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COA director applicants narrowed down to three

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The search for the new Council on Aging director was discussed during Tuesday’s Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting. The search committee interviewed five candidates last week before narrowing the field to three. The next step for those candidates will be an interview with the Board of Selectmen in late September.  Town Administrator Charlie Seelig told the Board that the candidates had indicated that they would like to receive the top step of the salary range posted. At Seelig’s urging, the Board agreed that the candidates should be notified that the Wage and Personnel Board may not approve a salary on the higher end of the stated range.

The Board voted to approve a number of live entertainment permits including one to Bob Bergstrom for Mudfest on November 10. A representative from Nessralla Farm attended Tuesday’s meeting to provide the Board with an update on where they were with permits and licensing for their annual corn maze and festivities. Owners of the farm are still waiting for approval from the state to utilize a zipline as has been done in the past. The attraction is 440 ft. long with an 18 ft. drop.

White Dog Cranberry earth removal permit

Bill Madden of JF Engineering attended the meeting on behalf of John Makepeace and White Dog Cranberry to ask the Board for a renewal of an earth removal permit. The original permit was requested as a result of a small supplemental water supply reservoir that was designed for the local cranberry company in 2017. Surface wetting will be done as a means of dust mitigation and a 100 ft. buffer zone from wetlands will be retained during the removal of the remaining 39,000 yards of earth. The property, which is also home to Makepeace’s residence, was once a Cumberland Farms corn field.

Beach privileges for Hanson resident?

The Board had an appointment with Hanson resident Caroline Forth to discuss the possibility of her having privileges at the town beach despite being a nonresident. Forth’s property on Waltham St. in Hanson is partially located in Halifax meaning she pays a small amount of taxes to the town. Selectmen Tom Millias said that he believed the request had merit and while he didn’t have a problem with it there were no procedures setup to deal with such a situation. Chair Troy Garron said, “I don’t see a major issue with that… You are a taxpayer.” Garron’s only concern was that he didn’t want to open a Pandora’s Box of sorts. The Selectmen promised to take it under consideration.

Cook wants to buy 100 parcels of land

Seelig informed the Board that Brian Cook is interested in purchasing 100 parcels of land off of Crystal Lake. Seelig described the land, which is believed to be town-owned, as having “a long, convoluted ownership history” and said that his biggest concern was with what the development possibilities are including how many lots the land can be divided into. Millias said,

“Honestly, it’s an engineering nightmare” but did acknowledge that the land is developable. Millias also added, “Financially it doesn’t make sense unless you’re buying them all so that you have all of it to work with.”

Seelig and the Board agreed that the first step would be to find out more about the land rights such as whether or not the town owns the conjoined lots in common title.

The Finance Committee currently stands at four members, but one member will need to step down shortly due to job commitments. Resident Cheryll Zarrella Burke expressed interest in joining both the Finance Committee and the Council on Aging. Seelig recommended that Burke’s placement on the committee (pending approval) be expedited so as to ensure that there are at least four members on the committee at all times.

SL Budget for FY20

The Silver Lake budget for the upcoming year was discussed. Seelig said, “It’s only September but I think it’s advisable that the three towns start talking to Silver Lake Regional School District about budgets for fiscal year 2020/2021.” Seelig said that he would like to see various officials from the three towns, including members of the Finance Committees and Boards of Selectmen attend the Silver Lake meeting on October 24 prior to any decisions being made by the school regarding spending. The hope would be to make it onto the agenda for that night but if not possible, the officials could speak during the public participation portion. Seelig stated that his intention is to ensure that the school budget will fit the towns’ financial situations.

Want to bid on Plympton’s old jail cell?

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Several appointments were made during the Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, Sept. 9. Justin Shepard, who was in attendance, was named to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) through June 30, 2022. Shepard will fill a vacancy left after longtime CPC member Dave Chandler decided to step down.  Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair and Chair of the CPC Mark Russo described Chandler as a “wonderful member and wonderful contributor.” Russo said, “We are absolutely thrilled that Justin has come aboard.” Board of Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said of the CPC, “It’s an important committee that has a lot of impact in the town.” The deadline for CPC applications is October 15.

Other appointments included Harry Weikel to the Town Center Campus Committee indefinitely, Christine Kelly as Assistant Treasurer/Collector, Inez Murphy to the Council on Aging through June 30, 2020, and Dorothy Martel as the Old Colony Service Representative for Plympton, also through 2020. Marylouise Sayles and Richard Stover were both appointed to terms on the Historic District Commission ending June 30, 2022.

The Board also approved a motion for a memorandum of agreement with Terry Walker to provide grant writing services to the town of Plympton.  The inactivity of the Cultural Council due to its lack of members was also discussed. The Council, which normally has five members, is currently down to just one.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy shared that her application for a Green Communities grant was successful and that the town would be awarded the grant in the amount of $239,202. The goal of the grant is to aid municipalities in finding ways to reduce energy use and costs via clean energy improvements to municipal buildings and schools. The money awarded to Plympton will be used toward several projects at Dennett Elementary School as well as new thermostats at the Highway Department and energy efficient appliances at the fire station and town house.

The Board congratulated Dennehy on a job well done and Joy said, “We can do a lot of good with that kind of money.”

Russo gave an update on the two Brooks Preserve lots for sale on Prospect Road. The bid deadline of Tuesday September 3 came and went without any bids. Russo said that they were going to have to renew the one-year loan which will incur with it a $15,000 annual application fee that will be paid privately and cost the town nothing.

The Open Space Committee is hard at work devising a plan to put the lots out to bid again, most likely in the fall sometime. The price will likely be reduced and serious consideration is being given to offering to pay a buyer’s agent fee as the complicated bid process can be intimidating without an agent’s help and is likely driving buyers away. Joy confirmed with Russo that the bid process is the only way to sell the lots. Russo emphasized that there was no need to panic saying, “These are good lots and sooner or later they are absolutely going to sell.” Regarding the lots, which abut 150 acres of conservation land, Russo continued, “It’s a little bit of a niche property and with niche properties it just takes the right person to come along and we have very little doubt that the right person is going to come along.”

Selectman John Traynor discussed with the rest of the Board a request by a resident to use the old town house to host a family party. While organizations and groups are eligible to use the old town house for meetings and gatherings, the issue of having private residents use it has never been explored previously.

Traynor said, “We have this beautiful building and somehow we have to figure out how to make use of it because it’s gorgeous and the residents paid for it.” Russo, who had mixed feelings on the topic, said, “If we were going to think about going ahead, we would really have to have a lot of policy and procedures setup first.” The general consensus among the Board was that while they would like to investigate private use of the old town house further, a lot of work would have to be done prior to it being a possibility and therefore the answer to any inquires of private use in the near future would have to be a no.

Despite private use of the old town house being off the table for the time being, the Board did approve of the Plympton Girl Scouts using the building on November 30 for an event pending approval from other town officials. The Board also voted to approve a one-day liquor license for the fall antique fair to be held by the Plympton Historical Society on October 5 and October 6 from 12-4.

A resident in attendance at the meeting asked the Board and Dennehy if there were any developments in the plan to possibly regionalize the Council on Aging (COA). Dennehy said that she met with Halifax town administrator Charlie Seelig and Carver town manager Michael Milanoski to devise a plan for testing the prospect of regionalization. Both Plympton and Carver currently employ part-time directors for the Council on Aging and Halifax is currently in the process of hiring a full-time director. Once the Halifax director has been hired, the towns would like the three directors to come together to tour one another’s facilities and begin work on a joint calendar. The plan would be to combine the calendar for the three towns thereby making it easier for residents to pick and choose which events they would like to attend regardless of location. The calendar would include exact locations of the facilities, instructions on where to park, and information on transportation if available. This approach would help the towns gauge the level of interest amongst residents by seeing how many seniors attend events outside of their towns.  Dennehy said that the towns agreed that taking small steps toward regionalization without making any drastic or permanent changes would be best until further research could be gathered. Russo said to Dennehy, “I salute you guys for coming up with a really nice, easy, non-threatening way to get started and see what happens.”

Old Jail cell

The discussion as to what to do with the jail cell from the former police station was continued from a previous meeting where a resident had expressed interest in taking the cell in the name of posterity. The cell is no longer viewed as historical as it appears to date back only to the early 1990’s. The police chief expressed interest in making an in-kind trade of the cell in exchange for new signage. Dennehy suggested to the Board that it would be cleaner to officially declare the jail cell as surplus town property. The Board voted to do so on Dennehy’s suggestion. The plan would be to advertise the cell and require a minimum bid equal to the cost of the signage with the stipulation that any takers would have to pick it up. Dennehy said that she would verify all necessary steps to make sure things were done properly.   

EEE Mosquito Threat Continues

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As September gets underway, Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEv) and West Nile virus (WNv) still pose a threat to many local communities in Massachusetts. EEEv levels as categorized by The Mass Department of Public Health include remote, low, moderate, high, and critical designations.  Plympton and Halifax are both considered high while neighboring Carver and Middleborough are both in the critical category. At the time of writing, 379 mosquito populations have tested positive for EEEv and nine animals and four humans have been infected. A 59 year-old Bristol County woman has died from the virus while a man over 60 fell into a coma. Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Worcester counties all have mosquito populations that have tested positive.

The threat of WNV is less with 61 mosquito populations testing positive and no animal or human cases to date. Risk categories for WNV are low, moderate, high, and critical. Halifax and Plympton are among the only towns in MA that are considered to have a moderate risk, most towns fall into the low category.

Aerial spraying to reduce mosquito populations was conducted in parts of Bristol and Plymouth Counties on August 8-12 and August 22-25. The pesticide used is Anvil 10+10 which contains two ingredients: Sumithrin and Piperonyl butoxide. As stated on Mass.gov, “It should be noted that although the aerial spraying is considered necessary to reduce human risk, it will not eliminate risk.”

Preventative measures for those communities at critical risk include the recommendation that recreational outdoor activities held between dusk and dawn be canceled. The Plympton Board of Health has implemented a ban on outdoor recreational activities on town owned properties between those times. For the week starting September 8, dawn is considered 5:45 a.m. and dusk is considered 7:15 p.m.

With no existing vaccines or specific antiviral treatments for either EEEV or WNV, the best preventative measures are those that decrease the likelihood of getting bit by mosquitos. Recommendations include wearing long pants and shirts, eliminating any standing water on your property, and wearing an EPA registered repellant with at least one of the following ingredients: DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), Para-menthane-diol (PMD), and 2-undecanone. Repellants are not recommended for infants under two months of age.

While rare, Massachusetts was second only to Florida in the number of EEEV cases between 2009 and 2018. The incubation period for the disease is 4-10 days with some of those infected remaining asymptomatic. The systemic infection has an abrupt onset with some of the signs and symptoms including chills, fever, malaise, arthralgia, and myalgia.  In infants, onset of encephalitis is abrupt while in older children and adults, encephalitis starts within a few days of systemic illness. Signs and symptoms of encephalitis include fever, headache, irritability, restlessness, drowsiness, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis, convulsions, and coma. A third of those with EEEV will die while many that survive are left with secondary mental and physical impairments that are often disabling and progressive.

Residents with questions or concerns can contact their local Boards of Health, for Halifax 781-293-6768 and for Plympton 781-585-7000.  You can also read this week’s column by Halifax Health Agent Cathleen Drinan on page 10.

Map courtesy of Mass Dept. of Public Health.

Regionalization for seniors?

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The Council on Aging (COA) as well as multiple concerned residents congregated at the Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, August 27 to review options for an alternative location. The three options that had been explored in the past were to build a new center on Route 105, purchase All Seasons Restaurant, and renovate and expand Pope’s Tavern. Everything is back on the table as residents denied the appropriation of funds for all previous options.

Regionalization was one of the two main options discussed Tuesday night. Selectmen from both Carver and Plympton have expressed an interest in collaborating with Halifax on such an endeavor and Halifax town administrator Charlie Seelig is set to meet with representatives from those neighboring communities in early September. Vice Chair of the Plympton selectmen Mark Russo mentioned a Plympton owned plot of land measuring five acres that could potentially serve as a site for a regionalized Council on Aging. Plympton would be an ideal location for a regionalized building as it is centrally located. The Council on Aging pointed out the success of the regionalized cable access channel Area 58. Selectmen Tom Millias said, “It is certainly worth going down that road and investigating; we’d be remiss not to look into it.”

Council on Aging member Dick Wright also suggested the creation of a regionalized community center. In addition to housing the Council on Aging, such a center could be used for a variety of other purposes. The possibility of renting out such a place on weekends, using it for cub scout meetings, and holding movie nights for a small fee per resident were discussed. Wright said that a facilities manager would be necessary to schedule events, ensure that the building was cleaned properly, etc. Wright asked the Board for permission to form a committee to work with Plympton and Carver on researching how to implement such a plan.

Director of Building Maintenance Scott Materna presented a plan to build a new combined fire and police station and use the current police station for the Council on Aging. The current police station has many of the amenities needed for the Council on Aging including an ADA compliant elevator and a kitchen. While this would be costlier than regionalization, there are more grants available for the fire department and the Board noted that the fire chief is particularly good at securing grants. Regarding this plan, Materna did point out, “It doesn’t give them a single floor option which is a big one on their list.”

A concerned resident said, “Right now we’re talking about long term; we also have to talk about short term. It’s getting to the point where some of us cannot get to the upper floor because of the stairs and all.” Other residents told the Board that there is a painting class that cannot be attended by some participants as they can no longer climb the stairs to the room where the class is held. Yet another resident expressed concern that as other communities open newer senior centers, many of Halifax’s seniors are heading there instead to attend events despite preferring to stay in their own community. Interim Director of the Council on Aging Brenda Fitzgerald said, “I want to thank everyone for all the work they’ve put into the ideas. I want to also advocate as an outreach worker… for the seniors that have sacrificed. You know they’re not able to do the programs upstairs and we do need to find something for them now and not have those programs fall apart.”

An area of dispute between residents and the Board came when one resident accused the various committees in town of not working together and failing to inform the town of a specific dollar amount needed to fix or build the Council on Aging prior to it being voted upon at town meeting. That resident said, “The committees within the town, five minutes before town meeting, are telling us how they want to fund it completely different in the back room.” He continued, “That’s not the way it should be done.” Millias responded, “I just take exception to the fact that it makes it sound like we weren’t supporting of those numbers but those numbers were so fluid that nobody knew what they were until we got to town meeting.” Chair Troy Garron argued that previous initiatives had failed in the past because those that would be most affected by the vote failed to show up to town meeting. All parties at Tuesday’s meeting were in agreement, however, that the goal would best be pursued if there was more involvement from the various committees in town. Millias suggested that any committee dedicated to the Council on Aging cause include at least one member from most of the other committees in town. Garron also stressed the importance of the community as a whole understanding that this initiative is meant to benefit more than just the seniors in town. Garron explained, “I think that’s the one issue that we didn’t get across because people kept saying senior citizens, senior citizens. It’s a community center; there’s help for anyone who walks into that building whether they be 20 years old, 50 years old, 80 years old. I talk to people and they’ve never even been in the building.”

The residents and Board agreed that the next best step, prior to forming a committee, would be for Seelig to meet with representatives from both Carver and Plympton.  “We need to have a good front and have everyone on the same page,” Garron said.

Seelig updated the Board regarding the search for a new Council on Aging director. The search committee met Monday night to select six candidates to be interviewed. The screening committee will conduct the first round of interviews next week hopefully whittling the field to four potential candidates.

The Halifax Solar Committee also met with the Board for the first time in three years to present options for putting a solar field on the capped landfill in town.

The committee said that a new program known as the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program was established in late 2018 to support the development of solar in Massachusetts. The committee was told that they would need a 1-megawatt (MW) system, up from the 0.8 MW used now which would allow for expansion. One company was brought in to do a walkthrough of the landfill with Highway Surveyor Steven Hayward and said the site is a perfect location. The committee recommended a lease to buy option. Current estimates for the cost of the site are between $2,500,000 and $3,000,000. By year seven, however, the builder should recoup the cost of building the site and will likely be looking to sell at market rate. The committee expects that by year seven or year eight, the town could buy the system for around a million dollars and more or less have free electricity for life. Garron inquired as to the life expectancy of the panels and was told they typically last at least 30 years and are warrantied for 25. Maintenance for such a system would be minimal and would likely be limited to monthly checks. It would likely take 3-4 months to get approval from National Grid and another 3-4 months for building time. The committee said that they would have to go out to bid by the end of September or early October, bringing it before the town at the annual town meeting. The Board approved the committee’s request for a proposal to be sent out for a solar panel to be put on the capped landfill.

A tax classification hearing was held at Tuesday’s meeting with Holly Merry, the principal assessor/appraiser for the town of Halifax, asking for approval to create one tax rate for commercial, industrial, residential, and personal property. Merry said there is less than ten percent of commercial, industrial, and personal property in the town of Halifax. Merry also recommended that the town not adopt an open space lease discount for land that’s not developed. It was also recommended that they not adopt a residential exemption commonly used for cities and towns with large numbers of rental properties.

The Board of Selectmen approved Merry’s requests with Millias recusing himself as he serves on the Board of Assesors. Bills will go out on October 1 and will be due by November 1.   

Concerned citizens question possible grant for straightening curve

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A large group of Plympton residents attended Monday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting to discuss a possible MassWorks grant for improvement to the Ring Road and Main Street intersection.

The town applied for the grant, which would include engineering as well as construction, on August 9, and has not yet heard whether or not it will be awarded.

Vice Chair Mark Russo addressed residents saying, “I know there’s maybe been a little bit of misunderstanding of where we are in this process. It’s just a shame for people to get upset based on misunderstandings, whether we even get this grant to begin with. But to be just explicitly clear, the grant would include, as the first step, money for engineering and design options.”

He continued, “We, the selectmen, have made no decisions whatsoever about what would be best and in fact are just looking for opinions and looking for ideas. Certainly part of the process would include a lot of input and especially input from abutters and neighbors and people on that road.”

Chair Christine Joy described the objective as “Trying to find something that helps people negotiate that area but also slows them down; we’re all interested in controlling the speed of the traffic as well as making the intersection safer.” Joy said a speed study was conducted and some of the cars were found to be driving through the intersection at speeds as fast as 72 mph. According to the Board, Plympton police chief Patrick Dillon considers the intersection to be the most dangerous in town.

Russo also mentioned that upon hearing about the issues with the intersection, he was initially hopeful that the speed limit could be reduced town-wide. With the Board’s authorization Russo met with town counsel but learned that the state has very specific requirements regarding lowering speed limits and it typically isn’t possible to implement without the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s approval. Certain circumstances, such as qualifying as being “thickly settled,” allow for a town to lower speed limits without MASSDOT. Unfortunately, Plympton does not fall within those parameters as houses have to be less than 200 feet apart. In regard to reduced speed limits Russo said, “That’s a beautiful idea and a really inexpensive option but it doesn’t look like those possibilities are available to us.” Main Street resident Jen MacDonald asked the Board about the possibility of designating the road as a scenic road as that could possibly provide another avenue toward reducing the speed limit through a vote at town meeting. Russo said that town counsel didn’t think such a designation fit but asked for and received the Board’s approval to have another meeting with town counsel to be sure all options to reduce the speed limit had been exhausted. Chair of the Plympton Historical Commission Jon Wilhelmsen, who was also present, agreed that it would be worth investigating the scenic road designation further.

Of the myriad of suggestions brought to the table, the one with the most support seemed to be the idea to simply make the intersection a three way stop. A resident who described himself as living on Main St. right across from Ring Rd., said, “Don’t spend the money if you don’t have to spend it. Three stop signs – people are going to stop and it takes care of all of the problems right there.” Wilhelmsen, who also lives on Main St., agreed saying, “I think some of the ideas tonight are really good. I think moving the pole would be great because you can get away, I think, without even having an island there and you can just have a small road coming into a slightly bigger road with a three way stop which I think would be the simplest and the least impact to that corner.”

Another resident took objection to Joy’s assertion that paving the road in question would add to the problem by increasing speeding. He explained, “The biggest problem with that road is that it is a mess. A lot of heavy trucks have caused the depression on the side of the road which is a big scoop and there are ruts. I bet a lot of us do some bicycling there and it’s dangerous when you go around the road, we usually go off up through the school zone because we don’t want to make that turn.” With respect to driving, however, that same resident said, “That turn is not dangerous, I do it all the time and the visibility is reasonably good but the pavement is a wreck.”

Highway Superintendent Scott Ripley said that Ring Rd. (up to the school) will be getting an overlay hopefully in the Fall. According to Ripley the overlay will act as a band-aid to hopefully last 10 years.

The rest of Main St. has been held up due to the issue with the intersection in question. Paving the straightaway is more complicated as parts of that road need to be raised up 14 inches and since the road is over wetlands there is a lot of procedural red tape.

Resident Carolyn DeCristofano, who said she did research into traffic calming measures, offered some possible suggestions. One of those was to use textured highway where there’s a slight raise in the pavement at various distances along the straightaway to encourage slowing down.

She also emphasized that, based on the research, the curve should not be softened. “Nowhere does it say straightening a road is a calming measure for obvious reasons, in fact, many of the traffic calming approaches involve changing the road to make it more curvy. The trend is you make people turn a little or change their path rather than give them a straight dragway.”

Selectman John Traynor said that the last time the issue of the curve was discussed with the public, the general consensus was against any plan to straighten the road. Those in attendance muttered in agreement with Traynor’s statement.

The biggest concern voiced at Monday’s meeting was fear that taking the grant would cause the town to lose their say in what changes would be made to the intersection.

George Carver of Maple St. explained his concerns, “If you take a grant from the state… don’t we as a town lose the ability to do what we want? They’re basically going to come in and say we did the study, this is what we found and we’re providing the money to do it x, y, z way.”

The Board and Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy further stressed to those in attendance that an important part of the grant process would be the brainstorming and design work that would happen prior to any construction. DeCristofano summarized the Board’s point saying, “It’s a grant to plan and implement not a grant to implement a plan.” Russo said, “Frequently the best ideas come from the people that live there but the grant would also give us some money to hire experts to offer what are the options and then I think we want to look at the whole list.”

DeCristofano asked the Board if someone could please look into exactly what control the state will have over the project if the town accepts the grant money. Joy agreed acknowledging, “free money is not necessarily free money.” The Board and Dennehy said that if awarded, any meetings where decisions pertaining to the grant would be made, would be posted to social media and elsewhere to ensure public participation.

Upon the conclusion of the intersection discussion, Ripley gave the Board an update on the work to be done to the Winneteuxet Road Bridge.

Ripley said the work, which includes replacing two posts and putting up more modern guardrails, has been pushed back but expected it to commence in the next two weeks. Residents in the area have already been sent letters and the school has been notified. The road will be closed down at Elm St. and West St. for four weeks.

The Board also voted through several appointments including Kristian Oberg as a full-time police officer and all members to the town campus committee including Jon Wilhelmsen, Ross Macpherson, Colleen Thompson, Art Morin, and John Traynor as a Board of Selectmen representative.

The disposition of the old police station cell was an agenda item as the question remains as to what to do with the cell remnants.

The pieces that are to be removed are extremely heavy and cumbersome to move. Ken Thompson, a volunteer with the building department, was on hand to ask the committee if they would consider allowing him to take the pieces home.

Thompson said he feared that they would be tossed and said that his intention would be to reassemble what he could and make some of it available for public consumption.

The Board said that they would like to get input from the Plympton Historical Society.

Tree take-down gets green light

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, August 13 began with Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves introducing three candidates for special police officers.

Thomas William Reed, a West Bridgewater resident, had a long list of credentials including 27 years as an East Bridgewater police officer, several years with the Department of Corrections, 7 years as an armed security officer, and a MA in criminal justice. Reed also serves on the Board of Directors of Cops for Kids with Cancer.

Jay Guidaboni, a Plymouth resident, has a BS in business from Bridgewater State University and has spent the last two years at the Plymouth County Sherriff’s office as a reserve deputy in addition to being a branch manager in the private sector for over 20 years.

Herbert Wiltshire, an army veteran, comes to the table with 20 years of experience as a patrolman in Halifax.

Chaves explained, “All three candidates have had extensive experience in the law enforcement field and will bring a wealth of knowledge and training to the department and the residents of Halifax.” The selectmen joked with Wiltshire about returning to the town. Wiltshire said, “I enjoy working here. I enjoy the people and the community and I enjoy the people that I work with.” Vice chair Tom Millias said that he defers to the Chief’s judgement in these matters. The other selectmen agreed, voting to approve a motion to appoint the three men as special police officers in Halifax.

A continuation of the tree removal hearing from the previous meeting was held with contractor Ryan Kress speaking on behalf of National Grid.

Kress brought Millias on a tour of some of the work that had already been started in East Bridgewater to give an idea of the scale of the work to be done. Millias shared, “We did take a tour and I have to say that all the work that I looked at that had been done previously looked appropriate, nothing was done more than necessary. Some of the trees that we looked at on Elm St., I understand that it would make some people unhappy but at the same time you can see the load over the lines and some of those if they were to be trimmed quite that much it would destroy the tree. I think the work proposed is appropriate.

As far as the trees on personal property, that is something that they have to work out with the property owners.” Millias also added that as much as he would like to have the town grind stumps and replant trees for concerned residents, it just isn’t possible as doing it for some would likely mean needing to do it for all.

Kress estimated that it will be about two months before work commences in Halifax as Pembroke is scheduled to be completed first. Chair Troy Garron said he also took a drive down to look at the proposed trees to be cut and also felt that the work to be done is appropriate. Kress shared that National Grid will be removing any stumps that may interfere or pose a danger to snow plows in the winter. The selectmen approved a motion to move forward with the work once the tree warden signs the permit.

Fireworks Committee plans for next year

The Halifax Fireworks Committee also met with the Selectmen to go over this year’s firework display as well as some anticipated needs for next year. Garron addressed the committee smiling saying, “All I know is I had a nice seat in front of the library to watch the fireworks and it was great.” The committee said that the cost of this year’s event was $9,500 and that the cost for next year would likely increase by about 25% due to tariffs. The committee said that they are hoping to raise those extra funds through fundraising events at the town hall such as craft fairs, garage sales, and even a possible paint night. They are also looking into a wine and beer tasting at the country club.

Garron mentioned that while most people seemed pretty pleased with the fireworks, the biggest complaint was the lack of activities in the morning. The committee acknowledged the lack of morning festivities saying it just isn’t possible to do with a committee of only three people. Two new volunteers were present, however, and the committee asked the Board to approve their appointment to the Halifax Fireworks Committee. Mike and Susan Hill, who have lived in Halifax since ’95 said they felt it was time to get involved in the town. The Board unanimously approved their appointments.

Nips make up much of the litter on roads

Jeanne Kling spoke to the board on behalf of the Halifax Beautification Committee regarding the town’s issue with litter, specifically miniature beverage containers commonly referred to as nips. Kling said that the nips bottles are a big source of the litter found during town clean-up days and acknowledged that locals are likely not the only source of the problem as there are many roadways through town frequented by non-residents. Illustrating the extent of the problem, Kling shared that resident Shirley Graf has collected 908 of these bottles just since January, with 668 of them found just within her neighborhood alone. The committee feels strongly that the issue is one that cannot be addressed solely at the local level. There is currently a house bill sponsored by Representative Randy Hunt of Sandwich asking that the nips be added to the bottle bill. Adding these bottles to the bill would hopefully deter littering as they would have a refundable deposit. The bill is currently stuck in joint committee. The Beautification Committee sent letters to Representative Kathleen LaNatra, State Senators Michael Brady and Marc Pacheco, and Representative Josh Cutler requesting that nips bottles be added to the bottle bill. Kling requested that the Board of Selectmen also send a letter to the legislative delegation acknowledging the problem and requesting that they support the idea to add nips to the bottle bill. Millias said, “I know that the liquor store owners don’t like this idea but I agree with you.” The Board agreed, directing town administrator Charlie Seelig to send the aforementioned letters.

Kling also took the opportunity to publicly thank C-Mac for their work to fix up the the island on Route 58 and 106.

Retail marijuana facility inquiry

Gregory Conway, who grew up in Halifax and has a graduate degree in public policy, met with the board to get their thoughts on a retail marijuana facility in town.

The board and Seelig shared with Conway that the town had previously voted to allow facilities on land zoned industrial but not commercial. Conway questioned the board as to what kind of concerns were voiced by the residents in regard to the commercial zone.

Selectman Gordon Andrews said that many residents were concerned about a retail establishment’s proximity to schools or other locations where primarily children convene. Seelig added, “There are people who feel that 500 feet is not enough and just don’t want it even 1,000 feet away.”

Another concern mentioned particularly in regard to abutters, was odor. Currently there are two petition articles that have been referred to the Planning Board for a public hearing.

The articles would be to 1) allow recreational marijuana facilities on commercially zoned land and 2) prohibit such facilities within 300 feet of any land zoned agricultural/residential.

This hearing will likely occur sometime in September with the board making a recommendation and the vote being taken at town meeting. Garron said, “Bottom line is, it’s up to what the people decide they want.”

The board also discussed the search for a new director for the Council on Aging. Applications for the position were due this past week and at the time of Tuesday’s meeting, 12 had been received thus far.

Seven people including two representatives from the Council on Aging, two town officials, and three residents were appointed by the Board to the search committee.

The Board also requested that Seelig ask the search committee to provide them with four applicants for review. Brenda Fitzgerald was named as the interim COA director.

Getting the lead out at Dennett

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Jon Wilhelmsen, chairman of the Plympton School Committee, brought good news to the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on August 5, as he shared the results from the latest water testing done at the Dennett Elementary School.

Wilhelmsen reiterated his theory that the high lead results were likely due to the testing occurring at or around the backwash cycle that is run every 14 days. Water is pumped backward through the filter during backwashing and if the tests were taken the same day as the backwash cycle it would be pulling in the lead that had been filtered out of the water over the previous two weeks.

Wilhelmsen said that the theory appears to be correct as the test results from the end of June show no lead or such a minimal amount that it’s barely detectable. All other levels look good as well. Wilhelmsen said, “The lead issue appears to be figured out and we are going to be putting in some procedures to make sure that they don’t test around any of the backwash cycles.” He added, “I hope to never use the words water and Dennett again.”

Selectmen discussed the MassWorks grant application to explore different design options for the intersection of Main Street and Ring Road. Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, who was not present at this week’s meeting, submitted the grant application on Friday, August 2.

Selectman Chair Christine Joy explained the purpose of the grant saying “The MassWorks grant is for design services so we’re looking at several options; nothing is set in stone. We’re just looking at the best option for that area to accomplish what we’re looking to do which I think is to slow people down and provide a safer area for people to negotiate on the road.” Vice Chair Mark Russo added, “Let me just emphasize that an integral part of the process will be public input especially input from abutters and neighbors.” The board said that they will begin preliminary discussions regarding the intersection during their next meeting on August 19 and urged concerned residents to attend and share their thoughts.

Correspondence from the Board of Health was shared stating that the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) risk level in Plympton has been raised to high. A dusk to dawn curfew for town owned properties remains in effect. Residents can call Plymouth County Mosquito Control at 781-585-5450 to have their properties sprayed. The notice also included safety tips including selecting a repellent with an EPA approved ingredient, removing standing water from property, repairing screens, wearing long sleeves, and avoiding outdoor activities during peak mosquito hours.

The Board also discussed developments with instituting a campus committee to deal with ongoing structural issues in the town buildings. John Traynor said, “We’ve talked about having the public safety committee transferred to the campus committee and each one has been talked to and each one has accepted.” The appointments will be made official during the next Board of Selectmen meeting. The public safety committee will continue on for a while longer to deal with any ongoing issues. Traynor will serve as a representative on the new campus committee. Russo said, “I think John’s enthusiasm and energy will be really helpful.”

An update was provided on the two municipal lots that are still for sale. The board is hopeful that they will receive some bids now that they have been advertised in multiple sources. Russo described the land as “two beautiful lots on Prospect Road.” Joy agreed adding “with conservation land in your backyard.”

In other town news, Dave Batchelder will join the Council on Aging Board. Batchelder will also work with State Representative Kathy LaNatra regarding issues that affect senior citizens in Plympton. Traynor who said he’s delighted to have him on board said, “Dave, for those who don’t know him, has been in town government for many, many years in many, many positions.” Like the campus committee, his appointment will also be made official at the next Board of Selectmen meeting.

A final note from the meeting – hazardous waste clean-up day is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 from 9-12 at the transfer station.

Halifax cyclist will pedal for a cure

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Halifax resident Lauren Kizelewicz will be riding this weekend in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC). PMC.org describes the event as “…an annual bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other event in the country.” Since its founding in 1980, the PMC has donated $654 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Institute. Riders choose from twelve different routes ranging in distance from 25 to 192 miles. Fundraising commitments range from $600 to $8,000. Every dollar raised by the riders goes directly to Dana-Farber.

Kizelewicz, who moved to Halifax last August with her fiancé, will be riding the two-day 192-mile course starting in Sturbridge and ending in Provincetown.

Kizelewicz grew up playing soccer for Brockton High School and currently plays co-ed intramural soccer at the Bridgewater Dome.

While this will be her first time riding the PMC, she has competed in the Falmouth Sprint Triathlon for the last seven years. The biking part of that event is only 10 miles.

“That’s pretty much the most biking I’ve done. I had never done over 20 miles before I just recently started training,” Kizelewicz explained. Kizelewicz, who works as a physical therapist assistant, said that finding time to train can sometimes be a struggle. Despite working full-time, however, she gets in several rides during the week with a longer ride on the weekend (in addition to some cross-training). She has also had to fight back after a recent setback. Kizelewicz, who said she is feeling good now, said, “I had a lapse in training because I had to have surgery but I started training again about three weeks ago.”

Kizelewicz said she was inspired to participate in the PMC by her friend Alicia Gay, who rode the 50-mile route last year. The friends plan to ride the longest route together this year. She was also inspired by another close friend Anthony DeRienzo who was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt Lymphoma a few years ago. DeRienzo is now cancer-free, but his battle left an impression on Kizelewicz. “That’s part of my motivation for riding. It’s just awesome what can be done for people who are going through that. I figured I would help a little bit.”

The PMC hopes to raise $60 million this year through the fundraising efforts of their riders. Kizelewicz and Gay have committed to raising $5,000 each this year and have already exceeded that goal. The friends were able to raise most of that money through a charity golf tournament they organized and held at River Bend Country Club in West Bridgewater this past June. Kizelewicz said they had about 20 teams golfing as well as several family members and friends that attended the catered event following the tournament.  Several businesses sponsored holes at the “Riding for a cure Pan-Mass charity golf tournament” including Monstah Customs, Dellbrook JKS, Mutual Bank, Jeef Berkey, The Woodlands, Granite City, and Wells Landscaping Inc. In addition to those sponsors, several businesses including the Boston Red Sox and Massage Envy donated to the raffles that were held during the tournament. Kizelewicz said, “The golf tournament was a lot easier than we anticipated and everyone had a blast.” In addition to the money raised at the golf tournament, she also received donations through posts on her personal Facebook page as well as notices hung up at her work. Riders are given through October to meet or exceed their fundraising goals. Kizelewicz’s profile page can be found at http://pmc.org/LK0162 and her donation page can be found at https://donate.pmc.org/LK0162.

Logistically, the start is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. from Sturbridge Host Hotel. From there, Kizelewicz, Gay and others doing the two-day challenge will bike about 109 miles to Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne. Riders have the option to stay in the dorms or find other accommodations. The finish for the longest route will be at Provincetown Monument on Sunday where family and friends are invited to join the finishers for a party.

Asked what advice she would give to future riders, Kizelewicz said, “In terms of training, I would say make sure you get in a couple of long rides of at least 50 miles before you enter into the race day. In terms of fundraising, try to do something that people will have fun at.”

She plans to ride the PMC again next year but with a wedding on the horizon, she says it is a decision that will best be made after this weekend.

Tree massacre on Elm Street

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HALIFAX – There was a great deal of public participation at the Halifax Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, July 23. A public hearing was held regarding National Grid’s proposed tree removal. The majority of the 144 trees to be taken down on town property are located on Elm St. There are several more trees located on private property that have been designated for removal or trimming.

Trees with a blue ribbon are marked for trimming while red ribbons indicate removal; trees with both a ribbon and a notice are located on town-owned property. Trees under 8 inches in diameter are considered brush and are not included on the list of those designated for work. The trees in question are not of a “wire friendly” species and their proximity to transmission lines can potentially cause service interruptions as well as safety concerns.

Several residents were on hand for the hearing to voice their questions and concerns regarding affected trees either on or near their property.

Longtime Halifax residents and Elm St. inhabitants Leslie and Herbert Hawkins agreed that some of the trees on or near their property should be taken down as they have grown up and over the wires, however, they feel that they should not have to incur costs related to replanting.

Mrs. Hawkins said, “I want to know who’s going to do some restitution or take care of my taxes that I’m paying because it’s going to destroy the whole front of my property. Will it be somebody who will come and plant a shrub that will take care of it and deaden the noise like the trees did or is it just something that’s going to be stuck to the taxpayers again?”

National Grid, for their part, believes that since they are incurring costs for removal of trees that they do not own, they should not also have to pay additional expenses such as stump grinding or replanting.  As explained by a contract arborist for National Grid present at the meeting, “As of now, National Grid does not have a tree replacement program in place. We are viewing it as we are laying out the money to mitigate any hazards from the line to maintain reliability as far as any replanting on private properties or town properties that would be the responsibility of the town or the homeowner.” National Grid further stated that nearly all towns and homeowners that undergo hazardous tree mitigation do not bother with stump removal and replanting.

Halifax resident Peter Beals, also of Elm St., expressed his displeasure about having to pay out of pocket to grind stumps and replant trees on top of what he sees as a devaluing of his property. “I’m not expecting you to solve all my problems and I’m not trying to be unconscientious of the need and the fact that there’s a problem here that the town’s got to address,” Beals said. “I’m just saying that it seems to me that in addition to losing what I’m going to be losing in the process, which is quite a lot to the enjoyment of my property, it shouldn’t also cost me money,” Beals continued.

Selectmen Tom Millias, while sympathetic to residents’ concerns, said that the dilemma for him was that the town is always after National Grid to maintain power and restore power quickly after an outage, something the tree mitigation would improve.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that a possible option would be to work with Highway Surveyor Steven Hayward to use the town’s small tree budget to replant some trees in the town right-of-way. Selectmen Gordon Andrews suggested getting an estimate for grinding down stumps from private property and bringing it to town meeting to be paid.

Regarding a timeframe for the mitigation, National Grid said that work is currently underway in East Bridgewater. Once completed, Pembroke would be next on the list and then Halifax.

The best estimate that could be given was a month and a half once the permit from the tree warden is received. The Board agreed to procure and review a copy of the policies pertaining to the tree removal prior to the next meeting. A motion was passed to continue the hearing to the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting at 7 p.m. on August 13.

The Board also discussed the state of recycling and waste management in the town. After considerable discussion, the board voted to reinstate a committee dedicated to recycling and solid waste as the previous committee had been disbanded many years ago.

Municipal Assistance Coordinator Todd Koep attended the meeting and said that of the 31 communities he represents, nearly all of them have highly active recycling committees. Koep cited Kingston as having a particularly active and effective committee, suggesting that Halifax might benefit by taking a page out of their book. It was agreed that the committee should be comprised of five to seven members and would likely need a volunteer from the public at large.

The goal of the committee would be to review the current trash and recycling program and research alternatives that could be presented to the town. The hope is to assemble the committee as soon as possible so that any proposed changes could be presented to the board by January.

The board also voted to retain the current recycling rate of $50 per household per year for the time-being. Currently, Halifax employs a single stream method of recycling. Koep said that while the single stream commodity is not clean enough in general, Halifax actually does a pretty good job in comparison to other communities.

Among the issues Koep cited with single stream is residents placing their recyclables in plastic bags prior to placing them in the recycling bin as they will end up in the trash. Koep also mentioned that some communities have gone from single stream to separating recyclables.

The final item on the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting was a dog hearing regarding an altercation between two dogs on Natureway Circle.  Paula Spaziani of 6 Natureway Circle reported that while walking her shih tzu on June 30, a pit bull belonging to neighbor Roland Florio ran at them biting her dog.

Florio testified that his dog was on a slip leash in his yard when Florio noticed that she had escaped the leash. Florio said that he immediately chased her but was unable to reach and restrain the dog prior to the altercation.

In addition to Spaziani and Florio, Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan, responding Patrol Officer Michelle McIntyre, and a third resident of Natureway Circle also testified.

Both Callahan and McIntyre said that they witnessed no visible wounds such as scratches or punctures on the shih tzu. Spaziani said she brought her dog to the veterinarian following the incident due to “trouble in her left hind leg.” She further testified that the dog needed to be sedated in order to be examined and refused to leave the house for several days after the incident.

According to Spaziani, the veterinarian attributed the limping to a pulled muscle and sent the dog home on medication. Both dogs were up-to-date on their shots but neither was licensed in the town of Halifax although both have since obtained licenses.

A neighbor, Nancy Sheehan, testified as to Spaziani’s state after the incident saying, “To say the dog and Paula were shell-shocked, would be an understatement. She was shaking; the dog looked very distraught.  She felt that the owner really didn’t give her her due as far as the fact that she was very dramatically upset.” Florio testified, “By the time I got across the street she had already picked up her dog, I leashed my dog, and asked her if the dog was okay and then I left.”

When asked by the board what she hoped to come from the hearing, Spaziani said that at the very least she would like Florio to compensate her for the veterinarian bill. Chairman Troy Garron, who said he used to breed shepherds and has dealt with dogs his whole life, shared his opinion saying, “I think it’s a fair asking that you pay the medical bill, but that’s just my opinion.”

Garron further stated that given that there are no reports of any prior incidences with Florio’s dog, he believes that if the dog were truly vicious, someone would have likely been seriously hurt.

Andrews asked McIntyre if she had anything to add. According to McIntyre, “There were no apparent injuries. Bailey, the Shi tzu, was in Paula’s arms when I went into the home; she did seem shaken up and as a dog owner myself, I’d be nervous too. I have a yorkie but I also have an old English bulldog so kind of both ends of the spectrum. When I went to see the pit bull she was very friendly with me. Both dogs were; they were great. Neither dog was something that I would be concerned about with people.”

Callahan reported observing the same things.

Millias said, “I don’t believe we have the authority to force anyone to pay any medical bills. Seelig responded that he “would have to check.”

The only other action agreed upon by the board was to draft a letter from the Board of Selectmen to Florio requesting him to keep his dog leashed.

A variety of other issues were also discussed throughout the meeting including the retirement of the Council on Aging Director Barbara Brenton. Seelig said that the board would have to appoint an interim director upon her retirement as the position likely won’t be filled until late September or early October.

Additionally, an attorney for the Happy Dragon restaurant asked for approval to change management. New manager Lily Mai was referred to as the “heart and soul of the restaurant” and the board voted unanimously to approve the request.

The board also discussed the possible revocation of Davis Automotive’s storage license. Seelig said the business recently brought themselves up to date on their property taxes but still have thousands of dollars of backed motor vehicle excise payments. Millias said, “We obviously want to give them every opportunity but we also want to be fair to everyone else.”

A unanimous vote by the board set the revocation of the license to be effective on August 14. Seelig said that the date was set in order to give the business sufficient time to start making payments allowing the board to rescind their vote for revocation.

Plympton seeks grant for curve re-do

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, July 22 opened with the final interview for the new animal control officer who will also double as the animal inspector in Plympton. Brian Kling, the current animal inspector in Halifax, addressed the board. In addition to his work in Halifax, Kling volunteers at a number of animal related organizations including the Kingston Animal Shelter where he has served as a volunteer for the last nine years.

Vice-Chair Mark Russo questioned Kling regarding whether or not he would be comfortable deescalating intense situations. Kling responded saying, “I don’t know about the word comfortable, but I’m experienced with it.”  Kling went on to explain his past experience as a first level support for EMC Corporation where he would often have to answer to irate customers upset that their expensive equipment was not working properly. He also spoke of deescalating situations involving dog bites as the Halifax animal inspector. Kling, who will continue with his current position in Halifax in addition to the one in Plympton, was appointed unanimously by the board. He is scheduled to start August 1 and his appointment as ACO will run through June of 2020 while his appointment as animal inspector will run through April of 2020.

Plympton Zoning Enforcement Officer Allan Frasier attended the meeting to update the board. Frasier said that in the last year he has fielded 58 zoning applications, 49 of which were approved and nine of which were denied. Frasier also addressed the issue of in-law apartments as they are illegal according to the Plympton bylaws.

Some realtors have been advertising Plympton homes as having in-law apartments so Frasier drafted some general guidelines on the subject and dispersed them accordingly. While a home in Plympton can have a multitude of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc., all parts of the dwelling must be accessible to all residents of that home. This means that in-law apartments that are blocked off from the rest of the home (even by means of a locked door) are not legal according to the town’s bylaws.

Selectman John Traynor said that the town may want to explore amending that bylaw as more than thirty percent of Plympton’s residents are over the age of 55. Frasier emphasized that the downside to allowing in-law apartments may come when an inhabitant of that apartment passes away and the owner decides to rent the unit.

Frasier also said that in the last year he has sent out a number of violation letters as well as cease and desist letters. Frasier described some issues with Tractor Supply and said that since the company rents the land, he has been dealing with the corporate owner located in New Jersey. Tractor Supply, who Frasier described as “very accommodating,” must also correct several open trailers for equipment that are in the wrong place.

Another business needing to make adjustments according to Frasier was Winnetuxet River Provide who had some signs on fences without permits. Frasier said he spoke with the owner and offered to discuss what is and is not allowed according to the bylaws.

There were some violations at residential addresses including selling cars without a license that Frasier said have either been corrected or are in the process of being corrected now.

Additionally, a cease and desist letter was sent regarding an unnumbered vacant lot on Palmer Rd. where a non-resident of Plympton has been repeatedly asked to move a large crane and backhoe placed there. Frasier said that he plans to file a criminal complaint since nothing has been done regarding his repeated requests. “There are a few people that I know are not happy with the way I’m ruling on certain things but I do my best to explain to them these aren’t my rules, these are town bylaws; this was written and voted on by the town. If you don’t like what it says, go in and change it.”

Frasier said. “I do feel like we need to be, in some cases, ahead so we don’t get involved after it’s a violation,”

Traynor said. “The thing that attracts people to this town is the rural character of it, the agricultural side, and to the extent we can, we would like to keep that. We can sit down and talk to people about where do we need changes if that is what is needed,” Traynor continued.

The Board also made a number of appointments including town treasurer, town tax collector, and town secretary. There were also several appointments to various positions on the Council on Aging as well as the Recreation Commission and the Historic District Commission. The various appointments will last through June of 2022.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy provided updates on various items including the two open town lots in Plympton that are back out to bid with a noon deadline on August 19. (note:  that date has since been extended to Sept. 3)

Regarding the renovations to the library doors, Dennehy said that the selected contractor has become unresponsive and a new one may have to be selected.

Dennehy also shared that the town is currently receiving assistance in getting a grant application completed regarding possible improvements to the intersection of Ring Rd. and Main St. Traynor, Scott Ripley, and an engineer met to survey the area in question and gather supporting materials for the grant application. The grant would be for both engineering and design services as well as construction. The deadline for the grant is early August. If approved, the first order of business would be to meet with Mass Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and then to reach out to the residents for public input. Dennehy said that the goal would be to have minimal impact on residents while also creating a safe pass-through for all vehicles.

Concerns over safety issues with Plympton’s municipal buildings were also discussed. There are significant water issues and leaks in the Town House.

Additionally, the building has had to be closed twice in the last few months due to problems with the septic system.

The Board has proposed creating a campus committee with the intention of devising a plan to remedy the myriad of issues plaguing the buildings. The Board said that a phased approach would have to be taken with a five to ten-year plan in mind.

Members of the finance committee in attendance were in agreement regarding the approach as all parties agreed that continuing to throw money away on band-aid like fixes would not be in the best interest of the town.