This neighborhood farm supports the community while growing local, organic foods.

Editor’s note: this article ran in the March 13, 2015 issue of the Plympton-Halifax Express.

Despite the cold and snow out our windows preparations are ongoing at the Colchester Neighborhood Farm as they watch for warmer weather and the arrival of their baby goats.

Farming is a year round trade with an indoor start as seedlings get their beginnings over the winter months. There may be a misconception about farming as there is no commencement or completion to their daily chores although they have specific times they harvest crops there is a list of daily tasks to keep things successful.

MaryAnn Martinez Farm Manager at Colchester Neighborhood Farm (CNF) located at 90 Brook Street said the farm is as busy as usual getting things set for spring planting, which has been on hold as the snow slowly melts.

“March 9 of last year we were planting leeks.  The fields will have to dry out to get the tractors out in the beds.  This season looks a little more compressed as we will be starting a bit later in planting,”said Martinez.

On a recent visit the greenhouse projects were underway as Matt Bold and his five co-workers were each working at a station.  Bold is a Whitman Hanson graduate and an adult resident of New England Villages of Pembroke.  He was painting and lettering wood tiles that will be displayed to identify herbs and other field vegetation.  Another employee was roping pole bean towers, which will help the vegetable to vine itself.

The first CSA share is set for June along with the opening of the farm stand. The family owned non -profit is set on eight acres and is Baystate Certified Organic.

There will be weekend plant sales, which will begin in early May. Customers will be allowed to cut their own or purchase fresh flower bouquets in early summer, and the farm also holds egg shares.

Martinez has doubled her planting space to two acres. The land is not easily cultivated so the additional plots are exceptional.

The Colchester Neighborhood Farm has a unique value proposition. The goal is not only to be a neighborhood farm but also a social enterprise.  We hope to be able to meet the need for locally sourced foods, provide meaningful work for adults with developmental disabilities and strengthen the local community, according to their mission statement.

The Barrows family has owned the property for 200 years, which makes it a National Bicentennial Farm.

Martinez invited people to stop by the farm when the snow melts and the warm weather approaches.

Families are welcome to visit the baby goats and chickens, she said.

Dapple the Donkey is their resident character who is bound to evoke laughter with her quirky, outgoing personality.

New England Villages enable adults living with intellectual disabilities to experience dignified, enriching lives as part of a dynamic, supportive campus community and through participation in meaningful day programming.

New England Village decided to pursue a venture into the farming industry in response to the decline in statewide manufacturing jobs that had previously provided work for its employment program. The Village also operates a cleaning and landscaping business, according to their mission statement and website.

For further information on donating to the farm, share forms and ordering or becoming a volunteer, visit http://www.colchesterneigh
borhoodfarm.com.

Bridgewater poet Faye George read from her latest collection, World of Hard Use (WordTech, 2015), at the Holmes Public Library last week, to celebrate National Poetry Month. George explained that when she looked back through poems she had written she discovered that many of them shared the theme of work, which then became the theme of World of Hard Use. One poem George shared with the audience of seventeen poetry lovers who braved the evening’s cold rain was about the tragic Pemberton Mill collapse in Lawrence in 1860. Another, Pont du Gard, described the construction of the enormous stone aqueduct built by Roman slaves in the first century, A.D., preserved in southern France to this day. George also shared lighter poems, including one about getting ready for work in the morning called The Bathtub, the John, and the Sink. “Don’t laugh,” she joked. “The Paris Review took this one.”

The Friends of the Holmes Public Library sponsored this poetry reading on April 8. If you missed it, George will be reading again at the Lakeville Public Library on Thursday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. and at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree on Wednesday, April 29, at 7 p.m.

‘A nicer man you would not meet’

By Deborah Anderson
Express Staff

Flags all around the South Shore were lowered on their masts to honor Bruce Wood, a 43 year veteran of the Halifax Fire Department and contract mail hauler for the US Postal Service, who was killed in a head-on collision Friday, April 10, at 2:37 p.m.

Bruce drove his box truck among the various South Shore post offices delivering and picking up mail, and on Friday left the Plympton post office with a cheerful comment to the mail clerk about it being a good day, and on his way to the Carver post office met a  truck head-on which, travelling north, had reportedly drifted into the southbound lane.  Wood was declared dead at the scene and the other driver, 35-year-old Joel Reed of New Bedford, was taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth with serious injuries. Reed, it is reported, was later transported to a Boston Hospital.  His condition could not be determined at press time.

Chief Patrick Dillon of the Plympton PD, said that the cause of the accident is under investigation by the Plympton Police Department and the State Police Accident Reconstruction division. State Police have custody of a cell phone which was found in the passenger compartment of Reed’s vehicle.

Wood’s funeral service will be held this morning, Friday, at 11 a.m. at the Halifax Congregational Church, 503 Plymouth St., Route 58, Halifax, following visiting hours at the Church at 10 a.m.  After the funeral service, Wood will be buried at the Central Cemetery in Halifax. Arrangements are by the Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home.

A visitation was held at the Funeral Home, 4 West Washington St., Hanson.

Bruce was a lifelong resident of Halifax, and a 43-year member of the Halifax Fire Department.  He was also the department’s chaplain, Halifax Chief Jason Viveiros told the Express.  He was known for his smile and upbeat attitude.  “A nicer man you would not meet.”

Bruce was the only son of the late Myron “Bud” Wood Jr. and Elizabeth “Betty” (Alger) Wood. He was the loving father of the late Christopher Wood, his only son, who died in a motorcycle crash in 2009 at the age of 21.

He was the most wonderful brother and will be sorely missed by his sisters Beth Wood of Shelbyville, KY, Bonnie Wood and Brenda Pettingill and her husband Robert, all of Halifax. He also leaves aunts, uncles and cousins whom he truly loved.

Bruce graduated from Silver Lake High School, Class of 1970. He attended UMASS for two years and in 1974 worked at Armstrong Cork in Braintree. In 1972 Bruce joined the Halifax fire department and maintained his service till now working with many generations of firefighters and friends. He was most recently made Chaplin of the department.

He started driving early in life on a John Deere tractor on his grandfather’s farm. The seat felt so good he started driving professionally. Local businesses, Bosworth and Casoli’s, were predecessors to his eventual postal contract as a distributor of bulk mail to the local post offices. He enjoyed the rigorous schedule because of the great people he saw every day. He was active through his life with boats, motorcycles, fishing, hunting and enjoying the outdoors.  Since his son’s passing, he found great strength through local churches and the words they bring. Through this knowledge, he felt his greatest achievements were being able to help those in need.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bruce’s memory may be made to one of his causes: Bible Baptist Missions, PO Box 17615, Pensacola, FL 32522, or to any homeless charity in your area. It will make you feel good.  Visiting hours were held in the Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home, 4 West Washington St., at the corner of Rte. 58, Hanson, Thursday, April 16, from 4 – 8 p.m. Services will be held at the Halifax Congregational Church, 503 Plymouth St, Halifax on Friday April 17, at 11a.m.  There will be a visiting hour before service. Relatives and friends respectfully invited to attend. Internment will follow in Central Cemetery, Halifax.

By Abram Neal
Express Staff

Tuesday evening the Halifax Board of Selectmen began on a sad note by acknowledging the tragic death of 43-year veteran Halifax Firefighter Bruce Wood in a head-on collision Friday afternoon, and offered their condolences to his family, several of whom also work for the Town of Halifax.

Presentations from the Beautification Committee and a dialogue with State Representative Thomas Calter were also on the night’s agenda.

Representative Calter was invited to explain to the Board why the town was moving forward with a non-binding ballot question asking if voters support continuing with the current Massachusetts Common Core Standards, or wish to go back to the MCAS curriculum framework that existed prior to 2010. John Shiavone stated from the audience that a group within town had formed opposing the Common Core Standards, and wanted to gauge where the rest of the town stood on the subject.

Representative Calter stated that about a year and a half ago he been to a forum, also attended by Selectman Kim Roy, which was clearly opposed to Common Core. He believed that decisions should be based on data, not emotions as at that forum. He left the Board with some data he had prepared for other legislators. Representative Calter stated that he did not want to take a stand on one side or the other.

Calter went on to say that critical thinking was the most important skill lacking in today’s youth. He then repeatedly stated that the Common Core Standards taught critical thinking, despite emphatically taking the position that he wasn’t taking a position.

Rep. Calter also pointed out that under either standard, area community colleges were reporting back that large portions of their budgets were being spent to teach remedial math and English to students who had passed S.A.T. and MCAS testing, seeming to indicate a severe deficit in education today. From a businessman’s standpoint, Representative Calter said that this was frustrating as mid-career employees were now filling jobs once held by entry-level college graduates, and college graduates were now graduating with only a degree, but without the right skill-sets needed to get jobs.

He said that there are plenty of jobs available, yet the employment rate lies artificially high because people are not being trained in the right job skills. He finished with a heart-warming anecdote of a friend’s daughter whom, when unable to decide what to do with her business degree,  he counseled to combine her two major interests from high school, sports, and writing, and become a sports writer, which she had never considered. She is now a well-known sports writer, but apparently had never been taught critical thinking skills before her encounter with Representative Calter, he said.

Two forums will be held for the public on the issue of the Common Core ballot question, one on Wednesday April 29 and again on Thursday May 7.

The Beautification Committee presented to the board three proposals for a spring and summer garden outside Town Hall. Selectman Roy, a self-described “former gardener”, seemed most interested, and the major debate revolved around which type of tree to plant in the middle and was it appropriate for the site. Selectmen were solicited for their ideas outside of the meeting. Work will begin in May and the garden is hoped to be ready for a dedication ceremony in June. Selectmen moved to allow the project to continue to go forward with the caveat that they be updated if any major changes are made to the proposal.

Russ Kleekamp, an engineer, updated selectmen on a grant for feasibility studies to put automatic flood controls on a dam on Monponsett Pond. He expects to be able to report back soon on the feasibility, cost and size of the project, but noted that it is a multi-faceted project with many stakeholders, and it might take some time before any work begins, if the grant is awarded.

Finally, a debate on issues regarding parking on a town-owned parcel at 15 Ocean Street was held, and was obviously a difficult subject for the Board. Town Counsel strenuously objects to neighbors or anyone else parking there, due to liability issues for the town. A Mr. Dale Anderson was present, and has an unregistered car on the site. It was a hardship for him to move his car until next week, despite the deadline being April 14 to have vehicles removed, as Selectmen voted last week. All selectmen were visibly torn regarding the issue of balancing Mr. Anderson’s hardship against the town’s liability. Mr. Anderson submitted a written letter to the Board asking for a one-week extension, which in a 2-1 vote, was granted, after a lengthy discussion by the Board. Selectmen Roy voted against, stating her duty was to the liability of the town and that this had been going on since January, and surprisingly during the actual vote vociferously exclaimed “No!.” after the first two “Yea” votes. Mr. Anderson thanked the Board for their time and apologized for putting them in that position.

In other news:

Police Officer Al Hingst was recognized for his work mentoring a young person through a difficult family situation. A letter was written by the person’s mother to the police chief who shared it with selectmen. The Board voted to send a letter of thanks to Hingst and also include a copy for his file.

The grant application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for replacing the roof at Halifax Elementary was submitted by Superintendent John Tuffy.

Selectmen voted to extend the third year of a 3 year contract for gas and diesel fuel with Dennis K. Burke.

Selectmen will not meet next week.

By Abram Neal
Express Staff

PLYMPTON – Monday evening Plympton Selectmen met to continue to work on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on May 13th.  The Finance Committee also reported to selectmen where they stand on their recommendations for final budget warrant articles.

Town Coordinator Dale Pleau stated that most of the articles are completed, but he continues to edit the language in several.

One important question is whether and how the town will contribute to the South Shore Community Action Council, a non-profit group that provides assistance to needy citizens. The selectmen had previously voted to donate $2,000, but cannot directly donate in this way according to Town Counsel.

Concerns were raised to Selectmen that the heaviest users of the services provided by the SSCAC, the Council on Aging, are not satisfied with services rendered. Chris Maiorano, Director of the Council on Aging, later told the Express that the Council was either not aware of services offered, or found that services were cost prohibitive.  Maiorano has called Plympton’s representative to the SSCAC, Janis Morrison, to COA’s next meeting. Selectmen did pass a motion to make the gift if a financial vehicle to do so is found. FinCom will consult with the board further on the matter.

FinCom was invited to the meeting and presented some preliminary findings, but also sought advice from Selectmen on whether areas of the budget needed further funding. They were very clear that the budget was in near  final state but preliminary, and that they, “needed to make sure it all added up,”  Funding for D.A.R.E. was previously removed, but FinCom was optimistic that moving some money around could restore it. Furthermore, the Town Clerk’s office asked for further funding at a previous Board meeting, and the Selectmen agreed that it was needed.  Selectmen were so strongly in favor of the Clerk’s request that they asked their salaries be reduced to $0 and the money appropriated to the Town Clerk’s office.

The FinCom stated there was no money to further fund any other departments this year. The only other major concern was that the animal control budget looked high this year, which will be looked into, and Board Chairman Mark Russo otherwise thanked FinCom for keeping the budget under control.

An audience member voiced his concern about an item that was glossed over in correspondence last week. Eversource had sent a copy of a letter to the Board that was addressed to the Board of Health stating that they are going to be spraying herbicides along their power line right-of-way to reduce unwanted vegetation. Last week the Selectmen seemed satisfied that all proper permits had been pulled and that they didn’t need to sign off on anything. This week, the Chair of the Board of Health, Art Morin, confirmed that Eversource had acted properly. The audience member asked to know specifically when and where the spraying would take place, as he was a bee-keeping hobbyist. He also had concerns over chemicals seeping into groundwater and stated that this had been a concern in neighboring communities and Cape Cod. Mr. Morin told the audience member that he would forward documents from Eversource to him and the Board of Selectmen decided that they may address the issue as an agenda item at at next week’s meeting.

An ongoing issue with fire inspectors and town assessors making home visits at the same time, concerning some residents, has not been resolved. It seems that the issue more specifically now is that the assessors are not identifying themselves as such. Residents do have to allow in fire inspectors, but not assessors. The Board and Town Coordinator are waiting for further advice from Town Counsel.

Finally, Mr. Russo read a letter of commendation from Police Chief Patrick Dillon regarding life saving action taken by Officer Brent Peterson. An unresponsive adult male was found by a family member, who called 911 and began CPR. Officer Peterson arrived at the scene and administered NarCan, a medication that is an opioid antidote. He then took over C.P.R., provided 6 cycles of twenty chest compressions and two breaths, reviving the patient and restoring normal heart function and breathing. The Board commended Officer Peterson as well, who will receive a “Life Saver Day” (a paid day off).

In other news:

Due to the Patriots’ Day holiday, the next Board of Selectman meeting will be held  Wednesday, April 22, at 6 p.m.

By Abram Neal
Express Staff

On Tuesday morning, April 14, TRIAD held its monthly meeting at the Halifax Police Station. The Guest Speaker was Larry Erickson, Director of Programming for Carver-Halifax TV.

Guest Speaker Larry Erickson, also joined by board member John Shiavone of the non-profit that owns and operates what is currently known as CHAT, or Carver Halifax Access Television, updated the meeting on what is going on with Public Access Television. CHAT broadcasts town board meetings, educational programming and locally produced programming.

Erickson began by giving a brief history of the laws and development of the concept of Public Access Television, going back to 1972. He then went on to describe some of the current challenges with what is going on locally. At this time, there is just one channel being shared by both Carver and Halifax, Channel 13. The new television studio, at 96 North Main Street in North Carver, is being upgraded, and the goal is that each town will have its own Channel 14 and Channel 15.

One question is whether Plympton will join the alliance, which is causing delays in implementation of this plan. Plympton selectman John Henry felt strongly that they needed to bring this for a Town Meeting vote before moving forward.

Mr. Erickson enthusiastically described the possibilities of CHAT, noting that anyone can come in and make a show, learn how to be behind or in front of the camera, or borrow a camera and take it off site. He also described how the town will gain further “access points”, where live television can be broadcast. He put out a call for more programming, especially from Senior Citizens. The phone number for the new studio is 508-866-1019, and the website can be accessed for now at http://www.ccat.cc

Officer Herb Wiltshire, Senior Affairs Officer, presented briefly on phone scams going on in the area. Officer Wiltshire emphasized strongly that there were many scam-artists currently operating, targeting senior citizens in the area. They often seek out personal information so that they can commit identity theft. He stated that there is often not much that the police can do once information is given. Even worse, sometimes people are tricked into sending money via Western Union or another such wire service, and that money simply cannot be gotten back once it is in the hands of thieves. He also suggested not answering unknown phone numbers.

, because once the scam-artist knows it is an active number, they may try to use it again.

In other TRIAD news:

There is a Safety Assurance Program that provides an automatic call checking your or a loved one’s wellbeing everyday available through TRIAD.

There are pouches called “File of Life” available as well through TRIAD that contain all personal and medical information for glove compartment or wallet.

HALIFAX — Voters at Special Town Meeting on Tuesday Feb. 17 nixed a $619,000 capital improvement package for the Silver Lake campus, rejected a $121,250 request by cemetery commissioners to purchase 10 acres of farmland at Hayward and Franklin streets, and approved a $27,937 budget transfer to fund a collective bargaining agreement with the police patrolmen’s union.

By a voice vote, Halifax Special Town Meeting rejected the $619,000 Silver Lake plan, with some “yes” votes, but many more “no” votes.

On Jan. 8, the Silver Lake Regional School Committee voted to amend this fiscal year’s budget to fund the $619,000 capital plan, drawing on the district’s $1.1-million is excess and deficiency or free cash funds.

The measure would not alter assessments to Halifax, Kingston or Plympton. However, voters at Town Meeting in each town may vote to affirm, reduce or reject the budget amendment.

If Town Meeting in two of the three towns approve the measure, it stands. If Town Meeting does not act, the measure is deemed to be approved by that town.

Kingston did not schedule a Town Meeting to deal with the $619,000 Silver Lake plan, therefore it is deemed approved by that town. Special Town Meeting in Halifax on Tuesday rejected the measure. Voters at Special Town Meeting in Plympton Friday night, Feb. 20, will meet at 7 p.m. at the Town House to discuss the Silver Lake plan and cast the deciding vote.

A number of Halifax and Plympton firefighters will graduate from the Plymouth County Training Council Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 programs, during a ceremony to be held on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Duxbury Senior Center, 10 Mayflower Road in Duxbury.

The Halifax graduates are Adam Flaherty, Derek Coveney, Shamus Ricciarelli, Heather Littlefield, David Bradshaw, Richard Ferguson and Michael McDonald.

All seven graduates are trained EMTs who will be firefighter-EMTs in Halifax. Two of them are already on staff as EMTs, and the other five will fill new positions. Littlefield is a paramedic. All seven positions are on the call department, said Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

“They’ve shown an incredible amount of dedication to it,” he said.

The Plympton graduates are Fire Lt. Robert Law and firefighter-EMT Brian Gray.

Gray is a promising young man who has been in EMS for five or six years and a Plympton call firefighter for more than three years. Law has 26 years of experience in EMS and has been a paramedic for 16 years. He is a full-time Plympton firefighter, the only full-timer in the fire department other than the chief, and is in his second year in Plympton, said Plympton Fire Chief Warren Borsari.

“This is a great program where these guys went to. I’m very proud of them,” he said.

Viveiros said the program started on Sept. 23 and ends Feb. 12.

“It covers all of the basic skills needed for firefighting,” he said.

Borsari said that for more than five months, firefighters took classes for two nights a week and on weekends.

The Firefighter 1 program covers the essentials of firefighting, and the Firefighter 2 program covers more advanced material, including hazardous materials response and motor vehicle extrications, he said.

“It’s the same as the Massachusetts Fire Academy in Stow. It’s the same syllabus, the same criteria. It’s done for call fire departments statewide,” he said. “It’s a huge course.”