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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’.

Students will have safe water by fall

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Jessica Zeoli

Express correspondent

The Plympton School Committee met Monday, Feb. 26 to discuss the current physical and financial state of the Dennett Elementary School. The first update was regarding the sign at the end of the driveway of the school. There are plans for the entrance to contain a lighted sign, important for informing unfamiliar visitors of the school’s whereabouts, especially at night. The school is currently seeking quotes for this project, which is suspected to be easy, as there is a meter located closely behind where the sign would be placed, according to Chairman Jon Wilhelmsen.

The Dennett Elementary has been experiencing water filtration issues over the past several years, which should be coming to an end shortly, according to Wilhelmsen. The water treatment project has been progressing quickly, and a contract is due to be signed prior to April vacation. The school could then use April vacation or the beginning of summer to conclude the project. The committee expects there to be safe drinking water provided at the school by fall.

Along with the safety of the water, the safety of the current playground at the Dennett is being evaluated. The committee announced that following February break they are planning to contact Marshfield Public Schools, who have adopted a safer playground model within the past three years. The committee hopes for suggestions and may follow Marshfield’s model for safe recreation.

The committee continued the meeting by discussing the new tiles that have been installed by the 2nd and 3rd grade wing of the school. They had been popping out of the floor, in desperate need of repair. The school followed Kingston’s new tile renovation as the tiles used are durable, soundproof, and easy to clean, saving the school money on maintenance.

The generator at the school has experienced significant issues, resulting in  budgeting for a new one. The school anticipates spending $69,850.13 on the project, as wiring, purchasing, and a short time rental of a new one are included in the pricing.

In addition to budgeting for a new generator, the committee discussed appropriately increasing funding to professional development and special education. Joy Blackwood, Superintendent of Silver Lake Public Schools discussed how surrounding districts are planning to raise budgeting 6.5% for special education, resulting in Silver Lake’s participation. Professional development is in a $6000 deficit by the end of the school year due to graduate program financial aid provided through the district. However, with a high number of retirements projected for 2019, the district finds it best to increase funding of professional development and training for the new hires taking the positions of those retiring.

With this increased budget for professional development, it would help aid in restructuring the previous year’s programs for faculty. By doing so, it is able to ensure the district is in compliance with civil rights for the state. The program would train and gain recognition for inexperienced teachers on historically marginalized subgroups and ensuring no equity gaps in the classroom.

In efforts to help the town’s budget, it was suggested by Superintendent Blackwood to split the cost of new textbooks to be ordered at the end of the school year in half, progressively paying it off throughout two years. She also suggested there may be sudden retirements within the district, which could, in fact, help the school’s budget as well.

As of Feb. 26, there are 204 students enrolled at Dennett Elementary, with one more month for students to enroll.

The meeting ended with dates to remember for the upcoming month of March:

March 9 – Early Release Grades 7-12: 10:45 a.m.; Grades K-6: 12 noon (NO lunch served)

March 22 – Early Release Grades K-6: 12:45 p.m. Parent Conferences

March 26 – Next Plympton School Committee Meeting.

New earth removal by-law introduced

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Jessica Zeoli

Express correspondent

The Plympton Board of Selectmen began their meeting on Feb. 26 with Linda Leddy, a member of the Conservation and Open Space Committees. She and Amy Cronin of the Conservation Committee have drafted an Earth Removal Bylaw regarding the potential Atwood property sale on Prospect Road.  This bylaw will be presented to Plympton voters at the Annual Town Meeting.

This bylaw protects the residents of Plympton from destruction of their air and water quality, protects the wildlife in a potential earth removal site, and provides a checklist for approving a sand and gravel removal application presented to the town. Plympton’s earth removal bylaw is seriously outdated and the town recognized its need to update the by-law, as surrounding towns’ bylaws for sand and gravel contain more in-depth procedures.

Leddy and Cronin researched the bylaws of 20 to 30 Massachusetts towns, focusing on those that are rural with smaller populations. They centered on Hubbardston, a town located near Worcester, Sutton, and Marshfield, when drafting Plympton’s version, all of which have been approved by the attorney general and are active bylaws.

One major issue presented with drafting the bylaw was who will approve the application and permit for sand and gravel locations in Plympton. Leddy stated, “Sixty  to seventy percent of towns researched use the Board of Selectmen as the board overseeing the project,” and ultimately approvinacting ong the application.

With this information, the board agreed and voted to allow the Board of Selectmen to be the entity to oversee the the applications for the town. The board suggested that along with this decision that they bring the Conservation Commission into any decision making, as it is an agricultural topic as well.

The town’s attorney has not been consulted yet, but will evaluate the proposed bylaw once Leddy and Cronin have finalized their wording.  The  polished version will be presented to selectmen on Monday March 5, and then will be presented for approval to Town Council.

The members of the board then individually thanked and recognized Leddy and Cronin for their hard work and determination for the town of Plympton. John Traynor stated, “This town is run by our amazing volunteers”, which was then followed by Christine Joy stating how wonderful these two women are and how they have stepped up to benefit the town in a time of need.

  Rocky Harvest

  Water concerns

Following the discussion of the bylaw, the board discussed Rocky Harvest Water LLC, violating time restrictions by arriving before 6:30 a.m. to pump water. Since mid January, this has been the sixth violation of hours of operation for Rocky Harvest, which concerned board members. Joy asked, “How many times can they violate until we finally do something?” The board plans to contact Rocky Harvest to attend a meeting to discuss the issue.

The meeting ended positively by recognizing two promotions of special police officers who will provide coverage during parades and special events until June 2018.

The board also spread the news of Silver Lake’s Track and Field creating new school records at a state competition, and the success story of  Officer Douglas Mazzola helping to reconnect a missing dog and his owner this week.

The next selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 5.