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Soule Homestead hosts Kerri Powers and Tom Smith

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By Elizabeth Moura

Special to Express

MIDDLEBORO- Safe to say acoustic guitarist and singer Kerri Powers was born to perform.

A shy, creative kid, she started composing her own songs at age nine, encouraged by her visual artist mother and an equally supportive father. The family musical legacy couldn’t have been more conducive to her dreams: her father’s family is distantly related to Bing Crosby, and her paternal grandmother played piano accompaniment to silent film screenings.

After marriage, a divorce and raising her son, she returned to performing at many venues, including the Boston Folk Festival and Philadelphia Folk Festival, and touring Europe as the opening act for Canadian Fred Eaglesmith.

Listening to her play and sing “Tallulah Send a Car for Me” shows off her rich, low voice, with a little Joplin gravel mixed in. Her folk music stories are Americana everyone will relate to, particularly women who have experienced similar life lessons.

07-21-17 Soule Homestead - Kerri Powers

Longtime folk singer and self-described “humdinger,” Tom Smith has been writing songs and performing since the 1960’s, but he’s a 21st century man. “The Kitchen Musician,” his blog, is filled with musings about his songs and recordings. They are, he writes, “intended to recreate the feeling of sharing self-made music with friends around the kitchen table.”

Smith says the songs often “change and mature even after I share them.” His blog is popular, with 140 videos viewed 145,000 times.

Smith’s performing style is as friendly as his blog, and in his 2007 video “A Prayer for Peace,” the audience joins in the refrain as he asks for a shared peace and a willingness to walk away from violence.

All these years, Smith has written and shared songs full of his experiences and many of them are our experiences. He’s a kindly, gentle sage with a gift for reaching as deep into his listeners as he reaches into himself.

Kerri Powers and Tom Smith at Soule Homestead, 46 Soule Street, Middleboro. July 22, 6 p.m. Admission $10 per person, under 16 admitted free. Ample parking. Concert performed rain or shine, moving indoors if necessary.

Plympton Selectmen projector proposals hearhelookproposalsPellowe and discuss plan for interactive projector in the meeting room

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The Board of Selectmen met with Silver Lake Regional School District Technology Director Steve Pellowe to discuss the potential installation of a projector in the meeting room. Selectmen, at their meeting on Monday, July 17, said this will make presentations easier and allow those watching at home on television the ability to see any presentations made before the Board.

Pellowe presented two different options for projectors to the Board of Selectmen and said he has good plans for proceeding with either. The choice presented to the Board was whether to use an interactive smartboard or a non-interactive projector. In addition, another interactive option was discussed which uses a LCD television screen.

The interactive system has pens that allow you to take notes with dry erase markers. Pellowe said you can save these notes, annotate them, highlight certain points in a slide show, and even post the annotated versions to the town website. According to Pellowe, the interactive television allows this sort of note-taking, but uses electronic pens rather than dry erase markers.

The Board of Selectmen asked how much more an interactive system would cost. Pellowe didn’t have an exact number, but gave a “ballpark estimate” of about $600 more for the interactive system. Selectmen John Traynor said they will need to get a quote on the interactive system.

Board of Selectmen Chair Christine Joy asked if the projections would show up well for television viewers at home. Pellowe said, “Projectors tape pretty well and are used at School Committee meetings.” The cameraman from Area 58 TV also added his input saying he can get a shot of the wall for the proposed projector location without issues.

One potential part of the proposal the Board of Selectmen wanted to stay away from was using a carted mobile projector. Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo listed four problems with mobile: “Time, money, placement, and responsibility.” All members of the Board mentioned responsibility and had worries about the mobile cart not being put back in the same location.

After the Board receives a quote from Pellowe, they plan to decide on which type of projector to get.

Dog Complaint Update

The Board of Selectmen received the full report of the dog bite incident on 73 Mayflower Road from Animal Control Officer Frank Bush. The incident was first addressed at the Board of Selectmen Meeting on Monday, July 10, 2017.

Selectman Mark Russo said that allegedly the victim was on the dog owner’s property for real estate purposes and was taking pictures. When first brought up at the July 10 meeting, what happened was not entirely conclusive.

Frank Bush’s report said the three dogs’ quarantines are now over and all three dogs are in healthy condition. However, it’s still unclear which dog or if any of the three was the one that bit the victim, making it difficult to conduct a dog hearing.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she doesn’t want to just let the incident go because there are children who live in the area and wants to be positive that no one, especially children, are at risk. According to the Board Selectmen, the Board of Health was also involved with the proceedings because there was a quarantine to prevent any potential spread of rabies. The Board of Selectmen will ask the Board of Health their course of action before the Selectmen make any proceedings.

Assistant Assessor Deb Stuart met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the ongoing Solar project and how the assessors recommend going forth with a valuation approach. Stuart said she recommends going with the income approach rather than basing it on property value.

Stuart said, “I don’t know any town using it (the personal property valuation approach).”She also told the Board that there’s more recourse the town can take if needed, using the income approach. Stuart also said that this is what the Board of Assessors recommends.

Selectman Chair Joy reminded anyone who was newly voted, appointed, or volunteered to a board or committee must be sworn in before they can vote on their respective board/committee. This can be done by seeing Town Clerk Tara Shaw in her office.

Joy also announced she emailed former Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson’s contact, Mina Heidi. Heidi is a professor at Northeastern University who teaches grant writing. The Board wants to explore the possibility of having Heidi’s students work on town grants as projects for the students.

South Shore Equine Clinic Welcomes Dr. Owen

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South Shore Equine Clinic and Diagnostic Center of Plympton is welcoming Dr. Caitlin Owen, the newest member of the clinic’s veterinary team.

Dr. Owen is an equine veterinarian with dual certifications.

She attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she obtained a bachelors degree in animal science. 

While at UMass, she studied abroad in the west of Ireland where she rode a variety of different horse breeds and fell in love with the country.    

When it came time to choose a veterinary school, Europe was calling.  Dr. Owen completed her veterinary degree at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland.  As a veterinary student, she was able to travel and learn from equine clinicians all over the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. 

South Shore Equine Clinic was one of the places visited as an extern and that experience clearly left a good impression!  After graduation she was again drawn across the Atlantic to Ireland, where she completed an equine hospital internship in the heart of Thoroughbred racing country.

Growing up in Groton, Dr. Owen is excited to be working back home in Massachusetts at South Shore Equine Clinic. 

Dr. Owen treats a wide scope of conditions including foals, imaging, colic, and a range of other emergency and critical care situations.

Selectmen choose Community Paradigm to help hire new TA

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Plympton Selectmen chose Community Paradigm Associates as the firm to help the town hire its first town administrator. After interviewing three different firms since getting the funds appropriated for the position at May’s Annual Town Meeting, the Board settled on a firm at its meeting Monday, July 10, 2017.

Community Paradigm Associates is Bernard Lynch’s private practice for hiring consulting. The Board interviewed him at their meeting Monday, June 26, 2017.

Lynch, whose practice has only existed for three years, sold himself to the Board by citing his 30 years of experience in municipal government, most notably as the city manager for Lowell, eight years as well as Chelmsford for 20 years.

Selectmen were impressed by this experience, and all three members cited this as a reason for choosing his firm. Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo checked all the references for Community Paradigm, as well as the Collins’ Center and Municipal Resources and came away impressed with all three, but the enthusiasm surrounding Community Paradigm was particularly impressive to him.

Russo said that Community Paradigm’s references referred to Bernard Lynch as “a match-maker who knows the state so well.”  Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she gravitated towards Community Paradigm because of his experience, approach, and low cost.

Originally, Selectman John Traynor named Municipal Resources as his first choice. Traynor said, “We need to professionalize how we go forward and they can help with that.” Russo said that Municipal Resources’ references cited the organization’s professionalism as a strength.

Traynor also liked Community Paradigm and said he was convinced by the opinions of Russo and Joy to make it a unanimous vote. Former Selectman Colleen Thompson, who was still a board member for the interview with the Collin’s group and sat in on the meetings with Municipal Resources and Community Paradigm,  also preferred Community Paradigm because of how much they wanted to involve the community. Thompson said, “That’s important to us.” Selectmen unanimously voted to begin negotiations with Community Paradigm Associates.

Potholes and dust    on Montello Street

Selectmen scheduled an appointment with Highway Surveyor Jim Mulcahy to discuss the ongoing issues with potholes and dust on Montello Street. Discussions about potentially paving the road were discussed in a preliminary way.

A group of citizens who live on and around Montello Street were led by Kristin Fichtenmayer to discuss the road conditions at the open meeting. Fitchenmayer said the potholes are a major concern and that on average, there are 56 potholes at a time. She described the ones at 6 and 15 Montello Street as completely unavoidable.

Other concerns of hers was the amount of dust picking up since Montello is a dirt road. She said she had environmental concerns over the larger pickups. She also said the width of the road is problematic because cars cannot get by if a school bus is on the street.

Fitchenmayer said she’s understanding of Plympton’s being a small rural town, but wanted to know how the town will go forward. She said, “We want to know what’s the plan?” Fitchenmayer said that her husband Eric, also in attendance, is an EMS for Carver, and all of these factors make getting out on calls difficult.

Highway Surveyor Jim Mulcahy said he’s aware of Fitchenmayer’s concerns and agrees the Highway Department can spray the road more often in order to limit some of the dust pickup. Right now the department, is grading the road three times per year.

Mulcahy said they can grade the road five to seven times per year without stretching thin a small crew. He said, “We’re very aware and trying to stay on track of what’s happening in Carver. The town does want to eventually pave the road he said, but that discussion was agreed to be tabled until the Carver Urban Renewal Plan finishes its permitting process.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she will try to reach out to Carver for more information for Fitchenmayer and the other residents. Joy said traffic studies are currently being done and the area of the study has been expanded. She said, “The Old Colony Planning Council has been very active.”

Potential dog      hearing soon

A recent complaint surfaced about a German Sheppard biting an individual at 73 Mayflower Road. According to Christine Joy, the bite looks serious and warrants a dog hearing.

Selectman Mark Russo said that allegedly the victim was on the dog owner’s property for real estate purposes and was taking pictures. However, the report is still inconclusive. The owner has three dogs and its unclear which dog bit the victim.

Selectmen John Traynor said the owner is claiming none of his dogs were the one who bit the victim and right now, there isn’t any evidence at this time. Findings and recommendations are needed from the Animal Control Officer before the Board of Selectmen will proceed.

Other News

An employment section has been added to the town website. The Fire Department plans to post their open clerical help position here as well as around the Town House.

The next Board of Selectmen’s meeting is Monday, July 17. Open session starts at 6 p.m.

Barking Dogs at it again!

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen received noise complaints from neighbors about dogs barking in the early morning at the Tarawood Kennel. Town Administrator Charles Seelig informed the Board of these complaints at the selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, July 11, 2017.

Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy said there haven’t been any other complaints about noise this year. Roy did however visit the area and verified with other neighbors that they could hear dogs barking in the early hours of the morning. Those neighbors had no complaints though because they recently installed new air conditioning and no longer keep the windows open at night.

According to the Board, Tarawood Kennel is due for a random inspection with the town’s animal control officer Noreen Callahan, a requirement before recertifying a kennel’s permit.

ACO Callahan told selectmen she had attempted inspections on two separate occasions this year, but both times failed to get access to the property. Both times, the gate was closed without anyone there to let Callahan in. All members of the Board expressed concern about the gate preventing the kennel’s inspections from being random as they are required to be.

The board is taking the issue seriously and is looking at a potential hearing  to exploring all options before any licensing reissuance can be done. Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy said that there are questions that need to be answered first. She said, “What means is she (the Tarawood Kennel owner) taking to deal with noise?”

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias said he is concerned about access keeping a random inspection from happening. He said, “We aren’t trying to do these inspections at two in the morning.” Millias said they want to do it at a reasonable work hour.

Kim Roy said that Bobbi Harmon of Tarawood Kennels claims she tried reaching out to Callahan by phone on a couple of occasions, but never heard a response. However, according to the Board, Callahan attempted to contact Harmon several times and claimed her message box was full.

The Board members all said they’d like to get this taken care of with an inspection this week and a future hearing, but are exploring other measures if necessary. Chair Millias mentioned the possibility of a search warrant, but the board does not want to take this step if they do not have to.

Senior Tax

Work off Program

The Board of Selectmen voted to increase the maximum married couple income for the Senior Tax Work off Program from $50,000-60,000. Council on Aging Director Barbara Brenton met with the Board to make this proposal.

Brenton did surveys of other towns who use the tax program including Duxbury and Bourne. The surveys showed that the maximum allowed income was up and down throughout the state.

Brenton said the town has two unused slots for this program that gives tax relief to seniors in need. She admitted that advertising the program has been a challenge and are hoping this will help some people qualify who may not have previously.

Selectmen Vice-chair Kim Roy suggested putting a slip with details about the program in seniors’ tax bill, which the rest of the Board as well as Brenton thought was a good idea. However, Selectmen Clerk Troy Garron said that they would have to check with town tax collector before doing so. The Board also suggested Area 58 Community Access as an opportunity for better promotion.

Electrical Aggregation Update

Chairman Thomas Millias said the electrical aggregation agreement with Colonial Powers goes into effect on September 1, 2017. The aggregation gives residents of Halifax an option for lower rates outside of National Grid.

The rates will be 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour until November 17, 2017. After that, rates are expected to go up to 10.87 cents per kilowatt hour for around three to four months. According to Town Administrator Charles Seelig, this increased rate will still be less than what National Grid raises their rates to during the winter months.

Citizens will be allowed to opt out of the aggregation program if they like. Information will be mailed and will include a post card that residents can check off and send if they wish to opt out of the program.

Other News

The Board of Selectmen received requests asking if the town could hire someone to weed the Margaret Fitzgerald Garden located on the Town Green this summer. These requests are being explored in a preliminary manner.

Town Administrator Charles Seelig said he plan to speak with the Finance Committee about using a contractor for this service rather than creating a new position. Seelig said that temporary hiring can be difficult because of pay grading.

Thomas Millias and Kim Roy also brought up there are complications with paying for unemployment when it comes to temporary positions.  Kim Roy also wants committee input. She said, “I would suggest that the beautification committee be involved with this.”

The HOPS Playground grant was scheduled to be completed for Wednesday July, 12, 2017. Town Administrator Charles Seelig said that things are on schedule with the grant.

Halifax Time Capsule 1984

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Susan Basile,

Halifax Historian

On July 15, 1984 the residents of Halifax buried a time capsule. It’s been said the site would be recorded in Plymouth and mentioned in the next year’s Town Report as well as in the Town Clerk’s Records of 1984. (No one remembers where the last time capsule, buried on July 5, 1934, was buried. Everyone had learned a lesson from that.)

The big question back then, as it is today is, “What happened to the 1934 records?” Some say they were buried in the front of the Town Hall. Some say they were buried at the base of the chimney at the United Church of Christ/Congregational Church. There are those that said they were never buried. Much search with Geiger counters and divinity rods was undertaken to no avail.

The Highway Surveyor at the time was Ralph Hayward and he was to see that the capsule’s cap was cemented in place. What everyone thought would take but a few minutes took an hour. The bottom of the cement case had water in it. The Fire Department came equipped with a generator and a pump, but it was not long enough so the next step the Fire Department took was to use a mop – it worked! The water was removed and finally the patient, hot and thirsty groups were rewarded with the capsule being lowered but up it came again – a rope was needed to lower it with ease. A bag of various items was also put in on top of the capsule which had such items as: Town Report; a letter from the White House; Telegram from Halifax, Nova Scotia; a program for the week’s activities; 1984 calendar; a tax bill; letter to citizens of 2034 to name a few. The cover was sealed with cement and now we wait until July 2034 when the town will celebrate it’s 300th Anniversary.

Family Fun Day and Fireworks ‘17 go off without a hitch

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On Saturday, July 1, Halifax celebrated Independence Day with a family fun day and fireworks display. The event was made possible by donations and sponsors only.

Family fun day lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with many events for all ages. Volunteers, many students, helped staff the events. Fishing for rubber ducks, a corn hole toss, sack races, egg and spoon races, crafts, hula hoops, bounce houses, face painting, tie dying t-shirts, and a petting zoo were all activities that appealed to the large crowd.

Meanwhile, several contests were underway as well, including a bicycle decorating contest, a patriotic cake contest, a pie eating contest for several age groups and a patriotic baby contest (where everyone was a winner) for ages 0-2 were all popular.

Following the family fun day, crowds started gathering on the hill behind Halifax Elementary School, with children playing on the playground and running around everywhere beginning at around 6 p.m. Long lines began to develop at the various food vendors as people waited in excited anticipation of the fireworks at 9 p.m.

Before the evening got dark, pyrotechnic technicians were checking and double checking their equipment. Police wandered the crowd and helped people cross busy streets. The Halifax Fire Department prepared for any emergency.

Shortly after nine, to the strains of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” under cloudy skies and amongst fireflies, the fireworks spectacular began. As the show wore on, the bursts of light in the sky became larger and larger, ending in a mighty finale.

The only downside? Traffic getting home. But, the night was well worth the small inconvenience.

Biting back against tick threats

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He started off by saying that even the Dalai Lama hates ticks. While that is difficult to verify, it could be true — but Buddhist teaching frowns on the killing of any living thing.

By the end of entomologist Larry Dapsis’ talk “One Bite Can Change Your Life,” at the WHRHS Performing Arts Center Wednesday, June 28, one could assume few came away with a Buddhist outlook on the issue of ticks and the infectious diseases they help spread, but they had some advice on how to prevent being bitten.

“This is a beautiful summer evening, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than by having a very robust discussion of infectious diseases,” he said.

The talk, sponsored by the Plymouth County Beekeepers Association focused on protecting oneself, one’s yard and pets from pathogens that cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis relapsing fever and Powassan virus carried by ticks found in the region. Dapsis holds degrees in environmental science from Fitchburg State University and in entomology from UMass, Amherst. He has worked with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Service for six years and 24 years in the cranberry industry with Ocean Spray before that. He stressed that, prior to joining the Cooperative Extension Service, he had little experience with ticks.

“I had a very vertical learning curve,” he said. “To address that, I read everything I could get my paws on, and talked with a ton of people. I had to figure out what the landscape really looked like.”

Even the word “tick” elicits a visceral response from people.

“When I say people hate them, I mean everybody hates them,” he said invoking the Dalai Lama. “When a gentle soul like the Dalai Lama turns his back on a form of life on this planet, that is a headline.”

Dapsis said the Dalai Lama had tweeted out his disdain for ticks a few years ago. True or not, who could blame him?

The six New England states rank in the top spots on most lists for the incidence of Lyme disease in the United States over several three-year average studies.

“If there is any question that we are living at Ground Zero with this problem, this should take it off the table right away,” he said.

While Barnstable County used to regularly rank at the top for Lyme in the state, Plymouth County has overtaken Barnstable in that statistic.

Part of the credit for Barnstable’s improvement has been its aggressive work against the Lyme vector.

He has advocated the hiring of an entomologist for Plymouth County, and that position has been budgeted with the expectation that one should be hired by this fall.

During a question session after his talk, Dapsis was careful to point out he is not qualified to answer medical questions, but focused on how the insects spread diseases. While he focused on deer ticks, Dapsis noted that climate change has brought more aggressive pests such as the Lone Star tick — which hails from Texas as the name implies — and the illnesses they carry.

“We’re seeing plants and animals where we never used to see them before,” he said, noting that three years ago, the first established population of Lone Star ticks was found on the Massachusetts mainland at Sandy Neck Beach Park in West Barnstable.

Samples from the six-mile stretch revealed that Lone Star ticks “own that area” which is in a migratory bird flyway.

The concern with the Lone Star ticks is that they can see prey and run toward it, unlike the blind deer tick that has to “quest” for hosts on the end of vegetation.

“This is an aggressive biter,” Dapsis said of the Lone Star, known for laying eggs in clusters of thousands which hatch into hard-to-see nymphs that stick together. “Within minutes you can get overwhelmed with hundreds of bites and the older stages are also very aggressive. … They can run with spider-like speed. If they can see you, they’re going to chase you.”

The main danger of the Lone Star tick is that it spreads diseases such as erlichiosis and other illnesses, an http://www.tickencounter.org/images/Amblyomma_americanum.jpg can trigger a red meat allergy.

That includes any foods, including marshmallows, made with red meat or its components.

“This can range from hives to anaphylactic shock,” he said.

Once attached to a host, all ticks secrete a glue-like material to hold themselves in place until its feeding cycle, which can last for days if not detected and removed, is complete.

That cycle includes the secretion of anticoagulants into the host to ease feeding on blood as well as agents to deaden nerves to help prevent detection.

Some animals like mice, rabbits and birds known as competent hosts can harbor the Lyme disease bacteria and transfer it back into the tick population. People are among the incompetent hosts that cannot infect a tick, but are a food source for the insects.

How to protect yourself?

Dapsis advocates the liberal use of insect repellent since the highest rate of Lyme is among children ages 5 to 9 and in the senior population, who have the time to be outside. New England winters are not harsh enough to harm ticks in the winter and synthesize glycerol, a natural anti-freeze, to protect them from the cold.

Repellants are the first line of defense.

Dapsis is not a fan of all-natural products because they are not always EPA-registered. Products with DEET, eucalyptus oil or, to his preference — permethrin — which is used for treating fabric and footwear.

“It’s a real attitude adjuster,” he said. “This is the most effective tool in the box.”

Products like K-9 Advantix or Frontline or tick repellent collars can help protect your pet from the vectors. Check with your vet to determine what is best for cats.

Removing a tick should be done with pointed tweezers, grasping the insect at the head easing it out backwards.

“If you crush that tick, you just might give yourself a nasty infection,” Dapsis said. “A tick gut is full of microbes.”

Most people flush the tick down the toilet.

Instead, keep the tick, date it, and if possible send it to a lab such as the entomology department at UMass, Amherst (see tickreport.com) to determine what microbes it might be carrying. You may not test positive for an illness a tick carries, he said, but it is a “starting point for a conversation with your doctor.”

18-year old hurt in fireworks accident

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Jared Alden, an 18-year-old from Halifax underwent medical treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after a firecracker exploded in his hand Saturday night around 11:30 p.m.

Halifax Fire and EMS responded to the 911 call on Carver Street to find the young man with extensive hand injuries sustained when picking up the device, according to Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

The firework was ignited but did not go off immediately. Alden picked it up and it exploded in his hand, the chief said.

Boston Med flight was called but they could not fly, due to the severe weather near Boston.

Halifax EMS transported the victim by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The surrounding hospitals do not have the resources for the type of injury the young man sustained, said Viveiros.

“The Halifax Fire Department is keeping the family and victim in our thoughts and prayers. We also would like to use this as a teachable moment that fireworks should be left to the professionals,” said Viveiros.

In a recent press release through the Mass.Gov website there are numerous examples of life altering injuries caused by fireworks.

Peter J. Ostroskey of the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office reminded all of the many dangers associated with fireworks.

“Already this year people have lost fingers lighting off illegal fireworks in Massachusetts,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “Have a fun but safe Fourth of July and leave the fireworks to the professionals,” he added

In a recent press release through the Mass.Gov website there are numerous examples of life altering injuries caused by fireworks.

Peter J. Ostroskey of the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office reminded all of the many dangers associated with fireworks.

“Already this year people have lost fingers lighting off illegal fireworks in Massachusetts,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “Have a fun but safe Fourth of July and leave the fireworks to the professionals,” he added.