The Halifax Board of Selectmen interviewed the two candidates for Fire Chief at their meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 9, and voted to offer the position to Michael Witham, a candidate known to the Halifax Fire Department.
While selectmen agreed that Brad Cronin had an exceptional resume, his admitted lack of grant-writing experience was a drawback.
Witham has accepted the position and pending contract negotiations will be on the job soon.
Plympton’s Conservation Commission is happy to announce that the Town’s new Two Brooks Preserve is open.
A band of hearty volunteers have been working tirelessly during the fall and winter months clearing trails, building boardwalks and installing a parking lot on Prospect Road to ready the Preserve for public use. Our thanks again to them and to all the residents who have supported creating public access to this special area.
In order to protect the Preserve’s outstanding natural resources, including its significant groundwater and wildlife species, please remember that dogs must be leashed at all times; bicycles and motorized vehicles are not permitted.
Please respect neighboring properties as you travel the paths.
The Preserve’s boundaries have been professionally surveyed and legally verified by multiple entities to ensure their accuracy. No private property has been taken or infringed upon.
The Commission and the Open Space Committee look forward to welcoming everyone to this beautiful area in the Winnetuxet River Watershed.
Summer Wods, 4, of Halifax, was all aglow with her rainbow butterfly face adornment. Face painting, balloons, hot dogs, great raffles, henna art, K-9 dog demonstrations, food trucks, all to celebrate National Night Out – Plympton style – Friday, Aug. 6, from 4:30 to 7:30. More photos page 7.
The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, August 8. Plympton Public Library Director Mike Slawson attended the meeting to provide an overview of the work being done within his department.
Slawson, who has been in his position for just over a year, said that they have two major initiatives currently going on within the library department. The first is National Night Out which will be held in Plympton on Friday, August 12 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Explaining the intent of the event, Slawson said, “The gist of it is that it is a Police and Fire, mainly Police, appreciation night.” Slawson continued saying, “It gives the residents of Plympton a chance to meet and interact with Police personnel and Fire personnel in a different capacity than they normally would.” According to Slawson, a lot of hard work has gone into the evening over the last few months. Slawson said that he hoped that it would be an opportunity for community-building.
The second initiative is the reorganization of the library’s collection. Slawson explained, “This project has several facets; we are going through the collection literally book by book and deciding, do we want this book in the collection?” He called the project a “massive undertaking” and said that they have been examining how long it has been since books have been checked out of the library. He said that a “decent portion of the collection” has not been checked out in the last 5 or even 10 years. The library is in the process of weeding those titles out of the library’s collection.
Slawson said that they are also relabeling materials to make them easier for both library personnel and patrons to find. He said that all books will have tags that identify both where they are located as well as the last three letters of the author’s last name. “Finally, another facet of this collection reorganization is we are moving some of our collections around… just as an example we moved our young adult collection to a different section of the library to give young adults their own area,” Slawson said.
The library has also been hosting programs on the first and third Saturday of each month. Slawson credited Selectman John Traynor with the success of the programs saying, “John’s been great about finding local and relevant speakers.” Slawson also said the programs were an opportunity to “have some breakfast and catch up with some friends.”
There are other new elements at the library as well including kits curated by local Girl Scouts. Slawson said the bags, which can be found in the children’s room, are available for checkout and cover an array of topics like cooking and animation. Another new element is the seed library. “Considering the amount of gardeners we have in Plympton, this has been something that I think has been enjoyed by the residents in Plympton,” Slawson explained. Another new collection is the library of things which consists of anything “not books.” “Things like board games or puzzles… we have yard games if people are having a party, they can check out… we have STEM kits,” Slawson said of the collection. He said they are also looking to get together a collection of items that someone may only need a few times a year like a power washer. “We’re looking into expanding that some more as we go along,” he said.
Regarding the budget, Slawson said it is “looking really good.” The municipal appropriation required to stay certified is $163,893. Slawson said that their requested budget was just above that. He said that $62,000 of that goes toward materials and the rest goes to personnel.
A few upgrades have been made to the library including new carpet in the children’s room and improvements to the front entrance. Slawson said that they are looking at ways to make the ramp less slippery during the winter months including purchasing gallons of clear coat with grit in it. “Hopefully it will fix it and help me sleep at night because that is really worrisome to me having that ramp be really slippery in the winter,” he told the Selectmen.
Selectman Mark Russo said he hears nothing but good things from all different sources regarding Slawson. Russo also paid high compliments on the concept of the library of things and said he wonders if there was room to expand upon the concept even more. “I always tell people libraries change; libraries have been around for thousands of years because we adapt,” Slawson replied.
Town Administrator Liz Dennehy asked the Selectmen to approve the early voting hours for the primary town election in September which they voted unanimously to do. She also asked them to accept changes to the law regarding scheduling police details for election days. She said it would make it so the Police Chief was the appointing authority and can coordinate those details rather than having the Selectmen’s office do it. They, again, voted unanimously to accept the changes.
Dennehy also said that they were waiting for bids on the Engine 1 refurbishment project for the Fire Department. “Hopefully they are affordable to us because we only have a certain amount of funds allocated to this…we’re hopeful that this can get the project done for the amount we have appropriated,” Dennehy explained.
Dennehy said that the town is still waiting to hear back on a few different pending grant applications. She told the Selectmen, “I’m also happy to announce that the Soule Homestead project… has finally come to closure… the lease agreement has been recorded with the registry… that’s a win for the town.” She also told the Selectmen that she would be setting up a public hearing for their September 12 meeting for Eversource regarding the installation of some poles.
Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen attended the meeting to provide an update on the Dennett solar rooftop project. Dennehy told the Selectmen, “Unfortunately, we are still not ready… I believe that the attorneys are still working out some of the details… we are going to do things we can to expediate it as soon as possible.” Dennehy and Wilhelmsen said they were hopeful that the Selectmen could vote on the terms of the lease during their next meeting.
Before moving on to their customary raves, the Selectmen also voted to approve the use of the Town Green on September 3 from 11-1 for a flower show. A food truck will also be present.
Traynor said his rave was for National Night Out. Russo said that his rave was for the “lovely meeting tonight” naming in particular the National Night Out and the expansion of the lending library. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy joked that they may need a bigger building. Joy said her rave was for “John Traynor.” “The first and third Saturday at the library, you made it happen and you’ve done a great job with it,” she told Traynor.
BOSTON – Ava Mirisola of Kingston has earned Dean’s List honors for the Spring 2022 semester at Emerson College.
The requirement to make Dean’s List is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester.
Mirisola is majoring in Business Creative Enterprises and is a member of the Class of 2025.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning.
The College has 3,780 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups.
Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in the States and other countries in the world.
in Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals, with the first program launching this fall in Paris. The College has an active network of 51,000+ alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit emerson.edu.
This past weekend saw some gruesome heat but young softball players laced up their cleats and oiled their gloves and took the field for some challenging competition. It was the three-day Halifax Softball Summer Smash – the largest ever for this 18th annual event.
Three divisions brought teams together from throughout the South Shore: 10U, 12U, and 14U girls demonstrated that softball is in good hands with plenty of talent making its way through the grades. The Halifax Hurricanes took top place in the U12 Red category.
Pete Barone, founder and president of the HGSL, began the Halifax Summer Smash in 2005 so his daughter Alex, then 8-years-old, and her teammates could play in their own tournament. She is now 26 and runs the concessions and raffles with his other daughter Maddy.
“It started as 11 teams and quickly grew each year,” Barone said. “We use all five fields at Halifax Elementary and both fields at Vaughan, next to the police station. All the fields are full on Friday evening and from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. “ This year’s Summer Smash hosted 45 teams from throughout the area and it has become the largest “Town-Al-Stars” team tournament anywhere.
Barone credits the number of Halifax parents who volunteer their time each tourney to work on the fields, cover the snack shacks, set everything up and break it all down at the end with the continued success of the event.
Tuesday night’s Halifax selectmen’s meeting saw as much thunder inside the Town Hall as outside.
The item on the agenda that has been the talk of the town for weeks was the application from Morse Bros. Cranberries for a major earth removal project to redesign their bogs off Lingan Street. When that application was withdrawn after the meeting and its agenda were posted, people came to Tuesday’s meeting wanting to be heard.
Selectmen were set to meet in their first floor meeting room. That quickly became overwhelmed and the meeting reconvened to the Great Hall upstairs. Video recording capabilities had to be re-set for the new location and, as with the storms outside, the storms inside were also taking their toll.
Chairman Ashley DeSesa told the group that where the application was withdrawn there was no need for conversation. But the people wanted to be heard.
What happens next? We’ll have to wait and see.
On Tuesday, July 12, a water rescue took place in Halifax in the area of Ridge Road and Lantern Lane. Retired priest and Halifax resident Father Bill Williams had taken his kayak out on East Monponsett Pond and ended up capsizing due to the extremely windy conditions. His cries were heard by local resident Alexandria Davis who wasted no time jumping in her kayak despite her broken oar. Davis was able to reach Williams and hold him until further help could arrive. Luckily for Williams and Davis, Amanda and John Moe also heard the cries for help and were able to get in their kayak and assist them ashore.
The Halifax Police and Fire Departments were called and responded to the reports of a person in the water, not breathing. The Fire Department was already involved in another medical emergency in town which led to an “all call” for all available responders to report to the scene. A backup ambulance as well as a boat were dispatched and were able to locate the victim after traveling to several local addresses trying to find him. The victim was being pulled ashore just as emergency services arrived at the scene. After receiving treatment on the scene by emergency responders, Father Williams regained full consciousness and was brought to Beth Israel in Plymouth.
Interim Fire Chief Jeffrey Cuozzo attended the Halifax Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, July 26 along with Father Williams and Davis and some of her family members. Cuozzo told the Selectmen, “There’s a lot of stories in Halifax, but this one in particular is kind of nice and unfortunately in this day and age it’s always nice to have a really good story and this is it.”
He continued, “It’s a windy day but Father Williams being retired, he’s like, I want to go out on the lake in the kayak, so he goes out on the lake by himself… just picture him on the lake in the kayak enjoying himself with a paddle saying this is great, this is God’s work, right. Well, the waves were getting worse, getting bigger and Father Williams goes overboard.” Cuozzo said that Williams, who was without a life jacket, was about 20 feet from shore at the time. Cuozzo said that Williams asked himself in that moment, “I wonder if this is how it ends.” Cuozzo and Davis jokingly ribbed Williams for yelling “Hello!” rather than the traditional “Help!” This admission was met with laughter from those in the Selectmen’s meeting including Williams himself.
Cuozzo said that Davis had luckily taken that day off from work and lived close enough to hear Williams’ cries. “She rushed down and sees him pretty much bobbing in the water. She gets her kayak, goes out, grabs him… and is literally holding him up – it’s just her on the kayak by herself and I think one of her paddles breaks,” Cuozzo said. “That’s where Amanda and John Moe… I think came to the rescue. They went out on their kayaks, grabbed Allie and the Father, who was pretty much unresponsive now. He was pale blue,” he continued. Cuozzo turned to Williams and said, “What did you say in the ambulance?” Williams said, “I was trying to learn to walk on water.” This was met with more laughter.
“In all seriousness,” Cuozzo said, “If Allie didn’t initiate that save, he would have died.” Cuozzo then went on to thank his staff as well. He then presented Davis with a Citizen Hero Award. Cuozzo said that he had the same award to give to both Amanda and John Moe as well though they weren’t present at the Selectmen’s meeting.
“Great job, awesome story,” Selectman Jonathan Selig said.
More than 150 volunteers recently attended Old Colony Elder Services (OCES) Annual Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Ceremony held at Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. Eight volunteers received special awards.
OCES, the non-profit agency proudly serving older adults and individuals with disabilities throughout greater Plymouth County, honored their volunteers, who generously donate their time to help others, with a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.
Armindo Rocha, Volunteer Programs Manager and Cidalia America, Volunteer Program Assistant hosted the event and presented President’s Volunteer Service – Lifetime Achievement and Annual Gold awards along with OCES’ Make A Difference awards to the eight volunteers.
OCES is a National President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) Certifying Organization. The PVSA honors outstanding volunteers and recognizes the impact they make. The PVSA’s highest honor, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing 4000+ volunteer hours in a lifetime, was presented to two volunteers. Joseph Tyler Jr., a resident of Halifax, MA, has impacted others with his smile and sense of humor for many years as a volunteer; and Bill Raymond, a resident of Middleboro, MA, who volunteers by transporting seniors to their medical appointments regardless of location and will volunteer 8 hours a day driving if needed.
The PVSA’s Annual Gold Award, marking 500+ volunteer hours for the year, was presented to four volunteers: Steve Sundell of Easton, MA, a SHINE Counselor for 12 years; Fred Ciliberto of Hanover, MA, a volunteer for many years at the Hanover COA; Walter Hempel of Duxbury, MA, a long-time volunteer of both the Duxbury COA as well as the Project Gurnet & Bug Lights, Inc.; and John Ruthkowski of Duxbury, MA who has been involved with AARP tax preparation for several years, devoting well over 700 hours each year to the Kingston and Duxbury COAs to prepare taxes for more than 250 clients.
The Make a Difference Award is given by OCES and the RSVP-PC to recognize exceptional volunteers for their dedication to helping others making a big impact on the community. This award was presented to: John Durnan of Duxbury who has been traveling to Brockton to deliver meals since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020; and G. Mike Pauley of Brockton who is a longtime volunteer at the Caffrey Towers and Campello High Rise buildings in Brockton and was instrumental in delivering meals during the pandemic.
“We truly appreciate all of our volunteers for their dedication to helping others, assisting those in need in our communities, and making the world a better place,” said Armindo Rocha, OCES’ Volunteer Manager.
More about the PVSA
In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action too. Led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers.
As an AmeriCorps Seniors grantee, OCES receives funds through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) for volunteers age 55+. RSVP of Plymouth County (RSVP-PC) volunteers help OCES and other local agencies that are OCES Community Service Partners.
Volunteering for OCES
Our Volunteer Program supports OCES and other Community Service Partners. With the help of Nutrition Program volunteers, OCES serves 1,800 meals each weekday as part of its MOW Program. Money Management Program (MMP) volunteers assist older adults and individuals with disabilities with bill paying, reconciling bank statements, balancing checkbooks, and in special cases, negotiating debt with creditors. Volunteers also serve on the OCES Board of Directors, MMP and RSVP Community Advisory councils and contribute with many other important efforts.
To learn more about becoming an OCES volunteer contact Armindo Rocha at 508-584-1561 x355 or visit ocesma.org.
About OCES
Founded in 1974, OCES proudly serves greater Plymouth County and surrounding communities. OCES is a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Brockton with a second office in Plymouth. OCES is designated as one of 24 Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. OCES’ mission is to support the independence and dignity of older adults and individuals with disabilities by providing essential information and services that promote healthy and safe living.
The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, July 26 with new Town Administrator Marty Golightly at the helm.
Police Chief Joao Chaves attended the meeting. “Right now, our current staffing levels, we have 11 full-time officers for the town of Halifax, and we have one part-time officer; we lost three officers on June 30, and we had lost another three before that for retirements. We had at one point, the beginning of last year, 7 special officers, we now have just one,” Chaves explained. He told the Selectmen that if they brought in an outside consultant to evaluate the Department, they would say that the town should have 18 officers. He continued, “the ratio that they use is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.” Chaves said he wasn’t asking for 18 officers but rather one or two regular officers and one or two part-time officers. “The budget would be able to sustain it right now; the last four years I have given back considerable money to the town in wages,” he told the Selectmen. Chaves said that since July 1 the Department has had 13 unfilled shifts. The Selectmen voted to authorize the Chief to hire two additional full-time officers.
Town Accountant Sandra Nolan attended the meeting to ask for clarification on town employees eligible for the second round of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) bonuses. She said that originally anyone that was working for the town on September 17, 2021, would be eligible for the bonuses. It was to be pro-rated for anyone working less than 30 hours. “My question is, now that we’ve lost some of those employees, and there was no allotment for that in the original decision, do we give it to employees who have left?” Nolan asked. The bonuses were split into two installments of $1,500 rather than a lump sum $3,000. Nolan wanted to know if she should give bonuses not only to those who no longer work for the town but for those who are new since September. Selectman Alex Meade said, “my thought on it is, if on September 17, we said you are getting a bonus, then you have a bonus.” Selectman Ashley DiSesa said that she felt that only those on the payroll on the day the bonuses are issued, should receive them. Meade said the previous Chair said that to be eligible for the bonus, employees would still have to be on the payroll to receive the bonus and anyone who came on after September 17, would not be eligible. The Selectmen decided to honor the previous Chair’s decision.
The Selectmen also considered the retaining of Lighthouse Legal Counsel, LLC for union specific counsel for a one-year time period at a cost of $20,000. “I think this is probably more important now than it has been in the past with our economic changes and the addition of the body cam for the Police Officers’ Union to have specific assistance with HR and union negotiations,” Golightly told the Selectmen. He continued, “It’s significantly cheaper than our current counsel for negotiations and HR stuff. My hope is to pay for this with some ARPA funds.” Meade expressed some hesitation at hiring additional counsel beyond the town counsel. DiSesa said, “To have an HR person who is going to help our new Town Administrator be successful, who is also a previous town administrator, makes sense to try and set us up for success.” Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “I know our legal bills are skyrocketing but I think this might actually be a good thing in the long run; we’re going to get training that will lead to fewer complaints and incidents down the road.” The Selectmen voted to use Lighthouse Legal Counsel as the town’s labor attorney.
The Selectmen had an appointment with resident John Mirotta regarding dog license fees. He said that he moved several times recently and missed the licensing fees that were being sent to his parents’ home. He said that the missed notices, late fees, and court fees totaled $170. He said that he would have to have a court arraignment and as a medical professional, that could reflect badly on him despite it only being about dog licensing. “I want to pay it today; I was hoping maybe if you guys could waive the court fees, I could make the $120 payment,” Mirotta told the Selectmen. “I can’t sit here and set a precedent like that. You’re going to take on two dogs and be a dog owner, you got to license the dogs, man,” Meade said to Mirotta. Meade recommended that he go to the Town Clerk’s office in the morning and pay the $170. Both Selig and DiSesa said they agreed and that they couldn’t set a precedent of forgiving late fees.