No action on power plant

Abington health officials will take a wait-and-see approach concerning what effects a proposed power plant in Brockton could have on the town's air quality. Brockton Clean Energy is planning to build a 350-megawatt natural-gas-burning plant off Route 28. A report by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs shows the plant's tall stacks would emit carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Abington is downwind from the proposed plant and has been approached by neighboring towns Halifax and East Bridgewater about joining a regional task force to monitor the plant's emissions. "The health board recently met with Brockton's power plant people," said Abington Health Agent Michelle Roberts. "At this point the board does not feel it has enough expertise in air quality to make a decision on joining the task force. The board has chosen to wait and see what happens." - Robert Carroll

CHAPEL DEDICATED - Cardinal Sean O'Malley recently dedicated the new chapel at the Pastoral Center in Braintree. The chapel, which features a curved design, has been called the jewel of the new building by church officials. The stained glass windows came from closed churches in the area. The archdiocese sold most of its property in Brighton to Boston College and moved its administrative center to a $14 million building, purchased from developer Thomas Flatley for a token amount. - Matt Carroll

DEBRIS DISPOSAL COSTS RISE - Starting Oct. 20, the town will start charging by the pound for construction and demolition material brought to the recycling transfer station. The town has been charging $80 per truckload of debris, but will start weighing the trucks and their load to try to recover the town's cost in recycling the material, according to Town Manager William Griffin. "We pay by the ton to get it hauled away and disposed of [in a landfill] in Bourne, so it's only fair that those who bring in heavy materials get charged appropriately," he said. He said the town spends between $50,000 and $60,000 a year on the operation. The town will assess a fee of 6 cents a pound for truckloads. Homeowners will have the option of paying $5 a barrel, for up to two barrels of construction and demolition trash. - Johanna Seltz

OLD SCHOOL ON DANGER LIST - The Tarkiln Community Center in Duxbury has been named one of Massachusetts' "Most Endangered Historic Resources" by Preservation Massachusetts, the state's historic preservation advocacy organization. Originally the Tarkiln School, it was built in 1871 in a Greek Revival style with Italianate detailing, according to the Duxbury Historical Commission. The building has been used as a meeting place by groups since the 1950s. But the building needs serious repairs and a new furnace, and it was closed two years ago until the town determines what to do. The commission said a concern exists that the building may be demolished if its maintenance and stabilization issues are not addressed. Feasibility studies have been conducted in the last year in the hope of presenting a solution to restore the building to a usable state for action at next spring's Town Meeting. - Robert Knox

GET IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT - Holiday house tours are nothing new to the region. But Hanover's Walnut Hill Garden Club is expanding the theme. Next Sunday, the club will host Hanover Holidays House Tour, where ticket holders can tour seven local homes decorated for a range of holidays, including Independence and Valentine's days, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. "We thought it would be something different to do various holidays from throughout the year," said garden club president Louise Sironi. "We also thought we could avoid bad weather by holding the event now instead of around Christmas." The event runs noon to 4 p.m. and only 350 tickets will be made available, said Sironi. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour. Tickets are available at Hanover Town Hall and the John Curtis Free Library. - Robert Carroll

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER - Two "brown bag seminars" are offered at the Hingham Public Library this month for adults over 50, through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. "What It Takes to Be Happy When You Retire" will be Oct. 23 at 11:30 a.m. and led by Bill Roiter, a psychologist and Harvard Medical School faculty member specializing in the transition from work to retirement. "The Brain and Its Diseases: An Introduction to Neuropathology" takes place Oct. 27 at 11:30 a.m. and will use images from Harvard's Brain Bank to look at such diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as the effects of arteriosclerosis and strokes. That discussion will be led by Tim Wheelock, assistant director of neuropathology at McLean Hospital's Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. Sessions are open to the public and those in the program, which started at UMass in 1999 and is part of an international movement of informal education for people who are retired or partially retired. Anyone interested in attending should e-mail Mary.McCarthy@umb.edu or call 617-287-7322. - Johanna Seltz

SCHOOL COMMITTEE VACANCY - The School Committee will be interviewing four residents this week to replace committee member Christine Golden, who resigned earlier this year. Douglas McClentick, Ann Jackman-Poppenga, Louis Pransky, and Renee Walker have submitted letters of interest. Selectmen will meet with the School Committee next week to determine which candidates to appoint until April 7, the next town election. - Franci Richardson Ellement

FLU, PNEUMONIA CLINICS - The Board of Health is giving free flu and pneumonia shots next month to any Hull resident who is at least 7 years old. Those who are under 50 and healthy can choose to get the flu vaccine in a nasal spray instead of an injection, according to board spokeswoman Terri Berardinelli. Last year, about 1,200 people received the immunizations, she said. The board asks that anyone over 65 bring their Medicare card to the clinic because the town can get reimbursed its costs for anyone with Medicare Part B, Berardinelli said. All participants should bring something for the town food pantry, as well, either nonperishable food or personal care products. The first clinic will be Nov. 6, 5-7 p.m. at Memorial Middle School. There will be a clinic Nov. 10, 10 a.m.-noon, in the Louis Costa Meeting Room at Town Hall, and another Nov. 13, 4-6 p.m. in the nurse's office at Town Hall. - Johanna Seltz

LAST DAY TO REGISTER - The Kingston Board of Registrars of Voters will be in session through 8 p.m. Wednesday, the last day citizens age 18 and up can register to vote in this year's presidential election. The board will register voters from 8:30 a.m. that morning in the town clerk's office in town hall. Kingston residents may call the registrar's office at 781-585-0502 if they are unable to appear in person to register because of physical disability or if they wish to check up on their voting status. - Robert Knox

VOTERS ARE IN DEMAND - Special Town Meeting will be Oct. 20, and the warrant includes proposals to reconstruct sidewalks and curbing along Snow Road, conduct environmental tests at a former gas station at 1896 Ocean St., and create a facilities manager position for town buildings. The meeting is to start at 7:30 p.m. at Marshfield High gymnasium. Also, this Wednesday is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 4. Town Clerk Patricia A. Picco. said the office will be open until 8 p.m. for voter registration. - Emily Sweeney

RESTAURANT LICENSES - The Stone Park restaurant in Milton was granted a liquor license and victualers license by selectmen, said Selectwoman Marion V. McEttrick. The state still must approve the liquor license. Restrictions have been placed on the restaurant, such as hours. The establishment will close at midnight Thursday through Sunday, she said. The restaurant must also show selectmen that it earns no more than 25 percent of revenue from liquor sales, she said. The restaurant is expected to hold about 160 for supper and 60 for lunch. - Matt Carroll

OPEN SPACE PROJECT IN DISCUSSION - A Boston developer is proposing to build 48 single-family homes on a 75-acre site off Wildcat Lane under the new Open Space Residential Design bylaw. Adopted by Town Meeting last May, the bylaw allows subdivisions with smaller lots in return for protecting at least 50 percent of the non-wetland area of the site. The developer, A.W. Perry, of Boston, has submitted initial design plans and met several times with the Planning Board, according to town planner Todd Thomas. Public hearings will be held if the developer applies for a special permit and subdivision approval. Thomas said the board has responded favorably to the concept so far. "It's a wonderful opportunity for the town," he said, noting that the project would provide recreational trails and permanent protection of wildlife habitat on the site. - John Laidler

CABLE STATION IN DISCUSSION - The town may soon be running its own cable access station. According to Town Administrator Edwin Thorne, part of the cable contract renewal the town is negotiating with Comcast would involve the town taking over operation of its local access programming, which is based out of studios in the Community Center. He said two options for the town would be to create a nonprofit organization to run the station, and to contract with PACTV in Plymouth for the service. Thorne said selectmen are leaning toward creating the nonprofit, and have taken preliminary steps to establish the group. He said the corporation, if created, could be in place by next month, when the town hopes to have the contract agreement completed. - John Laidler

HOUSE SALES CONTINUE SLIDE - Real estate activity continues to be sluggish throughout Plymouth County. Home sales are down; the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds recorded 611 deeds in September, down from 699 in August and 752 in July. The average sales price in Plymouth County has dropped to $344,772, compared to $377,278 last year - a decrease of 9 percent (nationally, average sales prices have fallen 16 percent). So far, there have been 1,004 foreclosure deeds recorded in Plymouth County during 2008, compared to 657 during the first three quarters of 2007. Plymouth County's register of deeds, John R. Buckley Jr., doesn't anticipate a dramatic upswing in the market happening anytime soon. "Sales activity typically begins to slow down heading into and through the holidays, and given the present market conditions, it is difficult to predict what we will see in the next few months in terms of the number of mortgages being recorded," he said. - Emily Sweeney

GRANT BOOSTS PARENT PROGRAM - Quincy's Commission on the Family has received a $5,000 grant from the Children's Trust Fund of Massachusetts for a parent support program called "My Baby and Me," according to the trust. The program will offer first-time parents, with children from newborns through 6 months of age, a parenting education and support program. For more information about the program, call 617-689-8352. The trust awards grants to 35 community-based organizations statewide for parenting education and support. - Matt Carroll

DEADLINE FOR VOTERS - The last day to register to vote in the presidential election is Wednesday, said Town Clerk Brian Howard. His office is holding extended hours this week for those who wish to register or to change their party affiliation. The office at Town Hall will remain open until 7 p.m. on Tuesday and until 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Residents who are 18 or older on Nov. 4 are eligible to vote. - Wendy Chow

PAY TAXES ONLINE - Preliminary real estate and personal property tax bills for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 have been mailed, and there is a new way to pay them. According to Town Collector Lisa Clark, taxpayers can use a new online payment system, which will notify them whenever new bills are due. The system requires registration and can be accessed from the town website, rockland-ma.gov. Payments are due by Nov. 3, after which bills are subject to 14 percent interest based on how long they are delinquent. Payments can be made online or at the tax collector's office, 242 Union St., Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There also is a drop-off box outside Town Hall. - Steve Hatch

SEARCH TO BEGIN FOR SCHOOL CHIEF - The School Committee is assembling a search committee to help find a replacement for School Superintendent Mark Mason. Several weeks ago, Mason announced his intention to resign effective next September. Mason, who has been superintendent since 2001, said last week he was leaving because he felt "it's time." Mason said he had planned to leave when his last contract expired in 2006, but at the committee's request, agreed to remain three years. He said he felt next year would be appropriate for "the School Department, the town, and myself to go someplace else." Mason plans to apply for another position. The search committee is expected to begin meeting at the end of this month; the School Committee hopes to make an appointment by February or March. - John Laidler

MEALS HELP FAMILY BONDING - Six families are meeting once a week for three months to eat dinner together and learn ways to improve communication among family members. "We all know better communication and family bonds lead to less likelihood of substance abuse," said Lyn Frano, town substance abuse prevention coordinator. "This is a skill-building program." Frano announced the winner of the Family Day recipe contest, another program to strengthen families and keep kids drug-free. Seven-year-old Gianna Alberino will receive a gift basket for her spaghetti alfredo recipe, Frano said. - Johanna Seltz