By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Hingham’s Derby Street Shoppes will host a gala event June 10 for the Company Theatre’s “Paragon Park – The Musical,” with the hope of raising funds to supplement the theater’s budget.

The musical, which is scheduled to debut in late July, has been a long time coming for those involved, including playwright team Zoe Bradford and Michael Hammond, with songs by composer Adam Brooks.

Bradford initially came up with the idea of a musical about the Hull amusement park as a joke, yet when she started talking about it with her partners at the Company Theatre, which she helps run in Norwell, the idea started morphing into reality.

“As soon as we started researching, the rich and sordid history is so fantastic and delicious in his history of being about the politics and the characters that were running Hull during the last century were fascinating people. We couldn’t get enough. We did research for a year and a half and had so much material it was hard to decide what the show would be about,” Bradford said.

The play’s story soon evolved into a fictitious love story, where an Italian Immigrant and gondolier falls in love with a proper Bostonian woman. All this is set against the backdrop of the early 19th century, when the park began.

The story also travels through time, picking up threads from the '20s and the '60s, a period that designed to tug on the heartstrings of an older generation of park-goers, Bradford said.

“People have so many stories. Many, many people attended as a rite of passage and it’s a great mentality. I think this event will be special,” she said.

According to Bradford, the work involved in putting the show together – from writing the script and creating the music, to designing and constructing the set, copyright costs, and designing the costumes – has been extensive.

With those costs in mind, organizers hope to raise $20,000-$50,000 at the gala in Hingham, which will not only elevate the excitement for the musical, but also help support the theater's finances.

“[The show will go on] regardless, but if the gala is able to raise a good $50,000, which would be a beautiful thing, then the lights and sound can be upgraded for Company Theatre in general,” Bradford said. “We’re a teaching theater, we have a big internship program, and it’s important for us to keep our equipment state of the art for the kids to learn and progress.”

The event will include cocktails and a silent auction as well as dinner, a live auction, and entertainment by New Band. There will also be a sneak preview of the musical.

Tickets are $75 an individual, $125 for couples, and $600 for a table of 10.

All of this will take start at 5 p.m. on June 10 at Hidden Pond at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham, in a tent under the stars – a fitting celebration for an amusement park memory. To RSVP, call 781-871-2787.

For more information on the play itself, check the Company Theatre’s website.

Income per resident, 2009.

By Matt Carroll, Boston Globe | May 24, 2012

Click here to see a larger, interactive version of this chart.

Additional town-by-town snapshots.

65 Shepard Rd. William E. Stanton and Lisa S. Lenon to Laura L. Pittman, $385,000

605 Middle St. #42 Marguerite Sagatelian to Barbara A. Dhooge, $380,000

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Local groups are hoping to prevent substance abuse with a free workshop at Hingham Town Hall on May 7.

The event is for anyone in Hingham and nearby communities, and is the first time numerous coalitions of the Families, Adolescents and Communities Together against Substances group (FACTS) will meet to discuss substance problems.

South Shore FACTS consists of groups from Hingham, Carver, Scituate, Cohasset, Hull, Norwell, and Duxbury, and was started through South Shore Hospital’s Youth Health Connection program.

“Youth Health Connection does a lot of stuff like this, whether it be suicide prevention, or bullying, or substance abuse among youth. It’s right up their alley,” said Sarah Darcy, a media relations representative for South Shore Hospital.

The event will also be put on with the help of the Plymouth District Attorney’s office and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

Mainly, organizers hope the presentation will show adults, adolescents, and teens how to better prevent and avoid substance issues.

The presentation will feature tips from SADD’s Teen Today Research, presented by local SADD student members, and a presentation by author Jenifer Lippincott, who co-authored "7 Things Your Teenager Won't Tell You: And How To Talk About Them Anyway," published in 2005.

The event will also include a brief video created as part of the statewide campaign against substance abuse, which includes clips from local teens and the Hingham chief of police.

There will also be resource tables handing out further information, and awards will be given to teens who have assisted with the program this academic year.

Finally, organizers are also holding a poster contest, open to any student in the area grades 7-12. Posters must reflect alcohol or substance-abuse awareness or prevention, and must include a short positive prevention message.

For a list of rules and prizes, click here.

Funding for the program comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and the Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town correspondent

Following an outcry from Braintree officials over an earlier settlement agreement, the US Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Harbors have entered a revised agreement that will help Braintree purchase an aerial platform fire truck.

The EPA in 2007 accused Norwell-based Clean Harbors of numerous violations at its Braintree hazardous waste facility, including failure to properly maintain waste tanks, improper storage, and inadequate containment.

Shortly after the violations were discovered, Braintree discussed receiving a $900,000 hazardous-materials fire truck from Clean Harbors. But when an agreement was announced last August, Braintree was left out.

Under that accord, Clean Harbors agreed to comply with a waste-analysis plan that exceeded the requirements of the hazardous waste permit, pay a $650,000 fine, and plant about $1 million of trees in low-income areas of Boston.

Under the revised agreement, the EPA announced Wednesday, Clean Harbors agreed to pay at least $450,000 to help Braintree purchase the fire truck. The fine remained the same, but the spending on trees in Boston now is at least $612,500, which would plant about 800 trees, the EPA said.

The truck will be owned and operated by Braintree, but available for emergency response in surrounding South Shore communities, the EPA said.

"It's obviously a very significant accomplishment for Braintree," said Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan. "When you’re up against federal agencies saying you don’t have a role and you’re not recognized as part of an original agreement, you have to fight it. And we had the great assistance of Congressman [Steven] Lynch, Senator Scott Brown and Senator John Kerry’s office. We pushed back."

Sullivan said it's a tangible win for the city, which will greatly benefit from having a fire truck to better serve the community.

Despite the satisfaction that comes with the win, Braintree officials maintain that this process never should have happened.

"Obviously we’re very pleased. But we never should have been put in this position to begin with. I say that with respect to other authorities, and I remain magnanimous, but we had real frustration that we have overcome to get a significant and positive result for Braintree," Sullivan said.

Although the company will not pay for the full price of the truck, estimated at $800,000 - $900,000, it's an accomplishment to receive at least 50 percent of the cost.

Similar to the previous process, there will be a 30-day comment period until the new agreement is finalized.

"When they made their initial findings back on Aug 15, we mobilized, …and all of these [local and state] groups moved to coalesce behind the town’s position. That comprehensive response results in what we have today. There is a 30-day comment period on this filing, and now we will file support," Sullivan said.

In the EPA press release Wednesday, Curt Spalding, regional administrator of the agency's New England office, said: “I am pleased that this revised settlement will provide important public safety benefits to the citizens of Braintree, as well as clean air and other benefits to residents in some Environmental Justice neighborhoods of Boston.”

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Norwell’s town clerk was arrested in Hingham on Friday after allegedly driving her car over a traffic island while allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

According to Hingham police, Patricia M. Anderson, 61, of Norwell was found standing on the side of the road nearby a car accident when police arrived at the intersection of Whiting and Gardner streets at 10:21 p.m. Friday.

Police said that the car, a 2011 Ford Edge, was parked in the middle of the road in front of a traffic island. Two of the front tires were flat and the car was leaking gasoline. The car also had front end damage.

Officers said they asked the woman if it was her vehicle, and she said yes, and also confirmed that she had been in a crash.

According to police, the woman was swaying on her feet and appeared confused. She had trouble answering simple questions, had glassy eyes, and smelled of alcohol, police said.

The woman said she had had three glasses of wine prior to driving, and after taking several field sobriety tests, Anderson was placed under arrest and charged with OUI alcohol (first offense), and failure to stay within marked lanes.

The road was closed for a short while so fire officials could clean up spilled gasoline.

Anderson declined to comment when reached by phone at her home on Thursday. She was arraigned on Monday and will appear in court on June 7 for the charges.

Hingham Police Department

George Dabrolet, 31, from Weymouth is suspected of all three burglaries. He has been arrested on burglary charges in both Hingham and Quincy before.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Police departments from the South Shore and Boston arrested five people last week suspected of committing numerous burglaries in the region.

According to Quincy Police, State Police working with the Norfolk District Attorney’s office, Boston Police, the Old Colony Police Anti-Crime Unit, and police units from Marshfield, Hingham, Rockland, Scituate, Norwell, Hanover, Weymouth, and Braintree came together in a two-week investigation that resulted in the arrests.

Police said that the incidents included a Feb. 17 robbery of Sea Street BP Gas Station at 346 Sea Street in Quincy, an attempted break at the Great Scott Bar Room at 1222 Comm. Ave in Brighton on Feb. 23, and a burglary in Hingham at Hingham Car Wash on Summer Street on Feb. 27.

In Quincy, two men had smashed through the men’s room wall from the outside of the building, got into the gas station office, and used tools to open the safe and steal several thousand dollars. The pair smashed a window to get out of the building.

It wasn’t until the pair exited the building that an alarm went off.

In Hingham, two suspects smashed in the door of the Car Wash, disabled the alarm system, and ransacked the office, stealing two black Beretta semi automatic (.40 and .22 caliber) guns with fully loaded magazines along with additional ammunition.

Boston Police could not be immediately reached about the nature of the Brighton break.

As a result of the incidents, multiple agencies came together to conduct surveillance, interview witnesses, and share equipment, resources and personnel in the last couple of weeks.

Police were able to obtain arrest warrants for four of the five suspects, and arrested the suspects on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

As a result, George Dabrolet, 31, from Weymouth, Matthew Cherry, 34, Hull, and Michael Shuman, 31, Weymouth, were arrested in Boston during a car stop. Rachele Sandsbury, 45, Weymouth was arrested by Weymouth Police later that day.

The Plymouth County Fugitive Unit in Fall River arrested James Hachey, 36, from Hull, on March 1 on outstanding warrants. He has not been charged with any of these recent burglaries, though police suspect his involvement due to his record.

According to Quincy police, he led Hull and Hingham Police on a vehicle pursuit last month, and was subsequently arrested due to that incident.

Dabrolet and Sandsbury were charged with B&E nighttime felony, larceny over $250, conspiracy, larceny from a building, and malicious destruction over $250 for the Quincy incident.

Dabrolet and Shuman were charged with unarmed burglary, possession of burglary tools, larceny from a building, two counts larceny of a firearm, malicious or wanton damage to property, and conspiracy to commit a crime.

The firearms stolen in the Hingham burglary were not recovered in the arrest, police said.

Dabrolet and Cherry were charged by the Boston Police Department. Their charges have not yet been released.

“This is an excellent case of 11 or 12 police departments working jointly on this investigation,” said Lt. John Steele with the Quincy police. “It was an excellent case and investigation that crossed multiple jurisdiction lines that culminated in the arrest of these 5 people.”

Staff from Derby Street Shoppes and the South Shore Natural Science Center stand in front of a sign at the newly created REI Discovery Trail in Norwell.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Although it's winter, locals are starting to explore the REI Discovery Trail, which opened in November.

“It’s been getting lots of use,” said Bruce Netherwood, Executive Director, Camps and
Outdoor Education at the South Shore Natural Science Center, located in Norwell.

The trail features elements for kids ages three through eight, with an interactive experience for the whole family featuring a musical fence, xylophone, sensory box, discovery tables, mushroom hoppers, log path, balance beams and pull up bars.

Located behind the main building of the Science Center’s Norwell facility and on 30 acres of land surrounded by 200 acres of town conservation and recreation land, the Center has been welcoming visitors to the trail and to their Norwell facility year-round.

The trail was built prior to the group's merger with the South Shore YMCA, with help from Hingham's Derby Street Shoppes, Science Center staff said.

"The South Shore Natural Science Center contacted us about building features in the trail,” said Adrienne Cicero, a Marketing Co-op for Derby. “They noticed outdoor features at Hidden Pond at the Derby Street Shoppes, and they were wondering if the same kind of work could be done at the Science Center. [So we were] happy to partner with the South Shore organization.”

Before long, with the help of a grant from REI, the $7,800 was in place for the REI Discovery Trail. Staff from Derby Street helped assemble it, and by November it was operational.

“‘It is extremely important for the team at Derby Street Shoppes to give back to the surrounding community,” said Derby Street Director of Operations Mike McKenna, who built and installed many of the activity features on the trail. “I was honored to work on this project with REI and bring some outdoor active fun to families on the South Shore.”

Cicero agreed that the Center’s mission to provide educational, outdoor opportunities for people in the South Shore fit in line with Derby’s mission to give back to the community.

“Derby Street Shoppes is definitely open to helping out the community in any way, even if it isn’t next door. We’re just looking to do something for the South Shore as a whole. We donate money to Germantown in Quincy, the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, there are no stipulations about what charities we’ll work with,” she said.

The Discover Trail is merely one of the projects the Center will be doing to expand programming and membership, Netherwood said.

“As part of going forward, the plan is we have a lot of different projects,” he said. “We’re continuing the outdoor discovery trail, making it more enticing, we are looking at putting in more live animals. We have a huge project list that we’re doing to engage, and we’ll improve on the program and the facilities.”

These advancements are all in an effort to make the space more inviting to the community – something consistently challenging in the land of technology and TV.

“We’re finding that because we live in the land of technology, that more families are recognizing the need to get their kids out. We’re trying to make it so enticing that parents think, ‘Lets go here.’ We’re also looking at using technology too, using GPS units so kids and teams can do searching on the site, to find their way around using technology...

“Using that technology, we’re still getting them out there, getting them to go on quests and giving them things to find. But our goal is to make it so it’s a destination, where families will come with their children to have them be in the outdoors but to be learning as well,” Netherwood said.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Scituate, Marshfield, and Norwell are seeking to hire a Human Resources Director with grant money provided by the Patrick-Murray Administration’ s Community Innovation Challenge Grant.

Even though the funding, a requested $150,000, would only be available for a year, it would go a long way for all three towns, administrators said, and would set in place policies and job descriptions that are lacking currently.

“When that person comes on board, they will help us just by their existence and providing the service,” said Marshfield Town Manager Rocco Longo. “From my understanding…80 percent of the litigation of the towns is personnel related. So this position is significant to us. When I got here, there wasn’t anybody to answer questions about family medical leave or protective classes; the three administrators realize how it is. We’re dealing with difficult times, and this is a breath of fresh air.”

According to the job description, the position would form administrative work for the Town Administrators in planning, implementing, and operating projects and programs, including personnel, job postings, job descriptions updates, salary surveys, policy development and assistance in general employee relations programs and policies development and delivery.

The new person would conduct an HR Audit of each town to look over the deficiencies of each town and begin making changes.

The needs differ from town to town, with Scituate requesting the need for personnel policies for non-union staff and an employee handbook and with Marshfield citing the need for a centralized appointment authority and an updated personnel bylaw.

Norwell Town Administrator James Boudreau was not available for comment.

Although not decided yet, Longo envisions the position’s time to be split equally amongst the three towns, perhaps with the HR person spending two days in Marshfield, two days in Scituate, and one in Norwell each week.

The towns would eventually split the cost, with Marshfield and Scituate paying $60,000 a piece and Norwell paying $30,000.

In addition to helping the towns catch up on HR aspects currently lacking in all three departments, the position will also help the officials see if regionalization of a position like this is possible in the long term.

“Maybe we don’t need three personnel directors. Maybe it will work with just one…but I think it’s critical,” Longo said. “It will be a learning experience and we can learn from each other as well.”

According to Scituate Town Administrator Patricia Vinchesi, if the grant was received, it would be a priority to continue it going forward.

As for working with the two other towns on the project, Scituate sees no concern about how they might divvy up the position.

“I don’t see it as an impediment,” Vinchesi said. “These are incredible economies of scale and [it would be] a benefit to communities that have to provide the same services.”

The grant has $4 million eligible to communities, and will be given to towns that demonstrate creativity in regionalizing their municipal service needs.

Longo hopes that the tri-town aspect of the job will make the three towns more competitive in the process, but nothing will be for sure until the results are released at the end of this month.

To view the entire application, click here.

Reiko and Tom Beach discuss technology at this month's South Shore Tweet Up in Hingham.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Tom and Reiko Beach say they know technology. As the owners of The Toolbox Inc. and TRB design inc., the South Shore locals have dedicated their careers to social media and online marketing, and now they hope to share their knowledge with others.

It’s part of the impetus behind the South Shore Tweet Ups, which also hopes to bring like-minded technology people together in one space for a conversation on technological advancement.

“Eighty percent of people are doing something with technology already,” Tom said. “We’re trying to make information easy.”

The Tweet Ups, which happen monthly at Hingham's Summer Shack and are mainly focused on attracting different Twitter users, started during the summer after a friend of the Beach’s suggested the idea.

Although that friend has moved away, the gatherings continue with the hope to make small businesses, self-made marketers, and locals simply interested in the subject matter more informed.

According to Tom, the main idea is to have quality content in a niche market.

That mentality has helped him and his wife, Reiko, generate thousands of hits on their “Gymnastic Minute” videos on YouTube – short clips where coaches talk about teaching gymnastics and how to overcome difficulties.

Without any marketing or promoting, Tom said, the quality of the content available, and the fact that people are looking for that kind of information has made the videos popular.

“It’s not about broadcasting of a net [to your audience], it’s about using a GPS to get there,” Tom said.

Shea Baker, a graphic designer with local company 3Thought, agreed that the main thing to do is find your market.

“People are looking for information all the time – it’s just are you relevant to them, and can you convey your information,” she said.

With the “search-minded” marketing technique, you also have to properly label your content through tags, keywords, and search engine titles.

To keep users coming back, it’s about being interactive – responding to comments, and having a conversation with your users.

Beyond sharing that mentality with other tech enthusiasts, the Tweet Ups also turn into a networking event, with people from a variety of backgrounds coming together to trade business ideas, make contacts, or just learn from others in the community.

“We are holding a social media tweet up to chat about business, social networking and social media here on the South Shore..anyone interested in social web, or learning about it is welcome!” the Tweet Up site says.

For more information on future Tweet Ups, click here or follow @thatbeach on twitter or @reikob.