Bridgewater selectmen delay decision on two college party houses

At Tuesday evening's meeting of the Board of Selectmen, neighbors were given a chance to give testimony regarding the renewal of Brian Kaplovsky's lodging licenses. BCNA member James Hayes-Bohanan was one of two residents who spoke about the properties. One neighbor called on the college to do more; James emphasized the responsibility of the building owners.


As most town residents (and even many residents of greater Boston) know, Kaplovsky is the owner of several notorious houses near Bridgewater State College. Collectively, his properties are known as a nuisance, a danger, and a drain on town resources. To high school and college students throughout the region, they are known as a place to pursue underage and after-hours drinking, drugs, and fights.


The hearings and other legal proceedings -- which have themselves taken a substantial amount of town resources -- have focused on whether these properties are being managed effectively. The owner had already agreed to a one-year extension with "zero tolerance" for further disturbances. This condition has most certainly NOT been met, but Kaplovsky's attorney has had some success in shifting the terms of the debate to a matter of blame. He has argued that his client is powerless to stop the disturbances at the property. This seems the most damning testimony of all.


Selectmen will make their decision on Tuesday, March 16, but will have no more public hearings on the matter.


This image of the house is by now well-known:

Let's hope we turn the town around before any more young people are killed, and before we need to resort to the measures taken in Pecica, Romania, which recently installed these signs to warn motorists of drunken pedestrians: