Globe South community briefing
Verbal fireworks, yes
June 7, 2009
- |
ABINGTON
Is revenge the reason the town won't have a fireworks show this year? Night Before the Fourth Committee chairman Robert Baker thinks so. Baker said he believes Abington Fire Chief Arthur Pelland's recent decision not to issue a permit to a New Hampshire fireworks company to stage the pyrotechnic display is Pelland's way of punishing town officials and residents for favoring budget cuts to the fire and police departments. Pelland denies his decision was a matter of revenge and said with only five of the town's 20 firefighters on duty during a shift, he does not have the staff to protect the town adequately if an emergency broke out during the fireworks show. But Baker said: "We had this same situation two years ago, when the show was last held, with the same amount of firefighters on staff, and we paid for off-duty firefighters to cover it and it was no problem. All of a sudden it's a problem?" Pelland said using off-duty firefighters would "take away from further staffing" to protect the town. He also said he had not spoken with Baker about the event and had heard that the June circus annually brought in by the Night Before the Fourth Committee to raise funds for the fireworks show had been canceled. Baker said he and Pelland spoke in April and that the circus is still on, though it has been moved to East Bridgewater to avoid damaging town fields. - Robert CarrollBRAINTREE
FARMERS' MARKET - After a long, cold winter, Braintree's new farmers' market will kick off June 27. The market will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Town Hall Mall, rain or shine. Hosted by Sustainable Braintree, a nonprofit, the market will feature locally grown and produced products such as vegetables and fruits, hormone-free beef and pork, seafood, gourmet pies, and many other items, according to organizers. The organization is looking for volunteers willing to place and pick up signs around town promoting the market. - Matt CarrollCOHASSET
GREENBUSH IMPROVEMENTS - The MBTA is fixing several problems around town associated with the Greenbush commuter rail line, according to the town's Greenbush liaison, Tom Gruber. "We've had a list of outstanding items with [the MBTA] for a long, long time and they're finally getting around to them, for which we are very pleased and very thankful," Gruber said. For example, the MBTA is moving guardrails on Route 3A and Rocky Lane, he said, as well as redoing the entrance to Woodside Cemetery so it doesn't flood. The transit authority also has cleaned up an area along the tracks near the South Shore Arts Center, said Gruber. - Johanna SeltzDUXBURY
PRESERVATION OF NOTE - The restoration and reuse of the town's historic Wright Building has been recognized by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which honored Duxbury with a 2009 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award. Using Community Preservation Act funds five years ago, the town hired architects Finegold, Alexander & Associates Inc. to assess the viability of the 100-year-old former library, before deciding to restore. The Wright Building serves as a community building with an after-school youth center program. - Robert KnoxHINGHAM
CABLE TV STUDIO - The cable TV advisory committee is waiting for approval from the selectmen to form a nonprofit corporation to manage employees and an operating budget of a new cable studio. Guy Conrad, chairman of the cable advisory committee, said the town will receive about $4 million from television providers HOLBROOK
BUDGET DECISIONS - The continuation of the Annual Holbrook Town Meeting along with a Special Town Meeting has been scheduled for June 24 at 7:15 p.m. at the Holbrook Junior/Senior High School. The second part of the Town Meeting was moved to the end of the month so that officials would have a more accurate picture of state aid projections and local revenue before deciding how to vote on the budget. Town Meeting voters will be asked to appropriate money to pay outstanding bills, said Town Clerk Shirley Austin. - Franci Richardson EllementHULL
BABY BOOMERS MOVE UP - The town is looking for senior citizens interested in reviving the reading mentoring program for students at the Lillian Jacobs Elementary School. About 50 people were involved in the program in the past, going into the Jacobs and Hull Middle schools to help with reading and penmanship, according to volunteer Joan Humphreys. The mentoring stopped while both schools were renovated, but will return to the Jacobs School in the fall, Humphreys said. There will be a meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Scully Senior Center, 197A Samoset Ave., for anyone interested in participating. "Some of the people [who volunteered in the past] are in nursing homes or have passed on," said Humphreys, a retired English teacher. "We're hoping the baby boomers will join us now." - Johanna SeltzKINGSTON
TRASH STICKERS ON SALE - The town highway department is selling transfer station stickers for the fiscal year that begins next month at its office, 32 Evergreen St. Fees for the stickers are $145 for the first car, $70 for seniors, and $25 for a second car in the same household. The sticker allows residents to dump household trash in the town's transfer station. Automobile registration and proof of Kingston residency are required; payment must be made by check or money order. Department hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Stickers will also be available on Saturdays and Sundays on the weekends of June 20-21 and June 27-28 from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and Monday evenings on June 22 and June 29 from 3:30 to 7:45 p.m. - Robert KnoxMARSHFIELD
LIVE-SAVING REHEARSAL - Firefighters will contend with artificial smoke and blackened windows as they practice search-and-rescue and evacuation techniques at the old Buckles and Boards building on Ocean Street before it is demolished this summer. The town bought the empty building, and a building next door, with Community Preservation Act money and plans to convert the property to green space with a view of the South River. "Whenever someone [demolishes] a building, we seize the opportunity, if it works for us, to do training," said Fire Chief Kevin Robinson. Robinson said the building would not be burned during the training sessions, which will occur through the end of June. - Johanna SeltzMILTON
THEIR NAMES LIVE ON - Four individuals who were instrumental in Milton's school building projects during the past decade were honored at a naming ceremony at the high school graduation. The four honored were: State Senator Brian A. Joyce, who worked to increase spending on school buildings throughout the state, resulting in $100 million for six schools in town; John F. Riordan, a physical education teacher for the past 29 years and the former head coach of the high school football team; Mary Grassa O'Neill, superintendent from 1992 to 2003, who oversaw the start of the town's building project; and Charles C. Winchester, who has chaired the School Building Committee for 11 years. The auditorium at Pierce Middle School was named after Joyce, the weight room at the high school was named for Riordan; the high school library was named after Grassa O'Neill, and the high school auditorium was named after Winchester. - Matt CarrollNORWELL
TOWN MEETING TIME - Residents will head to Town Meeting tomorrow, postponed from its original date of May 11. Officials moved Annual Town Meeting because different versions of the 2009-2010 state budget have left cities and towns with questions about how much aid the state will give to communities. The Senate version cuts so-called local aid by about $1.5 billion. - L.E. CrowleyPEMBROKE
AWARD FOR LIBRARY NEWSLETTER - The town library received first place in the newsletter category in the Massachusetts Library Association's biennial Public Relations Awards. Winners were selected in 20 categories by judges from public relations, media, and library fields. Evaluation criteria for the newsletter award included graphic design, originality, and presentation. Pembroke's staff-produced library newsletter was reintroduced last year through the efforts of library aide Kathleen Benvie. It offers news on upcoming events, listings of new materials available at the library, and profiles of library volunteers. It also highlights library resources that may not be well known to patrons. - John LaidlerPLYMOUTH
HEDGES POND WORKSHOP - A public workshop will be held Thursday to discuss the town's use of the Hedges Pond Preserve and Recreation Area. Located in Cedarville, the 120-acre preserve was formerly the site of a Christian family campground called Camp Dennen. The property was acquired by the town last year for $3 million. Consultants hired by the town will present preliminary plans for the site and would like to hear feedback from the community. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Center for the Arts. - Emily SweeneyQUINCY
SUMMERTIME LEARNING - The Quincy Adult and Continuing Education Department's Summer Scene has nearly 100 classes available, for students from prekindergarten to high school seniors. Courses include beginners' Spanish, a study of natural habitats and local wildlife, CSI Quincy, Lego Robotics, writing, jewelry-making, and how to hone entrepreneurial skills. Prices and starting times vary. For information, call 617-984-8888 or visit www.quincypublicschools.com/district/district_summer.shtml. - Matt CarrollRANDOLPH
GRADUATION TODAY - Randolph High School will hold commencement exercises today at 1 p.m. at the school's Memorial Field. Students scheduled to speak at the ceremony are class president Pamela Butz, valedictorian Rebeccah MacKinnon, salutatorian Anh Le, and class orators Melissa Itzkowitz and Kevin Murphy. Among honors won by the 223 students of the class of 2009, Joseph Pham was credited for four years of perfect attendance, and Mariah Olivenza and Cliff Orelus won Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Awards. - Wendy ChowROCKLAND
SPACE SHARING - A plan to share space between the high school and a new middle school is being pursued by the School Department. Under the proposal, the town would save money by having both schools share an auditorium, library, and science labs. Those rooms at the high school have been targeted for renovations, and the science labs must be upgraded for the school to keep its accreditation. According to Superintendent John Retchless, the state has given permission to explore the idea. He said the 750-seat high school auditorium is shared and needs extensive repairs. A shared library would actually be separate libraries with shared staff. "You don't have to have two librarians," Retchless said, noting that the savings would come from both shared facilities and staff. He said it made no sense to have duplicate auditoriums and other facilities within 75 feet of each other. The town needs state approval for the two-school plan. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will finance the bulk of the project. The architectural firm designing the new middle school would undertake the planning. The town and state have to agree on a proposal by July 27 and budget by Sept. 30. Approval by town voters would be needed in the fall. - Steve HatchSCITUATE
ADMINISTRATOR PICK MAY BE IMMINENT - Selectmen could choose the next town administrator as early as Tuesday, following public interviews of the four finalists last week. The four candidates are Patricia Vinchesi, deputy executive director of Springfield's Finance Control Board; Andrew Maylor, town administrator in Swampscott; René Read, Mashpee's assistant town administrator; and Mark Stankiewicz, the town manager in Stoughton. Selectmen chairman Joseph Norton said the board initially wanted the next administrator to begin July 1. But Norton said the starting date now is flexible. - L.E. CrowleyWEYMOUTH
ENERGY EFFICIENT - The 42 solar panels on the roof of Weymouth Bank on Columbian Street generated about 12 percent of the branch office's electricity during the last three months, according to bank president Robert Terravecchia Jr. That means that with government subsidies and tax breaks, the panels will pay for themselves in about five years, he said. The bank had been marketing a loan program that encouraged energy conservation and installed the panels to "be corporately responsible and show by example," Terravecchia said. - Johanna SeltzAROUND THE REGION
HALIFAX
GROCERY COMPETITORS - Tomorrow night, representatives from Stop & Shop will ask the Zoning Board of Appeals to overturn a recent ruling by the building inspector allowing renovation of the 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
- Single Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
