Plymouth Fall Town Meeting; The Plymouth Independent Gets Ready to Launch; A Conversation With Plymouth TMM Lauren Nessralla; DMF's Brad Chase on Fish Ladders
The Oct. 20th, 2023, Edition of The Plymouth County Observer (No. 121)
Plymouth Fall Town Meeting To Be Held on Sat., Oct. 21st; Master Plan, Nip Ban, Community Preservation, Solar Zoning, And More On The Warrant
(PLYMOUTH) — Plymouth will hold its Fall Town Meeting on Saturday, October 21st, when the Town Meeting will consider two dozen articles on a broad array of matters, including Town finances, blighted buildings, Plymouth’s master plan, a proposed ban on nips, Community Preservation matters, a citizen’s petition amending the zoning bylaw with respect to solar energy installations, and more.
(Plymouth Town Hall, August, 2023; credit — J. Benjamin Cronin. Note that the Fall Town Meeting will be held at Plymouth North High School on Obery Street.)
The Fall Town Meeting will be held in hybrid form, meeting in person at Plymouth North High School, at 41 Obery Street, and online via Zoom, at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday the 21st. It will be broadcast live on PACTV and PACTV.org.
Here are some of the articles under consideration this year:
Articles 2A and 2B deal with the Town’s supplemental budget, and both were unanimously approved by the Town’s Advisory & Finance Committee (with the exception of Line #3 in Art. 2A, relating to support for the Committee of Precinct Chairs, which was approved on a 7-6-0 vote).
Article 4 relates to capital recommendations, including a downtown heat island and beautification project, the implementation of a management plan for the Herring Ponds, infrastructure projects, including the Town Wharf, sewer and water infrastructure, and other projects. The Article was approved unanimously by the Advisory and Finance Committee.
Blighted or nuisances on a property form the subject of Article 5, which would amend Chapter 137 (Property Maintenance) of the Town’s General Bylaw. The Fall Town Meeting Book described Article 5:
“Approval of this article will authorize the Town to adopt property standards for overgrowth, structures, accumulation of trash, rubbish, or debris, pools of stagnant water, graffiti and other determinations which pose a serious nuisance or serious threat to safety, health and/or well-being of the Town of Plymouth, authorize the Town to issue violations for failure to comply with the standards within 10 days of issuance of a violation, and to authorize the Town to remove the nuisance at the owners expense, or take any other action, to recover the sum expended as allowed by law including but not limited to a municipal lien of the property.”
The Advisory & Finance Committee recommended the Article by a vote of 10-1-0.
Article 8 concerns funding ($430,000) to support Plymouth’s master planning process. Plymouth’s most recent Master Plan dates to 2006, and Article 8, if passed, “will authorize the Planning Board to contract consultant services to establish a master plan that addresses issues unique to Plymouth and includes implementation strategies for Town goals that are both measurable and trackable,” according to the Fall Town Meeting Book. The Advisory & Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend the article.
The multi-part Article 9 concerns Community Preservation matters. Town Meeting will consider a number of projects and proposals, including those relating to affordable housing, a grant to The Plymouth Center for the Arts for the historic Russell Library on North Street, an approximately $3.2 million grant to restore, preserve, and rehabilitate the Pilgrim Hall Museum, and open space preservation off Rocky Pond Road and Rocky Hill Road, among other items.
The Advisory & Finance Committee unanimously recommended the Community Preservation measures, with the exception of the Pilgrim Hall grant, which was recommended by a 9-4-0 vote, and the purchase of the open space off Rocky Hill Road for $1.2 million, which was recommended by a 12-1-0 vote.
Article 15 would amend the Town’s General Bylaw to ban the sale of miniature single-use alcoholic beverage containers, or nips, in the Town of Plymouth. The article, in a section entitled “Findings,” states that “Nip bottles are harmful to the marine and land environments as well as to wildlife as they take hundreds of years to biodegradable, leach toxins and are not recyclable in Massachusetts due to their size;” the article further notes the significant burden littered nip bottles place on the local environment.
Proponents have pointed to the environmental benefits of a nip ban, as well as potential public health benefits in terms of reducing alcohol abuse and attendant social problems.
Opponents, including those from Plymouth package stores, have argued that the ban would harm Plymouth liquor stores, while driving customers to neighboring communities where nips are not banned.
The Advisory & Finance Committee did not recommend the passage of Article 15, by a vote of 6-8-0. “The Advisory & Finance Committee recommends that Town Meeting does not approve Article 15. The Committee felt that the article language in the warrant, and as presented, was too broad. The Committee feels the ultimate solution is litter enforcement.”
Article 24, a citizen’s petition article brought by Marc Pacheco, would amend the zoning bylaw, at § 207-11, with respect to solar energy installations.
According to the Fall Town Meeting Book, “The intent [of the article] is to ensure that when there are nearby residents who are not naturally shielded from a proposal, a plan to adequately do so MUST be presented to Planning Board, who in turn MUST make the implementation of such a plan a recommendation to the Building Commission. This plan further adds to the Financial Surety section of the bylaw concerning bonds and increases abutter notification requirements from 300 to 700 feet.”
The Advisory & Finance Committee narrowly voted to recommend Article 24, by a vote of 5-4-2. It did, however, note that “the Committee had mixed feelings about the intent of this amendment.”
The Fall Town Meeting Book can be found here.
The Plymouth Independent Prepares To Launch; New Online Community Newspaper Goes Live On Nov. 20th
(PLYMOUTH) – Plymouth will soon be home to a new online community newspaper, The Plymouth Independent, staffed by experienced and passionate journalists, and devoted to covering the manifold aspects of life in a growing town of approximately 65,000 people.
The publication, which expects to begin publishing on November 20th, a month from today, will be helmed by Editor and Chief Executive Officer Mark Pothier. Mr. Pothier, a Plymouth resident since 1985, worked at The Boston Globe for 22 years, including as a senior editor for the paper’s Business section, as well as the editor of Globe South. He also worked on the Globe’s Opinion Page.
(Mark Pothier, the CEO and Editor of The Plymouth Independent; credit — The Plymouth Independent.)
Mr. Pothier was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 2000; prior to that, he served for 14 years as the editor of MPG Newspapers, which included Plymouth’s Old Colony Memorial at that time. Structural changes, including consolidation by corporations like Gannett, as well as the shift to a largely or entirely online news environment, have produced the widespread emergence of what have been called “news deserts” across the United States. It’s important to emphasize that these conditions are structural, and that reporters and editors across the country are given very little in the way of resources by these consolidating corporations, and, as a result, are unable to produce in-depth or thorough coverage, despite laudable efforts to do so.
“The deterioration of local journalism, in Plymouth and across the country, has reached a crisis stage,” Mr. Pothier said. “In the absence of serious, nonpartisan journalism, we are left with a void that has been filled by rumor, innuendo and misinformation.’’
When the Independent begins publishing, “Plymouth will have a free, online, nonprofit and independent news outlet that will hold public officials and institutions accountable and provide a community gathering spot where residents can find out what is happening in town,” he said.
The new publication is also hiring experienced reporters.
Last month, The Independent hired Andrea Estes, a reporter for over two decades at the Boston Globe whose journalism uncovered evidence of significant public corruption, including the cases of former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, who ultimately was convicted and served time in a federal prison, and State Senator Brian Joyce, who was indicted, but died before the case went to trial. Ms. Estes also uncovered evidence that former Governor Charlie Baker sought to evade responsibility for the deaths of veterans at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke on his watch.
“Andrea’s talent for rooting out important news is unparalleled,” said Mr. Pothier, editor of The Plymouth Independent. “There’s a well-worn saying about sunlight being the best disinfectant, but it holds true. And I’m confident she’ll bring a lot of sunshine to town. Having her on staff sends a strong message about the kind of serious journalism we plan to do.”
And last week, the Independent announced it had hired a second reporter, Fred Thys, who brings more than four decades’ worth of experience working on documentaries, as a foreign correspondent, for WBUR in Boston, and for the VT Digger, an online publication which provides comprehensive and detailed coverage of news in the Green Mountain State.
“Fred’s deep experience, curiosity, and fresh perspective on Plymouth will be a huge asset for the Independent,” said Mr. Pothier. “He’s eager to get out into the community to meet people and find some of the many stories that need to be told. On top of his impressive reporting resume, he’s also fluent in several languages, including Portuguese, which will help us to cover issues relevant to the town’s Brazilian community.”
Founded in January, 2023, The Plymouth Independent’s Board of Directors includes President Darice Wareham, who, with extensive experience in finance, will focus on creating a sustainable non-profit news organization. Former Plymouth Selectman Patrick Flaherty, who has founded two businesses dedicated to services for seniors, is the Board’s Clerk and Treasurer. The Board’s members also include Glorianna Davenport, founder of MIT Media Lab and The Living Observatory, and a leader in the effort to restore Tidmarsh Farm in Plymouth; Sue Giovanetti, the CEO of the Plymouth Area Coalition For The Homeless; and Bill Harting, a copy editor with three decades of experience at both The Boston Globe and The Patriot Ledger, including with digital journalism; and Tom Redburn, a journalist with three decades of wide-ranging experience, having worked at publications such as The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, and The Los Angeles Times.
Walter V. Robinson, an experienced investigative journalist who worked for The Boston Globe for 34 years, including leading the Spotlight Team’s investigation into the clergy abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, for which the paper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, serves as an advisor to the Board of The Plymouth Independent.
The publication passed a significant fundraising benchmark over the summer, when it reached a fundraising goal by raising more than $200,000 as of July 1st. The publication’s funding model is similar to that of PBS – the idea that journalism is a public good and necessary public service is a core part of The Independent’s philosophy, and the publication will rely on donors, especially recurring donors. A role will also be played by business sponsors. This model has proven extremely successful for The New Bedford Light, which has become a powerful example of the online renaissance in local newsgathering and reporting.
“Our professional journalism will be free to the public. To fund the organization, we are developing a variety of revenue streams — individual contributions, foundation grants, sponsorships and more. We are not dependent on traditional newspaper advertising,” The Independent states on its website.
In a conversation with The Plymouth County Observer, Mr. Pothier said that The Plymouth Independent hopes to cover a number of issues, including providing accountability reporting on Town government and elected officials; crime and the police department; housing and the growth of the town; transportation; the school system; the Center for Active Living; arts and culture; and environmental issues and climate change.
There are three primary ways that interested citizens can help The Plymouth Independent, Mr. Pothier said: first, byreading The Independent once it begins publication, andby spreading the word to those who may be interested in it; second, helping to fund the publication by becoming a donor, especially a regular donor; and third, by letting the journalists at The Independent know about matters of public interest that it might consider covering. He also requested patience from the public as the new publication grows.
Mr. Pothier is enthusiastic about taking on this new project, telling me that it was an exciting opportunity, and an important one, as well. The organization as a whole is grateful for the positive reception it has received.
“The entire Plymouth Independent team is profoundly thankful for the overwhelming encouragement and enthusiasm the community has shown towards our launch. Your belief in our mission is what has enabled us to offer journalism that's freely accessible to everyone in Plymouth,” wrote the Independent, in an email sent out this morning.
Some may find it surprising, given that I write and publish what could be considered a rival publication, that I am enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of The Plymouth Independent. In my view, The Independent and The Plymouth County Observer are compatriots, not competitors, and we each seek to till the same field, and, as the saying goes, many hands make lighter work — though perhaps, to continue the analogy, we each bring forth different fruits.
For the reality is that my own publication is emphatically not a daily newspaper, but more closely resembles a combination of an undergraduate history lecture, a fact-based opinion journal, and an 18th century pamphlet. Moreover, my training is as an academic historian, not a journalist, and this likewise is an important factor.
The Plymouth Independent, on the other hand, is led by a team with training and deep knowledge of journalism. With its growing resources and deeply experienced staff, board, and advisors, it can fill the role of a robust community newspaper for Plymouth. I am eagerly awaiting its launch, and am hopeful that many of you will consider supporting the publication.
Democracy At Home and Abroad: A Conversation with Precinct 13 Town Meeting Member Lauren Nessralla
(PLYMOUTH) — One of this publication’s abiding concerns is the long-term health of our systems of municipal democracy, and it was with in mind that I spoke with Precinct 13 Town Meeting Member Lauren Nessralla about matters of public interest both near and far.
Ms. Nesralla is presently an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she majors in Political Science, with a minor in Arabic Studies. She was elected to Town Meeting in May, 2022, as we covered at the time. Indeed, even prior to her election to Town Meeting, Ms. Nessralla was active in local government, including as the lead sponsor of a Town Meeting Article banning fur sales in Plymouth at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting.
(Precinct 13 Town Meeting Member Lauren Nessralla; credit — Lauren Nessralla.)
She studied abroad in the Fall of 2022 at Utrecht University, in The Netherlands. Life in The Netherlands was a compelling and valuable experience, and was characterized by both similarities and differences with life in New England and the United States. On the one hand, Dutch transportation infrastructure is far more developed than that of the United States, with multiple forms of public transportation, including electric trams and buses, as well as an advanced bicycling infrastructure, including bike lanes replete with their own traffic lights.
On the other hand, Dutch society faces problems similar to our own, Ms. Nessralla noted. Like eastern Massachusetts and many other parts of the United States, The Netherlands faces a severe housing crisis, with a shortage of 300,000 units, according to the anti-poverty non-profit The Borgen Project (according to the Healey Administration, Massachusetts faces a shortage of about 200,000 units). Like the United States, homelessness is also on the rise in The Netherlands, with a 70% increase between 2009 and 2016, according to the John Adams Institute, an Amsterdam non-profit devoted to the broader American-Dutch relationship.
In my own view, The Netherlands is a very useful society to consider in light of public policy in New England: both are North Atlantic, post-Calvinist, seafaring democracies, occupying relatively limited land areas, and a vigorous tradition of small “r” republicanism (though a constitutional monarchy today, in the period of its greatest dominance, The Netherlands was a republic).
After returning from her time abroad, Ms. Nessralla worked as a Congressional Intern for the Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), as well as a Legislative Intern for the Office of State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston). She also serves on the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee, in which capacity she made the case to decision makers in Washington, D.C., that nutritious, plant-based options should be included on K-12 menus nationwide.
I asked Ms. Nessralla if she had thoughts on the upcoming Fall Town Meeting.
She supports Article 8, relating to the Town’s Master Plan, she told The Plymouth County Observer.
Since Plymouth’s last master plan was published in 2006, there has been considerable change in the Town, noted Ms. Nessralla. “We have had a substantial population increase (up more than 20% from 2000) from 50,000 to 65,000 residents, and the demographics of Plymouth have changed as well,” she said, noting the need for more English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in the Plymouth schools, based on reporting done by her colleagues at the Plymouth North High School Eagle.1
She is in favor of Article 15, the nip ban, she said.
“I think the nip ban article is a great measure (although this was not the general consensus at my precinct caucus tonight). Someone noted that it will only increase sales of nips in other towns but I responded that it is still a compelling measure because the overall nips sales will decrease. It stands out to me since, as listed in the petition, nips are not recyclable, and bans on them in other places have led to substantial decreases in litter. I participated in those town cleanup days once and was shocked to see how many nips are laying everywhere. My mom also routinely picks them up on our street,” said Ms. Nessralla.
“Also, significantly to me, the petition cites how DUIs and other alcohol-abuse instances lessen with these bans in place, particularly because of how nips are an easy and cheap way to become intoxicated. I'm an enthusiast of placing more emphasis on changing the systems of consumption over individual consumer habits (actually a blog of mine on this topic will be published soon by an environmental group) and thus why I am for the ban,” she said.
“I am also enthusiastic about Article 23,” said Ms. Nessralla, “which would authorize about $240,000 from free cash towards funding ‘community-based organizations focused on preventing drug addiction and providing mental health services throughout our community.’ Of course there are many important factors in trying to combat drug addiction but this is an important side as well.”
In general, Ms. Nessralla expressed views with which I’m in strong agreement — that participation in local government is not only an important duty, but a valuable and critical opportunity for citizens from diverse backgrounds and varying perspectives to shape our own lives and our collective future alike, in a fair and democratic fashion. Democracy isn’t always the easiest system of government, but I do think it is the system of government most conducive to our safety and our happiness, and one worth keeping.
Reader Jeremy Gillespie Interviews Brad Chase of the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries On Fish Ladders
(EAST BRIDGEWATER) — Readers, here is an interview by Jeremy Gillespie, of Halifax, with Brad Chase, Diadromous Fisheries Project Leader at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).
Mr. Gillespie, who has been both the subject of this publication, as well as a regular reader and subscriber, is passionately devoted to the health of our local waters, something I think many of us share with him. Across the region, from Town Brook in Plymouth to the Jones River in Kingston, to the Third Herring Brook on the Hanover-Norwell line Hanover, dam removal and the restoration of migratory fisheries has been an important environmental success story across the region.
In August, the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries continued this laudable trend via the construction of a new fish ladder on the stream leading between Robbins Reservoir and Robbins Pond in East Bridgewater, which is fluvially connected to East and West Monponsett Pond. The fish ladder has the potential to open hundreds of acres of new fish habitat.
Mr. Gillespie interviewed Brad Chase, of the DMF, on the project and related topics. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. — Ben Cronin.
(Robbins Pond, a Great Pond in East Bridgewater, to the left/west, and Robbins Reservoir at bottom right; the approximate location of the fish ladder is at the red arrow. Credit — Google Maps and J. Benjamin Cronin.)
1. Jeremy Gillespie: What got you into this very unique and important profession, and how long have you been involved?
Brad Chase: I was asked over 10 years [ago] about discussing the dam removal concept with the owner of the Cotton Gin Mill Dam downstream of Robbins Pond on the Satucket River. The concept had hit a snag as the dam owner was not interested in cooperating with a coalition interested in dam removal. I met Bob Heavey on site several times and we talked over the benefits of cooperative restoration as opposed to maintaining the dam or installing a fishway. Eventually, Bob signed a letter in 2014 that I drafted that okayed moving a dam removal project forward. Once the dam came out in 2017, it allowed fish to pass into Robbins Pond and the impassable Stump Brook Bog Reservoir Dam. The interest of moving diadromous fish upstream in the watershed had been documented in DMF reports going back over 40 years. A challenging concept that needed action at Cotton Gin Mill Dam first.
2. Jeremy Gillespie: The Carver Cotton Gin dam was erected on the Satucket in 1842; however, I believe some herring were still able to go past this obstruction at one time, as I read another publication that mentioned herring traveled up the Sautucket into Robbins Pond up until the early 1900s. What is your best guess on when the last time herring freely traveled into Monponsett Pond?
Brad Chase: [It’s] hard to say for sure. There were locals that netted fish over the Cotton Gin Mill Dam over the years. And as the dam degraded[,] I saw conditions that may have allowed some fish to pass through a main sluice. And there was a fishway at the dam. It was very old and a design that may not have worked at all. My guess is that some fish periodically reached Robbins Pond. The Bog Reservoir Dam was impassable. Given all those obstacles and the City of Brockton’s operations of the Stump Brook Dam for water supply purposes, it is likely a very long time since river herring actually made it into Monponsett Pond.
(The new fish ladder, September 2023; credit — Jeremy Gillespie.)
3. Jeremy Gillespie: Herring runs were once an integral part of the economy of the South Shore & South Coast, and an important resource for the Native Americans, as there are still remnants of their stone weirs up Snaky River (Stump Brook). You have mentioned in some of your previous publications regarding restoration efforts that there has been a recent general lack of interest in these projects; why do you think this is the case?
Brad Chase: I don’t think I would say there was a lack of interest. I would say local interest is strong is many places. I think the challenge is the political will to fund these difficult projects and to find enough water to support diadromous fish migratory, spawning and nursery habitat in the present day with water supply needs. Public awareness has slipped on the importance of healthy rivers and fish runs.
4. Jeremy Gillespie: Monponsett will create approximately 600 acres of Herring spawning habitat if they can make it through the maze of Burrage. Are there any other herring spawning habitats larger than 600 acres that are still obstructing the Herring migration?
Brad Chase: The total habitat obstructed from the Cotton Gin Mill Dam upstream (Robbins, Bog Reservoir, and two Monponsett Ponds) is about 820 acres. Even just considering upstream of the Bog Reservoir the habitat is 696 acres. This represents the largest area of potential (former) river herring spawning habitat restoration in coastal MA. To the east[,] and connected, is the 2nd most with the 640 acre Silver Lake. There are no other such targets of this size in coastal MA. Stump Brook is truly the largest and not the smallest challenge.
5. Jeremy Gillespie: The herring will have a difficult journey up Snaky River into Monponsett, as there are various obstacles, side channels, and issues with siltation and water quality. How will the Herring know which way to travel and which ways not to travel?
Brad Chase: A good question[, and] hard to answer. They seem to follow the dominant flow and may seek suitable olfactory cues.
We plan to work on two culverts upstream of the bog reservoir and with the City of Brockton to manage flows during the migratory seasons. [There is] still much work to do to provide sustainable migrations upstream of the Bog Reservoir.
6. Jeremy Gillespie: Returning Herring to Monponsett will create a new food source for the entire ecosystem of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. The young Herring will need native aquatic vegetation, clean water, ideal oxygen & PH levels in order to survive. In what ways can the Town of Halifax & Hanson ensure that enough of these young Herring survive their long summer on Monponsett, so that they may return to the Taunton & eventually Mount Hope Bay in the Fall?
Brad Chase: Nutrient loading reductions are important. Working with the water supply to find sustainable flows for the river is essential. Both these concepts will need local support.
7. Jeremy Gillespie: There are still many issues that need to be addressed on Snaky River (Stump Brook) throughout Burrage and upstream to West Monponsett. In what ways can the citizens who will benefit the most (fisherman, wildlife photographers, nature enthusiast) from the return of Herring to all of their native spawning grounds, both volunteer and lobby the Commonwealth into more funding of these restoration projects?
Brad Chase: Locals can cite the progress made at the Cotton Gin Mill Dam and Stump Brook Bog Reservoir Dam and ask local and state authorities to prioritize and fund upstream passage improvements, nutrient reductions and water management to restore river flows. Forming a watershed group or coalition would help this.
8. Jeremy Gillespie: In your opinion, what do you see as the biggest challenges going forward for these restoration projects, and the ultimate long-term success of restoring River Herring to their once plentiful historic populations?
Brad Chase: For this watershed, it is sustainable flow that is the highest challenge. Secondary concerns are the effects of eutrophication on water quality and excessive plant growth. Related, dedicated stream maintenance is needed to prevent invasive and nuisance plants from planting migratory channels. All this will have to be managed. The time of letting these impacted rivers alone to flush out debris and overgrowth has passed. Active management is needed. And the issues of this watershed are common to many others in coastal MA.
Ms. Nessralla cites p. 3 of the Feb., 2021 issue of the Plymouth North High School Eagle: https://issuu.com/plymouthpublicschools/docs/the_eagle___february_2021_issue.