Smart growth OK'd

After a long discussion, fall Town Meeting voters on Tuesday approved a zoning change for the 128-acre Waterford Village property off Route 104 that will allow for transit-oriented affordable housing under the state's 40R "smart growth" statute. Proponents say it will qualify the town for state incentive grants and provide much-needed affordable housing. The change in zoning had the backing of the selectmen, Bridgewater State College officials, and the owner of the property. Selectman Stanley Kravitz said the project would allow the town to achieve the state's requirement of 10 percent of housing stock being affordable. It is now at 3 percent. - Christine Wallgren

COUNCIL TO OVERSEE WATER USE - City councilors have given themselves the final say over a power plant company's proposed use of water from the waste-water treatment facility. In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the council approved an ordinance that requires its approval of any sale or use of water from the facility. The approval must come by a two-thirds vote of the 11-member council. Brockton Clean Energy has proposed using more than 2 million gallons of treated water a day as a cooling mechanism for the power plant. The company has other options, but they would be more costly. Several councilors have opposed the power plant. - Milton Valencia

ROAD RACE FINISHES BIG - The third annual Reebok Canton Homecoming Road Race raised a record $52,000, according to Paul Hannigan, executive director of Canton Association of Industries. Some 448 runners registered for the Sept. 29 race. Last year, the association raised $22,000. The money is given to students as scholarships, to the Canton Police and Fire departments, and schools. Hannigan said this year's award winners will be announced in the spring. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

NURSERY PLANS - The A.D. Makepeace Co. has proposed building a wholesale nursery to sell plants and trees on Tremont Street near Sampson's Pond in South Carver. To be called Cranebrook Nursery, the business would be open seasonally. While the property is zoned for residential and agricultural uses, the site plan for the nursery must be approved by the Planning Board. The board will continue its public hearing on the project at its meeting on Dec. 4 at Town Hall. - Robert Knox

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING APPROVALS - A Special Town Meeting on Tuesday night approved nearly $1.6 million in spending to pay off remaining bills from last year and pave the way for future initiatives. Town Meeting members approved all 12 warrant articles, five of which required spending. Most significantly, the town can spend $265,000 for a preliminary architectural and engineering study for a senior center; $675,000 to buy a parking lot at St. Mary's, and $564,000 to participate in a low-interest loan and grant program through the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. - James Vaznis

FLU CLINIC - The Board of Health has scheduled a flu clinic for 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the high school cafeteria. Residents must be 50 or older, or 18 and older with chronic conditions that place them at risk. Women who are pregnant must have a doctor's order. From 10:30 to 11 a.m. any resident over 18 may obtain a shot while supplies last. - Christine Wallgren

HOLIDAY FESTIVAL - The town's tree-lighting ceremony is planned for the Dec. 1-2 weekend, with a holiday festival including games and prizes and a mini-light show. The tree lighting, which includes light decorations throughout the center of town, will be the night of Dec. 1. The Easton Lions' annual event will be held in the Rockery, the town common. The festival will include crafts, music and entertainment, food, and a Santa's Village with a visit from Santa Claus. A parade will be held Sunday. Anyone interested in showing crafts can contact Jon Morgan at 508-238-1037. - Milton Valencia

REELING IN THE FANS - Although officials don't anticipate much of a traffic problem at next Sunday's Patriots game, the day will mark the team's first home game since Bass Pro Shops and a few other businesses opened at the new Patriot Place shopping and entertainment complex adjacent to Gillette Stadium. Parking attendants will hand out time-stamped parking tickets to shoppers (needed to exit lots) to prevent game attendees from trying to park in the free lots. As more businesses open over the next couple of years, officials expect to refine parking and foot traffic patterns for those visiting both the stadium and shops. - Joan Wilder

HOLD THAT WARRANT - An emergency meeting with state revenue officials has revealed that the town's budget is $571,000 in the red for the fiscal year, and has forced selectmen to postpone the Town Meeting that had been set for tomorrow so they can rewrite the warrant. The Special Town Meeting has been rescheduled for Dec. 3 and officials were scrambling last week to come up with a plan to cover the shortfall. The previous warrant's proposals to give raises to key town employees and upgrade the police department's defibrillators have been scrapped, according to Selectwoman Lisa Pacheco. "All the department heads know there is no money, so don't even ask," Pacheco said. Pacheco and Board of Selectmen chairman Lawrence N. Ashley said Massachusetts Department of Revenue officials requested the meeting on Nov. 9 after a routine review showed that revenue projections for excise tax and property tax levies were well over the state's figures. Pacheco said the shortfall can be made up by transferring these funds: $138,000 from a decline in vocational education tuition enrollments; $42,000 from a grant for special education aides; $350,000 from interest on bonds from the renovations at the elementary school, and $38,000 from the town's stabilization fund. The rescheduled meeting is set to start at 7 p.m. at the Freetown Elementary School. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

TURKEY ON THE HOUSE - Karen and John Peck will start their annual free Thanksgiving dinner at the Halifax Country Club at noon Thursday. The Pecks, the club owners who have held the event for 17 years, invite anyone who would otherwise spend Thanksgiving alone. Residents in all area towns are welcome, said Karen Peck. "I think we have about 350 signed up," Peck said on Tuesday. "All we ask is for people to bring an item for the food pantry," Peck said. Call the Country Club to reserve a spot, at 781-293-9061. - Christine Wallgren

CALLAHAN'S CORNER - Town officials over the Veterans Day weekend dedicated the intersection of Independence Avenue and County Road in the name of Marine Staff Sergeant William J. Callahan, who died in combat April 27 in Anbar Province in Iraq. Callahan, 28, grew up in Hanson, where his mother, Mary Ellen Callahan, resides. Town Meeting last month approved naming the intersection "Callahan's Corner," and a memorial plaque was erected. At the dedication ceremony Nov. 10, a Marine Corps honor guard sounded a 21-gun salute. - John Laidler

SENIORS, ARTS COUNCIL HOLD SALE - The Lakeville Arts Council and Lakeville Senior Center are cosponsoring a holiday craft and gift sale Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lakeville Senior Center, 1 Deer Crossing. For more information, call the center at 508-947-7224 or e-mail mornmeadow@aol.com. - Paul E. Kandarian

FRIENDS OF THE ELDERLY SET LARGE TABLE - The Friends of the Elderly will host the 21st annual Thanksgiving dinner, free for all Mansfield residents, at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Congregational Church on West Street. Anyone planning to attend should call in advance. Those who need transportation or would like the meal delivered may also call. Volunteers are welcome; the event is paid for each year with donations from Mansfield residents and businesses. Donations can be sent to Friends of the Elderly, c/o Sandra Martinelli, 8 Walter St., Norton, MA 02766. For information or to make a reservation, call Martinelli at 508-243-2270.
- Christine Wallgren

TEACHER GRANTS - Four teachers at Sippican School have been awarded League of Women Voters education grants. Diane Cook and David Baker received $750 for the Sippican School garden, which a group of parents began last year with assistance from the Marion Institute. Sippican teachers Karen Jacobsen and Janice Proc received $600 for the materials to create literacy centers in fifth-grade classrooms, officials said. The League of Women Voters granted nearly $4,000 to teachers in the Old Rochester Regional School District this year. - Paul E. Kandarian

TOWN DOGGING OWNERS - Court papers are being filed against owners of non-licensed dogs, in addition to the $20 late fee in effect since Sept. 1, according to the town clerk's office. The deadline to license dogs was April 1, officials said, and efforts are being taken to make sure they are. Anyone who had a dog but no longer does is advised to contact the town clerk's office at 508-758-4103, ext. 2, to eliminate unnecessary correspondence. - Paul E. Kandarian

CASINO ADVISERS - Acting on the assumption that a casino will eventually open in Middleborough, selectmen have appointed an 11-member Resort Advisory Committee to help plan for it. The seven original members on the Casino Study Committee are appointees, along with residents Kyle MacPherson, David Cassady, Ed Beaulieu, and Donald Triner. The panel will meet at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 in Town Hall. The committee will also participate in a casino workshop selectmen have scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 5. - Christine Wallgren

CLARK APPROVED AS POLICE CHIEF - Selectmen have unanimously ratified Town Manager James Purcell's choice of Detective Sergeant Brian M. Clark for police chief. Clark, 38, will take over Jan. 1. He has been a police officer for 18 years. Clark was one of three finalists for the position based on the civil service police chief's exam administered in May. The other finalists were Sergeants Thomas Petersen and Todd Jackson. Clark will replace Bruce Finch, who plans to retire at the end of the year. - Christine Wallgren

IMPROVED HEART MONITORING - The Norwood Rotary Club will donate a central cardiac monitoring system to Caritas Norwood Hospital's emergency department. The system is worth $7,500. It will enable hospital staff to monitor a patient's blood pressure and cardiac conditions in each of the department's 16 treatment rooms on a one-touch screen. "We thank the Rotarians for their recognition of Caritas Norwood Hospital's essential role in providing emergency cardiology care in our community," said Jessica Symonds, Caritas Norwood Hospital's vice president of development. - James Vaznis

THE PATH NOT YET TAKEN - A path is under consideration for Elm Street East to accommodate bikers, joggers, and walkers on that busy connector between routes 138 and Route 104. Town administrator Randall Buckner said the plan is in its early stages, and the town has the money to lay out the proposed path, but not to construct it. "We're talking to residents to see if they are opposed," Buckner said. Town Planner Richard McCarthy plans to schedule public forums to gather reaction. - Christine Wallgren

FILLING THEIR SAILS - The Sharon High School Sail Team is selling 2008 calendars, titled "Racing the Wind," and Harbor Sweets chocolates to raise money for new sails so they can host a league-wide regatta in the spring. Initially, several Sharon businesses and families donated money for six new sailboats, bringing the fleet to 12. Now the team is looking for new sails to replace ones heavily worn from its program and their use by the Recreation Department. Cost is $15 a calendar and $1.50 for shipping. - Franci Richardson Ellement

DRUG STING FINDS A CLEAN HIGH SCHOOL - Without notice, Stoughton High School this month was placed in lock-down mode while police dogs swept hallways, classrooms, and parking lots for drugs. None were found. "We've done this once a year for the past five years and this went very well," said Stoughton High School principal Brett Dickens. "We work with Stoughton police and hold this without notice to the students. We're sending a message to the students that drugs will not be tolerated here." Dickens said the Nov. 8 search, headed by Stoughton Police Lieutenant Robert Devine and Detective Sergeant Dan McGowan and including 12 police dogs, found only a trace of marijuana odor in a car. "Nothing was found in the school, which, obviously, is good news," she said. - Robert Carroll

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES - Members of the Friends of the Walpole Community Athletic Complex are looking for businesses to buy advertising space on the new Turco Field scoreboard now that selectmen have approved it. The board has room for five ads, and officials are developing guidelines for advertisers and pricing. - Joan Wilder

CLEAN WATER REPORT - The Wareham Fire District's water supply does not contain significant amounts of lead or copper. In the latest round of testing, Water Superintendent Michael Martin reported that all 30 samples tested well below the allowable levels for those metals, which can pose health risks to humans. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection requires public water systems to test for contaminants regularly, by drawing samples from selected homes and schools. DEP officials told the fire district that it can reduce monitoring for these metals for the next two years, and send in samples once a year, instead of twice. Wareham's next round of testing is scheduled for September 2008. - Emily Sweeney

GRANT WINNERS - The town's Cultural Council recently awarded 11 grants totaling $4,300 from money it received from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. This year's grants range from $100 for the Brockton Symphony Orchestra to $600 for the West Bridgewater Council on Aging to subsidize the cost of providing tai chi classes for the community, according to cultural council chairwoman Linda Kurinskas. Letters to grant recipients will be mailed on Dec. 5. - John Laidler

FLU SHOT CLINIC - The Westwood Board of Health will hold its annual flu shot clinic on Dec. 8 at the Westwood High School gymnasium. The vaccines - which will be given from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - are available on a first-come, first-serve basis to Westwood residents who are at least 50 years or to residents who are at least 18 years old and have a medical condition that puts them at risk. This is the only scheduled flu shot clinic. Please bring health insurance or Medicare card. The senior van will be available for rides. Arrangements can be made at 781-329-8799. If residents have a question about flu shots, they can call the Board of Health at 781-320-1026. - James Vaznis

AROUND THE REGION

FIREFIGHTERS HONORED - Governor Deval Patrick and Kevin M. Burke, secretary of public safety and security, presented awards to members of the Plymouth Fire Department this month at the 18th annual Firefighter of the Year award ceremony in Boston. The Plymouth firefighters were honored for their response to a bizarre Dec. 18 house fire at 122 Drew Road, in which the occupant taunted police officers and fire personnel, pushed fire ladders away from the windows, and hurled objects down at them as they tried to rescue him. Firefighters persisted and eventually succeeded in getting a ladder up. Lieutenant Gregory Kane and Firefighter Michael Morrill managed to enter the building through a third floor window and locate the occupant, who had been overcome by the smoke. They carried the unconscious man to the window and Lieutenant Montgomery Gray brought him down the ladder, which was surrounded by flames coming up from the second floor. Gray, Kane, and Morrill were awarded the Medal of Valor, and a group award for meritorious conduct was given to battalion Chief Stanley Elderidge, Deputy Chief Marin Enos, firefighters Brian Russo, Nathan Torrance, and Steve Williamson of Engine 1; firefighters Michael Balonis and Robert Ferrari of Engine 2; Lieutenant Jeffrey Carter and firefighter Donald DeCost of Engine 7; Lieutenant Douglas Pigeon and firefighters Edward Delano, Dale Melanson, and Jason Pierce of Engine 8; and firefighter Mark Milroy on dispatch. - Emily Sweeney

GABBING FOR PRACTICE - Would you like to help people with limited English connect with their community? Quincy Public Library is looking for volunteers for the new English Talk Time program, which will meet for 10 weeks on Saturday mornings from Jan. 19 to March 22. The program is not an English class but an opportunity for adults learning English to practice what they know, according to the library. For more information call 617-376-3295 or e-mail quenglishtalk@ocln.org for more information. - Matt Carroll

PICKETING WILL CONTINUE - Teachers plan to continue picketing in front of Town Hall until they get a new contract, according to the president of the Weymouth Teachers Association. Kathy Lavery said the teachers hope to have a signed agreement before the new mayor, Sue Kay, takes office in January. "When the new mayor comes in, she'll have a very busy time with the budget," said Lavery, a health teacher. Mayor David Madden "should try to get things worked out before then," she said. Lavery said 16 other unions also are trying to get contracts, including police and firefighters. The teachers' contract expired Aug. 31. "I feel badly for the School Department. There are a lot of increases in expenses. But you also have 680 employees who should have some kind of compensation." - Johanna Seltz