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Tree massacre on Elm Street

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HALIFAX – There was a great deal of public participation at the Halifax Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, July 23. A public hearing was held regarding National Grid’s proposed tree removal. The majority of the 144 trees to be taken down on town property are located on Elm St. There are several more trees located on private property that have been designated for removal or trimming.

Trees with a blue ribbon are marked for trimming while red ribbons indicate removal; trees with both a ribbon and a notice are located on town-owned property. Trees under 8 inches in diameter are considered brush and are not included on the list of those designated for work. The trees in question are not of a “wire friendly” species and their proximity to transmission lines can potentially cause service interruptions as well as safety concerns.

Several residents were on hand for the hearing to voice their questions and concerns regarding affected trees either on or near their property.

Longtime Halifax residents and Elm St. inhabitants Leslie and Herbert Hawkins agreed that some of the trees on or near their property should be taken down as they have grown up and over the wires, however, they feel that they should not have to incur costs related to replanting.

Mrs. Hawkins said, “I want to know who’s going to do some restitution or take care of my taxes that I’m paying because it’s going to destroy the whole front of my property. Will it be somebody who will come and plant a shrub that will take care of it and deaden the noise like the trees did or is it just something that’s going to be stuck to the taxpayers again?”

National Grid, for their part, believes that since they are incurring costs for removal of trees that they do not own, they should not also have to pay additional expenses such as stump grinding or replanting.  As explained by a contract arborist for National Grid present at the meeting, “As of now, National Grid does not have a tree replacement program in place. We are viewing it as we are laying out the money to mitigate any hazards from the line to maintain reliability as far as any replanting on private properties or town properties that would be the responsibility of the town or the homeowner.” National Grid further stated that nearly all towns and homeowners that undergo hazardous tree mitigation do not bother with stump removal and replanting.

Halifax resident Peter Beals, also of Elm St., expressed his displeasure about having to pay out of pocket to grind stumps and replant trees on top of what he sees as a devaluing of his property. “I’m not expecting you to solve all my problems and I’m not trying to be unconscientious of the need and the fact that there’s a problem here that the town’s got to address,” Beals said. “I’m just saying that it seems to me that in addition to losing what I’m going to be losing in the process, which is quite a lot to the enjoyment of my property, it shouldn’t also cost me money,” Beals continued.

Selectmen Tom Millias, while sympathetic to residents’ concerns, said that the dilemma for him was that the town is always after National Grid to maintain power and restore power quickly after an outage, something the tree mitigation would improve.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that a possible option would be to work with Highway Surveyor Steven Hayward to use the town’s small tree budget to replant some trees in the town right-of-way. Selectmen Gordon Andrews suggested getting an estimate for grinding down stumps from private property and bringing it to town meeting to be paid.

Regarding a timeframe for the mitigation, National Grid said that work is currently underway in East Bridgewater. Once completed, Pembroke would be next on the list and then Halifax.

The best estimate that could be given was a month and a half once the permit from the tree warden is received. The Board agreed to procure and review a copy of the policies pertaining to the tree removal prior to the next meeting. A motion was passed to continue the hearing to the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting at 7 p.m. on August 13.

The Board also discussed the state of recycling and waste management in the town. After considerable discussion, the board voted to reinstate a committee dedicated to recycling and solid waste as the previous committee had been disbanded many years ago.

Municipal Assistance Coordinator Todd Koep attended the meeting and said that of the 31 communities he represents, nearly all of them have highly active recycling committees. Koep cited Kingston as having a particularly active and effective committee, suggesting that Halifax might benefit by taking a page out of their book. It was agreed that the committee should be comprised of five to seven members and would likely need a volunteer from the public at large.

The goal of the committee would be to review the current trash and recycling program and research alternatives that could be presented to the town. The hope is to assemble the committee as soon as possible so that any proposed changes could be presented to the board by January.

The board also voted to retain the current recycling rate of $50 per household per year for the time-being. Currently, Halifax employs a single stream method of recycling. Koep said that while the single stream commodity is not clean enough in general, Halifax actually does a pretty good job in comparison to other communities.

Among the issues Koep cited with single stream is residents placing their recyclables in plastic bags prior to placing them in the recycling bin as they will end up in the trash. Koep also mentioned that some communities have gone from single stream to separating recyclables.

The final item on the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting was a dog hearing regarding an altercation between two dogs on Natureway Circle.  Paula Spaziani of 6 Natureway Circle reported that while walking her shih tzu on June 30, a pit bull belonging to neighbor Roland Florio ran at them biting her dog.

Florio testified that his dog was on a slip leash in his yard when Florio noticed that she had escaped the leash. Florio said that he immediately chased her but was unable to reach and restrain the dog prior to the altercation.

In addition to Spaziani and Florio, Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan, responding Patrol Officer Michelle McIntyre, and a third resident of Natureway Circle also testified.

Both Callahan and McIntyre said that they witnessed no visible wounds such as scratches or punctures on the shih tzu. Spaziani said she brought her dog to the veterinarian following the incident due to “trouble in her left hind leg.” She further testified that the dog needed to be sedated in order to be examined and refused to leave the house for several days after the incident.

According to Spaziani, the veterinarian attributed the limping to a pulled muscle and sent the dog home on medication. Both dogs were up-to-date on their shots but neither was licensed in the town of Halifax although both have since obtained licenses.

A neighbor, Nancy Sheehan, testified as to Spaziani’s state after the incident saying, “To say the dog and Paula were shell-shocked, would be an understatement. She was shaking; the dog looked very distraught.  She felt that the owner really didn’t give her her due as far as the fact that she was very dramatically upset.” Florio testified, “By the time I got across the street she had already picked up her dog, I leashed my dog, and asked her if the dog was okay and then I left.”

When asked by the board what she hoped to come from the hearing, Spaziani said that at the very least she would like Florio to compensate her for the veterinarian bill. Chairman Troy Garron, who said he used to breed shepherds and has dealt with dogs his whole life, shared his opinion saying, “I think it’s a fair asking that you pay the medical bill, but that’s just my opinion.”

Garron further stated that given that there are no reports of any prior incidences with Florio’s dog, he believes that if the dog were truly vicious, someone would have likely been seriously hurt.

Andrews asked McIntyre if she had anything to add. According to McIntyre, “There were no apparent injuries. Bailey, the Shi tzu, was in Paula’s arms when I went into the home; she did seem shaken up and as a dog owner myself, I’d be nervous too. I have a yorkie but I also have an old English bulldog so kind of both ends of the spectrum. When I went to see the pit bull she was very friendly with me. Both dogs were; they were great. Neither dog was something that I would be concerned about with people.”

Callahan reported observing the same things.

Millias said, “I don’t believe we have the authority to force anyone to pay any medical bills. Seelig responded that he “would have to check.”

The only other action agreed upon by the board was to draft a letter from the Board of Selectmen to Florio requesting him to keep his dog leashed.

A variety of other issues were also discussed throughout the meeting including the retirement of the Council on Aging Director Barbara Brenton. Seelig said that the board would have to appoint an interim director upon her retirement as the position likely won’t be filled until late September or early October.

Additionally, an attorney for the Happy Dragon restaurant asked for approval to change management. New manager Lily Mai was referred to as the “heart and soul of the restaurant” and the board voted unanimously to approve the request.

The board also discussed the possible revocation of Davis Automotive’s storage license. Seelig said the business recently brought themselves up to date on their property taxes but still have thousands of dollars of backed motor vehicle excise payments. Millias said, “We obviously want to give them every opportunity but we also want to be fair to everyone else.”

A unanimous vote by the board set the revocation of the license to be effective on August 14. Seelig said that the date was set in order to give the business sufficient time to start making payments allowing the board to rescind their vote for revocation.

Plympton seeks grant for curve re-do

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, July 22 opened with the final interview for the new animal control officer who will also double as the animal inspector in Plympton. Brian Kling, the current animal inspector in Halifax, addressed the board. In addition to his work in Halifax, Kling volunteers at a number of animal related organizations including the Kingston Animal Shelter where he has served as a volunteer for the last nine years.

Vice-Chair Mark Russo questioned Kling regarding whether or not he would be comfortable deescalating intense situations. Kling responded saying, “I don’t know about the word comfortable, but I’m experienced with it.”  Kling went on to explain his past experience as a first level support for EMC Corporation where he would often have to answer to irate customers upset that their expensive equipment was not working properly. He also spoke of deescalating situations involving dog bites as the Halifax animal inspector. Kling, who will continue with his current position in Halifax in addition to the one in Plympton, was appointed unanimously by the board. He is scheduled to start August 1 and his appointment as ACO will run through June of 2020 while his appointment as animal inspector will run through April of 2020.

Plympton Zoning Enforcement Officer Allan Frasier attended the meeting to update the board. Frasier said that in the last year he has fielded 58 zoning applications, 49 of which were approved and nine of which were denied. Frasier also addressed the issue of in-law apartments as they are illegal according to the Plympton bylaws.

Some realtors have been advertising Plympton homes as having in-law apartments so Frasier drafted some general guidelines on the subject and dispersed them accordingly. While a home in Plympton can have a multitude of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc., all parts of the dwelling must be accessible to all residents of that home. This means that in-law apartments that are blocked off from the rest of the home (even by means of a locked door) are not legal according to the town’s bylaws.

Selectman John Traynor said that the town may want to explore amending that bylaw as more than thirty percent of Plympton’s residents are over the age of 55. Frasier emphasized that the downside to allowing in-law apartments may come when an inhabitant of that apartment passes away and the owner decides to rent the unit.

Frasier also said that in the last year he has sent out a number of violation letters as well as cease and desist letters. Frasier described some issues with Tractor Supply and said that since the company rents the land, he has been dealing with the corporate owner located in New Jersey. Tractor Supply, who Frasier described as “very accommodating,” must also correct several open trailers for equipment that are in the wrong place.

Another business needing to make adjustments according to Frasier was Winnetuxet River Provide who had some signs on fences without permits. Frasier said he spoke with the owner and offered to discuss what is and is not allowed according to the bylaws.

There were some violations at residential addresses including selling cars without a license that Frasier said have either been corrected or are in the process of being corrected now.

Additionally, a cease and desist letter was sent regarding an unnumbered vacant lot on Palmer Rd. where a non-resident of Plympton has been repeatedly asked to move a large crane and backhoe placed there. Frasier said that he plans to file a criminal complaint since nothing has been done regarding his repeated requests. “There are a few people that I know are not happy with the way I’m ruling on certain things but I do my best to explain to them these aren’t my rules, these are town bylaws; this was written and voted on by the town. If you don’t like what it says, go in and change it.”

Frasier said. “I do feel like we need to be, in some cases, ahead so we don’t get involved after it’s a violation,”

Traynor said. “The thing that attracts people to this town is the rural character of it, the agricultural side, and to the extent we can, we would like to keep that. We can sit down and talk to people about where do we need changes if that is what is needed,” Traynor continued.

The Board also made a number of appointments including town treasurer, town tax collector, and town secretary. There were also several appointments to various positions on the Council on Aging as well as the Recreation Commission and the Historic District Commission. The various appointments will last through June of 2022.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy provided updates on various items including the two open town lots in Plympton that are back out to bid with a noon deadline on August 19. (note:  that date has since been extended to Sept. 3)

Regarding the renovations to the library doors, Dennehy said that the selected contractor has become unresponsive and a new one may have to be selected.

Dennehy also shared that the town is currently receiving assistance in getting a grant application completed regarding possible improvements to the intersection of Ring Rd. and Main St. Traynor, Scott Ripley, and an engineer met to survey the area in question and gather supporting materials for the grant application. The grant would be for both engineering and design services as well as construction. The deadline for the grant is early August. If approved, the first order of business would be to meet with Mass Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and then to reach out to the residents for public input. Dennehy said that the goal would be to have minimal impact on residents while also creating a safe pass-through for all vehicles.

Concerns over safety issues with Plympton’s municipal buildings were also discussed. There are significant water issues and leaks in the Town House.

Additionally, the building has had to be closed twice in the last few months due to problems with the septic system.

The Board has proposed creating a campus committee with the intention of devising a plan to remedy the myriad of issues plaguing the buildings. The Board said that a phased approach would have to be taken with a five to ten-year plan in mind.

Members of the finance committee in attendance were in agreement regarding the approach as all parties agreed that continuing to throw money away on band-aid like fixes would not be in the best interest of the town.

Halifax Beautification Committee begins

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The Halifax Beautification Committee wants to thank all who have participated in the “Adopt A Planter” program. Twenty seven planters have been distributed and can now be seen throughout the town, at the police station, the fire station, the library, Town Hall, the Water Department, the Post Office, the Congregational Church, Pope’s Tavern, the Brockton Store, Rockland Trust, Mutual Bank, and Morgan Power Equipment.   

Special thank you to Tom Schindler, Erica Washburn, Kristen Barrows, Kathy Geisser, Stacy Varaou, Carmen LaRiviere, Laura Kinney, Friends of the Holmes Public Library, Barbara Brenton, Karen Salters, Amy Troup and Candy Kniffen for their special efforts in supporting this Halifax Beautification project.

Participants in this program provide and plant the plants, place the planters in agreed upon locations, and maintain the planters throughout the growing season.

Lakers swim star earns national recognition 

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It is hard enough for a local athlete to earn the honor of being named a league All-Star or an All-Scholastic by a media organization. However, it is far more rare for one to be recognized at the national level — especially when they are not even a senior yet.

Even so, this was the case for Alexa Connors, a junior on the Lakers girls swim team this past winter. The standout swimmer was named to the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s All-American team.

Connors earned the cut in the 500 freestyle despite the list encompassing the entire country and being limited to just 100 spots. Overall, she was one of just two Massachusetts natives to earn the honor. Her 4:53.14 time in the 500 freestyle ranked 58th in the country and the highest of any New England high school girls swimming athlete since the other five states did not have anyone selected.

Last winter, Connors won the MIAA Division 1 state championship in both the 200 and 500 freestyle respectively (1:50.84 and 4:53.14). She also shined regionally, winning the 200 freestyle at the 2019 New England 15-18 Age Group Championship meet. That time, she finished it in 1:52.35.

As Swim Swam reported earlier this month, Connors will also continue her swim career after she graduates from Silver Lake next year. She is committed to the University of Richmond (NCAA Div. I) as of earlier this month. At the school, Connors has the potential to make a serious impact. Her personal-best time in the 500 freestyle would rank seventh all-time in the record books at Richmond.

While Connors has that to look forward to in the future, she also has a chance to shine for the Lakers once again next winter and defend both of her state titles.

School Choice questions at fiscal year end

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The Plympton School Committee held their close-out meeting on Monday, July 15. Attendance was limited with only three committee members present including Chair Jon Wilhelmsen, Amy Hempel, and Jill Palenstijn. Director of Business Services Christine Healy and Superintendent Joy Blackwood also attended.

Wilhelmson had a lengthy meeting with Dennett Elementary Principal Peter Veneto regarding the ongoing issue of lead showing up in the water testing being done at Dennett.

The source of the lead has remained a mystery and has confounded the board for months as the system appears to be working as it should. Additionally, the amount of lead in the water heading into the system is less than the lead that is in the water coming out of the system. Wilhelmson described to the committee his theory about what he believes may be to blame. Every 14 days a backwash cycle is run at night.

Water is pumped backward through the filter during backwashing. The samples that were tested were taken in the morning and Wilhelmson theorizes that if the samples were taken the same day as the backwash cycle, it could explain why the water would be temporarily tainted as it would be pulling in the lead that had been filtered out of the water over the previous two weeks. In order to test this theory, the next step will be to repeat the testing at a time that does not coincide with the backwash cycle.

New Playground

at Dennett

Vice Chair Jason Fraser was absent but Wilhelmson shared with the committee some notes from Fraser regarding progress on the new playground at Dennett. Veneto and Fraser met to pick a location for the playground based on the land survey that was completed. Since the committee will not meet again until September, they voted to authorize Fraser to proceed however he sees fit to get the playground completed.  Superintendent Joy Blackwood commented that given that construction has not yet begun, it is unlikely that the playground will be completed by the beginning of the school year.

An emergency management operations meeting attended by Veneto, Wilhelmson, the police chief, the fire chief, and the highway department was held regarding the power lines. With a generator now at Dennett, the building can be used as an emergency shelter. With only one way in and one way out of the school, however, there is a problem if a tree would be to fall on power lines and block the entrance as has happened in the past. It was agreed upon that a reasonable solution would be to use some grant money that may be able to be acquired to place the power lines underground (as some already are). Wilhelmson, who relayed the idea to the town administrator, said, “Hopefully this is something that we are going to continue to push on and try to affect that change so that we never have that issue that we had before again.”

Healy gave an update on the close-out for the budget. Healy said that $1,507.29 will be returned to the town with $1,198.25 of that coming from special education and $309.04 coming from the regular budget. This is the total after all the transfers were done that were approved at special town meeting. The transfers included money from the out of district vocational fund to the SPED stabilization fund which is now fully funded at $47,000. Other transfers coming from the out of district vocational fund included $10,000 to the operating budget for roof repairs and $8,500 to the operating budget for a new copier. The out of district vocational fund still has a balance of approximately $21,000 after all bills have been paid for the year and the above-mentioned transfers were made. In total, over $22,000 will be returned to the town. Wilhelmson thanked Healy for her work. Healy said, “We have an amazing staff that helps us make that happen and it’s all hands-on deck and I would say since the middle of June it has been we need to make it work and we do.”

School Choice questions

The issue of school choice was also discussed. Plympton, Halifax, Kingston, and Silver Lake Regional school committees make decisions individually regarding whether or not to accept school choice. Currently only Plympton allows it. The committees and administration believed that this meant that once a student who elects to come to Dennett Elementary through school choice is through with their k-6 education, they would have to leave the district as Silver Lake Regional does not allow school choice either at the middle or high schools. Blackwood shared with the committee that she was recently told by DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) that those students would have to be allowed to continue with their education at Silver Lake middle and high schools if that was their preference.

This creates a conflict as the Silver Lake Regional School Committee voted down school choice. There are currently eight students at Dennett Elementary there through school choice with five of those coming from towns within the Silver Lake district anyway (Halifax and Kingston). This means that only three students would fall under the umbrella of school choice for Silver Lake Regional.

Blackwood admitted to not having any definitive information at the moment and said that they are still working their way through this development. Wilhelmson felt that the Plympton School Committee should not be able to obligate the Silver Lake Regional School Committee to take on school choice just as the regional committee should not be able to stop Plympton from accepting it.

A major question arising from this conundrum is who will pay for the students to attend Silver Lake schools beyond sixth grade. Blackwood said she will provide an update to the committee when she knows more.

‘Super’ returns to SL as treasurer

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The Silver Lake Regional School Committee held their close-out meeting Thursday, July 11. It was a brief meeting with fewer attendees than usual. Vice Chair Eric Crone took the meeting in Chairman Jason Fraser’s absence.

The first order of business was the appointment of a new treasurer for the district. The school committee agreed to add a treasurer last year after years of being asked to do so by auditors. The position was added to the budget at that time with a small stipend of 6-10 hours per month allotted.

Superintendent Joy Blackwood said that after speaking with Director of Business Services Christine Healy, it was decided that they would not renew the current treasurer’s one-year contract. The main duties of the treasurer are to transfer out funds and reconcile balances.

Former Silver Lake Business Manager and Superintendent John Tuffy applied and attended the meeting. Tuffy spent six years as the Silver Lake business manager and another eight as superintendent before retiring in 2015. From 2016-2018, Tuffy acted as an interim business manager for Cohasset.

Blackwood said, “Someone who we all know and love applied for the position. I think it is a perfect situation where it is one of the few times where I can say it is an absolute win-win. He knows our system inside and out and he’s absolutely trustworthy and I’m thrilled that he decided to apply.” Crone entertained a motion to appoint Tuffy as the new treasurer and it was passed unanimously. Crone addressed Tuffy and joked, “Welcome and thank you; you can never get away.”

Healy gave the committee an update on the budget. Regarding the operating budget, Healy said that a balance of $128,679.21 will eventually flow back to the excess and deficiency account. Healy addressed the areas where they had some “bumps in the road” including deficits for both substitutes and homeless transportation.

Another area that had a tough year was contract services including maintenance and buildings and maintenance and grounds. The expenses included the installation of new hot water tanks at the high school as well as improvements to the systems at the middle school that resulted in reduced humidity particularly during the hottest months of June, August, and September.

Regarding the work done at the middle school Healy said, “We got a call from the principal today saying it is amazing what it has done and actually some of the custodians have noticed when they’re working at night that it’s not nearly as humid and overwhelming as it has been.”

Any areas of deficit, however, will be made up for by areas of surplus. One of the largest areas of surplus is health insurance. Healy also gave an update on the revenue side of the budget. The revenues, which are made up of several things including Chapter 70 money, regional transportation money, shared costs, etc., will exceed the budget by $301,000. Regional transportation exceeded expectations by $123,000 and the district received the final payment on July 2. Another area that exceeded expectations was the net media agreement where the district received $114,000 in excess of what was budgeted. Other smaller, unbudgeted sources of revenue including interest totaled $113,000 that is then added to the increases and then that is added to what is not being spent in the budget.

Healy said, “If we look at all of that totally, we’ll be returning approximately $543,000 to our E & D account. That is if nothing changes as of right now.” School Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee made a motion to recommend that $128,679.21 be returned to the Silver Lake Regional School District revenue account. The motion was passed unanimously.

The committee briefly discussed the new calendar survey committee that would convene to discuss whether or not to survey constituents regarding changes to the school calendar. They also discussed the school start times committee whose purpose will be to do more research into what the state and others are doing regarding earlier start times. The issue is a hot button one as it affects clubs, sports, after school jobs, buses, family schedules etc.

School Committee member Paula Hatch gave an update on the Safety, Facilities, Fees and Revenue subcommittee meeting that took place just prior to the school committee meeting. Hatch said that the bids for the work that needs to be done on the roofs are due by July 18. The hope is to have substantial work completed on the repairs by October 1. The subcommittee also discussed how to better house warranty information going forward as it is not all currently stored in one easily accessible location. The new plan will be to scan documents and place them in Google Docs where everyone from the business manager to the custodians can access it.

Work will begin shortly to grade and seed the grass on the football practice field in order to improve the lawn and enable it to be used again.

Sandblasting and painting of the water filtration plant is also underway as it was recommended that it be done sooner rather than later to avoid further erosion.

Some important dates were also discussed prior to the adjournment of the meeting including new teacher orientation on August 23, the first day of school on August 28, and the next school committee meeting on September 12.

Recent S-L grad Robbie Silenzi holds first book signing

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KINGSTON- Robert V. “Robbie” Silenzi, who graduated from Silver Lake Regional High School in May, held his first book signing event at the New Again gift shop in Plymouth this past weekend.

To no -one’s surprise,Silenzi has published  three picture books and has also illustrated them himself:

Robbie, to those who know him, has autism, and credits his teachers, Alex Frazier and Melanie Orcutt for encouraging him to pursue his dream  of becoming an author and illustrator.

Linda Redding,then Silver Lake Regional High Schoool media specialist, now retired, remembers Robbie, “I had the pleasure of working with Robbie at Silver Lake on several of his video video productions.  He is very creative, talented, and hard working.  Robbie was involved with Laker TV and has great skill in editing, as well as acting as a host.

Robbie has published and illustrated three books: The Canadian Cat Girl, that he has also made into a visual-audio book, Bear’s Musical Problem, and Antoine’s Cow Mother.  These books are available for sale at the New Again, 32 South Park Ave., Plymouth and online at www.TheBookPatch.com

This summer, Robbie is spending time at Area 58 studio in Carver to further advance his production skills.

Recent SL lacrosse grad earns regional honors

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A recent Silver Lake High graduate and standout player on the boys’ lacrosse team this past spring recently earned high praise within the region.

Sean Daly had a standout career for the Lakers as a four year varsity player, but it was his strong performance his senior year which landed him his most recent honor. The multi-time Patriot League All-Star was one of two players to earn Honorable Mention in Wicked Local’s MIAA South region Senior of the Year Award.

Ultimately, the award went to Will Kenney of Hingham and both Daly and Eddie Fettuccia of Norwell were the two runners up.

Over the course of his Lakers career, Daly helped establish the program as a perennial playoff contender. His freshman year, the team had a rough 1-17 where they only won the final game of the season against a winless Milton team. However, the program continued to improve and made it to the playoffs three straight seasons with him as a top scoring player in each of those years.

Daly earned the Lakers Team MVP award twice and finished his high school career with 249 career points: 146 goals and 103 assists. He also helped the team set a franchise win record this season (15). By the end of the season, the team was ranked 33rd in the state on MaxPreps. Daly was also a part of an attack which averaged 13.4 goals per game this past spring.

Although Daly might be best remembered for his lacrosse career at Silver Lake, he was also a productive soccer player for the Lakers.

Daly is committed to play lacrosse next season at Franklin Pierce, a Division II school in New Hampshire which competes in the Northeast 10 Conference. There were numerous teams interested in his services including the UMass Amherst, a Div. I program.

Happy pooch at Holmes pet show

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The always anticipated Annual Pet Show at the Holmes Public Library, 470 Plymouth St., Halifax, was held Monday, July 8, beginning at 6 p.m.

More than 20 entrants came to be seen and petted, representing several species of canines, rabbits, frogs, and even a chicken named, of course, “Chickie”!

Children’s Librarian Miss Stacy emceed the event, introducing each entrant with its person, allowing the audience to get a close-up look.

BOS cautiously agrees to land buy

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, July 9.

DFG land agent from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Joan Pierce came to speak to the Board about the possibility of acquiring an area of Peterson’s Swamp from the town. Pierce, who brought a map of the area to show the selectmen, said, “We would like to acquire it because it would make a really good public access for a couple of cars.” Pierce also mentioned that their intention with the land would be to maintain rather than develop it as it contains ecologically important attributes including, but not limited to, white cedar trees.

The inhabitants of Plymouth County and the town of Halifax share fifty-fifty undivided interest in the property. An appraisal of the property came in at $250,000. Fisheries and Wildlife is interested in purchasing the area for a total of $150,000 with $75,000 going to each of the entities. Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair Tom Millias took issue with the low price offered given that it falls significantly short of what he considered to be an already conservative appraisal. Adding to the dissatisfaction with the offer, Fisheries and Wildlife currently owe the town of Halifax $52,500 from a past transaction. Payments on debts of this nature must be tied to a land purchase. Pierce explained that Fisheries and Wildlife’s intent was that the purchase of the land would also absorb the debt owed to the town. The Selectmen were displeased to hear this as the $52,500 would be coming out of the $75,000 purchase price, leaving the town with a net gain of only $22,500 on a property appraised at $250,000 ($125,000 of that value belonging to Halifax). Pierce argued that the town would also be gaining a parking area (albeit a small one) that would provide residents with better access to the area.

Explaining, in part to newest Selectmen Gordon Andrews, Millias said, “Every time we deal with Fisheries and Wildlife we get short-changed and we keep kicking this can down the road.” Board of Selectmen Chair Troy Garron also expressed frustration with what has been an ongoing theme in the town’s dealing with Fisheries and Wildlife. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig and the Board discussed the offer at length with Pierce before a possible suggestion was offered by Andrews. There is a sliver of land in Halifax owned by Fisheries and Wildlife behind Aldana Road that would be necessary to possess in order to be able to pave that road. Andrews suggested Fisheries and Wildlife turn over that land to Halifax as part of the negotiation. This idea was amenable to all parties. Before any negotiations can take place, however, the town of Halifax must first purchase the inhabitants of Plymouth County’s portion of the land from them. The next step would be to sell it to Fisheries and Wildlife for $150,000 plus the land behind Aldana Road. Pierce agreed to email her summary of the proposed plan to Seelig prior to sharing the details with Plymouth County Administrator Frank Basler. The Board also plans to verify that the land behind Aldana Road provides everything needed in order to eventually pave the road. While the selectmen still felt that the deal leaves something to be desired, they agreed that they could live with the proposed plan as the town would still be receiving something of value to it.

Library Director Jean Gallant attended the meeting to speak to the need for more parking as the library is now competing for parking with the new playground built by Friends of HOPS (Halifax Open Play Space). Additionally, many people also use the library parking lot when attending events at the athletic fields. Gallant pointed out the safety issue posed by the lack of adequate parking as cars are often circling the parking lot looking for a space while children are running in the area.

Millias said, “The simple answer is we need to create more parking spots. The bigger question is where and at what cost?” Friends of HOPS still have some funds available but were planning to use them to have an Eagle Scout build a gazebo for the playground. Both Gallant and Millias agreed that they would rather see those funds go to the gazebo project and have the cost of the additional parking area paid for by the town. Garron argued that the town could oppose the idea of paying for the additional spaces since the reason for the lack of parking is the playground. The selectmen agreed that speaking with the highway surveyor about how many spots can be added as well as where to best place those spots would be a good first step.

Police Chief Joao Chaves addressed the Board requesting permission to institute a six-month trial of a motorcycle unit. Chaves, who previously headed the motorcycle unit in New Bedford, reached out to a contact at Seacoast Harley in New Hampshire who provided tips for a small lease plan. The lease would cost $325 a month for six months for a total expense of $1950. The leased bike would be fully equipped and would have only 80 miles on it. Officer Michael Schleiff would be attending a 40-hour course in Taunton starting next week at no cost to the town. The addition of the motorcycle unit would be instead of rather than in addition to a cruiser patrol. Chaves explained, “He can respond to calls the same way and can actually get to calls a little quicker.” Chaves sees the motor unit as potentially having a lot of benefits to the town.

“Halifax has a high population of motorcycle riders that enjoy the roadways. I think it’s another way for police to connect with that part of the community. We can utilize it for races and for funeral processions, it’s just another way to get us closer to the community.” The Board gave permission to move forward with the trial after which the feedback from both the community and the Police Department would be evaluated to determine whether to continue with the unit.

Various other items of business were also discussed. A hearing for “Jada,” a dog accused of biting another dog while loose on June 30, will be held on July 23.

The Traffic Safety Committee plans to meet with Chief Chaves later in the summer regarding complaints about truck traffic and speed on Walnut Street. Seelig agreed to talk to the highway department regarding a resident complaint of overgrown brush on South Street just off of River Street.

Trash bag fees will also be increased from $2.00 to $2.25 for small bags and from $3.00 to $3.25 for the large bags. This is the first increase for bags since 2009.