The 152nd Marshfield Fair opened last weekend, bringing back the exhibits, the 4-H animals, the award-winning produce and flowers, and the best of local crafts for all to see. What would a day at the fair be without fried dough and all the fun the midway rides have to offer? People from all over Plymouth County and beyond enjoyed the fair, that closes on Sunday after another successful season. If you haven’t been, don’t miss it. Their schedule is online at marshfieldfair.org
Experienced Lakers to watch for this fall
Each and every season, high school sports rosters look different with teams losing some of their top talents to graduation. That said, here is an early look at a handful of the top returners to watch for at Silver Lake High this fall.
Field Hockey
Junior Abby Colton will be an asset to the Lakers as they continue to rebuild. She put up a team-high six goals in 18 games for the team last season.
Football
The Lakers will return many starters, including their quarterback: junior Ben Lofstrom.
Cross Country
The boys team will benefit from the return of a pair of Patriot League All-Stars: Chris Tilton and Ryan McCarthy. The now-seniors each had first place finishes for the Lakers last season.
Boys Golf
The Lakers will have an experience this season, highlighted by junior Tyler Brown. As a sophomore last fall, he established himself in the No. 1 spot, shooting, on average, a 39 over the course of the season.
Boys Soccer
The Lakers had six Patriot League All-Stars last season, but what matters now is the one they have coming back: senior midfielder James Gallagher.
Girls Soccer
Even though the Lakers lost some of their more experienced players to graduation, they do have a Patriot League All-Star coming back: senior Calliste Brookshire. Last season, she put up 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists). Holly Reeder-Morning, a senior who missed all of last season with an ACL tear, should also be a welcomed addition back; in 2017, she put up nine goals for the Lakers.
Girls Volleyball
The Lakers will be on the inexperienced side with the exception of senior Catherine Donovan. A four-year starter, she led the team with 80 kills on the season.
Concerned citizens question possible grant for straightening curve
A large group of Plympton residents attended Monday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting to discuss a possible MassWorks grant for improvement to the Ring Road and Main Street intersection.
The town applied for the grant, which would include engineering as well as construction, on August 9, and has not yet heard whether or not it will be awarded.
Vice Chair Mark Russo addressed residents saying, “I know there’s maybe been a little bit of misunderstanding of where we are in this process. It’s just a shame for people to get upset based on misunderstandings, whether we even get this grant to begin with. But to be just explicitly clear, the grant would include, as the first step, money for engineering and design options.”
He continued, “We, the selectmen, have made no decisions whatsoever about what would be best and in fact are just looking for opinions and looking for ideas. Certainly part of the process would include a lot of input and especially input from abutters and neighbors and people on that road.”
Chair Christine Joy described the objective as “Trying to find something that helps people negotiate that area but also slows them down; we’re all interested in controlling the speed of the traffic as well as making the intersection safer.” Joy said a speed study was conducted and some of the cars were found to be driving through the intersection at speeds as fast as 72 mph. According to the Board, Plympton police chief Patrick Dillon considers the intersection to be the most dangerous in town.
Russo also mentioned that upon hearing about the issues with the intersection, he was initially hopeful that the speed limit could be reduced town-wide. With the Board’s authorization Russo met with town counsel but learned that the state has very specific requirements regarding lowering speed limits and it typically isn’t possible to implement without the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s approval. Certain circumstances, such as qualifying as being “thickly settled,” allow for a town to lower speed limits without MASSDOT. Unfortunately, Plympton does not fall within those parameters as houses have to be less than 200 feet apart. In regard to reduced speed limits Russo said, “That’s a beautiful idea and a really inexpensive option but it doesn’t look like those possibilities are available to us.” Main Street resident Jen MacDonald asked the Board about the possibility of designating the road as a scenic road as that could possibly provide another avenue toward reducing the speed limit through a vote at town meeting. Russo said that town counsel didn’t think such a designation fit but asked for and received the Board’s approval to have another meeting with town counsel to be sure all options to reduce the speed limit had been exhausted. Chair of the Plympton Historical Commission Jon Wilhelmsen, who was also present, agreed that it would be worth investigating the scenic road designation further.
Of the myriad of suggestions brought to the table, the one with the most support seemed to be the idea to simply make the intersection a three way stop. A resident who described himself as living on Main St. right across from Ring Rd., said, “Don’t spend the money if you don’t have to spend it. Three stop signs – people are going to stop and it takes care of all of the problems right there.” Wilhelmsen, who also lives on Main St., agreed saying, “I think some of the ideas tonight are really good. I think moving the pole would be great because you can get away, I think, without even having an island there and you can just have a small road coming into a slightly bigger road with a three way stop which I think would be the simplest and the least impact to that corner.”
Another resident took objection to Joy’s assertion that paving the road in question would add to the problem by increasing speeding. He explained, “The biggest problem with that road is that it is a mess. A lot of heavy trucks have caused the depression on the side of the road which is a big scoop and there are ruts. I bet a lot of us do some bicycling there and it’s dangerous when you go around the road, we usually go off up through the school zone because we don’t want to make that turn.” With respect to driving, however, that same resident said, “That turn is not dangerous, I do it all the time and the visibility is reasonably good but the pavement is a wreck.”
Highway Superintendent Scott Ripley said that Ring Rd. (up to the school) will be getting an overlay hopefully in the Fall. According to Ripley the overlay will act as a band-aid to hopefully last 10 years.
The rest of Main St. has been held up due to the issue with the intersection in question. Paving the straightaway is more complicated as parts of that road need to be raised up 14 inches and since the road is over wetlands there is a lot of procedural red tape.
Resident Carolyn DeCristofano, who said she did research into traffic calming measures, offered some possible suggestions. One of those was to use textured highway where there’s a slight raise in the pavement at various distances along the straightaway to encourage slowing down.
She also emphasized that, based on the research, the curve should not be softened. “Nowhere does it say straightening a road is a calming measure for obvious reasons, in fact, many of the traffic calming approaches involve changing the road to make it more curvy. The trend is you make people turn a little or change their path rather than give them a straight dragway.”
Selectman John Traynor said that the last time the issue of the curve was discussed with the public, the general consensus was against any plan to straighten the road. Those in attendance muttered in agreement with Traynor’s statement.
The biggest concern voiced at Monday’s meeting was fear that taking the grant would cause the town to lose their say in what changes would be made to the intersection.
George Carver of Maple St. explained his concerns, “If you take a grant from the state… don’t we as a town lose the ability to do what we want? They’re basically going to come in and say we did the study, this is what we found and we’re providing the money to do it x, y, z way.”
The Board and Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy further stressed to those in attendance that an important part of the grant process would be the brainstorming and design work that would happen prior to any construction. DeCristofano summarized the Board’s point saying, “It’s a grant to plan and implement not a grant to implement a plan.” Russo said, “Frequently the best ideas come from the people that live there but the grant would also give us some money to hire experts to offer what are the options and then I think we want to look at the whole list.”
DeCristofano asked the Board if someone could please look into exactly what control the state will have over the project if the town accepts the grant money. Joy agreed acknowledging, “free money is not necessarily free money.” The Board and Dennehy said that if awarded, any meetings where decisions pertaining to the grant would be made, would be posted to social media and elsewhere to ensure public participation.
Upon the conclusion of the intersection discussion, Ripley gave the Board an update on the work to be done to the Winneteuxet Road Bridge.
Ripley said the work, which includes replacing two posts and putting up more modern guardrails, has been pushed back but expected it to commence in the next two weeks. Residents in the area have already been sent letters and the school has been notified. The road will be closed down at Elm St. and West St. for four weeks.
The Board also voted through several appointments including Kristian Oberg as a full-time police officer and all members to the town campus committee including Jon Wilhelmsen, Ross Macpherson, Colleen Thompson, Art Morin, and John Traynor as a Board of Selectmen representative.
The disposition of the old police station cell was an agenda item as the question remains as to what to do with the cell remnants.
The pieces that are to be removed are extremely heavy and cumbersome to move. Ken Thompson, a volunteer with the building department, was on hand to ask the committee if they would consider allowing him to take the pieces home.
Thompson said he feared that they would be tossed and said that his intention would be to reassemble what he could and make some of it available for public consumption.
The Board said that they would like to get input from the Plympton Historical Society.
Spraying to continue for mosquitoes
Cathleen Drinan
Special to the Express
With two human cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and one goat that has died from it, and twelve towns at critical risk, it was time for the Department of Public Health to have a conference call for health agents to be informed.
A second round of aerial spraying for mosquitoes in areas of southeastern Massachusetts was scheduled to begin Wednesday evening, August 21, and to continue for several evenings. It remains crucially important for people in communities at critical, high and moderate risk for EEE to continue to take personal precautions against mosquito bites. These steps include using EPA-approved bug-spray, wearing long sleeves and pants outdoors to reduce exposed skin, and cancelling outdoor activities in the hours from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
Please be aware that while the count of live mosquitoes lessens after an aerial spraying, our risk stays the same. The virus is still out there in remaining mosquitoes!
The ability to spray any area is weather dependent. The pilot must have maximum flexibility to work with changes in the weather. As a result, we will not know for certain which towns will be sprayed on which night. A map will show the areas of spray the following afternoon.
The list of communities entirely within the spray zone (except for exclusions, such as organic farms and surface water supplies):
Bristol County: Acushnet, Berkley, Dighton, Freetown, Norton, Raynham, Taunton.
Plymouth County: Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Carver, Hanson, Halifax, Lakeville, Middleborough, Pembroke, Plympton, Rochester, West Bridgewater, Whitman
Communities partially in the spray zone:
Bristol County: Attleboro, Dartmouth, Easton, Fairhaven, Fall River, Mansfield, New Bedford, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea.
Plymouth County: Abington, Brockton, Duxbury, Hanover, Kingston, Marion, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Norwell, Plymouth, Rockland, Wareham
The following towns are at critical risk for EEE:
Middleborough, Carver, Lakeville, Wareham, Rochester, Acushnet, New Bedford, Raynham, Norton, Easton, Freetown
Please see the following links for more information:
www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito
https://www.mass.gov/guides/aerial-mosquito-control-summer-2019#-latest-spray-updates-
Finding your way through the night skies
At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13, Plympton Public Library hosted an astronomy presentation put on by Barry and Carolyn Decristofano.
An engineer and lecturer at Northeastern University in Boston, Barry brings a collegiate approach to the study of astronomy.
Describing himself as a “hobbyist astronomer,” Barry says his passion for the science came about at a young age, citing his first memories of the stars from when he was just a small boy.
Carolyn works as a science educator, and has published several books related to astronomy and other STEM topics.
Together, the two delivered a learning experience to their audience by working in synergy. “It was awesome. He was awesome. Barry makes it fun,” said one of the attendees.
The presentation kicked off with a brainstorming activity, in which Carolyn asked the audience to shout out some different aspects of the universe that they had interacted with that day. The first few included, “rain,” and “clouds,” and these were followed up by some shout outs from the kids, the more notable were “cheeseburgers,” and “my hot wheels set.”
Following this activity, Barry asked the group to consider the things that come up when one is thinking about the night sky, and asked participants to draw these things. Among the most popular were drawings of the moon, and Jupiter.
Barry went on to introduce the concept of constellations, and provided the group with a worksheet depicting the night sky to design their own constellations out of patterns they see themselves. Participants were then called up to the front and asked to draw their self chosen patterns on the projector for the group to see. This introduced an important take home point from the presentation: everyone is free to interpret and enjoy the sky in their own way. The collection created by the entire group was then labeled “The Plympton Library Star Map.” After establishing an understanding of constellations, he then went on to provide historical insight into the concept, offering examples of many Greek constellations, such as Hercules, Scorpius, and others.
The discussion led up to the final activity of the evening, which was creating “big dipper finders,” a small paper device that can help one find the big dipper in the night sky in real time (which can be helpful for determining what direction is north). Along with the materials to build them, a guide for using these devices was handed out. The group struggled with the concept at first, but many managed to get a grasp on the idea.
This event marks the third astronomy-related visit to the Plympton Public Library for Barry. Once before, he gave another presentation similar to this, and has also set up a telescope on the lawn for stargazing, as well as to see views of the moon, jupiter, and more celestial objects. Following the end of this presentation, Barry & Carolyn gathered the opinions of the attendees about the best days and times, so a future presentation can likely be expected.
COA Director Barbara Brenton honored with surprise party
“It was a total surprise,” said retiring HalifaxCOA director Barbara Brenton. Her staff and volunteers, with the help of her friends, put together a surprise lunch, complete with a beach theme cake, and even an entertaining skit on Wednesday.
Brenton has been in the position for almost nine years,coming from Avon, Old Colony Elder Services, and Hanson.
“I’ll miss the people,” Brenton said, “and the relationships we’ve formed…..The hardest part is having to say goodbye.”
Tree take-down gets green light
The Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, August 13 began with Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves introducing three candidates for special police officers.
Thomas William Reed, a West Bridgewater resident, had a long list of credentials including 27 years as an East Bridgewater police officer, several years with the Department of Corrections, 7 years as an armed security officer, and a MA in criminal justice. Reed also serves on the Board of Directors of Cops for Kids with Cancer.
Jay Guidaboni, a Plymouth resident, has a BS in business from Bridgewater State University and has spent the last two years at the Plymouth County Sherriff’s office as a reserve deputy in addition to being a branch manager in the private sector for over 20 years.
Herbert Wiltshire, an army veteran, comes to the table with 20 years of experience as a patrolman in Halifax.
Chaves explained, “All three candidates have had extensive experience in the law enforcement field and will bring a wealth of knowledge and training to the department and the residents of Halifax.” The selectmen joked with Wiltshire about returning to the town. Wiltshire said, “I enjoy working here. I enjoy the people and the community and I enjoy the people that I work with.” Vice chair Tom Millias said that he defers to the Chief’s judgement in these matters. The other selectmen agreed, voting to approve a motion to appoint the three men as special police officers in Halifax.
A continuation of the tree removal hearing from the previous meeting was held with contractor Ryan Kress speaking on behalf of National Grid.
Kress brought Millias on a tour of some of the work that had already been started in East Bridgewater to give an idea of the scale of the work to be done. Millias shared, “We did take a tour and I have to say that all the work that I looked at that had been done previously looked appropriate, nothing was done more than necessary. Some of the trees that we looked at on Elm St., I understand that it would make some people unhappy but at the same time you can see the load over the lines and some of those if they were to be trimmed quite that much it would destroy the tree. I think the work proposed is appropriate.
As far as the trees on personal property, that is something that they have to work out with the property owners.” Millias also added that as much as he would like to have the town grind stumps and replant trees for concerned residents, it just isn’t possible as doing it for some would likely mean needing to do it for all.
Kress estimated that it will be about two months before work commences in Halifax as Pembroke is scheduled to be completed first. Chair Troy Garron said he also took a drive down to look at the proposed trees to be cut and also felt that the work to be done is appropriate. Kress shared that National Grid will be removing any stumps that may interfere or pose a danger to snow plows in the winter. The selectmen approved a motion to move forward with the work once the tree warden signs the permit.
Fireworks Committee plans for next year
The Halifax Fireworks Committee also met with the Selectmen to go over this year’s firework display as well as some anticipated needs for next year. Garron addressed the committee smiling saying, “All I know is I had a nice seat in front of the library to watch the fireworks and it was great.” The committee said that the cost of this year’s event was $9,500 and that the cost for next year would likely increase by about 25% due to tariffs. The committee said that they are hoping to raise those extra funds through fundraising events at the town hall such as craft fairs, garage sales, and even a possible paint night. They are also looking into a wine and beer tasting at the country club.
Garron mentioned that while most people seemed pretty pleased with the fireworks, the biggest complaint was the lack of activities in the morning. The committee acknowledged the lack of morning festivities saying it just isn’t possible to do with a committee of only three people. Two new volunteers were present, however, and the committee asked the Board to approve their appointment to the Halifax Fireworks Committee. Mike and Susan Hill, who have lived in Halifax since ’95 said they felt it was time to get involved in the town. The Board unanimously approved their appointments.
Nips make up much of the litter on roads
Jeanne Kling spoke to the board on behalf of the Halifax Beautification Committee regarding the town’s issue with litter, specifically miniature beverage containers commonly referred to as nips. Kling said that the nips bottles are a big source of the litter found during town clean-up days and acknowledged that locals are likely not the only source of the problem as there are many roadways through town frequented by non-residents. Illustrating the extent of the problem, Kling shared that resident Shirley Graf has collected 908 of these bottles just since January, with 668 of them found just within her neighborhood alone. The committee feels strongly that the issue is one that cannot be addressed solely at the local level. There is currently a house bill sponsored by Representative Randy Hunt of Sandwich asking that the nips be added to the bottle bill. Adding these bottles to the bill would hopefully deter littering as they would have a refundable deposit. The bill is currently stuck in joint committee. The Beautification Committee sent letters to Representative Kathleen LaNatra, State Senators Michael Brady and Marc Pacheco, and Representative Josh Cutler requesting that nips bottles be added to the bottle bill. Kling requested that the Board of Selectmen also send a letter to the legislative delegation acknowledging the problem and requesting that they support the idea to add nips to the bottle bill. Millias said, “I know that the liquor store owners don’t like this idea but I agree with you.” The Board agreed, directing town administrator Charlie Seelig to send the aforementioned letters.
Kling also took the opportunity to publicly thank C-Mac for their work to fix up the the island on Route 58 and 106.
Retail marijuana facility inquiry
Gregory Conway, who grew up in Halifax and has a graduate degree in public policy, met with the board to get their thoughts on a retail marijuana facility in town.
The board and Seelig shared with Conway that the town had previously voted to allow facilities on land zoned industrial but not commercial. Conway questioned the board as to what kind of concerns were voiced by the residents in regard to the commercial zone.
Selectman Gordon Andrews said that many residents were concerned about a retail establishment’s proximity to schools or other locations where primarily children convene. Seelig added, “There are people who feel that 500 feet is not enough and just don’t want it even 1,000 feet away.”
Another concern mentioned particularly in regard to abutters, was odor. Currently there are two petition articles that have been referred to the Planning Board for a public hearing.
The articles would be to 1) allow recreational marijuana facilities on commercially zoned land and 2) prohibit such facilities within 300 feet of any land zoned agricultural/residential.
This hearing will likely occur sometime in September with the board making a recommendation and the vote being taken at town meeting. Garron said, “Bottom line is, it’s up to what the people decide they want.”
The board also discussed the search for a new director for the Council on Aging. Applications for the position were due this past week and at the time of Tuesday’s meeting, 12 had been received thus far.
Seven people including two representatives from the Council on Aging, two town officials, and three residents were appointed by the Board to the search committee.
The Board also requested that Seelig ask the search committee to provide them with four applicants for review. Brenda Fitzgerald was named as the interim COA director.
Detterman graduates from Clerks’ Institute
Plympton Town Clerk Patricia Detterman recently completed her third year of studies at the New England Municipal Clerks’ Institute at Plymouth (NH) State University. Year Three is the final year of the Institute program, continuing its emphasis on public relations, parliamentary procedure, decision-making, personal development, management, computers, public speaking and professionalism.
Detterman was further honored by election by the student body to receive a scholarship to attend an advanced Academy class next summer.
The New England Municipal Clerks Institute is a three-year program, that assists clerks in developing and maintaining the high level of administrative expertise needed for the successful operation of increasingly complex municipal governments. Completion of the three-year Institute program entitles graduates to apply for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks’ coveted Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation.
NEMCI&A is the only program of its kind in the country, run exclusively by and for city and town clerks and their office staff. The Board of Directors consists of two representatives from each of the six New England states and meets year-round with faculty and University personnel to develop the best possible week of intellectual stimulation, personal growth and challenges for attendees.
Begun under the direction of the Rhode Island Department of Community Affairs and the guidance of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks, NEMCI&A has grown from one class with 32 students to the point where it now offers three Institute classes and several advanced Academy classes. More than 500 cities and towns have sent Clerks to the New England Municipal Clerks’ Institute and Academy over its forty-four year history.
Academy is a continuing education program designed for clerks who have completed their Institute training or have already attained their CMC certification. Academy courses are more in-depth and intensive, fostering the development of high-level administrative and executive-level management skills.
Getting the lead out at Dennett
Jon Wilhelmsen, chairman of the Plympton School Committee, brought good news to the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on August 5, as he shared the results from the latest water testing done at the Dennett Elementary School.
Wilhelmsen reiterated his theory that the high lead results were likely due to the testing occurring at or around the backwash cycle that is run every 14 days. Water is pumped backward through the filter during backwashing and if the tests were taken the same day as the backwash cycle it would be pulling in the lead that had been filtered out of the water over the previous two weeks.
Wilhelmsen said that the theory appears to be correct as the test results from the end of June show no lead or such a minimal amount that it’s barely detectable. All other levels look good as well. Wilhelmsen said, “The lead issue appears to be figured out and we are going to be putting in some procedures to make sure that they don’t test around any of the backwash cycles.” He added, “I hope to never use the words water and Dennett again.”
Selectmen discussed the MassWorks grant application to explore different design options for the intersection of Main Street and Ring Road. Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, who was not present at this week’s meeting, submitted the grant application on Friday, August 2.
Selectman Chair Christine Joy explained the purpose of the grant saying “The MassWorks grant is for design services so we’re looking at several options; nothing is set in stone. We’re just looking at the best option for that area to accomplish what we’re looking to do which I think is to slow people down and provide a safer area for people to negotiate on the road.” Vice Chair Mark Russo added, “Let me just emphasize that an integral part of the process will be public input especially input from abutters and neighbors.” The board said that they will begin preliminary discussions regarding the intersection during their next meeting on August 19 and urged concerned residents to attend and share their thoughts.
Correspondence from the Board of Health was shared stating that the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) risk level in Plympton has been raised to high. A dusk to dawn curfew for town owned properties remains in effect. Residents can call Plymouth County Mosquito Control at 781-585-5450 to have their properties sprayed. The notice also included safety tips including selecting a repellent with an EPA approved ingredient, removing standing water from property, repairing screens, wearing long sleeves, and avoiding outdoor activities during peak mosquito hours.
The Board also discussed developments with instituting a campus committee to deal with ongoing structural issues in the town buildings. John Traynor said, “We’ve talked about having the public safety committee transferred to the campus committee and each one has been talked to and each one has accepted.” The appointments will be made official during the next Board of Selectmen meeting. The public safety committee will continue on for a while longer to deal with any ongoing issues. Traynor will serve as a representative on the new campus committee. Russo said, “I think John’s enthusiasm and energy will be really helpful.”
An update was provided on the two municipal lots that are still for sale. The board is hopeful that they will receive some bids now that they have been advertised in multiple sources. Russo described the land as “two beautiful lots on Prospect Road.” Joy agreed adding “with conservation land in your backyard.”
In other town news, Dave Batchelder will join the Council on Aging Board. Batchelder will also work with State Representative Kathy LaNatra regarding issues that affect senior citizens in Plympton. Traynor who said he’s delighted to have him on board said, “Dave, for those who don’t know him, has been in town government for many, many years in many, many positions.” Like the campus committee, his appointment will also be made official at the next Board of Selectmen meeting.
A final note from the meeting – hazardous waste clean-up day is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 from 9-12 at the transfer station.
Mosquito spraying begins!
After finding positive larvae for both Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile virus, earlier in the season than is usual, according to Halifax Health Agent Cathleen Drinan, mosquito spraying is being conducted beginning yesterday, and continuing for several nights over Halifax and Plympton. She also notes that the mosquito population infected with both EEE and WNv are expected to grow.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will conduct and monitor aerial spraying in specific areas of Bristol and Plymouth counties which is anticipated to have begun on Thursday, August 8, and continue over several evenings, weather permitting.
So far this year, 22 communities in southeastern Massachusetts have been found by the Department of Public Health (DPH) to be at high risk for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus.
EEE is a rare but serious and potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages. No human cases of EEE have been detected so far this year.
The ability to spray is weather dependent and may change. Not every community in Bristol and Plymouth County will be sprayed, please see a comprehensive list below. MDAR is encouraging residents to visit DPH’s website http://www.mass.gov/guides/aerial-mosquito-control-summer-2019 for the latest updates on spraying in their specific communities.
• Communities entirely within the spray zone:
o Bristol County: Raynham, Taunton, Dighton, Berkley, Freetown, Acushnet
o Plymouth County: Halifax, Plympton, Kingston, Whitman, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Hanson, Bridgewater, Carver, Middleborough, Lakeville, Rochester
• Communities partially in the spray zone:
o Bristol County: Easton, Norton, Rehoboth, Swansea, Fall River, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven
o Plymouth County: Brockton, Rockland, Hanover, Pembroke, Duxbury, Plymouth, Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett
For the most updated information on EEE risk and aerial spraying, contact the DPH Division of Epidemiology at http://www.mass.gov/guides/aerial-mosquito-control-summer-2019 for updated mosquito results, maps and incidence of positive mosquito samples and http://www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito for other information.
Please note that:
1) Spraying will occur over several evenings. That means that it is not known, as of yet, which communities will be sprayed on which days.
2) The spraying schedule is dependent on the weather and other factors.
The Town will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.
The Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project continues to spray areas of Halifax. You can contact the Project at Office: (781) 585-5450 or Fax: (781) 582-1276. The office is located at 272 South Meadow Rd., Plymouth, MA 02360.
The Project is accepting requests for residential spraying. Requests are accepted via fax, phone, walk in or USPS. It recommends to fax, mail, or come in as they are serving all of Plymouth County and doing their best to answer your requests by phone.
Service requests should include name, address, town, phone, and email. You may request spraying up to 8 times during spray season and you need to contact us ALL 8 TIMES that you are requesting spraying. The office hours are 7:30 a.m-2:30 p.m Monday – Friday.
The product used for town-wide spraying is the same as used for routine requests. From the PCMCP website http://www.plymouthmosquito.org/pesticides.html – Duet-Dual Action Adulticide is a synergized synthetic pyrethroid consisting of 1% Prallethrin (ETOC), 5% Sumethrin, 5% Piperonyl Butoxide, and 89% other ingredients such as mineral oil. Duet’s EPA Reg. No. is 1021-1795-8329. The product breaks down quickly when exposed to sunlight. Therefore, residue on plants and other treated surfaces should be short-lived.
Plymouth County Mosquito Control applies this chemical using truck mounted ULV (Ultra Low Volume) sprayers. The Project uses an application rate of 0.62 fluid ounces per acre.
All spraying is between 2 a.m and sunrise. Please close street-facing windows if possible, to allow a more thorough application.
The spray machines are electric and very quiet – you may not hear the application. Please note the product will drift up to 300 feet.
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