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SL Boys’ basketball takes down Stoughton

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Matt Bettle, senior forward, captain, brings it in to score against Stoughton as they won their first playoff bout. (Photo by Aaron Duke)

Make that nine wins in a row for the Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team following their first playoff bout.

The Lakers had no issue taking care of Stoughton in the preliminary round of the MIAA Division 2 South Sectional playoff bracket. The Lakers took down Stoughton 60-46 and improved to 13-8 on the season.

On offense, senior guard Josh Gilbert (16 points) and junior forward Nolan Hughes (14 points) led the way.

Speaking of offense, the Lakers shined on the attack early in the contest. They went on a 9-0 to start the second quarter and with 5:24 left in the first half, their lead stood at 14 points, 26-12. For the rest of the first half, both sides, played well defensively, but the Lakers had a 28-18 lead headed into the second half.

The Lakers got off to a strong start in the second half which included three pointers from both Dan Duggan and Josh Murphy which gave the team a 16-point lead, 38-22. From there however, the scoring effort was back-and-forth between Silver Lake and Stoughton. The Lakers held a safe lead, the highest it got to was 19 points, 51-32, early in the fourth quarter. In the fourth, it also never dipped below 12 points, as it was a 55-43 game with 1:43 remaining. That said, there was not enough time for Stoughton to make a comeback at that point.

With the win, the Lakers advanced to face No. 2 Tech Boston on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 27. A loss there will have ended their season but if they came out on top, they will face either Hingham or Falmouth over the weekend.

Varsity experience and senior leadership were key factors in the Lakers success this season. The team featured 10 seniors including: Anthony McNiff, Dan Dugan, Jack Peterson, Dan Coffey, Matthew Bettle, Josh Gilbert, Josh Murphy, Cam Danahy, Brandon Lorizio and Will Cauchon.

Fire Chief Vivieros honored by VFW

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Halifax Fire Chief Viveiros is congratulated by Halifax VFW Post 6258 member Robert Dugan of Carver, Post Quartermaster David Walmsely, center, and David Walsh, Post Commander, right. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — Halifax Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6258 commander David Walsh and fellow VFW members presented Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros an award as winner of the Massachusetts round of the VFW National Public Servant of the Year award at the Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019.

Viveiros honored with VFW award

Dozens of Viveiros’ family and friends, including his wife and parents, packed the Selectmen’s meeting room of Town Hall to surprise him Tuesday, and he appeared shocked by both their presence and the award, which highlights the achievements of emergency medical technicians, law enforcement and firefighter personnel.

He said he was “humbled” by the award and “lost for words,” which he said happens only rarely. He said that as a non-service member, he was honored by the recognition.

Walsh said that Viveiros will be recognized for the award at a ceremony later in the year in Boston by all the state VFW posts and then move on to compete nationally for the award.

The Selectmen and other town officials passed their congratulations on to Viveiros, and the mood was celebratory all-around.

Town contractor implicated in home-heating oil blending scandal

According to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, recent reporting by WBZ-TV News has implicated Peterson Fuel, the town’s contractual heating fuel supplier, in blending higher-than-recommended levels of biofuel into Massachusetts home-heating oil customer’s tanks, an accusation the Worcester-based company denies.

Biofuel comes from renewable sources but blending too much in with fossil fuels can cause problems, some gradual, with many of today’s heating systems, according to the report and Seelig.

The town’s Director of Building Maintenance, Scott Materna, will have the town’s heating fuel tanks tested for their levels of biofuel, said Seelig, although the testing may take some time, because Peterson Oil has a contractual right to observe the testing and take samples of their own.

Seelig stated in a later phone interview that no damage to the town’s heating infrastructure from the contractor’s fuel has been discovered, so far.

Slowing down traffic with speed tables suggested

Seelig noted to the board, which took no action on the matter, that the Town of Swansea was using “speed tables” to slow down traffic in their community.

Speed tables, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, are traffic “calming” devices that are longer than speed bumps and flat-topped, with a height of approximately 3 inches and a length such that a vehicle’s entire wheelbase passes over. A speed table causes traffic to slow down, but not to the extent a speed bump does.

Although speed tables do slow traffic, common controversies with deploying the strategy include that they may damage vehicles and that they can slow down emergency vehicles.

Seelig said he has passed the suggestion on to the Traffic Study Committee to further look into the matter, “if indeed we have a speeding problem.”

Highway Department awarded half-a-million dollar grant

The Selectmen were pleased with the news that Steven Hayward, Highway Surveyor, had been awarded a $500,000 grant on Feb. 5 for the Highway Department, from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division’s Municipal Small Bridge Program in order to replace the Pine Street Bridge.

The board noted that it was not often that grants of this magnitude were awarded, and thanked Hayward for his hard work in obtaining the funds.

Other Selectmen’s news:

• Halifax resident Richard Crespi, 26, was sworn in as a Permanent Intermittent Police Officer for the Halifax Police Department in front of his family. His oaths of office were administered by Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor, and his badge was pinned by his sister, Samantha Crespi.

• Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said he has already begun the process of contacting all necessary contractors and vendors resulting from the Special Town Meeting warrant articles, which all were approved the night before.

• Kimberly King was interviewed by the board and appointed to the Council on Aging.

• Steven Littlefield, who has often served informally in the role of Assistant Veterans’ Agent, was officially appointed to that role.

• The Board of Selectmen will next meet Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Town Hall.

H’way super says snow funds used up

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Plympton selectmen Monday night were surprised by the request of Highway Superintendent Scott Ripley to declare a snow and ice emergency. (Courtesy photo)

Plympton selectmen Monday night were surprised by the request of Highway Superintendent Scott Ripley to declare a snow and ice emergency as he has used up his snow removal funds for the season.

Having been a winter with the least snow in recent memory, according to Boston weather people, selectmen said they would either call him in to explain, or perhaps just have a member of the board meet with him and discuss how the funds were spent.

In all fairness, Ripley began his position of Highway Superintendent in August, 2018,  after the budgets were set by Town Meeting vote ion May of 2018.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy presented the marijuana by-law produced by Ann Sobolewski with the Planning Board for selectmen’s approval.  The approved by-law will be returned to the Planning Board so a hearing may be scheduled in preparation for the Annual Town Meeting in May.

Selectman Christine Joy told the board that Plympton needs to do a much better job in its recycling, as does the rest of the country, and the effects are being felt throughout our economy.

China no longer buys our mixed paper for recycling because of the contaminants we allow, an average of 25%, forcing the United States to look elsewhere to sell its mixed paper.  What in 2017 brought $90 per ton in trade with China, in 2019 brings only $4 a ton from other markets like India.  “I don’t know that the country will ever get China back,” Joy said.   

What items are the worst offenders?  Think long, stringy things that tangle up the processor: garden hoses, plastic one-use grocery bags, plastic wrap. Don’t put recyclables in plastic bags.  The attendant won’t open the bag; it just goes into the trash.  Clothing can’t be processed with recyclables; in Plympton, it goes in the charity bins near the bottle and can redemption trailer.

The presentation she attended also cited help Massachusetts is giving in the way of grants for educating residents about what is recyclable and what is trash, and also grants for building recycling facilities, to help communities get serious about recycling.

Selectmen unanimously approved the application of Upinto2, Inc., the corporate name of the motorcycle riding school on County Road.  Upinto2, Inc. was granted a Class II motor vehicle sales license to sell motorcycles, primarily to their students.   Selectmen stipulated that no motorcycles were to be displayed outdoors for sale and no more than 40 motorcycles, 10 of which would be for sale, the rest for students to ride in classes, would be on the premises at a time.

In other business selectmen

• reviewed the open election seats for boards and committees

• executed a contract for Air Vacuum Corporation to deal with the exhaust fumes of vehicles at the Fire Station.

• voted to open the warrants for the Special Town Meeting and the Annual Town Meeting, both to be held May 15.

• reviewed the process of compiling the Annual Town Report, making sure that boards and committees follow the instructions to submit their reports to the town before the March 21 deadline.

The next meeting will take place March 11, at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Boys hockey trounces Blue Hills

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In their final home game of the season, the Silver Lake High boys’ hockey team clicked on offense, defense and in net. As a result, they trounced Blue Hills 7-2 on Saturday, Feb. 16, improving to 7-10-4 on the season.

Kevin Cardarelli led the way, putting up a hat trick. In addition to his three goals, senior captain David Marani had a pair while Andrew Johnson and Cameron Cavicchi each found the back of the net as well. Plus, Nicholas Solari dished out a team-high three assists in the win. Freshman Grady Sullivan picked up the win in net and once again gave the Lakers exactly what they needed.

The game was also senior night for the Lakers which means they honored their five seniors prior to the game. This season, such names include: Sean McNeilly, Ryan Sullivan, senior captain Alex Heffernan, Marani and Johnson.

The win was also crucial for the Lakers as it kept their playoff hopes alive. While the Lakers will not win 10 games this regular season, beating Blue Hills put their record against fellow Div. 3 opponents on the season at 3-4-1. This meant that if they won their bout against Rockland on February 20, they would earn a spot in the MIAA Div. 3 playoff bracket thanks to the Sullivan Rule. This also explains how the team made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

This season, the Lakers scoring effort has been spread out. Headed into this week, their top-three scorers had the exact same point total on the year. Marani, Heffernan and Cardarelli had each put up 23 points apiece. Plus, Johnson was just behind them with 21 points.

That said, the Lakers will have to replace three of their top four scorers on offense next season but in terms of defense and goaltending, they will be loaded with experience.

Boys basketball routs Hingham 8

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Eight — that is the number of games the Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team had won in a row. At the midway point in the season, the team had a losing record and their playoff chances were in doubt, but they have been dominant ever since. The latest example of this came in their home Valentine’s Day bout against the Hingham Harbormen. In it, the Lakers overcame a double-digit point deficit in the second quarter and picked up a 70-58 victory. The win improved their record to 12-6 on the season.

With the team trailing 30-17 a few minutes into the second quarter, Josh Gilbert hit a three-pointer and Josh Murphy followed it up with a fast break to cut Hingham’s advantage to single digits. The team continued playing sharp defense and early in the third quarter, a Murphy three-pointer made it a 37-33 game.

Hingham then hit a three, but the Lakers responded with a 13-0 run of their own. Nolan Hughes started the run with a bucket. Murphy followed up with a layup. Then Gilbert hit a three to tie it at 40-40; Gilbert then gave the team the lead on a trey. At the end of the run, they led 46-40.

The fourth quarter was hard fought, but the Lakers got hot towards the end of it and ended the game on a 12-4 run to secure the victory.

Gilbert led the team’s offense, scoring a team-high 23 points against Hingham. In addition to the points, he also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in the winning effort.

The Lakers excelled from three point territory in the win, hitting 47 percent of their shots from outside the arc.

This weekend, the Lakers will likely find out who they are set to face in the playoffs next week.

Special Town Meeting Monday night

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HALIFAX — A Special Town Meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street. All registered voters from the town are encouraged to attend. Residents must have registered to vote at least ten days prior to the meeting in order to participate.

There are six articles on the warrant. All are proposed by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee will make their recommendations at the meeting.

Article one asks the voters to appropriate an additional $1,056,056.26 for the fire suppression system project at the Halifax Elementary School, which is in addition to the $977,000 voters already approved at the May 2017 Annual Town Meeting.

The town went out to bid in May 2018, for the project but no bids were received. The town went out to bid a second time, according to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, and the low bid came in at $1,731,687.

The total budget for the project is now $2,033,056.26, therefore an additional $1,056,056.26 is needed to fund the project.

Article two of the STM asks the voters to transfer $7,300 from Article 32 of the Annual Town Meeting of May 14, 2018 (Repair and Replace Police Station HVAC units) to Article 30 of the ATM of May 14, 2018 (Repair and Replace Highway Barn Garage Doors) to be added to the $21,700 previously appropriated for a total of $29,000.

Article three asks if the voters will transfer $7,500 from the undesignated fund balance to upgrade the town’s website. Seelig says this is necessary because the current version of the website will no longer be supported.

Article four is for Monponsett Ponds. It asks voters to transfer $10,000 from the undesignated fund balance for studies of the Monponsett Ponds and projects to improve the water quality of Monponsett Pond, with the appropriation to be added to the Monponsett Pond account.

Articles five and six are in regard to Payment in Lieu of Taxes (or PILOT) agreements for solar energy developments.

The first, article five, asks voters to approve an agreement negotiated by the Board of Assessors on behalf of the Selectmen with the solar energy generation company Green Apple Farms, IV, LLC, for its proposed facility on Franklin Street.

The second, article six, asks voters to authorize the Selectmen and, on their behalf, the Board of Assessors to negotiate a PILOT agreement with the solar energy generation company Halifax Solar, LLC, for its proposed facility on River Street.

One of six charges dropped against health agent Tinkham

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Superior Court Judge Robert Cosgrove hears arguments to dismiss several charges in the lawsuit filed by the Carver, Marion and Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District against Plympton Health Agent Robert Tinkham, Ray Pickles and Diane Bondi-Pickles.

Robert Tinkham, of Carver, the Plympton Health Inspector, asked a judge to drop several charges against him in a civil suit alleging he defrauded the Carver, Marion and Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, where he was a member of the committee overseeing the district (and at times chairman of that committee) in his capacity as the Carver Health Agent. He, along with two alleged co-conspirators, Ray Pickles, once the district’s Executive Director, and his wife Diane Bondi-Pickles, a real estate agent, are accused of stealing in excess of $838,458.22 from the district.

At a hearing Jan. 14, Superior Court Judge Robert Cosgrove took the matter under advisement. On Feb. 7, Cosgrove partially allowed and partially denied the motion to dismiss the charges, and while he dropped one of the charges, six charges still stand.

In an 18-page written ruling, Cosgrove outlined his rationale charge-by-charge. The complaint against the three defendants originally contained nine charges. Two of the charges were plead in the original complaint only to “reach-and-apply” defendants, who have since been dismissed from the action, and therefore those two charges are no longer applicable.

Of the seven remaining charges, Cosgrove only dropped one, count six, for violations of M.G.L. c. 30B, or the Uniform Procurement Act, a 1990 law that codifies uniform public contracting procedures to promote competition and fairness, according to the state. (Cosgrove dismissed this charge against Bondi-Pickles as well.)

Tinkham argued that count six should be dismissed for three reasons: failure to allege any contract subject to the laws, failure to allege that he was a “procurement officer” as defined by the law and that there is no private right to sue under the act.

Cosgrove agreed with the final point, saying, “Consequently, Plaintiff’s claims against … Tinkham pursuant to … the Uniform Procurement Act, must be dismissed. Because there is no private cause of action under G.L. c. 30B, the court need not reach the other arguments presented by the defendants pursuant to that claim.”

The lawsuit now charges Tinkham with six causes of action: conversion and civil theft; breach of fiduciary duty; fraud; money had and received; civil conspiracy; and violations of M.G.L. c. 93A, the consumer protection law.

The lawsuit alleges Tinkham received monetary payments from the district between 1995 and 2018, but other waste district committee members did not receive compensation for their services. He did not have a contract or employment agreement with the district, and no taxes were withheld on the payments, according to the original lawsuit, which was later amended by the district.

Court records say he billed the district for landfill inspections while working for the Town of Carver. Carver’s job description for the health agent includes inspecting the Carver landfill, according to public records. In 2007, Carver officials reaffirmed this aspect of the job description.

But, the Carver landfill, leased by the district, is inspected by a professional engineer. Tinkham is not an engineer, according to his resumé, and he kept no records of his inspections for Carver, if they indeed occurred, the lawsuit alleges. The total amount paid to him for inspections by the district was $88,990.

In the lawsuit, the district points to 13 representative examples from 2004 and 2005 alone of Tinkham collecting payments from the district while being paid a salary from the Town of Carver.

Tinkham also stands accused of providing no goods or services in connection with money he was paid for the district’s “Grant/Recycling” services, between 2012 and 2018, totaling $88,100. He allegedly submitted false documentation for payment for that work.

Tinkham also stands accused of receiving payments not supported by any documentation at all. “In total, there are 82 payments totaling $86,703.82 for which payment was made but the District has no invoice or proof of any services rendered,” say court records.

The alleged fraud was discovered when Pickles, in 2017, without the authorization of the committee, sought payment of assessments from the district towns for the first time since 2015.

When Carver and Wareham refused to pay, claiming a lack of documentation, Pickles used district counsel, without authorization, to sue for breach of contract in Wareham District Court.

That suit was voluntarily dismissed. Pickles was terminated Jan. 29, 2018.

The district was created as a regional refuse disposal district in 1973 by a special act of the General Court.

It is an independent body-politic, based in Marion, funded by user-fees, assessments to the member towns and agreements with third-parties.

According to files obtained by the Express, the state Office of the Inspector General is investigating the alleged misconduct as well, in addition to the lawsuit against Tinkham, Pickles and Bondi-Pickles.

The district is seeking triple-damages, interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.

Tinkham denies all allegations.

Museum program tells tales at Library

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Shannon Murphy, from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum, pictured with the museum’s Broad-winged Hawk. 

Shannon Murphy, from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum, kept her audience in rapt attention as she told the tales of various tails at the Plympton Public Library on Saturday.  Shannon brought the program Nature Tales: Habitatsto her listeners, young and older.

Shannon is pictured with the Museum’s Broad-winged Hawk.  Miranda Bloom of the Trailside Museum in Milton explained that they don’t name their resident wildlife to remind people that these are wild animals, and not pets.  “This is particularly applicable to the Broad-winged’s story, because that is part of how he came to us,” she told The Express. 

“All of the animals that reside at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum are not able to be released into the wild for one reason or another, whether it be because of injury or imprinting.  In this hawk’s case it was due to imprinting.  He was found by a family as a baby and kept as a pet until they learned it is illegal to keep wild animals in captivity.  The family tried to release the hawk back into the wild but it didn’t know how to catch its own food by that point. “

“He kept returning to their deck,” Bloom continued, “allowing other birds to peck his head, injuring him, while he waited to be fed.  After being rehabilitated he was brought to the Museum and now helps with our education programs.”

The Blue Hills Trailside Museum is operated in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.  It is the interpretive center for the state-owned Blue Hills Reservation and features a natural history museum and outdoor exhibits of native wildlife.  The animals on display – including Snowy Owls and a River Otter – have been rescued and would not survive in the wild.

It is located at 1904 Canton Ave., Milton and is open Thursday through Sunday, and Monday holidays, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Outdoor exhibits are open daily from dawn to dusk.

To learn more about the Blue Hills Trailside Museum and its programs, go to https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/blue-hills-trailside-museum .

Halifax roofer case continued again

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Matthew Will, 37, of Halifax, owner of Five Star Discount Roofing, appears in Plymouth District Court Feb. 11, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal/Express News)

PLYMOUTH — Two of roofer Matthew Will’s five larceny-related cases– those with alleged victims in Kingston and Hanson– were continued for a month by District Court Judge Franco J. Gobourne at the request of Plymouth-based Attorney Jack Atwood.

Atwood told the judge that bank records turned over by the commonwealth in the discovery process were in “very small print” and that they were “too small to read.”

The discovery compliance and jury election hearings, where issues with evidence discovery are discussed before the court, were not held, although Gobourne said, “Let’s get this case moving,” to Atwood and the assistant district attorney.

Will, 37, of Halifax, owner of Five Star Discount Roofing, stands accused of victimizing 23 area households in at least three communities across Plymouth County by beginning contracting work and not completing it, or not doing work at all, after accepting deposits. They claim they have lost a combined $153,197.34, with individual losses ranging from $695 to $15,569.

Most of these victims are over age 55, and many are elderly, according to police reports. The alleged victim who lost the most money is 78 years old.

Will continues to hold construction supervisor licenses, according to state records, and continues to work according to a source who hopes that outstanding work will be completed by Will.

Dressed in paint-spattered pants in the Plymouth Trial Court hallway after the hearing, Will said, “I’ve been in business for 22 years without a problem. I don’t know why I’m even in court … There’s a very good reason this happened. I just had a bad year and couldn’t get the work done. I’m a good guy.”

Both matters were continued to March 12, 2019, at 9 a.m. for discovery compliance and jury election hearings. The case has been moving its way through the district court system since early August 2018.

Taking offense at social media accusers

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Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy, in a Jan. 22, 2019 file photo, appeared hurt by recent comments on social media at the Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal/Express News)

HALIFAX —While schools and afterschool activities were canceled due to inclement weather, the Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, Feb. 12, during a snowstorm to discuss their lengthy agenda.

Roy, Seelig on Social Media

Selectman Chairman Kim Roy spoke early in the meeting, sharing her thoughts on recent social media posts that have attacked Halifax Town Hall employees as well as board and committee members, that, she pointed out, are made up of volunteers.

Doing her best impression of President Richard Nixon, she joked, “I am not a crook!” All joking aside, Roy appeared hurt by the recent vitriol on Halifax community Facebook groups regarding attacks on the integrity of Halifax officials and workers.

Facebook posts for the last several weeks have blamed the board for discussions on ways to reduce litter caused from nips, which are small, inexpensive bottles of liquor generally under 50 milliliters that police say are often associated with drinking and driving.

The concepts discussed have included the idea of banning them in conjunction with other towns (the City of Chelsea recently passed a ban) or putting deposits on them to encourage recycling. Roy pointed out that this began with the town’s Beautification Committee, and the board was simply following up on their suggestions by discussing the issue.

The board received correspondence from a trade group representing alcohol retailers and local retailers concerned about these proposed measures, any of which would need to go to Town Meeting for the voter’s approval, according to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig.

But one Facebook user posted to the Halifax MA Community Page, “Here we go[,] the dictatorship of Halifax want[s] to ban nips! No public input[,] just Charlie[–] we can grow pot here in Halifax but we can’t have nips!”

The online responses have been emotional on both sides of the issue, with users offering up posts that are demonstratively not truthful.

“Think before you type,” said Roy.

Roy mentioned that the Beautification Committee also proposed a now-controversial Town Meeting article would ban single-use plastic bags by Halifax retailers, not the Selectmen. It has caused quite a stir on social media as well.

Seelig took to Facebook to defend town employees, board and committee members at several points over the last few weeks, including a lengthy post, reprinted in part, from Jan. 30, in response to a Facebook user who said, “Been telling you people for years [there is corruption] on the Hill!!! The Town Hall is so corrupt!”

Seelig said, “A belief such as this causes any action taken by the Town and, in particular, by the officials and employees at Town Hall, to be viewed through a lens of who was paid off for this to happen and that any action taken cannot be seen as being taken in the best interests of the Town and the people who live here.”

He continued, “I agree that there are ‘bad actors’ in municipal government. That’s also true in the regional, state and federal governments, private businesses and nonprofit organizations. But using a broad brush to paint everyone in a certain group on the basis of the actions of a few is unfair. It’s ‘sentence first, verdict afterwards.’ It’s accusations without evidence … It’s a common meme. Everyone who works for the government or, in this case, those who work at the Halifax Town Hall, are part of some great conspiracy; all of us are “on the take.” It simplifies the frustrations of many and it becomes the explanation for any action that the Town takes. And it leaves those who do work at Town Hall trying to prove a negative: that we are not corrupt.”

Roy, at the meeting passionately said, “Oh Mama Mia! We’re talking about ways to keep people from littering … and I found it interesting that more people were upset about us having this discussion of trying to figure out solutions rather than people drinking and driving and littering at the same time.”

HES fire suppression system

Article one of the Feb. 25 Special Town Meeting warrant, according to Seelig, asks voters to appropriate $1,056,056.26 for the fire suppression system project at the Halifax Elementary School, which is in addition to the $977,000 voters already approved at the May 2017 Annual Town Meeting.

The town went out to bid in May 2018, for the project but no bids were received. The town went out to bid a second time, he said, and the low bid came in at $1,731,687.

The total budget for the project is now $2,033,056.26, therefore an additional $1,056,056.26 is needed to fund the project. The current system is in disrepair and needs to be replaced, he said, and it will not be getting cheaper if the town waits to replace it.

The board was frustrated but resigned to the additional spending necessary for the safety of the schoolchildren and the integrity of the building.

Further information is available at http://halifax.ma.us/Pages/HalifaxMA_WebDocs/firesuppression

School bus scofflaws investigated by Chief

A concerned parent filed a complaint with the board regarding cars passing stopped school buses with red lights flashing, which, as drivers should realize, is illegal, said Seelig.

According to Roy, Chief of Police Joao Chaves, a “hands-on” chief, decided to investigate on his own, unbeknownst to area bus drivers.

Chaves followed a Halifax school bus in his unmarked cruiser recently, and the attentive bus driver noticed that their bus was being followed by a suspicious vehicle – Chaves.

The driver radioed their dispatcher, who contacted police.

When Chaves realized what was going on and that he had concerned the driver, Roy said he turned on his blue lights and pulled the bus over, to let the driver know that the suspicious vehicle was actually a police cruiser, and that he was in fact the Halifax police chief.

The driver was understandably nervous about the situation, said Roy, but the board commended both Chaves and the driver for their conscientious work.

Fortunately, no cars passed the bus in question while it was stopped loading and unloading children. The board did discuss how camera technology might be used to capture license plate numbers of such dangerous driving behavior and scofflaws all over Halifax should know that they are being watched, even by the town’s top law enforcement officer.