There was a joint meeting of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee and Union 31 on Thursday, Feb. 10. There was a public budget hearing as well as a robust discussion of all things budget related.

Shared Costs Discussion

The meeting began with a review of shared cost contracts. Superintendent Jill Proulx said there were more shared cost contracts this year than usual. Most shared cost positions would be receiving a three percent increase for up to three years. The exceptions would be for the Assistant Superintendent and an administrative assistant who are both making below the average salaries for their position and experience levels. For those positions, there was a proposed salary adjustment.

There was also a proposal for a new shared cost position of Director of Human Resources at an expense of $100,000 to $110,000. The complexities of the regionalization necessitated such a position. Halifax Selectman and member of the Halifax Elementary School Gordon Andrews said, “While I believe that Director of Human Resources would be an important position, I don’t think it should be funded in this upcoming fiscal year.” Silver Lake Regional School Committee Chair Paula Hatch called the administrative team “very slim” and urged everyone to consider the position.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy said that the current shared cost budget is $1,816,164. The shared cost budget that was voted during the meeting was $2,005,164. Andrews asked for the current year’s shared cost budget and was told it was $1,783,176.  Included in the shared cost budget was Proulx’s contract. Both the shared cost budget and Proulx’s contract were voted through. Union 31’s Halifax members voted against the shared cost budget despite it passing.

Public Budget Hearing

Following the votes, Union 31 adjourned and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee’s public budget hearing began. Andrews spoke on behalf of Halifax outlining the vast increases for the town just for special needs tuition, transportation, and the Elementary School budget. Andrews said that Halifax’s minimum contribution will be increasing noting, “the budget of Silver Lake is really unaffordable for the town – the way that it continues to grow.” Andrews said that Halifax should be receiving the most in Chapter 70 funding but said that each town receives an equal amount. Andrews acknowledged that the problem in the disbursement of Chapter 70 is a problem with the legislature not the school.

Kingston School Committee member Jeanne Coleman said, “Try to cut as little as you can… do what you can to bring it to town meeting and hopefully get the support there.” She expressed concern over the students losing much of what makes school fun and enjoyable. Fellow Kingston Committee member Sheila Marie Vaughn argued for the same.

Kingston Treasurer Carl Pike said he was speaking as a resident. “I really think the important thing is we all continue to work together. I get concerned when I hear town officials talking about cuts; there are times when we have to ask for a second look at a budget… I believe strongly that we need to support school budgets,” Pike said. He continued, “Do I think that we can afford as communities to have 5 or 6 percent assessment increases? Absolutely not… I believe that we have some of the finest administrators and teachers in the State and I trust in them to work with the budgets that are reasonable considering other Departments like Police and Fire and Roads and Streets.” The public budget hearing was closed.

Superintendent’s Budget Presentation

Proulx began her budget update by saying that at the last School Committee meeting, it was asked that they cut $400,000 from the most recent iteration of the budget and then build back in $300,000. She said that the preliminary budget is an increase of 3.74 percent. Special education transportation is a 21.36 percent increase and payroll and benefits account for 82 percent of the budget. Health insurance is estimated at 5 percent and included several retirements. She said that several recurring costs for technology and hardware were moved from the Capital Plan and into the budget.

During Tier Two of the budget, Proulx said they began to look at outside of the budget requests and asked principals to consider what could be cut. “Our number one priority across our district leadership team and our principals is the addition of curriculum coordinators. It would come with an increase of $12,000. She said another request was for a 12-month assistant principal at the high school. The Middle School is looking for a split position for a special education teacher and reading teacher. Multiple cuts would have to be made to equipment, supplies and other items to make these positions possible.

The $100,000 in cuts were made up by $20,000 from maintenance of the field, $10,000 from maintenance of buildings, $4,200 from high school teaching supplies, $3,000 from high school textbooks as well as several other smaller cuts.

Proulx noted that there was also mention of adding a K-12 arts coordinator at a cost of $100,000. She noted that it was a shared cost position and not a Silver Lake one but said that she was looking for direction from the Committee. Another issue brought forth was the lack of instrumental education in two out of the three elementary schools. Ways to fund that need were discussed at previous meetings.

Proulx said that private, parochial, and charter school tuitions have all decreased from the previous year. This is beneficial for the public schools. Regarding charter school tuition, Committee member Eric Crone said that since 2016 that dollar amount has increased three-fold from $350,000 to $1,000,000.

Assessments

Healy spoke on the assessments for FY23. “It’s in our regional agreement, it’s the way that we have to assign our costs,” she said of the assessments. Healy also noted that the minimum contribution is assigned by the State based on their own calculations. Both Halifax and Kingston will be paying more than the previous year while Plympton will be paying less. Healy said that state aid is at $7.6 million that  is an increase over recent years. “The total increase for our assessments with capital and based on the operating budget… is $360,000 or a 1.86 percent increase… operating and capital,” Healy explained.

Legislative Update

Andrews did some quick math during the meeting and said that the overall increase from last year’s to this year’s budget stood at $1,183,066. Committee member Jason Fraser noted that they would be receiving $400,000 more this year from the State thereby reducing that number. Fraser continued with his legislative update saying, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Circuit Breaker fully funded,” referring to the State’s program to provide reimbursement for special education. He said that additional funding could come in from Chapter 70. “I acknowledge the burdens on the towns but I want to also make sure that we are clear that the number we’re seeing from the Chapter 70 funds from regional transportation, even potentially from charter school reimbursement, we may see only rise to support us even more,” Fraser explained.

Fraser also told the Committee that he has asked Representative Kathy LaNatra if she could propose an amendment to increase the minimum aid per pupil amount in Chapter 70 from $30 to $100. Fraser also said that he has pushed for an extension of the current policy of free meals at schools for all students. He said they were asking Congress to make it a federal policy. “We know that kids that eat behave better academically and have less behavioral issues,” Fraser explained.

Halifax’s Position on the Budget

Hatch argued that due to no fault of its own, Halifax is not capable of supporting the budget as presented. She noted it was not a philosophical difference but a practical one. “It’s circumstance; there is nothing that can be done about it,” she explained.

Pike asked to speak again saying, “The bottom-line expense that you’re talking about here now, is right around 4 percent. What you do when you have a 4 percent bottom-line is you have two choices – you can go to the communities and go for a proposition 2 ½ override. You can do that so often, you can’t, in my opinion, you can’t convince any community to be doing a proposition 2 ½ override every single year because you need 4 percent increases to run your budget… the other thing you do is maybe you can somehow make it balance but that means that I have to tell my Police Department and my Fire Department and my Parks Department, hey you guys only get a 1 percent increase this year.”

Fraser said that as the second most senior member of the Committee, they have never asked for a proposition 2 ½ override. He noted that he had never been a part, on either of the Committees he serves on, of a budget that was over a 3 percent increase. Fraser said, “However, I am not going to ignore the needs of the students and ignore the needs of the school, especially as we emerge from the past two years.”

Schmaling verified that just the budgets of the schools as they stand currently, without taking into account the operating budget of the town, would force Halifax into an override. She explained to the Committee that such an override would be extremely unlikely to pass. She asked if the town would be forced to support the schools’ budgets, at the expense of other town departments, due to the regional agreement. Andrews explained that the regional agreement forced them to support Silver Lake but not the elementary school. Given that the elementary school is a large portion of the town’s budget, and the other departments are at minimum funding, severe cuts would likely have to be made to the school to support the regional agreement with Silver Lake. “This is extremely painful and uncomfortable that our situation is causing this struggle that we’re having,” Hatch said of Halifax’s position.

Halifax resident and Silver Lake Regional School Committee member Gordon Laws asked, “Is there nothing at all that we can do to monetize and raise revenue that is not tax related and is somehow positive?” “We have overtime put efforts in, we looked at solar panels… only to find out it wasn’t feasible,” Hatch explained. She named other items that had been investigated as well. Fraser said that he was currently working with local lawmakers on a revolving fund for assessments, “where if towns have a low assessment… that there would be incentives for municipalities to put those dollars into a revolving fund where the State would potentially give a percentage match – like a ten percent to encourage that investment.” The Committee agreed to look at and vote the budget at their next meeting in March.

Book Controversy

Hatch said that they were contacted by a parent of a student in the Middle School asking that they review the book, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, that is part of the curriculum. Hatch said that they were advised to follow the school policy and create a review committee to review the request and present it to the larger Committee for a decision. Fraser said that he felt it appropriate that anyone that serves on the review committee commit to reading the book. In addition to a handful of School Committee members, Proulx recommended that the Assistant Superintendent, ELA Coordinator, at least one principal, a guidance director, a counselor, a few parents and students, and several teachers also serve on the review committee.

Principals’ Reports

Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill turned things over to Student Council Representative Mia Mitchell. Mitchell referenced Governor Charlie Baker’s recent announcement that the mask mandate in K-12 schools in the State will end on February 28. Mitchell said she thought the change would have a positive impact on students. Mitchell also provided the Committee with some school updates including a blood drive that is being planned by both Student Council and National Honor Society.

Gill told the Committee that there would be six new course offerings this year including digital photography 2, web development, game design, engineering design and development, medical Spanish, and AP U.S. Government and Politics. Gill said they would be removing some electives and making some other changes to better align with State standards. The Committee voted to accept all changes to the program of studies as presented by Gill.

Gill said that the annual curriculum night would be held following the February break. “We will provide an overview of our curriculum that sort of kicks off what we call course selection season; our eighth graders will be able to start thinking about what courses they want to enroll in at the high school,” Gill explained.

Gill provided a few more school updates including a recent PTO run calendar raffle fundraiser event. Prizes included gift certificates to local spas and restaurants. The grand prize was acting as principal for the day. It was won by freshman Will Hinkley. “We had a lot of fun… he declared it a homework free day and then he passed out 200 ice cream coupons at lunch” Gill said. “I might be out of a job soon,” Gill joked. The fundraiser raised over $4,000.

Gill also named a few staff members that were recently recognized for their efforts including ELA teacher Tracy MacDonald, nurse’s Aid Joanne Dart, English teacher Kelly Griffin, and main office para Jessica Gilbert.

Gill also told the Committee that preschool enrollment is open for residents of Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton.

Middle School Principal James Dupille also provided an update for the Committee. He said that 18 students have received recognition for achievement excellence or citizenship. The teachers vote on the recipient and Dupille awards the students with pins and certificates and calls the parents to alert them of the achievement. Dupille also said that they brought back the History Bee after a hiatus due to COVID. He said that nine students have qualified to move onto the regional round. The Committee applauded the achievement.

Assistant Superintendent’s Update

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch touched upon grant funding. “We do have access to ESSER II funding as well as ESSER III funding… and we’re continuing to move forward in identifying our needs and providing support for students as we can,” Lynch explained. Schmaling thanked the team for making applying for these grants a priority and said, “For public knowledge I just want to note the dollar amount for Silver Lake alone; the grant funding that we obtained for fiscal year 2022 is $1,665,322.31 so it’s certainly nothing to sneeze at.” She did, however, point out that a large portion of the budget is funded by these grants and grants don’t last forever. She cautioned about the sustainability of the budget.

Updated COVID Protocols

Proulx began her update with some COVID changes. She said that isolation was changed to 5 days rather than 10. She also mentioned the new testing program that allows students and staff to opt into a free, at-home test each week. She also mentioned that the State has rescinded the mask mandate for Grades K-12 after February 28. Masks will still be required on buses as it is a federal regulation.

The Halifax Finance Committee met virtually on Jan. 31. Chair Thomas Connolly led things off with a roll call. Vice Chair Cheryll Zarella- Burke was in attendance as were Todd Dargie, Michael Bennett, and Jonathan Schmaling. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan, Town Clerk Susan Lawless, and Holmes Public Library Director Jean Gallant were also present.

Regarding the Fiscal Year 2023 budget, Connolly said, “There’s no new action, other than keep educating ourselves about what’s there.” Nolan noted that she did add $150,000 to revenues for motor vehicle excise. “We’ve always been very conservative, and we did very well last year on motor vehicle excise which was surprising; this year the State is estimating about a 7 percent increase,” Nolan explained.

Nolan also said that they did not yet have the assessment from Silver Lake. She said that there is currently a placeholder for level funding. The Committee noted that the estimate was that Silver Lake’s portion of the assessment would be going up $340,000. “That’s where the rubber is going to hit the road,” Connolly said. Nolan said that to stay in the black, the number would have to be closer to $164,000. “So that obviously goes well over that,” Nolan said.

Linda Cole said that health insurance would be less than what was estimated in the budget. “It will fluctuate a ton between now and then… it will come down, probably significantly,” she explained. She said that the same is true every year. The placeholder is currently set at 7 percent, but the actual number will likely be closer to 3 or 4.

Burke said that she had heard from the Police Chief that the Police Department plans to have a vote at town meeting to purchase two new cruisers. She also said that the Police Chief said that the town has eight auxiliary officers who need to pay their own way through the Police Academy. “So needless to say, they’re not going to do that, so we’re probably going to lose them.” Connolly asked if it was standard practice for towns to have auxiliary officers pay for the academy themselves and was told it was. As a result, the town may end up paying more in overtime for officers. Lawless brought up the high cost of paying officers overtime to fill the shifts normally filled by the auxiliary officers, were they to leave. Connolly responded saying, “Is there a way, you know, local businesses could pay that tuition, or we recruit new auxiliaries who are willing to foot the bill themselves if that is consistent with what other towns ask of their auxiliaries; maybe we can just find a creative way to cover those costs or find someone who is committed enough that they’ll cover them themselves.” Zarella-Burke recommended having the Police Chief attend their next meeting to discuss.

Regarding some of the other departments under Zarella-Burke’s purview she said that while they understand the need for level funded budgets, some costs are out of their control. She gave the rising cost of ambulance supplies as an example.

It was suggested that the Committee approach the department heads to ask for a few ideas for ways to increase their revenues. It was recommended that fee schedules be looked at among other things. “It’s definitely worth looking at,” Nolan agreed. Gallant asked if the library should consider going back to instituting fines for late items. Nolan said that the amount generated would be very small. Gallant said that the Board of Trustees was split on whether to charge late fees though she noted she was against them.

Connolly said that they had a request from the Board of Selectmen. The Selectmen plan to hire an assistant and asked that the position be moved to a Grade 2, Step 3 due to her experience. The Finance Committee voted to approve the request.

Connolly explained that Committee member Michael O’Brien has previous commitments that overlap with much of the work being done by the Finance Committee on Monday evenings. “What I wanted to propose to Michael, if it’s acceptable to the Committee, is that he remain on the Committee, he remain the contact for the departments that he is looking after, and it’s not every Monday that he needs to be away… if he’s amenable to it, because he did express that he would like to stay on the Committee, he’ll miss votes, he’ll miss certain evenings but we still have a quorum without him and then on the evenings that he can join us, he’ll update us on whatever is happening with the budgets that he’s working on,” Connolly explained. While no vote was needed, the Committee did agree to move forward with Connolly’s plan contingent upon O’Brien’s agreement.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday evening, Jan. 11. The bulk of the meeting was spent discussing COVID related policies for employees.

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, Library Director Jean Gallant, Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward, and IT Department Head Cesar Calouro were all in attendance for the discussion. Specific cases were discussed including a library technician who only works 11 hours per week and therefore does not receive benefits. Said employee had a close contact in their immediate family and then later tested positive themselves. Gallant said she wished to pay the employee for the missed week’s salary as they were a good and long-time employee. “I realize that she doesn’t have benefits and you would be making an exception for her,” Gallant told the Board.

The Board was in agreement that if someone is symptomatic but has not yet received a test, they would need to provide documentation of a positive test result. The employee would need to take sick time but would be reimbursed by the town for the time out assuming they had a positive test result. In the case presented by Gallant, it was agreed that despite the employee not having benefits, the town would still reimburse the employee for the missed pay. Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews said that they wanted to encourage sick employees to stay home so as to not risk exposing others out of fear of lost wages. “I think we need to look out for the employee’s health and for the town’s health,” Andrews explained.

The Fire Department is providing free testing for town employees. Asked how they were doing on tests, Viveiros said they still have a few hundred tests to be used on town employees.

Another case specific question was asked which prompted Selectman Ashley DiSesa to joke about the myriad of gray areas surrounding COVID. Gallant said she had an employee who tested negative but is quarantining while caring for a positive dependent. It was agreed that sick time would also be reimbursed in that instance. Viveiros and Hayward said that in the interest of consistency, they have been forwarding questions to Halifax Health Agent Bob Valery for guidance on case specific questions.

Other questions regarding the recent CDC guidance updates were also asked. Recent guidance states that COVID positive individuals can end quarantine after five days as long as their symptoms were resolving and they continued to wear a mask for 10-14 days. “I think what everyone needs to know is, they are still symptomatic after day 5, they need to stay out,” Andrews said. Selectman Troy Garron asked whether the town should require proof of a negative test to return, but DiSesa pointed out that the town would likely run out of tests if they did that.

Calouro questioned whether employees who have the ability to work from home should be working while in quarantine. The Selectmen seemed in agreement that they should not be expected to work which prompted Calouro to question why they spent so much money on laptops for town employees.

After much discussion, DiSesa attempted to summarize the policy saying, “So, the policy is, if an employee feels under the weather… they can go to the Fire Station or go to their doctor and get a valid test from a medical professional – not an at-home test. If that test is positive, we will pay them from the day that they tested from their five days out or however many days if they’re still symptomatic. Or God forbid somebody gets a really bad case of it, we will pay them out until they can come back. If somebody refuses to wear a mask after five days, they can’t come back; they don’t get paid. And if somebody refuses a test and is saying they have COVID, they don’t get paid; they have to take the test.”

Andrews provided an update on the budget, telling the other Selectmen that Town Accountant Sandra Nolan had provided the numbers. He said that the numbers for Silver Lake and veteran’s benefits were not included. “We are negative $127,157.65,” Andrews said. He also pointed out that the figure did not include Halifax’s share of the Middle School resource officer that is roughly $36,000. Andrews said that the largest increase for the schools was in special needs tuition and transportation. He said that those two line items plus the elementary school amounted to a $150,000 increase. “I’m estimating that Silver Lake will be at least a $220,000, if not 300,000, increase for just their annual increases that take place within their budget. He pointed out that special education tuition and transportation was out of the town’s as well as the School Committee’s control.

The Board also discussed an update to the process for applying for Host Community Agreements (HCAs). The Board voted to require that companies wishing to apply for an HCA go through the Planning Board first to receive a special permit. The change was made in order to avoid spending unnecessary legal fees.

On the subject of marijuana establishments, Andrews told the Board that Green Earth Cannabis notified the town that due to “unforeseen circumstances” they would no longer be seeking an HCA with Halifax.

Another marijuana establishment, Flower and Soul, was requesting the installation of lights and a pole at 182 and 183 Plymouth St. DiSesa said that as long as the town would be reimbursed for the cost through the community impact fee, she would be in agreement. The lights are being requested for security reasons. The Board voted to approve the request.

The Selectmen met with two applicants who were seeking the two open spots on the Traffic Safety Committee. Both John Sullivan and Steve Littlefield were voted unanimously onto the Committee by the Selectmen.

Interim Town Administrator Ed Thorne said he had a successful meeting with the Chair of the Solar Committee regarding capping the landfill and placing a solar array on it. He said that he had success in doing this during his previous employment. He said that every town in the Commonwealth is moving toward this step and noted that it should provide electrical savings for all town departments including the school. Thorne told the Selectmen that they would be looking to get the RFP completed in order to “get the ball rolling.”

The Board addressed a request to make a proclamation for a specific citizen. Andrews said that while exceptions were made for pancreatic cancer and suicide awareness month, the town doesn’t usually make proclamations. Garron said that while it was a noble cause, it wouldn’t be practical. DiSesa agreed saying that it would set a precedent that could result in many more requests.

The Board discussed two articles for town meeting pertaining to the Water Department. They would be seeking to transfer approximately $53,000 to purchase a new water truck and to transfer $5,520 to fund phase 2 of upgrades at a treatment plant and chemical facility. The Fire Department is also seeking to raise or appropriate funds to purchase a new ambulance.

Before adjourning for the evening, the Board voted to use $16,000 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds to buy ADA compliant levers and box sets in compliance with the Building Inspector’s requirements for emergency egress.

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met remotely on Monday, Jan. 10. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy addressed possible uses of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds. There had previously been conversation about using a portion of the funds for HVAC work at the schools. Dennehy said that the town has had a difficult time getting a hold of COVID test kits and noted that some of those funds may need to be allocated toward purchasing those as soon as they are available. She said some funding will also need to be directed toward personnel costs for the Fire Department to disperse the kits. “I don’t think it would be a lot of money from our allotment,” Dennehy said. She further said that $5,000 should cover the expense. “We have a real need for testing capability,” she told the Selectmen.

Dennehy said that she acquired quotes for the appraisal of town owned land located on Brook St. She said the appraisal would cost $1,200. “I felt the amount was fair and I think we probably should go forward,” Selectman John Traynor said. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she agreed. Selectman Mark Russo said he did not like the idea of the appraisal but if they were going to move forward with it, he approved of the chosen appraiser. The Selectmen gave Dennehy the go ahead to move forward with the appraisal.

The Board of Selectmen also voted to accept the conservation restriction on a portion of land at 122 Main St. The total square footage of the lot is 186,806. “It’s a way to more significantly minimize the messing up of the environment over there,” Russo explained.

The town’s projects and priorities list were also discussed. Dennehy briefly touched on the COVID-19 response saying she and the Board of Health are in touch at least weekly. Regarding financial priorities, she said they are now turning to budget mode. Dennehy also said that a town meeting article may be considered to modify the bylaw and diversify the membership in the Capital Planning Committee.

Regarding affordable housing opportunities, Dennehy said they are aiming to develop an action plan based upon the Housing Production Plan. She said the Housing Production Plan is also due for an update soon. Dennehy also said that they are continuing to attempt to identify town owned land that would be appropriate for these opportunities.

Dennehy said the implementation of a pavement management plan is in progress. A town meeting article is being considered to fund four speed notice boxes and signage with lights for intersections such as Main St. and Ring Rd. and Winnetuxet Rd. and Prospect Rd. “It seems that our pavement painting does not have the desired effect,” Dennehy said of current attempts to control speed at these intersections.

MassDOT denied the town’s attempt to implement a heavy truck traffic exclusion. Dennehy said the State was not in favor of Plympton’s alternate route which would run through Halifax. She said Halifax would need to provide a letter of support were they to continue to pursue the exclusion. Traynor said he was not sure that it would be a good time to pursue this with Halifax as they currently have an interim town administrator. Russo said the decision by MassDOT was “disappointing.” The Selectmen agreed to wait a few months before pursuing anything further.

Regarding the transaction with Middleborough surrounding Soule Homestead, Dennehy said the legislation is currently in the Senate. She noted that she has not been able to get a definitive answer regarding where it stands other than that it is still in the third reading. Dennehy said she would reach out to Senator Michael Brady.

GATRA transportation services are currently in progress. “It’s been a bit stagnant; they have some turnover at GATRA,” Dennehy told the Selectmen. She went on to say that she has been told that someone should be in touch soon regarding level of service including scheduling and routes.

Under technology, Dennehy said the technology master plan including bolstering websites is currently in progress. Traynor suggested involving Silver Lake Technology Director Steve Pellowe in the conversations.

Issues being looked at by the Town Properties Committee were also discussed. Town Properties Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen said that there were many items ahead of the Plympton hearse in terms of priority but said that its current location is problematic. “It’s being taken advantage of by our little four-legged rodents,” he said. A storage facility is needed for the next few years. Wilhelmsen said that discussions were had regarding the need for a storage building but noted that it was “further down the list.” Dennehy suggested the possibility of a private entity housing it.

They also discussed a town meeting article for a study into the building of a new fire station. Wilhelmsen said, “at some point we are going to have to,” regarding the need for building a new station. He emphasized that the money needed now is for a study into the possibility of building a station, not actually building it.

Wilhelmsen said, “the library has been neglected for a bit.” There are lighting and plumbing issues that need to be addressed. There was a roof survey done regarding replacing the library roof. Wilhelmsen said that they now have a cost for the project. “When is the last time you remember us doing anything for the library at town meeting?” Wilhelmsen asked. “We can get that building back on track in pretty short order,” he told the Selectmen noting he was excluding the roof work in that assessment.

The Town House roof also needs to be replaced. Wilhelmsen said the roof is divided into three sections saying that they are focusing on sections 2 and 3 at the moment. He said they need to go out to bid so they have accurate estimates to bring to town meeting.

Dennehy said they are seeking grant funding to replace the cistern on the Town Green.

Dennehy said that they completed SERVPRO remediation at the Old Town House. She said that samples were taken, and they will need to follow asbestos protocols as a result when considering long term remediation. Wilhelmsen said they will need to look at some form of dehumidification for the first floor of the building to address the mold growth. Other issues needing addressing for the Old Town House are new locks and internet access for the building. The new locks would provide a record of who is going into the building. Internet access will be necessary to have those types of locks. “It’s always a long list at Town Properties,” Wilhelmsen said of the myriad of projects needing addressing in municipal buildings.

Traynor spoke regarding cemetery cleanup for North Plympton. He said that the woman who owns the land finally signed the agreement via email but still needs to sign the more formal agreement on paper. He said it was, “in progress.”   

Long-term items being followed include the Carver Urban Renewal Project, the Rocky Harvest Settlement Compliance, future exploration of shared services, grants, and MBTA communities multi-family zoning requirements.

Russo said his rave was for the opening of the annual and special town meeting. “Essentially, out of that meeting… we, the Selectmen, get our marching orders for the year,” he explained.

Traynor said his rave was for Library Director Michael Slawson and the many programs he is successfully running.

Joy said her rave was for “how beautiful it is in wintertime with snow on the ground and the bogs; what a great part of the country we live in with how beautiful it is.”