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Silver Lake “Get Pied” fundraiser benefits Breast Cancer research

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Last week Silver Lake students and staff continued raising funds for Breast Cancer.

The Key Club held its first annual “Pie Your Teacher in the Face” during the lunch block on Friday. Four staff members: math teacher Dan Coreia, social studies teacher Anthony Weber, assistant principal Steve Blette, and athletic director Martha Jameison, were selected based on fundraising by students.

Guidance counselors Andrea Cranshaw and Tracy Ryan entertained the lunch crowd in pink dinosaur costumes. Four students winning a raffle received the honor of being the pie throwers.

To raise even more funds, during the lunch block, Key Club Advisors Sarah Stefaniak (Math Teacher) and Jennifer Strid (School Psychologist) volunteered to get “pied” if they could raise an additional $25 during each of the four lunch waves. They had no problem reaching that goal!

 

Town’s emergency plans under review after storm

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Monday, Nov. 6, the Plympton Board of Selectmen and Fire Chief Warren Borsari reviewed the state of the town’s emergency preparedness following the unexpected tropical storm on Monday Oct. 30.

Plympton was able to handle the situation without having to call on outside help, but both Borsari and the Board agreed there are items that need to be addressed to improve the town’s emergency preparedness going forward.

One thing Selectman John Traynor mentioned was it was unclear whether the town house should have been closed on Monday, as it’s normally used as a warming shelter during these types of emergencies. Traynor asked Borsari who is typically responsible for opening a shelter.

Borsari said it’s the responsibility of the fire department to open these shelters and there also needs to be some sort of police presence at least outside the building. Both Borsari and the Board admitted there could be staffing or budget issues with this.

With these concerns in mind, Borsari mentioned utilizing the CERT program. CERT stands for Citizen Emergency Response Teams. Borsari described it as a “community oriented, civic-minded approach. According to Borsari, there are resources available to help Plympton incorporate the CERT program.

Another emergency preparedness suggestion came from Traynor. He said more text updates and social media alerts should help the community be more prepared for bad weather and allow them to know where emergency shelters are if needed.

Borsari said the police department already does reverse 911 calls for the fire department, but he said he was open to Traynor’s suggestions.

The wind ended up being worse than Borsari thought it would be. Borsari said there weren’t any extra people on staff; the department had on its usual two fire engines and two call cars.

Most of the town ended up losing power, and the fire department had to act in a situation they admit they weren’t fully prepared for. Borsari said the highway department was great and helped remove trees.

Plympton opened a warming shelter at the town hall on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. Most of the town had its power restored by Wednesday, November 1, 2017. According to Borsari, there were eight customers still without power Wednesday.

Chief Borsari praised the job that the town’s major electric supplier, Eversource, did handling the outages. He said, “In my opinion, Eversource did a very good job for us.”

Housing Production Plan Update

Selectman Chair Christine Joy said that the Housing Production Planning Committee reviewed its survey results. The committee used this survey in order to get community feedback on how to create more affordable housing in Plympton.

Joy said most of the survey results came from people in their mid-40s to mid-50s. The committee is also working with Council on Aging Director Joy Marble to get more input from senior citizens.

There’s a Housing Production Planning Committee Meeting on Wednesday, November 15, 2017. The committee plans to finalize a draft for its housing production plan at this meeting.

Other News

• The Plympton Board of Selectmen successfully negotiated a contract with Elizabeth Dennehy, who will become Plympton’s first Town Administrator. Dennehy’s first day will be Monday, November 27, 2017.

• According to the Board of Selectmen, Municipal Resources Inc. (MRI) will have its first draft of its operational study of the fire department in about 90 days. Before releasing the draft, MRI will do one-on-one calls with each member of the Board of Selectmen to discuss the state of the department.

The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Open session begins at 6 p.m.

SL volleyball clinches playoff spot

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The Silver Lake high volleyball team’s persistence over the past few years paid off for them last week.

On the final day of the regular season, the Lakers got their 10th win of the season to improve to 10-10 on the year. Since they had a .500 winning percentage thanks to their 3-1 win over a struggling Scituate Sailors team on Wednesday, Oct. 25, they clinched a playoff spot in the MIAA Division 2 South bracket. It will be their first playoff appearance since 2011.

In the first set, the Lakers quickly fell behind, 4-0. But for the rest of the set, they were downright dominant. They went on a 6-1 run to take the lead and thanks to some strong serving from Michelle Vaughan (three aces) and Abigail Gallagher (four aces), they were able to win the set 25-10.

The Lakers also went down by a couple points in the second set before they flat out dominated once again. They ended up winning that one 25-12. Although the Sailors won the third set, 25-23, they could not overcome the Lakers. Silver Lake ended up winning the final set 25-15.

Sarah Russo (five digs), Kristin Heath (four digs), Gallagher (four digs) and Catherine Donovan (two blocks) were a few players of the many players who excelled defensively in the win.

It was a good day for the Lakers to clinch the playoff spot too since the win came on senior night–and the Lakers are a senior-heavy squad. This year’s team has strong leadership with seven seniors on the roster: Lauren Hamilton and Abigail Gallagher, Heidi Banden, Sarah Russo, Alyssa Nelson, Michelle Vaughan and Kristin Heath. Making it to the playoffs this year was important for the Lakers because of how much varsity experience this team had accumulated.

The Lakers have some momentum headed into the postseason. They won three of their last four matches of the regular season

Lakers Football wins first playoff game 20-18

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For the second year in a row, the Silver Lake High football team won a playoff game.

This time, they defeated Dighton-Rehoboth, 20-18, in the first round of the MIAA Division 4 South playoff bracket in the last minute of their bout last Friday night.

With 52 seconds remaining in the game, the Lakers were able to take the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Tanner Boyd. Following the score, there was not enough time left on the clock for their opponent to respond. Before Boyd’s touchdown, the Lakers did not lead at any point in the game.

The Lakers’ defense set up that go-ahead scoring drive. Dighton-Rehoboth had a 4th-and-1 on the Lakers’ 42-yard line with about three minutes in the game and, unsurprisingly, they went for it. They did not convert, however. Linebacker Matt Powell, one of the Lakers’ captains, came up with a huge tackle for a loss to give his team a shot at a winning drive.

In the early part of the game, Dighton-Rehoboth was in control. They scored on a 55-yard run in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, they took advantage of a Lakers fumble in the red zone and turned that into a scoring drive to go up 12-0.

The Lakers did not get shut out in the first half; with less than a minute remaining, Boyd threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Ohlson to make it a 12-6 game.

Midway through the third quarter, Dighton-Rehoboth intercepted the Lakers and ran in a 23-yard touchdown the next play. The Lakers nulled the score though since Diamini Williams returned the next kickoff for a touchdown. Boyd then threw a 2-point conversion pass to Ohlson, to make the score 18-14.

The Lakers move on to face Milton in the second round of the playoffs on the road (Friday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m. start time).

Major storm leaves its mark on area towns

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A tree speared through a mobile home at 19 Sycamore Drive in the Halifax Mobile Home Estates. The couple who lived in the home was not hurt. There was no one at the mobile home when an Express Reporter knocked at the door on Monday.

The interior of the mobile unit received significant damage with the harpoon like branch forcing itself straight down into the structure crushing the toilet in half.  The couple was asleep less than ten feet from the impact, according to Fire Chief Jason Viveiros

“We had two pretty significant incidents. Luckily there were no injuries, said  Viveiros .

Around midnight Sunday Halifax resident Jim Chandler, 33, fell asleep on his couch only to be awoken by the sounds of tree branches ripping his home in half.

The loft area of the cottage style home on Wood Street took the brunt of the impact, dangling wet limbs over his head as he woke, fleeing his home to call for help.

With support from his parents Jim and Faith Chandler of Whitman he picked through his belongings on Monday when the sun began to shine.

Still feeling the emotions of the night and purely running on adrenaline he tried to remain positive.

“I found my cat. I am glad I am OK. We are going to salvage what we can, “said Chandler.

His parents who also were feeling sleep deprived helped stuff what they could in a van until the cleanup could begin.

Luck may have been on his side, but mom feels having ‘faith’ may have played a part as well, just happy their son was OK . They were lining up tree removal and picking through clothes, things they could focus on at the moment as the wind still blew on Monday.

Shaken by the rude awakening and the events of the storm he said forgetting the sounds of the night may take a bit longer to forget.

Plympton Firefighters and police were nonstop throughout the night and early morning with storm related downed power lines and  tree damage. They responded to a  total of 22 storm related calls as well as regular medical calls.  There were no reported injuries related to the storm, said Fire Chief Warren Borsari. 

A significant incident for the department brought them back to 108  Brook Street for over three hours on Tuesday after a large oak tree fell, tangling primary wires and causing a telephone pole fire near the transformer.

A hole had been burned through the pole when they finally could get close to it after power was shut down.

“We cordoned off the area and the power was killed remotely by EverSource so we could extinguish the fire, said Borsari.

Residents experienced a temporary two to three hour power loss but most were restored as of Tuesday afternoon.

Grove and Lake  street saw a black out early in the storm when a large tree pulled the primary service wires down into the main road causing just one of the major outages that needed attention for Plympton.

Still part of the peak storm with winds howling, teams of tree crews and bucket trucks for numerous cable, electric and landscapers could be seen cleaning up throughout the day.

One local company had a close call while cleaning up as part of a split tree landed on their truck and trailer blocking West Street near house 27. Fire and police stood by to block access to several streets as electric crews restored power.

“We worked seamlessly with  police and  highway as we always do,” Borsari .

Selectmen hear solar proposal for Silver Lake campus

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The Silver Lake Regional School District is considering a parking lot solar project with Hopkinton, Mass. based Solect Energy in the parking lots of the high school and middle school.

Plympton’s representative to the Silver Lake Regional School District Jason Fraser discussed the proposed project with the Plympton Board of Selectmen at its meeting on Monday.

According to Fraser, the project involves building solar canopies in the high school and middle school parking lots. He said Solect estimates the canopies providing up to 2 megawatts of energy.

Fraser said, “This is purely a revenue generating idea.”  The school is already in a contract for a solar power plan, so this energy would not be used for the school itself. Fraser also reminded the Board that a yes vote would not bind the school committee to denying the project later on.

The Board of Selectmen asked Fraser several questions about the project. Selectman John Traynor asked if any parking spots would be eliminated from the project. He said his only real concerns were aesthetic.

Fraser said the district shares concerns about how the project would affect the appearance of the lots and it was an important factor going forward. He said he’s taken the time to visit the sites of other lots where Solect has done this sort of work.

Though he hasn’t heard any negatives, Fraser said this would be by far Solect’s biggest project in the state. This, according to Fraser, is mostly due to the size of the parking lot. He also said no parking spots would be lost in this plan.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy asked about the estimated revenue this project would provide, but as of right now, that figure is unknown. “I’d love to tell you a revenue number,” said Fraser, “but we aren’t there yet.”

There will be a public meeting to discuss the pros and cons of the solar project on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Potential Budget Increase for Silver Lake Regional School District

According to Fraser, the Silver Lake Regional School District’s budget could go up by roughly $200,000, due to an increase in the number of students in the district.

Fraser told  selectmen, “This is all the more reason for additional revenue.” (referring to the solar project)

Plympton used to have a stabilization fund for school budget increases, but Fraser said this fund was eliminated by a vote at a previous town meeting.

Housing Production Plan Update

The Housing Production Survey deadline passed on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. Joy said that in total, the survey yielded 82 respondents. At the meeting, she publicly thanked those who participated and was happy with the amount of people who did.

Joy said that the Housing Production Planning Committee will review the results at its next meeting on Wednesday, November 1, 2017. The committee is using last Wednesday’s meeting as well as future meetings to shape Plympton’s housing production plan.

Other News

• Selectmen said they are currently in contract negotiations with Plympton’s new Town Administrator, Elizabeth Dennehy.

• More interviews for Municipal Resources Inc.’s study of the Fire Department are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4. Traynor said the interviews are “moving forward.”

The Board of Selectmen started exploring suggestions for the name change of the Winnetuxet Swimming Hole. Some suggestions were discussed however, nothing is concrete.

This is still very much in the preliminary stages. Some of the suggestions discussed included: Old Winnetuxet Swimming Hole, Winnetuxet Fishing Hole, Winnetuxet Recreation Pond, and Winnetuxet Cotton Mill Pond. The Board of Selectmen said they are going to let this sit for a little while.

The next meeting of the Plympton Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6. Open session starts at 6 p.m.

Lakers Football falls to Whitman-Hanson 43-20

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The Silver Lake High football team met another one of the Patriot League Keenan Division’s top teams last Friday night on the road, and they were unable to stop the team’s potent dual-threat quarterback: Ethan Phelps.

The Lakers fell, 43-20, to the Whitman-Hanson football team in their last game. As a result, the Lakers finished the regular season at 4-3, but have lost three of their last four games.

Their opponent scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to go up 14-6 by the end of it, but the Lakers had a pick six from Gavin Hamilton on defense that got them on the scoreboard.

While the defensive touchdown appeared to indicate the Lakers might have an answer for their opponent in the second quarter, the read-option offense was too much for them to handle.

Their opponent would score three touchdowns before the end of the first half to take a 35-6 lead.

The Lakers offense showed some life in the second half, however. On their first drive of the third quarter, they were able to score on a 33-yard touchdown run from Dan Collins. Then, quarterback Tanner Boyd ran in the 2-point conversion to make it a 35-14 game.

It would not take the Lakers much time to get on the scoreboard again. Cam Danahy recovered a fumble at the Lakers’ 38-yard line, giving his team solid field position to start their next drive.

They drove the ball down-field and Phil Lashley finished the drive with a touchdown run from a yard out to make the score 35-20 midway and The Lakers move on to face Dighton-Rehoboth at home in the first round of the MIAA Division 4 South playoff bracket (Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m.).

Halifax’s Paul Beatty is top offensive player for WPI soccer team

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Any time that a Division 1 athlete joins a Division 3 program, good things are most likely going to follow. That has been the case for one of the top soccer players in Silver Lake history.

Halifax native Paul Beatty, graduated from Silver Lake High in 2014 and spent two seasons as a member of the UMass Lowell soccer team. This season, however, he returned to the college soccer scene at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and has been a force on his team’s attack.

In 14 games for WPI this season, he has been his team’s top offensive player. The redshirt sophomore leads the team with 15 points scored and is tied for a team-high six goals with his former Silver Lake teammate, Kingston native Brendan Nemes, a senior on the team.

In September, Beatty’s excellence was recognized when he was named the NEWMAC’s Men’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week. He earned the honor after he scored both of his team’s goals in a 2-1 win over Babson College on Sept. 16.

Given the success he enjoyed in high school, Beatty’s emergence this season should come as no surprise. After all, he set a school record when he scored 37 goals for the Lakers in 2013, his senior year. That same year, he was named the Patriot League MVP.

After his highly-successful high school career, Beatty went to UMass Lowell, but he redshirted his freshman year in 2014. In his redshirt freshman year in 2015, however, he earned some playing time for the Riverhawks, making 14 appearances and accumulating two points (one goal and an assist). Following that season, he took a year off from the college soccer scene before coming back into it this season.

After the 2017 season, Beatty has two more years of eligibility remaining so if he stays at WPI, he will most likely continue to tear up the competition.

Happy Dragon hopes to open in November

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Jessica Zeoli

Express correspondent

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday night to discuss the pledge of an alcoholic license for Happy Dragon which is planning to open its doors the first week of November. The selectmen signed off on the pledge, all in favor of it.

Friends of HOPS met in front of the board in order to discuss the date for the upcoming 5k which they decided will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2018. There will only be a 5k for all ages, instead of also including the 1k for children which they have done previous years. The board discussed possible complications holding the event on a Sunday could bring, such as overcrowding of Plymouth Street since services at the church will occur around the same time, but briefly touched upon designated spots for the church and for the 5k event.

Along with the 5th annual 5k for HOPS, they have also discussed a possible brick fundraiser which will act as its final fundraising campaign. They are planning to work with Bricks ‘R’ Us, as well as interested sponsors or families in the town to create memorial bricks and multiple benches which would face in towards the playground located next to the library. It would act as a place for people to sit, as well as provide some sort of barrier and protection from drivers. Updates on this campaign will be provided in a meeting to follow on Nov. 20 at 7:30p.m.

Joy Blackwood, the superintendent for Silver Lake Public Schools, spoke to the board regarding a solar panel plan to be installed at the Middle School and High School to increase revenue. Although the project is still in its planning stage, the superintendent discussed teaming up with SOLEC, an energy company, to install a canopy of solar panels above the parking lots and possibly above bleachers. “The company has already looked over the High/Middle school property and estimates needing 4-5 months to create a serious plan and placement for these panels which would provide 2 megawatts of energy for the schools, the largest project in the state for school grounds,” stated Blackwood.

Special legislation is needed to lease the land to the solar company, which will be discussed in an upcoming school committee meeting Thursday, Nov. 9.

The board quickly approved the Boy Scout’s request to use the town green on Saturday, Nov. 18, for their bottle and can redemption fundraiser.

Paula Hatch met with the board to discuss possible funding for Special Education and proposed a stabilization fund which would allow remaining money from other expenses such as electric, to be transferred into this fund. Selectman Kim Roy stated how our current strategy is already working so well and that the remaining money may not even be significant enough to overpower the fees of that account, since it was stated by Blackwood that the remaining funds would only be about 2% of the school districts income. With this being said, the board declined this action but is still excited to see what future programs are to come for Silver Lake Middle and High School Special Education.

Site plans were changed in regard to the exterior remodeling of Dunkin Donuts located at 355 Plymouth Street, Halifax. It was stated that after the approval of the Department of Health, that seating is to be placed within the facility as well.

Plans to add speed limit signs for Hudson Street are in action pending approval of the Department of Safety that meets Wednesday night.

Summer Schmaling asked selectmen for their opinions regarding creating a position for a department head of maintenance for all schools of the Silver Lake district. Members of the public, as well as fellow custodians, discussed how the work would be too strenuous, as the position would require the up-keep of fourteen schools. The job raised questions about transportation for the person filling the position from building to building, as well as healthcare benefits, which directed the board to drop the suggestion.

The meeting ended with some great news —  a new candidate for the open full-time position of Patrol Officer for Halifax. Michelle McRae was brought forth, where the members discussed her exceptional resume and agreed to bring her on board following her completion of the police academy, testing, and a physical and drug test.  As Selectman Thomas Millias stated, “It’s nice to be presented with someone extremely qualified for the position.”

The next scheduled selectman’s meeting is for next Tuesday, Oct. 31.   

Plympton Housing survey ends Oct. 31

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Selectmen Chair Christine Joy and liaison to the Plympton Housing Production Plan Committee, said the committee is seeking new ways to increase citizen engagement.

The Plympton Housing Production Plan Committee’s primary focus is creating a development plan for the production of homes. Joy said it will “serve as a roadmap for expanding the diversity of residence options in town.”

Plympton was awarded a grant from the Old Colony Planning Council to create a housing production plan with the Council’s assistance. The state has specific guidelines for housing production plans that ensure affordable housing for moderate and low-income residents.

The committee is looking for ways to get the community involved in these decisions. Joy said, “The recently formed Plympton Housing Production Plan Committee (HPPC), is rolling up its sleeves to deliver its plan to the state by the end of 2017, but it hopes that all adult residents will participate in the process through any or all of the following: complete the Housing Production Plan Survey, attend the informational session, ask questions, and/or make suggestions.”

The survey is available until Tuesday, October 31, 2017. It can be accessed online at www.surveymonkey.com.plymptonHPP.

The committee will host a question and answer session with the help of Old Colony Planning Council, on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town House to discuss current and future housing needs and trends in Plympton, the survey results, goals, key strategies for meeting these needs, and how they can be incorporated into the housing production plan.

Plympton         Celebrates Call   Fire Fighter George      Colby’s Retirement

The Plympton Board of Selectmen at their meeting on Monday, hosted a retirement ceremony for Call Fire Fighter George Colbert.

Plympton’s fire department as well as State Representative Thomas Calter attended and presented Colby with a pin for his 40 plus years of service as a call firefighter. Colby’s wife Sandi brought coffee and baked cookies for a short celebration at the Selectmen’s meeting.

Representative Calter described Colby as, “One-part firefighter, one-part medic, and one-part counsel.” He said the bill to recognize Colby’s service passed unanimously in the Massachusetts Houseof Representatives.

Fire Chief Warren Borsari expressed his admiration for the service and dedication Colby gave to Plympton over the past four decades.  Chief Borsari said he still anticipates Colby remaining involved with the department in some capacity.

Helping train new firefighters was one area in particular where Borsari sees Colby being a valuable resource. Borsari said that there’s a lot of new firefighters with not a lot of experience in this area, especially Plympton and Halifax. He said having someone with Colby’s experience is a wonderful thing.

In particular, Borsari was impressed that these years were spent as a call firefighter. Borsari said, “To be a call firefighter stands above all else (in the fire department) in my opinion.”

In his retirement, Colby says he plans to travel and ride his motorcycle as much as he can. Colby is the state representative for the Red Knights Motorcycle Club, a group composed of firefighters and their families.

Over the years, Colby traveled the United States on his motorcycle multiple times. He plans to take his wife to many of the places he’s visited on his many trips.

Asked about his retirement, Colby said, “It will be different, but I will never be far from a scanner.”

First Town Administrator Named

The Plympton Board of Selectmen announced the hiring of Elizabeth Dennehy as the community’s first Town Administrator.

Dennehy has more than 10 years of experience in municipal government, including serving as the Community Development Director in Walpole and as Planning Director and Environmental Affairs Officer in Fall River.

“We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Dennehy as Plympton’s first Town Administrator, “said Selectmen Chair Christine Joy. “Her skills, experience, and local knowledge will prove beneficial to the Plympton municipal team and will help us to achieve continued success for the community.”

Dennehy, of Raynham, was one of two finalists for the position. The second finalist, Joshua Garcia of Holyoke, currently works for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, where he serves as a manager of municipal services focusing on smaller-population communities.

“We were highly impressed with the qualifications of both finalists,” Chairman Joy said. “It was a difficult decision for the board.”

There was a total of 38 applicants for the position. The Board of Selectmen were supported in the search by a seven-member Town Administrator Screening Committee and by Community Paradigm Associates, a municipal consulting firm that focuses on assisting communities with such services as executive recruiting, strategic planning, municipal finance, economic development, and leadership training.

Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo expressed satisfaction with the job done by the consulting firm they used. Russo said, “Community Paradigm did a really wonderful job.”

Other News

• Boy Scout Frankie Perfetuo of Troop 53 came before the Board of Selectmen to follow-up on his Eagle Scout project. Perfetuo is building two benches for the Town Green, made from recycled materials and will face the street near the Gazebo.

• Selectmen made a formal recommendation that all boards and committees change the way they use acronyms in their public documents. Selectman John Traynor said boards should stop using acronyms, particularly when first introducing something. He said that most residents probably don’t know what the acronym means, so the Board prefers that the word be spelled out first with the acronym in parentheses before the acronym is used in the rest of the document.

• The next meeting of the Plympton Board of Selectmen is Monday, Oct. 30. Open session starts at 6 p.m.