Library seeing increased demand

July 12, 2009

Poor weather, combined with reduced hours, has ramped up demand at the Abington Public Library. “Summer tends to be busy here with our reading program,” said library Director Deborah Grimmett. “But this year we’ve definitely been busier than normal.” As part of the town’s efforts to trim its operating budget, the library will close its doors every other Friday, including this week, for the remainder of the summer. The library was closed for five days in June. When the doors are open, said Grimmett, the people come. “We have patrons coming in to use our computers for the Internet, to check their e-mails and look for jobs,” she said. “I’m sure it’s frustrating for them. They’ve been very understanding.” - Robert Carroll

ARREST FOLLOWS ATTEMPT AT TEST DRIVE - Car dealerships usually crave would-be car buyers. But not when they are allegedly drunk. Peter R. O’Connor of Weymouth wanted to test drive a car at Landing Auto Sales at 60 Pearl St., but the 51-year-old was turned down by employees who thought he was intoxicated, according to police, who said O’Connor then drove away in a red Mustang as employees of the dealership alerted them. Officer Brian Kelley, finishing a traffic detail in his own car, spotted the Mustang on Hancock Street, and the Mustang was pulled over as more units arrived. O’Connor was questioned by officers Susan Zopatti and Lisa Fahey, failed field sobriety tests, and was placed under arrest. He could not be reached for comment. - Matt Carroll

SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD UNDERWAY - Work has started on the track and synthetic playing field at the Cohasset Middle/High School and is expected to be complete by September, according to Town Manager William Griffin. Town Meeting voted last month to spend $500,000 in town money on the project, with the remaining $475,000 raised privately by the Cohasset Sports Partnership. The field will replace the grass at Alumni Field. “Any grass field is hard to maintain,” Griffin said. “This will greatly increase the ability to use the field, by the school and leagues, for football, soccer, and lacrosse.” - Johanna Seltz

TOWN SEEKS PANEL MEMBERS - Duxbury selectmen are looking for volunteers to serve on a range of town committees. The town’s Sidewalk and Bike Path Committee has five openings; it now lacks enough members to make a quorum and have an official meeting. The Open Space and Recreation Committee has three open seats. Other committees needing members include the Alternate Energy Committee, the Board of Appeals, the Economic Advisory Committee, and the Nuclear Advisory Committee. Interested Duxbury registered voters are asked to fill out a town talent bank form, available on the town’s website, duxbury.ma.us. Completed forms can be mailed to C. Anne Murray, Town Manager’s Office, 878 Tremont St., Duxbury, Ma. 02332 or e-mailed to murray@town.duxbury.ma.us. - Robert Knox

CHILD CASE PROMPTS ADVICE - Last month’s alleged abduction and attempted rape of a 6-year-old Hanover girl by a 26-year-old neighbor has local parenting expert Lynne Griffin advising parents to counsel their children. “The question is not whether you should talk to your child, but how you should go about it,” said Griffin, who lives in Scituate and wrote the popular parenting book, “Negotiation Generation.” Justin P. Shine is being held without bail after being charged with kidnapping, attempted rape, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon - a hypodermic needle. Police said Shine confessed he lured the girl into his Hanover Woods apartment with a promise to see his pet gerbils before shackling her and injecting her with a substance to make her drowsy. The girl managed to escape, police said. “If your child is preschool, I wouldn’t really look to discuss this incident,” said Griffin. “At that age, they wouldn’t comprehend. Instead, I would simply supervise with a keen eye to their surroundings. For school-aged kids, I would talk to them in more of a general conversation about safety and the need for them to know where neighborhood safety houses are. I would touch on the need for them to always let their parents know where they’re going and with whom. Remind the children that even if they are with someone they know that if they feel uncomfortable it’s for a reason and they should take precaution.”

- Robert Carroll

VOTE ON SCHOOL NAME AUG. 3 - Voters will decide Aug. 3 what the name of the newly constructed elementary school should be. Selectmen on July 1 set the date for a Special Town Meeting that will let residents discuss and vote on the name of the school, which now is the Dorothy Galo Elementary School. The School Committee chose that name May 11, to honor the current superintendent, Dorothy “Dot” Galo. The special meeting will consider two articles, one to name the school East Elementary School, which was the name of the school until it closed in 1984, and the library after Galo. The second article asks that the School Committee pay for the costs of holding the special meeting. - L.E. Crowley

TOWN HALL OFFICES CUT HOURS - Various town hall offices in Holbrook have cut hours because of budget-related personnel reductions, said Town Administrator Michael Yunits. This past week, the clerk’s office changed to 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays, and the treasurer’s office is now open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and tax days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Yunits said other cost-saving initiatives have been instituted, including a reduction in certain staff hours and positions. He also said the Board of Selectmen is working on a plan to reduce the amount of hours the public library will be open, but Yunits said he is hoping other cutbacks can be avoided if the state doesn’t make more cuts.

- Kate Augusto

TEACHER IS NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL - History teacher Scott Sivo is the new assistant principal at Hull High School, Superintendent Kathleen Tyrell said. He replaces Alynn Coppock, who resigned for a job in Iowa. Sivo has been at the high school since 2005, teaching US history and government. He taught for two years with Teach for America in North Carolina, going directly from there to Hull High School. A graduate of Colby College and self-described history “geek,” Sivo had a webpage for his US History 1 class that announced in bold type: “Mortui vivis praecipant, let the dead teach the living.” He joins new principal Michael Devine, a former assistant principal at Norwell High School who is replacing Jonathan Ford. Ford left to become assistant superintendent in Stoughton. - Johanna Seltz

DUCHARME JOINS HOUSING AUTHORITY - Donald Ducharme of Green Holly Drive has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the town’s House Authority after no candidates ran for the open seat at the annual election. In accord with town bylaws, Housing Authority’s members James Farrell, Bob Pinato, Victoria Benassi, and Cynthia Fitzgerald met with the Board of Selectmen and interviewed the two candidates who applied for the seat, then voted unanimously to appoint Ducharme to the position. He will serve until the annual town election next spring. - Robert Knox

REGIONAL VETERANS’ DISTRICT CONSIDERED - The town is exploring the possibility of forming a regional veterans’ service district with Pembroke, Norwell, and Scituate, according to Marshfield Town Administrator Rocco Longo. The goal would be to save money while providing the same services, Longo said. “It’s driven by the budget,” he said. Marshfield’s veterans’ agent, Dick Martin, has announced he will retire. Longo said many local veterans oppose the regional plan, which would need state as well as local approval. “I understand this is a change and the reaction to change isn’t always enthusiasm and open arms,” he said. - Johanna Seltz

NEW FIRE CHIEF FOLLOWS FATHER - John J. Grant Jr., Milton’s new fire chief, is filling the shoes once filled by his father, who served as chief from 1972 to 1979. The 49-year-old says his top priority since taking over from retired Chief Malcolm Larson is to protect the 54-person force from layoffs. That’s a fight that’s been common for years, he said, “but maybe it’s a little more difficult this time,’’ because of the poor economy. - Matt Carroll

NEW FRIENDSHIP HOME UNDERWAY - Friendship Home, a respite home and activities center for developmentally disabled adults, will begin work during the next few weeks on construction of its new home behind the United Church of Christ on Route 123. The Zoning Board of Appeals approved the project late last month. Executive Director Lauren Payne said the private, nonprofit group is thankful for all the support it has received from Norwell’s officials and is planning a September groundbreaking to celebrate the first stages of construction. The group has raised $1.8 million toward its $3 million construction goal, including a $250,000 grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Doris Buffett, Warren Buffet’s sister. - L.E. Crowley

GOVERNOR TO ADDRESS TOWN - Area residents have the chance to speak directly with Governor Deval Patrick about state issues. On Thursday, Patrick will hold an outdoor town hall meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Pembroke town green, 124 Center St. The event is one of 15 town hall meetings the governor is holding around the state as part of a summer tour that began May 26. The events are intended to encourage civic engagement. For more, go to www.mass.gov/governor/townhall. - John Laidler

BEER FEST IS OUT, BUT MORE’S ON TAP - The Mayflower Summer Beer Fest, scheduled for next Saturday at Nelson Park, looks like a bust; the town denied Mayflower Brewing Co.’s application for a one-day license to serve beer and wine at the park. But there are plenty of other events (sans alcoholic beverages) happening in town. The second annual Plymouth Harbor Folk Festival continues today at noon at Pilgrim Memorial State Park on Water Street. The park also will host a free concert on Wednesday featuring Entrain and Boston & Bosco; and on Thursday evening, the American Federation of Musicians Local #281 is sponsoring a free concert there by the Johnny Souza Quintet. The School’s Out Summer Concert Series continues this Friday featuring Seth Henry and One Step Away performing at the Hedge House Museum lawn.

- Emily Sweeney

MACRITCHIE LEAVES MWRA BOARD - After 20 years, Joseph “Jay’’ MacRitchie has stepped down as the Quincy representative on the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority board of directors. It was a great experience, said the 57-year-old, who is also the executive director of the Quincy Housing Authority. One of his most memorable achievements, he said, was helping transform the Nut Island treatment plant, from open pits to a clean facility and park and. “When you look at the pictures when I started, and what’s there now, it’s a world of difference,’’ he said. MacRitchie was also the assistant city solicitor in 1982 when Quincy filed its landmark lawsuit that led to the Boston Harbor cleanup. He has been replaced by John “Jack’’ Walsh, a longtime Houghs Neck activist. - Matt Carroll

HIGH SCHOOL CHOSEN FOR HARVARD STUDY - Randolph High School was one of 15 schools nationwide selected to participate in Harvard University’s Achievement Gap Initiative, which focuses on academic research and public education. The topic this year was “Why Teachers Improve (and How): Achieving Progress in Secondary Schools toward Excellence with Equity.’’ Randolph High was selected because of its strong gains on the MCAS English Language Arts exam. “Each of the invited schools is a consistently high achieving school or has achieved excellence over the past few years,’’ noted Ron Ferguson, director of the initiative. Other schools invited this year included Boston Latin Academy and Brockton High School. Randolph Principal William Conard said, “It was a tremendous honor and privilege to be invited to present at this very important conference, especially since the invitation was due to our students’ academic achievements. It was also very beneficial to learn what other successful high schools are doing to raise student achievement. We will definitely be able to implement some of these strategies.’’ Additional information about the initiative is available at www.agi.harvard.edu. - Wendy Chow

BUSY TIMES AT THE LIBRARY - Deepening summer is generally a quiet time, but not at the Rockland Memorial Library, where a slew of summer events are on tap. For babies and toddlers up to age 3, accompanied by an adult, there are stories, songs, and other activities from 10:30 to 11 a.m. this Wednesday and Aug. 5 and 12. There is a picnic story time under the big tree outside the library this Thursday from 11 to 11:30 a.m.; parents bring their children, lunch, and a blanket. Picnic on the Moon Family Story Time - Thursday, 11 to 11:30 a.m. A family story time is held Tuesdays, July 21 and Aug. 11. A father-son book discussion of “Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure,” is set for this Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. for fourth- and fifth-graders; registration is required. Crafts for children will be held July 22 from 11 a.m. to noon for ages 3 and up. The Pitter Patter Puppets entertain July 26 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., targeting children ages 2 to 7. For information on these events and others, visit www.rocklandmemoriallibrary.org or call 781-878-1236 ext. 11.

- Steve Hatch

RESIDENT DONATES TO ATLANTIC SYMPHONY - Scituate resident Evelyn Finnegan has given a $100,000 boost to the Hingham-based Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Finnegan, a member of the orchestra’s board of trustees, donated $50,000 for the orchestra to cover expenses from the latest fiscal year, which ended June 30, and another $50,000 to help the group start the new fiscal year. The orchestra will kick off its new season with an outdoor concert at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham on Aug. 30.

- L.E. Crowley

COUNCIL OKS FUNDS FOR PARK AREA - Town Council has voted to use $300,000 in Community Preservation Act money to buy and clean up about an acre and a half of waterfront land next to Abigail Adams State Park, in partnership with the state. The Department of Conservation and Recreation will spend another $200,000 to buy a conservation restriction for the property and manage it, according to town Planning Director James Clarke. “The intent is to expand the park into the new property,” Clarke said. “We haven’t quite decided how yet, but we’ll start with taking down the fence or making a gate.” The Town Council vote was not unanimous, with two members expressing concern about whether the state would be able to follow through on its commitment.

- Johanna Seltz