The All-purpose Room at the Halifax Elementary School was filled to bursting with the 241 registered voters and 37 visitors who came to see or take part in old fashion New England style democracy.  The Halifax Annual and Special Town Meetings were underway.

Many were older members of the population eager to help push forward the new Halifax Senior Center at the site of the current Halifax Museum.   They have been disappointed before and it seemed that like Lucy with the football,  they would be disappointed again.

Selectman chairman Gordon C. Andrews told the assembly that after 6:30 last Friday night, he received word from the cost estimator that with rampant inflation in the construction field, the project could not be completed for the price previously stated, indeed it would need to be increased by at least another $800,000 to finish the job.  Andrews seemed very disappointed as he spoke to the assembly;.he has been working on this project for nearly two years.

A woman took the microphone and asked if Article 32 could be heard out of order as so many older persons came specifically to vote on it. After consulting with town counsel,  the meeting was told it must proceed at the mercy of the lottery as to when Article 32, concerning the funding for the senior center, could be heard and voted.   After 10 p.m. the article was called.

Support for Article 32 came from all sides.   Summer Schmaling, who is also a member of the Halifax Elementary School Committee,  asked if the $160,000 remainder from the School Roofing project could be appropriated for the Senior Center project even though the Town isn’t ready to spend it, lest it be diverted into another project.  Bob Kniffen agreed that the money needs to be put aside for the specific project of the senior center.  A dozen voters took to the microphone to support the project.  When the vote was called, and the green cards raised for “Yes”, the vote was unanimous!   The next step is to vote the project on the ballot in Saturday’s election.

Article 2  was passed to add the holiday “Juneteenth” to the list of designated holidays in the Wage and Personnel By-Law Section, as well as give a 1% increase to all Wage and Personnel  employees

Article 3 was passed by town meeting to fix the salaries of the Moderator, Town Clerk, Selectmen, Treasurer-Collector, Assessors, and Highway Surveyor, giving those positions a 1% pay increase for FY23.

Article 4 passed the town’s operating budget.

Article 5 dealt with setting revolving accounts, including Fire Chief CPR classes, ZBA consulting, Library computer, printers and copier, Selectmen legal advertising, Council on Aging  Elderbus, Building Inspector Wages, and several more.   The article passed.

Article 6 is the same article for $125,000 that comes before the town each year to set up reserves in case of unforeseen emergencies during the year.

Article 7  funds a 1% wage increase for firefighters who are in the union.

Article 8  funds a 1% wage increase for the Highway and Cemetery workers who are in the union.

Article 13  voted $300,000 to maintain town roads.

Article 14 voted $18,600 to pay for the assessors’ recertification which is done every five years.

Article 17 asked the town for $7,379 to purchase and install cell block surveillance cameras for the Police Department.  The existing cameras are beginning to fail.  Passed unanimously.

Article 20 would replace a single walled tank for waste oil with a double walled 500 gallon tank to be located at the Highway Barn.  The motion passed.

Article 21 asked for $75,000 to purchase a new Water Recycling Unit and Shed Roof for the Wash Bay at the Highway Barn to bring the town up to code with MS4 stormwater regulations.  The motion passed.

Article 22 voted $3,500 to the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center, providing residents with services dealing with domestic violence intervention and prevention.  Article 26 voted $4,000 to purchase two copy machines, one for the Highway Department, one for the Holmes Public Library.

Article 28 voted $36,800 to install exterior surveillance cameras at several locations for the safety  of employees, as well as the public, especially at night.

Article 29 voted $60,000 to purchase and equip a new truck for the Water Department that will have a plow to assist the Highway Dept.

 Article 33 approved $110,000 as Halifax’s share to repair and rebuild the tennis courts at Silver Lake High School.

Article 35 approved $46,380 to purchase 15 body worn cameras for the Police Dept.  This is a 5-year cost, including a camera upgrade and replacement after 3 years.

Article 38 was passed over.

Article 41  voted $22,057 to reimburse the Halifax Housing Authority for payments made by the authority to the Plymouth County Retirement Fund for an employee of the Town of Hlaifax.

Article 44 asked the town to establish a Stabilization Fund for the Silver Lake Regional School District.  The town said no.  Ed Whitney of Stoney Weir Rd. said it was removing control from the townspeople.  The article failed.

Article 45 would allow the selectmen to grant temporary liquor licenses for events held on town properties.   The article passed.

The meeting was adjourned until  Tuesday night, but then rescheduled for Monday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m.  when the remaining 22 articles will be acted upon.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, April 26. As a result of Troy Garron’s resignation, the Board is down to just Ashley DiSesa and Gordon Andrews, whose term expires in a few weeks.

The Selectmen reviewed the articles on the town meeting warrant. Andrews asked DiSesa if she disagreed with any of the Finance Committee’s recommendations. She said she disagreed with their approval of 40 hours for the Assistant Treasurer position. DiSesa also took issue with the IT wages that were being funded with ARPA funds that she noted will not be available forever. “We were supposed to level fund this year, that was the plan,” she said. Regarding new ambulances and cruisers, DiSesa said, “just so everyone knows as far as ambulances and cruisers, we were told that they were… years out to get if we were going to approve it now.”

Andrews said that there was a note on the school article stating, “this number has been reduced by $755,828 which is being funded through the Circuit Breaker money from the State.”

The Selectmen were split on their opinions on a new intercom system for the school. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan said that Capital Planning did not vote to recommend it but said that the Finance Committee was holding their recommendation until town meeting. Director of Facilities Matt Durkee presented on the topic to the Finance Committee and Nolan said, “I think they were pretty satisfied with his explanations.” Andrews said, “for just a pure safety thing of being able to communicate with the schools as a whole, I am for this, but I just have a couple of questions before I vote to recommend.” DiSesa said she was against it. The Selectmen also said they were a “no” on the article to establish a stabilization fund for Silver Lake which needs a two-thirds vote from Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton.

Regarding the article to increase membership on the Board of Selectmen to five, DiSesa said she would like to speak to the need. “There is a lot of work to do, and I think we could be doing a lot more if there were more people involved and have a lot more voices. You know, everybody is concerned about different people in this town having agendas and stacking boards – then put more people on them – let’s go. Show up, volunteer, get on a Board and do some work. All for it. I’ll take all five,” DiSesa said.

Interim Town Administrator Ed Thorne said he received correspondence from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development regarding the MBTA Community Information Form. Thorne said the form asks for basic information regarding municipal plans to comply with the legislation. Thorne said of the legislation that it “requires that 175 communities to zone near a half a mile to a station of putting multi-family housing, if allowable.” The State passed a zoning requirement that if a town wants to receive grants under the Housing Authority, they must create a zone that allows 15 dwelling units per acre.  Thorne said he felt that the town should complete the form so as to not miss out on any eligible grant opportunities. DiSesa said, “I want to be careful what we are signing up for just to get grants.” Andrews was of the opinion that signing the document did not obligate the town to anything. An action plan would not need to be completed by the town until July of 2023.

Planning Board member Amy L. Troup said, “Complete Streets obligated us, and immediately by signing the obligation which is the form he’s talking about, it allows the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to change any of your laws by signing that document… if you read 40R in its entirety, any monies that you do receive for it, have to be repaid… it is absolutely not something we need to take in.” DiSesa said she did not want to sign it, so no motion was made, and Thorne was instructed not to complete the document.

There was a request for a live entertainment permit for a D.J. for cruise nights at the Halifax Walmart from May 6 to September 23. Andrews read all the requirements of the requested permit. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the permit. They also had a request from the Ragnar Relay that would be held on Saturday, May 21, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. Police Chief Joao Chaves said he was fine with the event. The Board approved the request.

The Selectmen had an appointment with Marilyn MacDonald and Don Nagle of MacDonalds Industries regarding remediation of waste soil. They were seeking a letter of support from the Board. Andrews said that in the past they have had issues with heavy truck traffic. MacDonald said that in addition to a $200 fine, MacDonald Industries also donates to the Halifax Food Pantry when trucks do not follow the rules regarding which streets they can use. A resident showed pictures to the Selectmen of damage caused by heavy truck traffic to various streets in town that were in relatively good condition prior. “We are up for anything to keep them off the streets, believe me, this is my community too,” MacDonald said. Andrews asked if a sign could  be put up stating that the roads are not for overweight vehicles. The Selectmen decided they would talk to the Highway Superintendent about what could be done. The Selectmen approved the requested letter of support.

Regarding the July 30 special election, Andrews said that the last day to obtain nomination papers would be June 8 at 5 p.m., the last day to submit papers to the Board of Registrars would be June 10, the last day for the Selectmen to notify the clerk of vacancies on the ballet would be May 26, and the deadline to object or withdraw would be June 28. The voter registration deadline is July 8. The Selectmen tabled the vote in order to discuss the possibility of having the special election the same day as the primary election.

A request was made for Saturday, June 18 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for use of the Town Hall Green. Andrews said that the requestor had already reached out to Chief Chaves, the Library Trustees, the Board of Health, and the Cultural Council. The Selectmen were told that they were still looking for a volunteer D.J. They were also told that they did not yet have a lineup for the event stating that the high school music program had expressed interest in performing. The requestor said that they had secured port-a-potties. An ice cream truck and a bouncy house may also be part of the event.

The Selectmen also had a hearing for earth removal at 0 Plymouth St. and 250 Lingan St.  A representative from Morse Brothers reviewed the plan with the Selectmen. A resident said that he would like for the trucking to occur during school hours and not on Saturdays. He cited safety concerns with children playing outside during those times. DiSesa asked how long that kind of limitation would postpone the project and was told it would likely increase the duration by several years. Andrews said the Board was told by the Zoning Enforcement Officer that the project was not allowable. “It needs to be proven through peer review,” he said. “We are playing a lot of ‘what ifs’ on a project that might not be allowed,” DiSesa added. The Selectmen voted to continue the hearing in a month’s time.

The Halifax Finance Committee met on Monday, April 11. They heard from both Facilities Manager for Silver Lake Regional Matt Durkee and Council on Aging Director Darlene Regan. Both have articles on the warrant for town meeting on May 9 for their respective departments.

Durkee spoke to the ongoing issues with the intercom system at the Halifax Elementary School. “The problem with the system is – number one, it’s a proprietary and based system, so there’s only one authorized vendor that can perform maintenance and repairs on the system so that kind of shoehorns us into a price bracket that we don’t really like,” Durkee explained. He clarified that the aforementioned issue was not the main one driving the request for a new system. “There are sections of the building that do not work currently with the intercom system on a consistent basis,” he continued. Durkee said that the gymnasium is the most critical portion of the school experiencing difficulties with the intercom system. In addition to difficulties with dismissals, Durkee said that students in gym class have been the last to know that lockdowns were happening. “One of the main parts of this new proposed system is to bring all of the classroom spaces and meeting spaces in the building up to a consistent, usable intercom system,” he told the Finance Committee.

In addition, the new system would outfit the clocks throughout the building with an auto adjust feature. “If there is a power outage, currently we have, I would say half the building, is battery operated, manually adjusted clocks; every time there is a power outage, that has to be adjusted – each space,” Durkee explained. Another new feature of the updated intercom system would be, in Durkee’s words, a “user friendly bell schedule adjustment.” This feature would allow the administration to easily update the bell schedule for half days or two-hour delays, etc.

Durkee also said that they are working their way through the entire Silver Lake Regional school systems to replace the aging intercom systems to integrate all of them. “The end goal here, once all these schools have come online in a new system, they will all be interconnected so if… the superintendent needed to make a district-wide address… it can be done through this system and speak to each classroom or any space where there is an intercom,” Durkee explained. He also said that there is a preset recording for all types of emergencies including fire alarms or lockdowns.

Regarding price, Durkee said the final pricing would be $38,793.51 including previously anticipated price increases. He said that the plan was to reuse much of the current wiring already found in the school in addition to the existing speakers which would help to keep the cost down. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan confirmed that this cost was already included in the capital plan. The article is recommended by the Finance Committee.

Regan spoke to the Committee about the plans to utilize existing funds to convert the Halifax Museum building into a new senior center. Regan shared with the Committee some 3-D renderings that were done of the proposed center. The images are available on the town website as well as having been shared in last week’s Express. “It just gives the people the idea of being excited about what the possibilities are going forward and that the funding is there its just a matter of making this all happen,” Regan explained. “Aesthetically on 106, it’s going to look beautiful,” she told the Committee. Regan stressed the importance of the new center, not just for aging adults, but for those with disabilities as well as the families of seniors.

Finance Committee Chair Thomas Connolly said to Regan about town meeting, “I anticipate, based on prior ones, that you’ll get questions about those things [services] and folks will want to be reassured that we are not just building an empty building that has no programming capability inside. My first recommendation would be to make sure you have crisp answers on that programming stuff that is going to go on there.” Connolly said that the proposed building looks “gorgeous” and agreed that it would enhance the look of the community as people drive down 106. Regarding the funding, he did bring up similar infrastructure issues that exist with the Town Hall, the Fire Station, and the Police Station though he noted that the current COA building is likely the worst. “Is there a rationale that we need to convey as to why these funds are used here and not for those three other central buildings?” Connolly asked. Nolan said that both the Police and Fire Stations are much larger jobs and noted that a complex combining both is in talks and would cost “quite a bit of money.” Of the new COA building, Nolan said, “This a building that can be done in the $1.6 million that we have leftover from the school.” She went on to say that pouring that money into the existing Fire or Police Stations would not make sense. Connolly agreed noting that a similar project in Brockton is estimated at upwards of $98 million. Nolan said a combined Police and Fire station in Halifax could cost somewhere around $12 million.

Finance Committee Chair Thomas Connolly said, “I think the one number that sort of tells it all for us is, after the one percent increases, it looks like our usual $300,000 buffer is somewhere around $119,000 this year.” He continued, “We are cutting it very close to the levy limit… that is where we are even with effectively a flat budget across the town… except for some uncontrollable increases like special education and the waste management contract and other just inflationary measures that are hitting us.”

Nolan told the Committee that there were still a few outstanding articles that the Finance Committee did not provide a recommendation on including a special town meeting article for work on the front door of the Town Hall. The total cost is $11,000. “If you’ve come to Town Hall recently, you would see why, they really need to be replaced,” Nolan said. The Finance Committee will provide their recommendation on it during the Town Meeting.

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in-person on Thursday, April 7. Superintendent Jill Proulx spoke about anti-bias training that is taking place at the Middle School to support anti-bullying, respect, and fostering a welcoming community for all. She said that a similar program will be rolled out at the High School using a peer mentoring model. Proulx said that a representative from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) would be leading it.

Committee member and Halifax Elementary School Committee Chair Summer Schmaling clarified that students would have the ability to choose whether they wanted to be a peer mentor but not whether they participated in the program as a recipient of that mentorship. She said, “Hanover has this programming, and it is to the point where there is no escaping it; it is being jammed down these kids’ throats… these peer mentors… it’s not as nice as it sounds; it’s a very aggressive campaign, if you will.” She said she does not want the ADL in Silver Lake’s schools. She said she feared the environment would become “toxic” and “poisonous.” She said she wanted parents to know when the programming would be taking place so parents could pull their children from it. Proulx pointed out that the Attorney General is partnering with the program. “Look at our Attorney General,” Schmaling said. Proulx said that opting out of assemblies would present a problem due to a lack of adequate staffing. “So, for some people this organization is racist, anti-police, and driven by hate,” Schmaling said after being told by Committee Chair Paula Hatch that the Committee was not in the habit of vetting material used by school clubs. Hatch said she participated in the anti-bias training herself and called it “very benign… not in the least bit abrasive or antagonistic.” “These parents are bull, and they are rising up in the hundreds and speaking out against it,” Schmaling said of parents in other communities where the programming was being implemented.

“I’m uncomfortable with the pre-judging prior to it happening,” Committee member Emily Davis told Schmaling. She continued that she found Schmaling’s attitude disrespectful to the administrators and community. Schmaling was asked to stop interrupting while Davis was trying to voice her opinions. Davis used the example of the Gay-Straight Alliance as being potentially polarizing but pointed out that it was a safe space for many. “Being exposed to things that make us uncomfortable or that are different opinions is necessity for us to be able to build bridges and have meaningful conversations,” Davis said. “I think this club presents the perfect opportunity for students that have very different opinions and very different ideas and ideologies to be able to have those conversations in a safe and supportive community and I think, in my opinion, that is the very purpose of an education,” Davis said.

Schmaling remained heated saying the programming was driven by a political agenda. She went on to say that she took issue with children being taught that they are inherently racist and privileged because of the color of their skin.

There was a debate on whether to create a standing committee to review texts when concerns are brought up regarding specific texts included as part of the Grade 7 through 12 curriculums. A committee was recently formed to provide a recommendation on the title, So Far from the Bamboo Grove after a parent raised concerns about the appropriateness of the text. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said that she felt it would benefit everyone involved if there was more transparency in general regarding the syllabi for various courses. High School Principal Michaela Gill said that syllabi should be posted per policy.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said he was asked to investigate how best to address concerns arising over specific texts. “There are policies around… reconsideration of instructional materials,” he said. He said that ideally, concerns should first be addressed with the classroom teacher. If questions remain, an additional meeting with the coordinator or principal would follow to see if the concerns could be addressed or an alternative text provided. The final step would be for the Committee to consider if the resource should be changed. Schmaling said she fears that concerns are not raised early enough for a parent to intervene before a child is exposed to what some may consider inappropriate. Schmaling said that she would prefer that a syllabus be provided in hardcopy format as opposed to being posted on an app. Hatch agreed.

Schmaling was personally concerned with the text, The Perks of Being a Wallflower which is part of the 11^th grade program of studies. Committee member Gordon Laws gave an impassioned argument that while the subjects broached in the book are uncomfortable, they are meant to be, and they are in line with the real-life experiences of students in the age range that are reading the text. He did say, however, “If Summer does not want her daughter to read that, I fully support her right to say, ‘you’re not going to read that.’”

Student Council representative to the School Committee Callie MacInnis spoke up saying she was in agreement with Laws. “It is a very uncomfortable topic, but I think it is necessary to know at that age… it’s something that you should know… I think it is better to read it in a setting of a book, which you know is fictional,” she explained. Hatch said to MacInnis, “you are a wonderful asset and I enjoy having you here as I think the rest of the Committee does; you are meaningful in what you say.” She continued, “One of the reasons I continue to enjoy my experience on this Committee is because we can have honest, intelligent, thoughtful, meaningful conversations – everybody here tonight played their role in it, and I want to thank you; this was a robust discussion and we hashed out an uncomfortable subject and came to some reasonable thoughts.”

The Committee voted to accept a donation from a resident to aid in paying off any unpaid meal debt for students. Committee member Jason Fraser said that there was a bi-partisan bill at the federal level to extend through September 2023 the federal free meals program. “There’s bills at the State level and the Federal level right now trying to work on making the current way we are doing lunch a permanent fixture,” Fraser explained.

Middle School Principal Jim Dupille gave an update on the students that went to the Regional History Bee. Two of the students made it beyond the regional and have qualified for the national academic competition in Orlando. “Congratulations to all of our students that have participated,” Dupille said. Superintendent Jill Proulx thanked Dupille for his 11 years of service to the district as he is leaving. She said that they will begin interviews as early as the last week in April. She said they hoped to be able to make an appointment by the end of May. Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) President Jon Lay read several tributes to Dupille’s tenure at the Middle School from a number of faculty members. Many praised him for his professionalism and his family first attitude.

Gill asked the Committee to consider changing the way the second semester grades are calculated. She said that final exams are currently calculated to account for 20 percent of the final grade. “We think this is a bit excessive for a student’s final grade to rest so heavily on one form of assessment,” Gill said. She continued, “What we would like to do instead… is to create two equal terms for three and four at fifty percent, the final assessment or project that is done in the class be part of the term four grade which traditionally has more interruptions than the rest of the school year anyway…that would allow teachers to continue to have the autonomy to assign their final exam… or learning based project… seniors with an A minus or better would still have the opportunity to be exempt from their final exams but, again, I think it would alleviate some stress for kids.” “I think it’s a great solution; I would love to make it permanent,” Fraser said. Other Committee members spoke out against the proposal citing fears that students would not be prepared for future endeavors including college. McGee said that her own child, who went through Silver Lake schools, was struggling in college due to not having the rigor usually required in their last two years of high school during the pandemic. “I’m going to vote no on this and it’s not because I don’t’ respect what you and your staff have done to come up with this; I just don’t think it’s the optimal solution,” McGee said. The proposal passed during the Committee vote though several members voted against it. The change would only affect this year.

Gill told the Committee that students have been engaging in a number of endeavors to support the people of Ukraine. Efforts have included students in the Allied Health group collecting medical supplies and the Red Cross Club have been creating educational and awareness materials to share with their classmates. Gill said the Woman Empowerment Club held their first annual woman in the workforce career fair. Gill also said that all the junior and senior CTE students took the 10-hour OSHA certification earlier this month.  The Senior Theatre Independent Study hosted SL Idol. It was the first time the event was able to be held in several years.

MacInnis also shared some recent updates with the Committee. MacInnis said that the spring sports were off to a successful start in addition to unified sports which is a partnership with the Best Buddies program. She said that pins could be purchased to support a day of silence for the LGBTQ+ community. MacInnis also said that the National Honor Society (NHS) would be partnering with the Middle School for their tutoring program. She also said that several drives were going on in the school including one for an animal shelter and a food drive to support the Pilgrim Area Collaborative.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable spoke to the Committee regarding a special education review that takes place every three years by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to monitor student outcomes. She said that of the 36 areas reviewed, only one fell outside the implemented category. This pertained to procedures used to provide services to eligible students enrolled in private school at private expense. She said that since it was only partially implemented, they now must provide a plan to correct it. Grable said, “Every school has an obligation to locate and evaluate students with disabilities that are either home schooled or enrolled in private school at parent expense… private schools located within a school’s boundaries, so for us we are looking at Sacred Heart School in Kingston. The districts are to calculate and spend a proportionate share of the Federal Special Education IDEA fund to provide equitable special education services to the eligible students.” She said there were 4 students attending Sacred Heart and 6 that are homeschooled. She said they must engage in meaningful conversation with these students’ families and schools to discuss what, if any, funding would help to ensure that these students obtain equitable services.

Grable explained to the Committee the difference between a unilateral placement by a family versus a team decision to send a child to a different school. Grable said a unilateral placement is one where a family would decide to send a student with a disability to a district outside of Silver Lake. In this case, Silver Lake would have conversations with the family regarding implications of that decision. “When we have a student in our system here that we are feeling we cannot meet their special education needs… then we do seek to find an appropriate out of district placement for that child.”

During the Chairman’s Report, Hatch said she was contacted by Hanson Selectman Jim Hickey regarding a subcommittee on the feasibility of de-regionalization. Hatch said they are considering de-regionalizing from Whitman and wanted insight on how things were handled when Pembroke left Silver Lake. She also said that they expressed interest in potentially joining Silver Lake. Hatch said, “this is very early on, and it may not come to anything.”

The Halifax Elementary School Committee met in-person on Monday, April 4. Committee Chair Summer Schmaling opened the floor for public comment. Richard Bayramshian of the Halifax Teachers’ Assocation (HTA) spoke saying, “it’s important to understand why the Teachers’ Association is making their plea tonight for a fair and respectful contract moving forward. After receiving a 1.6 percent raise for one year in January of 2021, seven months after our old contract expired in June of 2020, negotiations started back up in February of 2021; the starting point was an offer of 0 percent until Finance Committee and final budget was set for the upcoming fiscal school year of 2022-2023.”

Bayramshian said that the HTA requested that they be paid the stipend that all town employees received but he said that request was denied. Bayramshian said that the final offer the School Committee proposed was for two years at 1 percent and 1.5 percent which the HTA brought back to the Union, who voted it down. He said that a second meeting was scheduled for March 9 which Bayramshian said was put off several times by the School Committee due to not having a quorum. He said that the mediation date was set for May 3, nearly three months after the original scheduled date.

“I’ve been a teacher here for almost 30 years; I’ve been negotiating for nearly half that time. I’ve considered the town of Halifax and HES as my second family. I’ve run over 20 years of fundraisers… I’ve run after school sports programs…,” Bayramshian said. He said that the HTA has been without a contract for nine months and that what they really hoped to accomplish was a three-year contract in line with cost of living increases and inflation rates. “My own paycheck has decreased the last three years,” Bayramshian explained.

Steve Ruisi, also of the HTA, spoke next saying that he shared many of the same sentiments expressed by Bayramshian. “Our message is simple; invest more in teachers,” Ruisi said. He went on to say that it was disappointing to be there to discuss the lack of progress with the negotiations. “It has been very clear throughout these negotiations that investing in teachers’ salaries have never been a serious priority,” Ruisi told the Committee. He said that both Kingston and Plympton settled their contracts early in the winter saying the towns rewarded them for what they have done over the last two years throughout the pandemic. Ruisi said that in initial drafts of the budget, teachers’ salaries were decreased by $36,000 rather than being level funded. He said that the HTA received no response from the School Committee when they pointed out the decrease and demanded to be level funded. “Earlier in the spring as unprecedented stimulus money was approved for towns and schools, we were again optimistic; at that time and still, a large majority of that money was and still is unspent,” Ruisi said. He also said that inflation is estimated at 6 percent and the teachers were only asking for a 2 percent increase. He said it was important to note that as the previous year’s inflation rates were used, in part, to justify the one year, one percent contract. He said the teachers were “crushed, shocked, and disappointed” to be the only town employees not to receive the stipend.

Kindergarten teacher Tiffany Easter spoke next. She began by thanking the School Committee for the opportunity to speak before them. “I just wanted to get up here tonight and shed some light on the reality of teaching in Halifax right now. I know I speak for many others when I say this as a sixth-year teacher with a Master’s degree working toward paying off undergrad student debt, keeping up with the cost of living, paying for rising health insurance costs – right now I am forced to work three jobs,” Easter told the Committee. “We can’t put students first if we are putting teachers last,” she finished.

Tara Tonello, a parent of a student at HES, spoke after Easter. She acknowledged that she could not fathom the “intricacies” of the tasks faced by the Committee. “However, I am aware that the teachers have been working with an outdated contract this current school year,” she said. She said that when it takes this long to accomplish something, in this case agree to a new contract, the general impression is that it is not a priority. The reply, addressed to the teachers said, “I hope you know that you are valued, appreciated, and incredibly respected.”

School Committee member Jim Keegan spoke saying he has a child at HES as well as another at the Middle School. He said that both himself and his wife were born and raised in Halifax and that they wanted to make sure that their children went through the Silver Lake school system. Keegan said that he could not be happier with the education that their children are receiving and said that everyone that he speaks to in town are in complete agreement. “I support our schools and I support our teachers,” Keegan said. He cautioned against using social media as a member of any group including a union, saying that it can easily become divisive. “When we are using social media and using bits and pieces to fit our agenda, it doesn’t do anything but separate us; as a parent, I would hope that everyone would use caution when using social media,” Keegan said.

Schamling thanked everyone for attending but said that she wished that more people would have been in attendance during their budget hearing.

There was a school choice hearing which allows the School Committee to opt out of school choice. School choice is a program that allows Massachusetts schools to accept students from other towns in the State. Superintendent Jill Proulx made it clear that school choice does not allow for discrimination based on race, gender, athletic achievement, academic achievement, etc. The administration recommended against choosing school choice due to the large class sizes. The School Committee voted unanimously to opt out of school choice.

Keegan provided a Youth and Rec update. He said that sinkholes were currently getting fixed that were located on the Babe Ruth Field. Keegan also said that adult volleyball was scheduled to begin April 29 at 7 p.m.

A PTO update was given by committee member Jennifer Carroll. She said the bookfair this year was the most successful one to date raising $50,000. She also said that field trips are returning. The newspaper club for Grades 4-6 was approved by Youth and Rec and is seeking volunteers to chaperone. Field Day will be Monday, June 13 with a rain date of Tuesday, June 14.

Principal Kayne Beaudry began his update by saying, “I just want to put it out there to just recognize the fact that we don’t appreciate teachers enough…we do appreciate all that the teachers do especially the last two years were rough, and I wouldn’t want to be beside anyone else… they did a wonderful job trying to figure out how to teach during COVID.” Beaudry said that conferences were held and were offered either in-person or remote. He also said that kindergarten registration went live on February 7. MCAS would be held that week.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch spoke about the Student Opportunity Act saying that it sought to close learning gaps. He said that additional Chapter 70 funding did not happen in 2021 due to the pandemic and additional federal aid. He noted that the funds would be available for 2022-2023 and that based on Halifax’s demographics, that increase netted about $16,000. He said that one of the goals was to take a math interventionist position and move it from a 0.49 position to a 1.0 or full-time position. Lynch said that Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds can be used to fund that position through 2024.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable provided an update on an assessment that was completed regarding special education services in Halifax. She said that of the 36 areas reviewed, 35 were deemed successfully implemented. Only one service was considered partially implemented. She said that every district has an obligation to locate students with special needs that are either homeschooled or enrolled in a private school by their caregivers. The district has a responsibility to identify these students and with parent consent, consult on how and if any eligible funding would help the student to obtain eligible services. She said that since this area is only partially implemented, they would be looking to finer tune the process.

Proulx asked the Committee to increase the pay for long-term substitutes to make them more aligned with other local districts. She said the possibility to reduce the rate in the future could be explored should long-term substitutes become more readily available. Committee Chair Gordon Andrews asked Beaudry if there were currently any open long-term substitute positions at HES and was told there was not. Andrews clarified that voting the increase would not cost them anything right now but would make them competitive should the need arise for a long-term substitute. The increase would be from $95 a day to $272. Schmaling said she was in favor of learning more about the increase’s full impact on the budget before voting in favor of it. The Committee decided to discuss it further at their next meeting.

The Plympton School Committee met virtually on Monday, March 28. Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen brought up the ongoing issue of dog waste on the school fields as well as a recent incident involving a dog bite. Resident Heather Sanda said she was out for a run when she encountered three dogs with an owner on school grounds. One of the dogs jumped on her and bit her hip and knee which prompted her to call the police. “There is no leash law in Plympton so all that happened was this dog was taken home and put under house arrest for ten days to be monitored for rabies,” Sanda explained. “People just use it as a dog park and it is not a dog park,” Sanda said of the school fields. Sanda said that some of the first-grade teachers have recalled students coming in from recess with dog waste on their shoes. “I know we have had this conversation too many times; we have given people the opportunity to clean up after their dogs… my understanding is nothing is any different than it was before,” Wilhelmsen said. Amy Hempel spoke on behalf of the Plympton Athletic Youth Sports (P.A.Y.S.) saying that while preparing the fields for spring sports, there was considerable waste on the fields. “It is unfortunate for the folks that have been using it appropriately, but it is not designed to be a dog park,” Wilhelmsen said. Hempel noted that 90 percent of surrounding towns do not allow dogs on their sports fields.

The Committee discussed placing signs around the area alerting residents that dogs will no longer be permitted. Wilhelmsen said the difficult part would be enforcement. “We are not in a position as a School Committee or Peter [Veneto] as an administrator to be enforcing who is on the grounds and who is not, especially after school hours…I think we will need to work with the Selectmen to see if we can engage the Police,” he explained. Regarding the lack of a leash law, Wilhelmsen said, “It is incumbent upon all of us that have dogs to understand and know your dog and be able to make sure that dog is acting appropriately and healthily with everyone that is around.” The School Committee voted to ban dogs from the Dennett grounds. Sanda thanked them saying, “I’m glad it was me and not a kid.”

Playground Update

Committee member Jason Fraser said, “with the help of Rep. LaNatra and her staff, we did trace the path for those fenced off funds which are for the enrollment increases we realized this year. They are supposed to be for fiscal year 22 which is ending June 30… DESE [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] has some preliminary numbers for us… I don’t think they are official yet… we are supposedly in line for $80,000.” Fraser said that the money could be used to help finish the rubberized surfacing on the new playground at the Dennett.

Capital Improvement

Wilhelmsen said they plan to have an article at the special town meeting for several purposes. He said there were four classrooms that need floor replacements. Wilhelmsen told the Committee that an upgrade to the intercom system would cost about $35,000. They are also looking to upgrade the building entrances with key fobs. Five HVAC units also need to be replaced but will likely be funded using ARPA funds.

Legislative Update

Fraser said the federal government was lapsing on their free meal programs for students for both breakfast and lunch. He said there is currently a bill at the State House called the Free Meals for All Plan. He said that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) were in support of it. He said it has also been requested that the per pupil minimum increment be changed from $30 to $100. “With inflation wreaking havoc on budgets across the State, $100 just seems a little bit more appropriate,” Fraser explained. He said they were also asking that Circuit Breaker be fully funded. The school loses money from charter school tuitions that are taken directly out of the town’s Chapter 70 funds. “We actually have the ability within Mass General Laws to reach out to all of those students who go to charter schools and send them flyers and brochures of our own, advocating for our schools and the great programs that we have,” he told the Committee. He further said he would like to see the administrative team prepare something to send out.

CASA Update

Hempel provided the CASA update saying they just finished the end of Winter Fest. “I think it was a big success looking at the number of people that went,” she said. She also said that they were looking for volunteers to bring back the talent show.

Principal’s Report

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto said that they currently have 241 students enrolled. The school recently held the honor roll breakfast and any sixth grader on the honor roll was allowed to bring a family member. Veneto said that a former Dennett student, Dan Lyons, who is now a senior also came and spoke to the students about what they can expect at the middle school and high school. Veneto also said that the entire school participated in Read Across America week where students got to wear different themed attire each day. Former student Payton Devonshire is leading a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. There will be a box for collections in the lobby of the school as well as at the Police Station. Veneto also said that the Assistant District Attorney recently spoke to fifth and sixth grade students about the dangers of the internet as well as “how to remain safe while online.”

“We also had another really interesting project that we tried for the first time in Grade 6,” Veneto said. He said a Deputy from the Sherriff’s Department introduced a CIA unit kit that students tested in class. “They did fingerprint experiments, footprint analysis, working with unknown powder and liquids,” Veneto explained. He called the program “hugely popular.”

Assistant Superintendent’s Update

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided data on a recent professional development day centering around social and emotional learning and anti-bias training. He said that they surveyed teachers and had 228 responses. Eighty-five percent of staff rated the training as either a 1 or a 2 out of 4 with 1 being extremely effective. Lynch also provided an update on ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund). They are using some of the funds for a program that includes visits from an expert to help aid the school improvement plan.

Budget Update

Proulx told the Committee that it was her hope that they would approve the budget that night, so they could have a budget to present to the community. Wilhelmsen said that himself, Proulx, Fraser, and Director of Business Services Christine Healy all met with the Finance Committee to review the budget and the addition of the new director position being added to the budget. “We didn’t get too many questions… but I think overall they were very, very pleased with the budget,” Wilhelmsen said of the Finance Committee. He said there would be no increase in the budget after taking all factors into account. “I think this is a good, strong budget,” he continued. The Committee approved the 2022-2023 elementary school operating budget of $2,767,440, the special education budget of $1,136,022, and the out of district vocational budget of $60,000.

The Halifax Finance Committee met Monday, March 28, in preparation for a balanced budget to present to the Halifax Annual Town Meeting, which will be held May 9 at the Halifax Elementary School.

First on the agenda was the Park Commission budget. Speaking to the article  was Michael Schleiff.   Responding to a letter from the Board of Health, the Parks Commission is asking to put in a handicap accessible “porta potty” that would be rented in increments of 28 days.  While the request had been for three portable toilets, the Park Commission  is requesting one for the Lingan Street beach area at a cost of $1100.  This will protect the beach, pond, and surrounding area from urination and defecation and help lessen the problems and answer the Board of Health concerns. This would bring the budget up to $1562.  FinCom agreed and voted to approve that amount.

In an effort to bring in some money to help cover expenses, the parks department is considering offering out of town beach stickers for a fee.  There are officers at the recreation locations monitoring the areas, and there is signage stating that parking is for Halifax residents only, but they can’t keep out of town vehicles from parking at the boat ramp.

“We’re going to get some help this year from the highway department with clearing the parking lot across the street from the Holmes Street beach,”  Schleiff said.    

Next project the Park Commission is looking at is some “beach nourishment” to alleviate the deep gullies at the beach formed by stormwater runoff.  They have bids from local sand and gravel merchants and Schleiff explained they have to match the sand in size and texture to the current sand, and it has to be washed sand, with no sediment.  The price for this is $14 a ton.

Schleiff said they would also like to continue the Holmes St. boat refurbishment.  “We’re working on the drawings so we can get accurate prices.   We know it’s going to be way over the $5,000 we have.”  He told the committee that three tri-axels of sand will be about $1100.“  If we take out one truck it will be $800 or so,” Schleiff said,  “It would be nice to have it in this budget so the work can be done this year.”  Town Accountant Sandy Nolan pointed out that the boat ramp is a capital expenditure and the warrant for the spring town meeting closed last week.   She encouraged Schleiff to get her the information and she will see what she can do, but most likely they will have to draw up an article for a special town meeting in the fall.

Pam Aducci, Town Treasurer/Collector, told FinCom she wants the assistant treasurer position raised from its current 32 hours to 40 hours.  “ I’ve given my notice and will be leaving at the end of April.  Whoever comes in will need training and that will need more hours.”  Nolan said she knows how the asstant treasurer has been pushed – especially with the fraudulent unemployment claims that came in during the pandemic – and also just keeping up with all the day to day business in the treasurer’s office. “We’re going to need that person for 40 hours a week no matter what.”   The increase was approved.  Adducci said that she realizes the town needs to find new revenue sources and suggested Halifax raise its demand fees.   Halifax charges $5 while surrounding towns charge $15.  “Not a ton of money, but it needs to be approved by Town Meeting.”

FinCom went on to a general discussion of the budget.

Still faced with the Halifax Elementary School budget, the major issue is the special education transportation price increase.  FinCom has made inquiries into utilizing one of the vans from the Council on Aging.  They have three vans with three drivers.  FinCom has asked the school committee to explore that.  COA was quite amenable to sharing.

There has been no news on the Town Administrator’s salary line.   If it is voted at $125,000 and the selected candidate requires more, then they might have to go to a special town meeting to fund that position.

• IT Expense budget at  $110,191 was approved.  Nolan said she thought it was a fair amount.

• Police and Fire budgets  are complete.

• Building Inspector – Selectmen are aware that assistant building inspectors are being paid out of the building inspector’s  expense budget as vendors.  The building inspector asked that his assistant budget  be transferred to the expense budget so he can use it to pay contractors. His assistant works as a contractor at this time.  Voted unanimously.

• Animal Control Officer budget – $982.  The budget is formulaic.  Unanimous approval.

• School budget is waiting until next meeting.  Halifax’s assessment went up, Kingston’s went up and Plympton’s  assessment went down.  Cheryl  asked if the special ed transportation cost is fixed and was told that there are no companies  willing to bid on the project.    

• Reycling center wages  were voted to cover the three people working there, the driver, center operator, and part time helper totaling $75,274.  Sue Johnson communicated to FinCom that the hazardous waste collection line can be lowered from $14,560 to $5,950.  They will do alternate years as there was a very low demand for the service. They are also looking at a regional option.   Unanimously voted.

As for the trash collection, that department says they should be able to lower this amount but recommends putting this price into the town warrant and when prices come in, they can bring the cost down at Town Meeting.  “Is this a straight pass through to the residents?” Chairman Connolly asked of Nolan.  “We would have to increase the price of the bags.   This is paid for by the bags and we would have to increase the price.   That’s why we’re working hard not to have it that price because we do not want to have to increase the bags like that,” Nolan said.

• Council on Aging expense went up by  $650 due to increases in electricity and dues.  “I think they’re going to need it,” Nolan said.  Voted unanimously.   

• Parks expense – change from $450 to $1562.  Voted unanimously.

• Fireworks committee is asking for $3300 to cover the cost of police and fire details.  Unanimous approval..

• Debt service –  all three items went down from last year.   This is the last year for the landfill capping item.  The principal is $90,000 and the interest for this year is $1,857.  The other items are the elementary school roof and repairs and the fire suppression debt.  “These will be with us for a while,” Nolan said.

• Plymouth County Retirement wants to be fully funded by 2030.  This will keep increasing.  We have no choice.

• Halifax group insurance.  Expecting a significant drop due to people going from family plans onto Medex plans which saves significant sums – the difference of about $1400 per month down to about $400 per month.   I would like you to vote $1,054,560, for total health group insurance.   Voted unanimously.

• OPED trust – committee is  asking for $1,000 again this year to bring the total to $39,000.    

• Assistant Treasurer/Collector salary increase by $11,000 who is now  at 32 hours.  It is an additional 8 hours “and it is quite necessary,” Sandy Nolan said.  From $141,854.  Increase by $11,000 to make the department line  $152,854.  Voted  unanimously.

• Article 6  Reserve Fund.  $75,000 to raise and appropriate from the general fund, and also $50,000 from water  retained earnings.   “The same as last year,” Nolan told the group.  Total $125,000 for the reserve fund.  What was the total of all the reserve fund transfers for all of last year?   “There was a $100,000 transfer from the reserve fund to the legal expense line last year but I’m not sure if that’s going to come up again.”  Said Assistant treasurer Lind Cole.   Nolan said “There’s a chance that it may come up again this year.  Basically I think we’re doing OK with the amount.”  Connolly asked, “Where does the unused money go at the end of the year?”  Nolan answered that it goes back to the general fund as free cash.

• Plymouth County Extension Service – $150.  This is the same every year.  They help us with 4-H and other things.   Unanimous approval.

• Road maintenance.   Last year increased it was increased from $150,000 to $300,000.   “Steve (Hayward) would like to keep the $300,000.  And we can afford to.”   Approved unanimously.

• Assessors recertification article for $18,600. “ It’s the annual fixed cost and we have to do it,” Connolly said.  Unanimous.

• Police vehicles – one police cruiser and one chief’s vehicle for $110,000 as part of the annual rotation.  Approved unanimously.

• Police Bulletproof vests for $5,000.  “We do sometimes get refunds from the state, but that just replenishes the account.”  Approved.

• Replacement of 20 station cell cameras  at $7,379 was approved.

• Halifax Elementary School elevator.  The current elevator is so old that they can’t get parts.  They want to upgrade the control panel for $66,941. “This is a one-time expense and it should last quite a long time once we put it in.  This is something that we would naturally fund through free cash,” Nolan told the board.  Approved.

• Highway medium duty dump truck for plowing and sanding for $200,000.  Can be more useful than the larger trucks.   Approved.

• Highway 500 gallon double walled waste oil tank.  $50,000.  The one we have now is single walled and not in compliance with state standards.  “This allows us to burn used oil for heating oil.  She said the last heating oil bill they got was $5 per gallon so the ability to burn the waste oil is a huge savings.

Nolan asked the commission to go back to fixed costs. “ The gas line we have at $90,000 … I think we need to increase it by $20,000 to $110,000.  For heating oil I think we need to increase it by $10,000 to $60,000.”  If the money isn’t used it goes back into the general fund.  Approved.

• Water recycling unit at the wash bay for the highway dept.  We’re pumping the water out of the pipe tank which is not in compliance, Nolan said..   The cost will also add a roof over the wash bay.  $75,000 total.  Approved.

• South Shore Coastal Counties Legal Service and South Shore Resource and Advocacy for $3500.  Same as last year.

• Town clerk needs a new time stamp for $850.  The one they have is so old it can’t get parts for it.  Approved

• Library computer – $1000 for a new computer at the library as part of a rotation replacement program.  Approved.

• The request for three copy machines has been reduced to two.  The water dept.  doesn’t want to replace theirs at this time.  This will cover highway and library.  Nolan suggested purchase instead of lease.  $4,000.  Approved.

• Fire – new ambulance.  $340,000. They are locking in a price, and not going to take delivery for two years.   Have to commit the funds to the article.  The money won’t all go at once.  “ We pay a deposit to begin it, might have a payment halfway through, and then the balance when it’s delivered,” Nolan said.

• Security cameras for town buildings.  Sixteen cameras on new buildings including the Town Hall, COA, Highway Dept. and  Holmes Library for $36,800.  These buildings don’t currently have security cameras,  Caesar Coloruso, head of IT, explained.  Approved.

• Middle School Resource officer – “Again this is a raise and appropriate because it is an operating  item.”  Really belongs in the school budget, it will be listed as a sub line under the school budget.   This is Halifax’s share of the resource officer.  Halifax pays 2/3 and Plympton pays 1/3. Kingston pays 100% of the resource officer at the High School.  Approved.

•  Council on Aging.  There is a need for a new building for the Council on Aging. “We are looking at the Halifax Museum library to see if we can be rehab it with a small addition to the building.  It would allow more space and all on one floor.   The architect came in with a price – a very rough estimate of $1.2 million,”  Nolan said.   “We are looking for $1.5 million to cover everything.   This will come from the school roof bond.   Interest rates were very low and the school roof came in at less leaving an extra $1.5 million left over in that account.  She would like to transfer the funds from school roof project to the Council on Aging project.   The one catch is there would need to be an article on the warrant to do this because it was debt excluded.  An article on town meeting to make the transfer as well as a question on the ballot to approve the COA project through debt exclusion is needed.  This money is already debt excluded.  If we do this, there is no increase to the levy at all.   The state asks that we use the funds on another project of equal length… We cannot use it to pay down the bond,” Nolan said.   Approved.   

• Silver Lake Tennis courts repair $110,000 Funds were returned from Silver Lake.  There were  $312,000 in refunds from Silver Lake and they’re asking that we take $110,000 from that to repair the tennis courts.  Being from the stabilization fund it needs a 2/3 vote.   Approved.

• Police Body Worn Camera Program.  They’ve been trying to get grants but haven’t gotten them. Not yet a requirement, but the chief would like to get them and have his officers get used to them. Chief Joao Chaves told the commission that it is prudent to get it now.  Body cameras are probably going to be mandated and Police Chief Joao Chaves said it is a prudent program.  The cameras themselves are $46,380 for the five year program and at three years they change out all the cameras.  Approved.

Library /water department network refresh.  $12,500   We do have the money to do it.    Approved.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, March 15. The Selectmen met with Michael Mahoney the Director of the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC) to discuss a $50,000 increase for services for fiscal year 2023. Selectman Mark Russo said they did have a bit of sticker shock as they were originally told that they would be at $175,000 and not $200,000 with the potential for that to reduce should other towns join. “The three-year step plan that we laid out went $100, $150, $200… I’m honestly not sure where the shock is,” Mahoney said. Fire Chief Steve Silva said he agreed with Russo saying that both Hanson and Hanover have joined the ROCCC without a reduction seen to Plympton’s share of the cost.

“Plympton wasn’t paying an equitable share all along,” Mahoney said explaining that 911 was paying their share previously. Mahoney further said that all of the smaller towns that are a part of the ROCC are paying $200,000 including Halifax and Rochester. Silva questioned this given Plympton’s population of just under 3,000 as opposed to Halifax who is more than twice as large. Mahoney claimed that the call volume for Plympton has been larger than Halifax’s over the last six months. Silva said that the metric used to indicate call volume was resulting in “an inequitable situation.” “You pay for the impact on the dispatcher,” Mahoney said.

According to Mahoney, 911 calls represent the vast minority of calls to the ROCCC. He said that business related calls represent more of the calls fielded. John Traynor asked Mahoney for assistance in figuring out what is driving Plympton’s call volume to match or exceed that of the much larger towns. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen said that further investigation needs to be done into what is driving Plympton’s high call volume to see if there may be an alternative way to handle some of those calls. Mahoney said that he was happy to pull some numbers and review them further with the town.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy asked what will happen if the town can’t afford the $50,000 increase for fy 2023 given the short notice and how far along they are in the budget process. She asked if they would need to approach the State and Mahoney said, “we’ve done anything and everything to secure support in grant funding as much as we possibly can for all of the member towns.” Mahoney said he would stand with the town before the 911 Commissioner to lobby for more money if needed.

Traynor led a discussion with Executive Director of Area 58 Richard Goulart about moving forward with a hybrid style meeting where participants could join virtually via ZOOM while others were physically present in a meeting room. Goulart said that both Carver and Halifax are currently doing a hybrid style meeting. To do so and to allow Area 58 to record the meeting, they would have to be the ones to host the meeting. Dennehy felt that having Area 58 host the meeting could pose a problem if the town needed to organize a meeting quickly. “I think it could work very well for regular meetings,” she added. Dennehy also said that if they moved to hybrid meetings and there was a technology glitch, the meeting would be invalidated. Russo inquired about the sound quality. “Generally speaking, we haven’t had a real problem with that,” Goulart said.

The Selectmen had two public hearings on the agenda. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said that in 2018, the town adopted a policy of right of first refusal for full transparency whenever land became available in the town. This allows residents that have concerns to voice them as well as allowing interested committees or boards in town that have interest in the property to speak on it. The first property was located on Ring Rd. in Plympton. Kirsten Eliassen who works with the developer Ring Rd. Solar was there to speak on it. “The solar array will be installed over the existing cranberry bogs and the cranberry bogs will continue to be harvested for the life of the project,” Eliassen explained. There are 14.6 acres on the first parcel and there are 5-6 acres to be converted. No one spoke out in favor of or against the project. The Selectmen voted not to exercise the town’s right of first refusal on the first property.

The second parcel is 41 acres, and they are proposing to convert between 8 and 9 acres. Again, no one spoke out in favor or against the project and no boards or committees in town were interested in the property. The Selectmen again voted not to exercise the town’s right of first refusal.

Mike Slawson of the Plympton Public Library spoke in favor of Jessica Lau being appointed to the Board of Library Trustees until May 21, 2022. “I think she’ll be an excellent addition to the Board,” Slawson told the Selectmen. They voted to appoint her. Arthur Kinsman was also appointed to the Bylaw Review Committee until dissolved. Brian Kling was also reappointed as the town’s animal inspector.

Dennehy said she had a few items in correspondence. A request was made by a resident who runs a meditation group called Plymouth Zen to use a room at the Old Townhouse. Russo called Plymouth Zen a “very nice bunch.” He did say, however, that he wanted to be careful not to set a precedent and to view any approval more so as a trial. The Selectmen decided to vote on the issue at the following meeting.

The Selectmen ended the meeting with their raves. Traynor said, “My rave is for Kathy LaNatra.” He said the library was hosting a speaker series each month and noted that LaNatra has done a good job any time she has been asked to speak. “We have a good rep,” he said.

“My rave is for the courage of the Ukrainian people who are defending their country, their homes, and their lives,” Joy said.

Russo said he wanted to underscore both of the previous raves in addition to his own. “My rave is for the time of year that its budget creation time, preparing for town meeting – kind of a busy time but we kind of layout the foundation for the whole year… kind of a pleasure to be in that mode,” he said.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, March 8. Town Administrator Ed Thorne provided an update on the community survey reports that looked at the number of selectmen per town as well as open town meeting versus representative town meeting. The first survey investigated 30 communities on the South Shore and the other looked at communities across the State with populations of 5,000 to 10,000. Of the 30 on the South Shore, 23 had Boards of Selectmen and seven had Select Boards. The vast majority had five members while eight had three members. Of the 86 communities looked at across the State 50 had five and 36 had three. This survey was conducted as the Selectmen consider an article at town meeting to go from a three-person Board to a five members.

The other report discussed was what Thorne called the “Stump Brook Dam Report.” Thorne said that Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews visited the site with the Board of Health agent and had a lengthy conversation with MA Wildlife. “Did you see any beavers?” Selectman Ashley DiSesa asked. “We found muskrat and they were trapping for beaver,” Andrews responded. He said the Board of Health needs to issue an Emergency Order for the trapping of the beavers. He said the Conservation Commission may need to do so as well for the removal of the dams. Thorne said the level of the pond is up, but nothing can be done as the beaver dam is in the way. Andrews said that currently the State is handling it but if it falls outside of their jurisdiction, the town will need to pickup the cost of trapping the beavers. Andrews said that they believe that there are at least 4 lodges in Burrage. Andrews said that ultimately the town would likely need to increase funding for trapping. He specified that the traps are no kill traps. A 55 lb beaver has already been removed.

The Selectmen had an appointment with Don Barrows, the President of the Monponsett Watershed Association. “The most important thing that we see this season is weed eradication,” Barrows explained. “We’ve got to do something this year, we can’t wait,” he continued. He noted that there was funding for the ponds available and Thorne said that it should cover the cost. Thorne said that the amount should cover the aloe treatment as well as the weed eradication for both the East and West ponds. Thorne said the work should be done in May. Barrows said that he had not yet heard if the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would be conducting testing of the ponds.

The Selectmen also met with Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward to discuss the condition of the roads including potholes. Hayward said that he just had an additional mile of work come in at an estimated cost of nearly $400,000.

Andrews told the other Selectmen that there would be an increase of $24,572 for the out of County tuition rate for Norfolk Aggie. He said that the town has two students currently enrolled.

The Selectmen also discussed the intermunicipal dispatch agreement with the ROCC. Fire Chief Jason Viveiros said there would be a $50,000 increase this year. He noted that in the five years they have been with the same service, the price has remained steady. “We’ve had a great service there; it’s been a considerable savings from when we were doing dispatch in house,” Viveiros explained. He also explained that there are a lot of things that the ROCC does that people are not aware of such as replacing a computer system for $50,000. The Selectmen voted to approve the agreement.

Andrews read from a status report for municipal and school buildings. He said that the wiring for the Town Hall front door is complete. The backflow preventer was weeping at the Elementary School and needed to be drained during the vacation break. The cost to prevent future draining is $5,300. The windows are installed at Pope’s Tavern. There are leaks under the windows at the library and due to the size of the project, its cost will need to go into the capital plan.

Andrews also said that they had received a letter from the Silver Lake Regional School Committee asking to use some of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support upgrades to the schools’ HVAC systems. The Selectmen agreed to review it further at a later meeting.

Information Technology Director Cesar Calouro was there to discuss potentially using ARPA funds for network security. Calouro said the amount needed was listed as both an ARPA request as well as being included in the capital plan. The amount listed in the capital plan was just for Police, Fire, and Water. He said the life expectancy of the equipment should be ten years. “I think you’re better off just going with the capital request for Police and Fire,” Andrews said. Calouro said that if the amount was included in the capital plan his budget would be going up. DiSesa said she wanted to delay voting until she could investigate it further.

Andrews said there is a petition article for zoning at the Special Town Meeting to change the location requirements for marijuana establishments. “It’s been certified; there are 100 signatures,” Andrews said explaining that it was enough to consider it at the Special Town Meeting. Andrews said that the Planning Board should hold a public hearing on the matter.

The Selectmen voted to issue the RFP for a lease-to- own option for the solar farm per discussions from previous meetings.

The Selectmen had a request from the V.F.W. to establish a field of flags on the Town Green from May 14 to June 4. “The field consists of 500 flags,” Andrews said. The Selectmen approved the request.

An update on a relocation of the Council on Aging was discussed. DiSesa said that of the two options provided for relocation, one was not suitable and the other involved a lot of legal paperwork. Andrews asked DiSesa if she would be in favor of approving $15,000 in ARPA funds to move forward with a set of plans to present at Town Meeting. DiSesa said she would but would like to see an article at town meeting that covers both the cost of design as well as the entire project. The Selectmen approved the $15,000 during Tuesday’s meeting.

Andrews read that the Town Clerk had certified the resignation of longtime Selectman Troy Garron effective March 28, 2022. “I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those people who supported me over the years, and I hopefully haven’t disappointed anybody,” Garron said before explaining that he is taking time for family. He called it a very difficult decision before being met with resounding applause from those present. “You’ve done a lot for this community,” Andrews said noting that Garron was first his soccer coach before serving on the Selectmen Board with him.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, Feb. 28. They had an appointment with hydrogeologist Peter Newton of Bristol Engineering Advisors to review the Rocky Harvest Farm water use. Selectman Mark Russo said, “A little over a decade ago, some decisions were made in town that allowed the Rocky Harvest Company to harvest water in town…they are perceived by many as a misguided decision.” He said that hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent fighting the decision for a decade and the courts were “not sympathetic.” Russo said that at last year’s Annual Town Meeting they asked for a modest appropriation to spend on having a hydrogeologist explore Rocky Harvest’s reporting and to provide information on the impact of the harvesting of the water.

Newton said that due to COVID he was unable to go into the State’s offices and review the “boxes and boxes of documents” pertaining to the matter. He said that his review was based on those documents that he was able to obtain. He did obtain the application that Harvest Farm filed for access as a public water supply.  “They are authorized to withdraw up to 100,000 gallons a day,” Newton explained. He said that they don’t meet the criteria for the Water Management Act to apply. He said that those that fall under the Act’s purview are held to the guidelines and limitations placed on them by that Act. “They fall below the threshold for the State’s permit,” he explained. He said they have an approved rate of 50 gallons per minute or 72,000 gallons per day. Based on their reported withdrawal they are not subject to any State compliance. “Their water use has been creeping up over the past five years,” Newton said citing specific amounts withdrawn since 2016.

“I guess the short answer is there is nothing that I could see in the documents that I reviewed that says that what they’re doing is not consistent with what the State would require; the caveat there is… approval forward relies on them to submit their own documentation to the State and frankly the State doesn’t have the capability to audit,” he explained.

Newton also said that his job is far more complex than it used to be when the primary focus was strictly on ensuring clean drinking water. He explained that part of his job now is identifying the effects the water withdrawal has on streamflow, wetlands, species, etc. “It’s a much more complicated analysis now to address those questions,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to me likely that if they’re pumping at the rates they are reporting that there is likely to be significant impacts to homeowners or private wells nearby,” Newton told the Selectmen. Selectman John Traynor asked how often the water is tested that is taken out by Rocky Harvest. Newton said he was unsure but said they were required to test. He said it was regulated by the FDA not the EPA because it is bottled.

Russo said that the thing the town should be doing each year is checking on the annual reporting and max per day volume. Russo asked Newton if they should be doing anything else. “That’s really the only thing you have available to you,” Newton replied. “To be honest with you, DEP is understaffed and overworked,” he continued. Russo asked about the accuracy of Rocky Harvest’s reporting. Newton said the town could ask for the meter calibration records. “It’s good to know that we have something that we can do,” Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said.

Selectmen were scheduled to meet with Area 58 but there was no representative on the call, so they agreed to table the conversation for a later date.  Selectmen and Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that they would like to discuss a hybrid style meeting moving forward so that some members could be present in person while people could still attend virtually.

Selectmen discussed having the Council on Aging exercise class move back into the Old Town House. Dennehy said they were ready to have them return to the building. She briefly touched on getting Wi-Fi in that building but said first they would have to get a phone line installed. She said the cost would be roughly $110 per month. “My feeling is we ought to do it,” Traynor said.

The Selectmen also reviewed the right of first refusal option pertaining to a parcel on Ring Rd. Russo said that no one in town responded saying they were interested in purchasing the property. Russo said that he strongly recommended having a public hearing on the matter before deciding how to proceed. The hearing will take place during the next Selectmen’s meeting.

The Selectmen and Dennehy discussed town meeting preparations. Dennehy said they reached out to the company that had previously provided IT services for Town Meeting. She said the town will once again secure their services. Town Meeting will likely be spread across multiple rooms at the Dennett Elementary School.

Selectmen and Dennehy also discussed the process for Board of Selectmen appointments to various boards and committees in town. Dennehy said there were a few openings in town. “As far as the reappointment process for town employees; there seems to be a disconnect in town as far as who needed to be reappointed and who didn’t,” Dennehy explained. She explained that anyone that is customarily reappointed on an annual basis does not need to go down to the Town Clerk’s office every single year to be sworn in. She said they are also trying to get ahead of any members who may not want to be reappointed before the end of the fiscal year.

Dennehy gave a Town Administrator’s update saying that there were 27 applicants for the Police Chief position. She said the preliminary screening committee would be meeting with her to go over the interview structure. “It appears on the surface that we have a lot of qualified applicants including two internal candidates,” Dennehy told the Selectmen. She also told the Selectmen that the Board of Health lifted remaining COVID restrictions.

Dennehy told the Selectmen that they had correspondence from Silver Lake Regional Schools asking for support for upgrades to their HVAC systems. She said that the town had already previously agreed to their share of the project which is estimated at $190,000. The ARPA funds, which are limited in use, will be used to fund their share of the project. Joy said that it was one of the approved uses. Dennehy also shared that she had correspondence stating that Kimberly Russo was resigning from the Bylaw Review Committee.