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HFD looks to share grant

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Edward Flaherty, presenting information for a potential solar panel array at River Street, came in to discuss this Massachusetts DOER-run initiative at Tuesday’s Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting.

In providing details for the project, Flaherty said the array will be 25 acres in size and consist of 20,000 solar panels. “This is average size for the Commonwealth,” he said.

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias asked about fencing for the panels and the type of security it would have. According to Flaherty, there will be a six-foot fence around the panels with barbed wire at the top. The fence will be secured with a padlock and there will be 24-hour video surveillance.

The solar array is expected to be relatively low maintenance. Flaherty said, “It’s low profile, doesn’t make any noise.” He said someone coming for maintenance once a month would be considered a lot.

Flaherty has met with Fire Chief Jason Viveiros about the project. He said they have discussed certain requests and said he would make any accommodations that Viveiros considers necessary.

Fire Department Update

The Board of Selectmen approved Viveiros approaching the state about a modification to a grant the fire department received for training purposes.

According to Viveiros, the idea here is to explore if creating a shared training program for Plympton and Halifax residents would be beneficial to both towns. This idea came from results of Municipal Resource Inc’s study of the Plympton Fire Department, which included recommendations for some shared services such as training.

Viveiros said he’s proud of the Halifax Fire Department, but by looking at the study of Plympton’s department, he’s been able to use some of those results and apply them as comparison benchmarks for Halifax. He said it makes it easier to review where Halifax might need some improvements as well.

There are no plans, or anything guaranteed at this time. Vivieiros and the Board of Selectmen said they want to explore this with an open dialogue.

Dog Hearing

The continuation of the dog hearing for Kimberly Mahoney’s dog has been postponed until April 10, 2018.

Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan provided selectmen with reports including the recent dog license and vaccinations. It took Mahoney three weeks from the initial February 27, 2018 hearing to get the dog licensed and vaccinated. Selectman Kim Roy said she was frustrated that it took three weeks for this to happen because of how stern the Board was with Mahoney at the last meeting.

The kennel the Board asked for also hasn’t been built, but selectmen were understanding about this because of the weather. Mahoney had damage to her house that needed to be addressed first.

Callahan, who wasn’t able to attend the initial dog hearing said since the incident, people who wished to remain anonymous came forward alleging various incidents but had nothing concrete.

Selectmen asked Callahan if she’d seen the dog out on the property alone. Callahan said she hasn’t seen the dog out at all. She said there has been some heresay of others saying they’ve seen the dog out at 9 p.m., but right now it’s only heresay.

Other News

• According to Highway Surveyor R. Steven Hayward, the Selectmen said this week’s storm will put the town over its snow and ice budget. Halifax will need an article at special town meeting to address this.

• Silver Lake Regional School District approved its school budget. They removed another $14,000 from the budget. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said, “This is not the level we were hoping for…we’ll see how that plays out.”

• The Recycling Department received a $20,000 grant. Funds can be used for public outreach materials to reduce contamination between things that can be recycled and things that can’t. LED lightbulbs was an example that Seelig gave. Seelig said, “If they break, other materials become contaminated with mercury.”

The next  meeting of the Halifax Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10.  Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Fire Chief contract not renewed

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By Deb Anderson

Express staff

An angry crowd left Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting with now former Fire Chief Warren Borsari.  Selectmen announced their decision not to renew Borsari’s contract that runs through June 30, and placed him on paid administrative leave until that date. 

Borsari would not be allowed to re-enter the fire station, except accompanied by a town official to collect his personal items.

Many in the audience, filled with people supporting Borsari, spoke in his defense, citing the actions of the selectmen were unwarranted and unduly harsh. 

Fire Chief Warren Borsari

Jack Collins, an attorney introducing himself, said he often represents fire chiefs in his profession, and then lobbed various grenades into the already fired-up crowd, saying that if the audience believed that the decision not to renew the contract was just made Monday night, he “… had a bridge to sell you.” 

Collins also said that if the townspeople wanted to take back their town from this board, they should look up how to hold a recall election.  He further said  that he had never seen a town put someone on administrative leave like this.  “What do we do next?  Could the Board of Selectmen change their minds? Not likely… All this was already in place …  the political process is yours,” he told the group. 

Selectman Chairman Christine Joy responded that she is up for re-election in May.  Her vote not to renew the fire chief’s contract was based on many issues, and she stands by her decision.

A member of the audience who did not identify himself asked about the grant that had been awarded to Plympton for the purpose of studying the feasibility of combining the Halifax and Plympton Fire Departments. “And, I understand that Halifax got an even bigger grant!”

Joy answered that it was just that, funds to support a study.  It is the next logical step “to examine our options,” she said. 

Joy told the group that Municipal Resources, Inc., will be at the next meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Monday, March 19, to present their report, and invited all to attend. Many indicated they would do just that.

The Fire Department had submitted a letter to selectmen signed by a couple dozen members in support of Chief Borsari. 

 

A 108-page report by the firm Municipal Resourses, Inc., was released Monday night on the town’s web site, and cited breaches in protocol that could be harmful or dangerous, and leave the town open to litigation as a result. 

Among these were the cabinet, where drugs and controlled substances for the ambulance service are stored, left unlocked, with the hasp of the padlock open, when an MRI representative stopped for a field visit.  Such violations of security can leave the town open to significant liability and put the department’s Advanced Life Services provider certificate from the state at risk.  “This type of security breach is unacceptable and reflective of deeper administrative oversight and supervision deficiencies within the organization,” stated the report on page 31.

Training of the members of the Plympton Fire Department was called into question throughout the MRI report, calling for the town to support the department in more training for its members and to set minimum standards for each level of office. 

The Plympton Fire Department’s stated goal was to staff its station with a two-person cross/trained Initial Response Force (IRF) to be available to answer any call, whether for medical or fire suppression.  According to the data provided by Chief Borsari, and the data collected by MRI, the department does a good job at staffing the ambulance at the ALS level, but “having trained fire coverage as part of the IRF appears to be rarely achieved.”

The MRI report also stated that more than 50 on-call personnel have been terminated from the department since January 2014.  “There are widely divergent perspectives within the department regarding the reasons for these terminations or separations.  This situation certainly contributes to the perception that there is less than a true commitment by the department leadership to the call force.”

Canabis moratorium extension proposed

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen discussed the possibility of extending the town’s moratorium for the sale of marijuana until June 30, 2019 at its meeting on Thursday, March 8.

This extension was discussed due to a lack of progress from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission regarding how the new industry will be regulated. Selectman John Traynor said, “They haven’t figured it out at the state level, so we have to wait to figure it out at the town level.”

According to Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo, this proposal most likely protects the town from facilities opening for now but said there’s a slight chance for problems. When attending a meeting, Russo learned it’s still uncertain an extended moratorium protects the town if the state takes action in the meantime.

“There’s a slight chance this won’t protect us,” said Russo. “It’s unlikely, but possible.”

All three members of the Board of Selectmen agreed that an extended moratorium is the best option for the time being. Any extended moratorium would have to be approved at Plympton’s annual town meeting. The article would essentially be a change to the zoning bylaw governing the current moratorium.

Police Station Construction Update

Dan Palotta, the project manager from P-3 LLC that the town hired for the construction of the new police station, proposed that the Board of Selectmen formerly sign the construction contract notice of award for the project.

According to Palotta, the state requires that the town must award the contract to the “lowest responsible bidder” as long as references check out and the project doesn’t come in over the town’s budget. Palotta said, “We will build you a building in the appropriation you made.”

When discussing the building inspection process, Public Safety Building Committee Chair Colleen Thompson asked if having the town’s building inspector check in on the construction is considered a conflict of interest.

Palotta said it’s not a conflict of interest because he isn’t the one responsible for the formal inspections. For this type of project, Palotta said it’s the responsibility of the designer to inspect and send updates to the building department.

The building is going to cost $375 per square foot. At this price, Palotta said, “You’re going to have a 21st century police station, something I don’t have to tell you has been needed for 20 years.”

Earth Removal Update

Linda Letty and Amy Cronin wrote a draft for the town’s earth removal regulations. Russo said he wants to get some expert opinion before finalizing the draft.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said her only concerns were with the cubic yard threshold being too restrictive and there being activities in the draft that may not be eligible for exemption.

Traynor agreed with the concerns over the threshold. He said, “I was having trouble envisioning 300 cubic yards.

• Selectman Joy said she’ll have the annual town report completed by the Board of Selectmen meeting on March 19. The report is due on March 21, so the Board will be able to discuss any last-minute changes at that meeting.

• Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said she completed the town’s green community application, which was audited by the private company, Energy Source. Dennehy said she worked with a state official on several specific projects in the application including LED lights for Dennett Elementary School. She said, “you can apply for up to $250,00 every year.”

SL teacher leading Mashpee basketball to greatness

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The Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team might not have made it to the MIAA postseason tournament this year, but that does not mean there were not any Lakers connections in it that did well.

In fact, there was one Laker whose team thrived this postseason. That would be former Silver Lake boys’ basketball coach Rick Boulrisse, who continues to work in the school’s wellness department as a physical education teacher.

Boulrisse, who was the Lakers head varsity coach from 2005 to 2007 (and an assistant for a few years prior to that), currently serves as the Mashpee Falcons head coach–and they are having an excellent season. With him in charge, they won the Division 4 South playoff bracket, giving them an opportunity to play at TD Garden for the MIAA State semifinals. It is the first time the Falcons have ever made it to this level in the playoffs; they have also never won a state title.

In order to make it to TD Garden, Boulrisse’s Falcons came up with a 73-54 win over a South Shore League rival, the Cohasset Skippers, on Saturday, March 10.

Boulrisse has been the head coach at Mashpee High since the start of the 2012-2013 season. Prior to his tenure at Silver Lake, Boulrisse, who is from Maine, coached basketball at Sumner High School in his home state.

The emergence of some underdog playoff teams has been a major development during this year’s MIAA boys’ basketball tournament. Of the 16 teams remaining by the state semifinal round, 10 of them had never won a state title, Mashpee included.

This past season, the Lakers just missed out on a tournament appearance, finishing out the year at 8-12. They did finish the season on a high note, winning their last two games.

Halifax Barone, Critch reunited at SNHU

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Avoiding the harsh New England winter by starting their season with games in South Carolina and Florida, the Southern New Hampshire University women’s softball team is off to a great start. Much of that can be credited to a pair of Silver Lake alum and Halifax natives.

At the start of the week, SNHU was 10-0 on the season, in part thanks to the effort of sophomore Maddy Barone and also thanks to freshman Emily Critch. At one point, they were both ESPN Boston All-Scholastic high school softball players leading the Lakers to deep playoff runs, but now they have the opportunity to lead a college team to greatness. So far, they have both excelled.

On the mound, Barone has emerged as her school’s ace. Through 10 games, she has made six outings (five starts) and is 5-0 with a miniscule 0.58 ERA. She has also struck out 37 batters in 36 innings pitched.

There are a couple of reasons why Barone’s performance has improved from last year to this year. First of all, she has more experience in college softball but secondly, she has Critch catching her once again. Critch was Barone’s catcher for multiple seasons in high school and they excelled together; Barone threw 10 no-hitters with the Lakers and Critch was her catcher for three seasons.

Since Critch is also the Lakers all-time home run leader, it is no surprise that her bat also earned her a spot in SNHU’s lineup. She has played in eight of the team’s first 10 games and has collected five hits in 22 at-bats while knocking in four runs.

Both Barone and Critch are still underclassmen, so they are bound to keep improving over the next couple of years as they continue playing side-by-side. Certainly, SNHU has to be excited for the future contributions they will receive from both of these former Lakers given not only the success they enjoyed in high school, but also early in their college careers.

Animal World Experience held at Plympton Town Hall Community Room on Feb.,24

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Creamsicle the orange Corn Snake stuck its tongue out as it was meeting all the guests.

Left Hessie Rubin and Polly Nordahl of Plympton enjoyed the all-ages show with owner Matt Gabriel of Animal World Experience.

Twins Connor and Olivia Alcombright, 3, of Kingston had different reactions to the Hissing Cockroach.

Matt Gabriel of Animal World Experience held up Drago a Red Tagu Lizard normally found in Argentina.

Ania Player, 4, of Plympton stuck her tongue out at the Hissing Coach Roach as Matt Gabriel of Animal World Experience explained his habitat.

George Anderson held his granddaughter Madilyn, 3, as she shielded her eyes from Rudy the 15 year old Chinchilla.

Diesel the African Pigmy hedgehog slowly woke up for his person Matt Gabriel owner of Animal World Experience.

SL boys’ hockey falls to Bourne

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The Silver Lake High boys’ hockey team found itself in a slugfest during its second playoff game of the season.

In the end, the Lakers found themselves on the losing side of a 6-4 game at Gallo Ice Arena in the Div. 3 South bracket, putting an end to their season. The Lakers finished the season at 8-12-4.

The Lakers started the game with a goal from David Mariani 7:45 into it. Alex Heffernan was credited with the assist. However, the Lakers were unable to protect that lead; a minute later, Bourne tied things up and at the end of the first period, they put up one more to go up 2-1.

In the second period, each team scored once. Kevin Cardarelli put one up for Silver Lake but the Lakers still trailed 3-2 after two frames. Still, it was anyone’s game–but Bourne pulled away.

There was a span where three goals were scored in 26 seconds early in the final period, and this put Bourne up 5-4. First, Bourne scored with 11:26 left in the game and then came the interesting part about seven minutes later.

Heffernan found the back of the net for the Lakers to make it a one-goal game again. Fast forward just five seconds later and Bourne scored again to protect their lead. After this, Cam Duff scored again for the Lakers on their first rush post-faceoff, helping the team’s hopes stay alive.

Ultimately, the Lakers pulled Alden Maguire out of net with less than two minutes remaining while trying to tie up the game, but they were unable to muster anything and Bourne put the game away with an empty-netter.

The Lakers season might be over, but this performance marked the second year in a row in which they won a playoff game despite being marked the lower seed.

Superstorm Riley claims Plympton dad

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Superstorm Riley claimed the only fatality in the Commonwealth, here in Plympton. Ryan W. MacDonald, 36, of Main Street lost his life Friday night, March 2, while driving home from work at about 5:15 p.m. in his Dodge Ram pickup truck.   His truck was hit by a falling tree at 101 Cedar St., Plympton.

First responders were hampered in their efforts to get to MacDonald, as trees had been brought down all around the vehicle and were blocking the roads, according to Plympton Police Chief Patrick Dillon.   It took more than 20 minutes to get to the scene because of the fallen trees, downed utility wires, and debris blocking the roads, Dillon told The Express.

 

Responding from the Plympton Police was Sgt. Brian Cranshaw.  From the Fire Dept. was Captain/Paramedic Cheryl Davis, first to arrive with the engine crew, Paramedic Ian Andrews and Firefighter/EMT Andrew Norton.  Arriving in the ambulance were Firefighter/Paramedic Gary Somero and Firefighter/Paramedic Paul Skarinka.

Despite their best efforts, MacDonald was declared dead at the scene and the State Police took jurisdiction.

Chief Dillon said, “This is a tragedy for the town … this is sad.  It’s sad any time you lose a citizen, but this one is particularly difficult …”

MacDonald and his wife, Andreah J. MacDonald, had bought their house on Main St. a few months ago, their dream house, according to his friend Justin Dennison.  They lived there with their children, daughter Avery, age 11 and son, Tegan. 8.   

“Ryan grew up a lot sooner than the rest of us, “ Dennison continued.  “He knew what he wanted early on, what was important to him, what was right: home and family… When we finally caught up to him, we envied all that he had, beautiful wife, kids, it seemed like he had it all…  This is surreal.  It can’t be true.  But it is.” 

The town is stunned by the news.   MacDonald grew up in Plympton on Pope’s Farm.  He graduated from Silver Lake Regional High School. 

MacDonald worked as a journeyman electrician, a member of IBEW Local 223.   Adam Perry worked with Ryan and described him as “a regular guy, a super hard worker.with a great sense of humor; you couldn’t not like him.”

He was a member of the Upland Sportsman Club in Plympton. Ryan played hockey and  was a coach for his his son’s hockey team.

His funeral will be Saturday, March 10, at the First Parish Church, 19 Town Square, Plymouth, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.  This is the church where Ryan married Andreah a lifetime ago.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Go Fund Me fund that has been set up for his family at 

http://bit.ly/macfamily

Destruction everywhere in storm’s wake

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Plympton Police Chief Patrick Dillon described the ordeal of Superstorm Riley as “something out of a horror movie!”  In the height of the storm, trees were swaying, cracking, and breaking, falling and bringing down everything in their path.

The spectacle of trees on homes and massive limbs spread across front yards could be seen throughout Halifax and Plympton as South Shore towns bore the brunt of Mother Nature’s force over 48 hours, from Friday noon, as winds began to gather and swell, through Sunday noon when they finally began to ease.

The storm sadly proved fatal, taking the life of Plympton resident Ryan MacDonald, 36, who was killed Friday night around 5:30 p.m. after being hit by a fallen tree in his Dodge Ram pickup truck. Crews had trouble reaching him due to blocked roads and trees across Cedar Street, said Plympton Fire Chief Warren Borsari.

At right Captain Jeff Cuozzo on scene at the Halifax house fire on Oak Place Monday night March 5.

First responders continued to field calls on Tuesday in Plympton reaching more than 100 storm-related calls by mid-day.

A tangled web of electrical wires remained on the ground at Prospect Road and Winnetuxet  in Plympton late Monday as line crews were being dispatched to the area to repair and replace visibly damaged equipment. During the height of the Nor’easter Plympton lost power in 99 percent of homes, according to Chief Borsari.

A neighbor on Crescent Street reported a whooshing sound and odor pointing firefighters towards a propane tank that had been sheared off by a fallen tree. They safely shut down the tank without injury. The majority of their calls dealt with trees on homes, wires down and water issues.

Halifax firefighters battled a structure fire Monday night while still handling calls resulting from power outages.

A homeowner on Oak Place had left his residence due to the power outage.  Luckily a neighbor spotted flames at the house and alerted 911.  Significant damage was done to the home.

Firefighters were challenged by the distance to a hydrant, and needed approximately 1800 feet of hose to reach the fire, Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros told the Express.

Flames were visible at the back of the house when firefighters arrived. Early estimated structure damage was $150,000 leaving the home uninhabitable.

Calls in Halifax totaled 114 throughout the storm and two days following. They had a total of 26 homes struck and damaged by trees.

  “Firefighters were in dangerous conditions while they were evacuating others… trees were falling all around. But they continued on to the next call,” Viveiros said, commending the town’s first responders.

The Chevrolet Tahoe that belongs to the Halifax Fire Chief was heavily damaged by a tree falling on his vehicle during an evacuation on Fuller Street.

Halifax Mobile Estates was hard hit with 17 homes affected by fierce winds and falling tree limbs. A portion of the park was evacuated as a precaution due to trees that were leaning and considered an immediate threat to the safety of residents.

A warming center was opened at the Halifax Elementary School.  Fourteen residents were housed overnight at the school and assisted by the C.E.R.T response team. Viveiros thanked volunteers and Walmart of Halifax for providing supplies at the warming center.

Department support and mutual aid for a house fire was provided by Hanson and Pembroke on Monday, March 5. First Responders also put out a small structure fire and an appliance fire during the storm.

Plympton opened a warming center Saturday morning at the Town House, according to Lt. John Sjostedt of the Plympton Fire Department. It remained open 24 hours a day through Monday at about 4 p.m.  and is ready to re-open should conditions demand.

A white suv was speared with a tree limb during the storm on Holmes Street where the same family also had trees fall on their home

Eversource restoration estimates and maps were updated on Tuesday, March 6, by town listing Plympton as being fully restored by Tuesday at 5 p.m. Much of the time during  Winter Storm Riley, Plympton was in the top five communities without power, a dubious distinction.

Plymouth County listed only 403 residences without power of the 30,999 served by late Tuesday afternoon.

Silver Lake Middle School hosts Noche Latina, first cultural awareness night

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The first cultural awareness event, Noche Latina, was recently hosted by Silver Lake Regional Middle School, Kingston.  Students and their families were immersed in Latin American traditions, food, customs, and dance.

Teacher Rose Whitehall, a native of Puerto Rico, demonstrated cooking she grew up with.  Latin dancers Vivi Pierce and Devon Morse taught traditional Latin dances and brought the audience to their feet to give it a try.  Traditional foods were also presented by Los Jefes chefs and owners Nikki Irving and Eduardo Miralrio of Plympton who own a mobile kitchen. The husband and wife team prepared and served tacos and traditional foods at the event.

 

Latin dancers Vivi Pierce (left) and Devon Morse taught traditional Latin dances at the event.

Los Jefes chefs and owners Nikki Irving and Eduardo Miralrio of Plympton own a mobile kitchen. The husband and wife team prepared and served tacos and traditional foods at the event.

Lucia Acobo pointed to geographical maps as she along with presenter Victoria Cruz discussed cultural differences and similarities between their native cities of Arequipa and Lima Peru’.