Community briefing

ABINGTON

SEARCH FOR TOWN MANAGER -- The Board of Selectman has established a five-member search committee to find a town manager. The position was created after voters approved a charter change for the town in the April 6 annual town election. Executive Secretary Dori Jamieson said the Legislature has to approve the new charter, which would eliminate her position and streamline the town's government. Jamieson said she is likely to learn what her role in Town Hall will be when the new manager is hired.

-- C. Kalimah Redd

BRAINTREE

LEVEL STATE AID -- State Representative Joseph R. Driscoll, a Braintree Democrat, recently notified the town that the state would provide level funding in state aid to the town this year despite a $1.5 billion statewide deficit. The town received about $4.66 million in Chapter 70 funding in fiscal 2004, according to Peter Kress, business manager of the Braintree school district. The town's schools, however, are still recuperating from the loss of $1.5 million in state funding from the 2003 fiscal year budget, Kress said. Next year's proposed school budget of $37.4 million is $760,000 more than last year's. -- C. Kalimah Redd

COHASSET

COMEDY CLUB OPENS -- Bored with the malt shop scene and tired of television, Lance Norris vowed to give area adults another after-hours choice. Norris last week made true on his promise, opening The Bitter Man, a comedy club in the former jazz club at the Red Lion Inn Restaurant on South Main Street. "The comedy club idea came to me after a recent dinner out with my wife," said Norris, a resident of Norfolk Road. "Afterward we had two choices: go get ice cream or go home and watch television. I said, 'That's it,' and opened the club. It's an idea I've had for some time." For now, the 80-person club is only open Friday nights starting at 8:30. "I plan on expanding soon to include Saturday nights," said Norris, an on-air personality at Boston radio station WZLX. "The comedians I bring in will be mostly Boston headliners."

-- Robert Carroll

DUXBURY

VOTE ON 13 ITEMS -- A special Town Meeting will be held June 14 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the new Performing Arts Center, off St. George Street. The Board of Selectmen opened and closed the 13-item warrant at its meeting last week. Many of the proposals on the agenda were sponsored by the Community Preservation Committee, and seek Town Meeting approval for spending funds collected through the Community Preservation Act. The agenda includes a proposal to buy a conservation restriction on the O'Neill dairy farm for $1.5 million. Voters will also be asked to approve the purchase of the Jaycox property for an amount up to $600,000, again using CPA funds. Voters will also be asked to approve either $40,000 or $70,000 in funding for improvements to the herring run fish ladder. -- Robert Knox

HANOVER

NO TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR EXIT RAMP -- White-knuckle driving will continue for motorists turning left onto Washington Street from the Route 3 northbound exit ramp. Massachusetts Highway Department officials last week informed Hanover officials that it would not install a signal light at the congested exit ramp when work on the bridge at Route 123 begins next month. The state's decision irked town officials, including Selectman R. Alan Rugman. "We were told the location is not among the top 1,000 on the state's priority list for traffic lights," he said. "I can't imagine that." Rugman said reconfiguring the intersection for a light would cost about $300,000. "We'll have to look into other ways of funding it because something needs to be done there," he said. Traffic at the ramp is expected to increase next month when construction begins on a 75-foot-tall electronic advertising sign along Route 3.-- Robert Carroll

HINGHAM

SIX ZONING ARTICLES APPROVED -- Town Meeting has approved six of the seven zoning articles on the warrant. The approved proposals included creation of a downtown overlay district and rezoning the South Shore Country Club property to bring it into conformity with the current uses. The overlay district would require businesses to submit a limited design review for all exterior projects, except for routine maintenance, and allow mixed-use developments with commercial businesses on the ground floor and dwellings on upper stories with adequate parking. The only zoning initiative that failed was a proposal that would have loosened restrictions on illuminated signs in the Derby Street Shoppes. Currently, illuminated signs are not permitted anywhere in Hingham, aside from ones that already were in existence before the bylaw was implemented. -- Jenn Abelson

HOLBROOK

APPLIANCE DISPOSAL SCHEDULED -- Town residents may drop off unwanted appliances and other items at Holbrook Junior-Senior High School on May 22, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. The cost to dispose of each item is $10. Permitted items include computers, refrigerators, stoves, humidifiers, and microwaves.

-- C. Kalimah Redd

HULL

''SHOP" TEACHER SOUGHT -- Acting School Superintendent Gerald Fournier is looking to fill a teaching position created for the coming school year. Industrial Technology Education will be available to Hull High students in the fall. The program, which most people know as "shop," probably will feature a curriculum that addresses robotics, woodworking, computer-assisted drafting, and other skills, according to School Committee member Stephen Avakian. Fournier said it has been hard to find teachers for the position because so few are training for the profession. "So, the demand exceeds the supply. It's a very competitive market," said Fournier. Two people have expressed interest so far. -- Sandy Coleman

KINGSTON

DEPOSIT ACCOUNT AUDIT -- The Board of Selectmen has asked the town's independent auditors, Melanson, Heath & Company, and newly elected Treasurer John Labrache to audit the town's guaranteed deposit accounts. Selectmen and Planning Board member Ed King discussed the accounts last month after developer Dan May questioned how much money was owed to him from the Planning Board's engineering account, dating to 1999, for the subdivision he developed. King, the Planning Board's clerk, administers the engineering accounts for his board. Town Administrator Kevin Donovan said some of the guaranteed deposit accounts go back to 1976. -- Robert Knox

MARSHFIELD

HOUSING PLAN APPROVED -- The state Department of Housing and Community Development has approved Marshfield's 10-year affordable-housing plan, which calls for the creation of up to 1,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years to meet the state's minimum 10 percent requirement. Town Meeting also gave its support last week for the 84-page proposal, which details the town's need for affordable housing and lays out a blueprint to meet the need through zoning changes, development partnerships, and other initiatives. -- Jenn Abelson

MILTON

NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS -- Milton residents elected two new School Committee members and kept their town moderator last Tuesday in a heated town election that attracted half of Milton's 17,077 registered voters. Paul J. Hogan and F. Beirne Lovely Jr. were elected to the three-year seats, beating Virginia L. Coghlan and Cynthia J. Winston. Lovely received 4,412 votes and Hogan followed with 3,140 votes. Winston received 2,696 votes. Coghlan received 2,390 votes. Incumbents Mary Cobb and Donna Robinson did not seek reelection. In the town moderator race, incumbent Brian M. Walsh defeated challenger Diane DiTullio Agostino, 4,508 to 3,384.

-- Maria Cramer

NORWELL

RIVER CLEANUP DAY -- The North and South Rivers Watershed Association needs volunteers to make the 17th Annual River Cleanup Day a success. The event is scheduled for Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be six cleanup stations along the river, including one at the Union Street canoe launch area in Marshfield and one at Scituate's Driftway Conservation area. A free cookout will follow the cleanup from noon to 2 p.m. at the Driftway location. Samantha Woods, executive director of the association, said bacteria testing will begin in the next two weeks but right now, the river is healthy. She said volunteers will continue to monitor the water quality throughout the summer. For more information, contact the association at 781-659-8168 or at its website, www.nsrwa.org. -- Susan Hagstrom

PEMBROKE

BURN FEE PLAN REJECTED -- Town Meeting has rejected a proposal that would have instituted a $20 fee for residents to burn yard debris during the traditional burning season from Jan. 15 to May 1. Fire Chief James Neenan banned burning this winter, saying a reduction in Fire Department staffing made it unsafe. Neenan then sponsored the proposal on behalf of numerous residents who complained about the ban. But even though the fire chief brought forth the proposal, he spoke out against it at Town Meeting. He said instituting fees to increase staffing was a dumb idea, and no way to run a department. He said he would reassess whether the ban still needs to be in place when burning season resumes in January. There were at least five days during this year's burning season when the ban was lifted and private funds were raised by residents and local businesses to provide staffing for the Fire Department. -- Jim Daly

PLYMOUTH

TOWN WHARF FEES TO RISE -- Selectmen adopted a new management plan for the Town Wharf in Plymouth Harbor last week, accepting fee increases recommended by the Harbor Committee and agreeing to put wharf space out to bid. The increased fees affect commercial fishermen, passenger boats, and private boaters. The increases are expected to bring in an additional $123,000 a year, from the current $99,000 to $222,000 a year. The board also approved creating a new revolving fund to receive the money and use it to repair and rebuild the Town Wharf. Town officials have said parts of the wharf are deteriorating and need major reconstruction work.

-- Robert Knox

QUINCY

POLICE CHIEF TO RETIRE -- Quincy Police Chief William Falco has announced he plans to retire this summer. Falco had initially set an April 25 date before he became chief under a program that gave a 10 percent salary bonus for giving three years' notice before retiring. Falco took over leadership of the department when he became acting chief in 2001. Mayor William J. Phelan has said he would appoint Captain Robert Crowley to succeed Falco. -- Jenn Abelson

RANDOLPH

HIGHER SNOW DUMPING FINES APPROVED -- Town Meeting has voted to increase the fine for snowplow operators caught dumping snow into the street from $50 to $300. It also voted to change the violation from a criminal to noncriminal act to make it easier for police to collect the new fine. Former selectman Stephen Toomey, a Town Meeting member, said the local Department of Public Works spends too much time in the winter cleaning up after private plow operators who push snow from driveways onto streets that have already been plowed. Selectman James Burgess said the changes would help prevent the illegal snow dumping. -- Jim Daly

ROCKLAND

NEW TOWN ACCOUNTANT HIRED -- Town Accountant Eric Hart says he is looking forward to the challenge of handling Rockland's $38 million budget. For seven years, Hart has been the town accountant for Halifax, where the budget is about $15 million. Selectmen hired the 39-year-old Hart, a Hanover resident, last month. He replaces Jack Franey and plans to begin working for Rockland May 27. The salary range for the job is $58,000 to $62,000. -- Jim Daly

SCITUATE

VACANCY ON ASSESSOR BOARD -- The Board of Selectmen is seeking residents to apply for a vacancy on the Board of Assessors. Former board member Joseph Sullivan resigned last month because he is moving out of Scituate. The selectmen had wanted to appoint someone at their last meeting, but no one had applied. Sullivan's term expires in 2005. Residents interested in the assessor position should send a letter to the Board of Selectmen. -- Jenn Abelson

WEYMOUTH

"TREE CITY" DESIGNATION -- For the fourth year, the state Department of Environmental Management's Urban Forestry Division has designated Weymouth as "Tree City USA." District One Councilor Greg Shanahan, who chairs the Environmental Committee, said in order to receive the designation, the town must satisfy the requirements of having a tree department, tree warden, tree ordinances, and a forestry budget. In addition to highlighting the mayor's attention to improving the town's aesthetics, the designation allows the community to be eligible for state grants, said Shanahan. He said Mayor David M. Madden marked Arbor Day on April 30 by addressing students at the Murphy Primary School, where seedlings were to be provided to students to take home and plant. -- Susan Hagstrom

BRIDGEWATER

SEEKING VOLUNTEER FOR COUNCIL -- The Council On Aging wants to fill a vacancy on its nine-member board. Selectmen appoint council members annually at the start of each fiscal year, so the interim appointment would expire June 30. Those interested in serving should send letters to Paul Sullivan, municipal administrator, 25 South St., Bridgewater, MA 02324, or contact him by e-mail at psullivan@bridgewaterma.org. -- Christine Wallgren

BROCKTON

SCHOOLS CHIEF APPLAUDS RULING -- Schools Superintendent Joseph Bage said last week that he is ''thrilled" with the finding by a state Superior Court judge that the state provides insufficient education funding to poorer communities. ''The judge has agreed with us that the state has not adequately funded education reform in the cities of this Commonwealth," he said. ''For this reason, we are hoping that an adjustment of funds will help to provide more resources to school departments and in turn assure the quality instruction of students in Brockton." The city school district was one of 19 in Massachusetts that brought the suit against the state. A 15-year-old Brockton High School sophomore, Julie Hancock, is the lead plaintiff. The case is scheduled for review before the state Supreme Judicial Court.

-- Joanna Massey

CANTON

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR A YEAR -- Dan Erickson has been named Canton High School's interim athletic director, effective July 1. Erickson, who graduated from Canton High School in 1989, chairs the school's social studies department and coaches its boys' varsity soccer team. He replaces John Piemontese, who is resigning. Erickson's appointment is for one year.

-- Donna Goodison

CARVER

LIBRARY LANDS HISTORY GRANT -- The Carver Public Library was chosen by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association last month to receive a first-round grant in the National Endowment's new We The People Bookshelf program. As a result, the library received 15 hardbound books on the theme of courage in American history. The We The People program promotes reading and American history. Carver Library's Melissa McLeod applied for the grant last fall. -- Robert Knox

DEDHAM

EXAMINING SUSPENSION POLICY -- School officials will form a committee to review a memorandum of understanding between the district and the Police Department covering how officers report students caught drinking, using illegal drugs, or committing crimes like theft and property destruction. Last week, the School Committee held a forum asking parents and other residents for feedback on the memorandum, which was written more than a decade ago. Some concerns have been raised on how the policy affects students who are active in extracurricular activities, since it calls for 45-day suspensions from all school functions. The committee will include members of the Police Department, the Board of Selectmen, parents, the School Committee, school administration, and a counsel from Dedham High School and from Dedham Middle school, said Dave Roberts, School Committee chairman. -- Maria Cramer

EAST BRIDGEWATER

OFFICIALS TO PRESENT BUDGET -- While some neighboring towns have decided to postpone budget decisions until state aid figures are solid, Town Administrator George Samia said, local officials plan to move forward with consideration of the upcoming year's $31 million operational budget proposal when annual Town Meeting opens Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the George Mitchell Middle School. ''We're going in with a balanced budget that will take us through 2005," Samia said. ''It's not perfect, but it's stable." Town Meeting voters will also be asked to borrow $800,000 to cover capital purchases, including a new boiler and a dehumidification system for the high school, two trucks for the Highway Department and firefighting equipment. -- Christine Wallgren

EASTON

ARBOR DAY STATUS INTACT -- The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Easton as a ''Tree City" for 2004. Despite budget cuts that Department of Public Works officials feared might interfere with the work needed to obtain the national designation, the award was announced prior to last week's Arbor Day celebration in town. To be named a ''Tree City," a community must have a tree committee or department, a tree ordinance and an Arbor Day observance or proclamation, according to the National Arbor Day Foundation's website, www.arborday.org. In recognition of Arbor Day, Department of Public Works officials planned to plant a new tree on Center Street.

-- Joanna Massey

FOXBOROUGH

NEW PRINCIPAL FOR BURRELL -- The Burrell Elementary School will have a new principal next fall. School Committee member Vincent Igo said Michele McCarthy, who has served as acting principal at Ahern Middle School, will replace Beverly McCloskey, who recently announced she was leaving. Also, a retired educator, David Sweeney, has been named acting principal at Foxborough High School, filling in while the district searches for a replacement for Ruth A. Lynch, who left in April to become principal at the new Pembroke High School. School officials are also seeking candidates to replace Stanley Piltch, who recently resigned as principal at the Ahern. In the past two years, 12 administrators have left or announced their intention to leave the school district.

-- Maria Cramer

HALIFAX

FLAG ARTICLE DRAWING ATTENTION -- Voters will consider a $15 million budget at annual Town Meeting, which is set to open in the elementary school at 7:30 p.m. Monday, but Executive Administrator Charles Seelig has predicted resident Karen Peck's petition article to exempt the display of the American flag from all local regulation could draw more discussion than the budget. Because it requires a zoning bylaw change, Peck's proposal is at the end of the 46-article warrant. -- Christine Wallgren

LAKEVILLE

HEARING ON NEW PERC RATE -- The Board of Health has scheduled a hearing for 6:30 p.m. May 26 to discuss a proposed rule change on the allowable percolation rate for potential house lots. The change would require a perc rate below 30 minutes per inch, compared with the previous limit of 20 minutes. Some officials fear that the new rate would allow unsuitable land to be developed. State environmental protection regulations allow for a 60-minute perc rate, officials said. -- Paul Kandarian

MANSFIELD

MCCUE TAPPED FOR STATE PANEL -- Governor Mitt Romney has named the Board of Selectmen's chairman, Michael McCue, to the state Advisory Commission to Local Government. The appointment, announced last month, will run through Jan. 10 of next year. The 40-member commission acts as an independent advocate for the interests of local municipalities in their relations with the state and federal government. It is made up of mayors, town managers, selectmen, Finance Committee members and officials from the Massachusetts Municipal Association and Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

-- Joanna Massey

MARION

POLICE, WATER FACILITIES OK'D -- Voters at Town Meeting last week approved spending $3.2 million for a new police station to be built on land off Route 6 that was donated to the town by Tabor Academy. Voters also approved creating a regional water district with Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Fairhaven, to build a treatment plant for the removal of iron and manganese from the water supply, to spend $155,000 for design costs for the plant, and to buy land for aquifer protection. -- Paul E. Kandarian

MATTAPOISETT

IN LINE FOR ESTUARY FUNDS -- The town has been declared eligible for $125,000 in grant money from the Buzzards Bay Project National Estuary Program, which provides funds to protect open space, restore wetlands and buy equipment to combat oil spills, among other uses. Also eligible to apply for grants are Marion, Middleborough, Carver, Rochester, and Wareham. For more information, visit www.buzzardsbay.org. -- Paul E. Kandarian

MIDDLEBOROUGH

SCHOOL BUDGET ON AGENDA -- The School Committee has set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on May 13, in the John T. Nichols Jr. Middle School auditorium, to discuss its proposed budget for next year. A copy of the proposal will be available for public review by May 11 in the school superintendent's office, at 30 Forest St.. The office is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. -- Christine Wallgren

NORTON

MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES -- In conjunction with communities across the country, Norton plans to honor World War II veterans on May 29 as part of its Memorial Day weekend activities. The town's celebration will coincide with the national World War II Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C., according to Dot Morris, a member of Norton American Legion Post 222. All World War II veterans, widows, and widowers are invited to attend the local event, which will be held at the Legion building at 85 East Main St., she said. Several guest speakers are scheduled, as well as certificate and award presentations, and a gun salute. For more information, call 508-285-3835.

-- Joanna Massey

NORWOOD

WEIGHING OPTIONS AFTER FIRE -- Owners of a Normandy Drive townhouse complex have yet to decide whether five units severely damaged by last month's fire will have to be razed. No one was hurt in the April 16 blaze, which forced the evacuation of six Norwest Woods residents. The residents have been relocated to new apartments within the complex Fire officials believe a plumber's torch accidentally ignited the blaze. -- Robert Carroll

PLYMPTON

HIGHER PERMIT FEES APPROVED -- The Board of Selectmen approved a steep increase in building and wiring permit fees at its meeting last week, with the new rates becoming effective last Saturday. Wiring permit fees took the biggest jump overall, with many of them being doubled. A permit for wiring a new home rose from $90 to $175, burglar and fire alarm permits rose from $30 to $50, additions and remodeling permit fees went from $45 to $75, and swimming pool permits went from $50 to $90.

-- Theresa Sanchez

RAYNHAM

MEDICAL BILLS ON WARRANT -- Voters at Special Town Meeting on May 17 will be asked to spend $25,000 to cover medical expenses for a Raynham police officer. Michelle Mills has been out of work for about a year after suffering on-the-job injuries, according to Town Administrator Randall Buckner. Mills's medical expenses, including the cost of surgery, have exceeded her coverage under the town's medical plan. Buckner, citing medical privacy regulations, refused to characterize the officer's injuries. The funds would come from the Police Department's dispatcher account. -- Donna Goodison

SHARON

MERCURY IN MASSAPOAG BASS -- People should refrain from eating largemouth bass caught at Massapoag Lake more than twice a month, based on mercury concerns, according to state health officials. Children under 12, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should refrain from eating the fish at all, according to the state Department of Public Health. The department issued a warning to the town April 22 after reviews found low levels of mercury in largemouth bass taken from Massapoag. The levels are below standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration, but high enough to pose health concerns for some individuals, according to the state. For more information, contact the state DPH at 617-624-5757. -- Maria Cramer

STOUGHTON

HEALTH FAIR ON SATURDAY -- Local health-care educators have scheduled their annual Spring Health Festival for 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at 294 Pleasant St. Admission is free. Workshops will cover a range of topics, including children's behavior, meditation, and stress management. Rhonda Clermont, a nurse with the Stoughton Visiting Nurses' Association, said blood-pressure screenings and skin examinations also will be available. For more information, call 781-344-8878. -- C. Kalimah Redd

WALPOLE

SELF-DEFENSE FOR WOMEN -- The Police Department will be offering a self-defense course for women next month. The ''Rape, Aggression, and Defense Systems" program will be taught by John Carmichael Jr. and Jackie Nay at Blackburn Hall. The four-session course will be held on consecutive Saturdays beginning June 5, from 9 a.m. to noon on the first three days and 1 to 4 p.m. on June 26. Participants will learn how to recognize risky situations and how to avoid abduction or rape. The program costs $10; to register, call 508-660-7354. -- Joan Wilder

WAREHAM

VOTERS OK ZONING OVERHAUL -- Town Meeting voters last week approved a sweeping new zoning bylaw that updates and streamlines its 53-year-old predecessor, proponents said. The new bylaw also will need to be approved at fall Town Meeting, where concerns about the changes may be addressed. Voters also approved a new wetland protection bylaw, and the town purchase of Tremont Nail, the oldest nail factory in the country, for historic preservation.

-- Paul E. Kandarian

WEST BRIDGEWATER

OFFICE HOURS FOR CANAVAN -- State Representative Christine E. Canavan, a Brockton Democrat, will hold office hours for her Easton and West Bridgewater constituents from 4 to 6 p.m. May 11 at the public library, 70 Howard St. -- Sandy Coleman

WESTWOOD

QUIET ELECTION DAY -- Roughly 2 percent, of the town's registered voters, or 184 of about 9,000, turned out for Tuesday's election, according to Town Clerk Edie McCracken. She said there were no contested races or questions on the ballot. Selectman Pat Ahearn, and School Committee members John Gottschalk and Barb Delisle were returned to office, McCracken said. -- John Winters

WHITMAN

WOMAN HIT BY CAR -- A Whitman woman remained in the intensive care unit at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Tuesday after she was hit by a car while crossing Route 14 last week. Mary Souza, 77, suffered serious ''multi-system trauma," according to Fire-Rescue Chief Tim Travers, and was flown by MedFlight helicopter to Boston. The operator of the vehicle, 76-year-old George A. Hart Jr., also of Whitman, has been charged with operating to endanger, according to Police Chief John Schnyer.

-- Donna Goodison