The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in person on Thursday, Sept. 8.

Bullying Discussion

Committee Chair Paula Hatch read a statement she prepared regarding recent incidents of bullying within the school district. “We’ve seen more incidences since Covid, whatever we can do to assist in helping to reduce the number of incidences… do we have students that are comfortable playing a role being a student that you can come to if you are being bullied?” She said she feels strongly that the School Committee play more of an active role in trying to reduce bullying in the schools. Superintendent Jill Proulx said that a number of steps have been taken in the last few years to attempt to curb bullying. “We’re working with our high school to consider new student-led opportunities,” she explained. One suggestion was made that a taskforce be created to address issues of bullying.

“We have a very divided community on some of the cultural things here at the school and some of it may be feeding into and swinging the pendulum the wrong way inadvertently,” Hatch said. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill got emotional saying, “When we cross that threshold, we have to set aside our personal and political beliefs, but we all have to have the shared fundamental belief that every child belongs in our school and if you cannot support that on the School Committee, I’m not sure this is the place for you.” Committee member Jason Fraser concurred saying, “we also see it in the discourse amongst adults in our own communities; the children learn from their homes first, we are their first teachers and I really think it is incumbent upon the adults in our three communities to check themselves – check the rhetoric and remember that the children are listening.” Hatch ended the discussion saying that she would like to see them take it up again at their next meeting and perhaps come up with some ideas that allow them to be part of the solution.

CTE Discussion

Director of Career and Technical Programs Elliott Glass attended to speak about the selection for outdoor service projects. “The program is obviously a live work, learning based program that puts our students outside to work on a real, hands-on project that has a pretty awesome outcome,” Glass explained. He said that students have to be in the program for two years before being allowed to work off site. “We use a work request form… the biggest factor that we are looking at is the curriculum, and so we have a mission and a job to provide state frameworks to our students in a carpentry program,” Glass explained. He continued, “we consider differences between residential requests and municipal requests to town buildings.” Some recent projects include Pope Tavern’s roof, stairs and landings at the Plympton Fire Department, the dumpster area at Kingston Senior Center, Handicap accessible benches at Gray’s Beach, etc. A Committee member asked about advertising and Glass said they are limited in what they can do with that but said that a detached two-car garage in Kingston was recently completed. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said she still felt that the criteria for selection was still unclear and said she would like to see it be more need-based. Glass said that after speaking with other vocational directors he didn’t receive a single other response saying that need was considered when selecting a project. Glass said the waters could get muddied and said he was not interested in making that a criterion.

“As you probably know, we have had growing numbers and a big influx of students last year that applied… it was over 50 percent of the 8^th grade population that submitted a CTE application; as those numbers have gone up there are some other factors at play; we’ve always been able to tuition in some Pembroke students that are part of our budget,” Glass explained. Someone asked Glass the state assigned tuition rate for students from Pembroke and was told this year’s number is $11,000.

Glass, who called Pembroke a really great partner to them, said that they filled all of their seats this year with in-district applicants as the demand was so great. Glass said that Pembroke was asking if something could be done to ensure that some seats would be available for Pembroke students. “I do think there could be a mutually beneficial agreement in something like this,” Glass said. “We do need to offset that number with the extra Chapter 74 funding we get for each pupil of our own that goes into CTE programming which is about $4,700 above Chapter 70 so we have to subtract that away from what we get from Pembroke to understand the true revenue implications,” Committee member Jason Fraser said of the out-of-district tuition.

Camp Norse School Approval

Hatch said that Camp Norse had approached the Committee looking for approval for the school that is offered there. Superintendent Jill Proulx had asked for a list of resources from Camp Norse so that they could review and vet them before the meeting. Hatch said materials were received just before midnight the night before and that they would need to go back to Camp Norse to tell them that they didn’t have enough time to digest the material. She said they would tell Camp Norse that they would review before their next meeting and decide at that time.

Charter School Discussion

A discussion was had based on limiting access to charter schools including Math Academy which sought to expand into Silver Lake. “Every time we lose a student to a charter school, the money travels with the student… we’ve seen an uptick over the years with students going to a charter school and it does hurt… and then there’s the financial burden that goes along with that,” Hatch explained. “A million dollars every single year from Halifax, Plympton, Kingston goes to paying charter school tuitions from the Silver Lake budget, that’s four percent of our budget,” Fraser said. Both McGee and Committee member Gordon Laws spoke about the nuanced discussion that needed to take into account both the negative consequences for the school district as well as parents’ need for choice. They did agree to craft a letter expressing that they were not in favor of charter schools expanding further into the district.

Municipal Representatives in Collective Bargaining

Proulx said that towns were invited to elect municipal representatives for collective bargaining purposes. Halifax Selectman Jonathan Selig and Kingston Town Administrator Keith Hickey were there to garner more information. Proulx said they had yet to hear back from someone from Plympton. Hickey said he wasn’t comfortable being the representative without having the go ahead from his Board of Selectmen. Selig said that given the day-to-day responsibilities of being the only Selectman in Halifax, he didn’t feel comfortable committing to being the municipal representative.

Principals’ Reports

Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill provided an update for the Committee. She said that they are joining with many organizations including Mass General in a program called, “I Decide.” The program is to provide financial support and resources for students who may have substance abuse issues.

Gill said she had an unconventional out of state field trip request for the music program. She said two proposals were on the table. The first to perform in Disney in Orlando and the second was for New York. Gill said they planned to allow families to vote for the preferred trip and then begin fundraising from there.

New Middle School Principal Becky Couet also provided a Principal’s Report. She began by asking for permission for an out-of-state field trip on Oct. 28 for the chorus to sing at the Providence Bruins. “They’ve done this in the past in the spring, but our beloved music teacher Sandee Brayton is retiring in December, and we want to make sure that she gets to go,” Couet explained.

Couet said they have a Robotics Club but due to covid there was no fee the last two years. She said that to participate in competitions, teachers were asking for a $75 fee for students to participate. The Committee voted to approve the fee.

Superintendent and Assistant Update

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch spoke briefly about goals for the new school year. “With curriculum as our focus, one of our professional development days is devoted toward providing staff with time to collaborate together and make progress on having a standard aligned Pre-K through 12 curriculum.” He also said that they had a professional development day that past week focusing on inclusive practices.

Superintendent Proulx began her update saying that Massachusetts will provide universal free meals this year. Regarding Covid, Proulx said that universal masking and testing requirements are no longer recommended. She did note that those who continue to mask will be supported in that decision.

Proulx discussed student learning goals for MCAS testing. She said that having 70 percent of students meeting or exceeding grade level expectations by 2024, was a goal.

Regional Agreement

Hatch addressed the regional agreement calling it a living document that was changed periodically. Fraser made a motion to start the process to review the regional agreement. The Committee voted to do so unanimously.

Standing Committees Reports

SLEA President Jon Lay addressed the Committee saying he appreciated the conversation that was had regarding both bullying and charter schools. He said that everyone was excited to start the school year fairly normally for the first time since 2019. He said there was huge turnover with paraprofessionals this year. “By my calculations we have at least 25 percent turnaround this year with paraprofessionals,” he told the Committee. He reiterated that the rates being paid by Silver Lake are 8 percent below the median of the local area.

Fraser began the legislative update saying, “we saw a 6.4 percent increase from the State of Massachusetts here in Silver Lake I know that the burden often feels like it is on the towns to support the schools, the State really came through in a big way for us this year.” He said that the free lunch program currently being funded through the State, should ideally be a federal program and the hope is still that it will be adopted as such.

Regarding SAFER, Fraser said that the first tri-town meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Dec. 1. He said that quite a few town officials will be participating in the meeting. Fraser also said that the Driver’s Ed program is currently offered at $650 which is lower than the typical fee of surrounding schools. Fraser asked the Committee to increase the fee for the program from $650 to $700, in part to pay for a new vehicle that is needed.

Fraser told the Committee about the Neptune Gametime Player which is a subscription that vets music that is selected by students for warmups during athletics. This would ensure that the music that is played is appropriate. There is potential for advertisements to be played over the program which would help offset the cost of the subscription.

The surveying for the tennis courts is done and the hope is to get the project out to bid by January.

Before adjourning, Hatch thanked McGee who will be leaving the School Committee. “One of the things I have really enjoyed working with you these last few years is you are not afraid to put a different idea out there, a different thought… it’s meaningful, it’s well thought through and many times it has put us in a different direction.” McGee received a rousing round of applause.

The sole remaining member of the Halifax Board of Selectmen, Jonathan Selig, conducted an in-person meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Selig was left manning the helm following the sudden resignations of Ashley DiSesa and Alex Meade as well as the newly hired Town Administrator Marty Golightly. Town Accountant Sandy Nolan was named as acting Town Administrator until a new one can be hired. A special town election will be held on November 8 to elect two new Selectmen.

Tax Classification Hearing

A tax classification hearing was held during the meeting. Selig said it was “for the purpose of allocating the local tax levy for the five property classes for the fiscal year 2023.” He introduced Holly Berry with the Assessor’s Office. Berry said there were five property types in Halifax. “Residential makes up 91, almost 92 percent of our tax base,” Berry explained. She further said that Halifax doesn’t have open space. Commercial property makes up nearly 5 percent of the tax base, industrial property makes up a little over 2 percent, and personal property makes up almost 1 percent. Given that commercial and industrial make up less than ten percent of the tax base, Berry said that she was not recommending a split rate. Selig voted to adopt a residential factor of 1 without a split rate.

“The real estate and personal property total value is based on 100 percent of the fair market value,” Berry said. She said the average single-family assessment for fiscal year 2023 will be $458,202, up 11 percent from the previous year. “The average tax bill for fiscal 23 will be $6,859.92, up nearly 4.10 percent from last year,” she explained. Berry also said that the average condo assessment was approximately $280,000, up 18 percent over the previous year. The average tax bill for condos will be $4,192. The top taxpayers in Halifax are Halifax Mobile Home Estates, Walmart, WJG Realty and Trust (Stop and Shop), Massachusetts Electric Company, and Halifax Solar.

Screening Committee for New TA

Selig said, “we are in the works of starting a Screening Committee for our new Town Administrator; it will be a 7-person committee.” He said that Town Clerk Sue Lawless will serve as the point person and the rest of the Committee will consist of acting, interim Town Administrator Sandy Nolan, the Halifax Police Chief, the Halifax Fire Chief, and three citizens at- large. “I’m making the call out here… if there’s anybody out there that would like to be considered… send the Board of Selectmen an email,” Selig said. He also said that they hope to have the Committee in place by the next Selectmen’s meeting. The consultant recommended having the position open for a month. “Ideally if everything goes well, we could be looking at a new Town Administrator… around the beginning of the year,” Selig said. He also noted that the final decision will be made once the Board of Selectmen is full again.

Town Green Request

Selig read a request from the Halifax Congregational Church asking for permission to use the Town Green on Sept. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the annual blessing of the pets service. Selig approved the request. The rain date will be Oct. 2.

Building Department Update

Scott Materna was in attendance to give a monthly status report for the Building Department. Among the updates were the ongoing installation of an EV charging station which is being paid for through a grant as well as the completion of the concrete sidewalk outside the Town Hall. Materna also provided updates on a number of projects that fall under the Green Communities initiative including new heat pumps at the Fire Station and Water Department as well as new insulation for the Fire Station attic. He said it totaled nearly $200,000 in improvements.

Pine St. Bridge Update

Selig began his update on the Pine St. bridge project by calling it great news. Selig said of the project, “it’s been a little bit of an issue for a while,” before turning it over to Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward. Hayward shared photos of the project with the Selectmen and Nolan. Hayward went through all the obstacles faced by the project including exorbitant cost and Covid delays. He said that the nearly $200,000 cost for police details would be eliminated since “Pine St. is going to be closed during the whole construction.” Hayward said that the project would be going out to bid soon. The current cost stands at $1.3 million, down from $1.5 million. He noted that they hoped to come in even lower.

Talent Bank Forms and Resignations

Selig said that a talent bank form had been received for Christina Palmer. Palmer expressed interest in serving on the Beautification Committee as well as the Library Trustees. Selig said he would share her information with those Committees. Someone in the public asked Selig if he talked to town counsel about appointing people to committees while the Board is short two thirds of the Selectmen. “If it’s a necessity they said we can. If it’s a board that we can hold off on, I guess it depends on how your board is functioning right now and if you think it can function until the interim, until November, they want us to try and sit tight,” Selig explained.

Jeanne Kling resigned from the Beautification Committee. Selig said, “I would like to personally thank her, I know she’s been a driving force of that Committee and a big asset to the town… she will be missed.” The Veteran’s Agent Wilford Corey also resigned calling Halifax “a great town” and adding, “I have been honored to serve as the Veterans Service Officer for the past decade. All the people I have worked with have been helpful and professional.” Selig said, “Again, a big loss for Halifax… we wish Will the best.” Steve Littlefield will be serving as Acting Veteran’s Agent. Littlefield was previously Corey’s assistant.

Public Health Grant

Halifax Health Agent Bob Valery was in attendance to speak on the Public Health Excellence Grant which Selig called “excellent news.” “Boards of Health, and ours in particular, are always about continuous  improvement; if there’s one thing, positive thing, that Covid showed us over the last two years is the need and the importance of the Public Health Department. Also, the impact that underfunding has had,” Valery said. He added, “Prevention is the best medicine.” He said that the Halifax Board of Health was chosen to be a host community for a new grant fund. “Their mission is to enhance the existing capabilities and to achieve the mutual goals of public health,” Valery said.

Several other local communities would be joining Halifax to better manage public health.  He said that it would be “zero cost to our town.” Valery said that they would be hiring a Health Inspector for the five towns participating that would be paid for entirely out of the grant money. “The first and primary goal of anything that we’re going to try and accomplish is to make sure that everybody gets fair and equal services whether you’re making a million dollars, or you don’t have enough to put food on your table,” Valery explained of the initiative. “Bob, you should be proud because the fact that Halifax is serving as kind of the central hub for this is a feather in your cap – in your Department’s cap,” Selig said. “I’m happy to, it’s my passion,” Valery replied.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met via ZOOM on Monday, Sept. 12. Selectman Mark Russo led a discussion on traffic and speeding enforcement as well as next steps the town might take to address the issues. Russo explained, “Kind of a long history of some speeding issues particularly two intersections in town… over the last year or two we’ve tried a bunch of things, we’ve declared a speed zone 20 mph… not much help there.” He said they have also tried painting the roads as well as most recently, installing flashing speed limit signs which were approved at this year’s town meeting. “Maybe there’s been a little improvement, but we continue to hear from concerned citizens,” he said. Russo suggested that the next step might be an increased police presence.

Resident Keith Sexton spoke up saying that he has seen an increase in car crashes on Center St. He noted that one recently resulted in personal injury. Sexton also noted that cars routinely come out of Franklin St. in Halifax going 70 mph despite a speed limit of 30 mph.  Sexton made suggestions including community edits to Waze to keep people from cutting through as well as the use of police dummy cars. He also said, “Quincy and Foxboro have leaned on the tech companies to keep traffic out of the towns.”

Resident Howard Randall, who has been outspoken on the issue, said of when he grew up, “it really was an attitude that you don’t speed through Plympton.” He continued, “I would like to reflect on that we had a history in the past of you don’t do these things in Plympton and if you do, you’re going to be bagged.” “I would love nothing more than if we got back to that sort of thing,” Russo said of more frequent ticketing for speeding. Randall, who lives on what has been deemed one of the worst intersections in town, said that his wall has been hit and he has even had motorcycles end up on his lawn. He noted that his next-door neighbor is leaving because “they can’t take the racetrack that has been created by their house by paving the road.”

Selectman Christine Joy said that the issue needed its own meeting, noting the very full agenda that evening. “This is a far-reaching issue; it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse. I agree with everything that everyone has said,” she said. She continued, saying they would do their due diligence before getting back together to discuss what other options are available to the town.

Public Hearing Cornerstone Energy

There was a public hearing regarding an application from Cornerstone Energy Services for new transmission lines that will cross above Spring Street and its intersection with Route 44 and Brook Street and its intersection with Old Farm Road. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy called it “routine maintenance” and noted it was part of a larger project. Randall expressed some concern to which Selectman John Traynor said he wasn’t sure the town had any legal standing regarding street crossings. “The bulk of the project will be underground wires,” Michelle Ruxton said of her understanding of the project. She did note that there would be some overhead wires involved as well, however. Randall said that he felt it all came back down to accommodating solar saying, “I hate to be so negative, but I’ve learned in my eighty years not to trust these people.” He continued, “they would love you to believe you have no rights, but you do,” he said to Traynor. The Selectmen agreed to continue the hearing until a representative from the applicant could be present to speak to the concerns. They agreed to set the continuation for 6 p.m. on October 17.

1-Day Brewery 44 Liquor Licenses

Michael Johnson of Brewery 44 spoke to the Board about hosting a small beer and liquor garden in conjunction with Sauchuk Farm. “Basically, what we are looking to do is a controlled space where we are serving our pumpkin beers and seltzers to adults,” he said. Johnson said they have a $1 million insurance policy. He was looking for 16, 1-day liquor licenses, covering eight weekends of the Sauchuk Farms season.

There was some question about the need for a police detail. Johnson asked if it was possible to do a review after the first weekend to determine if a police detail is necessary. He said that it becomes cost prohibitive for them. An abutter spoke saying that he felt that the police detail was necessary calling the event “a nightmare” for them. “Quite frankly, I think the police detail is needed,” Traynor said. The Board granted the 16, 1-day liquor licenses with the stipulation that a 4-hour police detail is required and that in two weeks, they would revisit whether the remaining weekends would also need a police detail.

Special Town Meeting

A special town meeting was scheduled for Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at Dennett Elementary School. The warrant was opened that evening and will be closing on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m.

Debate on Change from Board of Selectmen

Traynor led a discussion on changing the title of the Board from the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board. He called the issue “near and dear to my heart.” Joy said she wasn’t interested in making the change noting, “I just don’t feel like its really necessary for us to do this… I like our seal; I like our history.” Joy also said that the gendered term “selectmen” doesn’t bother her. Russo said he prefers the current title as it links to a 300-year history. Russo said that he felt that they could pursue gender equality in other ways. Traynor said he appreciated where they were coming from but noted that he would still like to pursue the change.

Old Schoolhouse

Russo said that a resident who has an old schoolhouse on his property wanted to see if the Community Preservation Committee would be interested in the building. Russo noted that it would be quite expensive to move. Of the project he said, “it really would require a champion and a site – neither of which we have right now.” Randall asked Russo to contact him saying, “there may be an angel out there that I know of.” Russo said, “Okay, I’ll be in touch.”

Appointments

Jessica Lau and Jonathan Mulcahy were named to the Board of Library Trustees until the next election. Their terms will expire on May 20, 2023. The Selectmen thanked them for their service to the town.

Selectmen’s Rants and Raves

Russo said he was thrilled about the Community Impact Grant application. “I think with the really talented people we have now, that could be really powerful for us,” he said. He also raved for the recent flower show calling it a “totally Plymptonian thing” and said the town should be proud of the event. Traynor raved for responder therapy dogs across the United States and Plympton Police Captain Cheryl Davis and her K9, who just became a certified team. Joy gave a rave for Linda Leddy and her work with the CPC as well as another rave for all the members of the public that showed up that evening to discuss the traffic issues in town.

Come November, voters will be choosing between Democrat Maura Healey — currently the commonwealth’s attorney general — and Republican Geoff Diehl — former state representative from Whitman.

Pundits cast the race pitting Diehl against an historic all-female ticket lead by the out LGBTQ Healey, as a “referendum on Trumpism” in Massachusetts.

Healey focused on her past bipartisan approach to the attorney general’s office and saluted the leadership of Gov. Charlie Baker, thanking him for his service to the state.

“Gov. Baker has led with respect and worked with both parties,” she told supporters during her victory speech Tuesday night. “He’s refused to engage in the politics of division and destruction that we’ve seen across this country.”

She said her campaign would be about making the state more affordable, growing the economy toward opportunity for all and protection of reproductive freedom.

Diehl focused on the state’s population loss and the focus on big government over individual freedom, calling Healey “the people’s worst nightmare” leading the state down a path of higher taxes and radical legislation.

“With this campaign we are going to be redefining politics as usual here in Massachusetts,” Diehl said, noting he appreciated opponent Chris Doughty’s call conceding the race, and pledging to “work together to defeat a radical attorney general who wants to be our governor.”

Diehl pledged “for the first time” to run a campaign toward November focused on “we the people — our freedoms, our rights and our prosperity.” He also pledged support for empowering parents to keep Healey’s “political agenda out of the classroom.”

Diehl has been endorsed by Donald Trump, who said in his remarks to Diehl’s supporters Monday that Diehl would “rule your state with an iron fist.”

Turnout was 23 per cent of Plympton’s 2356 registered voters,  Halifax brought in 926 votes or 15 percent of that town’s  6,174 voters to mark their choices.  Kingston’s unofficial votes were not available as of press time.

Locally, Healey won Halifax by 533 votes to Sonia Chang-Diaz’s 66 votes, while Diehl carried Halifax with 477 votes to Chris Doughty’s 176. In Plympton Healy garnered 229 votes to Chang-Diaz’s25 and Diehl won with 199 votes to Doughty’s 85.

In her victory speech, Healy saluted outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker’s leadership on behalf of Massachusetts.

Halifax selectman Jonathan Selig, the town’s only remaining member of the board, called his first regularly scheduled selectmen’s meeting after the resignation of two members of his board last week,  in the Great Hall, Halifax Town Hall, to conduct the business of the town.

After the shocking resignation of his two other board members, as well as Town Administrator Marty Golightly, Selig put out a notice taking charge and requesting calm from the townspeople.  “I want the people of Halifax to know this–we will be following the proper procedures going forward and we will get through this.”

Thursday’s emergency meeting, Aug. 25, at 2:30 p.m. was convened and the sole purpose on the agenda was to accept the resignation of Town Administrator, after only five weeks on the job.   

Chair Ashley DiSesa began the meeting saying, “We got an email this morning from Mr. Golightly saying that his intention is to move on as planned; he did reconsider but feels the town is not the right fit for him.” DiSesa said to Golightly, “I thank you. I think you’re an amazing human being and I’m sorry that our town is very toxic and the way that you’ve been treated by residents and some town employees, so I apologize too on behalf of us because the whole town is not like that, so I’m sorry.”

Golightly previously served as the Director of Public Health in Abington during much of the pandemic. Regarding his resignation from that position, he said, “it just wasn’t the time to live and work in the same community.” It had been reported that Golightly had received “personal attacks and threats” during his time in the position.

DiSesa then read a statement regarding her own position within the town. She began, “When I was elected, I was told this would be a thankless job. What I didn’t realize was that thankless would be the least of my worries. I’ve weathered the storm of misogyny, sexual harassment, underestimation, and doubts about my abilities to perform the expected duties. Nonetheless, I believed that my becoming a selectwoman would allow me to make a difference in a town I consider myself fortunate enough to call home with my 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.”

She continued, “Over the past 16 months, I have dedicated countless hours to this town, taking away from my children and have withstood multiple personal attacks without retribution.” DiSesa noted that she was not perfect but said that she “maintained an optimistic belief” that doing the right thing would be worthwhile all while losing people she considered friends. She continued with her statement saying, “I’ve seen our small town be torn apart by personal vendettas – a group of officials and some town employees who live by the mentality “rules for thee and not for me.” I wanted to believe Halifax was better than this. That we could work together for a common cause, compromise, and be able to disagree without being so disagreeable.” DiSesa noted that it was an “honor” to work with Halifax’s Police and Fire Departments saying that they were the heart of the town. She then said that her resignation would be effective that day at 3 p.m.

Selectman Alex Meade began his own statement by saying, “Idiotic, disgraceful, shameful, and embarrassing are just a handful of the adjectives that have been used to describe me and my conduct after taking my Select Board position.” Meade, who began as Selectman in May, had unseated Gordon Andrews for a three-year term on the Board during the most recent town election. He continued, “Since the election, I have been threatened, I have been verbally attacked, and I have had lies and rumors about my private life thrust into the public spotlight for reasons unknown. Despite all of that… I have continued to do what I believe is in the best interest of the town.”

Meade said that after a recent meeting, the Selectmen were encouraged to use a separate exit because of the commotion surrounding the outcome of the meeting. “Quite frankly, I have enough self-respect to take the high road and not engage when misplaced negative rhetoric and a mob mentality emerges, but I know, too, that I deserve better treatment by other members of my community,” he said. Meade said that despite working with good members of the community on other boards and committees, he would be resigning immediately following the meeting in the interest of the health and safety of his family, especially his children.

The Selectmen then voted unanimously to accept the resignations of Marty Golightly, Ashley DiSesa, and Alex Meade. Jonathan Selig, who has been serving since May and was elected to the one-year term that was previously filled by Troy Garron, is now the only remaining Selectman in town.

To fill the vacancies on the board, Town Clerk Susan Lawless worked out the election calendar that would best suit the town.  It was decided in the interest of cost efficiency, the election would be held alongside the town’s state election Tuesday, Nov. 8.  Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Nomination papers are available now at the Office of the Town Clerk until Sept. 20. They must be returned with signatures by Oct. 4.  Those wishing to vote in the special election must register by Saturday, Oct. 29.  Nov. 1 is the deadline to post the warrant.

After adjourning the meeting, the audience of about 50 residents stood in applause for Selectman Jonathan Selig for stepping up.

Deb Anderson

contributed to this article.

The Halifax Finance Committee met on August 15 and all members were present.

Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves attended the meeting to state his case for the hiring of more officers. He had previously attended a Board of Selectmen meeting and got the green light from them to begin the search for two full- time applicants but wanted to also have the backing of the Finance Committee. “We’re in the process of doing background checks on these two individuals but obviously, like anything else, they are also contemplating other offers because everyone is looking for people,” Chaves told the Committee.

Chaves said that from July 1, 2022, to August 14, 2022, there were a total of 18 unfilled shifts. The Department recently lost three special police officers. Chaves said that were a third-party agency come to do an evaluation of the Department using State metrics, they would estimate that the Department should have 18-19 full-time officers. Chaves said he wasn’t looking to reach that number but wanted to increase from 11 officers to 13. He told the Committee that the Department has been at 11 officers since 1980. He said that Plympton, which is significantly smaller than Halifax, has 16 officers. He named some comparable towns all of whom had significantly more officers than Halifax.

Chaves said that demand from residents for a school resource officer is also contributing to the desire to grow the staff. Right now, we have a liaison officer who works a regular shift and then when she can, she stops by the school. She can’t be starting programs at the school like you would like to because she is a midnight shift officer because of contractual obligations,” Chaves explained. He said the plan would be for her to transfer to days to free up some time. He said that another factor in requesting to hire more officers is the increased demand for police presence given the growing cannabis industry in the area.

Chaves, who talked numbers with Town Accountant Sandra Nolan, said, “Budgetary-wise, financially-wise, I think we can sustain it.” He said that in fiscal year 2019, the Department returned $16,000 back to the town, in 2020 $56,000 was returned, in 2021 $39,000, and in 2022 $70,000 was returned to the town budget. He further said that they have $90,000 allocated to fund the new positions. He said that looking forward to the next fiscal year, a Sergeant in the Department would be retiring, and the incoming Sergeant would make less money which would add a cost savings that could be allocated to the salaries of the two new officers.

Regarding additional cost savings, Chaves said that every year the Department asks for two new cruisers. He said that the Department’s fleet is in the best shape it has been in in a long time and as a result, they could skip a year. He said that the community impact fee from the new cannabis stores could also contribute to offsetting the cost of the officers. The Finance Committee voted to approve the Chief’s request.

The Committee also discussed the empty Finance Secretary position. They were told there have been no candidates and not a single response. It was suggested that the Committee explore the possibility of bringing on an intern to take on the secretary duties. They agreed to do some research and reach out to local colleges and universities.

The Committee also discussed renewing their membership to the Association of Town Finance Committees. The Committee members agreed that they enjoyed being a part of the Association and found it helpful.

The Chair said that the only communication received was from the Superintendents of schools looking for alternatives to the bussing issue. He said that even with a $400 a day reduction due to a change in vendors, they were still going to be significantly over budget.

The Committee also discussed the need to appoint citizens-at-large to the Personnel Advisory Board. They also said that they would be inviting Frank Johnston to the next meeting to hopefully interview him for the open spot on the Finance Committee. They were all in agreement that he was qualified.

Halifax selectmen heard from a throng of more than a hundred residents voicing their concerns regarding what they call gravel mining on the cranberry bogs off Lingan Street.

Morse Bros. Cranberry Co. had been on the agenda with their earth removal application.  Before the meeting, however, the company withdrew their application.

Select chair Ashley DiSesa read an email from Halifax Police Chief Joao A. Chaves, copied to the Town Administrator Marty Golightly and the members of the Board of Selectmen stating they were pulling their earth removal permit and would not be present at the hearing Aug. 9.

Chaves, through his email to the board, said that there would still be some trucks moving material from their site to their other bogs in Middleboro and Hanson as part of their bog maintenance and dam rebuilding at those sites, actions that are permitted under Chapter 137 “Right to Farm” laws, requiring no permits as they are just doing agricultural and farming work.

The email went on to explain that Morse Bros. had notified the police department in the event that residents called to complain about the trucks.  “They are just doing normal farming tasks,” the email continued.  Chaves told the Morse Bros. representative that he would notify the Board of Selectmen and the members of his police department of the change.

Residents present at the selectmen’s meeting wanted to be heard but select chair DiSesa  told them that since there was no issue on the table for discussion.

“We have heard all of your concerns,” DiSesa told the group.   She said that when they sent the Zoning Enforcement Officer  to investigate a claim at the site he found Morse Bros. was operating within the law.

Selectmen went on to interview the final two candidates

In other business, selectmen

• allowed the moving of a utility pole.

• appointed James Hill to the Halifax Fireworks Committee.  His wife Susan is already a member.

•  appointed Lind McCarthy as Parking Clerk

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, August 8. Plympton Public Library Director Mike Slawson attended the meeting to provide an overview of the work being done within his department.

Slawson, who has been in his position for just over a year, said that they have two major initiatives currently going on within the library department. The first is National Night Out which will be held in Plympton on Friday, August 12 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Explaining the intent of the event, Slawson said, “The gist of it is that it is a Police and Fire, mainly Police, appreciation night.” Slawson continued saying, “It gives the residents of Plympton a chance to meet and interact with Police personnel and Fire personnel in a different capacity than they normally would.” According to Slawson, a lot of hard work has gone into the evening over the last few months. Slawson said that he hoped that it would be an opportunity for community-building.

The second initiative is the reorganization of the library’s collection. Slawson explained, “This project has several facets; we are going through the collection literally book by book and deciding, do we want this book in the collection?” He called the project a “massive undertaking” and said that they have been examining how long it has been since books have been checked out of the library. He said that a “decent portion of the collection” has not been checked out in the last 5 or even 10 years. The library is in the process of weeding those titles out of the library’s collection.

Slawson said that they are also relabeling materials to make them easier for both library personnel and patrons to find. He said that all books will have tags that identify both where they are located as well as the last three letters of the author’s last name. “Finally, another facet of this collection reorganization is we are moving some of our collections around… just as an example we moved our young adult collection to a different section of the library to give young adults their own area,” Slawson said.

The library has also been hosting programs on the first and third Saturday of each month. Slawson credited Selectman John Traynor with the success of the programs saying, “John’s been great about finding local and relevant speakers.” Slawson also said the programs were an opportunity to “have some breakfast and catch up with some friends.”

There are other new elements at the library as well including kits curated by local Girl Scouts. Slawson said the bags, which can be found in the children’s room, are available for checkout and cover an array of topics like cooking and animation. Another new element is the seed library. “Considering the amount of gardeners we have in Plympton, this has been something that I think has been enjoyed by the residents in Plympton,” Slawson explained. Another new collection is the library of things which consists of anything “not books.” “Things like board games or puzzles… we have yard games if people are having a party, they can check out… we have STEM kits,” Slawson said of the collection. He said they are also looking to get together a collection of items that someone may only need a few times a year like a power washer. “We’re looking into expanding that some more as we go along,” he said.

Regarding the budget, Slawson said it is “looking really good.” The municipal appropriation required to stay certified is $163,893. Slawson said that their requested budget was just above that. He said that $62,000 of that goes toward materials and the rest goes to personnel.

A few upgrades have been made to the library including new carpet in the children’s room and improvements to the front entrance. Slawson said that they are looking at ways to make the ramp less slippery during the winter months including purchasing gallons of clear coat with grit in it. “Hopefully it will fix it and help me sleep at night because that is really worrisome to me having that ramp be really slippery in the winter,” he told the Selectmen.

Selectman Mark Russo said he hears nothing but good things from all different sources regarding Slawson. Russo also paid high compliments on the concept of the library of things and said he wonders if there was room to expand upon the concept even more. “I always tell people libraries change; libraries have been around for thousands of years because we adapt,” Slawson replied.

Town Administrator Liz Dennehy asked the Selectmen to approve the early voting hours for the primary town election in September which they voted unanimously to do. She also asked them to accept changes to the law regarding scheduling police details for election days. She said it would make it so the Police Chief was the appointing authority and can coordinate those details rather than having the Selectmen’s office do it. They, again, voted unanimously to accept the changes.

Dennehy also said that they were waiting for bids on the Engine 1 refurbishment project for the Fire Department. “Hopefully they are affordable to us because we only have a certain amount of funds allocated to this…we’re hopeful that this can get the project done for the amount we have appropriated,” Dennehy explained.

Dennehy said that the town is still waiting to hear back on a few different pending grant applications. She told the Selectmen, “I’m also happy to announce that the Soule Homestead project… has finally come to closure… the lease agreement has been recorded with the registry… that’s a win for the town.” She also told the Selectmen that she would be setting up a public hearing for their September 12 meeting for Eversource regarding the installation of some poles.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen attended the meeting to provide an update on the Dennett solar rooftop project. Dennehy told the Selectmen, “Unfortunately, we are still not ready… I believe that the attorneys are still working out some of the details… we are going to do things we can to expediate it as soon as possible.” Dennehy and Wilhelmsen said they were hopeful that the Selectmen could vote on the terms of the lease during their next meeting.

Before moving on to their customary raves, the Selectmen also voted to approve the use of the Town Green on September 3 from 11-1 for a flower show. A food truck will also be present.

Traynor said his rave was for National Night Out. Russo said that his rave was for the “lovely meeting tonight” naming in particular the National Night Out and the expansion of the lending library. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy joked that they may need a bigger building. Joy said her rave was for “John Traynor.” “The first and third Saturday at the library, you made it happen and you’ve done a great job with it,” she told Traynor.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, July 26 with new Town Administrator Marty Golightly at the helm.

Police Chief Joao Chaves attended the meeting. “Right now, our current staffing levels, we have 11 full-time officers for the town of Halifax, and we have one part-time officer; we lost three officers on June 30, and we had lost another three before that for retirements. We had at one point, the beginning of last year, 7 special officers, we now have just one,” Chaves explained. He told the Selectmen that if they brought in an outside consultant to evaluate the Department, they would say that the town should have 18 officers. He continued, “the ratio that they use is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.” Chaves said he wasn’t asking for 18 officers but rather one or two regular officers and one or two part-time officers. “The budget would be able to sustain it right now; the last four years I have given back considerable money to the town in wages,” he told the Selectmen. Chaves said that since July 1 the Department has had 13 unfilled shifts. The Selectmen voted to authorize the Chief to hire two additional full-time officers.

Town Accountant Sandra Nolan attended the meeting to ask for clarification on town employees eligible for the second round of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) bonuses. She said that originally anyone that was working for the town on September 17, 2021, would be eligible for the bonuses. It was to be pro-rated for anyone working less than 30 hours. “My question is, now that we’ve lost some of those employees, and there was no allotment for that in the original decision, do we give it to employees who have left?” Nolan asked. The bonuses were split into two installments of $1,500 rather than a lump sum $3,000. Nolan wanted to know if she should give bonuses not only to those who no longer work for the town but for those who are new since September. Selectman Alex Meade said, “my thought on it is, if on September 17, we said you are getting a bonus, then you have a bonus.” Selectman Ashley DiSesa said that she felt that only those on the payroll on the day the bonuses are issued, should receive them. Meade said the previous Chair said that to be eligible for the bonus, employees would still have to be on the payroll to receive the bonus and anyone who came on after September 17, would not be eligible. The Selectmen decided to honor the previous Chair’s decision.

The Selectmen also considered the retaining of Lighthouse Legal Counsel, LLC for union specific counsel for a one-year time period at a cost of $20,000. “I think this is probably more important now than it has been in the past with our economic changes and the addition of the body cam for the Police Officers’ Union to have specific assistance with HR and union negotiations,” Golightly told the Selectmen. He continued, “It’s significantly cheaper than our current counsel for negotiations and HR stuff. My hope is to pay for this with some ARPA funds.” Meade expressed some hesitation at hiring additional counsel beyond the town counsel. DiSesa said, “To have an HR person who is going to help our new Town Administrator be successful, who is also a previous town administrator, makes sense to try and set us up for success.” Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “I know our legal bills are skyrocketing but I think this might actually be a good thing in the long run; we’re going to get training that will lead to fewer complaints and incidents down the road.” The Selectmen voted to use Lighthouse Legal Counsel as the town’s labor attorney.

The Selectmen had an appointment with resident John Mirotta regarding dog license fees. He said that he moved several times recently and missed the licensing fees that were being sent to his parents’ home. He said that the missed notices, late fees, and court fees totaled $170. He said that he would have to have a court arraignment and as a medical professional, that could reflect badly on him despite it only being about dog licensing. “I want to pay it today; I was hoping maybe if you guys could waive the court fees, I could make the $120 payment,” Mirotta told the Selectmen. “I can’t sit here and set a precedent like that. You’re going to take on two dogs and be a dog owner, you got to license the dogs, man,” Meade said to Mirotta. Meade recommended that he go to the Town Clerk’s office in the morning and pay the $170. Both Selig and DiSesa said they agreed and that they couldn’t set a precedent of forgiving late fees.