Hearing on watershed study

A public meeting to discuss the study of the Taunton River Watershed has been set for 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 in the Bridgewater State College campus center ballroom. The purpose of the meeting is to gather input from residents on flooding, open space, growth, and development. The Taunton River Watershed encompasses 560 square miles. Forty-two cities and towns are wholly or partially within the watershed. The study is being conducted by a consultant team led by the Horsley Witten Group Inc. in Sandwich. For more information, visit horsleywitten.com/tauntonwatershed. - Christine Wallgren

THURSDAY DEADLINE FOR POWER PLANT COMMENTS - Residents have until Thursday to file comments with a state agency that will review a proposal to build a power plant in the city. Brockton Clean Energy proposes a 350-megawatt power plant, and has submitted its draft environmental impact report with the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Comments can be sent to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston 02114, and letters should be sent to the attention of Secretary Ian A. Bowles. - Milton Valencia

SCHOOL COMMITTEE BACKS TAX INCREASE - The School Committee is "absolutely" behind proposing a Proposition 2 1/2 override for a property tax increase and may request a Special Town Meeting be held as early as January, according to the panel's chairman, John Bonnanzio. An override question was defeated this year. He said the committee has been meeting with Superintendent of Schools John D'Auria to evaluate a larger vision for the system, including course offerings and how students spend their time. There have also been discussions on concerns about impacts from new housing developments, on future teachers' salaries, sports fees, and class sizes. Bonnanzio said the system has faced a gradual series of cuts over the past five years. He pointed out that this year's tax increase proposal failed by only a few hundred votes. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

BOARD TO CONSIDER BED AND BREAKFAST - The Planning Board will hold a public hearing Nov. 20 at Town Hall on a request for a permit to open a bed and breakfast called Larch Inn on South Main Street in South Carver. If approved, Larch Inn would be the town's first bed and breakfast established under a bylaw enacted two years ago in an attempt to stimulate new business. The bylaw requires a special permit from the Planning Board. - Robert Knox

SNOW DUMPING APPROVED - The Parks and Recreation Commission voted, 4 to 1, last week to allow the town to dump snow on the Striar property on Sprague Street, which the town may eventually use for ball fields. The town no longer will be able to dump snow in a parking lot at National Amusements, where a theater and shopping center is to be built. Don Reisner, chairman of the town's Parks and Recreation Commission, said the issue of whether sand or salt from the snow might damage the property would be evaluated by the Conservation Commission. - James Vaznis

VETERANS WALL AT HIGH SCHOOL - The East Bridgewater High School Art Club has invited local veterans to a dedication of the club's "Veterans Memorial Wall" and commemorative plaque from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 7 at the high school. It took the students a year to design and paint the wall of one of the school's main stairwells with large-scale emblems of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. To the left of the emblems is a large American Flag, and to the right is the Missing In Action flag. The plaque will bear the names of all local veterans, according to high school art teacher, veteran, and Art Club adviser Jeffrey Melzack. The dedication will be followed by a dinner. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Melzack at 508-378-5805 by Oct. 30. - Christine Wallgren

HALL PURCHASE PROPOSAL TOPS MEETING AGENDA - Voters will decide on 11 items at the Nov. 5 Special Town Meeting, including whether the town should buy the historic Frothingham Hall for the future site of a recreation and senior center. The proposal, recommended by the Board of Selectmen, would allow the board to enter into an agreement with the Louis A. Frothingham Memorial Corp. to buy the building at 15 Barrows St. The town has had two appraisals: $785,000 by the seller's appraiser and $705,000 by the town's appraiser. - Milton Valencia

HIGH SCHOOL MCAS SCIENCE RESULTS - Foxborough High performed well above the state average on the chemistry and biology portions of the MCAS tests that students took last spring. For the biology exam, Foxborough High had an 84 percent passing rate, 8 percentage points higher than the statewide passing rate. Of that 84 percent, 11 percent scored in the advanced category, 45 percent scored in the proficient category, and 28 percent scored in the needs improvement category. For the chemistry exam, Foxborough had a 100 percent passing rate, with 33 percent of students scoring in the advanced category, 51 percent proficient and 16 percent in the needs improvement category. The statewide passing average was 61 percent. This was the first time that students in Massachusetts took the science portion of the MCAS tests. Starting with the class of 2010, students must pass one of four science tests to graduate from high school. - Sara Jacobi

IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION - Residents will be offered tips on how to avoid identity theft during a presentation by Bob Currier, a consultant from American Consumer Credit Counseling, at 10 a.m. Nov. 14 in the Great Hall of the Town Hall. The event is sponsored by TRIAD, a joint effort of local public safety officials, the Plymouth County sheriff's department, and the Council on Aging. For more information, call 781-293-7313. - Christine Wallgren

A DAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE - Children, parents, school staff, and other family members from the Indian Head School will be carrying out community service projects from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The students are undertaking the work through the school's participation in the national volunteering event, "Make A Difference Day," which is sponsored annually by USA Weekend Magazine and the 600 newspapers that carry the magazine. The Points of Light Foundation is also a partner. An average of 150 volunteers take part in the Hanson program, now in its seventh year, according to Ann Ladouceur, a third-grade teacher at Indian Head who coordinates the effort with wellness teacher Paula Perry. Volunteers this year will clean up school and town properties, rake the lawns at senior citizens' homes, and provide a pancake breakfast for seniors, among other activities. There will also be a donation station at the school where items ranging from food to recycled prom gowns will be collected for various area charities. Anyone who would like to participate may stop by the school to receive a volunteer assignment. For more information, call 781-618-7065. - John Laidler

SUMMER ART AT THE LIBRARY - Summer lingers into fall at the Great Ponds Gallery in the Lakeville Public Library. A free exhibit there is showcasing the art that children created during the summer reading program at the library. The exhibit is scheduled to run through Oct. 30. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, call 508-947-9028 or visit lakevillelibrary.org - Paul E. Kandarian

FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE - Two flu vaccination clinics have been scheduled for Mansfield residents next month. The first is to be from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 14 at the Holiday Inn on Hampshire Street. The second will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Qualters Middle School on East Street. Recipients must be 18 or older. For more information, call the Board of Health at 508-261-7366. - Christine Wallgren

FIRE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS - Town officials are mulling recommendations that have come out of a study of the town's Fire Department. According to Town Administrator Paul Dawson, some of the measures include creating a part-time position to assist with fire drills, dispatch, and maintenance, and establishing a stipend program for two call firefighters that would provide better coverage during the night. The Board of Selectmen took the recommendations under advisement and said they could possibly be brought to a future Town Meeting. - Paul E. Kandarian

LIBRARY NEEDS HELP MOVING - The Mattapoisett Free Public Library is seeking volunteers for a move back to the facility on Barstow Street. The library has been undergoing expansion and renovation for the past two years, and during much of that time its operation and collection has been run out of the Center School. Library officials do not have an exact a date yet for a move to the newly renovated facility but expect it to be later this fall. Volunteers can sign up by calling 508-758-4171. - Paul E. Kandarian

RETIRED ADMINISTRATOR STEPPING IN - Retired administrator Stephen Lombard has agreed to step in to Middleborough's vacant town manager's position for the next several months while officials continue their search for a permanent hire. Lombard, who is being paid $500 per day, will work full time for the next three months. After that, he will work on a part-time basis. Lombard was town administrator in Dennis for nine years, and also held the position in Mattapoisett, Norton, and Wareham. - Christine Wallgren

TOWN MEETING ACTIONS - Voters at last Monday's annual Town Meeting approved a bylaw that will penalize those who discharge pollutants into the town's storm-drain system. Another measure replenishes the Reserve Fund with $75,000. The account had been drawn down to pay for emergency repairs to the elementary school. The only article that failed to win voter support was a request for $40,000 to study the weed problem in Lake Winnecunnet. Voters were then asked to pass over a request to fund a reservoir management program that had been submitted by the Conservation Commission. - Christine Wallgren

HIGH SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION DEBATE HEATS UP - A Special Town Meeting on Nov. 5 will consider three citizens petition articles related to a high school construction project. The articles were submitted by the Norwood Common Sense Committee, which opposes demolition of the high school for a new building. The first article seeks the hiring of a private accountant to audit how $6 million for architectural designs and other planning has been spent so far. The second article seeks a private consultant to determine the cost of replacing ball fields that would be lost to the construction of a school on top of them and of converting the site of the current school, after it is torn down, into ball fields. The third article asks to transfer an unspecified amount of money to lease two modular science labs for the high school. The school district is working with the state School Building Authority to determine whether to build a new school or to renovate and expand the current school. - James Vaznis

PLAQUE CELEBRATES SELECTMEN - A plaque featuring the names of all those who have served on the Board of Selectmen since 1948 will be unveiled at the selectmen's meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Veterans Memorial Town Hall. All former members have been invited to attend, including Harry Carey, James Dupont, Donald Francis, Gordon Luciano, Raymond Platt, Arthur Pillsbury, and Marie Smith. The plaque will be hung in Town Hall. - Christine Wallgren

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER - The Police Department will hire a new officer and the school district will use grant money to fund a school resource officer, said Acting Superintendent of Schools Barbara Dunham. The resource officer will be stationed primarily at the high school, but also will work in the other schools, she said. Police Chief Joseph Bernstein said he probably will use the grant money to hire a street officer and designate a more experienced officer to work in the schools. - Franci Richardson Ellement

CHIEF HOPING FOR BETTER ATTENDANCE - Looking to build trust between his department and the public following the recent conviction of a Stoughton officer on charges of witness intimidation and attempted extortion, Acting Police Chief Christopher Ciampa set up a series of six "Chats with the Chief." The problem is few people are showing up. A total of 20 people have attended the first four meetings, including just one at the Oct. 9 meeting. "My feeling is that as a story fades, interest fades," Ciampa said. "That story is fading and people aren't coming in to ask questions." Ciampa, who has advertised in local newspapers, said the meetings are not designed solely around the case of Sergeant David Cohen, who was convicted this month. He said residents may ask anything about the department. The final meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the community room at the Police Station on Rose Street. - Robert Carroll

CAPITAL FUND ESTABLISHED - Town Meeting voters Monday approved the creation of a Capital Reserve Stabilization Fund that will contain $754,000 to be used for future town projects and administrative needs. The money was derived from state reimbursement for work on Walpole High. To access the fund, the town must approve the spending with a two-thirds-majority vote at a future Town Meeting. - Sara Jacobi

DRUG ARRESTS - Wareham Police and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's Cape Cod Task Force recently intercepted two large shipments of illegal drugs in Wareham, according to Lieutenant Irving I. Wallace. Acting on a search warrant, authorities found what appeared to be 80 pounds of marijuana in a crate that had been delivered to a local shipping facility. Ann Marie Martin, 33, of Brockton and Gregory Pittman, 47, of Brockton were arrested when they showed up to pick up the crate. They pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking more than 50 pounds of marijuana and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substances Act, and were scheduled to appear again in court Friday. Authorities seized another shipment of suspected marijuana that had been delivered to the same shipping facility. It weighed more than 400 pounds, according to police. Steven Huggins, 31, of Fitchburg and Christy Harris, 22, of Winchendon were arrested on Oct. 5, when they allegedly showed up to pick up the package. Harris and Huggins pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking marijuana and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substances Act, and are due back in court on Nov. 15. - Emily Sweeney

SELECTMEN PRAISE SOON-TO-BE EAGLE SCOUT - The Board of Selectmen have recognized local resident Joseph Podgurski for an Eagle Scout project in which he refurbished the iron gates at the West Center Street entrance to the Howard Elementary School. A member of Boy Scout Troop 25 of West Bridgewater, Podgurski is set to receive his Eagle Scout award at a court of honor ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 10 at the Howard School. Selectman Matthew Albanese said Podgurski spent two years on the project, completing it during the summer. Selectmen are "very appreciative of the numerous hours of hard work put in by this very accomplished young man," Albanese said. - John Laidler

NEW ZONING BOARD LEADERSHIP - Selectmen last week elevated Zoning Board of Appeals member David Krumsiek to chairman. Selectmen also made associate board member John Lally a full member. The shift was a result of the resignation of board chairman Michael McCusker, who decided to become a registrar of voters this summer. Krumsiek had been filling in as acting chairman. The Zoning Board has three full-member positions and several associate positions. Selectmen may appoint at least one new associate member in the future. - James Vaznis