BOSTON – Rep. Kathy LaNatra of Kingston announced that the Food System Caucus, of which she is a member, has prioritized eight pieces of legislation and endorsed twenty additional pieces of legislation for the 193rd session. Led by Co-Chairs Representative Kane, Representative Vargas, Representative Schmid, Representative Domb, Representative Donahue, Senator Comerford, and Senator DiDomenico, the Food System Caucus has based its priority and endorsed legislation on the three primary areas identified as priorities in the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan and accepted by the Massachusetts Food Policy Council in 2015:
• Food access/insecurity: Reducing waste, hunger, and food insecurity while making available more fresh, healthy food to everyone who lives in the Commonwealth.
• Farmland: Protecting the land and resources necessary to produce food while maximizing the environmental benefits of agriculture and fishing and the preservation of agricultural land.
• Economic Development: Recognizing the significant impact to local, regional, and state economies, supporting the increase of production, sales, and consumption of Massachusetts-farmed food and seafood, and creating jobs and improving wages in the food, farming, and seafood industries.
• The Food System Caucus will be a hosting an upcoming legislative briefing to highlight and summarize the caucus’ priority legislation and answer any questions from members about the bills prior to August recess.
“Thank you to all of our fellow Legislators who submitted their important pieces of legislation to the Food System Caucus for priority consideration” said the Food System Caucus Co-Chairs. “We are excited to work together this session to propel these pieces of legislation forward.”
“I am pleased to be one of the many members of the Food System Caucus,” said Rep. Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston).“The priority and endorsed legislation our Caucus has chosen this session will strengthen our local food system and help reduce food insecurity, as issue made acutely important over these past few years. I look forward to advocating with members to advance these bills this session.”
The House and Senate Clerks have now referred bills filed seasonably to the appropriate Joint Committee. All seasonably filed bills are guaranteed a public hearing before February of 2024, when Committees have a deadline to take action on bills heard by their Committees. Below is background on each of the priority and endorsed bills for the Food System Caucus.
The Food System Caucus includes 158 legislative members. For more information on the caucus, please visit our website: www.mafoodsystemcaucus.com
New Halifax trash collection schedule
Effective Monday, July 10, the Town of Halifax’s trash and recycling curbside collection schedule will be permanently delayed by one day.
New Curbside Collection Schedule:Monday’s trash and recycling will be picked-up on Tuesdays.
Tuesday’s trash and recycling will be picked-up on Wednesdays.
Wednesday’s recycling will be picked-up on Thursdays.
Recycling pick-up will still occur every other week.
Additional updates regarding trash and recycling curbside collection services will be posted online at www.halifax-ma.org as they become available.
For questions, please contact the Recycling Center by calling (781) 293-1732 or e-mailing [email protected]. If your trash does not get picked-up, you should contact the Town’s new trash hauler, All State Waste (www.allstatewasteinc.com), at (508) 807-4646.
Selectmen reject name change…again
The Plympton Board of Selectmen met in-person on June 26. As he has done in the past, Selectman John Traynor brought forth the issue of changing the name of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board. “I saw a Boston Globe article that said we are now at about 100 towns that have either made the renaming or not all of them are not yet official, but they are in progress. And I just think it’s going to happen, I would just like to see this Board approve it,” Traynor said. Selectman Mark Russo said that he still was not in favor of the renaming. Selectman Christine Joy said, “I don’t really care about keeping up with everyone else; I like the name Board of Selectmen. I actually find it very empowering to be on the Board of Selectmen and I just think I’m not ready to make the change yet.” Traynor said, “That’s alright, I’ll just keep bringing it up.”
The Selectmen voted to allow a one-time increase to the cost-of-living adjustment granted to retirees for FY23. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy recommended the adjustment.
Dennehy also provided a Town Administrator’s update saying, “we have been very busy trying to close out FY 23 and also beginning the preparations for FY24. She told the Selectmen there were a number of items in correspondence.
Dennehy said that Upland Road Solar is changing ownership entities. She said that there would be a lot of documentation associated with that and recommended that the Board vote to allow Joy to act on behalf of the entire Board. The documents would still appear before the entire Board for approval once finalized. The Selectmen voted to authorize Joy to work with the Town Administrator and Legal Counsel regarding all documents pertaining to Upland Road Solar with the understanding that the finalized documents would come back before the full Board.
Dennehy also told the Selectmen that she had a request from the Library for use of town property. The Library was requesting the use of the Deborah Sampson room in the Town House for estate planning on July 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Selectmen voted to approve.
Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte met with Dennehy to discuss several roads that will be undergoing work. Dennehy said that Elm St. would be getting paved from Main St. to Winnetuxet Rd. and West St. She also said that Main St. would be getting a binder course to bring it back up to grade from roughly 149 Main St. to Ring Rd. “As the time gets closer, we’ll put stuff out on social media if we need to,” Dennehy said.
Dennehy further told the Selectmen that she received a memo from the Board of Health, who had contacted Webby Engineering to look at the elevations between the Fire Department and the Library. She said the hope was that the current Fire Station could tie into the Library septic system, but they were told it was not feasible. She said she would be sending the results of the study to the Town Properties Committee.
The Selectmen ended their evening with their raves for the last few weeks. Joy said her rave was for the screening committee responsible for bringing forth three excellent candidates for the position of Fire Chief. She announced that earlier that evening, the Selectmen had voted unanimously to appoint Captain Cheryl Davis as Plympton’s next Fire Chief. For his rave, Russo said, “It is a great pleasure to me that the little town of Plympton would have a woman Fire Chief.” Traynor said, “My rave is for the Assistant Assessor Wendy Jones. I’m sad to see her leaving; I think she’s done a great job. We’re losing a critical resource – I’m sorry to see her go.” Traynor also noted her excellent work on the complicated subject of solar and said that she would still be assisting with that in some capacity during the transition.
Route 58 closed for fatal accident
A news release from Plympton Police Chief Matt Ahl stated the following:
Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at approximately 2:07 p.m., Plympton Police Department and Plympton Fire Department were dispatched to a t-car motor vehicle collision involving a roll-over an entrapment on Palmer Road.
Upon arrival, officers observed a truck and a sedan involved. The truck was operated by a male Plympton resident and he was the sole occupant of the vehicle. The sedan was operated by a male non-resident and he was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
The male non-resident driver of the sedan was transported to BID-Plymoouth with non-life threatening injuries. The male Plympton resident from the truck was promounced deceased on scene.
Palmer Road was closed from Center Street to Main Street, as well as Main Street from Palmer Road to Mayflower Road for multiple hours due to the collision and investigation. Halifax and Carver Police Departments assisted with road closures. The Plymouth County Bureau of Criminal Investigation, as well as the Massachusetts State Police COAC Unit and Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section responded to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the resident who succumbed to their injuries. The family has been notified and we ask the public to please respect that we will not be releasing further information on the deceased at this time. This is a time where our communty must come together and our department is committed to offering support to all impacted by today’s tragedy.
Respectfully,
Chief Matthew Ahl
Peaceful Meadows to be sold
WHITMAN – Peaceful Meadows is slated to go under the auctioneer’s gavel for sale on Tuesday, Aug. 29 – and that prospect has been the talk of the town, and beyond for several days.
Real estate sales firm JJ Manning Auctioneers of Yarmouthport, has been contracted to hold an auction of properties owned by Peaceful Meadows along Route 18/Bedford Street in Whitman. The properties are at 67, 81 and 94 (lots 1 and 2) Bedford St.
“After many successful decades in business, beginning in 1962, the family has chosen to divest of these valuable assets through auction,” the firm’s website described the reason for the sale, further stating that the properties will be “offered individually and in the entirety to the highest bidder, regardless of price.”
JJ Manning President Justin J. Manning, said no other property the firm has handled before has engendered so much interest.
“I’ve never seen our Facebook [page] blow up like I have with this property,” he said. “I think between Friday and right now, we’ve had more than 350,000 hits on this. It’s absurd. It dwarfs anything that we’ve ever listed – there’s a lot of passion about this one.”
Two others running close behind were Foxboro State Hospital and a Nashua, N.H. rectory of the Sisters of Mercy.
Manning said he met with the three sisters who are the owners/decision makers of the property.
“At this point, they have worked really hard to continue the legacy that their parents started, and have been very proud of and have done well by it and [they] understand the following that has continued to provide a nice living for their family,” Manning said. “At this stage in their lives, they’re all very ready to move on. No one wants to continue running the business and [they] have other life expectations at the moment.”
Select Board members Justin Evans and Dan Salvucci said, while they didn’t know the particulars of the sale, Whitman’s Facebook pages have been filled with conversation about it all weekend.
“They want to retire,” Salvucci said. “That’s a lot of land down behind there.”
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter recalled that her first job was at Peaceful Meadows, but stated that the town has not received official notice of the sale.
“Once the Town receives official notification of the impending sale of the properties it will review and consider its options,” Carter said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “We are so sorry to see Peaceful Meadows close and we thank them for the many years they have operated their business here in town.”
Carter said the assessor was visiting Peaceful Meadows on Monday, because it is agricultural land and the town wants to make sure it is coded correctly.
“Peaceful Meadows Farm has been a Whitman landmark since 1920, with the Hogg family opening Peaceful Meadows Ice Cream in 1962. The news of the upcoming auction of the multiple Peaceful Meadows properties in late August has been a topic of conversation among residents since the news was announced,” Carter stated. “The Hogg family has provided delicious ice cream treats as well as many other dairy products and baked goods which have been sold at their dairy store. Peaceful Meadows Ice Cream has been an iconic family destination for so many Whitman residents as well as residents from many surrounding towns. The Town has not received any formal notification since the news was announced late last week.”
The land is described as: “four assessor’s parcels on Bedford St. (Rt. 18)
Sale 1: 94 Bedford St. (Lot 1): Ice Cream Stand k/a “Peaceful Meadows Ice Cream” w/ barns, home/offices, Equipment;
Sale 2: 94 Bedford St. (Lot 2): 55+/- acres of agricultural land;
Sale 3: 67 Bedford St.:a single family home; and
Sale 4: 81 Bedford St.: a two-family home.
A final plan concerning how the property components will be sold will be forthcoming, but Manning said there are, indeed, four components.
“It’s too early right now for me to tell you exactly how it is going to happen, but I can tell you that there will be at least four rounds of bidding for those four different components,” he said, indicating there is a possibility of combinations of properties.
The website stipulates that pre-auction offers must be tendered on a signed JJManning approved purchase and sale agreement and accompanied by a 10 percent certified deposit in certified or bank check or by confirmed wire transfer in order to be considered.
Up to a 2 percent Buyer’s Broker Commission is offered with a mandatory 24-hour broker pre-registration.
A viewing date of the properties up for auction is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 22 with the auction slated for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Manning said that some sales use the term “highest and best” for choosing a buyer.
“In auctions, there’s only highest,” he said. “Ultimately, everyone is bidding under the same terms, everyone is bidding using the same purchase and sale agreement, so it only comes down to who’s the highest.”
He did say interest has been strong already, with similar ice cream companies, agricultural companies showing intertest since the posting on June 6 or 7.
“For those who have been hoping it will continue on as Peaceful Meadows ice cream, that’s only going to apply if the high bidder has that intent,” Manning said. Buyers who have a kennel, equestrian or landscaping-related business would be free to make their own business decisions after purchasing the property.
The ice cream stand/dairy farm are only one component of the sale.
“It depends on who is the high bidder, and it could be a different type of business,” he said.
Manning said his firm has a “basic outline” for how the sale will happen and they are working with the sellers’ attorneys to make sure everything is done properly.
“When a property’s been in the hands of a family for so long, it’s almost like it has no history,” he said. He likened such a situation to the sales they had handled of Lakeville and Foxboro state hospitals, where deeds were hand-written.
“You just want to make sure there’s nothing that’s going to interfere with having a clean, straight-forward closing and clear title,” he said. Then further information may become clear. There may be financials regarding the ice cream shop that will be available to potential buyers willing to fill out and sign non-disclosure agreements.
He said that he understands there is also a recorded subdivision plan that is expected to show how the ice cream shop and dairy barn are divided from the 50+ agricultural acres.
“This is just some pieces that we don’t have,” he said. When more information is available, it will be posted on jjmanning.com.
JJManning Auctioneers has been engaged in the marketing and sale of high-end commercial and residential real estate at public auction throughout the U.S., with a focus on New England. During this period, the firm has conducted over 16,000 auctions totaling more than $5 billion dollars for private individuals, corporations, estates, financial institutions, attorneys, builders/developers, government agencies and others.
$170,006 in ARPA funds for Plympton
Friday morning, June 30, Plymouth County Treasurer Tom O’Brien brought good news to Plympton by way of a very large check! This $170,006 was from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds and will be used to replace a Silver Lake HVAC rooftop unit replacement. From left are Plympton Police Lieutenant Daniel Hoffman, Plymouth County Commissioner Gregory Hanley, Plympton Selectman John A. Traynor, Jr., Plymouth County Treasurer Thomas O’Brien, Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, Plymouth County Commissioner Jared Valanzola, and Plympton Police Chief Matthew Ahl.
Photo by Sandi Neumiester
Holmes Library highlighted
The Halifax Board of Selectmen held their June 27 meeting from the Holmes Public Library. This is the first in a series of meetings the Selectmen intend to hold in various municipal buildings to highlight both the various buildings and departments.
Library Director Jean Gallant said she has been the Director for the last seven years and has worked in the building since 1999. “It’s safe to say that this library is my home away from home,” Gallant told the Selectmen and others. Gallant said that the Library Trustees consist of six members that advocate on behalf of the library, approve the budget, and decide upon policies for the library. She also said that they are part of the SAILS network which consists of over 60 different libraries. “I’d like to say that this library is the rainbow fish in a bigger ocean because we have a relatively small budget compared to some of the libraries that are in the SAILS network and my Friends group is instrumental in providing programs for adults and children… we service more than just the residents of Halifax,” Gallant said referring to a group of volunteers at Holmes. Gallant said there is also a Committee, made up of residents, that work together on the long range plan for the library. She read the mission that the Committee wrote. She noted that the complete plan can be found on the website.
Gallant said that $15,000 to $20,000 was spent on ensuring access to electronic materials. She referenced Libby which is an electronic database owned by the SAILS network. “With your library card, you have access to e-books and e-audiobooks and music, children’s, adult stuff and we also just purchased Hoopla
Library to host author talk on Saturday, July 22
The Kingston Public Library is hosting a Saturday afternoon author talk event with local author, historian, podcaster, and blogger Zachary Lamothe on Saturday, July 22 at 2 p.m. at the Adams Center. Zack will be discussing his recent 2021 book, Classic Restaurants of Boston, along with a preview of his newest book Distilled In Boston published on July 3, 2023.
Classic Restaurants of Boston – The story of Boston is inextricably linked to food, hence its nickname “Beantown.” Given the city’s geography, its cuisine is understandably tied to the sea, with popular dishes such as lobster, oysters and clam chowder. Join local author Zachary Lamothe as he explores the best food in Beantown.
Distilled in Boston – Boston has a long history with distilled spirits, from Colonial times through Prohibition. More recently, there has been a resurgence in the craft distilling industry from Cape Ann to Cape Cod. The ingredients, production processes and marketing techniques are as varied as the beverages themselves. Join author Zack Lamothe as he reveals the backstory of the popular craft spirit movement in the greater Boston area.
Zachary Lamothe is the author of Connecticut Lore: Strange, Off Kilter and Full of Surprises and More Connecticut Lore: Guidebook to 82 Strange Locations, as well as A History Lover’s Guide to the South Shore and Classic Restaurants of Boston, both from The History Press. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in American studies and holds a master’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University in education. He also runs the website Backyard Road Trips and cohosts the Backyard Road Trips podcast. He lives in Plymouth with his wife Jaclyn, three sons, one dog and one cat.
Happy 247th Birthday, America!
Halifax’s traditional July 4th fireworks display lit the skies Saturday, July 1, to the delight of all. The family- friendly fun began at 11 a.m. with kids’ games, face painting, dunk tank, corn hole, cookie decorating, and the hula hoop competition.
The evening events began at 5 p.m. with food trucks helping to feed everyone, and more music kept the tempo upbeat for the party.
Balloon animals, face painting, t-shirt sales, all led up to the main event – the fireworks. The nearly full moon watched over the events which went off without a hitch.
The majority of the expense of the fireworks was borne by contributions from Flower and Soul cannabis dispensary and MacDonald Industries, both of Halifax.
Go to pages 6 and 7 for more photos of Fireworks day!
First Saturday at the Library
This coming Saturday, July 1, at 10:30 a.m., stop by the Plympton Public Library for coffee, snacks and good conversation with your neighbors.
Joining us for the “First Saturday 10 Minute Briefing” will be Public Health Registered Nurse Pat Iafrate. Pat will discuss providing Blood Pressure screening clinics and “Conversations with the Nurse” every other week at the Plympton Council on Aging. Topics such as Advocacy, COPD management, Tick/Mosquito update, Dehydration, Sun Safety, and more can be covered.
Hope to see you there
John Traynor
[email protected]
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