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John Traynor is candidate for Selectman

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To all Plympton Residents:

I would like to announce my candidacy for Selectman of the Town of Plympton. A resident of the town since 1970, my wife Brenda and I have deep roots in the town. All three of our children went through Dennett Elementary and then onto Silver Lake Regional High School.

A graduate of Bentley College, with a degree in Accounting and Finance, I worked in private industry for over twenty five years in the business analysis and financial field, with an emphasis on long-range planning. During my eighteen years with Digital Equipment I made the transition from finance into consulting and sales as the senior corporate account manager for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

I have previously served twelve years on the Plympton Finance Committee, eight years as a Plympton Library Trustee, and the last eight years as Town Moderator. In addition I am a member of the committee addressing the Department of Revenue recommendations for the town, as well as a member of the Committee working with the University of Massachusetts Collins Center, through a State grant, to develop financial forecasts, a capital spending plan, and financial policies for the Town.

A member of the Upland Sportsman’s Club since 1970 I have served in the past as Club President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Director. I am also a member of the Plympton Garden Club and the Plympton Historical Society.

I am running for the Selectman’s position because I believe it’s important to continue the work of developing sound financial planning for the Town and to provide the leadership necessary to balance providing services without an undue tax burden. Plympton has a unique character that we all want to preserve.  I believe my extensive experience and knowledge of the town will serve Plympton well.

I would appreciate your vote on Saturday, May 21st.

John Traynor

Crescent Street

Great Hall celebration!

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HALIFAX– At an otherwise brief meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 22, Halifax Fire Chief Jason Vivieros presented certificates to two high-school students who completed the Halifax Firefighter’s Cadet program, and promoted two firefighters to the rank of Lieutenant. Selectmen also met with Barbara Brenton, Director of the Council on Aging and Karen Trudeau, Principal Assessor, with an update on the Senior Tax Work-Off Program. Russ Kleekamp, of GHD, a consultant working with the town on Monponsett Lake water-quality issues also updated selectmen.

Firefighters and families celebrate

The Great Hall in the Halifax Town Hall was filled with firefighters, family and friends as students from the Halifax Firefighters Cadets program were recognized with certificates.

The cadet program allows high-school students with an interest in becoming firefighters to explore all aspects of the day-to-day work of firefighters and paramedics, including firefighter safety, EMS, search and rescue, and according to Vivieros, “they were able to play with the trucks a good deal.”

Students Abby Dubraski and Zachary Rossini received their certificates.

Vivieros continued with firefighter promotions, citing Nathan Jones and William Palma as the obvious choices to promote to Lieutenant.

“Both are already natural leaders in the department; they are the guys that others go to for help in solving problems.”

As each was sworn by Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor, their spouses pinned on their new badges to thunderous applause of those gathered.

There were many hugs and handshakes seen around the hall, as the board and the firefighting community congratulated the newly minted Lieutenants.

Senior Tax Work-Off Program

Barbara Brenton, Director of the Council on Aging and Karen Trudeau, Principal Assessor, were tasked last year with bringing to fruition a tax-abatement program for seniors in which, under certain conditions, by volunteering, seniors could abate part of their property tax bill.

The PILOT program allows seniors, over the age of 60 who are homeowners of five years or more, a chance at a lottery for two slots for the program. A maximum of $750 each can be “volunteered” off of their taxes, for example, at the library. The number of hours is capped to the minimum wage.

Nothing prevents anyone from volunteering more, but a restriction is in place so that someone can’t win a lottery position two years in a row. An income means test is imposed as well.

Brenton and Trudeau were reporting back after the inaugural year of the program, and they both stated that it was a little hard to fill the two slots that they started with.

The COA did meticulous research about how this type of program works in other towns, noting that over 100 towns in the Commonwealth have had something similar in place for 15 to 20 or more years.

They recommended to the board that no changes be made in the program for FY’17, as the concept continues to become more well known.

“We need to market it more,” said Brenton.

Monponsett Lake Storm Drains

Russ Kleekamp, a consultant with a company called GHD, is working with the town of Halifax, specifically very closely with the Highway Department, in order to identify and take the necessary steps to reduce storm-drain runoff making its way into both the ponds of Monponsett Lake.

Using grant money from the state, money donated from the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, and matching town money, the town has been achieving $9 for every $1 spent on the project, which hopes to reduce the amount of runoff into the ponds. This runoff provides extra nutrients to feed the problematic algae, partially leading to the unhealthy water in the lake, according to Kleekamp.

Kleekamp will identify three major “hot-spots”, and work on a detailed conceptual design to mitigate the pollution.  That way the grant money will be spent on the highest priorities first.

“I’m at a point in my career where I’m lucky enough to be able to pick and choose my clients,” he said to the board. “It’s been great working with the town.”

The board was visibly pleased.

Halifax selectmen will next meet Tuesday, March 29.

Fear and anger regarding Brook Retreat incident by Residents

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PLYMPTON– On Monday, March 21, a large group of residents attended the meeting of the Board of Selectmen to hear a report from Chairman Mark Russo regarding an alleged home invasion on Brook Street earlier in the month, nearly adjacent to the Brook Retreat, at 55 Brook Street, a sober living facility. A guest of the facility was alleged to have committed the crime.

The operators of the Brook Retreat, South Shore Transformations, Inc., a sober living and 12-step facility located in a residential neighborhood, refused to appear before the board publicly, nor did they respond to a request from the Express for comment, but they did sit down with board Chairman Russo to discuss the March 6 incident.

On that Sunday night, according to police and court records, an individual named Shane Patrick Sullivan, 25, of Boston, but staying at the Brook Retreat, allegedly terrorized a couple at around 11 p.m. in their home, attempting to break windows, damaging a storm door, and breaking a light fixture with an icepick and committing other property damage.

He had been staying at the Brook Retreat for only four or five days, said Russo.

When found by police, according to the Plympton Police incident narrative, Sullivan was barefoot in the street, making bizarre statements, including that he had killed a whole family, that he had killed Satan. He also spontaneously uttered, “I’m guilty.”

Sullivan was charged with felony vandalizing property as well as felony home invasion, and misdemeanor disturbing the peace and misdemeanor resisting arrest.

According to Russo, court records and a law-enforcement source, Sullivan is being held for psychiatric evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital, in order to determine “criminal responsibility” and “competency to stand trial”.  A Plymouth District Court judge ordered this evaluation before he was arraigned.

Although he allegedly told paramedics, who reported back to police, that he had ingested illegal drugs this may not be the case as he was not making much sense according to the police report.

Sullivan has at least one open case in Massachusetts, in Chelsea District Court, on charges of shoplifting and possession of a Class E substance. The prosecutor in that case is asking a Plymouth judge to revoke his bail in the case, which originated in Revere, according to the Chelsea District Court Clerk’s office.

According to a law enforcement official Sullivan is “well-known to area law-enforcement.”

Russo reported that the operators of the Brook Retreat were deeply sorry for the incident, and were taking pro-active measures to prevent an incident like this from happening again. They released a statement directly responding to questions from a concerned resident, via Russo, which stated:

“What happened on Sunday night to the Limitone family by one of our guests is unacceptable. We are grateful that no one from the family was injured. We are a very strict structured program. We take the safety of our guest [sic] and neighbors seriously. We appreciate the action by police and emergency personnel who defused the situation quickly.”

The statement further went on to say that they have been following the agreement they made with the town (although there was no formal agreement) stating that they would not accept guests that have been “arrested for either arson or any sexual related offenses.”

At a forum in Sept. 2014, the Express reported that the three principals of the Brook Retreat mentioned violent offenses would also be part of the list of disqualifying arrests, but left this out of their statement.

Russo stated that CORI checks were not being performed, so it is not apparent exactly what type of background check is being done.

Russo described some of the other policies as reported to him, though it was not clear which one broke down earlier in March. The Brook Retreat claims that they will build a fence around the property with a gate, but this did little to assuage the concerns of residents.

Russo also noted that because the facility is technically a “school” under a 1950’s era state law known as the Dover Amendment, part of M.G.L. Chapter 40A(3), which allows schools, even those with non-traditional curriculums, to be operated relatively unfettered from local zoning restrictions. (Chapter 40A(3) has been a key issue in the on-going discussion over whether to allow a medical marijuana grow facility on Ring Road.)

The Brook Retreat has no license from any government authority, local or state, although the fire department checks the sprinklers annually.

Residents were uniformly angry, upset, fearful or expressing some mixture of the three. The lack of any oversight from any agency is a huge issue for residents.

Amy Cronin of County Road said she supported effort to help “these people”, but had grave concerns with the way the facility was managed.

She was thankful she didn’t live on Brook Street, but “am afraid for my neighbors that do,” and that she was personally “scared.” She mentioned property values potentially going down, noting that on a popular real estate website the incident is already noted.

Cronin would like to see a certified or licensed facility.

James Boucher of Mayflower Road was also vocal. He added that he thought something was going to happen when the project was proposed, that it was just a matter of time. “Someone could have been shot,” he said.

“I don’t want to wake up with…one of my neighbors stabbed with a knife or stuck with a needle,” he later added.

He later even stated that Plympton was being used as a “dumping ground”.

Although not all of the language was this vitriolic, several other residents brought up what they thought could be ways to close the facility, for example, an excess number of beds, excess occupancy, or an improper septic system but the facility has followed all the rules it is subject to, according to Russo.

Most were simply incredulous that a sober living facility could be operated with no oversight.

Selectperson Christine Joy expressed anger that residents were living in fear, and took the suggestion of an audience member that Town Counsel be asked for advice regarding any action the town could take against the Brook Retreat.

The Board unanimously agreed, although Russo noted that he was afraid that the answer would be unsatisfying to those gathered.

Selectperson Colleen Thompson expressed concern that background checks weren’t being performed.

Russo noted at the end that after having met with the operators, he very much supports their efforts. He even went so far to say as he would be happy to have the Brook Retreat next to his own home.

The audience was not convinced.

Sullivan is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. in Plymouth District Court on Monday, March 28, 2016.

“Triple Tragedy” in Halifax, 1874

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The Halifax Historical Society will host local author John F. Gallagher at its April 11 meeting at 7 p.m. at the Albert E. Kiernan Schoolhouse, South St., Halifax.

After 30 years with the Boston Police Department, rising to the rank of superintendent and chief of detectives, John F. Gallagher retired and turned to writing stories about true local crimes.

His latest venture brought him to Halifax to investigate the Sturtevant Murders. Brothers Thomas Sturtevant and Simeon Sturtevant along with their housekeeper, Mary Buckley were brutally murdered in the Old Sturtevant homestead February 15, 1874.

All are welcome to join us as we listen to John tell of his research into this heinous crime perpetrated “just down the street,” Thompson Street, that is.

Gallagher’s interest in history and genealogy, paired with his background in criminal investigation, motivated him to write about century-old murders on the South Shore.

His first book, Murder on Broadway: A History of Homicide in Hanover, was followed by his second volume, Arsenic in Assinippi, about retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Joseph Giles Eaton’s suspicious death in Norwell in 1913.

He will bring copies of his books, Murder on Broadway: A History of Homicide in Hanover, and Arsenic in Assinippi: and The Trial of Jennie May Eaton for the Murder of Her Husband, Rear Admiral Joseph Eaton, for anyone interested in those stories as well.John and his wife, Jeanne, live in Hanover All are welcome to attend.

Plymouth Police Academy graduates

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Plympton Police Department graduates

The Plympton Police Department is proud to announce the recent graduation of three Plympton Police Department sponsored recruits from the 61st Plymouth Police Academy.

Michael Gagnon, Jr., Alexander Nevarez and John Simon received their Academy Diplomas on Friday, March 11, at a ceremony held at Memorial Hall in Plymouth, which was attended by Plympton Police Chief Patrick Dillon and other members of the department.  Those in attendance included other area Police Chiefs, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz and Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald.     

The academy, which graduated 40 recruits, began on September 22, 2015 and ended on March 11, 2016.  Recruits were trained in all phases of police work, including, but not limited to, Criminal Law, Motor Vehicle Law, Constitutional Law, CPR and First Responder and Applied Patrol Procedures.

Gagnon, a lifelong Plympton resident, Simon, a Lieutenant in the United States Army National Guard and Nevarez, a Brockton resident, have all applied to the Plympton Police Department for a position as a Police Officer and are being considered for various positions.

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area

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HALIFAX– Citizens will soon be able to drive to a parking lot again, rather than park directly on Elm Street, in order to access the Halifax entrance to the Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, shared with Hanson. There is no other vehicle access in Halifax to the WMA, although there is in Hanson.

The WMA, once dominated by cranberry bogs, was purchased and created by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) in 2002. The 1,600-acre property was sold by the Northland Cranberry Company.

The controversial purchase led to litigation between Halifax and the DFW, regarding taxes Halifax asserted were owed on the land as it was no longer being used for agricultural purposes, which was eventually settled. This was not the only controversy regarding the WMA, though. A couple who abuts the parking lot and driveway to the Halifax entry-point have complained for years about a lack of policing, litter and nightly noise caused by trespassers. Christopher and Thais Kasmerek, by a fluke, discovered that due to a surveying error, they actually owned a good portion of the access road, and essentially closed it off to vehicle traffic by building a fence down the middle, delineating their newfound property.

Citizens are still able to walk on the State-owned side of the fence to enjoy the WMA, but have been creating a safety hazard by parking on the side of Elm Street.

In response to the fence, the DFW has announced it will simply pave a new road around the Kasmerek’s fence, to the original parking lot, by-passing private property and remaining on State-owned land.

The Kasmereks have come before the Halifax Board of Selectmen with their fears of actions that the Town or State might take to open up access again, as recently as December.

At that meeting, Selectmen foresaw just this scenario, and attempted to work with the couple on a compromise in order to prevent it. The DFW had offered to build some sort of buffer for the Kasmereks, but they rejected that offer suggesting that no buffer could assuage their concerns.

The Kasmereks complained of more “bad-behavior” behind their property after the DFW created the WMA, with people coming and going at all times of day and night and leaving behind beer cans, glass, needles and dog refuse.

Another issue is that policing of the property falls primarily under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Police, because the WMA is owned by the DFW. The Environmental Police, a relatively small agency, appear not to have the will or resources to properly police the huge WMA, at least not to the satisfaction of abutters.

We’ve got you covered!

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PLYMOUTH COUNTY– According to Officer Doug Mazzola of the Plympton Police Department, mass shootings, defined by the FBI as when four or more people are killed in an episode of gun violence, have a long history in the United States. Today, though, and in the past two decades, the frequency of such horrific incidents has increased markedly.

More and more regular patrol officers across the country have had to face-down “active shooter” situations, which according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are defined as an “individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and other populated area”. FEMA also notes that there often is no pattern or method to victim selection and that the events are unpredictable and may unfold quickly.

For these reasons, Plympton police conducted an active shooter drill on Saturday, March 12, along with seven other area law-enforcement agencies, including the Halifax Police Department, at a large industrial complex in Plymouth County. About twenty officers participated. The costly, but unfortunately necessary training, was incredibly intense and realistic, according to Mazzola, who participated.

He stressed that “interoperability” was a key term for police today, and such joint training drills allow officers to have the same mentality and skills necessary to fall in and assist in whatever scenario might occur, regardless of which department or agency the officer works for.

The training consisted of a classroom portion, emphasizing the history of mass shootings as well as current strategies engaged by police nationwide. They then toured the host facility, and began conducting drills covering multiple scenarios, including a barricaded hostage-taking scenario. Officers and volunteers participated as “victims”.

   Police fired blanks and simulated ammunition, commonly known under the brand name Simunition, which has a dye to mark when someone is shot, in order to create as realistic an experience as possible. The blanks were of the same decibel as live ammunition, which, according to Mazzola, “really got the adrenaline going.”

“We’ve always had mass shootings, but Columbine [the massacre carried out by two teens at a Colorado high school in April, 1999] was a turning point for police, especially in terms of police tactics. It’s no longer surround the perimeter and wait for a SWAT team to arrive. We actively engage the shooter now in these situations, entering as quickly as possible,” added Mazzola.

The trainers were all certified by the Massachusetts Police Training Council and the curriculum used was similar to that used nationally by other law-enforcement agencies, he said.

Plympton and the surrounding area may have some small police forces, but they are highly skilled and trained. Recent incidents across the country have demonstrated that violent incidents can occur anywhere, but the residents of Plymouth County can rest assured that should an incident occur here, our local police are top-notch.

A Silver Lake Softball Superstar prepares for her final Season

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Silver Lake Regional High School pitcher Maddy Barone is heading into the final chapter of what has been a storied career playing for the Lakers.

The 17-year-old Barone is just now entering her senior campaign, but her stats would make you think otherwise. Through three seasons, Barone has put up astronomical numbers.

It all started during Barone’s freshman season, when she started to turn heads seemingly every time on the mound. Her 16-3 record and 0.48 ERA guided the Lakers to a 20-3 record and a trip to the Division 1 South Sectional semifinals.

As her sophomore season rolled around, she was even better—bolstering a career-best 0.15 ERA, while throwing a perfect game, five no-hitters, 16 shutouts, striking out 190 batters and winning 16 games. Barone’s bat was equally effective—posting a career-high .536 average, while hitting six home runs and driving in 31.

It was during her junior year, last season, when Barone’s success started to pay dividends in the playoffs. Barone recorded an 11 strikeout, shutout win performance against Milford in the Division 1 South Sectional quarterfinals two games before her 10 strikeout, complete game win led her team to a Division 1 South Sectional finals win. Though the Lakers fell short in the Division 1 state finals against St. Peter-Marian.

Silver Lake Regional High School head coach, Tony Pina, said he’s seen Barone, a team captain last season, grow a great deal since his arrival in 2014.

“Her ability to lead and become more vocal on the field has evolved over the years,” Pina said. “Her desire to add more pitches and become more confident with them has been impressive.”

As Barone enters her last go around in a Lakers’ uniform, she said there are numerous reasons that make her eager to get back on the field.   

“I’m [extremely] excited to play with all my teammates for one last season,” Barone said. “I’m looking forward to having another great season.”

Over the offseason, Barone said she has been playing on an indoor team at the Bridgewater Sports Complex while attending pitching lessons every other week. Pina said Barone’s work ethic is second to none.

“It’s one of the best I’ve encountered in 22 years,” Pina explained.

Barone, the 2015 Patriot League MVP for Softball, said she does see an area of her game that she is striving to improve.

“I want to get better at reading batters, in terms of what pitches to throw them,” Barone said. “I’ve been working on perfecting some pitches and learning new ones.”

There is one goal, which the Lakers came away from achieving last season, Barone said she would like to accomplish before she graduates.

“I want to get back to the state finals and win,” Barone said.

While in the midst of leading her team to the playoffs last season, Barone was also in the process of making a monumental choice regarding her softball career. Her decision was to commit to attend Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to play softball, starting in the fall of 2016. She then signed on with SNHU this past November. Pina said he has no doubt she will succeed at the collegiate ranks.

“Maddy is the complete package,” Pina said. “She has the heart for the game and the mind to think and play it the right way. She is a hard worker and is never satisfied. People at the next level need that drive and hunger to accomplish more, to be more. Maddy is a winner, as a player and as a person.”

Attemped Home Invasion in Plympton

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Armed with an ice pick, Boston resident Shane Sullivan attempted a home invasion late Sunday night.

Plympton officers were dispatched to a home on Brook Street for a report of an armed home invader who had a gun at 11 p.m. Sunday.

Shane Sullivan, 26, failed to comply with officers when they arrived.  There was a brief struggle when he would not show his hands. It was later determined that he did not have a fire arm, however he did have an ice chipping tool which he was using to strike the side of the house as well as to gain entry.

Plympton Police Chief Patrick Dillon commended his officers for showing ‘great restraint’ in subduing the suspect.

Sullivan reportedly has an address in Boston but has been staying at the Brook Retreat, a substance abuse continuation program for recovering addicts, nearly adjacent to 47 Brook St., the home he attemped to break  into.

Sullivan, who  according to police, was having a medical episode related to ingested drugs, was on the back porch of the home where he broke a  window, a light  and  a storm  door as he attempted to force his way in the house.

Sullivan was placed into custody by officers and evaluated by Plympton EMS. He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth   for further medical evaluation.

Chief Dillon clarified neither the homeowner nor the suspect had a firearm, which had been falsely posted on social media and on the morning television news.

Neither the homeowner or any police officers were injured.

Sullivan is facing charges of armed home invasion, willful malicious   destruction of property and disturbing the peace.

Dillon expressed thanks   to officers from Halifax, Carver, Kingston, Massachusetts State Police and Plymouth County Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) for their assistance during the tense situation.

Huge Halifax Concert proposed; Fieldstone Farms Warned

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HALIFAX– Halifax Selectmen met on Tuesday, March 8 and as quickly as possible dealt with a lengthy agenda. There were two appointments, both of a serious nature, although after these as the night grew late there was a significant amount of laughter in the room as less weighty subjects were discussed, including determining a pressing question of when to call a dog hearing.

Unprecedented Event Proposed

Robert Bergstrom, best known for his now-annual MudFest truck racing event, has some big plans in the works. The Selectmen seemed to simultaneously sigh with relief when they found out that he has scaled his proposal down in the last several weeks, but Bergstrom would like to hold a two-day concert this summer at Fieldstone Farms, hopefully to raise money for or donate to veterans in some way. He expects a maximum of 5,000 people to show-up each day, with approximately 8 food vendors and 8 other concessions vendors.

The name “Steven Tyler” has even been heard, but Bergstrom is currently being coy about that.

Bergstrom had previously worked with a promoter who raises money for veterans, but decided to shift direction and take on the project himself when that original proposal, for an even larger event, took on a life of its own and did not seem to be something selectmen would support.

The logistics of such a concert would likely be unprecedented for Halifax, despite events of this size being held at Fieldstone Farms for their horse shows. Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy as well as Selectman Tom Millias noted that this concert would be of a different nature than the horse shows, and Millias especially noted that concerts, “can have a tendency to get out of control– or not.” Security is one major concern the board noted.

“The only reason we are even entertaining this idea is because you have had a very good history with us,” said Selectman Troy Garron. Bergstrom replied, “Why, thank you!” Bergstrom, a colorful character, has a good relationship with the Board.

All board members agreed that they needed to see much more detailed plans before they could approve the event, and that all appropriate boards and public safety officials be notified. Bergstrom must contact the Police Chief, Fire Chief, Board of Health, Building Inspector, and more before he comes back before Selectmen on March 29.

Halifax Health Agent Cathy Drinan added that Halifax has many large event requirements pertaining to health and public safety that would need to be met, and that this may well be the largest event ever held in Halifax. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig agreed, saying, “I think that’s what this board is expecting,” directed at Bergstrom.

The proposed date of the concert is coming up quickly, and Bergstrom mentioned possibly pushing it back by one or two weeks to give himself further time to plan and as well for the Selectmen to carefully consider the proposal.

Fieldstone Farms Horse Shows

In an unrelated matter, Scott Clawson, proprietor of Fieldstone Farms, was called before the Selectmen because he had advertised more show dates for his annual “Class A” equestrian event than allowed in an agreement negotiated with the town 23 years ago. He was represented by counsel, Attorney Phil Taylor.

An action by the Building Inspector at that time was litigated, and a settlement was reached with the town. The agreement was signed by Clawson, as well as the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Building Inspector. The agreement includes a cap on the number of horse shows permitted.

Clawson, through his attorney, asked the board to change the agreement, including adding more shows, and noted that because this was a legal agreement, any changes would need to go through the courts and thus Town Counsel would need to be involved.

But the board quickly and unyieldingly began hammering away at Clawson and his attorney stating that the reason the board has summoned him in the first place was because of the fact that he had advertised too many shows in violation of the agreement. Clawson wasn’t supposed to be there asking for more shows, he was there to explain himself for the violation.

Selectman Millias appeared particularly annoyed, the first to make this point. Garron joined him in his expressed annoyance, saying that, “We should have been having this conversation [about adding dates] before you advertised them…we called you out on it.”

Attorney Taylor had an explanation: “It’s easier to cancel shows rather than plan a show.” He apologized for the timing, but Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy appeared skeptical.

The discussion turned to which board has the authority to modify the agreement. Taylor argued that it was the Selectmen, because only they can authorize litigation. But the ZBA feels that it is in their purview, according to a letter sent to the board, as it is their belief that the agreement was executed by the ZBA.

It was not apparent to anyone in the room how the matter ever had anything to do with the ZBA, which particularly befuddled Millias, who mentioned several times that the ZBA is an adjudicating body, not an enforcement authority.

All agreed that nothing could be decided that evening, and that Town Counsel needed to be consulted as to which board had jurisdiction over the matter, if not both.

Clawson added that he had been trying to figure out for over a year which direction to go in, and received conflicting answers from the town. He left essentially with only a scolding for advertising extra show dates before asking the town to change the terms of their agreement.The matter was continued.

Dog bites Dog

Yes, that was an agenda item on Tuesday night. Halifax Selectmen, who have recently adjudicated an inordinate number of dog hearings over the past several months, could and probably would certainly hold a dog hearing if a dog bit another dog that wasn’t from the same household, especially so if it was a serious bite or if one of the dogs was not licensed or vaccinated.

The question of the night, though, posed by Town Administrator Seelig, was, “Is a dog hearing necessary if a dog bites a dog from the same household?” Apparently, the situation had arisen and two licensed and vaccinated dogs from the same household got into a spat where one bit the other.

“What would the point of that hearing be?” asked Troy Garron, the board’s resident animal lover, and also the board member who is most vocal at dog hearings, calling them “People Hearings”.

The room erupted in laughter as the Selectmen considered the scenario, but Seelig finally chimed in with, “Fine, that answers my question.”

Now that the Halifax Board of Selectmen have answered this important question, the only question left unanswered for the Selectmen may be whether to call a hearing if and when a human bites a dog. That, though, might be under another board’s jurisdiction.