Tribute to legal duo

September 7, 2008

TRIBUTE TO LEGAL DUO - For decades they provided town officials with sound legal guidance, and now a father and son will forever be remembered at Town Hall. Selectmen tomorrow night will name the building's largest gathering room the Robert and Shawn Cotter Meeting Room. The room had been named for Robert Cotter, the longtime Abington town counsel who died in 1990. Shawn Cotter, who was the principal in his father's Rockland firm of Cotter and Cotter and had taken over as Abington's town counsel following his father's death, lost his battle with cancer last December. He was 52 years old. A portrait of Shawn Cotter by Abington artist Diane Panarelli-Miller will be unveiled at 6:30 p.m. - Robert Carroll

TIME TO RECYCLE HAZARDOUS WASTE - Braintree will have a hazardous waste collection day on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Recycling Center on Ivory Street. The event, for Braintree residents only, also functions as a fund-raiser for the Friends of the Thayer Public Library and the League of Women Voters. There is no charge for recycling propane tanks, fluorescent bulbs, cellphones, and mercury switches, but there are charges for other items, such as tires, batteries, chemicals, and paints. Computer monitors and TVs can be brought in for $10 to $15, depending on size, said John Cobble of the Friends. For more information, call 781-794-8237.

- Matt Carroll

A DAY TO CELEBRATE COHASSET - Organizers hope thousands of people will flock to town for the first Cohasset Day on Sept. 20. The celebration, put on by the Economic Development Committee, will feature an automobile parade, mini-triathlon for children, dancing, music, decorated bikes, games, fashion and art shows, and a farmers' market. The activities run from noon to 8 p.m., and local restaurants will offer ticket holders samples in "Fine Food Galore" from 4:15 to 7 p.m. "It will be big, classy, and fun," said Alain Pinel, who's heading the effort. "The idea from the beginning was to bring people to Cohasset, to bring business to Cohasset, and to bring revenue to Cohasset. We want people to realize the beauty and vitality here and to want to come back." Tickets for the food tasting are $12 for individuals and $25 for families with young children, and are available in advance at the following shops: French Memories, Darilynn's, Carmela Drew, Cohasset Jewelers, The Good Sport, and Buttonwood Books.

- Johanna Seltz

BERRYBROOK BUILDING IS DONE - A new classroom building for the Berrybrook School, a private school serving young children, has been completed at 267 Winter St., by Acella Construction Corp. of Norwell. Located on the 60-acre agricultural site of an 18th-century farmhouse which had been serving as Berrybrook's schoolhouse, the 6,700-square-foot building reflects the site's original architecture. The new wood frame schoolhouse contains three handicapped-accessible classrooms and a large multipurpose room. In operation since 1954, the school was forced to construct a new classroom building after significant amounts of lead paint were found in its farmhouse classroom building during an inspection last year. Students have been attending classes in temporary classrooms on the Berrybrook grounds since the beginning of the year. Classes for the new semester are scheduled to begin Thursday.

- Robert Knox

TEEN FINALLY RETURNS TO CLASS - With a slight gimp in his gait and a huge smile across his face, Erik Jenkins, 13, made his way back to the classroom last week, a full year after bone cancer cost him his left leg. "He's been through so much this past year," Scott Jenkins said of his son, who was diagnosed in August 2007 with osteosarcoma. "It means so much to us and to Erik that he's able to go back to school." Jenkins said his son underwent four surgeries and months of chemotherapy treatments, but was able to keep his schooling up through tutors and a webcam that connected him with his classmates at Hanover Middle School. "He has a prosthetic leg. But his hair has come back and he's put some weight back on," his father said. "We're grateful for where we're at right now." - Robert Carroll

HOUSING LOTTERY DEADLINE NEARS - Applications are available for affordable housing at the new development being built at the Hingham Shipyard. Deadline for applying is Friday. Residents will be chosen in a lottery the following week, with preference given to people working or living in Hingham, or relatives of people living in town. One- and two-bedroom apartments are available to those meeting income guidelines, which range from $46,300 for a single person to $66,150 for a household of four. People with Section 8 rental subsidies are encouraged to apply. Applications are available at the town website, hingham-ma.com, or by calling the developer, Avalon at the Hingham Shipyard, at 877-AVB-MAIN (option 4). The development includes an outdoor heated pool, playground, and private fitness club.

- Johanna Seltz

LUNCHES COST A QUARTER MORE - Lunches at the Holbrook schools have gone up to offset a deficit caused by rising food prices. This year, students at South and Kennedy elementary schools will pay $2 instead of $1.75. Students at Holbrook Junior/Senior High School will pay $2.25, up 25 cents from last year. The adult lunch there has also increased by a quarter from $3 to $3.25. Cartons of milk will remain unchanged at 50 cents.

- Franci Richardson Ellement

HOUSEMASTER HAS CREATIVE SIDE - Paula Maxwell, the former dean of students and lead teacher of fine arts and music at Weymouth High School, is Silver Lake Regional High School's new housemaster. A former art teacher, Maxwell has a bachelor's degree in ceramics from Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, a master's degree in teaching the creative arts from Bridgewater State College, and a certificate of advanced graduate studies in educational leadership from Fitchburg State College. She also served as the Weymouth schools' mentoring coordinator at the secondary level for the past two years. Located on Pembroke Road in Kingston, Silver Lake Regional High School serves students from Kingston, Halifax, and Plympton. - Robert Knox

HERE COMES THE BUS - Town officials recently announced that the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority will launch bus service in Marshfield and Duxbury. The transit agency provides public transportation to 26 communities in Southeastern Massachusetts, including Kingston and Pembroke. Town Planner Paul Halkiotis said the bus service could start before the end of the year. The route, which has not been finalized yet, is tentatively planned to start at Hall's Corner in Duxbury and end at Roche Bros. supermarket in Marshfield. Public meetings to discuss the new shuttle service will be held on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23 at the Duxbury Senior Center, and on Oct. 7 at Marshfield Town Hall. All three meetings are scheduled to start at 10 a.m., and residents of Marshfield and Duxbury are invited to attend. - Emily Sweeney

FOUNDATION GIVES AGAIN TO HOSPITAL - The Copeland Family Foundation has made a $1 million donation to Milton Hospital's capital campaign, according to the hospital. It is the foundation's second gift of $1 million or more. The foundation gave the hospital a gift of more than $1 million in 2003 for the hospital's MRI center, which was named after the foundation. The foundation last year donated $50,000 in the memory of Gladys Copeland, a longtime supporter of the hospital. - Matt Carroll

POLICE SERGEANT PROMOTED - The Board of Selectmen recently named John Suurhans to fill the newly created position of deputy police chief. Suurhans was among four candidates, all Norwell police sergeants, who applied for the job. The others were William Lynch, Richard Bosworth, and Urpo Nurmenniemi. Town Meeting about four years ago approved the creation of the deputy chief's position. Town Meeting in May agreed to have a sergeant's position reclassified as deputy chief, and to appropriate $10,000 to cover the added salary costs. Suurhans, a Norwell resident, has been with the Police Department for 15 years. He is to be sworn in to his new post once he finalizes a contract with the town administrator, according to Police Chief Theodore Ross. - John Laidler

TOWN MEETING ARTICLES - At its meeting tomorrow, the Board of Selectmen will review articles submitted for the Special Town Meeting scheduled for Oct. 21. Among the articles is a proposal by selectmen that the budget be the first order of business at the annual Town Meeting next spring and be removed from the lottery system that customarily determines when each of the various articles is taken up by the Town Meeting. According to Selectman Arthur Boyle, the intent is to "settle the money issues early" in Town Meeting so that there is no uncertainty about the town's finances when other articles are considered. Tomorrow's meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. - John Laidler

BUMPER YEAR FOR COUNTY FARM - It's been a good summer at the Plymouth County Farm, according to Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald Jr. The 90-acre farm on Obery Street is staffed by six correction officers who are also trained horticulturists, and a crew of inmates who raise plants and care for animals. There are currently window box mums and thousands of chrysanthemums for sale, and asters, kale, gourds, and pumpkins will become available in mid-September. "All the rain and cool nights made for a nice growing season," said deputy farm director Ted DeCristofaro. Proceeds from the sales of plants and vegetables help fund rehabilitative programs for inmates. The farm is open daily 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

- Emily Sweeney

CITY SHUTS ILLEGAL HOTEL - An illegal hotel run out of a two-family home in North Quincy has been shut down, according to the mayor's office. At the home at 139 Billings Road, investigators found nine bedrooms set up like hotel rooms, with beds, refrigerators, TVs, and hot plates. A court-ordered search warrant found safety violations, and officials ordered the alleged hotel shut down. The business had its own website advertising room rates. "This type of illegal and dangerous activity will not be tolerated, period," said Mayor Thomas Koch.

- Matt Carroll

FLEA MARKET'S GOAL IS TO ARMOR K-9 UNIT - A group of residents is looking to raise several thousand dollars to buy armor vests for the two dogs in the police K-9 unit. The Randolph Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association will hold a fund-raising flea market on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Randolph High School poolside parking lot. Vendors can re serve a space for $25 and the group has been soliciting local businesses for donations of raffle items, said Shellie Cattel, president of the group. The Citizens Police Academy graduated its first class in 1998, and all graduates can join the alumni association. The group aims to bridge the gap between the police and the community, said Cattel, such as helping police with programs such as fingerprinting children for personal identification kits and conducting a traffic pattern study. Academy applications, available at the police station, are being accepted for the next class; contact Officer Richard Hughes for more information. - Wendy Chow

RECYCLING VOUCHERS DROP IN VALUE - The Board of Health has mixed news on the composting/recycling front. The good news is that home composting bins are available for $20 plus tax at the recycling center from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. But residents wishing to dispose of items not eligible for regular trash pickup may be paying more because the Board of Health has reduced the value of recycling vouchers from $50 to $25. The decrease results from increased costs related to the closing of the VFW Drive/Pleasant Street Landfill and bringing the Beech Street composting facility into compliance with state requirements, said Janice McCarthy, health agent. The board at its August meeting considered eliminating the vouchers but instead reduced them. McCarthy said the vouchers partly offset what the town charges for disposal of such items as air conditioners ($11) and sofas ($16). For information, call the Board of Health at 781-871-0154, ext. 350, or the Recycling Center at 781-878-3838.

- Steve Hatch

PRESERVATION REQUEST DEADLINE - The Community Preservation Committee is accepting applications through Nov. 1 from individuals, community groups, and departments that would like to seek funding for a project in fiscal 2009 from the town's Community Preservation Fund. Applications are accepted throughout the year, but must be received by Nov. 1 to have a chance to be placed before the annual Town Meeting next spring. As a new step to assist applicants, the committee has added an optional "application for eligibility" that groups can file to see if their project would be eligible to receive funding. For more information, or to obtain forms, go to town.scituate.ma.us/cpa.

- John Laidler