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Veneto shows off Dennett Elementary

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PLYMPTON– Principal Peter Veneto, an educator and administrator in his 19th year, proudly showed off the K-6 Dennett Elementary School in Plympton to the Express on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Veneto, who is beginning his 10th year at the Dennett, said, “This is the smoothest transition we’ve had yet [at the beginning of the school year].” When asked why, he responded, “I think we know what to expect.”

Veneto was once an administrator at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and an elementary school teacher, before coming to Plympton.

Despite the sylvan, pastoral setting of the school, from the outside the Dennett looks like many schools of its era: a little drab. Nothing could be further from the truth on the inside.

Veneto credited his custodial staff for getting the building into great physical shape over the summer. Floors were buffed, new carpets were installed in some areas and a slight new-paint smell wafted through the air. The gymnasium lobby had also been renovated.

Students quietly filed past in pastel-painted hallways. Teachers, with classes that average just 16 students, according to Veneto, worked in small groups. The only discernable noise at 10 a.m. came from the gymnasium.

With just 26 teaching staff, about 2 classrooms per grade level and such small class sizes, you’d be forgiven from mistaking the Dennett for a charter or private school.

In fact, in some previous years, the Dennett has attracted a few out-of-town students, although this program is no longer in effect.

“Everyone knows everyone here,” said Veneto.

He was also keen to point out the “high-tech” nature of the school.

The school has a 1:1 “device” ratio for grades 2-6, meaning that each second through sixth-grader is assigned a Chromebook (laptop) that stays at school. Younger students use iPads. Almost all classrooms have interactive whiteboards, allowing students and teachers to interact with images and text projected onscreen.

The Dennett also features a computer lab in their spacious library, where activities with 3-D printers and coding take place. Programmable robotic LEGOs were also purchased through the library.

Veneto was also happy to report that the long-awaited water filtration system is in place, and all water at the school is potable. Higher than recommended levels of manganese, a metal, had plagued the school for years, forcing bottled water to be delivered to the school.

Upcoming events include an Instrument Demonstration Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m., Picture Day Monday, Sept. 24, and an Early Release Day that same Monday.

The Dennett School Committee meets Monday, Sept. 24, from 5-6 p.m.

STM prep completed for Atwood acres purchase

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, Sept. 10, Plympton Selectmen met at Town House for about an hour. They prepared for the Special Town Meeting, discussed an earth removal permit and talked about restoration projects at Old Town House.

Special Town Meeting

The warrant for the Thursday, Sept. 20, Special Town Meeting is ready to go and has been mailed to residents. With one article only, to purchase the property known as the Twin Brooks Preserve, the Special Town Meeting warrant is short.

Selectmen Chairman Mark Russo will speak for the board at the meeting, recommending the article.

The Community Preservation Committee and the Open Space Committee are also expected to present at the 7 p.m. meeting at the Dennett School.

For weeks, town officials have been diligently putting together this article that allows the town to exercise its right of first refusal on the sale of the property. The property, that would otherwise be sold for gravel excavation, is classified as a Chapter 61A agricultural property, allowing the town this option because of the change in ownership.

Earth Removal Permit

The board discussed another Chapter 61A property, this time bogs owned by Harju Limited Partnership, abutting Main Street, Pleasant Street and Mayflower Road.

Many years of sand and gravel have built up on-site as part of the cranberry-growing process, and the partnership wishes to remove the excess.

The board voted to exempt them from an earth-removal permit, not only because they are not actually removing earth in the traditional sense per-se, but because the property is Chapter 61A agriculture property, and does not need a permit for the work sought.

Rick Burnet, of the Conservation Committee, mentioned that his board wished for some silt barriers to be in place before the work, and that his committee would do a site visit.

The Selectmen made a motion to approve the work, as it is exempt from a permit, pending any requirements from other boards and committees.

Restoration at Old Town House

Elizabeth Dennehy, Town Administrator, reported that bids for the windows and doors at the Old Town House (the Historical Society Building) came in higher than anticipated. Jon Wilhelmsen, of the historical society, is currently checking references on the bidders, according to Dennehy.

“The ball’s in their court now,” said Russo, but Dennehy noted that the ball would eventually be back in the Selectmen’s court for final approval of any money being spent.

Selectman John Traynor noted that he had seen birds flying behind the clapboard in the eaves of the building.

He stated that it would be a shame to do all of the planned work and not address the clapboard.

He hoped that money to fix this problem could come out of the Building and Maintenance budget.

In other news:

• The board is in very early discussions regarding the purchase of software that would assist in planning paving and road maintenance.

• Email addresses will be changed in the near future at Town House. A date for the rollover has not been set.

• Selectman John Traynor received two informational bids to add amplifying speakers to the Large Meeting Room of Town House.

One bid was around $10,000, the other was around $4,000. Russo will bring the information to Area58 TV for their input.

• Construction at the Public Safety Building is going slower than expected, but there may be money found to build a permanent driveway, that had been previously deferred.

• Special Town Meeting is Sept. 20, 7 p.m. at the Dennett Elementary School with the single warrant article being the proposed purchase of Prospect Road acreage from the Atwood Family Trust.

• Selectmen will next meet Monday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m.

STOP! Residents ask for a 4-way STOP sign

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen had a full house on Tuesday as residents came in to discuss the possibility of adding stop signs to the intersection at Laurel Street and Circuit Street.

Given the expert advice of Highway Surveyor Steven Hayward and Old Colony Planning Council Senior Transportation Planner Ray Guarino, Halifax would not legally be allowed to put a four-way stop at the intersection because there isn’t enough traffic to warrant it.  Selectmen voted to make a two-way stop sign instead.

A few residents in attendance said that the speed drivers travel on the roads is a problem. Some residents wanted the stop signs to curb the speed while others want a speed limit sign set at 25 miles-per-hour.

According to Hayward, guidelines set by the state and the Old Colony Planning Council require a certain amount of traffic before a four-way stop is allowed. “You are not supposed to use stop signs for speed control,” said Hayward.

Guarino said the Old Colony Planning Council would do a traffic count at no charge to verify the vehicle count for traffic on the two streets, but any action  for a four-way stop would require an engineering study. According to Guarino, that would cost at least a couple thousand dollars.

Most residents were okay with a compromise of having a two-way stop except for one resident who maintained that a four-way stop is necessary.

“There’s no definite right of way there. It’s a free for all,” Galvin said.

Galvin also questioned why the stop signs at the end of the streets that intersect with Route 106 were needed before this. He said that anyone who lives at Laurel Street and Circuit Street knows to stop before getting on to Route 106. Resident Sharon Smith also asked about the signs at 106.

Selectmen Chair Kim Roy said those signs were a priority because they intersect with a major road.

Hayward also brought up potentially having yield signs rather than stop signs. He said that if the town put up a stop sign on a road its not necessarily warranted, everyone is going to be asking for one.

Selectman Troy Garron said it’s the Board of Selectmen’s job to be proactive with this. Although Guarino looked up accident records and could only recall one accident which was single-car, the Board and some residents said they are lucky a major accident hasn’t happened at the intersection.”

“I think the suggestion to put up stop signs is  good,” Garron said. He later added, “it’s worth it if it saves one life.”

Elementary School
Doors Don’t Fit

The rear-facing doors ordered for Halifax Elementary School are the wrong dimensions. In total, fifteen doors were ordered, but are too small.

According to Selectmen, the contractor failed to account for hinges in the initial measurements.

A sample door is being ordered to test the fit, then the contractor will replace the rest of the incorrect doors.

Dog Hearing soon

A dog hearing is scheduled for the September 25 Board of Selectmen meeting. The Board said a dog killed another dog.

Other News

• The Board of Selectmen approved the boy scouts using the town green for a food drive on November 10.

• The tax classification hearing resulted in no open space tax discount or residential exemption for a second home. Principal Assessor Holly Merry said there are not enough people who own second homes in Halifax to justify it.

The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen is September 25. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Lakers Football prep for N. Quincy Week 1

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The Silver Lake High boys’ football team will stay within the Patriot League in the first week of the regular season.

The Lakers are scheduled to host the North Quincy Red Raiders on Saturday, Sept. 8 (2:00 p.m. start time) in their opener. Certainly, a win to start the season would give the Lakers a leg up on the competition as they hope to earn their third straight playoff bid. Right now, it appears as though the Lakers have a strong chance to achieve that feat.

The Red Raiders are in a different position than many teams this season. They went 4-7 last year, graduated the majority of their offensive line and will have a new quarterback taking over. Plus, they have a new head coach in Ryan Craig, who coached youth football for the past several seasons.

Since the Red Raiders experience is primarily on the ends on both sides of the ball, as well as at running back and in their secondary, a strong run game and tough run defense will likely be the key to victory for the Lakers in this one.

Neither team has much experience on the line, but having senior co-captains Marshall Roy and Cam Danahy at linebacker should give the Lakers some confidence when it comes to stopping the opposing running backs.

Regardless of who is at quarterback–junior Jesse Miller or sophomore Ben Lofstrom–having Bobby Ohlson, a senior co-captain, at wide receiver should help the team gain some yards in the air when needed. However, the running back corps led by the other team’s captain, Jake Waters, will likely determine how the game goes offensively for the team–as will the protection they receive up front.

Per usual, the first game of the season will give fans a glimpse of what the Lakers are capable of achieving this season. Playing against another young team should be a good test to see how they will fare in the league this season.

PFD phone line back in service

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PLYMPTON– The business line for the Plympton Fire Department has been restored after approximately 12 days out of service, according to Capt. John Sjostedt, III, of the PFD.

On the Facebook group Plympton Helping Plympton, Sjostedt posted, “The problem with the Plympton Fire Department phone lines has been fixed. The 781-585-2633 line is now back in service and will connect with the Public Safety Dispatchers at the Regional Old Colony Communications Center. Thank you for your patience during this technical challenge.”

The cause of the problem turned out to be more complicated than originally thought.

Speaking to the Express Sunday night, Sjostedt said, “Work was being done on the State Police Middleboro barracks, which used to dispatch us up until about five years ago. The ‘2633’ line used to be forwarded from the State Police to Plympton.”

When Plympton joined the ROCCC, that line was again forwarded to the ROCCC.

During the course of the telephone work at the barracks in Middleboro this patchwork of forwarding was somehow broken.

A Verizon official, in an interview last week, denied that the problem was theirs, blaming it on the town’s “business to business” service provider, which may be reselling Verizon products.

A town official said that the problem entirely lay with Verizon. The New York-based company would not send a technician to assist and attempted to fix the issue remotely. When they finally did send a technician, the problem was fixed, “within hours,” said the official.

For now, according to Sjostedt, a temporary solution has been found so that the number works, until an actual physical line can be put in.

The business line is 781-585-2633 for the Plympton Fire Department. Dispatchers at the ROCCC receive the call and deal with routine matters but forward the call to the PFD if necessary.

The PFD direct emergency line is 781-585-0783, but officials always suggest dialing 911 in case of emergency.

12th Plymouth District a nail-biter: Halifax’s Summer Schmaling is defeated by Truschelli by a few votes

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Turnout was higher than expected in Tuesday’s primary elections, according to clerks in both Plympton and Halifax and unofficial election data.

By 9 a.m. turnout was high in Plympton, and town clerks in both Plympton and Halifax anticipated a busy day.

In Plympton total turnout was 24 percent, with 548 ballots cast, more than twice the ballots from the last primary. In Halifax there were 1,309 ballots cast, representing 23 percent turnout.

Many races were not contested in either primary, although a few were close.

The Republican race for Representative for the 12th Plymouth District, which includes Duxbury, Halifax, Kingston, Middleborough, Plymouth and Plympton, was too close to call until Tuesday night. It was the most watched contest locally. Late Tuesday night, Summer Schmaling, who won handily in Plympton and Halifax, conceded the nomination to Joseph Truschelli, who won overall, by just a few votes.

“I think it was a great race. I commend my opponent for getting into the race. It was an issues-driven campaign. I look forward to working with her [Schmaling], and hopefully this goes our way,” said Truschelli in comments to the Express Wednesday via cellphone. “It was a very tight race…there was good turnout,” he added.

Schmaling did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Truschelli will face Kathy LaNatra, a Kingston selectman and business-owner, in the General Election Nov. 6.

Geoff Diehl bested John Kingston and Beth Joyce Lindstrom for Senator. He will face Elizabeth Warren in the state-wide race for Senator in November.

For the race of Governor, Charlie Baker, the Republican incumbent, will face Democrat Jay Gonzales, who won against Bob Massie, in the General Election.

Karyn Polito, a Republican, will run against Quentin Palfrey, a Democrat, for Lieutenant Governor.

James McMahon, III, in a close race, bested Daniel Shores in the Republican primary for Attorney General. He will face Maura Healey, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary in the General Election.

Anthony Amore, who ran unopposed in his Republican primary, will now face incumbent William Galvin, who beat Josh Zakim in the Democratic primary, for Secretary of State.

The Treasurers’ primaries were both unopposed. Keiko Orrall will face Deborah Goldberg, the Democratic incumbent, in the General Election.

The Auditor’s race was also unopposed. Helen Brady will face the Democratic incumbent Suzanne Bump in the General Election.

Peter Tedeschi, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary will face Bill Keating, the Democratic incumbent.

Christopher Iannella, Jr. a Democrat who ran against Mark Rooney, will be Councilor, as he has no opponent.

Michael Brady, the incumbent Democrat for State Senator, will run against Republican Scott Hall in the General Election.

Timothy J. Cruz, the Republican incumbent for District Attorney will remain in that office as he has no opponent, as will Democrats Robert Creedon, Jr. as Clerk of Courts and John Buckley, Jr. as Register of Deeds.

There was one person who pulled the Libertarian ballot in Plympton, which only had one race.

Diehl: Bring on Warren

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By Tracy F. Seelye
and James Bentley
Express staff

Proclaiming it “our moment” and staking out the theme that U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren “has let us down,” state Rep. Geoffrey Diehl greeted supporters at the Whitman VFW Tuesday night to bask in his Republican primary win.

His margin of victory was 54.8 percent of the vote compared to 27 percent for John Kingston and 18.1 percent for Beth Lindstrom.

“While Warren has spent the last six years building a national political profile for herself, I’ve been fighting for you, and most importantly, listening to you,” Diehl said after greeting supporters with hugs as the song “This is My House,” by Flo Rida.

He is casting Warren as an out-of-touch person using Massachusetts as a stepping-stone while ignoring the benefit of the GOP tax cut, the need for immigration control and support for law enforcement, and failing her constituents on the opioid crisis.

“I will make the fight against opioid addiction a priority,” Diehl said. “We’re losing about 2,000 people to opioid-related overdoses here in Massachusetts each year. What has Senator Warren done about it? Nothing.”

He also took the opportunity to again underscore that the ballot initiative he backed to repeal automatic gas tax hikes a few years ago has saved Massachusetts residents $2 billion. In Whitman, his hometown, voters gave Diehl 1,361, according to unofficial tallies at the close of polls with Kingston receiving 76 and Lindstrom 65 of the 25.3 percent of 10,684 registered voters casting ballots. In Hanson, with 21 percent of the town’s voters casting ballots, Diehl had 789 votes to 107 for Kingston and 57 for Lindstrom.

Lakers football forges new identity this season

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The SIlver Lake High football team has a bit of a different look this season.

The team which made it to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, graduated quite a bit of talent and is now working with a younger, less experienced squad.

This time around, the Lakers have just nine seniors on their roster and more than 20 juniors; the issue they face is that not a lot of these players have a ton of varsity experience. Perhaps the biggest unexpected blow was losing their return man Diamani Williams, whose family moved elsewhere.

Right now, it’s unclear who will be the team’s starting quarterback; competition exists between Jesse Miller, a junior, and Ben Lofstrom, a sophomore. What is clear is that the Lakers do have some talent at wide receiver. Two of their captains, Bobby Ohlson and Jake Waters, man the position.

Defensively, the linebacking corps should be a strength for the Lakers. This is because two more of their captains, Marshall Roy and Cam Danahy, play there. Waters also brings experience on the defensive side of the ball, playing cornerback.

However, the Lakers offensive line will be brand new. They lost every one of their starters to graduation which gives opportunities to some other players like seniors Alex Duke, Derek Ingersoll and juniors Will Hesketh and Aidan Crone.

T he Lakers are coached by Chris DiGiacomo, who is in his fourth season with the team. So far, he is 18-15 in his head coaching tenure with the Lakers; last year’s squad finished the season at 7-4.

The Lakers open up their regular season at home on Saturday, Sept. 8 against the North Quincy Red Raiders (2:00 p.m. start time). In all, they have seven regular season games scheduled, not including their annual Thanksgiving day bout with the Pembroke Titans.

Glacial erratics are dangers in ponds

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HALIFAX – Hingham resident Bob Demaggio has vacationed at Halifax’s Lake Monponsett for over four decades. His wife and kids have continued to go there every summer and take out the boat. Last Tuesday, Demaggio brought up a safety concern regarding the lake to the Board of Selectmen.

“I had an incident at the beginning of the month where I was taking my whaler with my wife,” Demaggio said.

Demaggio was going north on East Monponsett Lake when he said he hit an obstruction. Even going only at a trolling (slow) speed. Demaggio said the boat flew out of the water. His wife almost fell from the boat.

“I lost the prop (propeller), that’s no big deal, but I didn’t wat to lose a wife. That’s the important thing,” Demaggio said.

Demaggio and the Board of Selectmen believed the obstruction was some sort of glacial erratic. Glacial erratics are large rocks transported by glaciers and left behind when they melt.

So far, Demaggio said he’s spoken to the town, state, and Watershed Authority. He said it bothers him that there isn’t a sign warning people about the moving glacial rocks.

Selectman Thomas Millias said Demaggio’s request sounds reasonable. Selectman Tory Garron agreed. He said the Board will talk to the town’s other boards and will see what can be done.

New Board/Committee Appointments

The Halifax Housing Authority filled a vacancy on its committee with both the Board of Selectmen’s and Housing Authority’s appointment of Paula Walker.

Walker is used to a fast pace style of work having worked 50 years in the media industry including time with the Patriot Ledger, Brockton Enterprise, and the Boston Globe.

When asked by the Board of Selectmen why she wants to join the Housing Authority, Walker said she’s bored in retirement. Garron joked saying Walker will have to serve another 50 years with the Housing Authority.

Both boards unanimously approved Walker’s appointment.

Peter Veneto was unanimously appointed to the  Central Plymouth County Water District Advisory Board. Laurie Monahan was appointed as an alternate.

Other News

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig announced that several weeks ago, Gov. Charlie Baker signed an expansion on what types of cancer are covered by insurance for police officers and firefighters. Seelig sent a note to the state auditors office asking specifically what is in the mandate. The mandate is expected to cover all types of cancer.

The Board of Selectmen approved changes to the job description for the application process for a new police chief. At the suggestion of the Police Chief Assessment Center the Board of Selectmen voted to require at least a Bachelors degree for the position and a Masters degree to be the preference.

The next Board of Selectmen meeting is Tuesday, September 11. Open session starts at 7:30 p.m.

School bus issues met for first day

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HALIFAX– On Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, the Halifax Elementary School Committee began with a walk-through of the school (see accompanying article). Next, chair Summer Schmaling quickly went through the posted agenda until a major point of concern came up.

First, Principal Kayne Beaudry announced that enrollment at HES was 614 students for the upcoming school year. He, and Assistant Principal Brian Desantes noted some of the pressures this creates.

“First and second grade were hit really hard,” said Desantes, adding that, “We’re approaching 25 students per room.”

Beaudry stated that with families moving in and out of town, there was a net gain of about 20 students.

This increase in students not only puts pressure on teachers in the classroom but affects the busing schedule as well.

Superintendent Joy Blackwood said that the SLRSD leases nine buses, all but one shared with the rest of the district– Kingston pays for one extra bus due to their population. Each bus has a 77-seat capacity, at three students per seat, she said, and a bus costs $56,000 per year to lease.

Adding a bus, even one that’s shared, is expensive, she noted, so she’d like to negotiate a 10-year contract that would even out expenses over time if a bus needs to be added. Not only would that save money, but the SLRSD would get new busses and four would be larger capacity busses, she says.

There were difficulties negotiating the last one-year contract. “I had to beg,” she added.

Blackwood also stated that by law a seat must be held on a bus for all 614 students enrolled at the school, even those that are regularly driven to school, because the district is obligated to transport students every day, but parents aren’t obligated to drive their children every day.

“Where along in the process did we know we had a bus problem?” asked Alex Meade, a school committee member.

Beaudry responded that enrollment numbers are constantly fluctuating.

Another issue affecting HES is accommodating busing “special requests,” where students take one bus to school in the morning and another one to a different address in the afternoon.

As students enroll, and enrollment numbers are collected, they are entered into PowerSchool, the school’s management software.

Then, the bus contracting company, First Student, creates the routes from that data. Only then can special requests be accommodated.

Beaudry says that he has accommodated all two-bus requests– with just one morning and afternoon switch.

Meade didn’t think the school needed to accommodate these special requests at all. “I don’t see the need to honor any of these requests,” he said.

“I tend to agree,” replied Beaudry, but then said, “We want to help and accommodate what we can.”

Bus problems have plagued the town for years, said Schmaling. She said she has heard complaints from parents about students having rides that are too long, busses that are too full as well as busses that arrive too early and sit in front of the school.

Beaudry says that staff tries to address this each year by collecting the times buses arrive and leave and working with First Student to address any issues.