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Girls’ basketball rolling to tournament spot

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The Silver Lake High girls’ basketball team is not only in the hunt for a playoff spot, but they could end up being one of the higher seeds in their respective bracket if they keep excelling like they have this season.

To start the week, the Lakers had a robust 8-3 record as one of the top teams on the South Shore. Offensively, they have continued to play well, regularly scoring more than 50 points per contest.

A major reason for that is they are an experienced team. Last season, they only had four players who had played varsity basketball prior to the season. This gave many players on the team extensive varsity experience–and they capitalized on the situation.

Now, the Lakers have six seniors listed on their roster: Alex Bachelder, Annabelle Boudreau, Sydney Kehoe, Emily Hapgood, Allie Crawford and Alyssa Nelson.

Crawford has been strong on both sides of the ball for the Lakers thus far and offensively, Kehoe, Nelson, Boudreau and sophomore Holly Reeder-Morning are a few of the many players who have shown prowess for the Lakers so far this season.

The Lakers have also played tough defense this season.

An example of this would be their 43-34 win over the Duxbury Dragons on Friday, Jan. 19.

So far, the Lakers have been just about as good at home (4-1) as they have been on the road (4-2). They have also done a nice job handling their tough Patriot League schedule (5-3 in league play) which features the likes of Duxbury, Whitman-Hanson, Quincy and Hingham, among others.

Some early momentum may be a part of the season why the Lakers have enjoyed this early success. Three of their first four games were non-league matchups and they won all of those three games.

The Lakers next game is this Friday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m. when they will face the Whitman-Hanson Panthers on the road.

Halifax readies for town elections in May

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Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor has announced the following positions will be on the ballot at the Halifax Town Election on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at the Halifax Elementary School, Rte. 106, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Board of Assessors, seat currently vacant.  Term of office three years.  Holly Merry has drawn nomination papers for this position.

• Board of Health, seat currently held by Alan J. Dias.  Term of office three years.

•  Town Clerk, seat currently held by Barbara Gaynor.   Term of office: three years.  Barbara Gaynor will seek re-election.

•   Town Treasurer-Collector, seat currently held by Pamela Adduci.   Term of office: three years.  Pamela Adduci will seek re-election.

• Holmes Library Board of Trustees, seat currently held by  Ava Grimason who is not seeking re-election.   Term of office: three years.

• Holmes Library Board of Trustees, seat currently held by Maureen C. Thayer who is not seeking re-election.   Term of office: three years.

•  Housing Authority*, seat currently held by Lee Mulready.   Term of office: five years. *Contingent on State approval.

•   Town Moderator, seat currently held by John Bruno.   Term of office: three years.

•  Park Commission, seat currently held by Gerard Elliott.   Term of office: three years.

•   Planning Board, seat currently held by Mark T. Millias.   Term of office: five years.

•Elementary School Committee, seat currently held by Alexander Mead.   Term of office: one year.

•Elementary School Committee, seat currently held by Summer Schmaling .   Term of office: three years.

•Elementary School Committee, seat currently held by Linda Twiss Gioscia.   Term of office: three years.  Linda Twiss Gioscia is not seeking re-election.

•Silver Lake School Committee, seat currently held by Mark J. Aubrey.   Term of office: three years.  Mark Aubrey is not seeking re-election.

• Board of Selectmen, seat currently held by Thomas Millias.   Term of office: three years.  Thomas Millias will seek re-election

• Water Commission, seat currently held by Daniel O. Bosworth, Jr.   Term of office: three years.

Nomination papers are now available and can be obtained at the Town Clerk’s office during regular office hours through Wednesday, March 28, 2018.  All completed papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 30, 2018.

This list may be revised due to resignations or other changes.

By-law changes, permits, weighed

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Numerous potential bylaw and permitting changes were discussed at  Tuesday’s Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting with members of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board, including tying zoning permits to the property rather than the person.

Currently, when a special zoning permit is issued, the permit is issued to the owner of the property. However, if that owner sells their property, Town Administrator Charles Seelig said the next owner has to go through the zoning process again.

Since, the previous owner has the permit, Seelig said that owner has certain rights that the town cannot “unilaterally” take away. He said, “I think we can no longer tie the permits to the person; they have to be tied to the property.”

According to Seelig, no bylaw change is needed to make this sort of change. No changes are being made tonight, but Seelig said he’s willing to set up an appointment for the Zoning Board of Appeals and/or the Planning Board with Land Use Counsel for further discussions.

As far as bylaw changes, the three boards talked about ideas for changes to live entertainment events permits, affordable housing, and multi-family housing.

Live Entertainment Events

As of right now, the town has nothing in its bylaws that specifically allows for live entertainment event special permits. The court case surrounding Mud Fest however, brought about a potential willingness for both sides to allow for these events to go forth with some stipulations.

The Zoning Board of Appeals asks that these events have a minimum lot area of 5 acres. Additionally, a minimum of two events per calendar year was another stipulation Seelig suggested.

Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy asked if the Board of Selectmen have a right to say no to an event approved by the Zoning Board. Seelig said the Selectmen would only be able to do this with good reason, that there is a present danger to public safety that was overlooked in the initial approval and that this safety issue cannot otherwise be fixed.

Affordable Housing and Multi-Family Housing

Regarding affordable housing, the Zoning Board of Appeals discussed duplexes as an option. Members of the Zoning Board said that compared to other multi-family homes, duplexes are easier to code for the proper fire zoning.

Changing in-law apartment bylaws to apartment bylaws was also discussed. However, there were concerns among the boards over in-law apartments creating illegal sublets. In-law additions in Halifax are not allowed to have a separate kitchen area for this reason. Seelig suggested tying a periodic inspection to an in-law apartment special permit to ensure compliance.

Seelig said he’d also like to see the stipulation requiring multi-family development buildings to only allow one building per lot. He said he has not heard a good reason for why this exists and that Halifax is the only town in Massachusetts with this written in its bylaw.

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias described the current law as “arbitrary”.  The stipulation has existed since the ‘90s.

No changes were made on Tuesday as bylaw changes need to be voted at Town Meeting. Discussions will continue at future meetings.

River Street Marijuana Growing Facility Update

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias said he’d like a draft of a community host agreement for a potential future public forum for the marijuana growing facility that could come to River Street.

The potential facility is not a retail shop, but a growing and processing facility. Millias said he didn’t vote for marijuana’s legalization and doesn’t believe anyone on the Board did either, however the board is considering the facility because of the revenue a community host agreement would bring to the town.

Millias said, “It’s a significant amount of revenue that we otherwise couldn’t replicate.”

Unregistered Vehicle Special Permits

Derek Dowling and Oscar Magnuson came before the Board of Selectmen asking for special permits for unregistered vehicles.

Dowling was seeking a 6-month permit for a 1997 Ford F350 truck he’s working on at his property. One neighbor in attendance said he didn’t have a problem with one vehicle. However, Dowling said this would not be the last time he’d be working on a car.

This raised concerns from the Board of Selectmen and others in attendance that the repairs are commercial in nature. Dowling disagreed, saying this wasn’t for commercial use. He said, “I have five registered vehicles on different properties.”

The Board of Selectmen approved the permit for one vehicle. Millias said that in order to stay consistent with other special permits, Dowling will have to put up a fence so that the unregistered vehicle isn’t visible from the property.

Dowling expressed displeasure with the process saying that the community he lives in isn’t a “white-picket community.” Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy said, “That’s a terrible thing to say.”

The Board of Selectmen voted to grant the six-month permit for only this one vehicle and that Dowling must put up a fence. Because of the frost on the ground, Dowling is being given 60 days to put up fencing.

Oscar Magnuson also requested special unregistered vehicle permits, but he asked for two permits. Magnuson said he’s taking two unregistered Ford Rangers and building one vehicle out of them.

Jim Gray, one of Magnuson’s neighbors at Hillside Avenue, said he had no problem with this.  The cars will be in the backyard which neighbors said isn’t visible from the front of the property. The Board of Selectmen approved his permits for 6 months.

Other News

• Scott Materna was introduced as the new building maintenance director. The Board congratulated him, and Roy described the town as a “family environment.” She said, “If you need anything, let us know.”

• The Board of Selectmen voted to disband the Master Plan and Open Space Committees.

• A yard sale for Boy Scout Troop 39 was approved by the Board of Selectmen. It will take place on June 16, 2018 on the Town Green.

The next Halifax Board of Selectmen Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 1, 2018. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Boys Hockey falls to Whitman-Hanson

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For most of the game, the Silver Lake high boys’ hockey team hung right in there.

Ultimately, however, their opponent surged late in the game and the Lakers (3-4-1) fell to the Whitman-Hanson Panthers (5-3-1) by a 3-1 score at Hobomock Ice Arena on Wednesday, January 10.

The Panthers had an early edge in the first period, spending most of their time on offense. They outshot the Lakers 6-4 in that span but were unable to score a goal as Alden Maguire played well in net. Defenseman Nick Iarossi had a great shot block with five seconds left in the period, preventing what could have been a goal.

In the second period, the Lakers would come out strong offensively. Defenseman Gregory Wolff netted the first goal of the game to put the Lakers up 1-0 less than two minutes into the period. He found the top right shelf and took his shot from around the blue line. Defenseman Liam Kelleher had the assist on the goal.

The Panthers were able to get some offensive momentum going as the game wore on. They tied the game up at one apiece with 6:17 left in the second period with a hard slapshot from inside the left faceoff circle. In the third period, they were able to put the game away.

The Lakers got outshot 10-3 in the third period and the Panthers took advantage of that. They scored goals with 5:49 remaining and 3:33 remaining to put the game away.

In the final couple minutes of the game, the Lakers were down a man because of penalties, so they faced long odds of making a comeback.

David Marani, Alexander Heffernan and Bobby Guilford comprised the Lakers first line of forwards in the game; John Evans and Nicholas Iarossi were their first defensive pairing.

The Lakers next game is this Saturday, Jan. 20 at Hobomock Ice Arena against Hanover (3:10 p.m. start time).

Rte. 44 highway mishap kills one

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State police are continuing their investigation into the accident that ultimately killed Daniel A. Newcomb, a 31-year-old East Taunton man, Friday night, Jan. 12, on Route 44 in Carver.   Newcomb is the son of Michael and Melissa Newcomb of Halifax.

A 23-year-old Monponsett man was traveling westbound in a 2001 Mitsubishi Gallant on Route 44 when he struck a 1998 Saturn SL2,  that was stationary in the breakdown lane.  Newcomb was believed to have been outside of his vehicle at the time of the crash, according to preliminary reports by State Trooper Justin Greene who is investigating the crash.

Newcomb was transported to South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth where he later died.

The crash remains under investigation with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, and troopers assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

No charges had been filed as of press time Thursday.

State Police Nicole Morrell, when asked by the Express the identity of the other driver, said it is not the policy of the State Police to identify parties involved unless they face charges.

State Police were assisted on scene by the Carver Fire and EMS and MassDOT.

She hopes one of her customers will “win big” in the lottery …

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Meet Suzy Youssef, new owner of Plympton Gas and Convenience, 280 Main St., Rte. 58, Plympton. 

After working 16 years for IBM in distributive software, Suzy said, ”I told myself it’s time for me to own my own business – time for a new adventure.”

She took her time to find just the right situation, and after two years, found Plympton!  Suzy and her husband have two gas stations, but none with a convenience store.  The Stoneham and Medford businesses are fairly close to home, but she really likes the hour-long commute which brings her to another world – out of the city and into the country – where horses and trees are common elements, and the city sights and sounds are left behind.

Right in the heart of historic Plympton Village, Plympton Gas and Convenience serves its customers 7 days a week, from early until late enough, with competitive gas prices and the convenience of beer, wine, groceries, and of course, lottery.

“I’d love to see one of our customers hit it big,” Suzy said.  “Not for us; for the fun of seeing the lottery won here.” 

Suzy says she feels lucky to have found Plympton Gas and Convenience.  “We have a good team here.  Well organized, a really clean place.”  She credits former owner Kelly Craig for giving her the time to show her how the Craigs had run the business.  “Most people, you buy the place and that’s it.  Kelly really helped us from the beginning.”

“I hope to stay here for a long time.”

Suzy Youssef, new owner of Plympton Gas and Convenience, hopes one of her customers hits it big in the lottery.

Three honored at Tuesday’s Halifax meeting

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Halifax selectmen agreed Tuesday night that the best part of their job is to help recognize outstanding work by Halifax residents.

John and Patrick McCarthy, twin Eagle Scouts, were each awarded certificates by the selectmen for their projects in service to the town.  John helped build a shed for the Halifax Historical Society to house an antique horse-drawn carriage at the town’s blacksmith shop on South Street.  His brother Patrick refurbished trails and water crossings on the Striar Conservancy off Thompson Street.

While Halifax has one of the smallest Boy Scout groups in the country, it has one of the highest percentages of scouts who go all the way to earn the designation of Eagle Scout, selectman Kim Roy told the group.

And the accolades didn’t stop there.  David Walsh, commander of Halifax Post 6258, and David Warmsley, quartermaster, came before selectmen to present their nomination for Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Police Chief Edward “Ted” Broderick, in a competition sponsored by the VFW.  “It’s quite something for him to be nominated,” Walsh told selectmen. “We consider him an outstanding first responder of our community.  Chief Broderick has served the town with the utmost compassion and professionalism, throughout his career.”

Broderick began his career as a police officer in Plympton, then went to Halifax to work as a police officer, and earned his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming Halifax Police Chief.

“He has been a friend of the veterans for years,” Walsh told selectmen, “and has assisted whenever needed … he was chosen on the basis of what he has done for our community,” Walsh said.   “As a first responder, he has been fantastic.  He has served our community well.”

Broderick’s nomination now proceeds to Boston where it will compete against others at the state level. If lucky enough to win there, the competition continues nationally.

In other business, selectmen signed a contract with Winslow Architects to commence work on the Pope’s Tavern Senior Center.

Selectmen received notice that 280 South St., a Chapter 61A parcel, will be put up for sale.  As part of the agreement for so-called “Chapter Land”, the town has first refusal on the sale of the property.  After a considering the parcel, selectmen agreed that they would “pass” on the offer.  They did not think that the parcel would benefit the town of Halifax.

Joseph Murray, of Gen II, asked selectmen to consider his application for a Common Victualler’s License for the new Dunkin Donuts, a restaurant in the early stages of construction on Route 106, next to the 7-11 (formerly Tedeschi’s), which will seat 20, as well as have room for the usual take-out trade.

Murray brought architect’s renderings of the proposed building, a single story construction with about 1500 square feet for the Dunkin Donuts operation, leaving room for possibly two tenants in the back.

He said he also owns franchises in Bridgewater and Middleboro, among others.

Selectman Troy Garron asked when they expected to complete construction, Murray answered “By May 1,” and invited selectmen to attend the ribbon cutting.

Selectmen considered the list of show dates for Fieldstone Farm, noting that they would advise the owner he cannot use the Gazebo built on the property as it was built without being signed off on by an architect.

Selectmen affirmed an agreement with the Lakeville Animal Shelter to house dogs for Halifax.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig advised selectmen that the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has asked Halifax to purchase some 10 acres of land near the back of Burgess Pond, or purchase the conservation restriction.

The third option, Seelig told selectmen, was to purchase the entire parcel for $250,000.  He advised a public forum to discuss and explain the proposal in detail to the town to get a sense of what the town wants before bringing it to Town Meeting for a vote.

Selectmen will consider the plan to construct a large solar array on the proposed marijuana grow property, which will cover 200+ acres.  Seelig suggested another informational meeting to make the public aware – perhaps sometime in February.

Dennehy named to Local Emergency Team

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On the same night that Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy was appointed to Plympton’s Local Emergency Team, the Plympton selectmen’s meeting’s major focus was on addressing emergency situations caused by the Jan. 4 “bombogenesis” winter storm.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy spoke of the recent cold temperatures that caused a water pipe to break at the Plympton Town House. Dennehy said. “There was a fairly extensive amount of damage.”

She said most of the damage was in the lobby, Town Clerk Tara Shaw’s office, lunch room, and small area by the the vault. Much of the tiling had to be scrapped completely.

Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo praised the town custodian for his response and how fast he was able to get the Town House in clean, workable conditions. The Fire Department was also involved in the stoppage of the leak and salvaging the town hall.

Dennehy said most of the town hall was open again by Wednesday, Jan. 3. Town Clerk Tara Shaw’s office took longer to be operational again.

Issues at the School

School Committee Representative Jon Wilhelmsen attended the selectmen’s meeting to discuss the broken backup generator at Dennett Elementary School.

The school held a test for the generator prior to the blizzard. Wilhelmsen said, “The test fired and blew a part…It’s a miracle we didn’t lose power.”

He added that on Friday evening, Fire Chief Borsari came to inspect the broken generator and noticed an electrical fire smell. The well pump failed and there ended up being a small electrical fire in the fuse panel.

According to Borsari, it took Eversource 4 hours to respond, so the fire department issued a fire watch during that time.

The school is currently being powered by a portable temporary back-up generator. However, its lease is costing the town $1,500 per week. Schools cannot have an occupancy permit without a backup power source, so a permanent solution needs to come in the immediate future.

Wilhelmsen and the Board of Selectmen explored options for a permanent solution for the school. One option explored was repairing the 15-year-old generator. Wilhelmsen estimated the cost will be in the $8,000 to $12,000 range.

Given the cost and age, the Board is seriously considering a new and larger generator.

Selectman John Traynor wants to explore if a larger generator would be more efficient from a cost and performance perspective. Wilhelmsen estimated the cost to set up a new generator to be in the $25,000 to $35,000 range.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said the Board of Selectmen will also explore grant options.

Old Town House Update

The Board of Selectmen discussed the renewal of the lease for the Old Town House. A large aspect of the renewal was centered around who will provide maintenance for the building.

Going forward, the town is setting up a plan to be responsible financially for the maintenance of the Old Town House. The Board of Selectmen wants the town custodian to maintain the building.

In order to accomplish this, the Board discussed increasing the town custodian’s hours from 15 per week to 20. Increasing his hours to 20 per week would make the town custodian eligible for benefits.

The Board of Selectmen fully intends to do this for the next fiscal year that starts in July. Traynor said the Finance Committee would also have to be involved because of the inclusion of benefits.

In the meantime, Dennehy suggested raising the town custodian’s hours to 19 per week for the rest of this fiscal year. All three members of the Board said they liked the idea.

Other News

The draft of Municipal Resources, Inc’s consulting report is still pending. Dennehy said the draft won’t be ready until the first week of February.

The next Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting is Monday, Jan. 22. Open session begins at 6 p.m.

Blizzard of 2018: What Happened and What to Expect Going Forward

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Thursday, Jan. 4, brought the first blizzard of 2018, a bombogenesis that hit Plymouth County especially hard.

According to data from our regional  National Weather Service headquarters in Taunton, much of the county was in the double digits for inches of snowfall. Though no data was provided for the official precipitation totals in Plympton and Halifax, several other nearby communities were provided.

East Bridgewater had the most snowfall in the entire county at 16.5 inches, while Brockton and Hanover were behind at 16.4 and 14.5 inches respectfully. Plymouth had the least amount of snow at 7.5 inches. Wind gusts also exceeded 50 miles-per-hour in several municipalities.

The storm caused sporadic power outages in both Plympton and Halifax. Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros said, “It was a significant storm; we had several down wires and blown transformers.”

Viveiros described these outages as sporadic and was pleased with National Grids response. He said, “National Grid was on scene within 5-10 minutes of calling.” Viveiors said these quick responses were a large part of why Halifax didn’t have to open any emergency shelters.

Responses differed in Plympton with the Dennett Elementary School. Before the storm, Plympton Fire Chief Warren Borsari received a call from Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto about the backup generator test blowing a part.

Initially, Borsari thought the initial problem was just with the transfer switch. However, the generator failed entirely.

Borsari responded and said, “Upon entry, I smelled burning electrical oil…The well pump burned out and caused a small fire in the fuse panel.”

The Plympton Fire Department then posted a fire watch until Eversource could arrive. Borsari said it took Eversource about 4 hours to respond to the Dennett School.

The generator, however, was damaged beyond repair. Borsari said the school cannot have an occupancy permit without a backup power source. He said, “In order to get school back in session, we need a temporary repair.”

The school has a temporary backup power unit in the meantime, so school was back in session on Monday. However, the unit cost Plympton $1,500 per week.

At last Monday’s selectmen’s meeting, Dennett School Committee representative Jon Wilhelmsen estimated it would cost between $8,000 to $12,000 to repair the generator.

The school is also exploring replacing the generator, which he estimated would cost between  $25,000 to $35,000.

In addition to damage at the school, Borsari said that sporadic lines went down across town. In particular there were reported outages on Ring Road, Elm Street and the communication tower at 1 Joey Circle.

Borsari said the tower has a huge backup generator. Police and Fire Department communications were never interrupted.

Plympton Town House Pipe Burst

The snowfall and wind gusts were not the only factors causing damage. On Wednesday, Jan 3, the frigid temperatures caused a pipe to burst in the Plympton Town House

Borsari said the water pipe burst in the foyer near Town Clerk Tara Shaw’s office. According to Borsari, a police officer also went downstairs to use the bathroom and heard water running.

The pipe burst caused the town hall to close through January 2, 2018. The fire department as well as the custodian responded for the initial stoppage of the leak and the salvage/clean-up process.

There was significant damage in Town Clerk Tara Shaw’s office. (Include photos).

What to Expect Going Forward

Elanor Vallier-Talbot from the National Weather Service in Taunton, said temperatures are expected to skyrocket into the high 50s on Friday, January 12, 2018. However, the county is also expected to get about 2-3 inches of rain.

Vallier-Talbot said the temperatures rising at this rapid pace with the high amount of snow on the ground raises concern for potential flooding. She said, “When temperatures get this warm with this type of snow, it will refreeze at night.”

This causes the snow to compact and start to melt. Vallier-Talbot advised, “dig out storm drains as snows melt to prevent flooding.”

She said there’s also danger of flooding near rivers, especially with Friday’s expected rain. The recent cold temperatures caused rivers to freeze. When the temperature increases with the rain, there’s a high chance that rivers will cause some flooding.

Vallier-Talbot described this winter as “topsy-turvy.” She said to expect a cold front to come late Saturday night. Temperatures are expected to drop into the mid to high twenties by Sunday. She said that as temperatures drop, some of the expected rain could turn to snow.