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Community coalition fighting substance abuse announces new name and mission

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A recently-formed coalition of community members concerned about trends in substance abuse and the current opioid epidemic has formalized its group name and mission statement.  Now known as Tri-Town FACTS, the group serves Kingston, Halifax and Plympton with a mission to support and strengthen the regional community in a collaborative effort to promote holistic wellness through prevention, education, enforcement, and advocacy, and to empower healthy lifestyle choices.  “FACTS” stands for Families, Adolescents, and Communities Together against Substances. It is a brand established by the South Shore Hospital’s Youth Health Connection and used by several coalitions in the surrounding area.

The growing group has brought together 25 – 30 people at initial monthly meetings held in March, April and May, representing parents, teachers, school administrators, students, law enforcement, public safety, behavioral health professionals, faith leaders, grandparents, elected officials and those affected by addiction. The group is seeking new members from all three towns, including volunteers interested in leadership roles who can help advance the mission through initiatives and programs to be developed. Currently chaired by Kingston parent, Amy Belmore, the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 7, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Silver Lake High School Library and is open to all.

A grant provided by the Solstice Foundation has funded the services of an experienced facilitator, Julie Nussbaum, who has assisted in the launch of similar coalitions in the region. Nussbaum, who will work with Tri-Town FACTS until March 2017, said “According to the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, (CADCA), communities that have anti-drug coalitions have lower youth drug and alcohol rates. Furthermore, research has shown that addressing the issue of underage drinking reduces the risk that youth will go on to use opioids and other substances (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2012).  I will be taking the coalition through a process that guides the selection, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based, culturally appropriate, sustainable interventions addressing substance misuse and abuse.”

Steering Committee member, David Kennedy, who also serves on the Kingston Board of Health, recently carried the Coalition’s suggestion to pass a regulation preventing the sale of synthetic marijuana and synthetic drugs in Kingston stores to fellow Board of Health members. Following a public hearing held on May 2 to address the health impacts of Spice, K2, bath salts, and others not meant for human consumption, the Board of Health immediately put the new regulation in place.  Said Kennedy “the Synthetic Drug Regulation was discussed back in 2014 within the Board of Health and I am grateful the board wanted to discuss and approve such regulation on May 2.  It’s important in the early stages of the Tri-Town Coalition to achieve short-term goals, and clearly this was one. Synthetic drugs are very dangerous and side effects are fatal. Even though the Regulation is important, we need to educate our youth on these drugs and help them make healthy choices.”

The Coalition is currently focused on assessment and data collection, and will be implementing surveys, focus group discussions with students and parents, and interviews with key stakeholders to help guide their next steps.  Anyone from Kingston, Halifax and Plympton who wants to learn more or get involved is encouraged to attend the next meeting, or contact tritownFACTS@gmail.com.  The group also has a Facebook page and is on Twitter @tritownFACTS.

Regional 911 dispatch is one step closer

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HALIFAX– No, despite what may be going around on social media, the Halifax Police Station will not be moving to Duxbury. Neither will the fire station. But, just as Plympton has done, and many other communities around the state, including all of Barnstable County, Halifax officials led by Selectman Kim Roy have furthered discussions with Duxbury officials and state 911 officials to contract-out dispatching of Halifax emergency personnel to Duxbury, which was the focus of the discussion at the BOS meeting on Tuesday, May 24.

Duxbury already contracts this function for the Town of Plympton, and the addition of Halifax would officially upgrade Duxbury to a regional emergency communications center (RECC), making them eligible for further grant money, an incentive for them to assist Halifax.

The state would also assist Halifax during the transition period to Duxbury dispatching and with upgrades to technology needed for the project to work, Roy estimated the savings, with an initial 5-year contract, would be in the realm of $175,000 per year.

The decision makes sense on a variety of levels, says Roy. There are incentives from the state –  the savings are significant – but not only that, both the police and fire departments are supportive. “If you had said you’re crazy, we wouldn’t even be talking about this,” said Roy to the chiefs.

Furthermore, Halifax simply cannot afford to attract new dispatchers, and has had high turnover rates in the past. Roy says one dispatcher has already tendered his resignation and will leave for Duxbury anyway, and that Duxbury may be able to hire the remaining Halifax dispatchers, if the deal moves forward, as they will need a larger staff at their RECC.

Both chiefs stated that the “end-user” experience would not change. Police Chief Broderick furthered that most people would never know the difference. Plympton authorities have previously stated that they are pleased with their arrangement and that for the most part, the transition was smooth.

Officials were quick to point out this is not a done deal. At least one public hearing will be held, currently scheduled for June 1 at 7 p.m., Town Hall, and that further due-diligence is needed to hammer out a fair agreement for the town and work out the finer details.

In other public safety news, in what has become an almost routine announcement by the selectmen, the Halifax Fire Department led by Chief Jason Vivieros has received yet another large grant, this time to replace 27 aging portable radios with new digital-capable radios that meet current communications standards. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is a 95%/5% split, meaning the town will have to match a small portion of the $62,100 project.

• The Halifax Board of Selectmen will next meet on Tuesday, June 14 at 6 p.m.

• The Halifax Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, June 14 at 7:45 p.m. on an application from Morse Brothers, Inc. to remove 41,600 cubic yard of fill from their property. This material is on an elevated portion of their property and they seek to remove the material in order to increase cranberry yields on other portions of the property, according to town officials.  The 41,600 cubic yards of fill are equal to 1,665 truckloads of material. Morse Brothers, Inc. proposes transporting the material along Lingan Street to Route 58. The complete application is available for viewing in the Selectmen’s office.  Those with questions should contact Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, at 781-294-1316.

Plympton BOS welcomes John Traynor

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, May 23, Selectmen met and welcomed their newest member, former Town Moderator John Traynor. The Board reorganized, electing Colleen Thompson chairman, Christine Joy, vice-chairman, and Traynor as clerk. Thompson, who at times shies away from the spotlight, appeared confident as Chairman, and moved the meeting along through a lengthy agenda. Traynor, who has served on the Finance Committee as well as Town Moderator for nine years, did not seem shy at his first BOS meeting, frequently giving his thoughts and opinions.

Filling vacancies and creating new committees

One of the new board’s first priorities is to fill vacancies on various town boards and committees, as well as create several new ones. The full list of vacancies is being prepared, but the board discussed creating a “by-law review” committee, which as the name implies would study the current by-laws and make recommendations.

Selectman Joy recommended a five-member committee, and Town Coordinator Dale Pleau suggested that the selectmen task the committee with a specific by-law or set of by-laws to study to keep them focused.

Selectmen also created an Economic Development Committee, something Joy has been researching and supporting. The board also felt that five members would be an appropriate number of residents for this committee, which would be charged with marketing the community to make it more attractive to businesses as well as make recommendations to the board to make town government more business-friendly.

Joy also has been looking to form a committee to study affordable housing in Plympton and make recommendations.

The Board of Selectmen was in unanimous support of the creation of these committees, and the discussion centered around what mix of people with what types of expertise would be of best use. Selectman Traynor suggested sorting the annual street list by occupation to identify residents with specific expertise, though noting this may leave out those who list their occupation simply as “retired”.

Brook Retreat Follow-up

The selectmen also discussed a follow-up to a letter sent by the owners of the Brook Retreat to the board in response to a scathing letter the board sent them. The selectmen wrote in a letter dated May 5 that they were disappointed in the handling of an incident that occurred at the sober-living facility on Brook Street where a resident left after curfew and allegedly attempted a home invasion while in an apparent drug-induced psychotic break. The man, Shane P. Sullivan, is in state custody pending trial.

The owners of Brook Retreat have refused to appear publicly before the board although they did meet with-former Selectman Mark Russo. The letter also suggests they have not demonstrated sincerity or comprehension of the situation by not appearing before the board and even went so far as to use language from Alcoholics Anonymous literature and encouraged the owners to make a list of people harmed and make direct amends.

The board suggested as well, that the sober-living facility look into the voluntary accreditation program offered by the state for such facilities. The board also seems, from the May 4 letter, to be concerned that fencing around the property promised by the Brook Retreat after the incident has not yet been put up.

Both Selectman Joy and Chairman Thompson acknowledged after the meeting that they really weren’t sure what the fencing was supposed to do in terms of security, noting that it was the owners’ idea.

The board asked the selectmen’s assistant to write a follow-up letter to the facility to ask them to keep the board up-to-date on their fencing situation.

The Brook Retreat owners wrote a brief response, noting that fencing was more expensive than they originally believed, and that the non-profit is currently raising funds for fencing. They also note that they are following the law. Brook Retreat was recently, as the law requires, inspected by the Building Inspector who certified that they do still qualify as an “educational institution,” a requirement for the zoning exceptions they used when siting the facility in a residential neighborhood, and an annual inspection to the sprinkler system is pending.

“What next?” asked Selectman Traynor, after Selectman Joy asked, “What now?”

Software/Website

Two IT related issues came up at the meeting, and Selectman Traynor, a retired software sales representative, had strong opinions about them: municipal permitting software to help move projects requiring permits smoothly through Town House without getting lost or tied up in “red-tape”, and revamping the town website.

Town Coordinator Pleau mentioned that a vendor had demonstrated some software earlier, and Traynor immediately stated that it was too soon to commit to a vendor without seeing at least three options, and getting all departments together to ascertain their needs as well as make sure they are committed to learning and using the software.

Traynor also spoke at length to the faults of the town’s website. The vendor for the website, Virtual Town Hall, provides municipal government website portals to many towns in the Commonwealth, but this website suffers from a confusing interface, strangely alphabetized lists, outdated information and information appearing on one part of the website and not another.

Posted documents also appear online for a time, then disappear, only to reappear after manual intervention, according to the Town Clerk.

Traynor suggested forming a committee to study what may be done about the situation in a cost-effective manner.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen next meets on June 6, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.,Town House.

When Maura went missing

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In 2011, an out-of-work journalist named  James Renner began searching for Maura Murray.

While he didn’t find her, he has drawn his own conclusions about her disappearance and, in the process of writing a book, he has found himself while getting “lost” in the case.

The book, “True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray,” [Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, 280 pages, $25.99 hardcover] goes on sale Tuesday, May 24.

“It’s been a long time coming, for sure,” Renner said last week. “I hope the book eventually brings some sort of closure to Maura’s case. At the very least, I think it will advance the story and bring up some new clues and information.”

The same week Facebook was launched in 2004, Murray disappeared. Renner has termed the case one of the first unsolved mysteries of the social media age.  In fact, he leaned heavily on a small army of Internet sleuths — which he dubbed My Baker Street Irregulars, after the poor street kids who fed information to Sherlock Holmes. Renner’s Irregulars lived online, reading blogs, surfing sites and even trolling him. They helped pose questions, interpret information and notice overlooked clues.

The trolls also second-guessed him, sniped at his plans to write a book and, in one case, cyber-stalked him. Maura’s father Fred did not cooperate with Renner on the book.

At the time Murray vanished on Feb. 9, 2004, Renner was a reporter for alternative weeklies in northeastern Ohio. By 2009, the fallout from his coverage of an Ohio state senator at the center of a sex scandal had cost him his job and he was looking for a new story.

True crime seemed a natural draw for him.

At age 11 he had fallen in love with the photo of missing Amy Mihaljevic. The obsession led him to his career as an investigative journalist and a struggle with PTSD. By 2011, Renner told his counselor he was ready to delve into another mystery.

The new mystery he was ready for was Maura Murray. While conducting his investigation, there were mysteries in his own life to confront: the truth about his grandfather, the violent tendencies his son was beginning to display and Renner’s own impulses.

Chapters in “True Crime Addict” jump between Murray and Renner’s own demons — “Being a true crime addict is not a good thing and  I learned this the hard way,” as he says.Renner spoke about the book with the Express by phone from his Cleveland home on Friday, May 13.

Q: Why the Maura Murray case?

A: “I was looking around for a big case, something national. I was a reporter in Cleveland for about seven or eight years and I had written about some famous cases from the northeast Ohio region. I looked around for a while — I’m always drawn to the cases that are difficult, if not impossible, to solve. What I find interesting is that it’s actually kind of a double mystery. Number one, what happened to Maura, but number two is, what was she doing in the White Mountains to begin with? I think if you can find the answer to one of those questions, you’ll get very close to the solution to the other question. I think I have an answer as to what was she doing in the White Mountains. I believe she was running away, I believe she was looking to start a new life and to put the people that treated her wrongly in her rear-view and not look back.

Q: It seems certain that people will read it expecting some kind of break in the case. What do you want readers to get out of it?

A: “I think there are quite a few new pieces of information in the book and new clues. I think the takeaway here is that Maura, like everyone else, was very complicated. She had her secrets, she had her skeletons and the question is whether or not those contributed to what happened. I think for sure they did. There were some things that hadn’t been reported — the fact that when she disappeared, she was in trouble for credit card fraud and identity theft.”

Q: What were your reasons for being so frank about your own family’s past?

A: “I wanted to explore why I was so fascinated with these true crime cases and what led me into that career as a true crime writer. That made me take a good, hard look at my own life and, of course, looking at it objectively now, I can see that the story about my grandfather and who he was — what he did and how I learned about all that when I was 11 years old — certainly had an impact. All these bad guys that I’ve been chasing after since I was 11, they’re my grandfather. I could never go after him, so I looked elsewhere. As I was uncovering Maura and her personal demons I thought it was only fair to share mine as well.”

Q: How do you think Maura’s case has been handled?

A: I think the police did their due diligence. When they found her car up there, it certainly looked like a DUI. The car had run into a snow bank, there was wine spilled on the inside … they see that kind of thing all the time, so I think they treated it correctly at the time. Now, a day later when the owner hadn’t come to collect the car and they start to put together that it was Maura who was driving, then it becomes a missing persons case. The [N.H.] State Police were actually in the air with helicopters. … The family’s always been critical of them, but I think they did all right.”

Q: How do you assess your methodology? Would you have approached it differently if you had it to do again?

A: “Looking back I think it happened organically, the way it was supposed to. These pieces are always different. The family could have been more helpful. Fred was the first person I contacted indirectly and he made it clear through family members that he did not want a book written about this case, so that was always a difficulty. But over the course of a few years I did manage to speak with every member of the Murray family except for Fred.”

Q: You describe this as the first major missing person case of the social media age — has social media really been any help or does it do more to hinder cold cases like this?

A: “It’s certainly a double-edged sword. Social media is more helpful to these cold cases than anything, the fact that you can reach practically every person on the planet. You can get the information out to anybody and they can, in turn, find you. It’s a wonderful tool for journalism. With that also comes the anonymity of the Internet and that allows these dangerous people to mask themselves and threaten you from afar. It’s the worst of the worst and the best of the best.”

Q: How can social media be better used in crime investigation?

A: “I think police should be using social media. In fact over the last year or two, the U.S. Marshals have reached out to me and asked me to help them with getting some of the cold cases they’ve worked on out into social media through Reddit and Twitter, online message boards and things like that. So I know bigger agencies are really paying attention to it and trying to use it as a tool for investigation, too. It’s remarkable what’s possible with it.”

Q: Your title: “True Crime Addict” — does it still apply? Toward the end of the book it seemed you might be turning away from all that.

A: This is the last big crime story I’ll work on, at least for the foreseeable future until my kids are grown up. It does take you to a dark place and what I’ve discovered through the course of this book is the fact that I was addicted to true crime, not just true crime, but “addict” extends to my own life, the fact that I learned through the course of this that I was an alcoholic, I was addicted to prescription medication. These true crime stories are and addiction, just like anything else. Once you realize that it’s unhealthy, then you need to start taking action and get it out of your life.”

Q: What’s next for you?

A: “I’m concentrating on novels and screenplays. I’m adapting my first novel (“The Man From Primrose Lane”) into a television series right now. It’s a murder mystery about an out-of-work reporter who tries to solve an old cold case — write what you know.”

Two Vie for one Selectman seat in Plympton Town Election Saturday

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PLYMPTON– Plympton will hold a Town Election on Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Road. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are ten available elected positions up for grabs, but only one, the race for a seat on the Board of Selectmen, is contested.

The other races with more than one name listed on the ballot are for two seats– on the Finance Committee and the Library Trustees– and allow the voter to choose two candidates.

Brian Cherry, of Trout Farm Lane, a facilities director for the Town of Duxbury, and John Traynor, Jr., of Crescent Street, who has been the Town Moderator for several years and is retired, are facing off for a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen for a seat which is being vacated by current Selectmen Chairman Mark Russo.

Richard Nordahl, of West Street, is seeking a three-year term as Assessor.

Chairman of the Board of Health Arthur Morin, Jr., of Granville Baker Way, is seeking another three-year term on the Board of Health.

Four candidates are seeking seats on the Finance Committee. Marilyn Browne, of Elm St, and Eric Hart, of Marie Elaine Drive are seeking three-year terms. Browne is a candidate for re-election. Nathaniel Sides, of Winnextuxet Road is seeking a two-year term on the committee. Susan Ossoff, of Upland Road is also seeking re-election, but for a one-year term.

Miranda Anne Boyles, of Spring Street, and Christine Winslow, of Brook Street, are both seeking three-year terms as Library Trustees. Both are candidates for re-election.

Brian Wick, of Winnetuxet Road, is running for a three-year term as Town Moderator.

Deborah Anderson, of Elm Street, is seeking re-election to the Planning Board for a five-year term.

Stephanie Dome, of Pope’s Farm, is seeking a three-year term on the Dennett School Committee. She also is a candidate for re-election.

Only 7% vote in Halifax election

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HALIFAX– With 15 elected positions open, only 384, or 7%, of 5,344 registered voters took to the polls in Halifax on May 14.

Only three races on the ballot were contested, and no candidates filed papers for several of the seats, including both three-year terms on Holmes Public Library Board of Trustees, a five-year term on the Halifax Housing Authority and four-year and five-year terms on the Planning Board.

Thomas Millias, of South Street, who also is about to begin the second year of his first term with the Board of Selectmen, was re-elected to the Board of Assessors against Michael J. Schleifff, of Paradise Lane, 238-118.

Schleiff,  who received 144 votes, also lost his bid for Constable, the two seats being won by Thomas Hammond, of Paradise Lane, and Thomas Shindler, of Ninth Avenue, with 227 votes and 168 votes, respectively.

Schindler was also re-elected in an uncontested race as Parks Commissioner with 291 votes. John L. Weber, of Cranberry Drive, was re-elected, in an uncontested race, to the Board of Health, with 286 votes.

Kim Roy, of Plymouth Street, was re-elected as Selectman, unopposed, for a three-year term, her third term on the board.

Kimberly Cicone, of Highland Circle, won a three-year term on the Halifax Elementary School Committee, 203-108, besting Robert Baker of Holmes Street.  Paula Hatch of Oak Place was re-elected for a three-year term to the Silver Lake Regional School Committee.

Patricia McCarthy, of Parsons Lane, was elected to a four-year term on the Halifax Housing Authority, unopposed.

Karlis Skulte, of Rye Meadow Lane, won a four-year term on the planning board with 17 votes, but the seat for a five-year term resulted in a “failure-to-elect” sitation where no candidate is elected.

Robert Baker, of Holmes Street, and Madeline Flood, of Twin Lakes Drive, were both elected to the Board of Library Trustees for three-year terms as write-in candidates, but two open Planning Board seats resulted in  “failure-to-elect” situations, leaving them vacant.

CPA survives town meeting challenge

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PLYMPTON – Voters at Wednesday night’s Annual Town Meeting voted to keep the Community Preservation Act in Plympton, despite an attempt to put the question on the ballot in the next town election. 

Citizen’s Petition Article 23 could have put the end of Plympton’s involvement with the  Community Preservation Act by putting it on the ballot in November for Plympton voters to reconsider.  While the printed warrant which meeting members were mailed and/or given Wednesday night had one date, John Henry, speaking to the article, made the motion with another date. This prompted much confusion as to when the motion would ask voters to vote – 2016 or 2017?

Selectmen Chairman Mark Russo noted that of the 160 cities and towns in the commonwealth that participate in CPA, none have ever left. The Finance Committee also noted that CPA often undertakes projects in the town which would not likely be funded in the regular budget, thereby saving taxes.  Voters who were concerned about the surcharge and lowering taxes were reminded of the various exemptions in place and the help for qualifying mid to low income senior citizens and individuals. The article failed.

Of the 10 Citizen Petitions on the warrant, only two prevailed.

The lengthy warrant of 40 articles was completed in one night.

Moderator John Traynor stated at the beginning of the meeting, “We’ve come here as friends and neighbors and we’ll leave as neighbors,” to laughter from those gathered. While some controversy was apparent throughout the evening, the meeting was quite civil.

Selectperson Colleen Thompson began the meeting with a tribute to outgoing Selectmen Chairman Mark Russo, who also spoke a few words, saying that he had been thankful to have had the often thankless job of being a selectman, and pleaded with voters to think about the medium and long-term trajectory of, “the town we adore,” when they vote.

The Finance Committee presented an operating budget with a 1% increase, noting that savings were found in the Vocational and Special Education budget requests from the Silver Lake Regional School District, but that those numbers can’t be counted on year to year as students requiring these services move in and out of town. They also noted a 15% health insurance rate increase for the town.

Most, but not all, employees received an overall 2% increase in salaries, and the FinCom says they tried to level fund all departments. Voters Jack Doyle, of Main Street, and Maureen Springer, of Granville Baker Way, were frequent voices of even further fiscal conservatism throughout the evening.

Doyle questioned why there was a 20% increase in assessors’ expenses (maps are being updated this year), and Springer several times questioned why various employees were receiving more than a 2% wage increase.

Other than a few similar questions, the approximately $9.8 million dollar budget passed with a super-majority.

All of the STM articles passed, except for Article 8, which would have authorized the Board of Selectmen to enter into a “payment in lieu of taxes” agreement with a solar company. These PILOT agreements allow the company to spread their property taxes evenly over a 20-year period, rather than paying diminishing taxes over time, which provides a steady revenue source for the town. Several other PILOT agreements were authorized in the STM, but voters were concerned with this particular project as the details have not yet been negotiated.

The Fire Department requested Article 14, which generated some controversy. The department asked for $8,130 to be appropriated for energy efficient upgrades to the lighting in the aging station. Yet this did not go over well with voters. Stephen Bentley, of Annasnappitt Drive, asked if this was a safety issue. Chief Warren Borsari hedged on committing to an answer. Jack Doyle, of Main Street, said he did not support, “putting a dime,” into the old station, saying the town needed a new one. The article failed.

The voters passed Article 15 unanimously and passed Article 16 by majority, both of which fund the Community Preservation Committee and its activities, then later heatedly debated a citizens’ petition to place a vote to not participate in the CPA at all on the ballot in November, 2016, Article 23 chich failed.

Article 20 was passed over, which involved a potential land-sale from the Silver Lake High School campus to the Town of Kingston for the purpose of building a new Kingston Police Station, due to last-minute legal hurdles with the sale. Maureen Springer, a Silver Lake School Committee member, stated that the article would be back for a  town meeting to consider.

Next came the ten citizens’ petitions, which prompted Selectmen Chairman Russo to plead with voters to be cautious, asking them to allow their town government to work through proper processes. “Citizens’ petitions are a risky prospect,” he said, noting that there are elected officials for a reason. This apparently caused some voters to bristle, with Dawn Hastings of Ring Road, noting, “Our voices matter…and they can be taken away…”

Article 21, a citizens’ petition, would have made required special legislation to change the way the Capital stabilization account funds authorized to be spent.. The article failed, 37-105.

Article 22, also a citizens’ petition that would have funded planning, design and construction of a police station, was passed over, as this is being, “handled in a different way,” according to Art Morin, of Granville Baker Way.

Articles 24 and 25 would have changed the demolition delay by-law used by the historical commission to encourage preservation from 18 months to 6 months. Article 24 failed, leaving the by-law as is, and Article 25 was passed over as it was closely related.

Two non-binding articles, again both citizens’ petitions, asked voters to vote to ask the selectmen to put a non-binding referendum question on the next ballot regarding Jeff Randall’s proposed Ring Road marijuana grow facility and the second to instruct the Board of Selectmen to wait until current legislation modifying Chapter 40(A)3 agricultural zoning regulations at the state level is settled before making any decision on whether to not oppose, support (or oppose by taking no action) the grow-op. Both closely passed– Articles 28 and 29.

A more far-reaching marijuana related by-law change did not pass, as Town Counsel noted that it would be non-binding and unenforceable and it would usurp power the state has granted the selectmen, not Town Meeting. Ethan Stiles, of West Street, stated that the town had updated its marijuana by-laws in 2013 and didn’t see the need to change anything at the moment.

Article 33 passed, and the “Highway Surveyor” position, if the state grants the home rule petition, will be appointed and not elected in the future.

Article 34 passed, and created, but does not fund, a future Town Administrator position, with more responsibilities than the current Town Coordinator position.

Article 35 passed, paving the way for the town to acquire land adjacent to the current municipal campus for a future public safety complex or other municipal needs. Article 36 passed and funded a sum of $125,000 for a consultant for initial plans for the complex.

Finally, the Dennett School will receive $30,000 for a high-tech security system, which the police and fire department, as well as the school committee, feel is extremely important, according to both chiefs.

The meeting concluded at about 11:30 p.m.

Verizon strike hits home

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HALIFAX– Jamie Fitzgerald of Halifax and Jerry Hunter of Whitman, both unionized Verizon workers (IBEW Local 2322), joined in solidarity by Dennis Desmaris, of another company and union, were seen picketing on the sidewalk in front of the new Verizon Wireless store on Plymouth Street on Tuesday, May 10, with a steady stream of cars honking their support.

The men claimed that Verizon was attempting to export jobs, such as those in call-centers, to foreign countries, including Mexico, India and the Philippines. Hunter says that Verizon doesn’t have to pay foreign employees as much as Americans. “They are stealing our jobs. We have to fight back,” he said.

Fitzgerald mentioned that Verizon was trying to create a more mobile workforce, moving workers from their normal workplace for up to two months at a time without any extra compensation or any longer commute. He said that this was for non-emergency work.

They both also complained about the increasing use of contractors by Verizon, who they say don’t have to be compensated as much as union workers nor do they have to provide benefits.

Yet the store being picketed by the union members was not even a company-owned store, but a franchised retailer. Why were they picketing in front of the Halifax Verizon Wireless store?

According to Hunter, while it’s not the major focus of the strike, some believe that Verizon is franchising more stores, and closing company-owned stores, with cost-cutting in mind. The employees of a franchised store work for the franchisee, not Verizon, which they say is another form of outsourcing.

They were quick to note that they were not blocking any access to the store, and were not personally upset with the store’s owner or workers, just at Verizon.

The striking workers are part of a larger union action against Verizon that has been going on for a month, involving about 40,000 workers and the two unions that they are members of, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Randall tells BOS: Grant my ‘grow-op’ or I make a 40(b) development!

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, May 9, Plympton selectmen met briefly.

Jeff Randall of Ring Road appeared before the board with his attorney, Stephen McLaughlin, this time stating he will turn his bogs into a Chapter 40(b) low-income development if the board does not approve his stalled request for a municipal letter of non-opposition or approval for a medical marijuana grow facility, which he says he wants to locate on his farm.

Randall said, “I don’t want to do this,” but then he and his lawyer went on to describe his intentions to build low-income housing on the site of his current cranberry bogs, which he claims are gravel bogs and therefore buildable if filled in, not wetlands. Randall’s attorney claims that Plympton is short of its state-mandated affordable housing units, and therefore, “there is nothing the town can do to stop this [project].”

Chapter 40(b) waives most town local zoning requirements and permitting processes for affordable housing, including, as Randall’s attorney noted, density. He stated there would likely be both duplexes and single-family units, should the project move ahead.

Attorney McLaughlin went on to say, “This can be devastating to towns with a small tax base.”

Randall stated that other towns are competing for his grow-facility and that he is pursuing other options.

“The first town gets it,” he said.

Sharon Housley, of Ring Road, complained that she was seeing four to five trucks an hour of dirt being moved on to Randall’s property. While Randall stated that it was for composting, Housley apparently believed it was for a different purpose.

“The landscape has already changed!” she exclaimed.

This prompted a verbal spat between Housley and Randall’s wife, Lisa Randall, who asked how Housley would be able to see any changes to the landscape if she wasn’t trespassing, even mentioning that they’ve had to report her to the police.

Mark Russo, Selectmen Chairman, quickly brought the meeting back under control, but not before Dawn Hastings of Ring Road stated that she wanted to be on the record supporting a 40(b) development. “It’s better than the alternative,” she said. “Maybe we’ll get some diversity in town.”

Upcoming dates:

• The Plympton Board of Selectmen will not meet on Monday, May 16, but will meet on Monday, May 23.

• The Plympton Annual Town Meeting and a Special Town Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 18, at 7 p.m. at the Dennet Elementary School, 80 Crescent Street.

• The annual Town Election will be held on Saturday, May 21, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Town House, 5 Palmer Road.

New Kingston Police Station put on hold

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KINGSTON/SILVER LAKE– A plan to build a new police station for Kingston on the main campus of the Silver Lake Regional School District (SLRSD) has run into last-minute legal problems, and is now up in the air.

Kingston had plans to build the station on a 5-acre parcel on Route 27, carved out of land owned by the regional school district. The district had previously received legal counsel that it could sell the parcel, if all of the towns composing the district agreed to the sale of the land at their respective town meetings.

Kingston, Halifax and Plympton had planned to split the proceeds of the agreed-upon $250,000 sales price proportionally according to the percentage of students they send to the district, and Kingston had agreed to donate their proceeds back to the SLRSD for capital expenses.

But over the last few weeks, legal questions began to emerge over the process, according to Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, culminating in a last minute decision to scuttle the town meeting articles that would have supposedly set the sale process in motion.

Halifax, the first district town to vote on the article, passed it over on Monday.

Kingston Town Administrator Robert Fennessy wrote in an email Thursday evening, May 5, that a legal opinion originally given to the district was revised. Apparently, according to Halifax Town Administrator Seelig, the district only has the statutory authority to buy land, not sell it, as this was not in the original agreement among the towns that formed the regional school district more than 50 years ago.

Fennessy went on to note that because of this lack of statutory authority to sell land, special legislation from the state must grant the district the authority to sell the land if Kingston does want to move forward with the project at that location.

The e-mail further says that Kingston will not have the article on their Annual Town Meeting warrant and suggests that Halifax and Plympton pull it as well, although due to the timing Halifax did pass-over and Plympton will have to pass-over the article.

“Clearly this was understandable, yet disappointing news to our town committees. We will now look at the available options to move forward,” he wrote. A source confirmed that Kingston officials have reached out to their state legislators for assistance.

The plans for a new station have been long in the works. A committee was formed to study the needs of the Kingston Police several years ago, and plans and renderings have been drawn up for the proposed station.  According to a previous interview with Kingston Police Chief Maurice Splaine, renovating the current station on Main Street is not an option as the early 1980’s era building is in a state of deterioration. The current building is about half of the size of police stations in similar towns with similar populations and numbers of officers.