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Heron Road hearing continues

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Halifax Selectmen met Tuesday April 25 continuing with Heron Road’s public street acceptance hearing which was continued from April 11.

At the last hearing, Selectmen Chairman Troy Garron told the board, “The only issue I have right now is that your neighbors or residents of the neighborhood weren’t notified because you were out of town.”

Rick Springer, from Century 21 Classic Gold in Carver sent out certified notices to the abutters, and said, “I received responses from 10 of the 19 abutters.“

A few of the abutters and residents of Heron Road were present for the hearing. One Heron Road resident said she’s new to the area and didn’t know Heron Road hasn’t been accepted as a public road yet. The Board welcomed her to Halifax and had abutters and residents explain some of their concerns.

One abutter, Joe Kennedy, voiced concern about trees that were left up near the easement that allows for proper drainage for Heron Road. Several trees were taken down along with a hill for the road’s drainage.

Joe says that trees were not removed near his property and are leaning towards his home. There is a lake nearby and wind from the lake already knocked down two trees near Kennedy’s house this past winter. Kennedy says that one of the trees came down and crushed his neighbor’s Jeep. He’s concerned the trees could fall on his home.

It turns out that the trees were not part of the easement. Rick Springer showed selectmen the trees are on the property of one of his neighbors and highlighted the area on a map he  showed the group.  With the trees being private property, selectmen were unsure if they could legally do anything about this issue. Garron suggested Kennedy try to work something out with his neighbor.

Peter Annis, who attended the April 21 hearing, addressed the issues he has with sidewalk in front of his home not being depressed to the same level as his driveway, making a bump coming out of his driveway. Selectmen vice-chairman Thomas Millias vistited Peter’s property and told his board, “It’s not impassable, but I agree it would be better if depressed.”  Annis asked selectmen to deny the approval until the sidewalk in front of his driveway is done.

Selectmen decided to hold off accepting Heron Road as a public street for the time being. They will meet with the Planning Board and make their final decision on Thursday, May 4, 2017.

Town Meeting News

Selectmen took some time to discuss planning for the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 8. The discussion was mostly procedural. Rather than discussing each article individually, the Board went over who is presenting and who is moving specific articles at Town Meeting.

The only article discussed in detail was Article 48 which establishes where recreational marijuana facilities could potentially go. Town Administrator Charles Seelig reiterated that Massachusetts law requires any recreational marijuana facility must be at least 500 feet away from any education/children center. Selectmen Clerk Kim Roy will speak on this article at Town Meeting.

Other News

• Selectmen voted to allow the Softball Team to put up signs at the softball fields near Vaughn Playground to stay off the fields. Newly seeded grass has been planted and the team is having trouble keeping people off the fields.

• A 50% down payment was approved for the Beatification Committee’s Margaret Fitzgerald Community Garden project. The Beautification Committee plans to have the garden ready for Memorial Day Weekend.

• Halifax will need to fill a position on the Wage and Personnel Board. Kathie Ballernini sent her resignation to the Board of Selectmen.

• Selectmen will nominate Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor for Town Clerk of the Year. This award is given out by the Town Clerk’s Association.

• No DUIs/OUIs were reported for any of Halifax’s bars for the first three months of 2017

The next Board of Selectmen Meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:30 PM. However, the Board is considering adding a meeting on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 to have one more before Town Meeting on Monday, May 8, 2017.

Running for a Cause

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04-21-17 Jocelyn at the Finish Line

 

Jocelyn Anderson of Plympton ran her first marathon Monday in Boston with Tedy’s Team, in support of the American Stroke Association. She raised almost $11,000 to help fund stroke research. She ran in memory of her father, John Anderson, who died after suffering a stroke 15 years ago.  Tedy Bruschi, a member of the New England Patriots, suffered a stroke at the age of 31 and has committed himself to being an advocate and inspiration for stroke survivors everywhere.   Jocelyn’s personal goal was to finish the race, raise awareness about stroke, help fund stroke research, and although it was dark when the finish line came into view, the light from her smile at meeting her goal was light enough.       

Lakers Baseball wins pitcher’s showdown

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Many people will pay more attention to what a team can do at the plate; in reality though, the offense does not need to work as hard or be as successful if the team receives a strong outing on the mound. In fact, if a team does not receive a strong outing from their pitcher, they might not be able to contend at all — no matter how much talent they have on offense.

For the Silver Lake High School baseball team, that pitching has been a major key to their success this season. On Tuesday, Apr. 11, the Lakers got locked up in a pitchers’ duel alongside the Plymouth South Panthers — and the Lakers pitching proved supreme. Taking it to extra innings on the road, they were able to come away with a 1-0 win at Forges Field. The win improved the Lakers to 3-0 on the season.

Dan Collins was sharp throughout, pitching a complete game and earning the win, which made his record 2-0. The starter tossed eight scoreless innings, struck out 15 batters and held the Panthers to just two hits.

The Lakers also could not do much offensively but once the final inning–the eighth inning–rolled around, they were able to do something.

Mike Quigley got on base via a walk and he ended up scoring the game-winning run. Aidan O’Neill smacked the game-winning hit up the middle to give the Lakers their 1-0 lead.

For most of the contest though, the Lakers offense was silent. They had a strong to score off with two men on base in the third inning with one man down, but a pair of strikeouts halted that effort.

Collins did not even allow a hit until there was one out in the fifth inning. He then intentionally walked a batter and followed that up with a strikeout to finish the inning.

The Lakers next home game is Monday, Apr. 24 against Hanover.

No candidate for Plympton selectman

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PLYMPTON – There are not many candidates to populate this year’s local election, according to Town Clerk Tara Shaw.   

With election on Saturday, May 20, the ballot has a lot of empty spaces.

No candidate seems willing to run for selectman, finance committee (3-year term) or planning board.   There are also no contests on the ballot that currently shows the following, unless any candidate withdraws before the April 20 deadline:

Assessor – 1 position:  Ethan Stiles for a three-year term, candidate for re-election.

Board of Health – 1 position: Brad Cronin, for a 3 – year term.

Constable – two positions: David E. Smith, candidate for re-election and Douglas Reese, both three-year terms.

Finance Committee – two positions for three-year terms: Lisa Hart, candidate for re-election is the only candidate.

Finance Committee – one position for a two year term: Steven Lewis is the only candidate.

Library Trustee – two positions for three-year terms: Louise Cosato is the only candidate.

Planning Board – one position for a five-year term: there are no candidates.

School Committee, Dennett Elementary School – two positions for three-year terms: Jason Fraser and Jon Wilhelmsen, both candidates for re-election.

Selectman – one position for a three-year term: there are no candidates.

Silver Lake Regional School Committee – one position for a three year term: Jason Fraser, candidate for re-election.

If any registered voter in Plympton would like to mount a write-in campaign for any position on the ballot, the Town Clerk’s office has all of the rules a candidate needs to follow in order for the election to be official.

Halifax town election preview

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Halifax voters will go to the polls on Saturday, May 13, to make their selection for elected offices and register their choice on the debt exclusion needed to make repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, replace its roof, some windows, and other items. Unlike an override, a debt exclusion does not remain a permanent part of the tax levy, it only lasts for the life of the debt.

The polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The positions appearing on the ballot are:

Board of Assessors, three-year term.  Vote for one.  John J. R. Shiavone is a candidate for re-election.  He is running unopposed.

Board of Health – Three year term, vote for one.  John W. Delano is a candidate for re-election.  He is running unopposed.

Highway Surveyor – Three-year term.  Vote for one: R. Steven Hayward and Michael J. Schleiff are both seeking election to this position.

Holmes Public Library, Board of Trustees: Two-year term. Vote for one.  Paul A. Delaney is seeking a two-year term.  He is running unopposed.

Holmes Public Library, Board of Trustees: Three-year term.  Vote for TWO: Meredith M. Goodwin, Ralph W. Goodwin, Jr.

Park Commissioner, three – year term.  Vote for ONE.  John D. Campbell and Michael J. Schleiff are candidates for this position.

Planning Board, four-year term.  Vote for ONE.  There are no candidates for this position.

Planning Board, five-year term.  Vote for ONE.  Gordon R. Andrews is a candidate for re-election.  He is running unopposed.

Board of Selectmen, three-year term.  Vote for ONE.  Troy E. Garron, candidate for re-election, is being challenged by former selectman Michael J. Schleiff.

Halifax Elementary School Committee, three-year term.  Vote for TWO: Robert W. Johnson, candidate for re-election, Edward J. Bryan, Alexander J. Meade, John P. Sexton, and Alison J. Vance, give a field of five from which two will be chosen.

Silver Lake Regional School Committee, three-year term.  Vote for ONE.  Edward W. Desharnais, Jr., a candidate for re-election, is running unopposed.

Board of Water Commissioners, three-year term.  Vote for ONE: Richard A. Clark, a candidate for re-election, is running unopposed.

Question: “Shall the Town of Halifax be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued to pay for the costs of repairs and renovations to the Halifax Elementary School, including but not limited to the fire suppression system, including but not limited to any architectural, engineering, and administrative work associated with this project?”

Girls Golf demolishes Falmouth

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Kathleen Drane

Coach

The Silver Lake Girls Golf Team notched their first win in a crushing victory over Falmouth at Halifax Country Club on Tuesday, April 11.

The entire squad won their matches, including the two tie-breakers sr. Bea Haens 2-up  and sophomore Emma Lee Deeley 1-up.  Winning at the number 1 spot was captain Olivia Ahlman 4-up; at second spot, jr Anna Lambert 3-up; third spot, sr. captain Alexa Roche 5-up; sr. captain Isabella Levesque 5-upat the 4th spot;  sr Olivia Hughes 4-up at the number 5 spot; and sophomore Nicole Ahlman at the number 6 spot 1-up.   

The girls are now 1-2.

SL Softball looks toward another strong season

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When you’re one of the top programs around, it’s hard to get much better.

With that in mind, it would be tough for the Silver Lake High softball team to improve upon last year’s team after winning out their regular season and making a deep playoff run. After all, they did go 25-1, win a Patriot League title, and make it to the Division 1 South Sectional finals. Albeit that may be a challenge to duplicate that sort of year. However, there is no reason why they could not have yet again another successful season.

Of course, the team is without last year’s Gatorade player of the year, Maddy Barone, and they likely do not have one player who can directly fill that void. But hopes are high for pitcher Jill Richards, who will likely be a workhorse starter for the team this season. As a sophomore and a junior, Richards threw six scoreless outings which is important because starting pitchers in softball are used more frequently and for much longer outings than baseball pitchers. To put it this way, Barone went 23-1 with a 0.47 ERA and 215 strikeouts last season.

Looking up and down the lineup, the Lakers have what it takes yet again to produce some runs. They return three (senior) Patriot League All-Stars: catcher Emily Critch, shortstop Caroline Videtto and center fielder Kelly Danahy. Last year, however, Danahy played second base.

Speaking of experienced players, senior  Anna Battista is back on varsity for the fourth straight year and she will be the team’s everyday right fielder.

The Lakers have a versatile team this season. Senior Alex Ruprecht, juniors Brenna Walsh and Coyle Shropshire, plus sophomores Hannah Mitchell, Amanda Harris and Izzy Ruprecht are all capable of playing more than one position. And junior Michaela Nista and freshman Ali Sylvester will also make meaningful contributions to the team all season long.

The Lakers next game is Monday, Apr. 17 against Bridgewater-Raynham at noontime on the road.

Heron Road tops Halifax BOS agenda

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday April 11, 2017. The meeting included a hearing about Heron Road potentially gaining its status as a public street.

Real estate professional Rick Springer from Century 21 Classic Gold in Carver, MA presented the case for the roads approval to the Board of Selectmen. Springer spoke with the Halifax Planning Board. He says, “The roadway and the drainage was built according to the plan, and the Planning Board has accepted it as built.”

With the Planning Board being satisfied with the completed project, Springer wants Selectmen to certify Heron Road as a public road. He told selectmen, “It was always intended to be a public town road when it was first proposed. It’s now complete and time for it to be a public road.”

Selectmen Chair Troy Garron says he has no major issues with the Herron Road project.  He did however express one concern.

Garron said, “The only issue I have right now is that the neighbors or residents of the neighborhood weren’t notified because you were out of town.” Springer said he has the abutters’ list and will be sending out certified mail notices before the next hearing on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.

One abutter who attended Tuesday night’s meeting voiced some personal concerns, stating the sidewalk in front of his home was not depressed to the same level as his driveway, making the transition coming out of his driveway to the road not smooth. He wants the project to take the time to lower the sidewalk first to improve the transition onto the road. The Planning Board voted 3-1 to approve the road and this resident would like the situation to be looked at again.

Garron told the resident there will be two more opportunities to present his case; there’s another hearing for Herron Road on Tuesday April 25. Garron said there will also be an opportunity to present the case at Town Meeting.

Beautification Committee Appointment highlights plans for memorial garden and Clean-Up Day.

Selectmen also met with the town’s Beautification Committee, who introduced Greg Cowan, their choice as a new committee member. Selectmen voted to approve his appointment.

Cowan has volunteered on several Beautification Committee projects in the past, including last year’s Town Clean-Up Day. He’s also volunteered with the local Boy Scout troop.

The vacancy on the committee is a term that expires in June, 2017. Selectmen Clerk Kim Roy says this is just procedural though and Cowan’s term will be renewed in June.

After confirming Greg Cowan as a new member, Cowan spoke to the Board about the Earth Day town clean-up event being sponsored by the Beautification Committee.

Cowan said that last year, the participation in the annual event was largely done by the Boy Scouts. He wants to not only expand this, but include education for the town about not littering. Cowan said he wants their clean-up efforts to be sustainable over a longer period of time.

The Earth Day Clean-Up Day will take place on Saturday April 22, 2017 from 10-11:45 a.m. This is a rain or shine event. Pizza will also be provided at the Halifax Town Hall at noon for all participants.

The Beautification Committee recommends anyone who participates wears long pants, long sleeves, and brings rubber gloves. Trash bags will be provided. Please remember to use safety precautions when picking up trash. If needles are found, the Beautification Committee said to call the Fire Department.

The Beautification Committee also presented plans for a garden to be built on the green of the Town Hall. The garden is a memorial for Margaret Fitzgerald and will be privately funded by family and friends.

Selectmen said the funds donated to the Town of Halifax will then be appropriated to the Beautification Committee. That’s the legal procedure for using privatlye donated funds for a public project.

Though still in the planning phase, the Beautification Committee is moving quickly on the project and close to deciding what types of flowers and trees will be in the garden. The plan is to have the garden ready for Memorial Day Weekend.

Other Town News

Cemetery Superintendent Robert Badore sent a letter of resignation to the Board of Selectmen. Selectmen Vice Chair Thomas Millias says that Bob served the town for 46 years.

Selectmen Clerk Kim Roy said she met with the Finance Committee, who were talking about putting the fire suppressant system for the Elementary School repairs under the levy in regards to tax.

Roy says that Town Administrator Charlie Seelig is more inclined to go above the levy. Seelig says this will not cost taxpayers any additional money.

Selectmen also spent time preparing for town meeting by addressing changes to the way Wage and Personnel Board goes about pay increases for town employees.

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Thomas Millias said the town currently uses merit increases to go about annual reviews. Millias described the current system in place as “hurtfully subjective.”

The Board is considering eliminating merit increases alltogether and replacing them with increases to longevity stipends.

The next meeting of the Halifax Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday April 25, 2017.  Open session will start at 7:30 p.m.

TM Warrant taking shape: Moritorium on recreational marijuana shops will be voted

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met Monday, April 10, 2017 and included Town moderator Brian Wick, Treasurer Colleen Morin, and the Finance Committee, to go over proposed articles for May’s annual town meeting.

Town Counsel for Plympton Ilana Quirk of Kopelman and Paige was also in attendance.

A recreational marijuana moratorium will be voted on at town meeting in order to give the town time to see how the legislature decides to regulate the new legalization of marijuana for recreational use.  Town Moderator Brian Wick noted this article is closer to the end of Town Meeting. He questioned if this article should be moved up for its potential to be controversial.

Selectmen do not believe the bill will be controversial. Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson said the town voted a moratorium for medical marijuana when that was legalized as well, and she said that didn’t create any controversy.

More than 30 proposed articles were reviewed at the meeting.  Selectmen went down the list and voted on which articles their board would recommend. The Finance Committee did the same at their meeting prior to joining selectmen and shared their recommendations with the board.

Selectmen limited discussion to the general articles and away from budget line items such as individual position hour increases and changes to positions.

Not every article was discussed in great detail, but some of the more controversial ones were. Not all articles were recommended by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee.

One article that Selectmen unanimously voted to not recommend was the article for a new vehicle for the Fire Department. The Board doesn’t believe there’s room in the budget for this right now.

Town Coordinator Dale Pleau mentioned the possibility of an extra vehicle from the Police Department being available and they may be able to just paint it red.

The Finance Committee also doesn’t think a new vehicle can be in the budget right now and does not recommend the passage of this article.

One article for the Fire Department that was recommended by both Selectmen and the Finance Committee is for new personal protective equipment for firefighters. The Fire Department requested $47,000 for this purchase, however both selectmen and FinCom members are recommending an appropriation of $30,000.

Selectmen Clerk John Traynor expressed some confusion over the figure the Fire Department was asking for, but the request for $47,000 was never rewritten in a new draft of the article proposal.

Susan Ossoff from the Finance Committee said the committee didn’t receive all of the information they requested from the Fire Department when it came to a break down of the protective equipment. She and the rest of the Finance Committee feel comfortable recommending an appropriation of $30,000 though.

The article for the proposed increases for the EMT and Paramedic staff will be discussed at a later date.

Another article discussed in detail was the Finance Committee’s recommendation to combine the Finance Committee with the Capital Improvement Planning Committee.  Ossoff told the board, “We’re having difficulty finding one member, never mind five.”

In order for this board/ committee to exist, five members are required. The Finance Committee thinks it would make more sense to have them also serve as the Capital Improvement Planning Committee rather than trying to fill seats they know they will not be able to fill.

Selectmen agreed with Ossoff and  the new board structure will be voted on at Town Meeting.

Other articles discussed included dental insurance coverage for town employees. According to reports from the Board of Selectmen, this is going to cost $3,000 at most to cover anyone who wants the new dental coverage. The Board of Selectmen voted to recommend this article.

In addition to deciding on what articles to recommend, The Board also took the time to consider procedural protocol, including who explains the articles at Town Meeting and who would motion them to vote.

Not everything was completed by this point and the articles presented were still in the draft form. According to Town Coordinator, Dale Pleau, there are still two more articles that could be added before town meeting.

Susan Ossoff needs the articles ready as a final draft by Monday, April 24, 2017. She needs to reformat the articles for its final copy.

The next meeting of the board of selectmen will take place on Monday April 24, 2017 and the Finance Committee will be present once again. Open session starts at 6 p.m.

Lakers Girls’ Lacrosse team brings experience

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There is nothing fun about losing, but the past couple losing seasons the Silver Lake girls’ lacrosse team has endured could very well lead them to success this time around.

Even as they missed out on the playoffs last season, the Lakers were competitive, finishing their year at 8-12. In fact, it was their best record yet and a major upgrade over 2015 when they won just two games.

As last year progressed, the Lakers got hot. Albeit their first half underwhelmed, starting the year at 2-7, they went 6-5 in their final 11 which is an indication their team grew as the year progressed. And it is not like most of the players who gained that experience and progressed are gone either; the Lakers only lost two players to graduation: Emily Hanson on the attack and goalkeeper Colby Nolan. While both were valuable contributors, the Lakers are fortunate that most of their team returned.

Allowing just 8.6 goals per contest last season, defense is expected to be the Lakers’ strength and it will be up to seniors Jess Howard, Danielle Levin, Mikaela Wilson, Sophia Quinn and Tess Grieber to limit the opposition’s attack this season.

On the attack, the Lakers seniors Leah Mason and Nina Whidden, who were Patriot League All-Stars last year, and Cameron Daly to pour in goals this season. After all, the trip combined for 65 scores last season which was more than 40 percent of the team’s offensive production.

With this sort of experience coming back and the success they enjoyed for much of last year, the Lakers look as though they are built for postseason contention. In order for a team playing a 20 game schedule to make it to the playoffs, they would need 10 wins.

The Lakers next home game is Tuesday, Apr. 11 against the Hanover Indians, who went 11-6 last season.