ON THE WEB: www.duxburyclipper.com E-MAIL: editor@duxburyclipper.com Newsroom: 781-934-2811 x25 Advertising: 781-934-2811 x23 Newsstand: $1.

00
VOLUME LXI NO. 35 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011 Two wrongs dont make a right, but three lefts do. Jason Love
TINY & SONS GLASS
RS 649
Since 1978
tinyandsons.com
237 Washington St.
(Rte 53) Pembroke
781-826-7779
WE S UP P ORT B OY S A ND GI R L S C L UB
MOBILE AUTO GLASS SERVICE
1-888-64-TINYS
PLUMBING & HEATING
Jonathan Clarke
Special- High Efciency Hot Water Heaters!
934-7800 Lic. # 11961
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
jclarke7800@msn.com
K I N G S T O N
EAST COAST FENCE. COM
WHERE QUALITY & VALUE MEET!
1-781-585-9500
LANDSCAPING
Mark Ferrari 781-934-7719
ferrarilandscaping.net
F
E
R
RA
R
I
LANDSCAPING
Huge Inventory
New & Pre-Owned
Exit 8, Off Rte. 3, Kingston
nxnxxUHOTSULLYDEALS.COM
6 Pembroke Street
(Rte. 27 & 106) Kingston
Open 7 Nights 4pm to close
Dinner for Two
$
39
95
Includes: Soup or Salad, Choice of Dinner from Our Special Menu, with a side,
plus hot beverage, dessert and a Bottle of Wine!
+Tax
781-582-1022
paisanosrestaurant.net
Not valid with any other offer. Excludes: Friday, Saturday and Holidays. Limited time only.
Call Ben Carlson, MLO#203062
781-820-5809
bcarlson@coastalfinance.com
Coastal FinanceLLC, NMLS#20130MALIC. #5335
Buying A Home?
Have Mortgage Needs?
Loam & Seed
Eyes Examined Contact Lenses Fitted
Prescriptions Filled
DR. PATRICIA VAN TO5H
Optometrist
27 Railroad Ave. Suite 1 934-6945
DR. DOUGLAS WORTHMAN
Podiatrist
~Treatment of all diseases of the foot~
27 Railroad Ave. Suite 1 934-6945
StandishCapitalMortgage.com
MB#2269 Mortgage Loan Ofcer #7280
We arrange loans,
we do not make them
30 yr xed 3.990 0 pointsAPR4.121s 20 yr xed 3.750 0 pointsAPR3.931
15 yr xed 3.250 0 pointsAPR3.376 s 10 yr xed 3.125 0 pointsAPR3.311
Closing costs are only $1,500
38 DLPOT STPLLT 78l9347768
NEXT TO FOODIES
Open 7 days a week wlth 24 hour v|P drop
Same Day: |n by 7:30am back by 5 (Mon-Sat)
MONOGRAMMING at Randys
Personalize as well as identify your towels,
back packs, team jackets.....
OFF TO COLLEGE
WHY NOT MONOGRAM YOUR TOWELS
See school bus routes
on page 6 in section B
continued on page 6
continued on page 12
Crash course
BY JUSTIN GRAEBER, CLIPPER EDITOR
JUSTIN@DUXBURYCLIPPER.COM
T
hank God for the forsythias.
The large owering bushes at
the edge of Jeanne Whites
property are often what keeps a car
from skidding off the road into her
living room.
White and her husband Mike live in
a brown-shingled home at the corner of
Route 53 and Winter Street. The house
is set back from the road a good thing
for the Whites, as they have seen
more accidents at the intersection
than they can count.
Weve had the lawn torn up eight
or nine times because they come through
and land on the lawn, White said.
What are the most dangerous
intersections in Duxbury, and
what can we do about them?
Jeanne White photo by
Anne Steele
Satellite images from GIS/Duxbury Town Web site
SPECIAL REPORT
HOT SPOTS: The intersection of Route 53 and Winter Street (at left) is often
spoken of as one of the most dangerous intersections in town. It is a place
with a high incidence of crashes, according to MassHighway engineers,
but its far from the only trouble spot. Coxs Corner (above) saw the most
crashes 25 during the study period, from 2005-2008. Police officials
say the odd angle at the intersections of Church, Tremont and Enterprise
streets can cause roll-over accidents.
Jeanne White says shes seen many acci-
dents living at the corner of Winter Street
and Route 53. She snapped this photo
(inset) after a June 2011 crash.
BY SUSANNA SHEEHAN, CLIPPER STAFF
SUSANNA@DUXBURYCLIPPER.COM
Duxbury Town Manager
Richard MacDonalds contract
has been renewed for another
three years.
Selectmen announced this
decision Monday night after
meeting behind closed doors
in an executive session before
the open meeting. Discussing
employee contracts is allow-
able in executive session un-
der the states Open Meeting
law.
Selectmen Chairman
Shawn Dahlen said the select-
men voted to renew MacDon-
alds contract with some minor
changes in the terms and con-
ditions.
As the vote was taken
during the boards executive
session, Dahlen said he could
not elaborate on whether the
vote had been unanimous. He
said to wait until the minutes
of the executive session were
released.
Under the Open Meeting
law, it is unclear whether the
selectmen were required to
vote on the contract in open
session. Calls made to town
counsel Robert Troy were not
returned before press time.
Town
manager
contract
renewed
6 Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Duxbury Clipper
The intersection is often
regarded as one of the most
dangerous in Duxbury. Ac-
cording to raw crash data pro-
vided by MassHighway, there
were 12 accidents at the inter-
section between the years 2005
and 2008 (the most recent year
MassHighway provides the
data. Only accidents reported
by the police that involve over
$1,000 in damage are reported.
See sidebar below for more in-
formation.)
More recently, the Whites
were rudely greeted by an ear-
ly morning accident on Thurs-
day, June 16.
We were just getting
ready for work and heard the
crash, White said. When
you hear it, its incredible the
impact is so severe. I just went
and called 911 immediately.
At this point, White had
only heard the sound of the
crash, she hadnt seen what
had actually happened.
Then I saw one car up on
Winter Street and I thought
well, who hit her or who did
she hit? I went to the other
window and theres the white
van.
A white SUV had skid-
ded onto the lawn, plowing
through the bushes and only
stopping inches from the side
of the house.
This poor fella in the
white van said, I tried not to
hit your house.
The driver crossing Win-
ter Street never saw the SUV,
White said. Many drivers who
have been in accidents at this
crossing complain of a blind
spot that prevents motorists
on Winter Street from seeing
oncoming traffc.
White is worried that
someday an accident will be
more than an inconvenience to
her family.
One of these days its
going to come through the
house.
State offcials have recog-
nized the problems at the in-
tersection, and are proposing
a roundabout. A preliminary
hearing was held in October of
2009, and MassHighway engi-
neer John Diaz said the issue
isnt so much the number of
accidents, but the frequency.
Speed was the major problem,
he said, and the roundabout
would work to slow down mo-
torists.
At the end of the hear-
ing, Diaz and a fellow engi-
neer promised the state would
return with another hearing
when the design was 75 per-
cent complete, and that con-
struction would likely begin in
2010 and fnish in the fall of
2011. However, no follow up
was ever done and the inter-
section remains as it ever was,
a blinking yellow light the
lone warning to drivers. (Read
more in the second story in
this series, to be published in a
future Clipper, which will ex-
plore the politics of how road-
way improvements are made.)
Edna Cuneo was in an ac-
cident at the intersection on
Jan. 20 of this year. However,
she said it wasnt the design of
the intersection that caused the
problem it was nature.
There was a huge snow-
bank on my left, she said.
Thats the whole story right
there ... I could not see.
Cuneo was coming from
Winter Street, trying to cross
Route 53. A driver on the oth-
er side of Winter Street fashed
his lights, making her think it
was safe to cross.
The next thing I know I
hit the brakes, I could hear the
car coming, she said.
The accident was scary,
but no one was seriously in-
jured.
If I could have backed
up a couple feet she wouldnt
have hit me, Cuneo added.
While it wasnt the main
cause of her accident, she be-
lieve speed is a major factor in
crashes there.
People do fy on that
road, she said of Route 53.
You have to look left and
right.
While it often gets the most
attention, the Winter Street in-
tersection isnt the only dan-
gerous intersection in town.
Danger in numbers
From 2005-2008 there
were 744 reported motor ve-
hicle crashes in Duxbury. The
highest number was 264 in
2005, and the lowest was 134
in 2006. (For the purpose of
this story, crashes that took
place on Route 3 within Dux-
burys borders were not includ-
ed.) There were two fatalities,
one in 2007 and one in 2006,
although the 2006 crash was
on Route 3 at an overpass.
Fifty-seven percent of
accidents involved property
damage only, and 30 percent
involved at least one injury
(13 percent of crashes did not
report whether or not anyone
was injured.)
The accidents also have
some identifable trends. Most
accidents took place, not in the
dead of night, but in the morn-
ing, between the hours of 6
a.m. and noon. Fifty-eight per-
cent of crashes involved two
cars; one-car crashes account-
ed for 36 percent of accidents
in town. Duxbury is also not a
town that has multi-car pileups
only 5 percent of crashes in-
volved three cars or more.
Most of the accidents in-
volved motorists hitting an-
other car. However, between
the 2005 and 2008, 39 drivers
struck a tree, 28 hit guardrails
and 23 crashed into utility
poles.
Pinpointing the exact spot
in Duxbury that poses the most
danger to drivers is diffcult.
Some of the data provided by
MassHighway does not list the
exact location of a crash on a
particular street, which means
it may have been at an inter-
section. Different roads have
different traffc volumes as
well, which means more well-
travelled roads may have more
crashes, even though a neigh-
borhood corner may have a
higher crash rate.
Even so, some conclusions
can be drawn. In terms of sheer
numbers, Coxs Corner, where
Tremont Street, Church Street
and Enterprise Street meet, is
one dangerous place to drive.
During the period studied,
there were a total of 25 report-
ed accidents there, including
six where at least one person
was injured (four accident re-
How we got the numbers
Crash data for years 2005 through 2008 are derived from the
Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) Crash Data System (CDS).
Numbers are not available after 2008. The RMV obtains crash
reports from local police, State Police, other police agencies,
and operators (motorists) who were involved in crashes. The
reporting threshold is the same for all years: any injury or fatal-
ity, or damage to any one vehicle or other personal property in
excess of $1,000. Crash data are not completely standardized.
Several different variations of a street name (or other feld) may
exist.
Source: MassHighway supplemental data
See for yourself where crashes occur
In order to better analyze the raw crash data provided by MassHighway, Clipper staff members took
each accident and plugged it into a custom Google map, using colored thumbtacks to mark the
location of each reported accident. A green pin represents a fatal accident, red means a nonfatal
injury occurred, blue is property damage only, and yellow means the crash report did not say whether
or not anyone was hurt. On our Web site, duxburyclipper.com, readers can find links to maps show-
ing crashes from the years studied: 2005-2008.
SPECIAL REPORT: Danger on the roadways
continued from page one
Exit 10 off Route 3, on the
Duxbury/Kingston line, was the
scene of a number of accidents,
including the one at right, which
occurred April 23, 2009. More
accidents occur here 26 during
the study period than at Exit 10,
where conditions have improved
since a roundabout was installed
at Lincoln and Congress streets.
continued on next page
One of these days its going to come through the
house.
Jeanne White, talking about accidents at Winter Street
and Route 53.
7
Duxbury Clipper
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
ports did not say whether or
not anyone was hurt.)
Just what makes this inter-
section so treacherous? There
is a large volume of Duxbury
Beach traffc, both from Trem-
ont Street and a sign on West
Street, near the police station,
that directs motorists along
Route 139 (Church Street)
into Coxs Corner. There are
also a number of businesses
in the area, the now-defunct
Millbrook Motors, and a num-
ber of shops in a complex just
beyond the intersection.
The intersection is also at
a funky angle, which can cre-
ate a visibility problem.
Its not a traditional T,
said Police Chief Matthew
Clancy, who said police re-
spond to a lot of rollover acci-
dents in the area. A lot of our
intersections are offset.
Drivers heading along
Route 139 toward Marshfeld
and the beach have to make an
angled turn at the intersection.
However, motorists traveling
along Route 3A are moving in
a relatively straight line and
are often moving at a high rate
of speed.
Indeed, most of the acci-
dents in Duxbury during the
study period were reported as
being at an angle (28 percent
of total crashes, 42 percent of
multi-car crashes) followed by
rear-end crashes (21 percent
of total crashes, 31 percent of
multi-car accidents.)
Highway to trouble
Its of little surprise that
the high volume of traffc at
the highway exits off Route 3
create a lot of accidents. Look-
ing at the data, however, it be-
comes obvious that the Exit 10
exchanges, near the Kingston
line, have more crashes and
more injuries.
From 2005-2008, there
were 14 accidents at Exit 11,
including the on/off ramps and
the traffc circle at Lincoln and
Congress. Of these, only two
involved injuries (one was un-
reported.)
During the same period,
there were 26 accidents at Exit
10 and nine of them involved
injury.
Police offcials said that
years ago they saw similar
numbers at Exit 11 many se-
vere crashes including fatali-
ties before the roundabout
was put in. The roundabout
has the effect of slowing traffc
coming off the ramps towards
Duxbury as well as slowing
drivers headed for the high-
way.
It was bad, said Duxbury
Police Sergeant Michael Car-
bone. Its worked, its slowed
people down.
It clearly is the most eff-
cient way to get traffc through
a multiple road intersection,
added Clancy.
The roundabout was the
frst of its kind in the state, and
the project planned for Winter
Street and Route 53 would be
similar. The logistics of Exit
10 dont seem to lend them-
selves to a roundabout, but
there has been talk of placing
traffc lights there in fact,
as part of the comprehensive
permit for the Island Creek af-
Duxburys dangerous roads
continued one page 9
continued from previous page
TRAGEDY ON THE ROAD
A woman from Middleboro
was killed in a three-car acci-
dent at the intersection of
Franklin Street and Route 53
on Thursday, June 1, 2011.
M
ost of the crash-
es plotted for
this special re-
port involve property dam-
age or nonlife threatening
injuries. However, there have
been several fatal accidents in
Duxbury over the past several
years.
In September of 2007,
the community was stunned
when an accident on Union
Bridge Road, near the inter-
section with Franklin Street
claimed the life of Duxbury
High School senior Steven
Laramee, and left Laramees
brother Eoin and friend Spen-
ce Meine hospitalized.
Laramee was remembered
as a funny, sweet student who
hated Harry Potter but loved
life, during a candlelight vigil
the following Sunday after-
noon at the Town green.
In June of 2011, a Middle-
boro woman was killed at the
intersection of Franklin Street
and Route 53.
Duxbury police and fre
units were dispatched to the
report of a three-car accident
at the intersection of Summer
Street and Franklin Street at
9:45 a.m. on Thursday, June
11.
The female operator of
one of the vehicles, Susan
Durant, 58, of Middleboro,
was seriously injured and was
transported to Jordan Hospi-
tal by the Duxbury Fire De-
partment. Durant later died of
her injures at the hospital.
While this story did not
take into account accidents
that took place on Route 3,
there was a fatal accident
along the highway in Dux-
bury in 2006.
On Feb. 26, 2006, a truck
driven by 35-year-old Daniel
Reddington struck an over-
pass. Reddington was killed,
and the tragedy was com-
pounded later that day. The
owner of the company Red-
dington worked for, Ben Ian-
nucci, collapsed upon hearing
the news the victim of a fa-
tal heart attack.
This 1986 Audi station wagon driven by Steven Laramee crashed
into a tree on Union Bridge Road on Sept. 14, 2007. Laramee died
in the crash, and his passengers, his brother Eoin and his friend
Spencer Meine, were seriously injured.
The crash, and Laramees death,
hit the community hard. A rally
was held to help his friends,
loved ones and schoolmates
deal with the tragedy.
St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church
410 Washington Street, Duxbury
www.stjohnsduxbury.org
Yikes!!
Summer is almost over!
As you get ready for fall we invite you to
come and explore a faith journey with us.
Summer Service: 9am
Beginning Sunday 9/11
8am & 10am services
! Vibrant Sunday School
! Engaging Worship
! True Community
Yikes!!
Summer is almost over!
436 Oak Street (Rt.14) East Bridgewater
781-447-7888
www.cameronsonthegreen.com
Lobster
Festival!
Lunch or Dinner
$
12
99
Camerons
Everyday Lunch & Dinner - No Combinations, No Coupons, Eat in Only!
Includes Potato
& Vegetable
$
21
99
Single Twins
HOC1E 53 DCXHCHY 7B1-5B5-2G7G
SkyyVodka..........Regular or Citrus........... ..........................................................................1.75L..................$19.99
CupcakeVodka..........All Flavors .............................................................................750ml ................. $14.99
Blufeld Reisling............................................................................................750ml ................... $7.99
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.................................................. 750ml ..................$12.99
Lacrema Chardonnay or Pinot Noir........... ............................ 750ml ..................$16.99
Lindemans Australian Wines............................................................... 1.5L ......................$9.99
Coors Light or Miller Lite........................................................ 20 pk. bottles .......... $15.99+dep
prices good through 8/30/11
OSHOHN'S
C o u n t r y S t o r e
POOL
Smile
HINTS
900 Webster Street
Marshfield 781-834-7951
The best way to blue.
and services inc.
Shore Pools
Q. My pool smells like chlorine and my eyes get
irritated. What should I be doing?
A. Tow things. One is the pH proper (7.4 to
7.6), and two is there enough chlorine in the
water? The pH of of the human eye is 7.4 to 7.6
and low pH will irritate the eyes. Also, low avail-
able chlorine (sometimes caused by chloramines)
creates these symptoms. The pool water must be
heavily shocked to get rid of these chloramines.
THIS WEEK'S
SPECIAL
BURNOUT 3
SHOCK
REG. PRICE
$4.35 1 LB. BAG
SALE PRICE
$3.98 1 LB. BAG
9
Duxbury Clipper
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
the development company had
pledged to put a traffc light at
the entrance to Island Creek
Village. There has been some
debate over what exactly the
company is responsible for,
and that light would be part
of a larger state construction
project where an additional
two lights (for a total of three)
would be put near the exit.
The idea of traffc lights
isnt pleasing to everyone.
Many Duxbury residents take
pride in being a one-stoplight
town. (The only fully func-
tioning traffc light is at the
intersection of Tremont, West
and St. George streets. This
light has not proved a cure-all
for accidents, however. There
were 14 accidents during the
study period, seven of them
with reported injuries.)
Others simply believe
lights wont solve the problem
at Exit 10.
Youre not going to cure
that intersection with lights,
said John Hamilton, who was
in an accident at Exit 10 on
Aug. 6, 2006. It would be
counterproductive to the fow
of traffc.
Hamilton said a driver
coming up the road from
Hanafords in Kingston struck
another car, which careened
into his vehicle.
Took out two of my doors
and two of my tires, he said.
The drivers of the other
cars were injured, but Ham-
ilton was unhurt, and went to
calm the female driver of the
frst car, who appeared to be in
shock.
In this case, the design
of the intersection wasnt the
likely cause of the crash. Ham-
ilton said both drivers were in
their 80s and it was more like-
ly a case of driver error.
Fatal danger on Franklin
Another intersection often
pegged as a danger spot is also
on Route 53, at the intersec-
tion with Franklin Street. A
Middleboro woman was killed
in this spot in June. (See side-
bar on page 7.)
Like the Winter Street
crossing, drivers on Franklin
Street often have diffculty
seeing traffc coming down 53
in both directions.
Theres a curve coming
from the south, you have to
nudge out to see, said Mike
McAuley, who lives on Saw-
mill Road near the intersec-
tion. He used to live near the
Winter Street crossing as well.
On Aug. 6 of this year, he
and a neighbor heard the noise
of a three-car accident at the
intersection while setting up
for a block party.
We just heard the
screeching and the crash, he
said. At least one of the driv-
ers involved was injured and
trapped in his or her car after
the crash.
Residents who live in the
neighborhood consider the in-
tersection so dangerous, that
they will often fnd alternate
routes, such as High Street.
McAuley thinks speed is the
major factor especially the
traffc on Route 53.
People are just fying
through, he said.
And its not just neighbors.
In response to the fatal crash
and others, Duxbury Police of-
fcers took a look at the inter-
section and fled a report.
Police looked at 19 crash-
es between the years 2001 and
2010, to try to fnd a pattern in
the at fault vehicle.
Therefore, with 12 crash-
es ftting our criteria [travel-
ing East on Franklin Street],
63 percent of all accidents at
this intersection involve ve-
hicles that are traveling east of
Franklin Street and fail to stop
at the stop sign, the report,
authored by Thomas Brown,
reads.
So why are drivers not stop-
ping? It could be people unfa-
miliar with the area (McAuley
said Franklin is often used as
a cut-through for people trying
to reach Route 27) or it could
be poor signage.
Of the 12 crashes ftting
the criteria, seven were op-
erated by nonresidents who
could possibly be unfamiliar
with the area and did not real-
ize that they were approaching
an intersection. The possibility
also exists that the design of
the intersection and placement
of signage may not be optimal
to alert drivers that they are
approaching an intersection,
wrote Brown, who pointed out
the actual stop sign is obscured
by a telephone pole (there is a
stop ahead sign before the
intersection itself.)
Jeanne White said unfa-
miliarity may also contribute
to problems at Winter Street.
I dont think out-of-
towners know theres a stop
sign there on Winter Street,
she said. The majority of the
time, accidents happen because
someone has gone through the
stop sign.
Poor design to blame?
The Franklin Street/Route
53 intersection isnt the only
place where people believe
bad line of sight or signage
contributes to the problem.
But its diffcult to separate
roadway design from driver
error.
You cant blame it all on
the drivers, said White of her
troubled intersection. I really
dont know why they dont
have the concept that that is an
intersection. People say ,Oh
I never saw the sign, and the
people who got hit say that the
other person never stopped.
Almost everyone agrees
that speed is a factor in many
of the crashes. Streets like
Route 53 or Tremont Street
have posted speed limits of
between 30-45 miles per hour,
depending on where you are.
Yet many drivers some per-
haps not familiar with the area
treat them like highways
and race around corners and
through what they believe will
be straightaways. (Speed lim-
its are set at the state level.)
Speed is an incredible
problem on 53, said White.
I always use precau-
tions, added McAuley. I go
40 miles per hour on 53.
Whatever the causes and
potential solutions of acci-
dents are, White hopes some-
thing is done soon.
Its way overdue, she
said. Its almost suicidal out
there you take life in your
hands.
Clipper Intern Anne Steele
contributed to this report
Duxburys dangerous roads
continued from page 7
Part 2 of this special re-
port will focus on the possible
solutions to traffc problems
and dangerous intersec-
tions around town, and how
the often ponderous process
for roadway improvements
works. Look for it in an up-
coming Clipper.
The intersection of Franklin Street and 53, pictured above, was the
site of a recent fatal crash. Duxbury Police examined the intersec-
tions history of crashes and determined most of the accidents here
are caused by people travelling East on Franklin Street (the direction
of the arrow) who fail to stop at the stop sign.
Youre not going to cure that intersection with lights ...
It would be counterproductive to the flow of traffic.
John Hamilton on Exit 10
Massachusetts Grown...and freshest
(781) 585-2392 / www.bongis.com
Doute 58, Duxburq Mon-Sut 9um-6pm
Open Julq 4th 9um-1pm
Bongis Turkey Roost
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE
Summer-time
munchin...
Fried Chicken & ull
the |ixins'
Turkeq Sundwiches
Turkeq Sundwich Plutters
Fresh Suluds
Lurge Orders Welcome
NEW DAY AND NEW TIME!!!
BRING A FRIEND!
Every THURSDAY, 1:30-5:30 pm, August 18 through
September 15, Tarkiln Community Center, Route 53
Local Produce Handmade Art Breads Jellies Eggs
Aromatherapy Products Plants And, much more!
Free $25 Market Bucks - Drawing, August 25, 5:30 pm
Brian Molisse
Cell: 781-831-4754
bmolisse@molisserealty.net
Molisse Realty Group, LLC
18 Snow Road, Marsheld
Phone: 781-837-5600
636 Middle Street, Weymouth
Phone: 781-331-3900
www.molisserealty.com
European Antiques
Custom Furniture & Upholstery
5, 8, 12 & 14 Nortb Street Pymoutb (508) 747-2242
www.JionanJcompany.com
Mon.-Sat. 11am-5pm Sun. 1-5pm
71.294.2240
FST#ST36334 CST#2034468-40
Lindo Ford, MCC - Cruise 5peciolisl
www.5ondAnd5eoCruises.com
Oosis is Herel
)RULQIRRQ2DVLVVDLOLQJVSOXVPDQ\PRUHFDOO
/DUJHVW&UXLVH6KLS
LQWKH:RUOG
2DVLVRIWKH6HDV
60
ON THE WEB: www.duxburyclipper.com E-MAIL: editor@duxburyclipper.com Newsroom: 781-934-2811 x25 Advertising: 781-934-2811 x23 Newsstand: $1.00
VOLuME LXI NO. 37 WEdNEsdAy, sEpTEMBEr 7, 2011 I wont be a rock star. I will be a legend. Freddie Mercury
TINY & SONS GLASS
RS 649
Since 1978
tinyandsons.com
237 Washington St.
(Rte 53) Pembroke
781-826-7779
WE S UP P ORT B OY S A ND GI R L S C L UB
MOBILE AUTO GLASS SERVICE
1-888-64-TINYS
PLUMBING & HEATING
Jonathan Clarke
Special- High Efciency Hot Water Heaters!
934-7800 Lic. # 11961
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
jclarke7800@msn.com
1 Bay Road, Duxbury 7I-934-u2 - www.portlere.com
1lmothy L. rlcoll,
roker. 0wner
781-831-2681
LANDSCAPING
Mark Ferrari 781-934-7719
ferrarilandscaping.net
F
E
R
RA
R
I
LANDSCAPING
Huge Inventory
New & Pre-Owned
Exit 8, Off Rte. 3, Kingston
nxnxxUHOTSULLYDEALS.COM
!FEDERALLYLICENSEDTAXPROFESSIONAL
Individual Business Estates Trusts
IRS Audits and Problems
Tax & Bookkeeping Services
(781) 293-1040
42 Mattakeesett Street Pembroke www.TaxLadyEA.com
Call Ben Carlson, MLO#203062
781-820-5809
bcarlson@coastalfinance.com
Coastal FinanceLLC, NMLS#20130MALIC. #5335
Buying A Home?
Have Mortgage Needs?
Loam & Seed
Eyes Examined Contact Lenses Fitted
Prescriptions Filled
DR. PATRICIA VAN TO5H
Optometrist
27 Railroad Ave. Suite 1 934-6945
DR. DOUGLAS WORTHMAN
Podiatrist
~Treatment of all diseases of the foot~
27 Railroad Ave. Suite 1 934-6945
StandishCapitalMortgage.com
MB#2269 Mortgage Loan Ofcer #7280
We arrange loans,
we do not make them
30 yr xed 3.990 0 pointsAPR4.121s 20 yr xed 3.750 0 pointsAPR3.931
15 yr xed 3.250 0 pointsAPR3.376 s 10 yr xed 3.125 0 pointsAPR3.311
Closing costs are only $1,500
38 DLPOT STPLLT 78l9347768
NEXT TO FOODIES
Open 7 days a week wlth 24 hour v|P drop
Same Day: |n by 7:30am back by 5 (Mon-Sat)
MONOGRAMMING at Randys
Personalize as well as identify your towels,
back packs, team jackets.....
OFF TO COLLEGE
WHY NOT MONOGRAM YOUR TOWELS
Irene leaves
a big mess
By Justin GraeBer, Clipper editor
Justin@duxBuryClipper.Com
Tropical Storm Irene cer-
tainly left her mark on Dux-
bury some residents went
almost a week without power.
Irenes powerful winds
felled trees and knocked out
power lines all over town,
and it took the power utility
NSTAR until Friday to fully
restore electricity to all Dux-
bury residents.
Kimberly Weimeyer, who
lives on Bay Road, was one of
the last residents to have her
lights turned back on. Her time
in the blackout started around
10 a.m. on Sunday, in the mid-
dle of the storm.
A tree limb fell on the
line that brings power to the
house, she said.
Workers from NSTAR
came on Monday and discon-
nected the wire, so it wouldnt
be dangerous.
It was in the road, it was
batting around the tree limb,
Weimeyer said.
Some wait until Friday for power
By Justin GraeBer, Clipper editor
Justin@duxBuryClipper.Com
P
eople who live near the
intersection of Winter
Street and Route 53, re-
garded by many as one of the most
dangerous in town, crowded into the
Mural Room at Town Hall to hear a
proposal from Mass Highway engi-
neers.
The offcials were proposing
a roundabout, a circle designed to
slow down traffc, that they said
would help reduce the number of
serious accidents at the spot. Neigh-
bors were optimistic about the plans,
with many saying some kind of in-
tersection improvement was over-
due.
That was in October of 2009.
The intersection remains as treach-
erous as ever, with a blinking yel-
low the only signal telling drivers
on Route 53 to watch their speed.
Some of the reasons for the de-
lay are economic the state simply
Traffic in circles
A lack of funding and a convoluted
bureaucracy make road work difficult
SPECIAL REPORT
CALMING TRAFFIC: In 2009, Mass
Highway engineers proposed a round-
about at the intersection of Route 53
and Winter Street but the project has
stalled. continued on page 4 Photos by Justin Graeber
Mourners at a memorial service for Lt. Timothy Steele of Duxbury include, from left, his sister Julie
Maxwell; his niece Charlotte Maxwell; his mother Mary Ellen Steele; and father Jack Steele, at the
Holy Family Catholic Church in Duxbury on Sunday. Timothy Steele, 25, died Aug. 23 while serving
with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. He leaves his wife
Meaghan and daughter Liberty, 1. See more photos on page 15.
Pool photo/The Patriot Ledger
continued on page 14
4 Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Duxbury Clipper
doesnt have the money to
construct this as well as other
highway improvements around
the state. But making changes
to roadways is a complex pro-
cess that requires working with
a large state bureaucracy, and
Duxbury offcials are learn-
ing that they have to make
their voices heard in Boston if
they ever want to see improve-
ments.
TIP of the iceberg
Few large-scale road im-
provement projects are taken
on with only town funding.
State and federal money come
into Duxbury for road work in
a couple of ways. State Chap-
ter 90 money is appropriated
every year, and is based on
the amount of accepted road-
ways in town and the number
of people employed within
Duxburys borders. (See chart
below.) This money, accord-
ing to state statute, can be used
for maintaining, repairing, im-
proving and constructing town
and county ways and bridges.
The town spends it, and it is
reimbursed by the state.
More involved projects,
however, are funded through
the Transportation Improve-
ment Project list, better known
as the TIP.
The TIP is a list of highway
projects, and includes bridge
work, traffc lights, highway
widening and resurfacing and
even the construction of bike
paths. In most cases it involves
federal money as well as state
funds.
A breakdown of projects
being funded in the federal fs-
cal year 2012, available on the
states Web site, does not in-
clude any projects in Duxbury
although there are many in
District 5, the Mass Highway
district that covers Duxbury.
However, there are a number
of Duxbury projects on the
TIP, in various states of com-
pletion.
Some of the projects, such
as road resurfacing on Route 3
in Duxbury and Hingham, and
tree trimming on Route 53,
have already been completed.
But others are in the design
phase, according to the De-
partment of Transportation
including the roundabout at
Route 53 and Winter Street.
The town has a few advo-
cates when it comes to getting
funding for roadway projects.
Town Planner Tom Broadrick
is the TIP representative for
Duxbury. He attending meet-
ings in Boston, on Thursdays
every other week, and says
its a place where you have to
stand up and be heard.
Youve got to go to their
meetings and advocate for
your project, he said.
Even fguring out which of-
fce to plead to can be tricky. If
a project is being funded with
private money - either by a
developer as part of a project
or something entirely funded
by a town it is handled by
the Department of Transpor-
tation offce in Boston. If its
something that involves state
or federal money, its handled
by the district offce District
5 in Taunton, for Duxbury.
The planning authority that
Duxbury belongs to, MPAC,
stretches all the way up to
Gloucester and includes Metro
Boston. The major problem
standing between Duxbury
offcials and the completion
of the Winter Street/Route 53
roundabout is money there
simply isnt enough to go
around in these tough fnancial
times. Duxbury is the south-
ernmost community out of 101
cities and towns in MPAC, and
when funding is limited its
tough to convince the state to
throw some of those limited
dollars in Duxburys direc-
tion.
Roundabout we go
Broadrick and Paul Brogna,
the co-chairman of the towns
Highway Safety Committee,
both say the top project on the
docket is the roundabout.
Our number one project in
terms of priority is that Route
53 and Winter Street intersec-
tion, Broadrick said.
Each year the committee
votes the three intersections
they believe most need to be
looked at, and sends that list
to the state. For the past sev-
eral years, the names have
remained the same Winter
Street and Route 53 as the top
priority, then BaileyCorner
(the intersection of Tobey Gar-
den Street, Chestnut Street and
Tremont Street) and Coxs
Corner (the intersection near
the former Millbrook Motors.)
In October of 2009,
MassHighway Engineers John
Diaz and Mike Papadopoulos
came to Duxbury Town Hall to
present preliminary plans for a
roundabout at the intersection.
Diaz said that there are
complaints about traffc at the
crossing, but thats not the rea-
son MassHighway decided to
take on the project.
This project is more of a
safety issue, he said. There
are not a lot of breaks in the
traffc to safely make it across
[coming from Winter Street].
The problem, he said, isnt
so much the number of acci-
dents as the frequency, which
is much higher than similar
crossings.
Were looking at this as
a traffc calming measure, he
said.
The term traffc calming
is often used to describe round-
abouts. They are different from
rotaries in that they will nar-
row traffc by dropping a lane,
and are angled so that drivers
slow down upon approaching
the circle. At this particular
intersection, engineers hope to
slow traffc coming up Route
53 down to 25 mph, said
Diaz.
Residents at that meeting
were encouraged.
This has been an incon-
venience for a long time, said
Don Christenson. You cant
cross the street in three min-
utes, theres always something
coming.
The traffc on that in-
tersections got to be slowed
down, said Don Sjostedt.
Some people were worried
about infringement on their
properties, but Diaz said except
for some temporary construc-
tion easements, the roundabout
would be built within the exist-
ing right of way.
Papadopoulos told the
crowd design would be com-
plete by fall of 2010, with con-
struction fnishing by the fall
of 2011, at a cost of around
$900,000, paid for by the state.
Yet no further hearings were
held, and its now the fall of
2011 and no work has been
done.
The project remains at
about 75 percent design com-
pletion, but because there is
no money for construction, the
state is reluctant to fnish the
design process.
Money is the main rea-
son for the projects stall, but
earlier this year, Duxbury lost
a powerful advocate when it
came to roadway improve-
ment. Joseph Shea was chair-
man of the Highway Safety
Committee for many years, and
he had contacts in the state that
he would lean on to make sure
Duxburys projects got atten-
tion on Beacon Hill. He was a
major factor in pushing for the
Exit 11 roundabout, at Lincoln
SPECIAL REPORT: Slow process for road work
continued from page one
First roundabout no easy task
This cartoon ran in the Clipper 10 years ago, and it referred to delays at the Lincoln Street/Congress
Street roundabout, but it could be just as true today, speaking to Winter Street and Route 53.
T
he proposed round-
about at Winter
Street and Route
53 wont be Duxburys frst.
The roundabout near Exit 11,
at the intersection of Lincoln
and Congress streets, was one
of the frst of its kind in the
state. The intersection was a
problem for many years and
saw dozens of accidents, in-
cluding fatal ones. All that
stood at the intersection was a
blinking yellow light (which
hasnt proved useful at Win-
ter Street or Baileys Corner,
either.)
First proposed in 1999-
2000, the project was sup-
posed to take seven months
and cost $372,000. It stretched
longer than that, however, as
Duxbury offcials had to pres-
sure the state to complete the
work.
The roundabout lowered
the speed limit to 25 miles
per hour and slowed traffc
approaching the on and off
ramps, cutting the number of
accidents there.
The roundabout under construction in May of 2000.
The Mass.gov Web site provides
a breakdown of FY2012 Chapter
90 funds for Duxbury. Chapter
90 money is used for things like
repaving and maintenance.
continued on page 6
READ MORE
This is the second part of
a two-part series examining
automobile crashes and the
process for improving inter-
sections around town. You
can read the first part of the
series at our Web site, dux-
buryclipper.com
6 Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Duxbury Clipper
and Congress streets (see side-
bar) and he brought the idea of
the Winter Street and Route 53
roundabout to the selectmen a
couple of years ago.
He was a good one to
have for us, said Broadrick.
He had connections.
Safety committee local advo-
cates
The Highway Safety Com-
mittee is Duxburys other link
to the state in terms of road-
way improvements. It is a
town committee, reporting to
the Board of Selectmen, that
Brogna described as an initial
listening point for residents
who may have trafc or road-
way-related concerns about
town.
Brogna and Jeff Lewis are
co-chairmen of the seven mem-
ber committee, which includes
engineers and representatives
from the police and re depart-
ments.
Its a good cross sec-
tion of experience and com-
mon sense, said Brogna. It
works.
Police Chief Matthew
Clancy praised the group, say-
ing that every town doesnt
necessarily have such a com-
mittee as a sounding board for
trafc and safety issues on the
roads.
I think thats a fantastic
forum, Clancy said.
Brogna has been on High-
way Safety since 1988, and the
committee existed for a few
years before that. The group
meets on the rst Thursday of
the month at the Emergency
Operations Center at the Trem-
ont Street re station.
The group consults on large
projects around town. Theyre
now tackling trafc ow on
the re station expansion, new
police station and the proposed
new middle/high school. But
they are also approached by
citizens who have a concern
about their neighborhoods.
For example, the commit-
tee was recently approached
by a group of citizens who
want to see an additional stop
sign at the intersection of Vine
Street, Cross Street, Union
Bridge Road and King Phillip
Path. According to accident
data analyzed by the Clipper,
there have been only two re-
corded accidents, both with
no injury, during the period of
2005-2008. But fender benders
with no police involvement or
less than $1,000 worth of dam-
age are not catalogued, and
neighbors are concerned about
the speeding and near misses.
The Highway Safety Com-
mittee will listen to residents
concerns, then gather informa-
tion for about a month, Brogna
said. There are some things the
committee can ask (through
the selectmen or Town Man-
ager) the Department of Public
Works to do right away, such
as tree trimming or limited
signage, such as an Intersec-
tion Ahead sign. More seri-
ous changes, such as a stop
sign, may be under the towns
purview, but the committee
will check with the state. A
new stop sign will only be ap-
proved if its the best possible
solution, Brogna said.
What the committee does
not have much control over are
things like speed limits. Dux-
burys default limit is 30 miles
per hour, and 20 for a school
zone, but some roads like
Tremont Street and Route 53
go up to 40-45 mph. Another
road item that is set at the state
level is the dotted yellow lines
that indicate drivers can safely
cross into the opposite lane to
pass. Brogna said his group
can make suggestions when
the state repaints the lines, but
they dont have much local
control.
Theres a lot of things we
end up doing, he added. We
take very seriously the safe-
ty protection thats required
here.
Waiting for xes
Other than Winter Street
and Route 53, the other two
priorities on the Highway Safe-
ty Committees list are Coxs
Corner (the intersection of
Route 139, and Route 3A near
the Marsheld line) and Bai-
leys Corner (the intersection
of Tremont Street (3A) Tobey
Garden Street and Chestnut
Street.)
During the Clippers re-
view of crash data provided
by Mass Highway from 2005-
2008, Coxs Corner stood alone
as the most dangerous intersec-
tion in town. There were 25
crashes there during the period
studied, including at least six
where someone was injured
(four reported accidents did not
include injury data.)
A solution for that inter-
section isnt obvious. Police
ofcials say the angle where
the streets meet causes side im-
pact-type accidents, and some
residents suggested that tree
trimming (such as the bushes in
front of the former Millbrook
Motors) would improve vis-
ibility. Although the Highway
Safety Committee has asked
the state to look at the crossing
for years, it isnt on the TIP,
and theres no plan for any kind
of signal, additional signage or
any other trafc improvement.
Baileys Corner is another
often-mentioned intersection
when residents discuss trouble-
some spots around town. Its
not the intersection with the
most accidents 12 during the
study period, two reported with
injury. But it is a place where,
despite Duxburys pride in
being a one stoplight town
(Tremont Street and West/St.
George), some residents have
clamored for a trafc light.
There is a blinking yellow
hanging about the crossing
now, but residents say its not
See for yourself where crashes occur
In order to better analyze the raw crash data provided by MassHighway, Clipper staff members took
each accident and plugged it into a custom Google map, using colored thumbtacks to mark the
location of each reported accident. A green pin represents a fatal accident, red means a nonfatal
injury occurred, blue is property damage only, and yellow means the crash report did not say whether
or not anyone was hurt. On our Web site, duxburyclipper.com, readers can find links to maps show-
ing crashes from the years studied: 2005-2008.
Got an opinion you want to share?
Sound off on this or any other issue.
Send your comments to:
What
do YOU
think?
E-mail: editor@duxburyclipper.com
Mail: P.O. Box 1656, Duxbury, MA 02331
continued on page 12
www. t r a c ys he e ha n. c om
*
781- 585- 7363
Portraits by
Brian Molisse
Cell: 781-831-4754
bmolisse@molisserealty.net
Molisse Realty Group, LLC
18 Snow Road, Marsheld
Phone: 781-837-5600
636 Middle Street, Weymouth
Phone: 781-331-3900
www.molisserealty.com
European Antiques
Custom Furniture & Upholstery
5, 8, 12 & 14 Nortb Street Pymoutb (508) 747-2242
www.JionanJcompany.com
Mon.-Sat. 11am-5pm Sun. 1-5pm
continued from page 6
Sonia T. Kelly, M. Ed.
AMI Montessori Certified
State Certified: Preschool through Third Grade
Over 15 years of leau teacling exerience
Ages 2.5 - 5 in oir lriglt classroom
3 to 1 stiuent-teacler ratio
Montessori anu Reggio milia Aroacl
Otional Sanisl classes
Visit us at www.bluerivermontessori.org
484 Temple Street, Duxbury (781) 834-4480
12 Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Duxbury Clipper
enough. Lou Tretakoff orga-
nized a petition in 2004 push-
ing for a light, and he said it
only took him three weeks to
gather 1,300 names.
While the intersection
doesnt have a lot of high speed
crashes, Tretakoff has a differ-
ent perspective.
A traffc light is for traf-
fc, he said. He pointed out the
number of cars registered in
town has doubled over the past
10 years, and when he original-
ly proposed the light, the state
measured the traffc and found
that Baileys Corner has the
second most traffc after Route
3s Exit 10 on the Kingston line.
He believes the lack of a light
creates serious traffc problems
people coming from Tobey
Garden Street cant see traffc
coming from the right, and cars
trying to cross Tremont from
Chestnut Street can wait a long
time before there is a safe break
in traffc.
Baileys Corner, interest-
ingly enough, is on the TIP list,
but not for a light . The proj-
ect is described as intersection
improvements highway re-
construction, minor widening,
and its in the design state. But
neither Broadrick nor Brogna
knew what that entails.
One of the other major
highway projects on the Trans-
portation Improvement List
might mean Duxbury will
go from a one stoplight town
to a four stop light town, as
three new traffc signals are
planned for the Route 3 on and
off ramps on the Kingston line
near Exit 10.
This potential project came
to light as part of the Island
Creek Village expansion last
year. As part of the comprehen-
sive permit approval process,
the developers at Island Creek
agreed to pay for the design of
the light near the entrance to
their complex. Three lights in
total are planned, one at Island
Creek, and one at each on/off
ramp.
Exit 10 is an area that sees
a lot of accidents, 26 from
2005-2008, including nine with
injury.
Brogna, who worked with
the Island Creek development
team, said the lights are at 25
percent design, but as with
the roundabout, the process is
stalled because theres no mon-
ey for construction.
The waiting game
Its hardly a news fash
that getting things done in
Massachusetts or any state
requires some political wran-
gling. But the reason things
arent getting done in Duxbury
is simple: theres no money.
Until the economy improves,
and transportation money be-
gins to fow from Beacon Hill
down to the cities and towns
of the Commonwealth, major
projects like the roundabout at
Route 53 and Winter Street, or
the traffc lights at Exit 10, will
continue to stall. And drivers
heading through Coxs Corner
to the beach, or trying to turn
left on Tremont Street at Bai-
leys Corner, will continue to
face dangerous driving condi-
tions.
continued from page 6
The intersection of Tremont Street, Tobey Garden
Street and Chestnut Street, known as Baileys Corner,
is a messy one not necessarly because of accidents,
but because of traffic, according to a resident who
petitioned the state for a traffic light at this location.
Vili * 975 Fish kd. oll koule 245 * Iiverlon * k.l.
* FkEE Looner Cor
* FkEE Pick-up & Delivery
* FkEE Wosh & Voc on oll 5ervice Appls.
viti.com
401-624-6181 / 1-888-BUY-VITI
Will
Dame
General Sales
Manager
Conservatory to host free arts festival
A free Family Arts Festival hosted by South Shore Con-
servatory will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, from 1-3 p.m. Open
to the public, the event welcomes the areas families to spend
time together exploring music, theater and dance at South
Shore Conservatory, at The Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St.
George St.
The festival kicks off with a free interactive Family Con-
cert featuring a musical tale of a baby violin in search of its
family. Immediately following the performance, children will
be treated to an Arts Passport, which allows them to travel
through a variety of activities,
Admission to all of the activities is free of charge. Fami-
lies are welcome to tour the facility, meet faculty and staff,
and learn more about the broad range of programs offered
for children of all ages. Those unable to attend the afternoon
festival in Duxbury are welcome to attend the same event at
SSCs Hingham location, also on Sept. 10, from 9-11 a.m.
at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham. For more information,
call 781-934-2731, ext. 11, or visit sscmusic.org .
Bay Path Nursing Home
resident show Sept. 28
Bay Path Nursing Home will be holding its resident art show
on Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m. refreshments will be served. Ten Bay
Path residents have been working hard painting watercolors un-
der the teaching of volunteer Sandy Sweetser. A variety of sub-
ject matter, fruit, still life, fowers, seascapes and more, will be
on display.
Duxbury Camera Club
will launch its third season on
Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.
in the Merry Room of the Dux-
bury Free Library. Members
work will be the feature of the
evening, starting with a visual
retrospective of last years
numerous feld trips, among
them excursions to Bay Farm,
Scituate Harbor and Plimouth
Plantation. During the meet-
ing members will also have
the opportunity to illustrate
what I did this summer with
one or two of their best prints
taken during the summer
months. All are encouraged to
participate and to tell the story
behind the shots.
The Monthly Challenge is
a regular Camera Club feature
whereby members vote on the
print of their choice. Because
the June meeting was can-
celed, due to severe weather,
the September meeting will
include two themes spring
and summer. Members are en-
couraged to bring in up to two
prints for each season. Win-
ners are posted on the Club
Web site.
In addition to a full slate
of monthly programs, the
Clubs Steering Committee
has assembled a full schedule
of events for the 2011-2012
season, including workshops,
feld trips, exhibitions and the
publication of a book com-
memorating Duxburys 375th
Anniversary. Full details will
be available at the September
meeting.
The frst workshop is
scheduled for Saturday, Sept.
17 in the Merry Room, from
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Photography
experts will be available to an-
swer members questions on
a variety of subjects, ranging
from camera settings to photo
editing software. No question
is too elementary, and every-
one is encouraged to get some
mentoring on vexing ques-
tions. Sign-up for this work-
shop will be available during
the Sept. 7 meeting or on the
club Web site, duxburycam-
eraclub.org.
Also on Sept. 17, a late af-
ternoon feld trip is scheduled
to Snug Harbor and the Blue-
fsh River areas in Duxbury.
All feld trips conclude with
an informal social gathering
where images can be shared
and discussed. Full details can
be found on the Web site.
Duxbury Camera Club
meets the frst Wednesday
of each month, from 7-9:15
p.m., in the Merry Room of
the Duxbury Free Library.
Guests are welcome to visit
one monthly meeting, while
workshops, feld trips, exhib-
its and critiques are available
to members only. For more
information visit the Web site
or contact katherineadixon@
me.com.
Duxbury Camera Club set for new season
Long road to improvements