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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.

Murray family presses for answers

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VIGIL: Organizers Adrienne McDougall, left, and Diane Ostranber take part in a candlelight vigil for Maura Murray in Hanson Saturday, Feb. 9, the 15th anniversary of her disappearance after a New Hampshire car crash. (Photo by Abram Neal/Express News)

HANSON — Maura Murray, then 21, a native of Hanson, vanished after she crashed her 1996 Saturn into a snowbank along a curve on Wild Ammonoosuc Road (Route 112) in Woodsville, New Hampshire, a village of Haverhill, 15 years ago. The UMass Amherst nursing student’s mysterious disappearance on Feb. 9, 2004 has sparked worldwide attention in the press, on the Internet and on social media over the course of the last decade and a half.

Family, friends and supporters of Maura Murray marked the somber anniversary Saturday in New Hampshire and here in Hanson by lighting candles in hopes that she will be found. Her father, Fred Murray, 76, had shared with the public new details of an investigation he has conducted into her disappearance with the hope that the public attention will put pressure on New Hampshire authorities to further look into the matter. Investigators, meanwhile, say the investigation is still active.

Fred Murray, who spoke to the Express Monday, Feb. 11, says that he is certain he has found a burial site in a house “astonishingly close” to the site of the accident. According to him, locals first tipped him off about suspicious activity at the house in the first year after his daughter’s disappearance, including rumors of new concrete being poured in the basement shortly after the accident, he says.

The Boston Globe reported last week what Murray said, based on those tips, “that a man who lived in the home at the time of the crash, as well as the man’s extended family members who lived nearby, were responsible for his daughter’s death.”

Although he told the Expressthat he is not positive that it’s his daughter who is buried in the house, he strongly believes that there are human remains in the house and that they are likely those of his daughter.

“I only need to be right once,” he pointed out.

The house, which he says police never searched, a point which officials don’t advertise unless pressed in statements, has come under new ownership since Maura Murray’s disappearance, and the new owners have been receptive to Fred Murray’s investigation. He says he is willing to pay to dig up their basement, although he’d rather New Hampshire authorities do it.

The New Hampshire Attorney’s General office said in a statement that they “searched the area with dogs at the time,” but never searched inside the house in question.

In November and December 2018, Fred Murray brought in two trained, accredited cadaver detecting dogs to the house, each one on separate occasions. They alerted, he says, by lying down in the same spot in the basement of the house. He says that video of the dogs alerting exists, and is available widely online from local television media outlets.

Later, ground-penetrating radar was used and indicated strong findings of an abnormality in the same spot in the concrete, he said. Much of Fred Murray’s investigation has been paid for by donations and through pro-bono work of those who support him, he says.

“It’s astounding that this [basement] wasn’t looked at before. I told the police about this in the first year … the State Police did an inadequate job when my daughter first went missing,” he added, adamantly.

Fred Murray said he has found the local police to have been less-than-helpful, and as for federal law enforcement, “The FBI has been dodging it [the case] for 15 years … they’re useless,” he said of the Boston office of the FBI.

He says that law enforcement’s response to his investigation, when he’s notified them of his findings, has been, “We looked at that, we looked at that, we looked at that.”

“Because of the institutional intransigence of the New Hampshire State Police the case is still alive 15 years later,” he said.

Fred Murray said that he thinks he’s been getting “the run around,” and that officials have been waiting for him to go away. “This time, the guy didn’t go away, and that guy was me.”

A representative for the New Hampshire Department of Safety, of which the New Hampshire State Police are a division, refused to comment because of the active nature of the investigation, but did refer the Express to the Office of the New Hampshire Attorney General.

“The case is still open and active.  We do receive tips and information periodically, as well as generate new information from investigative efforts,” said Jeffrey Streizin, Associate Attorney General and Director of the Division of Public Protection with the New Hampshire Attorney’s General office in an emailed statement.

He continued, “We are aware of the allegations regarding a home’s basement in that area and have considered and are considering next steps. That area was searched by law enforcement in the past, including with dogs, and nothing of significance was discovered.”

When asked to clarify whether the home itself was ever searched, Streizin said, “The State Police conducted a canvas of that area in 2004 and searched the area where that house is located with dogs. They did not go into the house at that time.”

“I need help. I’m asking for help,” Fred Murray said. “The people of northern New Hampshire have been wonderful. They are salt of the earth people … The goodness of people has really come to the forefront. Maura’s only friends in this have been the Massachusetts press, her friends and the great people of the area.”

Exactly where Maura Murray was headed, and why, has remained a mystery over the years. Moments after the crash, a good Samaritan stopped to assist her, but she waved him off and told him not to call the police, according to original police reports from 2004. The passerby called local police anyway, although he did drive off. A Haverhill police cruiser arrived within minutes, but the Saturn was locked, and Maura Murray was gone.

According to a four-part series reported by Maribeth Conway in this paper’s predecessor, the Hanson Express in 2007, Fred Murray had dinner with his daughter in Amherst two days before her disappearance.

She caused damage to her father’s car that night in a minor accident near UMass in Hadley, Massachusetts, and later friends reported she had been drinking that night, although no charges were filed in that incident.

The following day, she performed Internet searches for driving directions to Vermont and the Berkshires. She also called for a condominium rental reservation in Bartlett, New Hampshire, which she did not end up reserving. Her family often vacationed in Bartlett, a town in the White Mountains near the Attitash ski resort.

Her belongings were neatly packed up in boxes in her UMass dorm room before she left, according to reports, leading to speculation that she may have been considering leaving school permanently. But she had good grades, and her college textbooks were found in her car by investigators after the accident.

Maura Murray withdrew $280 from her bank account, leaving the account almost empty, and emailed professors and her boss at a local art gallery that she would be away from school because she was needed in Hanson due to a death in the family. Relatives later confirmed there was no death in the family.

No one is sure exactly why the college student made up the story.

A friend later suggested that Maura Murray may have been under a lot of pressure and wanted to get away to think about something important.

She grabbed some toiletries, a favorite stuffed animal — a monkey given to her by her father– and a necklace her boyfriend had given her. She then departed. Police say she next stopped at a liquor store, bought about $40 worth of alcohol — which police reports say some of which was found in plain sight in her car after the crash– and never returned to Massachusetts.

Fred Murray says his next step will be to try to enlist the help of senior New Hampshire State Police officials but that he continues to wait and marvel at the lack of help. He added, “We’re still going to win.”

When asked to clarify what a win for him would be, he hesitated and said, “There is no win. There is no satisfaction. I have to find her, bring her home and give her a proper burial. Every father who ever drew a breath on the planet should know what happens next.”

Lakers B-ball tops Quincy

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Sophomore Forward Ben Lofstrom looks for the rebound. (Photo by Aaron Duke)

The Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team was dominant in the second half against a tough opponent, and their prowess from the floor made the difference.

The Lakers hosted the Quincy High Presidents on Wednesday, Jan. 30 and walked away with a 61-47 win. With the win, they improved to 7-6 on the season, according to MaxPreps.

The Lakers found themselves in an early hole with the opposition leading 15-6 late in the first quarter. However, a Ben Lofstrom fast break and layup gave the team some momentum–which carried over into the second quarter.

A couple of minutes into it, Lotstrom hit a three-pointer, bringing the Lakers within two points 18-16. Still, the Lakers would not end up holding the lead just yet. That happened as the third quarter progressed.

Down 39-35 early in the third quarter, Silver Lake’s offense exploded. They went on a 26-5 run which extended well into the fourth quarter and ended up being the difference maker in the bout.

Lofstrom tied the game at 39 apiece while a Josh Gilbert three pointer at the end of the third quarter gave the Lakers a 42-39 run. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, a three pointer from Danny Duggan extended the team’s lead to 45-41, and they continued pulling away.

Duggan and Matthew Bettle sank back-to-back three pointers in a 12-0 run which put the Lakers up 57-43 with a few minutes left in the game, essentially putting the contest out of reach for Quincy.

In the win, the Lakers hit 53 percent of their shots, including 62 percent of their three pointers and 85 percent of their free throws. Meanwhile, they held Quincy to a 38 percent field goal rate.

The Lakers next bout is this upcoming Tuesday, Feb. 11 on the road against the Falmouth Clippers (6:30 p.m. start time).

Silver Lake Middle School VEX Robotics team wins tournament

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Team 2364B of the Silver Lake Middle School VEX Robotics after school club, won the qualifying tournament last Saturday, Feb. 2, in North Scituate, RI, for the New England VEX Qualifying competition. They will go on to compete in the New England Regional Championship Feb. 23 in Framingham. From left are JD Keegan, Max Colombo, Wes Hawley and Sami Areski, with their certificates and trophy. Not pictured are Gavin McKenna and Dylan Whittemore. (Photo by Julie Walker)

By Julie Walker
Special to The Express

Silver Lake Middle School VEX Robotics Club is accepting congratulations on their recent victory at the New England VEX Qualifying Competition, Turning Point, held Saturday, Feb. 2 in North Scituate, Rhode Island.

Team B from Silver Lake, after a grueling day of matches, won the tournament!  This is the first time a team from Silver Lake has accomplished that feat.  In addition, they also won the design award.

Robotics is big at Silver Lake.  There are two after school robotics clubs: VEX Robotics and LEGO Robotics.  The VEX Club builds robots using VEX parts, and VEX sponsors the competition. 

The Silver Lake VEX Robotics Club has four teams of students who competed in the Turning Point qualifying competition.  Of the four, Team 2364B will advance to the New England Regional Championship Feb. 23, at the Walsh Middle School in Framingham.

Team B members are JD Keegan, Max Colombo, Wes Hawley, Sami Areski, Gavin McKenna, and Dylan Whittemore.

The “Turning Point” competition began with nine ranking qualifying matches for each team.  Once the teams were ranked by how many points they scored, the top teams chose their alliance partner team to compete with in the elimination rounds.

The Turning Point game has very specific ways to score points.  In this game their robot had to flip caps to their color, turn flags to their color, raise caps with their color on top to the top of posts, and park on their color in order to score. 

Each match consists of red and blue alliance partners competing against each other. In the ranking qualifying matches, alliance partners are randomly selected for each team. Each team then plays in a set number of ranking qualifying matches. Once the ranking matches are complete, the top ranking teams have the privilege of choosing their alliance partner for the final elimination matches. 

Each match lasts only two minutes. The first 15 seconds is an autonomous portion of the game, where student-written computer programs are run to score as many points as possible. The alliance with the highest score during “autonomous” are granted the autonomous points.  Then there are 1 minute and 45 seconds of driver-controlled competition. This portion is both offensive and defensive with the ultimate goal of scoring the highest number of points in your alliance color. The alliance team with the highest points wins the match.

On Saturday, Silver Lake Team 2364B was ranked 4th and they were chosen by the 3rd ranked team from North Andover to be their alliance partner. 

Students from Silver Lake designed their robot to flip the caps, turn the flags, place caps on the posts and park on the platforms.

Each Silver Lake Team has students who worked primarily on the robot design, others who worked primarily on the programming, and some who were involved in both. 

This year, VEX introduced a new Robot platform, V5, with a smart brain and smart controller that required the use of a new programming language C++.

“Silver Lake didn’t receive their new V5 kit until January 3.  Students on Team 2364B  built a new V5 robot and learned the new programming language in less than a month,” said a proud Julie Walker, club advisor.

Congratulations, teams, for an outstanding performance!

Silver Lake Middle School offers Automation and Robotics (AR) to 7th graders as an elective. AR is a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) course that utilizes VEX robotics for mechanical builds and automation through programming using RobotC.

Tax bill woes for former Rep. Calter

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Kingston Town Administrator and former State Representative Thomas Calter. (Image Courtesy PACTV)

HALIFAX — Assessors in Halifax met Wednesday, Feb. 6, and briefly discussed personal property tax, in the amount of $12,511.09 that includes delinquent interest, assessors say is owed by Jordan Health and Wellness Center, RKP Capital, LLC, of which Kingston Town Administrator and former State Representative Thomas Calter, of Kingston, is the principal.  The delinquent tax stems from equipment in a gym, the Jordan Fitness Center, that Calter, with his wife, operated at 430 Plymouth Street between 2010 and 2012.

Assessors met and decided not to abate any of the amount despite the fact that Calter said, in both a phone call with the Express and in a letter addressed to the Board of Assessors that he had never received the bills and did not own the gym for part of the assessed period.

“I don’t know of a single taxpayer who would pay taxes on property they didn’t own,” said Calter in the phone conversation. Even though he did not attend the meeting the issue was on the agenda at his request.

“Even if we wanted to do something, we couldn’t and I wouldn’t want to,” said assessor Tom Millias, noting that the board treats everyone the same way and that the abatement appeals period had passed.

The dispute with the Halifax board has been ongoing since May 2016 when, Calter says, he was hand-delivered a letter from Tax Collector Pamela Adduci with personal property tax bills.

He said that he is happy to pay the fair amount of what he owes and proposed an amount much lower – $1,151.20– than what the assessors say he owes, and if they can’t come to an agreement, he will appeal to the Appellate Tax Board.

The meeting, which took less than 15 minutes, was video recorded by Peter Boncek of Kingston, who challenged Calter in the race for State Representative in 2016. 

School budget hearing attended by two

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Summer Schmaling, chair of the Halifax School Committee at their meeting Feb. 4, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — At the Halifax School Committee meeting Feb. 4, 2019, school committee members discussed a letter penned by Steve Ruisi, president of the Halifax Teachers Association (HTA), with five recommendations for the budget at the School Committee’s annual budget hearing for fiscal year 2020.

Two people from the public at large attended the hearing:  one elementary school teacher and one community member were present.

Ruisi, in his letter, thanked the chairman of the committee, Summer Schmaling, for the first opportunity “in some time” to have input on the budget.

The teachers say that they are mainly concerned about class size, especially in grades one and two where enrollment is high, they say, at 23-25 students, which they believe is significantly higher than the ideal “benchmark” of 20 students per class.

The committee framed this as an issue where an extra teacher would need to be hired, and an extra classroom space found, something the committee said is cost prohibitive.

And Principal Kayne Beaudry and Assistant Principal Brian Desantes indicated that they were less concerned about class size than the association. Beaudry noted that when he was a classroom teacher class size numbers were higher, although he acknowledged the many challenges of teaching to larger classes.

Silver Lake Regional School District Superintendent Joy Blackwood said that Halifax’s class sizes were comparable to surrounding communities, including district member Kingston Elementary School, although they are much higher than at the Dennett Elementary School in Plympton, where class sizes are unusually small due to the comparatively small size of the town.

The HTA would also like HES to hire four recess and cafeteria aides who they say would take the burden off teachers and classroom aides, in order to provide better management of the recess playground and the cafeteria. They say this would reduce student behavior issues in both venues.

School officials say that it would be hard to find people to work from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Schmaling suggested stay-at-home moms may be able to volunteer or work those shifts.

The association would also like to see a new special education position added. They say that would allow a special education teacher for each grade, 2-6. Under their proposal, Kindergarten and 1st grade would share one special education teacher, as is currently the case.

The HTA also noted that there is currently no math specialist at the school, and the teacher in the audience suggested this would be especially useful as students who struggle with math in lower grades often struggle throughout elementary school, she said. There is a literacy specialist, according to the association, just no math specialist.

But officials and committee members are reticent to create positions where someone once provided those services as part of their job description, noting that someone did have math “overlap” as part of their job at one time.

“None of our elementary schools have a remedial math specialist,” said Blackwood, although four part-time federally-funded educators, known as Title-I tutors, are available to students, two of whom address math deficiencies, she pointed out.

Finally, the association recommended the purchase of additional iPads and Chromebooks, which are heavily used in educating today’s students, say teachers. Some grades only have six per classroom which are shared among students, and they say that adding two more per room would help facilitate small group work.

Blackwood noted that some of the technology is being replaced as part of scheduled upgrades, and that she believes the school is “set” and that this is “not a priority right now,” although she appreciates the input from the association.

She said that in grades three through six, there is a Chromebook for each student.

“Certainly, all of these recommendations together are a lot to add to the budget, but any consideration would be an improvement to the educational experience at HES,” Ruisi, of the HTA, wrote.

The budget wrangling, far from over, continues.

Grants, prints, lots and exhaust

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Professional grant writer Terry Walker discusses a potential position with the town before the Plympton Board of Selectmen on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal)

PLYMPTON — The Board of selectmen met Monday, Jan. 28, and furthered discussions with a grant writer, did not exercise their right of first refusal on a portion of an Upland Road Chapter 61A property, discussed the awarding of the fire station exhaust removal system project and met with Karen Foye, moderator of the Plympton Helping Plympton Facebook group, who donated photography from the group after an online contest to decorate the Town House.

Grant writer coming to town?

Terry Walker, of Tolland, in the western region of the state, was before the board to further formal discussions of bringing her to Plympton as a grant writer. She would work remotely, if hired, as she says it is more than a two-hour drive for her to come to Plympton.

Walker is a prolific grant writer, according to a memo she wrote to the board, with many certifications and qualifications, including a certification from Berkshire Community College with a 100 percent final grade and a housing certification from the Berkshire Planning Commission.

She attended grant writing seminars sponsored by officials from Washington, D.C., and completed the Commonwealth Capital Application, part of a town’s Master Plan. (The points received qualifies the town for more grant funding, she writes.)

Walker has received 30 awards on behalf of several towns concentrated in western Massachusetts, ranging from $2,500 to $1,000,000. In total, the 30 awards she presented to the board add up to $5,347,258.

The board is excited about the possibility of the opportunity to work with Walker and bring more grants to Plympton.

Town will not buy lot
lot out of Chapter 61A

An approximately 1.561-acre parcel of land of a Chapter 61A property located on Upland Road, (a portion of Map 12, Block 3, Lot 1), owned by the Margaret Keirstead Revocable Trust, has been passed over by the town. The town had a “right of first refusal” on the property because of its Chapter 61A agricultural use tax status. Because it is being sold, and taken out of agricultural use, the town had a right to acquire it before the sale to a private buyer went forward.

Although the Kiersteads had been seeking to move the sale along more quickly than the town’s process allowed, the board, at a very brief public hearing, voted against attempting to acquire the parcel.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy will provide a letter with the determination to assist in the closing.

Contract for fire station exhaust system awarded

The contract for 18-PFD-2, an engine exhaust removal system for the fire station, which is necessary for the station to be occupied as Massachusetts becomes an “OSHA-compliant” state where cities and towns must meet federal safety requirements they have previously been exempt from– has been awarded to the second-lowest bidder, Air Vacuum Corporation of New Hampshire, for $24,662, just under the $25,000 that Dennehy expected the contract to cost.

The Plympton Fire Station, with six firefighting and emergency vehicles parked inside, does not have room for a system where hoses can connect directly to the exhaust pipes of vehicles. The lowest bidder could not supply a “hose free” system that would work in the tight confines of the station, therefore the second-lowest bidder was awarded the contract.

Fire Chief Stephen Silva said that this is the first step in firefighters being able to fully occupy the building and to removing the trailer outside the station where first responders spend the night.

Board thanks Karen Foye

Karen Foye, in concert with Christine Kelly, the town’s assistant treasurer/collector, arranged for a photography contest on the Facebook group that Foye runs, Plympton Helping Plympton, and had some of the winning photos enlarged and printed to be displayed at the Town House.

The photos, which have been hung around the building, depict scenes from all over town, from sunsets to flowers.

“We’ve been trying to get some things done cheaply or for free around here,” said Selectman Chairman John Traynor, who said he was pleased with the photographs.

Selectman Christine Joy asked if the photographers would be interested in having their names on the photographs, and Foye said she’d look into it.

In other BOS news:

• Patrick Ganley, with the support of his family, proposed his Eagle Scout project to the board. He is planning to spend one or two weekends this Spring fixing up the flag pole in front of Town House. The selectmen enthusiastically gave their support to the project.

• Fire Chief Stephen Silva attended the meeting to thank the Upland Club on behalf of the town and presented Mark King of the Upland Sportsman Club a plaque for the Club’s donation of an unused house that area local and federal public safety workers used to practice life-saving techniques, including live-fire burns and drills.

• The board delegated further authority to Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy to sign documents on their behalf in their absence, should an emergency need arise.

• The board adopted its official version of their 2019 goals for the coming year; they discussed them at a previous working meeting reported on by the Express.

‘Is the ice safe?’ NO!

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The calm serene ice on East Monponsett Pond looks deceptively slick – ready for a pair of sharpened blades to write their stories on the surface. Don’t do it! (Photo by Deb Anderson)

Despite the recent cold snaps, officials are warning that the conditions of the ice on many bodies of water across the Commonwealth are uncertain, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). MEMA is warning of an uptick in ice rescues of individuals and pets and is therefore issuing safety precautions to be taken on frozen lakes, rivers, bogs and ponds.

“Before we experience a tragedy that is unfortunately too common this time of year, it is important that we remind everyone, particularly children, of the dangers of unsafe ice,” said MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz. “People may be a bit impatient and venture out on the ice for skating, hockey, ice fishing and other winter sports before understanding the conditions. We highly recommend the use of recreational skating areas provided by the Commonwealth and … local communities. It is very important to exercise precaution and common sense.”

MEMA says you can check with local officials to ensure that safe ice conditions exist. But, due to the uncertainty and constant changing of ice conditions and the dangers presented, they say many officials choose not to endorse the safety of lakes, ponds, streams, bogs or rivers. The strength and thickness of ice should be known before any activity takes place.

Plympton Fire Captain John Sjostedt said, echoing state fire officials, “The only safe ice is at a skating rink. Ice on moving water in rivers, streams and brooks is never safe. The thickness of ice on ponds and lakes depends upon water currents or springs, depth and natural objects. Changes in temperature cause ice to expand and contract, which affects its strength. Because of these factors, ice cannot be called safe.”

Sjostedt added, “Our members are trained to conduct ice rescue if the need arises. The Plympton Firefighters Association recently purchased a new cold weather suit for the department. When we [educate] the public, we fill a five-gallon pail with ice water and put 100 pennies in the bottom of the bucket. We ask the participants to take one penny out of the bucket at a time. This shows them what can happen and how [the] body constricts if they were to fall through the ice.”

The following tips from MEMA could save your life:

•  Never go onto the ice alone. A friend may be able to recue you or go for help if you fall through the ice.

•  Always keep your pets on a leash. If a pet falls through the ice do not attempt to rescue your pet; call 911 or go for help.

•  New ice is usually stronger than old ice. As ice ages, the bond between the crystals decays, making it weaker, even if melting has not occurred.

•  Beware of ice covered with snow. Snow can insulate ice and keep it strong but can also insulate it to keep it from freezing. Snow can also hide cracks, weak and open ice.

•  Slush is a danger sign, indicating that ice is no longer freezing from the bottom and can be weak or deteriorating.

•  Ice formed over flowing water (rivers and lakes containing a large number of springs) is generally 15 percent weaker.

•  Ice seldom freezes or thaws at a uniform rate. It can be one foot thick in one spot and be only a few inches thick 10 feet away.

•  Reach-Throw-Go. If a companion falls through the ice and you are unable to reach that person from shore, throw them something (a rope, jumper cables, tree branch, etc.). If this does not work, go for help or call 911, before you also become a victim. Get medical assistance for the victim immediately.

•  If you fall in, try not to panic. Turn toward the direction from which you came. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface, working forward by kicking your feet. Once out, remain lying on the ice (do not stand) and roll away from the hole. Crawl back to your tracks, keeping your weight distributed until you return to solid ice.