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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.

Silver Lake boys soccer on a roll

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Right now, it is hard to stop the Silver Lake High boys’ soccer team.
Last Saturday night, the Lakers were not able to keep their winning streak going, but they improved their unbeaten streak to eight games when they took on the Whitman-Hanson Panthers at home. The game was tightly contested for its majority and by the end of it, both teams got a point in the standings in the 2-2 tie. The tie put the Lakers at 11-2-1 on the season.

The first half of the game was rather unproductive, although both teams played quality defense, neither team scoring until the second half.
Whitman-Hanson ended up scoring the first goal of the game; 11 minutes into the second half, they got the ball in the net off a header from the right side of the field. It would not take the Lakers much time to respond.

Just two minutes later, Casey Grindle kicked in a goal to tie the game at one apiece and on the Panthers’ next possession, Justin Keating made a strong one-handed save to preserve the tie.

In the 65th minute of the game, the Panthers were able to regain the lead. The Lakers had a defensive lapse–and it resulted in a breakaway and a goal for their opponent.
Despite falling behind, the Lakers would not go down without a fight. With 6:30 left in the game, Alex Lloyd scored the game-tying goal to prevent the Lakers from receiving their third loss of the season. Colin Caniff had the assist on the score.

With three minutes left, it appeared as though the Lakers had taken the lead on a score off of the head, but it did not count due to an offsides call.

The Lakers’ next game is this Saturday, Oct. 21 on the road against Weymouth, 6:30 p.m. start time.

Lakers best Plymouth North 30-6

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The Silver Lake High football team was on the wrong track for a couple of weeks as they played some of the toughest teams in the Patriot League, Keenan Division (Duxbury and Hingham).

Last Friday night was a change in pace for the Lakers, however, as they were able to come out with a big 30-6 road win over Plymouth North, who fell to 1-5 on the season. Meanwhile, the Lakers improved to 4-2 for the season. That win guarantees them a spot in the Division 4 South playoffs that start in the final week of October.

The first half of the game was a battle; it was not until the latter half of the game that the Lakers started to pull away. Phil Lashley had a 67-yard touchdown run for the Lakers with under a minute remaining in the first half. His score put the team up 6-0 at halftime.
With five minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Lakers, who played tough defense all day, added more points to the board. This time, Tanner Boyd hit Lashley with a 26-yard touchdown pass. Boyd then connected with Diamani Williams on his 2-point conversion pass to put the Lakers up 14-0.

Jake Waters had the interception that gave the Lakers the good field position to make the score.
On Plymouth North’s next possession, they fumbled.

This game the Lakers good field position and Boyd threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Ohlson to put his team up 22-0.

Plymouth North got on the board with a 75-yard touchdown pass with 6:03 remaining, but Lashley countered a few minutes later with a 24-yard touchdown run.

The Lakers move on to face Whitman-Hanson (4-2) this Friday, Oct. 20 (7:00 p.m. start time) on the road. If the Lakers win this one, they will likely have a home playoff game next week.

Last Call for George Colby, call firefighter, retiring

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Plympton Fire Department has seen many changes over the past four decades. George Colby has borne witness to the last 43 years as a call firefighter. He has responded to the tones of a pager when an incident has arisen in the community.

Leaving his wife often in the night during blizzards and hurricanes, there have been many times he has been away from his family and missed many events through the years.

He credits his wife Sandi’s unwavering support as an integral part of his career. They have one adult daughter, Meagan, and a 9- year old grandson.

Holding his keys, Colby imitates his wife’s gesture as he walks through his late night calls.

“She got up with me every call over the last 43 years. My pager goes off and she is up with the lights on in the house, porch light on and my truck keys in her hand, waiting at the door to send me,” he said.  The key ring has a carved ornamental firefighter hat that his wife gave him as a present.

The two met when they were in college, both then working full time in the field of radiologic technology.  He asked her to marry him after two weeks of dating.

His eyes misted over as he proudly spoke about his career and the many changes he has experienced within the department.

In addition to the obvious body style in engines and ambulance designs, Colby has seen alterations in turnout gear, the way the jackets are fit alongside the nearly tripled weight of fire helmets. With progress and development in protection and flame retardant materials, firefighters have a lot more protection on calls, he said.

When I began my career I was in a long jacket and hip boots.   “In the old days,” the material warned us when things got too hot, to get back. Now, the gear allows firefighters to move in closer and go further to fight a fire, he said.

He has served under four fire chiefs including Warren Borsari, the current Plympton Fire Chief.

“George is the best pump guy I have,” Chief Borsari said. Borsari described George as dedicated, but Colby replied, “I never looked at this as a job or hobby. I have considered it serving the community. It has been a calling.”

As he spoke he glanced at a paper pocket calendar, which was ear marked, full of writing and ever so slightly crinkled.

He pointed to the date of his upcoming meeting, where he will be addressed and honored as a retiree.  One thing that hasn’t changed is his method of recording.

“I know the battery isn’t going to die on this,” he said shaking the paper notebook.

He does plan to stay on as an educator, teaching the younger guys, something he says he enjoys. “I am looking forward to having him teach some of the hydraulics classes.  He is full of knowledge, “Chief Borsari told the Express.

Anticipating signing off from his post, Colby said, “The whole thing feels very emotional. What I think I will miss the most is the camaraderie of the firehouse along with being there to help the public. I am going to miss this something awful,” he said.

Liquor license transfer voted

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On Monday, October 16, 2017, the Plympton Board of Selectmen approved the transfer of Plympton Gas and Convenience’s liquor license from the previous owner, Steve Craig, to the new owner, Plympton Gas and Convenience, Inc., with Michael and Susan Youssef of Medford, as principals.  Laura Chase will remain as manager.

A public hearing was held on Monday for the Board to come to this decision. Atty. John Marini of Lynn represented the new owners in the hearing process for the license application.

Marini said Chase worked under the previous store owner for four years and that a lot of the same people will be working in the store. Plympton Gas and Convenience stayed compliant and has not sold any alcohol since the ownership transfer.

The Board of Selectmen gave no reservations on approving the request for a liquor license transfer.  Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said, “It’s been a very-well run operation without any problems.”

Selectman John Traynor also said he didn’t have any problem with the transfer, but suggested the store consider the TIPS certification program. Traynor said TIPS provides useful training at the retail level for determining if someone is intoxicated or may have a speech impediment or another sort of disability. He added it gives the store a little more protection from legal issues.

Some towns in Massachusetts, including Plymouth, require those working at alcohol retail establishments to be TIPS certified. Plympton doesn’t have this as a town requirement, however Atty. Marini said he recommends that his client takes Traynor’s advice.

Plympton Gas and Convenience, located at 280 Main St., should be able to start selling beer and wine again soon.

Town Administrator Search Update

The Plympton town administrator candidate screening committee narrowed down the candidate pool to two candidates for the Board of Selectmen to interview.

This screening committee was appointed by the Board of Selectmen and consists of: Colleen Thompson, Town Treasurer – Collector, Town Accountant Barbara Gomez, Police Chief Patrick Dillon, former Finance Committee member Marilyn Browne, Assistant Assessor Deb Stuart, among others.

Finalists Joshua Garcia and Elizabeth Dennehy were interviewed by Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 17. There’s a possibility a candidate could be chosen next Monday.

Other News

At a previous meeting on Monday, Oct. 2, selectmen discussed how much a social media presence the Board of Selectmen should have. These discussions continued into last Monday’s meeting.

Both Joy and Traynor mentioned a desire to be more responsive on social media, particularly the Facebook group “Plympton Helping Plympton” was brought up. Joy wanted to see the Board have its own page.

Previously, Selectman Clerk Mark Russo was hesitant regarding the idea, expressing concerns over how this affects things like the open meeting law. However, at last Monday’s meeting, Russo said, “I’m coming around on Facebook.”

The Board all said nothing is imminent and members all expressed that larger cities and towns have the ability to hire someone full-time to do this type of work. If anything, the Board said this may be a responsibility of the new town administrator.

The next regular Selectmen’s Meeting is Monday, Oct. 23. Open session starts at 6 p.m.

SL Football falls for second straight week

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Last Friday night was far from pleasant for the Silver Lake High football team.

For the second straight week, they met one of the toughest opponents from the Patriot League and because of that, they were handed their second straight loss of the season. This time, the Lakers fell, 61-7 to the Duxbury Dragons at home. The Lakers are now 3-2 on the season.

The Dragons, who are one of the top teams in the state, were dominant in the first half. They scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and three more in the second quarter to take a 40-0 lead headed into halftime. On the other hand, the Lakers struggled to do much of anything when they had possession. On each of the Lakers first six drives of the game, they were unable to get a first down. In fact, they only had two first downs in the first half.

Although the Lakers were overmatched in the bout, they were able to enjoy a moment of success in the loss. Dan Collins had a two-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Earlier on that scoring drive, he had a 57-yard run to give his team the ball in favorable field position. A successful extra point kick made it a 47-7 game at that point.

The Dragons kept playing hard for the rest of the contest, so they were able to add two more touchdowns to further pad their lead. They also continued to prevent the Lakers from doing much offensively.

The Lakers move on to face Plymouth North (1-4) on the road this Friday, Oct. 13 (7:00 p.m. start time). While their upcoming opponent may have a losing record, they have played an exceptionally tough schedule, losing games to Hingham, Duxbury, Whitman-Hanson and Dennis-Yarmouth, who is the best team on Cape Cod.

A win this Friday would essentially guarantee the Lakers a playoff spot.

Silver Lake Girls soccer rolling over competition

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It may come as a bit of a surprise that the Silver Lake High girls’ soccer team started the year at 2-2 with the way they have been playing lately.

Although they had a .500 win percentage early in the season, they have been one of the top teams in the state since. To start the week, they had won seven straight games to improve to 9-2 on the season, putting them in position to be one of the higher ranked teams in the postseason this season. After all, at the start of the week they only needed one more win to clinch a playoff spot with about half of their season remaining.

In that impressive winning streak, the Lakers outscored their foes, 31-1. They shut out six of their seven opponents with Caity Smith giving them strong performances in net.

On the attack, the Lakers have been strong all year. In their 8-0 win over North Quincy on Friday, Oct. 6, they had many different contributors who were able to kick on goals. Calliste Brookshire, Hannah Vogt, Holly Reeder-Morning and Morgan Palma all had strong performances offensively.

The Lakers also made it to the postseason last year, but they are far and away a strong team this season. In 2016, the Lakers enjoyed success, but finished the year 8-8-2. In seven less games this season, they already have more wins.

One major reason the the Lakers have been able to enjoy this sort of success this season is because they have a massive senior class of 13 players. Those seniors include: Melanie Coughlin, Ali Crawford, Carlee Fahey, Emily Ford, Kirsten Ghelfi, Sydney Kehoe, Tayla Mayberry, Shannon Murphy, Morgan Palma, Caity Smith, Meghan Supple, Jillian Wohlgemuth and Morgan Wohlgemuth. Since the Lakers rely heavily on that highly-talented senior class, this is their year to potentially make a deep postseason run.

The Lakers next game is this Saturday, Oct. 14 (4:30 p.m.) against one of the strongest teams in the Patriot League: the Whitman-Hanson Panthers.

A reunion of Halifax firefighters and infant cardiac patient

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In a surprise emotional reunion, parents Colby and Rachel Whelan of Halifax offered their 3-month old daughter Avery to the arms of Captain Matthew Cunningham on Sunday at the Halifax Fire Open House.  With visible emotions, Cunningham cuddled the baby he helped save on July 19.

“She is the best birthday present”, he said as he looked at her bright eyes. The desperate call fell on his birthday, a day he will not soon forget.

“It’s the type of call that you hope you go your whole career without getting,” said Captain Cunningham who spoke after the reunion aside fellow paramedics and Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

“I’ve been on similar calls that unfortunately didn’t go as well. Luckily for all of us, circumstances could not have been better,” he said

That crucial day they had a full medical crew available, an address neighboring the fire station, and Rachel herself, CPR certified, all working in favor for little Avery who at just 12 days  old  was in full cardiac arrest.

Her training taking over, Rachel was given pre- arrival directions by the 911 dispatcher and paramedics continued to revive Avery moments later until they reached Signature Health Care Brockton Hospital.  Avery had open-heart surgery the next day at Tufts Children’s Hospital in Boston.

“The incredible response time and focus you gave in this emergency- you saved her brain. You saved her life,” said Avery’s father Colby as he spoke to EMTs and Viveiros on Sunday.

Avery will need continuous medical care; however, Rachel describes her as a happy, feisty baby who is doing ‘awesome’. “Better than we can imagine,” she said.

Also responding that day were PJ Hogan, Shamus Ricciarelli, and Joe Gibbons, with Chief Jason Viveiros who drove Rachel to the hospital as medics sped away with her infant.

“That call validates everything that we do, all the years of school and re- certification classes we undergo. That call is why we do what we do. I’m just glad that the outcome was positive and that I was able to be a part of it. “  “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about Avery every single day since July 19. To see Avery come in with her parents completely, neurologically unaffected by what she went through, and being able to hold her, gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I hadn’t yet experienced in my 13-year career,” said Cunningham.