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Public input meeting on Pilgrim shutdown

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Claire Müller of Boston, who grew up in Duxbury not far from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, voices concerns about a license transfer for the power plant at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission public input meeting in Plymouth Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal)

PLYMOUTH — Officials gathered Tuesday, Jan. 15, at Hotel 1620 in downtown Plymouth for a public input meeting regarding the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and a potential license transfer from the current license holder to another company which is promising a significantly faster decommissioning process.

Representatives were present from the federal United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Louisiana-based Entergy, Inc., which is the nuclear plant’s current owner and license holder, New Jersey-based Holtec International, which is seeking permission from the NRC to take over Pilgrim’s license from Entergy, and Comprehensive Decommissioning International– a joint venture formed in 2018 between Holtec and Montréal, Canada-based SNC-Lavalin– which would, according to plans, be Holtec’s subcontractor for decommissioning the station.

Pilgrim, the commonwealth’s only currently operating nuclear power station, located off Rocky Hill Road in Plymouth, will cease to produce power at midnight May 31, 2019, according to an Entergy representative and will then move into a decommissioning phase.

Officials presented two NRC-approved plans to the public in a contentious, three-hour meeting. Entergy’s plan, known as SAFSTOR, would see spent radioactive fuel rods moved into dry storage on-site, with the plant being maintained and monitored in a manner that allows radioactivity to decay over time. It is then moved into what is known as DECON, where the plant is dismantled and the property is decontaminated. The process can take up to 60 years before the NRC finally allows the license to be terminated.

Holtec, which, said Joy Russell, a Holtec senior vice president, is the world’s leader in spent nuclear fuel management and storage, promised that her company could decommission the plant much faster. Through efficiencies created by using Holtec products, CDI could decommission the site, moving it through SAFSTOR into DECON much faster, they say, with plans to restore most of the site by 2026.

An NRC monitored trust fund is maintained by the license holder to ensure that enough money for the decommissioning process exists. If the license transfer is approved, Holtec would receive the decommissioning trust fund from Entergy, worth over a billion dollars as of the last report submitted to the federal government.

Russell said, “Holtec’s used fuel storage and transport expertise is in use by 116 nuclear reactors around the world. The spent nuclear fuel and irradiated components, which represent 98 percent of the radioactive source at a decommissioning site will be stored in Holtec canisters … Holtec’s partner in CDI, SNC-Lavalin, has over 30 years of managing decommissioning projects for both commercial nuclear facilities and government entities around the world.”

But Holtec itself has no experience in decommissioning any nuclear power plant in the world and has recently made headlines in California at the Southern California Edison San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station for possible NRC safety violations where Holtec dry-storage casks are used.

A four-inch loose metal screw was located in a cask about to be loaded with spent nuclear fuel at San Onofre. Holtec made design changes to the casks which they did not report to federal regulators, according to media reports. They said the changes were not significant enough to report, but the NRC is investigating.

After this story was originally published, a representative of Holtec and CDI contacted the Express on behalf of Russell, and in an emailed statement said, “A loose screw was found in a container during Holtec’s receipt inspection; part of quality assurance measure that Holtec performs on all canisters before fuel is loaded, to ensure the safety of canisters used for spent nuclear fuel.”

Neither plan addresses the fact that radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods will remain on the site for hundreds of years, if not indefinitely, if they are not transported elsewhere by the federal government. At the meeting, representatives of the NRC, a federal agency, blamed Congress for their inaction on the matter.

More than a dozen members of the public spoke against Holtec’s decommissioning plan, some more than once, citing fears of terrorism, climate-change and environmental concerns, having enough money in the decommissioning trust fund, concerns about the types of cannisters used, among others. Only one person spoke in favor of Holtec’s decommissioning plan.

Mary “Pixie” Lampert, of Duxbury, spoke at the meeting against Holtec’s plans on behalf of the Duxbury Selectmen and later spoke to the Express. She said that she is most concerned about the decommissioning trust fund running out before decontamination is completed. She also does not want spent nuclear fuel to be stored on-site, saying that although moving it to higher ground as Holtec has suggested is better than nothing, it is still vulnerable to terrorism.

Claire B.W. Müller, of Boston, asked, “Are Holtec and CDI willing to go above and beyond to protect the spent fuel from terrorism and climate change or will they just do ‘the floor’?

At the meeting, Russell responded that she was a nuclear scientist and had to live near nuclear power plants, too. She later responded to the question in writing.

“Holtec and CDI are committed to safety, security and being responsible stewards of the environment.”

The spent fuel canisters will be stored at 75 feet above mean sea level, and some 350 feet from Rocky Hill Road. Holtec’s canisters have been tested to withstand assaults by both human and natural events including missiles, planes, tornadoes and earthquakes. There are no “minimum standards” when it comes to security.

The current regulations imposed on the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel have been vetted by the U.S. Government for terrorism, environmental challenges and other hazards. The current regulatory standards are the result of these professional studies and validation by third parties.

Security of the spent fuel pad includes 24/7 on-site personnel, intrusion detection, and fencing. For reasons of security we cannot go into further details. Safety, security and environmental protection are at the heart of all that we do,” she said.

Müller, who said she grew up in Duxbury, responded to Russell, “I’m of course glad to hear Holtec intends to uphold current regulations for health and safety (that is a given: the “floor” of what is necessary), but the fact is our world is changing faster than our currently shutdown, underfunded federal agencies can regulate and dysfunctional Congress can legislate.

Doing the minimum will not be enough. Changing and ever worsening climate science shows that sea level rise, as well as world terrorism … means we need a decommissioning that goes above and beyond. The health of our families, our communities and the land demands that.”

The controversial meeting is likely only the beginning of more to come as activists such as Lampert and Müller say they plan to continue to challenge the license transfer.

Where to go if Pilgrim blows?

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Map courtesy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts/MEMA.

If an emergency were to occur at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, before or after shutdown, the local, state and federal governments have developed complex plans for mitigating such a disaster. The plans are most detailed for a 10-mile radius around the plant known as the Emergency Planning Zone, or EPZ.

Plympton and Halifax are outside the EPZ, although emergency evacuation routes for those within the EPZ run through the two towns, according to publicly available plans.

The 10-mile EPZ, at first glance, might seem arbitrary, but emergency planners deny this.

“The … EPZ is not random; it is based on the NRC’s assessment of the immediate inhalation-based risk following a release or potential release from the plant … If we had a release, the long-term exclusion zone might be larger than the 10-mile EPZ; that would be determined on a case-by-case basis,” according to Massachusetts Emergency Planning Agency (MEMA) representative Christopher Besse.

Residents of surrounding communities that are not in the EPZ, such as Plympton and Halifax, would not be directed to evacuate but might be asked to remain off the roads, if possible, to facilitate the evacuation. This likely would be a request; not a directive that they shelter in place, he said.

If an evacuation was ordered of some, or all of the EPZ, traffic control points would be set up throughout the area to help facilitate the evacuation and movement of vehicles, he said.

Besse said that if a precautionary transfer of school children from schools in the EPZ to host schools outside of the EPZ was initiated, as plans call for, Plympton and Halifax parents would go to the Bridgewater/Raynham Regional High School “host school” to pick up their children as Kingston, including the Silver Lake Regional Middle School and Silver Lake Regional High School, is in the EPZ.

This transfer of school children would be done early in an emergency, before an evacuation of the entire population is ordered, he said. Generally, a full evacuation would not be ordered until the plant is at a higher emergency classification. Planners have prepared for parents of school children to pick up their children at the host school before a full evacuation begins. This timing, he asserts, would help alleviate traffic congestion.

However, if school children were transferred at the same time as an evacuation of the EPZ is taking place, staffed traffic control points and the existence of multiple evacuation routes would be sufficient to effectively move the traffic out of the EPZ and in and out of the host school, Besse said.

  When asked if the emergency plans were realistic, Besse responded, “State and local emergency plans are reviewed by [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and regularly exercised.”

gency Planning Zone, or EPZ.

Plympton and Halifax are outside the EPZ, although emergency evacua

Kim Roy to retire!

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Nine-year Halifax Selectman and longtime town volunteer Kim Roy will complete her term as selectman and move to Hull in June. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — “When my term expires in May … so will my service to the town,” said Kim Roy, the nine-year Halifax Selectman and town volunteer. She told the Express on Tuesday, shortly after she made the stunning announcement to town department heads.

Roy, a Quincy native who came to Halifax in 1993, will move to Hull with her husband, Marc, in June. She said she is as surprised as many in town at the news, where she has become a fixture on numerous boards and committees.

“It’s only been two weeks since I made the decision,” she said, stifling back tears. “It’s happening so fast. I don’t even know the reason I’m doing it.”

Roy brought up her four sons in town. “It’s a wonderful town to raise a family. You know everyone in Halifax.”

Selectman Tom Millias joked that Marc lets her do whatever she wants whenever she wants.

Roy studied at UMass Boston but did not complete her degree. “It’s one of my biggest regrets. I think it’s the one thing that’s held me back from running for higher office.”

But she said she loved working and began as a teller at the former Boston Five Cents Savings Bank. She quickly moved her way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming a vice president, overseeing collections operations for the bank with a staff of about 45 working for her.

Not wanting to be a typical collections agent, Roy worked to help people in financial trouble, she said, even developing budgets for them. “I once received flowers from someone in pre-foreclosure.”

She later went on to sell real estate, but, “I was a terrible real estate agent,” she said.

She and Marc next bought a home in the heart of Halifax, within walking distance of Town Hall and across from the elementary school. Her volunteer life began after she had her first son. She said that in a way it was a distraction from a busy home life.

Her service to both the town and committees and associations for the state is nothing short of prolific.

Before serving on the Board of Selectmen in Halifax, Roy served on the Finance Committee for eight years, and many search committees for staff, including superintendents and principals for Silver Lake and the Halifax Elementary School. She was also a member of a study committee that would have regionalized Silver Lake from K-12, which, in her own words, was, “an epic fail.”

She was a member of the Government Study Committee, the Fire Study Committee and is a current member of the Capital Planning Committee and Wage and Personnel Board. She has served as the selectmen’s emergency management liaison, planning for storms and working at the shelter during emergencies.

“I could write a book just on that,” Roy said. “Even though I was across the street from my house, I wasn’t with my family.”

“Kim does so much for our town. She’s on so many boards and committees, but what stands out to me is that we have a hard time finding volunteers for the shelter. Kim stays overnight, sometimes the only one there, serving meals, changing diapers and doing whatever it takes to get the job done,” said Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

At the state level, Roy was on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Municipal Association for eight years, appointed by Governor Patrick to the Local Government Advisory Commission for six years, president of the Massachusetts Association of Town Finance Committees, president of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association and is currently on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, for the last five years.

As part of her statewide volunteering, she once had the opportunity to drive Governor Michael Dukakis home, a highlight to her, because “subway Mike” needed a ride.

Roy is a world traveler, having been everywhere from Iceland to Morocco, and shares her travels on social media.

She has never lived by the beach, she said, but is looking forward to it and has a healthy respect for the ocean. “Jaws changed my life. You won’t find me in the water deeper than my knees,” she said, half-seriously.

Roy has been no stranger to the ups and downs of life and exudes a “seize-the-day” attitude toward all of her undertakings. “People don’t understand how fleeting life is,” she said.

Whether talking about her struggles, or the latest news around Halifax, Roy said she finds the humor in everything in life, and her outlook and laugh are infectious to those who know her.

“It’s constantly in play when she’s in the room. She’s going to missed. I’m going to miss her,” said Millias.

“I’m in tears,” said Selectman Troy Garron. “I’ll remember Kim most for dog hearings. She felt strongly about protecting the public. She was, and is, steadfast, and did her homework, never asking a question that she had the answer to. She’s good people, like family.”

Roy has a reputation of being cautious with the taxpayer’s dime, but she says she is an independent (unenrolled), who is neither a Democrat or a Republican and has brought an independent perspective to the job of selectman.

Roy said it frustrates her when people assume things.

“I want people to understand where I’m coming from,” she said.

Roy said she won’t get involved in politics in Hull, despite already getting encouragement in that direction from others in public life on the South Shore.

“I don’t think I could ever remake the magic [of Halifax],” she said, barely able to get the words out through tears.

“It’s been awesome … I got back more than I ever gave.”

Hard work pays off in a sweet way

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Caeli McCulloch, 16, of Halifax, will start an early enrollment program at Johnson and Wales University, in RI, as she finishes her senior year at SLRHS.

Hard work has paid off in a sweet way for one exceptional Silver Lake student who has baked her way into early admission to culinary college.

Caeli McCulloch, 16, of Halifax may have been born with a mixing spoon in hand as she has officially been accepted to Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island as an early enrollment culinary student.

Although she is only a junior at Silver Lake High School she will complete her senior course load next fall as a freshman at Johnson and Wales University in Johnston, Rhode Island, allowing her to complete college one year early.

Her original goal in making and selling holiday confections was to save money for college  as technically she doesn’t qualify for state financial aid until she graduates high school.

Caeli spoke with The Express while whipping up a recipe she referred to as ‘simple’ – a delectable chocolate bourbon Bundt cake -with a caramel glaze. She whisked the thickening caramel in a multi-task, carefree manner never losing track of her perfectly formed cake as she described her passion for pastry.

Her busy holiday schedule included: working at her job of two years- Just Desserts in Bridgewater center, filling custom orders for holiday deadlines, keeping up with school work and daily chores. She also competes in track and field at Silver Lake.

She took over the family’s oversized kitchen for baking and packaging holiday pies, hand making assorted dessert trays and for several days occupied the space until she finalized each order. She estimates she made 25 desserts for Thanksgiving and then completed another 25 orders for Christmas.

With modesty McCulloch describes her above average grade point and perfect score of 100 percent in her culinary program through the Silver Lake Career and Technical Education Program.

The early acceptance program was something she had in her sights since her freshman year.

“It will be hard to let her go a year early to college but she has worked so hard. She has impressed me every step of the way,” said mom, Lynn Czarniak and step father Scott Czarniak.

The family agreed that Caeli has always worked well under pressure and couldn’t be more proud.

They recently learned she was awarded the Presidential Academic Scholarship through Johnson and Wales University, which will pay approximately half of her tuition. 

Her earliest kitchen recollections are using an EZ Bake Oven and kids cooking books, which were beneath her vast natural ability even at the age of four, according to mom.

Eventually moving on to utensils and kitchen equipment with her mom they would cook together for her younger brother who had severe food allergies.  Czarniak would cook specialized meals and with her daughter gained abundant knowledge on food allergens and how they could affect others. Caeli credits this early awareness towards her recent successes.

Their home is nut- free so she was able to be aware of those special needs for several holiday orders.

McCulloch proudly owns the title of ‘the person in charge of dessert’ when attending parties.  She finds the structural aspect of baking to be an independent, natural, calming component in her life.

Following online recipes using a base of a recipe then testing and personalizing to her own taste satisfies her creative flair. 

French macarons are a favored small plated pastry. She has mastered the ability of decorating party cupcakes, which has gained popularity over the years.

In choosing what to make on her holiday menu she based desserts on what she has perfected through school and her bakery experience.

“We learn about popular desserts and cultural awareness so I went on what I thought would sell the most- based on my previous knowledge,” she said.

Caeil’s Creations were expounded on by word of mouth, as well as posted on the Halifax and Pembroke connect pages.

A morsel of advice she would offer other teens in their endeavors is to never give up.

“You can do whatever you think you can. I never thought I would be going to school a year early and do all this – school – managing my job and applying for college.  Work as hard as you can, try everything to the best of your ability,” she said.

Halifax Special Town Meeting set for Feb. 25

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The Town of Halifax will hold a Special Town Meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, at the Halifax Elementary School multipurpose room, 464 Plymouth St., Route 106, Halifax.

For those who are not already registered to vote, the last day to register to vote at the Special Town meeting is Feb. 14.  Barbara Gaynor, Halifax Town Clerk, will keep the office open until 8 p.m. to accommodate those wishing to register, or they can register to vote online. The warrant showing all articles to be acted on must be posted by Feb. 11. 

The Spring Annual Town Meeting will be held Monday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St., Route 106, Halifax.

The last day to register to vote at the Annual Town Meeting is Tuesday, April 24.  The Town Clerk’s office will remain open until 8 p.m. on that date, or residents may register to vote online.  The warrant listing articles to be acted upon must be posted by Monday, May 6.

Plympton BOS develops ‘19 goals

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen share a light moment last fall. (File photo by Abram Neal)

PLYMPTON — On Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, Plympton Selectmen met for a brief working meeting to develop their 2019 priorities and goals.

Eight goals were identified, and although the board will finalize their wording at the next BOS meeting, they agreed on the following general concepts:

• Continuing to professionalize financial and town operations

The board said they are happy with the progress being made in this direction and wish to continue to professionalize the town’s operations.

• Master plan for town campus

The board said they see this as the long-term legacy they will leave the town and hope to have a master plan similar to Carver or Lakeville. The Old Colony Planning Council is assisting in this process.

• Grant acquisition

The board is exploring hiring a grant-writer for the town. One candidate will be at the next BOS meeting.

• Volunteer outreach and strengthening committee structure

The board said they are concerned about filling positions on town committees and are looking for creative new ways to find volunteers for committees and boards that will likely have upcoming vacancies, such as the Zoning Board of Appeals.

• Support the Town Administrator’s goals

While it is the job of the Town Administrator to support the board’s goals, the board also wants to support the Town Administrator’s goals.

• Affordable housing and utilization of town parcels

The board agreed that affordable and senior housing is desperately needed in Plympton, and one solution to this may be utilizing town-owned parcels of land for this purpose.

• Fiscally sound governance

The board said they wish to govern in a fiscally responsible manner.

• Continue protecting Plympton’s natural resources and rural character

The board says they recognize that the citizens of Plympton value their natural resources and rural character.

The BOS will next meet on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, at 6 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Town House.

Health agent wants charges dropped

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A lawyer for Robert Tinkham, Jr. in Brockton Superior Court Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 argues for several civil charges against the Plympton Health Agent to be dismissed. (Photo by Abram Neal)

BROCKTON — Robert Tinkham, Jr., the current Plympton Health Agent, was in Brockton Superior Court Monday, Jan. 14, with his Plymouth and Brockton-based attorney, John Fink, of Sims & Sims, LLP, fighting to have five of nine counts of a civil lawsuit brought against him for an alleged 20-year fraud dismissed.  He also filed a request to dismiss a motion to compel turning over financial documents related to the lawsuit, citing the high cost of making copies.

Superior Court Judge Robert Cosgrove, who stood at the elevated dais throughout most of the proceedings and frequently asked questions of the four attorneys present, heard the motions and took them under advisement.

Fink’s arguments suggested that the complaint, which had been amended, was not properly filed and failed to state a claim. He also argued that SEMASS, a waste-to-energy recycling company that contracted with the district should have been named as a party in the lawsuit. Lawyers for the district, represented by public sector law firm KP Law, disagreed.

The attorneys also disagreed about the manner in which district financial records could be made available to Fink. Fink said he wanted the records delivered to his office as the cost, which he said was in the thousands of dollars for copying the five large “responsive” documents he seeks would be prohibitive to Tinkham.

Waste district attorneys argued that handing over the documents in this manner would be unprecedented, as they are public documents and need to be maintained in a “chain of custody.”

The waste district’s attorneys said they offered to make the documents available to Fink for his review at a public office so that he would not have to have them copied at great expense, something they say they offered as early as Sept. 14, 2018.

Cosgrove even hypothetically suggested ordering a copier to be “shipped down” to the public office for Fink’s use, as Fink argued that one wasn’t available for him to use. This did not satisfy Fink.

Tinkham, of Carver, is accused of misappropriating $838,458.22 from the Carver, Marion and Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District along with two alleged co-conspirators, Ray Pickles, the former Executive Director of the district, and his wife Diane Bondi-Pickles, a licensed real-estate agent. Of that amount, the district accuses Tinkham individually of converting over $260,000 for personal use.

Tinkham, previously worked as the Carver Health Agent, and, in that capacity, served as Carver’s representative to, and, at times, chairman of the committee overseeing the waste district, according to court records.

“Defendant Robert Tinkham, former chairman of the District’s governing committee and duly appointed representative of the Town of Carver, participated in this scheme by conspiring with the other defendants to install co-defendant Ray E. Pickles as the District’s executive director and then by presenting Pickles with numerous fake-claims over many years for payment under the guise of providing landfill inspection and other services. Notwithstanding these claims, Defendant Tinkham did not provide any services to the District and instead he abused his position of trust and confidence to defraud the District, a public entity, of more than $260,000,” court records said.

While the matter is currently a civil action in which the waste district is attempting to recover money allegedly defrauded from the taxpayers of Carver, Marion and Wareham, the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General, an agency which investigates suspected fraud, waste and abuse in the use of public funds and public property is investigating, according to records previously obtained by the Express.

The OIG is a non-prosecutorial agency that refers investigations to prosecutorial agencies at the state and federal level.

An attorney for Bondi-Pickles, who was not present, also argued a motion against her to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety at the same hearing. Cosgrove took that motion under advisement, as well.

Reeder-Morning makes debut following ACL injury

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The Silver Lake High girls’ basketball team might not be enjoying the best results this season, but they have one reason to be more confident now.

That is because they had been missing one of their top players for the first seven games of the season with a torn ACL and now, junior captain Holly Reeder-Morning is back on the court for the squad.

Reeder-Morning is a third-year varsity player and made her season debut on Tuesday, Jan. 8. She came off the bench in the Lakers loss against Scituate, wearing a brace on her right leg.

The Lakers were enthusiastic about her return to the court as their official athletics account tweeted out, “Welcome back Holly!” with a video of her jogging onto the court to sub in before a Scituate player took two foul shots.

Reeder-Morning, who missed all of soccer season with her injury, was a key asset to the Lakers squad last season and is one of the few returning varsity players. She was a Patriot League All-Star as a sophomore so certainly, her ability on the court will provide the team with a boost as she works her way back into the lineup.

Reeder-Morning will also provide the girls’ soccer team with a boost next season as she missed the entire fall with her injury this season; she was also one of the soccer team’s top scorers during the fall 2017 season.

The Lakers have a chance to pick up their second win of the season in their next contest on Friday, Jan. 11. They host the Whitman-Hanson Panthers. The start time for the game has yet to be announced but presumably, it will take place at 6:30 p.m., the typical start time for the team’s varsity Friday games. Whitman-Hanson is 5-2 this season, according to MaxPreps.

Beliveau and ZBA reach agreement

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Gene Beliveau, left, and supporters before the Plympton Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 18, 2018. (Abram Neal)

PLYMPTON — On Tuesday, Dec. 18, the Zoning Board of Appeals held a new hearing for Gene Beliveau, manager of Plymouth County Paving, LLC. Beliveau was the appellant to a May 4, 2017, cease and desist order regarding what the previous Plympton Zoning Enforcement Officer, the late Robert Karling, ruled to be a “contractor’s yard” operating at 0 Winnetuxet Road (Map 21, Lot 1, Block 24).

Plymouth County Paving, LLC, which Beliveau manages, was accused of this prohibited zoning use at 0 Winnetuxet Road as it is in both the agricultural-residential and business zoning districts. Plymouth County Paving, LLC, is a provider of residential and commercial asphalt paving and maintenance services, excavation and demolition and commercial-industrial snow and ice management for properties located off-site, according to town documents.The ZBA and Beliveau reached a mutually agreeable settlement at the hearing, which Plymouth County Superior Court Judge Cornelius Moriarty, II, ordered, where Karling’s cease and desist order was upheld. But, exceptions were granted with a special permit allowing certain equipment to be kept on-site, according to the agreement.

In May 2017 Karling ordered Beliveau and any person acting on the business’ behalf or in concert with it to immediately cease and desist all use of the property for a “contractor’s yard” and commercial vehicle storage, the trucking of earth, gravel and other materials to and from the property and to remove from the property all of the materials, vehicles and equipment associated with such use.

On May 30, 2017, Beliveau filed an appeal with the ZBA.

A public hearing opened Aug. 15, 2017, and was continued to Aug. 24, 2017, and again to Sept. 7, 2017. During the hearing, Beliveau, through his attorney, provided evidence and testimony, and the ZBA heard additional evidence and testimony from members of the public and Karling. The ZBA also conducted a site visit Aug. 23, 2017.

In an Oct. 2, 2017, decision the ZBA voted 3-0 to affirm Karling’s cease and desist order regarding the use of the property.

Beliveau appealed this decision to the Plymouth County Superior Court.

On Nov. 13, 2018, Beliveau and the ZBA filed a joint motion in Superior Court requesting that the court remand the matter back to the ZBA for further consideration. Judge Moriarty agreed to allow the motion, and a new hearing was held.

The ZBA voted 3-0 at the new hearing to reaffirm Karling’s May 4, 2017, cease and desist order regarding the use of the property although Beliveau may keep more than three but less than 10 commercial vehicles on the property in accordance with the terms of a special permit granted by the board. Beliveau is also allowed specific forestry related equipment provided it is not visible from any roads or abutting properties (it must be stored in or behind a “long metal structure” on the property) and may replace it with comparable equipment over time so long as the amount of equipment does not increase.

The Express was not able to reach Beliveau for comment as of press time.

BOS says ‘Hold your horses!’

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Attorney Phil Taylor represents Scott Clawson, of Fieldstone Farm, in his request for additional horse shows. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, Jan. 8, and tackled a lengthy agenda and five appointments in just under two hours. The agenda was wide-ranging, but the lengthiest item involved horse shows at Fieldstone Farm.

Clawson asks for more horse shows

Scott Clawson, proprietor of Fieldstone Farm, through his Stoneham-based attorney Phil Taylor, was before the board asking for two additional horse shows in June at his equestrian show park on Plymouth Street, and one additional show in August, for a total of three additional shows to the allowable 30.

The number of shows Clawson is allowed to hold is governed by a consent agreement signed between the Town of Halifax through the Board of Selectmen and Clawson, first agreed to by the town, Clawson and the Plymouth County Superior Court in 1993, and then updated after an exhaustive series of meetings with the board prior to August 2017, when a new agreement was signed into force.

The board, especially Kim Roy and Tom Millias, were vocally frustrated with Clawson and the board refused to, for now, allow any additional shows without talking to Halifax Town Counsel.

Millias noted that while the board was being asked to add more shows, “My more specific question is, do we have to do it?”

The answer, according to Taylor, is that they do not, although they can at their discretion without reopening the consent agreement. That interpretation was not shared by the board.

Roy and Millias hammered the attorney because of an ongoing issue Clawson had with the building department, where he was constructing a two-story gazebo, something that the building department was not made aware of in original plans, according to Roy and Millias.

The building department, said Roy, would send correspondence to Clawson, but he did not communicate back with the town to resolve the issue in a timely manner.

A solution was eventually found, according to Millias, in which the gazebo is to be used for non-commercial use and is one-story, but only after the town spent considerable effort to attempt to get Clawson to comply with the building department.

Although the issue was separate from the question of adding additional shows, the board in its entirety was visibly annoyed.

Selectman Troy Garron noted that Clawson did not appear to have respect for the authority of the town’s boards, but especially the selectmen.

Millias, who happens to be the Plympton Building Inspector, noted that ultimately responsibility lies with the property owner when the attorney blamed a contractor for the gazebo issue.

Roy said she did not want to punish a business in town but did not want to reward bad-behavior.

The board will take up the issue again at their next meeting, Jan. 22, 2019.

Cremation Wall

The board approved $10,000 for Highway Surveyor and Cemetery Superintendent Steve Hayward to begin a test run of a “cremation wall” in the Halifax Central Cemetery. The wall, which works somewhat like a post office box, allows family members of the deceased to receive a key to the box where remains are kept as a memento.

Hayward said the money for the wall would come from the “Lots and Graves” account, and that the wall could be built in sections, modularly, as land is cleared and usage is gauged.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that cremation is becoming more and more popular as traditional burials are much more expensive.

Union Files Grievance

AFSCME Council 93 Local 1700, the union representing a highway worker who had filed a previous grievance against Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward, has filed a new grievance against the town on Jan. 2.  The original grievance regarded a worker being denied a heavy equipment operator (HEO) position– a decision that the Board of Selectmen upheld in a Dec. 21, 2018 executive session.

The recent grievance alleges that the town should not have released information to the public following the December executive session.  Information released to the Express regarding the employee did not paint the worker in a positive light.   The December meeting was reported by the Express and the new complaint will be heard by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations.

The information regarding the latest grievance was obtained through a verbal public records request by the Express.

In Other News:

• The board scheduled a Special Town Meeting for Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Halifax Elementary School to address funding for that school’s fire suppression system construction project. More information will follow.

• Police Chief Joao Chaves requested that Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan be appointed Police Matron for the department. The position may be regionalized at some point, he said. Callahan joined the department in 2013 and when asked by selectmen how she felt about taking the position said, “I feel great about it.”

• Police Officer Thomas Hall will retire in February after 21 years with the Halifax Police Department. The board regretfully accepted his resignation and wished Hall luck with his future endeavors.

• The Board of Selectmen will next meet Jan. 22, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Halifax Town Hall.