Springfest Follow-up

Channel 4 news was onhand for Springfest this year, because coverage before the weekend suggested that a showdown might occur between police and determined students. As Alana Gomez reports, the unrest was less significant than expected, and less than last year. Town officials have offered to meet with neighbors soon, to discuss how things went and how to prepare for next year. We will post the meeting time as soon as it has been determined.

Special Olympics Aquatics Meet -- BSC April 25; many volunteers needed

BSC Athletics is hosting the 16^th Annual Special Olympics Aquatics Meet on Sunday, April 25^th  and has asked BCNA to share this with neighbors:

The 16^th Annual Special Olympics South Sectional Aquatics Meet to be held at Bridgewater State College is rapidly approaching and we  would like your help!  The meet will be held on Sunday April 25, 2010 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm in the Moriarty Pool at Kelly Gym on the West Campus of BSC.  You can volunteer for the 8:00  am – 12:00 noon shift, the 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm shift or you can volunteer for the whole day.  All are welcome to participate: students, faculty, staff, administrators and your families/friends.  You don’t have to be a member of the BSC community to volunteer for this great event.

The first 160 volunteers to register online using the “Special Olympics” button on the left side of the page at www.bscbears.com will receive a Special Olympics t-shirt and the opportunity to have an experience of a lifetime!

Come join us on April 25 and help us to “Inspire Greatness” with Special Olympics!

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:

Koplovsky decision continued

The hearings on the Koplovsky boarding license has been continued yet again; the next phase is at 6:30 Tuesday, March 9, at the next Selectmen's meeting at the television statement. We have been assured that this time community members will have a chance to speak.

March 6: next meeting

The Bridgewater Center Neighborhood Association will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 6 at the home of Pam & James Hayes-Bohanan, 108 Maple Avenue. Excellent coffee will be served. The agenda will include the pending lodging licenses on Burrill Avenue, and other matters related to problematic properties.

Lodging Licences for Bryan Koplovsky

Neighbors are encouraged to attend the Selectmen's meeting on February 23 at 6:45. The agenda will include whether to extend the lodging licenses at the notorious properties at 9 Burrill Ave. and 105 Plymouth St. The properties are owned by Bryan Koplovsky, who resides at 115 High Street in Duxbury. He also owns 103 Plymouth St., which he rents to students without a lodging license.

The lodging license has been extended for one month at Mr. Koplovsky's request. Neighbors may bring questions as to the basis for that extension and measures that Mr. Koplovsky intends to take to avoid the dangerous disturbances for which his properties have become well-known. If a license is to be extended, questions related to its conditions and requirements would be most appropriate.

Hope.Help.Haiti at BSC -- Feb 3.

Students, faculty, and staff at Bridgewater State College are responding to the earthquake in Haiti with sympathy, energy, and creativity. A fund has been established at the college, to be shared equally between the Red Cross and Partners in Health. Many different activities and initiatives are underway, both to raise money for that fund and to provide time for education and reflection.

The biggest event currently planned is the February 3 Hope.Help.Haiti event in the ball room of the Campus Center. All are invited -- the program will run from 1 to 8. See the BSC-Haiti blog for information about this and other, on-going activities, including a schedule for that day.