Foreclosures raise health concerns

Half-full with water turned green by algae and surrounded by knee-high grass, the kiddie pool behind the foreclosed house on Bank Street provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Such properties are a growing concern for health agent Michelle Roberts. "It's starting to become a real problem," Roberts said last week of the town's 10 or so foreclosed and abandoned homes. "I spend a lot of time now on the phone with real estate companies from Texas to California that have taken over these homes, trying to get them to get someone to take care of the property. But calling them is like chasing your tail; nothing seems to get done." Meanwhile, she said, neighbors call her and complain, concerned about disease-carrying mosquitoes. "The problem is these homes are supposed to be kept up by a property preservation distribution. But that's a nationwide effort of taking bids and getting someone out to mow and clean the places up," she said. "Who knows how long it would take to get to a house in Abington?" - Robert Carroll

REGISTRY OPENS NEW OFFICE - Braintree is the site of a new Registry of Motor Vehicles office, which moved from Quincy. The 8,000-square-foot office, at 10 Plain St., includes parking for more than 500 vehicles. It is about a mile from the Braintree T station and Route 3. All 15 employees of the Quincy branch moved to the new branch, according to the Registry. - Matt Carroll

PRICE DROPPED ON ESTATE - The owners of a five-bedroom oceanfront estate have dropped their asking price $2.6 million - to $16.9 million. That's still the most expensive house on the market on the South Shore, according to Thomas Hamilton of Dean & Hamilton Realtors. "I think the owner is realistic that it's a more competitive market at the moment for expensive homes," Hamilton said. The 4,700-square-foot house, which has been on the market for six months, sits on more than 5 acres and has deep water moorings and two private beaches. The current owner bought the home, which was built in the early 1900s, three years ago for $4.75 million but spent millions more on renovation and improvements, Hamilton said. "If you're a person with some dough and want the absolute best in the most fabulous location, this is your property," he said.

- Johanna Seltz

LATEST TWILIGHT BOOK PARTY - The Duxbury Free Library's Teen Advisory Group is hosting a book-release party for Stephenie Meyer's new novel in the Twilight series, "Breaking Dawn," on Friday from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Westwinds Bookshop, 45 Depot St. The group has previously hosted parties for the release of Harry Potter books, and two months ago local teens' enthusiasm for the Twilight books, a fantasy series about a pair of star-crossed lovers (one of them a rescued vampire), led to a Twilight theme prom at the library. The book-release party will include an open mike for poetry, music, and prose reflections on what the new book will contain. Admission is $5 but the cost is waived by pre-ordering a copy of the book from Westwinds. The event will also raise money for the World Wildlife Fund. through donations. - Robert Knox

THEY SWEAR TO TELL THE TRUTH - Selectmen last week approved a motion by board member Al Rugman to have P.A. Landers Co. employees responsible for weighing supplies used on road construction projects sworn in by the Hanover town clerk. The move comes nearly a year after the company's vice president and president received two- and three-year prison sentences for their role in a conspiracy to defraud the state by generating inflated weight tickets. The company was also fined $3 million. "P.A. Landers officials came to us about this," said Selectman Dan Pallotta. "Landers also has a scale in Plymouth and their guy down there in charge of weights takes an oath with that town." Pallotta said Hanover has no "quantitive liability" in swearing in an employee of a private company. "We'll check their backgrounds and ask them to always be honest," he said.

- Robert Carroll

WOUNDED VETS GET A DAY OUT - The town is thanking military people injured in Iraq and Afghanistan by taking them fishing and sailing next month. Veterans agent Michael Cunningham started the annual free fishing event four years ago after visiting a wounded friend at the medical unit of Hanscom Air Force Base. "We said we have to do something for these people," Cunningham said. "This light bulb went off. We have water, we have boats, we can take them fishing. It's a way for us to say thank you, and a day for them when they don't have to worry about doctors' appointments" and the other problems that go with their injuries. Cunningham said local residents donate their boats and time and volunteers also serve breakfast and lunch. Local elected officials and Thomas G. Kelley, secretary of the state Department of Veterans Services, will speak at a brief welcoming ceremony at 9 a.m. More information about the Aug. 5 event is available by contacting Cunningham at CunninghamM@hingham-ma.com or 781-741-1440.

- Johanna Seltz

EMERGENCY LEADER NEEDED - The town is looking for a volunteer to head the emergency management division. Dennis Sullivan, the town's director, resigned as of June 30. The new director will attend seminars on emergency management, utilize computers, and research and apply for grants and should be a good communicator, said Town Administrator Michael Yunits. An interested volunteer should send a letter of intent to the Board of Selectmen, which makes the annual appointments.

- Franci Richardson Ellement

TOPS IN TURBINES - The head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency came to Hull this month to praise the its energy activism. "Hull is raising the energy efficiency bar for communities across the country," Stephen L. Johnson said, as he stood below the turning blades of Hull Wind I, the turbine located at the end of the peninsula, near Hull High School. Along with a second and larger turbine at the other end of town, it supplies more than 10 percent of the town's electricity. The town's light company has proposed adding four more wind turbines off Nantasket Beach. Johnson lauded Hull for its move toward wind power and also for joining the EPA's New England Community Challenge. The 118 communities in the program promise to analyze and reduce energy use in municipal buildings by at least 10 percent.

- Johanna Seltz

NEW FIRE LIEUTENANT - Firefighter-paramedic Anthony V. Boccuzzo will be sworn in as the permanent fire lieutenant tomorrow, according to Fire Chief Kevin Robinson. Boccuzzo is a member of the Marshfield Fire Department's dive team and a second-generation firefighter (his father, Kevin, is a district chief in the Boston Fire Department). Boccuzzo began working for the Marshfield department full time in 1997. Previously he worked as a call firefighter in Marshfield and a paramedic for Boston EMS. His formal swearing-in ceremony will take place tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Board of Selectmen meeting in Town Hall. - Emily Sweeney

WORK BEGINS ON VILLAGE PROJECT - Groundbreaking has begun for the Residence at Milton Village, a combination condominium and commercial development at 2 Adams St. on the Neponset River. The development, by STF Enterprises Inc. of Brockton, will include three buildings, two of which are historic. There will be 21 condos, a 132-seat restaurant, and two retail units, said Stephen P. Foley, president of STF. The units are expected to sell in the $600,000 range, said Foley. Units in the historic buildings are expected to be done in a few months, while the units in the modern building will be finished in a year, he said. - Matt Carroll

GREAT RIVER RACE - The North and South Rivers Watershed Association is holding its annual Great River Race on the North River on Saturday. Registration will be held at 11:30 a.m. on the Norwell side of the Union Street Bridge, from where the race will begin at 1 p.m. Now in its 18th year, the race is open to people of all abilities, who compete in a variety of categories. Participants can use any nonmotorized craft, including canoes, kayaks, and rowboats. Spectators are encouraged to cheer on the racers at the starting line and at the finish line at the old Washington Street Bridge at the Hanover/Pembroke line. An award ceremony will be held starting at 3:30 p.m. at McGreal's Tavern in Norwell Center. The event is a fund-raiser for the association. For more information or to obtain a registration form, go to nsrwa.org, call 781-659-8168 or e-mail paula@nsrwa.org.

- John Laidler

PLAYGROUND TO BE DEDICATED - The town recently completed construction of a new playground at the town landing. Built with $16,000 appropriated by Town Meeting last fall and about $3,000 from the budget of the Town Landing Committee, the playground opened to the public on July 7. There were no previous play structures at the town landing, located at Oldham Pond on Wampatuck Street. The Town Landing Committee voted to name the park after Town Administrator Edwin Thorne in recognition of the role he played in the playground project and other improvements that have been carried out at the landing the last several years, according to the panel's chairwoman, Jean Holland. The playground will be dedicated in a ceremony Saturday, just prior to the start of the town's annual Fun Festival at the landing. The festival, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature swimming races, games, and other family activities.

- John Laidler

CABLE STUDIO MOVES - Plymouth Area Community Television is settling into new digs. The cable TV station, which serves Plymouth and Kingston, is moving out of its longtime headquarters on Court Street and relocating to a studio facility at 4 Collins Ave. in the Plymouth Industrial Park. For the past 10 years, the station has been based at 130 Court St., on the first floor of a mansion. The new location will provide the TV station with more usable space and flexibility, according to Daniel Rodriguez, PACTV's director of operations. The new headquarters has a prop storage area, a bigger conference room, and additional space for training, he said. PACTV started moving out of the Court Street mansion last week, and the station is expected to be fully up and running in the space soon. A grand opening will be held in September or October, said Rodriguez. Phone service is temporarily unavailable, but people can contact the station by e-mail at info@pactv.org.

- Emily Sweeney

SINGLE-STREAM BOOSTS RECYCLING - Recycling is booming in Quincy since the city adopted the single-stream method, according to city officials. The average daily collection increased from about 15 tons a day to 19 tons, according the Department of Public Works. Single stream means all recycled materials are placed in one container, rather than in separate containers. - Matt Carroll

STORM HITS CLOSE TO HOME - The thunderstorms that rolled through the region last week made a lasting impression on a Randolph homeowner. Allen Furey, who lives on Milton Terrace, was at a barbecue at his mother's house in Roxbury last Sunday when he got the news: Lightning had struck a tree at his house. Furey and his wife, Katie, came home to see that "a big old tree fell across the front of my yard, landed on my car, and pulled down all my power lines." Furey said he felt frustrated when he saw the damage to his car and house, but is now able to put the ordeal in perspective, especially since his two children were in Indiana visiting their grandmother. "Initially, when I got home and. . . I saw I didn't have any power, I was sort of down. But the next day as they put the electricity on, I started feeling better. It could have been worse. Also my kids weren't here, nobody got hurt. So it turned out to be not so bad. You definitely have to count your blessings."

- Wendy Chow

TIME TO PAY THOSE TAXES - More than 5,800 real estate and 426 personal property tax bills seeking payment of approximately $9,960,804 in taxes and $175,000 in personal property taxes have been mailed, according to Lisa Clark, Rockland town collector. The bills are for the first and second quarter of fiscal 2009 and are due Aug. 1 and Nov. 3, after which 14 percent interest will be charged. Clark said recipients should retain the bills for the autumn payment, because there will not be a second mailing. Payments can be made by mail, online at rockland.ma.gov, and at Town Hall. The collector also has installed drop box outside Town Hall. - Steve Hatch

POPCORN, BUG SPRAY, AND A SHOW - Residents are invited to watch movies under the stars. The Recreation Department is holding its free Outdoor Movie Night series at the high school field hockey field. The next movie, scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m., is "Cars," a 2006 animated feature. The final movie, set for Aug. 15 at 7:45 p.m., is "High School Musical 2." All the films are being shown on a large inflatable movie screen. Those attending are encouraged to bring bug spray and blankets or lawn chairs. All children must be accompanied by an adult. The series is funded in part by a grant from the Scituate Cultural Council. - John Laidler

BUDGET CRUNCH CLAIMS CELEBRATION - It's official: This year's Weymouth Day has been canceled. Mayor Sue Kay announced last month that she was canceling the annual event because of the town's financial troubles. Although private donations pay for the bulk of the costs, the town spent about $20,000 in police overtime, she said. After being deluged with pleas to save the day, Kay said she was reconsidering. A spokesman for her office said this week, though, that Weymouth Day definitely was dead for this year. The town celebration had been scheduled for Sept. 27, with plans for a parade and carnival at Weymouth High School.

- Johanna Seltz

SPORTS COMPLEX CONCERNS - Neighbors are expressing concern over a plan, submitted by BCL Premier Sports of Westwood, to build a 270,000-square-foot sports complex on 50 acres off Elm Street. At a hearing held by the planning and zoning boards last Monday, abutters said the traffic would increase dramatically along narrow and already congested roads. They were also concerned about lighting for the complex. The proposed site is currently farmland owned by the owners of Cumberland Farms, the Haseotes family. The hearing was continued to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Academy Building off the Town Square. - Christine Legere

WIFFLE TOURNEY IS A HIT - The Stoughton Wiffle Ball Tournament has grown to include dozens of teams from across New England. This Saturday, the field is expected to be even bigger as teams battle for a $1,000 first prize. Hosted by the New England Wiffle Association, the tournament's first pitch is scheduled for 8 a.m. at the West Elementary School athletic fields. Entry fees range from $100 for the 5-player Open division to $65 for teams in the youth division. All net proceeds from the youth division will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts. Teams can register online at newazone.com. - Robert Carroll