applicants, there were two rounds, it was a lot to ask of volunteers and we want to thank you all.” The interim COA Director Brenda Fitzgerald will stay on for a few weeks to overlap with Lawless in order to provide training.

The Selectmen also discussed the public hearing held the previous week to discuss the possibility of entering into a host community agreement with Bud’s Goods and Provisions to establish an outdoor marijuana growing facility in town.

Bud’s president and CEO Alex Mazin was present at Tuesday’s meeting but didn’t speak. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said there were about forty abutters and other interested residents present at the hearing. Several residents mentioned concerns regarding odors as well as the appearance of the fence which would surround the facility. Millias said, “I heard concerns but I didn’t hear outright, vocal objections.” Seelig asked the selectmen if they were interested in gathering further public opinion before taking steps toward a community host agreement. The selectmen decided that while they didn’t need another public hearing, they wanted to give residents another week or so to submit comments regarding the proposed facility.

MacFaun appointed to Board of Health Steven MacFaun had a joint appointment with the Board of Selectmen and Board of Health to interview for an open position on the Board of Health. MacFaun, who said he has a background in septic, said he has been to several of the Board’s meetings and also attended a convention recently to learn more about issues pertaining to the Board of Health. Garron asked him if he attended town meetings and MacFaun replied that he does. Millias said, “Years ago, everybody kind of stereotyped the Board of Health with septic systems and that is just not the case anymore.” MacFaun assured Millias that he understood the complexity of the issues facing the Board of Health. Alan Dias, clerk for the Board of Health, moved to appoint MacFaun. MacFaun was unanimously appointed with the support of both boards.

Several other openings on various boards and committees were also discussed during Tuesday’s meeting. A talent bank form was submitted for the Municipal School Building Committee. An application for the Planning Board vacancy was submitted after the deadline but the Selectmen agreed to setup an appointment for her to come before them. According to Andrews, the applicant has a background in real estate.

The revised site plan for Amanda’s Estates was approved by the Planning Board by a vote of 2-1 last week. The Party Trust still must go to the ZBA for approval for new special permits based on their site plan.

The Board also voted to approve a number of license renewals for 2020 for many of the business in town.

Holidays in Halifax is this Saturday

Seelig said that Breakfast with Santa will be this Saturday, December 14 at 8:30 at the Halifax Elementary School. The event serves as the prelude to Holidays in Halifax which is currently in its 25th year. “We’ve had one every year, rain, snow, winds, warm weather like we may have this year,” Seelig said.  A number of events are planned for this year’s festivities, all to take place on December 14. “I hope everyone will be able to make it out,” Seelig said.