By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

ATM stolen from sports center

Braintree Police are investigating reports that an ATM was stolen from a local sports center.

According to police, an employee arrived for work at F1 Boston, located on Wood Road, on Thursday morning to discover that a side door was open and an ATM was missing.

Police are unsure how much money was in the machine. According to officers, it appeared that the door had been pried open with some type of pry bar.

Police are investigating the incident.

Drunk driving arrest

Braintree police arrested a woman on Saturday morning after she was allegedly driving under the influence.

According to police, officers stopped the suspect after watching her weave over the center lane and fog line.

When they approached the suspect, police made observations of possible intoxication and asked the suspect to perform several sobriety tests.

Kristine M. Almonacid, 23, of Braintree was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and failure to keep within marked lanes.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Braintree officials will begin interviewing candidates, all of whom are internal, for the position of fire chief next week.

According to Peter Morin, chief of operations and staff, five candidates applied for the position and all five will be interviewed. Each of the five has already completed a written exercise that will help town officials come up with interview questions next week.

“At this point it’s one round of interviews. They’ve already done some screening,” Morin said.

Mayor Joseph Sullivan said he would be looking at internal candidates before deciding whether to invite outside candidates to apply for the position.

The search for a chief began when Chief Kevin Murphy announced in November that he will retire in January.

According to a press release sent out at the time, the chief’s last day is Jan. 12, and will conclude more than three decades of service - including the past three years as fire chief - for the department.

Although a chief may be selected from the current set of applicants, “it’s likely that the mayor will appoint an interim” chief after Murphy’s departure, Morin said.

Morin, Director of Human Resources Karen Shanley, and Town Solicitor Carolyn Murray will conduct interviews.

The exact schedule for the interviews hasn't been set.

“We’re trying to schedule the interviews for sometime next week, but at the same time we’re hiring for a chief financial coordinator that’s retiring on the same day, and I’m involved in both hiring process, so I’m going to be talking to a lot of people over the next two weeks,” Morin said. “I’m anticipating we will squeeze them in if not next week early in the week after. But we’ll try to get them in next week.”

Morin declined to give the names of the applicants, because they aren't yet finalists for the position, he said.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town corespondent

Police arrested two people in separate drunk driving incidents on New Year's Day.

According to police, the first arrest occurred at midnight on Union Street, where police saw a car driving without its headlights on.

Police stopped the car on the ramp to Route 3 and asked the driver for her license. She told police that she didn’t have one, and officers later learned that the suspect had a learner’s permit.

Suspecting that the driver was intoxicated, police asked her to perform several sobriety tests. At the conclusion of the tests, Fiona Gjiata, 17, of Braintree was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, unlicensed operation, and failure to display headlights.

At the police station, Gjiata also failed a breath test, police said.

Three hours later, a 27-year-old Holbrook man was arrested after he, too, was driving without headlights, police said.

According to police, an officer spotted the suspect driving on Washington Street near Peach Street and had to stop suddenly as the suspect’s vehicle swerved towards him before correcting itself.

The officer stopped the suspect a short distance away and made observations of possible intoxication.

The suspect performed several sobriety tests and was then arrested.

Sean P. O’Brien was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol (second offense), failure to keep within marked lanes, failure to display headlights, and operating with no registration in possession.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

The salary of Braintree's mayor could rise as early as 2014, after a Town Council Committee recommended an increase to $125,000 a year.

The Ways and Means Committee voted 3-to-1 Wednesday night for the higher figure, with Councilor Paul “Dan” Clifford abstaining and Councilor Sean Powers voting against the measure.

If approved by both the Rules and Ordinance Committee and the full council, the new salary would be a 19 percent increase from the $105,000 annual salary that has been in place since Braintree changed to a mayoral form of government in 2008.

Councilors have been discussing a possible salary increase since August, when John Mullaney suggested a raise to $130,000 for Mayor Joseph Sullivan.

Mullaney has since defended his proposition, noting that more than 100 town employees are paid more than the mayor.

Elsewhere, Mullaney said the mayor’s salary pales in comparison to town managers and executive secretaries in communities nearby, all of who have comparable responsibilities.

"We were at the point to make a decision,” Mullaney said in a phone interview after the meeting, adding that a new salary of $117,000 to $130,000 was under consideration.

The rate was calculated using average cost-of-living increases over the last four to five years, which had increased approximately 2.25 percent. Some towns also allow a $5,000 car allowance, which was also considered fair.

Mullaney suggested that rather than giving the mayor an allowance, it made more sense to give the mayor a flat rate, and so $125,000 became the final number.

“I realize that jump in salary is hard to take. But I believe the mayors are underpaid,” Mullaney said. “They are not only executive secretaries and town managers, they need the political skill to make a town run and get elected. Town managers don’t have to do that.”

Though two other councilors agreed that $125,000 was a good number, some still felt it was too large.

Clifford did not immediately return calls for comment. For Powers, not enough due diligence had been done to make a decision.

“I think we need more information concerning where we want it to go and examine the other areas that Councilor Clifford wanted to examine. I think that additional information wouldn’t hurt the process, so that’s why I voted 'no,' ” Powers said in a phone interview.

Powers said that ideally, the increase would have factored in raises given to non-union personnel over the last four years, or factors including cost-of-living increases, education incentives, or longevity payments.

“It seems like $130,000 was originally proposed and $125,000 was the compromise. I don’t know how they got to $125,000,” Powers said.

Although he differed on the amount, Powers did agree that a salary change was in order.

In fact, when out and about in the community, he said, the overwhelming majority of people agreed that the salary should be raised.

“For everything this position has to deal with on a constant basis, 24/7, the responsibilities and challenges, [people said] $105,000 seems low. And I agree with them,” Powers said. “But I can’t come to a figure that sounds good. I need to be able to justify it to folks.”

According to the specifications within the town’s charter, a new salary would have to be voted on by midyear (within 18 months of the council’s new term in January 2012) to take effect in a new term.

The recommendation will now make its way to the Rules and Ordinance Committee, where it will be vetted again by Powers, Clifford, and Mullaney. Councilor Leland Dingee will also join the discussion.

A final vote will have to be taken by the full council.

Police employees, including officers and civilians, per 10,000 residents in 2011.

By Matt Carroll, Boston Globe | January 3, 2013



Click here to see a larger, interactive version of this chart.
Additional town-by-town snapshots.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

The sales numbers aren’t in yet, but already managers of Braintree’s South Shore Plaza are saying that the 2012 holiday season was a success.

“What I can say from my observations is I believe our traffic numbers were up,” said mall manager Vicki Bartkiewicz.

“I believe our sales would probably be up only because of the amount of various retailer bags I saw customers carrying in the holiday. Some of my conversations from retailers said not only were the traffic and transactions brisk, but in the weekends the traffic was heavy from Black Friday through Dec. 24. Just on observation, I would say we had a good holiday.”

Despite a slightly sluggish economy, the expectation was that the shopping season would be successful, especially after the mall had seen higher sales numbers throughout the year, Bartkiewicz said.

Even managing the crowds and activity went well this year, with little to no problems.

“We’re pretty seasoned here,” Bartkiewicz said. “We’re experienced with keeping the traffic flow with the assistance of Braintree police or our own security staff. We still [have] those people fighting over a parking spot, but it all went well. I don’t see a need for improvement, but we’ll keep an eye out for that.”

Bartkiewicz and the management team, including recently appointed General Manager Rick Tonzi, will sit down to discuss a full recap of the holiday season within the next few weeks.

A similar discussion will occur between Tonzi and Braintree’s Town Council sometime this month.

Yet at this point things seemed to have gone smoothly, and new initiatives, such as a Surprise and Delight campaign – offering unexpected gifts to random customers – went very well, she said.

“That was a program that was new that I think [we] will probably continue. Maybe not just the holiday season, but maybe through some of our peak selling seasons, but we will definitely do it next holiday,” Bartkiewicz said.

The new holiday decorations and Santa set up also went over well with customers, who had favorable feedback about the new designs.

In previous years, approximately 50,000 people sat on Santa’s lap. This year that increased five to seven percent, Bartkiewicz said.

Although the bulk of holiday shopping seems to be slowing down, Bartkiewicz said the mall will continue to be busy with people using gift cards.

“We’re anticipating another week of solid business,” she said.

Store promotions are also ongoing to entice customers to continue to shop.

“People are taking advantage of that,” Bartkiewicz said. “Hopefully, they are starting their Christmas shopping for next year!”

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

A 61-year old man was arrested on Saturday after allegedly crashing into a Braintree home while driving under the influence.

According to police, the man drove off the road and struck a home in the 200 Block of Franklin Street on Saturday night.

Officers responded to the home. According to police, the driver had minor injuries and the damage to the house was minimal.

The driver exhibited several signs of possible intoxication and was placed under arrest.

Stephen D. Libby, 61, of Whitman was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and failure to keep within marked lanes.

At the police station, Libby agreed to take a breath test and had a reading over twice the legal limit of .08 percent, police said.

Four master chefs from around the South Shore share their holiday secrets, bound to satisfy your guests — or yourself.

View recipes and pictures here.

By Zach Mertz, Guest Columnist

Rock Salt is the most commonly used method for melting that pesky winter ice that builds up on our roads, driveways, and front stoops. It's cheap and easy to apply and, frankly, it does a darn good job. But before you go out and douse your driveway to keep Santa from taking a nasty spill this year, there’s a few things you should know. Rock salt is a very corrosive and concentrated substance, which can cause problems for your local plants, animals, and waterways. Not to mention it can do pretty serious number on your paintjob.

What’s that you say? It's just salt which exist in nature anyways, so what’s the big deal? Well...you're right. Rock salt is essentially just large chunks of sodium chloride minerals, the same stuff you used to salt those holiday cookies, but the danger comes in the amount, not from the chemical makeup.

In nature it's all over the place. It’s in the soil, the air, the ocean, heck humans are made of about 1% salt, but it always subscribes to a natural balance. When you dump a large input of salt into a system that is not equipped to deal with it, it can upset the balance and cause real problems for plants and animals.

So here’s where it becomes your problem. Salt is water soluble, meaning that it dissolves into water and becomes a component of the fluid. It then can flow with the water wherever it is headed and ends up wherever the topography flattens out. When you use it to melt ice in your driveway it does just that, and flows off of your impermeable driveway until it gets absorbed or pools somewhere flat.

Now this is troublesome because most often driveways are designed on a down slope to allow excess water to runoff of them. This means that the salty water will either runoff onto your lawn, or into the street where it will continue flowing into a storm drain, culvert, or water feature.

If it ends up in your lawn, its pretty much game over for your grass. The salty water is absorbed into the soil which lowers the PH, making the soil more acidic, which inhibits nutrient and water transfer to the plants that grow there. It’s just like if you eat too much salty popcorn and have to drink more fluids to balance yourself out. When excess salt is present plants need more water to compensate which they may not be able to get.

Additionally, the animals that depend on eating your lawn to survive also get the short end of the stick. They are left either with no food, or the food they do get is very high in salt which can cause health problems, namely salt poisoning. Salt is also an irritant, especially in high concentrations, which means pets and wildlife with pads on the bottoms may get superficial burns.

Let's say that your property is safe from salt damage and you’re one of those households whose excess water drains directly into the street, you’re off the hook right? Sorry, no such luck. When saline water flows onto an impermeable surface like the street it just keeps on trucking until it either gets absorbed and ruins some other poor sap's lawn, or it makes its way into some sort of storm water drainage infrastructure, be it a drain, culvert, drainage ditch, river, stream or something of the like.

As we know, many of these outlets feed directly into freshwater systems like the local river or stream in an effort to prevent flooding and dilute pollution inputs. The funny thing about salt and freshwater is that a very small concentration of sodium chloride can have an disproportionately large effect on water quality. It only takes a pinch to degrade water past the point where it is no longer safe for consumption. So when you get a whole community salting their driveways and the runoff is coagulating in the same drainage systems, it can really cause some serious damage. Come springtime when everything starts flowing again, plants and wildlife that use streams as drinking and food sources are heavily impacted.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Great now I feel bad, but I still don’t have a solution to my ice problem." Have no fear: there are a number of environmentally friendly ice melters that will do the trick. As this issue has gained more notoriety in recent years, people have developed all sorts of new commercial solutions to take care of the problem without angering the local raccoon population. Here at the New England Wildlife Center, we came up with our own home-brew to melt ice using things we found in our freezer, and it works pretty well. Check out this video link for our recipe, and have a good winter.

Note: For another resource for alternative ideas to road salt, click here.

Zach Mertz is a resource development associate at the New England Wildlife Center. This blog post is not written or edited by Boston.com or the Boston Globe. The author is solely responsible for the content.

View pictures here of some of the wild animals that the center has rescued.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

State officials this week announced the launch of a new smart phone application that provides current travel times for Interstate 93. And, officials said they plan for the app to eventually provide traffic updates for other Massachusetts highways.

The Real Time Travel App, or “RTTM”, displays travel times for I-93 that are color-coded by speeds, officials said. The app allows users to select specified routes along the busy highway and also includes a detailed map view of each route that shows the current travel time and speed.

Developed by Boston-based company KCUS Inc., the app uses the same information displayed on travel time message boards installed along I-93 earlier this year. State officials said they plan for the app to eventually expand to include other Massachusetts highways and to also include more interactive features.

Drivers are reminded by state officials to not use their phones while driving. Travel conditions should be checked before driving.

“By bus, train, subway, and now along our busiest highway corridor, we are tapping into the power of smart phone technology to provide customers with the answer to the most basic question- how long will it take to reach my destination?,” state transportation department Secretary Richard A. Davey said in a statement. “This partnership with KCUS, Inc. will help commuters make informed decisions about choosing the best routes and planning a trip.”

The app is available for both iPhone and Windows Phone platforms, officials said. An Android version is being developed.

An RTTM real time travel map with color-coded speed and travel time displays is now also available on the MassDOT website, here.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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