Baby float recall

NO CIVIL SERVICE - Selectmen have decided to forgo a Civil Service exam when selecting a replacement for retired police chief George Gurley. They will use another method acceptable to the Civil Service Commission, which requires them to hire a consultant who will evaluate candidates based on their performance in role-playing situations, conducted at an assessment center. Currently, only in-house candidates are being considered. Lieutenants Christopher Delmonte and Michael Bois have expressed interest in the department’s top job. Since Gurley’s recent retirement, Bois has been acting police chief.

CHILDREN’S CENTER ACCREDITED - The Children’s Center at Massasoit Community College has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The designation places the program among the best in the nation, said center director Linda Cummings-LeBeau. The center, a licensed campus facility in the Fine Arts Building, serves the children of students, faculty, and staff at Massasoit from just under 3 through 6 years old. Before the visit by assessors from the national association, the Children’s Center conducted an extensive self-study, measuring its program and services against 10 early childhood program standards and more than 400 accreditation criteria. - Steve Hatch

MORE TIME SOUGHT - The stalled redevelopment of the former Plymouth Rubber Co. has prompted owners of the site to ask for more time in completing environmental assessments due in May. In the meantime, company officials say they still have no potential tenants for the property. “The economy has only gotten worse than the last time we proposed something,” said Rick Brandstatter, director of real estate for the Napleton Cos. Brandstatter said the company is continuing to monitor the eight toxic-waste areas on the site that remain from its years as a rubber manufacturing plant. He said the company is working with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection on the matter and that there is no imminent danger to the public. Failed proposals for the nearly 40-acre property have included a mixed-use development that included housing and an assisted-living facility. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

BIG DAY AHEAD - The town will celebrate Old Home Day on July 25 in Shurtleff Park in Carver Center. A traditional town reunion, Old Home Day has been held on the last Saturday of July since 1901. Events include a classic car cruise, the children’s doll carriage and bicycle parade, a rock climbing wall, a horseshoe tournament, an art show, music by the American Legion Band and the Three Amigos, a display area with old photos and memorabilia, and an old-fashioned New England clambake. Participants can sign up for the carriage and bike parade, the horseshoe tournament, and the art show beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Old Home Day. For more information call 508-866-3953. - Robert Knox

LAND DATA MORE ACCESSIBLE - The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds has expanded the amount of Internet-accessible land records research that is available at its http://www.norfolkdeeds.org site. The project’s current phase includes all recorded land indexes and images from 1947 to 1954, said Registrar William O’Donnell. “This is a real benefit for the practitioner and consumer alike, as indexed records are the primary way to locate an applicable, but undetermined, book and page reference,’’ he said. The next phase takes the online indexing capacity back to 1911. The Norfolk Registry’s Internet library now includes every recorded document from more than 26,700 volumes since the registry’s inception on Sept. 3, 1793, and more than 1.1 million documents filed in the land court since 1901. The office is at 649 High St. - Michele Morgan Bolton

BUDGET CLOSE TO MARK - Town Meeting voters approved East Bridgewater’s fiscal 2010 operational budget weeks before state aid numbers were finalized. But Town Administrator George Samia says the town’s estimates for state aid were only about $180,000 above the amount that will be supplied. “That’s negligible in a $40 million budget,” Samia said. “It’s certainly not going to shut down the town.” The town administrator believes local receipts and new growth may close the gap, along with a few other line-item adjustments. “If it doesn’t, we may have to go back to a Town Meeting in the fall to take care of it,” he said. - Christine Legere

FIREFIGHTER JOBS SALVAGED - The jobs of three firefighters have been saved by an agreement between the firefighters union and the town on health insurance and wage concessions. The insurance changes are the same as those accepted by teachers, police, and other town workers. Unlike other unions, the firefighters did not postpone for six months a 3 percent wage increase that took effect July 1. Instead, they opted to give back to the town $1,500 for each firefighter, or about $50,000. According to Town Administrator David A. Colton, the net effect of the firefighters union agreement is an $85,000 saving to the town. The latest state budget provided $470,000 less in state aid than the town planned, meaning further budget adjustments in the fall, Colton said.

BREAK-IN PROBED - Police have no viable leads in their investigation into the break-in at the Booth Playground Concession stand earlier this month, said Police Chief Edward O’Leary. The vandals didn’t just steal things - they took cases of soft drinks, a jar of coins, and the cash register (which was empty) - but also smashed large jars of food on the floor and walls, said Lisa Downs, who volunteers at the concession and also runs the Foxborough Food Pantry. The stand is closed while volunteers put it back together. A volunteer has installed a motion alarm detector and someone else is replacing a window. Downs hopes to have the concession back up and running by July 23 for a Foxborough Youth Baseball tournament.

INNKEEPERS HONORED - George and Jule Latini, who own the Monponsett Inn on the shore of West Monponsett Pond, were recently presented with a framed copy of the original deed to their property by Plymouth County Register of Deeds John Buckley, in recognition of the site’s historical significance. While the inns that have been built on the property burned twice over the last 123 years -- in 1895 and 1968 -- there has always been an inn operating there. The Latinis currently run a restaurant and function room there. The framed deed records the sale of the inn property to Therese Schindler back in 1886.

PANEL MEMBERS NAMED - Selectmen last Tuesday appointed the final three members of the Town Administrator Search Committee. John Norton, who sits on the Capital Improvement Committee, and Peter Huska, a retired Hanson fire chief, were named to fill the two citizen-at-large spots. Town Clerk Sandra Harris was appointed to fill the seat on the committee designated for a department head. Selectmen earlier chose Pembroke Town Administrator Edwin Thorne to fill the spot on the committee of an area town administrator. Through his position as chairman of the Board of Selectmen, James A. Egan holds the fifth seat. The panel will assist in the search for a successor to Michael Finglas. Selectmen voted in April not to renew Finglas’s contract when it expired June 30. Meredith Marini, the executive assistant to the selectmen, is serving as interim administrator.

FUN NIGHT - This year’s annual Family Fun Night has been set for 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday on North Main Street. During the celebration, the street will be closed down to traffic. This year’s events include karate demonstrations, face-painting, kids’ crafts, food, entertainment, the dunk tank and moon walk. Family Fun Night is sponsored by the Mansfield Downtown Business Association. If it rains, the event will be postponed until Wednesday, same time and same place. - Christine Legere

INTERCHANGE NAMED FOR TROOPER - The State Trooper Ellen Engelhardt Interchange in South Yarmouth was dedicated June 23 in honor of the former Marion resident who suffered devastating injuries July 26, 2003, when a speeding car driven by a drunken teenager struck her parked cruiser on Route 25 in Wareham. As a trooper, Engelhardt worked a road construction detail on Route 6 in South Yarmouth near Exit 7, endearing herself to motorists with her friendly demeanor, said Brian Gilmore, owner of Cape & Islands Shredding Service, who said he never met Engelhardt, but only waved at her along with many other motorists. He approached his state legislator, who filed a bill to name the interchange. Engelhardt was 50 when she was injured and was a trooper for 22 years, one of the first women in the department. She has lived at the Middleboro Skilled Care Center for several years. - Paul E. Kandarian

LAND PRESERVE ACQUIRED - The Mattapoisett Land Trust has acquired the 40-acre Dunn Preserve from Edna and Charles Dunn for $300,000, all funded through private contributions, said Gary P. Johnson, trust president. The property lies north of Angelica Avenue along Old Slough Road and had been in the Dunn family for more than 100 years, Johnson said. The addition gives the trust 220 acres of land open to passive recreation use between Angelica Avenue and the recently dedicated Sullivan Preserve on Route 6, near the Friends Meeting House.

WATER RESTRICTIONS - The town’s Summer Water Management Plan is now in place, and will continue until Sept. 15. Odd-numbered properties are allowed to water with sprinklers on odd-numbered days, and even-numbered properties on even-numbered days. Hand-held hoses for lawn and garden watering and for car washing are allowed at any time. Properties subject to the restriction include all municipal water users with the exception of nurseries, car washes, and agricultural irrigation users, or those granted special exemption by the Board of Selectmen. Any person violating these water use restrictions will be charged a $50 fine for a first offense and $ 100 for each subsequent offense. - Christine Legere

WATER RATES STUDIED - A subcommittee appointed by selectmen to study the process of setting water rates could reveal its findings as soon as this week. The town has been considering a water rate increase of more than $2.50 on the average monthly water bill, even though officials have projected overall usage to be down. The increase, they have said, is needed to cover fixed costs associated with the system. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is charging Norwood an annual assessment of about $9 million for water and sewer services.

FIRE CHIEF NAMED - Firefighter Robert Inglis has been appointed fire chief for a year. “Both candidates were well qualified,” Selectmen Chairman Barry DeCristofano said of Inglis and firefighter James Christie, who were the two finalists in the bid to replace David L. Rich. Selectmen did not renew Rich’s contract and he was terminated as of June 30 after complaints led to the confiscation of three department computers. DeCristofano said that Inglis, of Halifax, is an EMT and has been with the department for three years. Inglis’s salary will be about $49,000, near the lower end of the town’s Wage and Personnel Board’s salary parameters for fire chief. The appointment was for just one year because selectmen have begun studying a possible restructuring of fire and police departments, DeCristofano said. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

SUMMER PROGRAMS - Raynham’s Park and Recreation Department is offering two summer programs this year. The Tadpole Playground Program is designed for children 4 to 6 years old, and it runs from 8 a.m. until noon on weekdays at the Merrill School. Sign-ups for sessions 3 and 4, from July 27 to Aug. 7 and Aug. 10 to 21, must be before July 20. The cost is $95 per child per session. The summer playground program for older children in grades one through eight, also at the Merrill School, is divided into monthlong sessions. Participants can sign up for a half-day option that runs 8 a.m. until noon, or a full day that runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Session 2 runs from July 27 through Aug. 21, with the sign-up deadline being July 20. The cost is $245 for the half-day option and $560 for the full-day. For more information, log onto www.town.raynham.ma.us.

CHIEF RETIRES - Fire Chief Scott Ashworth has retired after 37 years with the Rochester Fire Department. He was chief for the past 15 years, and said he was prompted to retire by changes in pension rules that would have lowered his pension had he stayed on. He is the third chief in the area to retire in the past several months. Mattapoisett Fire Chief Ron Scott left late last fall, and Marion Fire Chief Richard Guerzoni’s retirement was effective last month. - Paul E. Kandarian

TOWN HONORED FOR CONSERVATION - The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has recognized Sharon with a Conservation Award for water conservation efforts in 2008, said Public Works superintendent Eric Hooper. Over five years, Sharon’s water withdrawal has dropped to about 500 million gallons from 600 million annually, Hooper said. The reduced consumption can be attributed in part to an aggressive repair and replacement program for infrastructure in the town. Sharon also promotes water conservation through such efforts as educating elementary school students in conjunction with the Neponset River Watershed Association. - Kate Augusto

NO-NAME THIEVES - Stoughton is becoming a town where the streets have no names. In the past few weeks, street markers have been disappearing at an alarming rate, according to Department of Public Works director John Batchelder. He said his department has more than once replaced missing street signs in the Tanglewood and Woods Pond neighborhoods. A resident told Batchelder he recently saw two men in a pickup truck steal a sign at 2 a.m. “If that’s true, we’re talking about thieves looking to steal signs for the aluminum and not just kids playing around,” he said. “That’s a concern, and I plan to talk to police about it.” Street signs cost about $100 to replace. A sturdier custom version, he said, can run close to $300. - Robert Carroll

TWO ARE LAID OFF - The town laid off two firefighter/paramedics as of July 1 - the start of the new fiscal year and the new budget. As a result of the low staffing levels, the East Walpole fire station was closed last week. The Board of Selectmen has given Fire Chief Timothy Bailey the authority to open the station or not, depending on staffing levels. - Joan Wilder

FUNDS SOUGHT FOR LAND - The Wareham Land Trust is raising money to purchase five acres of property along the Agawam River from a private landowner. As of last week, the nonprofit organization was $9,000 from its goal, according to Heidi Blythe, a land protection specialist with the trust. When the goal is reached, A.D. Makepeace Co. will donate 4.5 acres of abutting parcels, to complete a 300-acre greenway and mile-long riverfront corridor, Blythe said. As of last week, The Wareham Land Trust had raised $115,000 ($70,000 of which came from state grants), some of which will be used to maintain the property and open a kayak launch. For more information, contact the land trust at 508-295-0211 or visit www.warehamland.org.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES - At the selectmen’s meeting this Tuesday at Town Hall, representatives from the South Eastern Economic Development Corp. are scheduled to tell the board about services the agency provides to small business owners. The Taunton-based organization works to create jobs by providing financing to small businesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to the group’s website. It also administers a small business technical assistance program. Business owners and residents interested in learning more about the group’s services are invited to attend the presentation, which begins at 7 p.m. The overall meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.

FUND FOR ELDERS, DISABLED - The town’s Aid to the Elderly and Disabled Tax Fund was established in 1999 to provide real estate tax relief to qualifying, low-income residents. Since then, according to its chairman, Selectman Patrick Ahearn, the fund has received $181,000 in donations. In fiscal 2009, which ended June 30, Westwood gave out $39,500 to assist with tax bills, almost double the previous year, according to a report Ahearn filed with the town. Approximately 50 residents received payments ranging from $250 to $2,000. The typical recipient was 84 and had lived in town for 50 years in a home valued at less than $500,000. The current balance in the account is $5,142, Ahearn said, putting out the call for more donations. - Michele Morgan Bolton