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Drought watch: Tips to reduce water use

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HALIFAX/PLYMPTON– As of August 1, Plympton and Halifax are both under a drought watch, the middle of a 5-step scale to measure the severity of a drought. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has these tips to reduce water usage during this unusually dry spell.

• Abide by local water-use restrictions

Limits on outdoor water use help to ensure that enough water is available for essential needs, including drinking water and fire protection. State permits require public water systems to implement stronger restrictions based on drought conditions.

• Minimize landscape water needs through water-smart landscaping principles:

1) Maintain healthy soils (a minimum of 6-inches in depth, where possible).

2) Choose native plants or plants and turf that need less water.

3) Group plants according to their water needs to maximize

efficiency of irrigation.

4) Minimize areas of turf grass.

5) Use mulch to reduce evaporation and moderate soil

temperature.

6) Maintain turf grass at 2 1/2-3 inches to shade soil and deepen

roots.

7) Leave grass clippings on lawn to shade and return nutrients

to soil.

• Most years, Massachusetts receives enough rain to supply all the water needed for a healthy, drought- resistant mature lawn or landscape, without the need for irrigation. Most lawns can survive extended dry periods without watering – they will turn brown, but revive once the rain returns. To keep an established lawn green, a maximum of one inch of water per week is enough. If there has been an inch of rain in the week, you don’t need to water. (Inexpensive rain gauges can be used to measure rain.)

• Irrigate efficiently, and only if necessary

1) Know plants’ water needs and avoid overwatering.

2) Don’t water 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

3) Water deeply and less often to encourage deep root growth.

4) Regularly inspect and maintain irrigation systems.

5) Use “smart” irrigation controllers that adjust for weather.

6) Use rain barrels to capture and reuse rainwater.

• Cover swimming pools when not in use to prevent evaporative losses.

• Sweep driveways, walks, patios, and other outdoor areas with a broom rather than hosing them off.

• Wash vehicles using a bucket and sponge, employing a hose with a shut-off nozzle for rinse only, or, if available, use a commercial car wash that recycles water (most do).

• Choose high-efficiency plumbing products and appliances.

• Fix leaks! Dripping faucets and leaking toilets, pipes, and appliances can add up to hundreds of gallons of water lost per week.

• Collect and reuse clean household water (water running while you wait for hot water to reach your faucet or shower; leftover water from steaming vegetables or boiling eggs, etc.) and use this to water plants.

• Create a kitchen compost bin as an alternative to using the garbage disposal.

• Turn off water while brushing teeth or shaving.

• Use water-saving showerheads and take shorter showers.

• Wash only full loads of laundry.

Heatstroke or Sunstroke: two different medical issues

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HALIFAX/PLYMPTON– With several weeks of summer left, public safety officials are warning of the proper first aid for both heatstroke and sunstroke. Although similar in cause, the two conditions must be distinguished between as each requires different treatment.

With heatstroke, the skin becomes cold, moist and pale. Body temperature is lowered, lower than normal. A victim’s pulse is rapid, but weak, and breathing is quiet and shallow. They may be perspiring excessively and experience dizziness, faintness, loss of consciousness and cramping.

First aid for heatstroke involves loosening the clothing of the victim and putting them in a relaxed, reclining position. Lowering the head and body temperature should help. Call 911 or a doctor for professional medical care.

With sunstroke, the victim will usually have hot, dry and red skin and a raised body temperature, even a fever. Their pulse will often be rapid and strong and their breathing will be loud and rapid. They may not be perspiring at all. They may also experience nausea, vomiting, thirst, drowsiness, or unconsciousness.

First aid for sunstroke involves loosening the clothing of the victim and putting them in a relaxed, reclining position. Raise the head. Do not attempt to lower the body temperature or apply cold water.

Both sunstroke and heatstroke can be medical emergencies. Do not hesitate to call 911 or a doctor for professional medical care.

MOU signed for Parsonage Rd: One step closer to closing on the property

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PLYMPTON– The Plympton Board of Health held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, August 16. Several status updates were heard and new business was signed off on. Most notably, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the board and Richmond Poole so that he can close on the property owned by the USDA at 59 Parsonage Road.

• An MOU was signed between the board and Richmond Poole– conditional on some minor paperwork on Poole’s part– outlining the conditions under which the board will lift the letter on the title to the property. The property was re-inspected, and the only issues other than the trailers on the property involve securing a bulkhead. Mr. Poole’s attorney was present.

Board will monitor

Upland Road rats

• A rat infestation on Upland Road continues to seem to have abated itself. The board wanted to monitor the situation until the end of August, and will inspect the property once more before closing the matter.

• A resident on Elm street with multiple septic tanks on his property wants to reuse one of them. The board will write him a letter stating that he needs to have what is currently there inspected so he knows which one is in the best shape.

Rubbish on Grove St

And Mayflower Rd.

• A resident on Grove Street is working with the Council on Aging and the Board of Health to remove a dumpster’s worth of rubbish from her property. Since the resident hasn’t purchased a transfer station permit, even offers to volunteer to haul the trash– as board member Ken Thompson had offered– cannot be taken up. The board wants the resident to find a permanent solution to the trash problem. “She’s got to take care of it,” said Art Morin, board chair. “That’s the end of the story.”

• A property on Mayflower Street that was foreclosed by their bank and left with rubbish out front is being ordered by the board to clean up the mess. Since the lender is in Texas, the response hasn’t been adequate, but health board staff has found a phone number for the lender and will contact them again.

• Three Building Department permits were signed off on prior to the meeting: one for a Main Street renovation, one for a Main Street handicap ramp, and one for a Prospect Road rebuilding of a collapsed post and beam barn.

Troubled waters ahead for Brockton: Calter calls on Brockton to ‘come clean’ about drastic situation

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SILVER LAKE – State Representative Thomas Calter (D-Kingston) today (August 17) said that residents of Brockton face the very real prospect of running out of water within the next several weeks if the drought continues and Brockton officials do not develop a backup plan.

Calter, who recently wrote a column that appeared in the Kingston Reporter and Plympton-Halifax Express, said that the Brockton Water Department needs to come clean about the drastic situation that the city faces and develop a plan to protect the city in the event that Silver Lake is unable to meet Brockton’s water demands.

Calter noted that Silver Lake, which is the water source for the City of Brockton, is in imminent danger of falling below the level where it can provide water to Brockton.

“The water level in the lake has dropped to historic lows.”He further noted that West Monponsett Pond, which is a backup source of water to Silver Lake, cannot be used to make up the deficit because the level of cyanobacteria is 10 times the health standard.

“There is a real concern because of the drought, which has brought the water to a dangerous low. The levels today are comparable to 1986 when Brockton declared a water crisis.”

Recently, representatives of the Jones River Watershed Association were invited to discuss the crisis at a Brockton City Council meeting. However, that presentation was thwarted by the City’s Legal Counsel who demanded that the public presentation be cancelled.

“People may think that Brockton’s desalinization plant can meet their water needs. However, it can only provide 30% of Brockton’s daily needs,” Calter said. He added, “There is an option for Brockton to hook up to the MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority) in Stoughton, but that action would require several months of construction.” He said, “We don’t believe that Brockton has researched that or any other option.”

“We are concerned that the city will run out of water without warning and without a backup plan.” Calter said. He has briefed the Governor, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs and the Brockton Legislative delegation of the current water shortage and of the serious health concerns related to the poor quality of water in Monponsett Pond.

Business Certificates needed in Plympton

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Plympton Town Clerk Tara J. Shaw would like to remind people who have a business office in Plympton, that they MUST file a business certificate with the office of the Town Clerk.  The certificate is good for four years, and then must be renewed.  Any time the information on the business certificate changes, or the business is discontinued, an amendment must be filed.  The following definition and requirements of business certificates is as follows from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts web site:

BUSINESS

CERTIFICATES

(110 MGL §§ 5 & 6 and 227 MGL § 5A)

The primary purpose of filing a business certificate is to protect consumers or creditors by identifying the names and addresses of the owners of the business. The filing of a business certificate does not protect a business name as does a corporate filing or a trademark registration. A business certificate filing is commonly called a “d/b/a” (doing business as).

The filing of a business certificate may be used in connection with a court case to show when a business name was first used in a community and to enjoin another business from using an identical or similar name. If you need information on legal protection of a business name you should contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office, Corporations Division or your own lawyer.

Any person conducting a business, individually or as a partnership, in the Commonwealth under any title or name other than his real name, must file a business certificate with the clerk of the city or town in which the business has an office. The term person includes a corporation.

The certificate must include the full name and residence of each person conducting the business; the place, including street and number, where the business is conducted; and the title under which the business is conducted. The certificate must be signed under oath by each person conducting the business, certifying that the statements contained in the certificate are true. The certificate may be signed in the presence of any of the following: the town clerk, the assistant town clerk, a person designated by the town clerk, or a person authorized to take oaths, such as a notary public. Each person wishing to file a business must produce evidence of his identity.

Please stop by Town Clerk’s Office for Business Certificates. Fee for filing a business certificate is $20 (expires in 4 years)

Amendments and Discontinuances to Business Certificates

If a business is discontinued, or if the information related to the business or the individuals conducting the business changes after the original filing, a statement of discontinuance or of the new information must be filed with the clerk of each city or town in which the original business. The fee for filing the amendment or discontinuance is $5.00

Fine

Violations of 110 MGL §§ 5 & 6 and 227 MGL § 5A shall be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars for each month during which such violation continues.

Plympton Selectmen hear about plan to lower electricity costs

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, August 8, the Plympton Board of Selectmen handled a brief agenda. The main item was a presentation from Colonial Power Group on community choice aggregation.

Brian Murphy, of Colonial Power, an electricity aggregation consultant, presented a detailed plan on how an electricity aggregation program might work in Plympton. The town voted at last town meeting to adopt the statute into the by-laws allowing for such a program, but it must be administered by a consultant. Colonial Power was suggested by the Old Colony Planning Counsel.

Community choice aggregation is a buying group organized usually by one municipality (but occasionally a group of municipalities) in order to reduce the cost of electricity for customers in that buying group. It originated in the late 1990’s with the Massachusetts Utility Deregulation Act of 1997.

All customers in Plympton would be part of the program, unless they opt-out. Colonial Power, if chosen as the consultant, would notify customers of the change and their chance to opt-out. NSTAR would still deliver the electricity, bill the customer and maintain lines. About 1/3 Massachusetts communities have aggregation in place.

Advocates say the benefits are choice, stability and savings to customers.

“We’ve never had a CCA program where prices have gone up for customers,” said Murphy.

The next step is for the Selectmen to adopt an aggregation plan, followed by several steps at the state level handled by the consultant.

Murphy mentioned some concerns that residents might have with CCA. One is that tax-dollars would be used. No tax dollars are used, he said. Also, rate-payers can opt-out, but as well, with Colonial they can opt-in and opt-out at any time, which is beyond what state law requires.

He said that if the selectmen choose Colonial, there will be ample question and answer sessions to explain what is exactly going on with rate-payers power.

CPC cleared on postcard brouhaha

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PLYMPTON – A postcard produced by the Plympton Community Preservation Committee demonstrating what the CPC does, in preparation for a Town Meeting warrant article that sought at a future point to ask voters to eliminate the CPC on a ballot, has been cleared by Town Counsel.

Former selectman John Henry questioned the legality of spending town funds on the post card – about $1,000 according to the CPC – from CPC administration funds.

Although town funds cannot be used to influence an election, educational materials are exempt from this campaign finance law when a Town Meeting warrant article is involved.

The postcard was sent to each mailing address in town educating the population about the projects that have been done in Plympton with Community Preservation funds since the Town voted to be included in the CPA.  It also answered questions about low income and senior exemptions.

The Selectmen expressed concern that this might have been a grey area since the Town Meeting article sought to put a question on a ballot at some future date to put an end to Community Preservation Act in Plympton, so they brought the question to Town Counsel for clarification.

Town Counsel Ilana Quirk referred the matter to another Kopelman and Paige attorney, Lauren Goldberg, who cleared the CPC of any wrongdoing, citing several precedents showing that, in her opinion, no issues were raised under the Campaign Finance Law, and the CPC had done nothing wrong or illegal.

Dog bark hearing continued again: Neighbors want peace, produce petition with 25 signatures

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HALIFAX– 25 people signed a petition triggering a Section 137C hearing at Tuesday’s Selectmen’s meeting for Jennifer Choate, proprietor of Tarawood Kennel, yet only a half-dozen or so who signed came to the fact-finding portion of the hearing. Of those present, many who spoke were not even neighbors or abutters to the kennel, which is accused of allowing dogs to excessively bark and dogs to apparently wander.

Choate had dozens of supporters with her, a lawyer, and an MIT-trained acoustical engineer. The atmosphere was “court-like” with the hearing being held in the Great Hall of Town Hall, but the “information” gathering was incongruous. While clearly there were passionate opinions on both sides, there was little in the way of factual information collected.

One woman said that she was a dog trainer for 21 years, and that is why she signed the petition. She was opposed to the “bark-collars” used for training at Tarawood, that provide an electric jolt, similar to the ones used in “invisible fences”, to train dogs not to bark. This woman said she didn’t believe they are humane as they can cause the dogs to “yelp”. They are legal.

Ms. Choate’s lawyer objected and said that the hearing was supposed to be about barking and wandering. Selectmen Chairman Troy Garron wanted to hear from everyone, though, and others were allowed to speak, off-topic or not.

Lisa Thorpe signed the petition because she had purchased an aggressive dog from Choate in 2010 and had to return it, “fearing I had a lawsuit on my hands.”

Linda Ford knows some of the neighbors, and said she didn’t feel it right to have 100 dog kennels (although Choate’s separate request for an increase in her license from 50 to 100 dogs is not on the table at the moment). She expressed her “shock” that a kennel would be allowed “near neighbors”.

Two people who expressed vague concern for the dogs’ welfare, had signed the petition but were apparently not familiar with Tarawood Kennel.

Two neighbors, Scott Clawson and his son, both stated that they felt the conditions for the dogs were poor because they were put outside for part of the day in the winter. “Seeing dogs out in the snow makes me want to go and hug my dog,” said Sean Clawson. “All of our customers are animal lovers, and they all question what is going on [at Tarawood Kennel],” he continued, referring again to the bark collars.

Only one neighbor could recall any recent incident of dogs getting loose, which he described as a pack of dogs, not just one or two. Others recalled dogs getting through a fence several years ago.

Yet for all the concern of the dogs’ “well-being”, when actual neighbors were asked by Selectman Kim Roy, who had a lengthy questionnaire, what they wanted to see at the end of the hearing process, was an end to hearing the dogs barking.

The board also heard from the former sound abatement officer at Logan Airport and MIT-trained acoustical engineer Nancy Timmerman about solutions to reduce the barking noise.

She suggested reinforcing or building a new six-foot tall fence with sound reducing material on it for the outdoor areas where dogs are kept during the day.

“The dogs will bark,” Timmerman said. She went on to describe how she is trying to make things better for the two closest neighbors.

“Thanks for being honest about that,” said Roy.

Choate’s attorney showed a video of what he saw when on the property, which did not show excessive barking.

Both Choate and her supporters were allowed to respond to the accusations, and Roy had lengthy questions for them as well.

The hearing was continued.

In other news:

• Maureen Rogers, who served on the Wage and Personnel Board for a number of years along with being on the Town’s 250th anniversary committee and several “Halifax in Lights” committees, passed away Friday, August 5.

• Robert Baker, current Library Trustee and former School Committee and Planning Board member, passed away on Monday, August 8.

• The board will next meet on Tuesday, August 23, at 7:30 p.m.

continues

ConCom considers erosion issue

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PLYMPTON– On Tuesday, August 2, the Conservation Committee met and took on several issues. Conservation Commission is responsible for administering the Wetlands Protection Act. Any use or activity proposed within 100 feet of a wetland resource area or within 200 feet of a river must first be authorized by the Commission.

• A family on Ring Road, who are within 200 feet of a river are experiencing erosion issues on their property. The commission has been working with them to find solutions to the problems. The couple partially blames rain run-off from the street for their concern, but admit that cutting back on their irrigation from four times a day to one has helped, significantly, and they were lauded for their efforts. One issue still remaining is a patch of cedar chips in their back yard that needs to be stabilized, likely by planting something “rooted”. Although the commission will not order them to plant anything, they do need to come up with a solution that brings the land into compliance, whatever that solution may be.

• An updated Notice of Intent (NOI) to do work– in this case new construction¬ on Main Street– was filed with the commission. The updated site-plan included marked wetlands areas. The commission, especially Linda Leddy and Amy Cronin, were concerned about the new plan as the positioning of the structure may not meet zoning requirements, and will hold the resident’s checks until he speaks with the Zoning Enforcement Officer before they take any money from him for re-filing his plan in case he has to do it over again.

• A hearing that was continued for a Main Street resident was briefly re-opened and continued again. The resident had done tree-work in the 100-foot zone, and possibly within the 25-foot zone, of wetlands without filing a site-plan and a NOI. He had been notified in April, 2015, that he needed to file the NOI, the commission stated from a review of their minutes. The resident wanted to simply plant trees to mitigate what he had removed. “Oh, there will be trees there…” said commission chairman Richard Burnet, but the commission didn’t feel they could even begin to work with the resident until they were able to determine the zones. He will have to hire a botanist to “flag” the 25-foot and 100-foot areas to re-delineate them, which hasn’t occurred since the 1970’s, said the resident, and then the board can work with him to bring him into compliance.

• A NOI to build a driveway was filed for M7-B1-L40C, a lot on Main Street. The NOI will be considered on August 16, at 7:30 p.m.

• The commission will meet next on Aug. 16, at 7 p.m.

Water filtration plans at Dennett School sent to DEP after 27 months after funding

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PLYMPTON– On Tuesday, August 2, the Board of Health met and took on an agenda full of mostly old business, and heard status updates.

• There is forward movement in the sale of 59 Parsonage Road from the USDA to Richmond Poole. Town Counsel has reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that Poole and his attorney seek from the board drawing up the terms under which the BOH will lift conditions it has placed on the deed to the property. Town Counsel made only minor changes to the draft MOU from Poole’s attorney.

• Of the two Maple Street properties that the board has been trying to ascertain the number of bedrooms, the Assessors have not been able to enter one of the dwellings because it is not time for an assessment. The other is a four-bedroom home, and therefore it is in compliance with state septic codes as its septic system is designed for four bedrooms.

• There is no news on the Upland Road rat infestation. Board Chairman Art Morin agreed with the room that no news was good news on the infestation.

• A Center Street resident who is in dire need of a new septic system was able to obtain a loan to complete the work. The only other option for the resident was to sell the home.

• There are two outstanding complaints for rubbish that has piled up outdoors. One involves a Grove Street property, where a one-time intervention might help. “My dump-truck stands ready,” said member Ken Thompson, although the board is working with the Council on Aging to make sure this isn’t an ongoing problem. The other is a Mayflower Road foreclosure, where notice has now been sent to the bank that owns the property, ordering them to clean up the property. That lender is in Texas, meaning if they don’t have a local code compliance unit, the order may be fruitless.

• A couple from Forest Street came before the board because they realized that they unwittingly don’t have a proper septic system for the number of bedrooms in their home. The system is rated for three bedrooms and is quite old, while there are five bedrooms and five residents in the house. They are in the process of refinancing to pay for a new system. The board asked to be kept up to date.

• Nearly 27 months after it was funded at a Town Meeting, a design for the water filtration system at the Dennett Elementary School has been sent to the Department of Environmental Protection for final approval. The school uses bottled water for drinking due to a series of failed water safety tests and procedural failures by SLRSD officials over a period of about a decade.