The Plympton School Committee met on Monday, March 27. Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto provided an update. He said that current enrollment stands at 241 students. Veneto said that the School Psychologist Mrs. Jenkins had a baby boy in March. He also said that on March 16 the Dennett students performed at the All-Band District Concert. “This is something that did not even exist seven, eight months ago… they did a great job.” Veneto also said that they recently held their school talent show. He thanked Mrs. Hemple, Mrs. Hickey, Mrs. Sheehan, Mrs. Prario, and Mrs. Murphy for their work on the talent show. Veneto noted that there were a lot of school events upcoming with spring on the horizon. Those include Field Day, Future Laker Day, Ride Your Bike to School Day, and potentially a blood drive in June.
Veneto said, “The Fire Department came down to do lessons with all our students from kindergarten to Grade 6. They did a great job, and the kids really got a lot out of it: I witnessed some kids playing jeopardy games; I saw fifth and sixth grade kids actually putting on helmets and jackets and putting out a live fire.” He thanked Captain John Sjostedt.
Regarding contract negotiations, the Committee voted to approve the contract with the teachers for a three percent increase over the next three years. They also voted to approve the aides’ contract at a three percent increase over the next two years.
Committee member Jason Fraser spoke on behalf of two updated policies. “These are the policies that we spoke about a meeting or two ago… one on surveys being given to our students here at the Dennett and some of the polices and protocols we would like to see in place to ensure that parents have all due notice, both the fact that they are coming, the content of the questions, access to the questions, and contact people for opting-out and also the guidance office reaching out,” Fraser said. “The security policy has to do with who has access to our security cameras and under what situations,” he explained regarding the second policy. The Committee voted unanimously to accept the policies.
Fraser also touched on SEL (social and emotional learning). “The SEL working group is actually a mixture of School Committee, parents, administrators, and teachers working together to try and bring programming that is consistent within the school building to have consistent expectations within the building, consistent language from classroom-to-classroom K-6,” Fraser explained. “I appreciate being part of the group… I appreciate the teachers who volunteered to help with the early work, but this is really something that we’re going to have to wrap our arms around and really join as a community to make sure we are supporting our kids here,” Fraser said.
The Legislative report was given by Fraser who said that remote participation will be extended until March of 2025. “Extra dollars to make sure that the free school meals for all we hope to go through June 30,” Fraser explained. He continued, “Other than that, the House Ways and Means Committee has had some testimony delivered to them for some of the other items that we would like to see included in this year’s budget, but nothing has been reported out.” May 4 will be MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees) Day on the Hill. He said that people will be invited to hold meetings with their State representatives and State Senators.
Superintendent Jill Proulx told the Committee that Silver Lake Youth Cheer wished to have registration flyers sent home with students advertising the program. Proulx made it clear that despite their name, they are not affiliated with the school. Similarly, Silver Lake Hoops, which is a private program not affiliated with the schools either, also wished to have their flyers distributed in the schools. Proulx noted that the program has been running in the district for at least as long as she has been there. The Committee voted to approve.
Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen told the Committee that the school would have a warrant article at the upcoming town meeting for $30,000 to complete work on the three classroom floors that were requested. There will also be an article at the special town meeting to move $60,000 from out-of-district vocational and then another still undetermined amount to be transferred from regular day as there was some surplus there. They will also need another transfer from some other town source. “Just to clarify all of the transfers are for this year to supplement our special education line due to some changes in tuition and education that were not anticipated in last year’s budget,” Wilhelmsen explained.
Regarding the additional surfacing that needs to be laid on the playground. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said that they can use the Mass Higher Education Consortium to lay the surfacing. This would allow for it to be done as quickly as possible, ideally as soon as school wraps for the year.
Regarding solar panels, Wilhelmsen told the Committee that they likely noticed some paneling already on the building. “They’re moving fast with that; they’re moving forward in April,” he said. He noted that the town would be paying to have five or six different boxes that will be added to the building. They won’t all be able to be placed at ground level so siding will be removed from a section to put in a proper backer board. This would allow for siding to be replaced in the future without disrupting the board.
Wilhelmsen told the Committee that they had some equipment in the Dennett kitchen to be declared surplus. Nutrition Director Megan Ahrenholz asked that the Committee vote to approve declaring both the steamer and steam kettle as surplus as she has a grant to purchase updated equipment. “It’s important to note that… some of the equipment we are getting rid of has been here for 50 years so it’s definitely time for an upgrade and I’m sure it will have a significant impact on our electricity bill,” Wilhelmsen said.
Proulx said that the next meeting would be the school choice hearing which is held annually. The meeting will be on Monday, April 24.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, March 28. Representatives of Thorndike Development, including President Lloyd Geisinger, appeared before the Selectmen to discuss the development of the property at 265 Monponsett St. Geisinger said they also purchased 266 across the street. He said that they were considering a senior housing alternative that would be a much smaller project in scale than the one originally presented. Geisinger said it would require town meeting action. He said that each building would be three stories and have 36 apartments.
Geisinger said that one problem was that projects of this scale require an on-site sewerage treatment facility and they run $2.5 million to build. “They push these types of developments into that 200-unit range because to do any less… winds up making the projects uneconomic,” he explained. He said if they were to go the senior housing route, they could make it work financially to reduce the 200-unit affordable housing option that would not be age-restricted to a 72-unit senior, over 55+, housing facility. The units would be “for sale” condominiums that would go for $400,000 and up. Geisinger said that Thorndike Development would consider donating some of the land and assisting financially in the development of a new Council on Aging building in close proximity to the residential building. He said that they would even potentially consider gifting the town the land as well as paying for the construction.
Selectmen Chair John Bruno said, “I’m enthusiastic about it; I’ll say that right up front.” He continued, “I know that land is going to get developed eventually; it’s just sitting there too long without being developed so to make it fit in the character is really my biggest concern. I don’t know, with two buildings in that one big area is much better than those 200 units you had in there before.” He noted that Lydon Lane was over 100 units. “I would love to move forward with it,” Bruno concluded. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “I don’t think we should shut it down; I think it’s definitely worth kicking the tires on.” Selectman Naja Nassralla agreed saying he liked the idea of the Council on Aging being placed nearby.
The Board of Selectmen voted to approve a contract with American Thunder Fireworks in the amount of $12,500 that will be covered by donations. It was announced during the meeting that MacDonald Industries had recently donated $10,000 to the Halifax Fireworks Committee.
The Board of Selectmen voted to sign off on and approve a Municipal Employee Disclosure for Margaret Selter. Selter will be working two separate jobs now as an administrative assistant for the Board of Health as well as Conservation.
Town Administrator Cody Haddad told the Selectmen that the twenty-first annual Harbor to the Bay bike ride will take place on September 23. They plan to make a pit stop in Halifax at the Halifax boat ramp. The Police Department had previously signed off and the Selectmen voted to approve it.
Haddad told the Selectmen that after going through the procurement and receiving bids for the Pine Street bridge work, they “actually came in lower than expected.” He continued, “This has been a project that has been in the works for quite some time.” The Selectmen voted to approve the contract in the amount of $984,500 with Kenefick Corporation. It had previously been approved by Haddad and Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward.
Bruno talked about holding the Selectmen’s meetings at various locations throughout town. “It gives us the opportunity to have people on tv see some of the town buildings and departments; we’ll emphasize that department when we go there… places that will work… the Library, the Fire House, the Recycling Center, the Town Barn, maybe the School… it gives the town the opportunity to see some of these things,” Bruno said. He said that it would give recognition to some people that might not ordinarily get it for the jobs they do well.
Haddad said that at a previous Selectmen’s meeting, the Parks Department had requested utilization of some earmarked funds. The Board had asked for some more defined uses. They also asked that Parks reach out to Youth and Recreation Commission Director Dick Steele to see if he had interest in the funds. Haddad said that Steele has presented several projects that he would like to have completed with half of the funding which is $25,000. Haddad said he is looking to do a turf area, install batting cages, some fencing behind the elementary school, and some field work. Haddad said he has not heard back from Parks regarding their intended uses though he noted their preference was to use the bulk of the money since they don’t receive the same funding as Youth and Rec.
Bob Kniffen and Robert Hodge appeared before the Selectmen on behalf of the Friends of the Library to get permission to place two small, little free libraries on town property at HOPS under the gazebo and another on the Route 36 beach area. He said the books would be donations from the Friends of the Library book sale. The Selectmen voted to approve the request.
Haddad addressed the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds that were received by both the Town and the County. He said that while much of that money was earmarked for water, sewer, HVAC, etc. he noted that some of it was for lost funds. He said that the money would need to be spent by 2024. He asked the Selectmen for approval on these projects saying that it would leave about $100,000 in ARPA funding available. The first project was HR services as the Town doesn’t have a dedicated Human Resources department. He said that another project, that he was still waiting for a final number for, was the school HVAC. Another project was $50,000 for replacing town furniture that was badly worn. There was also $50,000 for upgrading the Great Hall to make it better for meetings. There was another request for adding a separate sleeping arrangement to the Fire House. There were a number of other requests including an IT consultant for $30,000. The Selectmen agreed that all of the projects felt necessary.
Members of the Planning Board were in attendance to discuss support staff. Haddad said that both the Planning Board and Zoning Board were in need of a 15-hour per week support staff member. Haddad presented the idea of combining the positions to create a full-time Planning and Zoning Administrative Assistant. Haddad said that the Planning Board did not recommend moving forward with his plan, so he asked them to come to meet with selectmen to discuss. Bruno acknowledged that the job has changed significantly since the days of it consisting of mostly secretarial work like minute taking. He said that this is particularly true for regulatory Boards like Planning and Zoning. After much discussion, the Selectmen voted to combine the position.
The Selectmen voted to approve the closing of the annual and special town meeting warrant.

The Halifax Finance Committee met on Monday, March 13. Town Accountant Sandy Nolan and Town Administrator Cody Haddad met with the Committee to go over their recommendations for the town budget. During the meeting, Haddad told the Committee that Nolan would be retiring at the end of the year. Finance Committee Chair Todd Dargie called it a “significant loss to the town.”
The Committee voted unanimously to recommend all level-funded budget items. They also made a blanket vote to recommend all budget lines that were decreasing.
ADA Compliance projects were listed with a placeholder of $500,000. Dargie explained that the Building Department was working to finalize a list of actual projects and costs that the Committee would need prior to voting to recommend or not.
Regarding the schools, Haddad said, “quite a significant increase here in the elementary school; Sandy and I did express our concern to them that we can’t sustain a six percent increase.” He noted that the Silver Lake assessment was only an increase of $1,000. The debt for the fire suppression system at the elementary school is increasing by $10,000. “We’ve really just started on that debt… we still have about 18 years on the fire suppression,” Nolan said.
Haddad explained to the Committee that the schools would have a capital item for HVAC upgrades at Silver Lake Regional High School and that Halifax’s share would be $202,458. Haddad said, “we have a stabilization fund that was made back in 2016 – basically, Silver Lake had excess funding and they had to return it to the towns – a little over $300,000. Last year we appropriated $110 [thousand] for the tennis courts…. It’s certainly something we can handle, and it makes sense to pull it from the stabilization fund – that’s what it was created for.” Dargie said that the only downside would be that it would “wipe out that account.”
Haddad addressed the changes to the legal budget saying that last year, they voted to recommend a figure of $124,500. Haddad said that they have come in over that number for the last couple of years. To account for that, Haddad increased the budget for legal expenses to $139,500. The Committee voted to recommend the new number.
There was an increase in electricity rates for Town Hall which was recommended by the Committee. “We feel good about getting another good rate,” Haddad said of the small increase. There were some other smaller increases addressed including the audit, website and music expense, and barn maintenance. The Committee also approved a $7,699 increase to the water supply, a $4,000 increase to the water insurance, and a $15,700 increase to water retirement. A gas and oil increase was also approved.
There is a $29,764 increase in the IT expense budget. “A big part of it is that multi-factor authentication; it’s required by your insurance company… so that’s about $15-$20,000 of the increase just in having to implement that software,” Haddad said.
There was a $2,500 increase to recruitment and employment costs that Haddad said would be used for advertising open positions as well as providing adequate training for the staff. The Committee voted to recommend the increase. There was a new cost of just over $40,000 to add a Conservation Agent. “You’re seeing more and more projects come forward that are involving conservation; Halifax is one of the only communities in the area that doesn’t have professional staff for conservation,” Haddad said.
The position was estimated based on 32 hours per week. The Committee asked for more information before voting to recommend.
Haddad also addressed an increase to regulatory clerical. He said that they are looking to make the positions more of an administrative assistant rather than a secretary. “The skill level required for these is far beyond what we consider a secretary… they’re working with engineers, attorneys, the applicants regularly,” Haddad explained. He said that they are also looking to combine the planning and zoning positions to create one full-time position. Haddad noted that these positions have been vacant for several months and said it is very difficult to recruit someone for a 15-hour per week position.
Haddad also explained about the contracted-out animal control expenses. The budgeted amount of $29,952 was the maximum as it was a not to exceed contract. Police Chief Joao Chaves called it a great deal. The Committee voted to approve the increase.
Haddad addressed trash collection/disposal increases. “There’s going to be some significant changes coming overall, the trash pickup as well, the existing vendor has stated that them and others are going more toward the totes – it’s easier for them; they’re not getting out and getting a bag so we’re going to be doing a procurement to get a best price and we’ll likely be switching to totes so there will be a cost associated with that,” Haddad said. The Finance Committee said that they would schedule Recycling to come to a meeting to discuss.
Haddad also told the Committee that Health Agent Bob Valery was recommending $5,000 for beaver remediation. The Committee voted to recommend the increase. Haddad asked the Committee to hold off on voting to recommend the Council on Aging (COA) increase as he said he wanted to sit down with COA Director Darlene Regan to go over it first. The Committee voted to recommend mild increases to both veterans’ affairs and library.
The Park Department is looking to increase their expenses and wages. Committee member Frank Johnston said that the $4,100 was to pay someone minimum wage to act as a parking attendant for Memorial through Labor Day weekends. Chief Chaves said, “I think if we had an attendant there that would deter non-residents from trying to park there.” The Committee approved the increases to the Park Department. They also approved an increase to Plymouth County retirement.
The Committee voted to recommend the group insurance town share with an increase of $73,819. Haddad told them that other insurance including liability, property, and auto would be increasing by seven percent. “I think you heard me mention earlier about our risk management; we need to do a better job of mitigating risk; we haven’t been the best at it recently and as a result our policy is increasing quite a bit,” Haddad said.
Finally, before adjourning, Haddad acknowledged that it has been “standard practice” to try and leave $300,000 of the levy available. He said, “Speaking with Sandy, this was done in an effort – it was anticipated that our retirement costs were going to increase significantly and we’ve reached that time; our retirement costs are increasing significantly and I think you can see in the budget here, there really aren’t significant changes. Most departments did a nice job of level funding and I think any of the changes that are being requested – at least any of the ones that I’m recommending… they’re vital to operations. When you get down to it, this budget doesn’t include any across the board increases… in conjunction with the large increase in retirement, we’re getting to the point where it’s really not going to be feasible for the town to leave that $300,000 in the levy.” He continued, “I think it’s done what it was meant to do and it’s covered us… our staff is underpaid and we really need to do right by our staff and our budget here doesn’t include that.” Haddad said he has five different unions that he is currently bargaining with while noting that he doesn’t anticipate having those negotiations complete by Town Meeting. “We would create a stabilization fund or an article or something along those lines that we would raise and appropriate from the upcoming levy,” Haddad told the Committee.

The Kingston Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, March 14 and heard an update on the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant decomissioning.
Vice Chair of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (NDCAP) Pine DuBois attended the meeting virtually to provide an update on the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. DuBois said, “Pilgrim is in active decommissioning… that means that the reactor is not and never will run again. All of the fuel has been taken out of the reactor and is stored on the top of the hill… the reactor itself is being segmented so they cut the parts apart and they put those parts in the spent fuel pool… spent fuel, in my mind, is a misnomer since probably eighty-five percent of radioactive capacity is still in those canisters on the hill making them a very hazardous material and generally speaking we can’t count how many years it will be that way … right now the decommissioning plan is to remove that fuel by 2063… there is no place for it to go; for me the biggest issue we face is what to do with that and I am committed to figuring that out.”
The current plan for the site decommissioning is to complete the work by 2027. According to DuBois that is contingent upon Holtec Pilgrim moving through a modification of the current NPDES permit. “NPDES stands for non-point discharge elimination system permit that EPA and DEP jointly administer for the release of any polluted, contaminated or otherwise not pure water into the water of the United States and in this case Cape Cod Bay,” DuBois explained. DuBois said that there was “a lot of concern abut the Bay.” In late March a trust fund report from Holtec will show how much money is left in the decommissioning trust fund in addition to a schedule update. “I plan to have a site visit this week… our State delegation is going out there on Friday [March 17]… There’s a lot of eyes on the site… I would like to put everyone’s attention to the huge amount of fuel that is stored on the hill so that’s 45 years of waste fuel from the reactor – highly radioactive in dry cast storage – a fairly new technology – has 24-hour security; don’t go near there… we need to figure out where it is going to go ultimately,” DuBois said. DuBois shared some interesting tidbits such as Finland buries this kind of material in caves far under the sea surrounded by clay and copper. “France reprocesses all their fuel and has for 45 years so I would like to find out more about that,” DuBois said. DuBois said that Holtec has provided what is called an environmental site assessment. DuBois explained, “that includes what contaminants were there from when Boston Edison ran the plant, when Entergy ran the plant… not anything Holtec did, not anything that’s been part of decommissioning… there have been decontaminants found.” According to DuBois a public meeting will be held on March 27 at Plymouth Town Hall with zoom information available as well.
Upcoming Town Events
Selectmen Chair Kimberly Emberg provided some updates on upcoming events in town. Books in Bloom is sponsored by the Kingston Public Library and will run from April 5 through April 8 at the Library during regular business hours. Emberg said that those interested in submitting something for the event could complete the registration on the town’s website by April 1. Emberg also announced that the annual town election is scheduled for Saturday, April 22. The last day to register to vote for the election will be April 1.
The annual rabies clinic will be held on April 1 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Kingston Animal Shelter and the cost will be $10 per pet. Emberg also had a note from the Agricultural Commission that anyone interested in raising chickens in their backyard or currently raising chickens can attend a two-night seminar on April 18 and April 25 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Kingston Council on Aging. While the event is free, you must register.
Selectman Sheila Vaughn also took a moment to implore parents to get their children registered for kindergarten as an accurate head count is vital.
“Spring is almost here which means it is time to start counting the herring,” Emberg said. She further said that anyone interested in doing so could visit Jonesriver.org/ecology/fishcount.
Vote on the Warrant
Town Administrator Keith Hickey said that they tried to include all articles that they were aware of in the warrant even if they would have to remove some later. The Selectmen voted to close the warrant.
Razor Clam Licenses
The Board also dealt with the issuing of razor clam licenses. Emberg said that typically the licenses are granted to those that held licenses in the previous year and are still interested in maintaining them. She said that the Shellfish Constable recommended that they grant the licenses to the 11 individuals requesting them. The recommendation is that the fee remain $300. The Selectmen confirmed that there was a waitlist for the licenses. Tyler Bouchard said that while he wasn’t entirely sure, he believed that the State is the one that recommends capping the licenses to 11. Vaughn pointed out that the 11 licenses appear to be spread across just three families. Bouchard said that most of those families are involved in commercial fishing. Vaughn then asked for and received confirmation that these licenses are just for commercial purposes and recreational fishermen do not need them.
Appointments and Town Administrator’s Updates
The Selectmen made several appointments including some to the Board of Registrars, the measure of wood and bark, an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and several members to Kingston’s Three-Hundredth.
Hickey said that the Board had previously asked for an update on where the Town stands with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) revenues. Hickey said they had just over $855,000 available for use. “We also expect to receive through the County an additional $1.185 million dollars in ARPA funds,” he told the Board. He said that Kingston’s share of the project to add HVAC units to Silver Lake Regional High School is $376,000. Hickey said that he would like to see ARPA funds used rather than raising and appropriating the money at Town Meeting. He also suggested to the Water Superintendent that they use ARPA funds for one of their purposes in the amount of just over $530,000.
Hickey told the Selectmen that the water damage to the Town House had been repaired. He said that the fiber project that is going to connect the Town House to all of the town and school buildings is ongoing. “The running of the fiber, I believe, is nearly complete,” Hickey said. He also told the Selectmen that the Health Agent and the Payroll Coordinator had resigned. Finally, he told the Selectmen that the Old Colony Planning Council had installed some traffic counters to be used in assessing things like the request to put a three way stop at the intersection of Maple St. and Landing Rd.

The Halifax Elementary School Committee met on Monday, March 6. Superintendent Jill Proulx went over the budget with the Committee. Earlier in the meeting Director of Business Services Christine Healy told the Committee that the shared cost budget represented an overall increase to Halifax of $58,778. Proulx told the Committee that the version of the budget before them did not include the 0.4 instrumental music position or the part-time math interventionist. The overall increase in the version presented was 1.97 percent. If the music position were added, the increase would be 2.2 percent and if both were added, it would represent a 2.5 percent increase to the total budget. Committee Chair Summer Schmaling said that she would like to see the instrumental position added to the budget. “I don’t think it’s a tall ask to put in $21,000 for our kids to have band, frankly. I think it is a great opportunity for us to share that position with the other towns in the district,” Schmaling said. She also said that she was reticent to use ESSER grant funding to fund any portion of the math interventionist position as those funds may not be available again next year and would instead like to see it added to the budget as a full-time position. Schmaling went on to say that her impression of “the tone of the town” is that 2 to 2.5 percent is a reasonable increase.
A motion was made to approve the 2023-2024 Halifax Elementary School operating budget of $6,359,846, the out- of-district special education tuition budget of $1,962,047, the out-of-district special education transportation budget of $797,759, and the out-of-district vocational education budget of $156,500. The budgets passed and included the full-time positions as discussed.
Schmaling told the Committee there was a request from Silver Lake Youth Cheer to have a flyer go out in the backpacks of students. Committee member Lauren Laws asked for clarification on the origins of the organization as they are not a school sport. Proulx clarified that this was a private rather than a school organization. Proulx explained, “Town organizations that are non-profit – we tend to send those out. This is not a clear-cut town non-profit organization because it is not just Halifax… it was approved last year by this Committee,” Proulx explained. She further said that it is brought before the School Committee for approval due to the policy on advertising. The Committee did vote unanimously to approve.
The Committee voted on the same two policies that were previously voted on by the Regional School Committee and Plympton Elementary School Committee. The first policy was about parental options for opting out of student surveys and the second policy was regarding who has access to security footage from school grounds. Regarding the former, Schmaling said that she vehemently opposed the policy as presented because she would rather the option be opt-in, rather than opt-out of student surveys. Schmaling said, “I just don’t like that they’re not in-house… because they are coming from MGH, Harvard, MPH, I’m good. I don’t think that other entities should have their tentacles in our kids’ brains.” Laws said that she would assume the administrators wouldn’t administer a survey if they didn’t approve of the questions. Another Committee member said that she would like to see there be at least three emails sent out providing opportunities to opt-out. Only Laws voted in favor of the policy and the policy failed to pass.
The security camera policy allows for security footage to be released to first responders in the event of an emergency as well as allowing for parents to come into the school to watch footage provided that student faces are blurred. The policy failed to pass as well. Schmaling told the Committee that she would share any feedback they might have with Jason Fraser, who chairs the Policy Sub-Committee.
Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry provided an update. He said that the Halifax Police Department has been doing safety presentations with each of the grade-levels to discuss different safety drills including lockdowns and fire drills. “Just sharing the overall message that the school is a safe place and what do we do when we come into those kind of emergency situations,” Beaudry explained.
He also told the Committee that they just celebrated Read Across America week with many special events including dress-up days centered around Dr. Suess. He said that the School Council was planning a survey to get feedback from parents during parent-teacher conferences. Those conferences will be held on March 23 which is also an early release day. A book fair will also be held that week.
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said that in February the elementary school principals in the Union along with Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Farrell attended an OpenSciEd curriculum training. “We learned about the new science units – the two science units that are being adopted in line with OpenSciEd; it’s about helping students learn about phenomena-based approach,” Lynch explained. He said the sixth-grade teachers also went to a training on it. He said that the hope is to eventually expand the program beyond sixth grade.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Feb. 28. They began the meeting by going into Executive Session to discuss the possible discipline or termination of the Building Inspector James Perry. Selectman Naja Nessralla recused himself from the hearing and deliberation. Upon returning from Executive Session, Selectmen Chair John Bruno said that they voted to terminate Perry, effective immediately. According to the town’s website, Steven Solari has been named as the interim Building Inspector/Commissioner.
The Selectmen also held a hearing to determine if they will be opting-out of mail-in voting for local elections. Town Clerk Sue Lawless gave a brief description of the purpose of the hearing. Lawless said, “typically, these elections are low-interest and given the increase of unfunded mandates from the State, it would be a cost-savings for the town to opt-out. While I understand that the idea of vote-by-mail has become popular by many, I do not feel that the Town has made the changes necessary to support it. My office is currently a part-time office and the vote-by-mail process is very labor-intensive.” She went on to say that many residents did not return their mail-in ballots. Lawless also clarified that absentee voting will still be available. A new hearing would be held annually to determine whether to opt-out of mail-in voting.
The Selectmen opened the hearing to public comment. Resident Frederick Corrigan inquired what the cost was that made it prohibitive. Lawless said that while she didn’t have a dollar amount, the real issue was a staffing one. Corrigan responded saying, “I can’t see where we can take 437 people in this small town and say just because you’re old and you don’t have a car or you have a disability, you can’t vote.” “As stated previously, anybody with a disability or a reason why they cannot go to the polls, has an option to absentee ballot,” Lawless answered. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “I can see both sides of the issue; I’m not into limiting voting access, if there’s a way, we can get creative to get people there – I have a minivan, I can drive folks there.” The Selectmen voted to opt-out of mail-in voting. Bruno noted that come May, if there’s an issue, they will make a different decision for next year.
Bruno said, “Just in case this crowd is here for the Morse Brothers part of the agenda, those four things are kind of standing things on our agenda until we get them resolved so we were supposed to have an inspection of the property today but because of the storm, we weren’t able to do that. We intend to get it done this week and we will report back to the Board this week… if anyone’s here for that, that’s all we’re going to talk about tonight is that part of the update.”
Town Administrator Cody Haddad asked the Board if they would like to reevaluate how reappointments are handled. Selig said that he would like to see the Boards and Committees become part of the appointment process since they have more expertise on the specific subject matter than the Selectmen. Bruno said that he is usually in favor of reappointments and noted that in his career as a Selectmen, he can only recall maybe one time where he didn’t vote in favor of reappointment. Bruno said that if a Board has an opinion on a reappointment, he would certainly be in favor of hearing their input.
Haddad addressed getting specialized training for Boards and Committees including 40B training for the Zoning Board of Appeals. He said that they have reached out to necessary parties to setup the trainings. He said he is also working with the Attorney General’s office to set up some open meeting law trainings including some that are specific to Halifax.
Haddad also addressed a grant application for Halifax Mobile Home Estates to have trees removed at a cost of $750,000. “I have been working with the State to draft an application… but ultimately my recommendation would be… to vote to allow the Town Administrator to submit it… if we are awarded it, then you would vote to approve it.” The Selectmen need to oversee the project. The Selectmen agreed to pursue the grant on behalf of the Mobile Home Estates.
The Selectmen also dealt with a live entertainment request for Halifax Pride. Authorization has already been granted for use of the Town Green on June 17. The entertainment would include Silver Lake Regional High School students, a family-friendly drag performance, and a DJ. The request was already approved by the Fire and Police Chiefs as well as the Board of Health. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the entertainment request. The Selectmen also fielded a request for use of the Town Green on Saturday, April 22 by the Boy Scouts for a bottle/food drive fundraising event. The Selectmen also approved this request.
Haddad told the Selectmen that they had a team formed in town to work on the Council on Aging project which had some funding approved during Town Meeting. He said they would need to come into compliance with Massachusetts procurement law which requires that a building project projected at over $1.5 million must bring in a project manager to oversee the whole process. The Selectmen approved Haddad moving forward as necessary.
Haddad addressed the MBTA Action Plan that had been the subject of much debate during recent Selectmen’s meetings. The Selectmen had ultimately voted to approve moving forward with the Action Plan. Haddad said, “On Feb. 17, I received a letter from the State under Secretary of the Department of Public Housing and Community Development… notifying us that they have accepted our Action Plan and that we are in interim compliance through December 31 of 2024.” He further said that he had a meeting with Old Colony Planning Council for technical assistance moving forward.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually Monday, Feb. 27.
The meeting began with a public hearing regarding an earth removal permit application from SLT Construction Corp. for activities at Spring Street. The land in question is approximately 23 acres. The permit would allow for earth removal work as well as construction of a facility to process construction materials and recycle concrete, asphalt, brick, and stumps. Alex Weisheit was on hand as the Town’s Counsel.
Selectman Mark Russo went over the ground rules for the hearing including that arguments between parties would not be tolerated. They began by hearing from the applicant first. Peter Opachinski spoke on behalf of SLT Construction which he said was owned by himself and his brother Mike. Opachinski said that the land was originally taken over by Mass DOT for construction of Route 44. He said the land was deemed surplus to Mass DOT and went out to public bid in 2017 when SLT submitted the highest bid. He said that during 2017 and 2018, McKenzie Engineering designed a subdivision on the Carver side. He said that he believes that people that are opposed to the project think it is merely a rouse to remove earth. Opachinski said that that was “far from it.” He said that there were no substantiated complaints regarding damage to the wetlands. “The main reason for the earth removal permit is to simply level the land and get it leveled out so we can setup what we are considering to be a recycling facility,” Opachinski explained. “There really are no abutters to the site; so I think it’s a great location for an industrial type business to go in eventually,” he added.
According to Opachinski’s presentation, they only intend to excavate roughly 6 of the 23 acres. He said they are looking to remove 50 truckloads per day and noted that the trucks would not be traveling on any Plympton roads. He said the best estimate is that the work would be completed in eight months. He also said the closest house to the location is in Kingston. He said they keep an 8,000-gallon water truck on the site at all times to keep dust to a minimum. He further said that a sprinkler system would be installed as well. “Overall, the water truck has been pretty effective,” he said. He did acknowledge they have had a few issues with ATV and dirt bike riders trespassing.
Selectman John Traynor said his biggest concern was with environmental protection. “What groundwater protection district are you in – this project?” Selectman Christine Joy asked. Opachinski said he was unsure. “There would be no intention to ever have this be for sewage disposal?” Joy verified. Opachinski said “absolutely not.” Following the Selectmen’s remarks, Russo opened the discussion to anyone that wished to speak in favor of the project. One resident spoke up saying that he personally knows the family and they are honest and trustworthy. Another resident said that he is a subcontractor for SLT as well as the Vice Chairman of the Conservation Commission in Carver. He said that the project “doesn’t affect anything in Plympton.” “In the four years that I’ve worked with the Opachinskis, I’ve never seen them not do what they say they are going to,” he continued. A general contractor with SLT also spoke up in favor of the company and the project.
Dawn Egan, a principal at American Electrical Construction, said she purchased a 4-acre lot from the Opachinskis to use as their headquarters. She said that she grew up in Plympton and currently lives in Carver. “I believe in business and responsible growth and working with Peter Opachinski has been just that,” Egan said.
Russo said that they would next be hearing from those opposed to the project. Russo said that they received a number of letters in opposition to the project that he would read portions of in order to ensure that those residents’ voices were also heard. One letter stated that there was concern that SLT had already encroached upon the stated area on the earth removal permit. Among the allegations in the letters was that SLT has already encroached upon the wetlands and that they have created dustbowls so severe, residents are unable to open their windows. The destruction of land, the environmental impact, and noise complaints were all cited in the opposition letters.
Meg Sheehan with the Community Land and Water Coalition said that their position is that they would like to see the permit denied. She said that a world-renowned hydrologist who is currently working at Harvard, issued a report saying there is a potential risk to the drinking water supply. She showed videos showing emissions of sand to Ricketts Pond as well as into people’s backyards. Sheehan also told those assembled that they believe the permit is incomplete and that there were multiple violations. Her presentation further said that operating a “recycling facility” is not covered in the MEPA Certificate.
The Chair of Carver Concerned Citizens spoke out against the project. “We ask you to look to the future in not only your town residents but the residents of Carver, Kingston, and other surrounding towns; once you allow this in, you’ll have it there forever,” he said. Plympton resident Howard Randall spoke up saying he has lived with this issue for nearly fifty years. He also acknowledged that he knows Opachinski well. He referred to the site as a “wasteland.” He asked Opachinski if he couldn’t think of something better than a recycling center to bring to what he described as a “sensitive area.” Another resident spoke about the “noise pollution” calling it “off the charts.” She also warned about potential toxins. “I believe there to be a vernal pool there with Ricketts Pond being there… there’s endangered wildlife that live there,” she said. Still another resident asked if there would be any further testing of the groundwater. Someone else asked the Selectmen to delay voting on the issue until more information could be ascertained.
“I think the permit has to be denied because in the bylaws, this isn’t an allowed use in a groundwater protection district,” Joy said during the deliberation portion of the meeting following the hearing. Joy said that the facility is not an allowable end use and therefore, it didn’t make sense to grant permission for the earth removal permit. Traynor said he had read Sheehan’s 15-page document as well as other exhibits. “I’m not sure that we should allow a permit, but I think we need a lot more expert knowledge of exactly what’s going to happen there – if the water table is going to be affected, absolutely… if it’s going to affect the wetlands, if they’ve overstepped, another reason it should be declined but I would like to get a lot more answers before I say yay or no,” he said. Russo said if they are going to deny the application, they would have to bring forth a really strong case. Russo said that the Selectmen should authorize Town Administrator Liz Dennehy to work with Town Counsel to identify the experts needed and that they should come at the expense of Opachinski. The Selectmen agreed to continue the public hearing to March 27. They also voted to move forward with seeking necessary experts including a hydrologist.
Following the hearing and deliberation, Selectmen dealt with business as usual. They shared that during Executive Session they agreed to a contract with the Town Administrator for three more years. They also appointed Jeffrey Montello to the Board of Registrars for a term ending on March 31, 2026. Russo told the Selectmen that the seller signed the purchase and sale for Turkey Swamp and that the closing will be April 18. “We are so much closer to having 300 undisturbed acres protected and conserved in perpetuity,” Russo said.
Joy said that her rave for the evening was for “all the people who showed up tonight.” She called it a “complex issue” and said that the goal of the Board is transparency.
Russo said, “I totally agree with everything Christine said.” He said his rave was for the fact that it was an “orderly meeting.” He said he appreciated the “patience and forbearance of everyone.” Traynor said his rant was for the weather since it might delay a speaker that is coming to the town to address trash.

The Halifax School Committee met on Monday, Feb. 6. It began with a public budget hearing. The Grade 7-12 Arts Coordinator Kelly DePasqua asked the Committee for their support of the 0.4 instrumental music position that is being proposed in the budget. She said, “reason number one is music has been recognized as a core subject since 2015… it develops reasoning and creativity, improves memorization, increases coordination, builds listening skills… if you look to number two, at this point in the District, Halifax is the only school that doesn’t have curricular instrumental lessons as part of the day provided by the School District.”
She noted that students who start beginning band in Grade 7 are at a disadvantage. “As you can see from the District, the interest is there, it’s the opportunity that we need to provide,” DePasqua said. She told the Committee that she is also a graduate of Halifax Elementary School saying, “the opportunities that were afforded to me at Halifax Elementary set me on my career path… I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t played Annie in the fourth grade.” She said that the 0.6 beginning instrumental and general music teacher at Dennett is “willing and able” to come to Halifax for 0.4. DePasqua was met with applause following her remarks.
Later in the meeting, Committee Chair Summer Schmaling said, “frankly, I think it would be wonderful if we could find a way, now that it’s a smaller impact to our budget, to try and fit that in if it’s at all possible… having the ability to share a partial position across the District is a little easier pill to swallow.” Schmaling asked who would pay the benefits for the employee. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said that they would be eligible for benefits in Plympton as a 0.6 position. Committee member Lauren Laws asked about access to instruments. DePasqua said that they were able to do an instrument drive this year and get instruments to all students who wished to participate.
Schmaling also suggested that they get guidance from the Finance Department regarding where they would like to see the school budget. Proulx said that they were invited to a meeting later in the week with the new Town Administrator and the Town Accountant. She also noted that they did want to see the math interventionist position included in the budget. She told Proulx and the Committee that she would like to see the budget increase stay around two percent.
Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry provided the Committee with an update on the goings-on at the school. “I’m happy to say that we only had one little blip in terms of the cold weather this week – we had a pipe that broke in the main lobby there… Scott Materna and the guys were able to assess the situation and address it,” he told the Committee. He also said that enrollment is currently at 560 students. Kindergarten registration opened on February 1. “It’s important for us to try and get the numbers as exact as possible,” he explained. Beaudry said that MCAS would begin in April for ELA and in May for math and then science. Term II progress reports went out recently. School will resume February 27 following the winter break.
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said he had a brief update regarding Collaborative Literacy, the new K-5 literacy program. He said a representative from Collaborative Literacy came to the school on January 23 to go over the implementation of the program. “We know we still have more training and support to provide; there will be additional professional development sessions for staff that focus particularly on writing,” Lynch said.
Superintendent Jill Proulx also provided an update on students attending private, parochial, and charter schools. She said that Halifax has had an increase from three students to five additional students attending those types of schools in the last year.
Proulx told the Committee that she had been in contact with Police Chief Joao Chaves regarding updates to the MLU with respect to the expectations of the State and the Department of Education as well as some staffing changes. The police chief explained that last year they had a school safety officer who was not able to be at the school on a normal basis. He said that staffing changes resulted in her now being available during the day. Chaves asked that her title be changed from School Liaison Officer to School Resource Officer. “She’s been at lunch, she’s been at recess, she’s been at dismissal,” Beaudry said. The Committee voted to approve the changes.
An update on policies was given during the report of standing committees. One of the policies discussed was regarding parents opting out of student surveys. The other policy was regarding approved uses of school security footage. Proulx said that the policies would be discussed in greater detail during their next meeting.
Proulx also addressed the contract with the custodians. “At this point, the Halifax custodians have agreed and voted to accept the proposals; I am asking the Halifax School Committee at this time to vote to approve the Halifax custodians’ contract,” she said. The Committee voted unanimously to approve it.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, Feb. 7. Selectman Naja Nessralla was unable to attend the meeting.
Selectmen took up the issue of training for town Boards and Committees. New Town Administrator Cody Haddad said that they have sent out some training materials to department heads and Boards and Committees regarding how to hold meetings. Haddad also said that he has reached out to the Attorney General’s office in the hopes of holding some open meeting law training sessions. He told the Selectmen that he is looking into holding some more specific training programs geared toward individual Boards and Commissions.
Selectmen Chair John Bruno said he would like to make it policy that as part of the appointment process, people are required to attend certain trainings. They did note that it wouldn’t be possible to insist on trainings for elected Boards such as the Planning Board. The Selectmen voted to approve Bruno’s suggested policy. Resident Jim Walters, who serves on the Finance Committee, said that the Massachusetts Municipal Association has many training WebEx’s available for different types of Committees and Boards.
Downed Trees at Halifax Mobile Home Estates
Selectmen had on the agenda to review and approve a draft CDBG application from Halifax Mobile Home Estates. The application is to remove several trees that came down during a recent storm. The town would be responsible for overseeing the project and would be the ones receiving the funding on behalf of Halifax Mobile Home Estates. Bruno told the representative from Halifax Mobile Home Estates that he would arrange to have them meet with new Town Administrator Cody Haddad and Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward to sort out the details.
Lingan St. Beach
The Selectmen had an appointment with the Park Commissioner and Police Chief Joao Chaves regarding the Lingan St. Beach. It was said that there are issues with the beach area being used to launch boats, jet skis being all over the place, inappropriate parking at Walmart, and non-resident use of the beach. The Park Commissioner said that the ticket structure and signage all need to be updated. It was acknowledged that the Police can’t be always monitoring the beach. Chaves said that it would be best to have someone monitoring parking, suggesting that it might be a good job for a high school student. He said that the additional parking across the street is overgrown and in need of being cut back.
Chaves said that last year people were coming from Revere, Boston, and even Rhode Island to go jet skiing, etc. at the beach. “It was out of control there for a little bit,” Chaves said. Bruno asked the Park Commissioner to sit down with Haddad and review the existing bylaws. If the bylaws aren’t appropriate for dealing with the issues, Haddad will meet with Town Counsel next. A resident pointed out that the bylaws only say that non-residents can’t park and use the beach but that it doesn’t say anything about non-residents that walk over to the beach.
The Selectmen also discussed the use of a one-time allotment of State funds that have been received. Bruno asked if some of that money could be used for the beach issues including signage. The Park Commissioner said they are working on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s WPA Form 2 Determination of Applicability for beach nourishment and reconditioning. “The road’s washing into the lake, it’s a mess down there,” he said. He further told the Selectmen that engineering drawings will have to be created to move forward. He also noted that there are no picnic tables down there. He said they are also working on a feasibility study in town regarding accessibility in the form of boat ramp areas and parking.
Morse Brothers
Haddad told the Selectmen that a site visit will be scheduled for Morse Brothers. Haddad, a member of the Board of Selectmen, and an engineer will all attend the visit. Bruno said that once they figure out what is going on, they will schedule an appointment with Land Counsel. There were some residents in attendance at the meeting to speak on the project. Steve Goodman, who serves on the Conservation Commission and is neighbors with Morse Brothers, recommended that the Board enlist the help of someone from the Conservation Commission. He also recommended that someone from the Taunton Watershed also attend the site visit and/or get involved. Another resident recommended having a hydrologist visit the property as well.
“If we only attack it as a Halifax problem, we’re not going to solve the problem,” Goodman said. He recommended enlisting the help of the State saying that the digging is almost at “lake level.” Goodman also questioned if Morse Brothers was really selling cranberries or if they were making money from selling the sand. Bruno said that a member of the Conservation Commission could come along for the site visit and said they would like to begin by gathering the thoughts of the engineer.
Food Pantry
Steven King of the Helping Hands Food Pantry appeared before the Selectmen regarding starting a Farmer’s Market that could be used to fund the food pantry. He was specifically requesting use of the Town Green as well as the Great Hall for several Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the summer and early fall.
“We serve a lot of people – more and more everyday – food uncertainty and such as that,” he explained. He also noted that they were privately funded and don’t receive grants or State money. The Selectmen approved the dates contingent upon the approval of the Board of Health and Police Department.
ARPA Grant Agreement
Haddad spoke to the Selectmen regarding the Plymouth County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant Agreement. Haddad explained that in order to utilize the funds from the County, the town would need to sign the agreement. Some of the funds have already been approved for specific projects including HVAC at the elementary school. The Selectmen voted to approve the agreement.
Open Meeting Law Complaint
Haddad also spoke with the Selectmen regarding an Open Meeting Law complaint from the January 24 meeting. He said that the allegations included that the meeting was held in a room that required attendees to stand. Haddad said, “we did have enough seating, participants chose to stand.” Another allegation was that meeting minutes were not approved in a timely manner. Haddad said that they would work to get the meeting minutes approved in a timely manner and noted the difficulties posed by the recent turnover of the Board. The final allegation was that the Chair didn’t announce the names of the organizations that they would be entering into negotiations with during Executive Session. Haddad said it was an oversight and they would make sure that it didn’t happen again.
Appointments and Resignations
The Selectmen dealt with a few appointments, resignations, and talent bank forms. Brian Kling was unanimously reappointed to the Halifax Cultural Council. They also had a talent bank form from Ruth Mills for the Council on Aging. Mills said she moved to town two years ago and wanted to get involved. “I’m a freelance book editor, so my time is my own,” Mills explained. The Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Mills to the Council.
They also dealt with Council on Aging resignations from Jo Schofield and Ivy Matheny. Schofield previously served as the Chair of the Council on Aging and said she plans to continue volunteering and attending coffee hours. Colleen Fiumara resigned from the Conservation Commission. Finally, the Selectmen accepted the resignation of Dave Swanson from the Highway Department as he retires following 22 years with the Department.
Brigette Benoit was appointed Assistant Accountant. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “She’s been great, she’ll be a great asset to Town Hall.” They also approved the Animal Control Officer (ACO) contract with Precision Wildlife Services.
Veteran’s Agent Steve Littlefield met with the Selectmen regarding Robert Mullen and Shawn Goyette both filling out a talent bank form to serve as the Assistant Veteran’s Agent. Littlefield said that previously there was just one assistant but said that given the qualifications of both and the volunteer nature of the position, he was recommending that they both serve. After a brief interview with both the Selectmen unanimously approved their appointments.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Monday, Jan. 30. The primary purpose of the meeting was to address whether to create and submit an MBTA action plan. New Town Administrator Cody Haddad had told the Selectmen during their previous meeting that to remain in compliance for certain funding sources, including specific grants, the town would have to submit an action plan. The plan would identify at least one zoning district of reasonable size for multi-family housing. Haddad had said that they only needed to identify the zone and show that they were taking some actionable steps toward considering construction to remain in what was called interim compliance for a few years. He stressed that the town would not have to engage in construction of any sort. Several residents in attendance at last week’s meeting opposed even the creation and submission of the plan.
Dottie Fulginiti, a senior planner with the Old Colony Planning Council, attended the Jan. 30 meeting to address the concerns and offer a different perspective. Fulginiti said she also serves as the Chair of Easton’s Select Board so she understands the impact the plan will have on a community. She said that the law was developed by the State about a year ago and noted that the intention was to have the zoning within a half mile of an MBTA station. She said that exceptions could be made for communities that don’t have zoning available within a half mile of a station but noted that what they don’t want is for communities to zone an acre here and another there. She said once an action plan was submitted the zoning bylaw would need to be amended through a vote at town meeting, likely in the fall since the spring is so soon.
“I guess the overall concept of this is, right now, there are certain compliance pieces, for instance the action plan is due tomorrow, which is basically a questionnaire on what your town is doing about housing… kind of an informational sheet.” She continued, “You have to have that submitted to stay in interim compliance… if you’re not in interim compliance… the town won’t get granted any State grants… that includes Mass Works, which is a big infrastructure grant that are millions of dollars, it includes other smaller grants, but it also includes a little bucket of money that impacts your housing authority.”
Fulginiti told those assembled that the law came from a lack of diverse housing in Massachusetts saying that students are drawn here for our colleges and universities but leave after graduation due to the cost of living. She also noted that seniors also face difficulty finding affordable housing. Fulginiti defined multi-family housing as “a building with three or more residential dwelling units or two or more buildings on the same lot with more than one residential dwelling unit in each building.” She said that the buildings could be created to blend aesthetically with the town. She said that tools were available to help MBTA communities with compliance as well as technical assistance resources.
Selectmen Chair John Bruno asked Haddad what exactly they would be voting on that evening. Haddad said, “You would be allowing us to submit the action plan in which the action plan… is really us saying we’re going to investigate implementing this zoning, identify where to put it, and then bring something before Town Meeting; so, you’re not committing to anything other than investigating where you would do it and if you would do it, at this point.”
If Town Meeting passes the amended bylaw, it would put the town in compliance through the end of 2024. Haddad said they would employ technical assistance in identifying the zoning and envision getting public input regarding location, etc. “If you do file it [the action plan], it just means that you are in compliance and eligible for grant funding,” Fulginiti said.
A resident asked if this was a 40R project and was told that it was not. Haddad said this was called 3A zoning. The same resident asked if the 40B project that was on the table for the town right now could count toward compliance. Haddad said that it was possible that it would were it to be officially adopted.
A resident asked where the 750 units that were required of Halifax came from, and Haddad said the State was requiring a minimum of 50 acres and 15 units per acre of density (15 multiplied by 50). Another resident asked if they would be touching conservation land and was told if it was restricted, they would not be able to encroach upon it. Several residents expressed concern that they couldn’t imagine a 750-unit building fitting anywhere in Halifax. Bruno said, “I’m not sure that we’re going to get everyone to the point where we see a good idea of a five-story apartment building anywhere; I just don’t see that and I agree with you, I live in Halifax for a reason and that’s part of it.”
“This is something that the government is just telling us we have to do and I’m telling you it would be foolish on our part if we don’t at least investigate it,” he continued. Another resident of over 50 years said that in the past the town has expressed a desire to have “home rule” saying, “but since those 53 years, we don’t have home rule anymore, the State is dictating exactly what we can have and when we can have it and what we can do.”
Planning Board member Amy L. Troup spoke passionately against the town even submitting a plan. “We bought property and we’re taxpayers, we want to keep this town the way it is, don’t even look at the carrot; we’re not really going to miss anything because the grants that you’re looking at are not even enough to supply the schools,” Troup said. She likened it to having a $10 coupon, but you have to spend $75 to use it.
Another resident brought up running into water issues the previous year saying, “Is the State going to give us water when we can’t meet our water demands for the residents that live here in town… that’s a massive amount of people that we would be adding at once to the town.” Bruno pointed out that currently in Halifax, people can build multi-family residences. Yet another resident expressed frustration that the deadline to submit the plan was the very next day though he said it wasn’t the fault of the Board. Still another resident said, “You can’t have clean water, a clean environment and be pushing all this growth and urban squall; at some point, all these towns are going to get together and make the State defend it.”
Bruno said, “At this stage in the game, I don’t see that we’re committing to anything other than an investigation and I don’t see any real harm in an investigation.” A resident asked if it would be the State or the town that would look into which areas to consider rezoning for a multi-resident district. A few residents expressed concern that single-family homes within a half mile of the station could be claimed through eminent domain. Bruno said that a process like that is actually a very complicated one and that it would not be something to worry about.
Bruno said that he heard everyone but that he just couldn’t see not investigating it and moved that they submit the action plan. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “And I don’t think anyone here, either in this room or on this Board, would want to do anything to jeopardize our town and I don’t think that by being in compliance, at this stage, we are. We still have Town Meeting, we still have other steps that would need to be made.”
He went on to say that Halifax has previously not received a lot of grants and said that one of the reasons he wanted to hire Haddad was that he brought his previous municipality from $1,000,000 in grants to $3,000,000 in grant funding. Naja Nessralla said he agreed, and the Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the submission of the plan.