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One dead in Halifax head-on collision

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A head-on motor vehicle accident on Route 58 in Halifax Tuesday night left Richard March, 78, of South Meadow Rd, Carver, driver of a 2005 Honda CRV, trapped in his vehicle with serious injuries sustained at approximately 8:46 p.m.  He was transported by med-flight to a hospital in Boston where he died several hours later.

Alec Dowie, 51, of Washington St., Whitman, the operator of the 2018 Dodge Challenger, was transported to South Shore Hospital where he is listed in stable condition.

A landing zone was cleared at Walmart for March, who had been trapped in the Honda CRV. He was airlifted to Boston Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to State Police Media Spokesperson David Procopio.

Halifax Police Chief Theodore Broderick was on scene with investigators for several hours Tuesday night as the State Police Reconstruction and Analysis Team began their investigation in cooperation with Halifax Police.   Firefighters and EMS were seen debriefing in a circle with Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, the wreckage just a few feet away.

Remnants of the two mangled vehicles and debris were scattered down Route 58, Monponsett Street, at Palmer Mill Road.  Parts of vehicles and orange spray paint marked lines in the road and were still visible as police returned to the scene Wednesday morning, according to Chief Broderick.

A preliminary investigation by State police suggests at approximately 8:46 p.m. a 2018 Dodge Challenger heading north on Monponsett Street and a 2005  Honda  CRV heading south on Monponsett collided head-on, said Procopio.

Their initial investigations indicate that the driver of the Dodge Challenger did not negotiate the curve at the intersection of Palmer Mill Road and lost control of his vehicle between the southbound and northbound lanes. The investigation is still active and ongoing, said Procopio.

Sgt. Theodore Benner of Halifax Police and the S Procopio told The Express that investigations can take several weeks to determine the cause of the crash.

First responders from Halifax, Plympton, Hanson and the State Police assisted at the scene, and at the landing zone at Walmart following the crash.

Halifax and Plympton after Snowstorm

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Snow cleanup was continued throughout the day in the Town Hall parking lot in Halifax.

Falling snow through the day on Jan 30 created a postcard effect for the Pope Tavern senior center in the center of town.

Ryder, a seven year old German Shepard played in the snow while his person shoveled on Orchard Circle in Halifax.

Love was in the air despite the cold and snow. A car in Halifax had a snow heart melting on the window.

A horse in a bright red turnout blanket stood out in the falling snow on Mayflower Road in Plympton on Tuesday.

Silver Lake boys hockey continues playing hard

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The Silver Lake High boys’ hockey team continues playing hard against tough competition.

Although the team had a six game winless skid, they snapped it last week with a 5-0 win over North Quincy last week and have kept their competitive season going. At the start of the week, they stood at 4-7-3.

An obstacle faced by the Lakers so far this season has been being on the younger side defensively, but the team certainly is improved in comparison to where they were last year. That time around, they went 5-15-1 during the regular season and made the playoffs via the Sullivan Rule.   

Still, the team does have an asset in its offense. Through 14 games, they had put up a respectable 39 goals despite playing a tough and highly competitive Patriot League schedule.

At the start of the week, sophomore forward Kevin Cardarelli had scored a team-high nine goals and was tied for second on the team with 14 points. Junior forward Alex Heffernan led the team in points with 15 as he had netted eight goals and dished out seven assists. His classmate, fellow forward David Marani (eight goals, six assist) was also among the three players on pace to score more than 10 goals by the end of the season while averaging at least a point per game offensively.

Sophomore Nicholas Solari (four goals, four assists) and junior Andrew Johnson (one goal, seven assists) have also been contributors to the Lakers offense.

Also, in net, senior Alden Maguire has been sharp for the Lakers all season. The team’s captains this season are defensemen John Evans, Liam Kelliher and Nick Iarossi. They are among the nine seniors on the squad this season.

The Lakers next game is this Saturday, Feb. 3 at 5:00 p.m. at Hobomock Ice Arena in Pembroke against Plymouth North.

Boys’ basketball in competitive position compete

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Going up against tough Patriot League competition, the Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team continues playing competitive basketball.

At the start of the week, the Lakers were 4-8 after dropping both of their bouts last week. Even so, they continued playing tough and still have the opportunity to end the season on a strong note down the stretch against some solid competition.

The Lakers have shined on offense throughout the season. Specifically, Tyler Duggan and sophomore Nolan Hughes have been leaders in the team’s scoring effort. Only a sophomore, Hughes is only cracking into his potential now and there is plenty of reason for the Lakers to be optimistic about his rise for the team. After all, he stands tall at 6-foot-4, so that size is a major asset for the team, especially in the paint. 

There is definitely reason to believe the Lakers should play well down the stretch. They have been competitive in just about every game they have played in this season and if a couple of bounces went a couple different ways, they would be sitting at 7-5. This is because they had a tight 2-point loss to Scituate on January 23, lost to Duxbury 50-45 on January 19 and dropped a 55-50 bout to Sandwich on December 27.

Those are certainly teams the Lakers would have a great chance to beat if they have a rematch. In fact, they have a rematch on the road against Duxbury on February 15, so that one is bound to be a nail-biter.

Against Scituate last week, Hughes had three shot blocks while Matthew Bettle had one more. Tyler Duggan, Josh Gilbert and Danny Duggan all showed off their touch from outside range, sinking at least one 3-point shot each.

The Lakers next game is this Friday, Feb. 2 on the road against the Quincy Presidents  at 6:30 p.m.

Marijuana grow facility: Host Community Agreement considered by Selectmen

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Four Daughters Compassionate Care, LLC, has submitted to Halifax selectmen a Host Community Agreement (HCA) as one of the first steps toward the construction of a marijuana cultivation and/or manufacturing facility on River Street.

Halifax selectmen are accepting comments, questions, and concerns about the HCA in time for the Board’s discussion at its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

In addition to the process Four Daughters Compassionate Care will follow, the HCA outlines the Community Impact payments of 3% of the gross wholesales of marijuana cultivated at the premises and 3% of the marijuana infused products.  The first of these payments would be made within three months following the first date of sale of marijuana, and continue on an annual basis.

Up to a 60,000 square foot commercial space is planned for the 45-acre parcel for the purpose of operating a cultivation and/or product manufacturing facility under a Registered Marijuana Dispensary (RMD) Certificate of Registration as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Medical Marijuana Program.

The entire HCA can be viewed online at  http://www.town.halifax.ma.us/…/fourdaughtersHCA20180108.pdf)

While the Host Community Agreement covers several subjects, it is not a zoning permit. Any proposed facility would have to obtain a “special permit” from the Zoning Board of Appeals (a public hearing is required with notice to abutters) and approval of a site plan from the Planning Board. A proposal has not been submitted to either Board. Both steps will be publicized here and in other venues

Town administrator Charlie Seelig assures Halifax residents that while there may be concerns regarding noise, lighting, and odors, these matters will not be addressed as part of the HCA; they would properly be part of any discussion of the possible approval of a special permit and site plan for this facility.  The signing of the HCA is just one step in the process.  Four Daughters will need to obtain various zoning permits in Halifax, along with whichever permits the State requires.

November 28, 2017, Halifax hosted an informational meeting in the Town Hall where residents were invited to hear about the Four Daughters Compassionate Care proposal and ask questions at that time.

The presentation was recorded and can be watched on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyirPfa7lYA (forum begins at 26:23 into the selectmen’s meeting).

If selectmen do sign an HCA with Four Daughters and Four Daughters moves forward with this project, then a public hearing will be held as required under state regulations.  Abutters will be notified and the hearing will be publicized.

Silver Lake makes school history at D3 relays

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The school record for long jump at Silver Lake now belongs to a new athlete.

Max Shirikjian, a member of the Lakers boys’ indoor track and field team got into the school’s record book earlier this month in the long jump. He set a school record in the event in the Division 3 Indoor Relays at the Reggie Lewis Center. His jump was 21 feet and six inches. In the relay events, teams use their top three to four athletes, so his effort along with Stephen Gallagher and John McCarthy helped the Lakers place third in the event.

Overall, the Lakers placed 11th on the day–and although Shirikjian’s effort led the way, the team had many other strong performances that helped them to a strong day. The Lakers had a particularly strong performance in the sprint medley relay, finishing sixth overall in the event. This one featured Shirkijian as well as Will d’Entremont, Chris Tilton and Ryan Tierney. Combined, they ran a 3:52.57 in the event

That performance was one of three events in which the Lakers earned a sixth-place finish. The shuttle dash was another place where the Lakers finished this high. Here, Shirikjian worked with Kyle Keogh, Kevin Donahue and Ryan Tierney and the four of them combined for a 28.50-second run. The other event where the Lakers earned a sixth-place finish was also a sprinting event. This came in the 4×50-meter relay. Shirikjian did not compete in this event. Instead, the Lakers foursome consisted of John McCarthy, Brian Sherry, Nick Ierardi and Pat McCarthy.

North Attleboro was the winner of the event; they came away with 49 points on the day. Teams ahead of Silver Lake included: Pembroke, Hingham, Bishop Feehan, Tewksbury Memorial, Marblehead, Duxbury, Stoughton, Shepherd Hill-Dudley and Walpole.

Overall though, it was a strong showing for the Lakers since they performed better than most of the teams who attended the event.

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.