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.

The Plympton Elementary School Committee met virtually on Monday, July 11.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy provided a financial closeout. The closeout balance in the regular day budget is $23,969.51. She said there was one PO that they have included for approximately $49,000 for a chiller in a rooftop unit, specifically two compressors. “The unit is limping along, barely functioning,” Healy said. She also said that replacing those two compressors would make the unit function properly though she acknowledged that the entire unit would eventually need to be replaced. She said that the compressors would still be compatible with the unit were it to be replaced down the line. “The compressors themselves, these are separate than the other five units that we are needing to replace and by purchasing them now, when we replace those units, which is sort of on the notional plan here with ARPA funds and other potential funds, these compressors… we’re not putting $50,000 toward these and then throwing it out, that $50,000 is going to be spent one way or another,” Wilhelmsen said adding further clarification. “The town still ends up in very good standing,” he added. Healy said that the funds for professional development were underutilized this year most likely due to grant funding that was available. She said there was also a surplus in special education. “The closeout is in pretty decent shape,” Healy told the Committee. When all is said and done nearly $110,000 would be returned to the town.

Chair Jon Wilhelmsen provided an update on the teachers’ contract.  “Just an update there, I’m still getting the changes put into that; we’re going to get that over to the teachers soon. We’ll either vote on that at our September meeting or likely we’re going to have to have a meeting… at some point this summer,” he told the rest of the Committee. The abbreviated meeting over the summer would also be needed to deal with the solar panel installation at the Dennett.

Wilhelmsen provided an update on those solar panels saying that his attempts to get DESE to approve the transfer of the roof into the Selectmen’s hands has been a “less than straightforward process.” He said that certified votes will need to be taken by both the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee before DESE will entertain giving their approval.

Committee member Jason Fraser said, “the State has not come through with its fiscal budget for 2023 yet and part of that was the continuation of remote participation in meetings until December 31, 2023. The Senate just passed a bill with just the language for remote participation, but the House has yet to take it up; the expiration for meeting remotely is this Friday until someone does something on Beacon Hill.” “We’ll have to do it one way or another,” Wilhelmsen said.

Dennett Principal Peter Veneto reported on a myriad of projects that have been ongoing at the school. Various pavement projects and roof repairs were deemed completed by Veneto. He said that they were still waiting on materials for the flooring replacement and repair of the art room and the teachers’ prep room. They are also waiting for materials to complete the door access card project as well as the intercom and bell system replacement. Signs should be going up shortly on campus to notify residents that dogs are not allowed on the premises.

Healy said she didn’t have much of an update on the playground. She did say that they were visiting the site to get the exact measurements for the rubberized mulch. She also spoke with Plympton about where they could use the excess mulch that is to be replaced by the rubberized surfacing.

Superintendent Jill Proulx asked the Committee for approval on the school calendar for next year. The main change was that all half days have been changed to a 12:30 dismissal across the entire District. “This allows for better scheduling of lunch,” Wilhelmsen explained. The Committee voted to approve the calendar as presented.

Proulx also told the Committee that Christine Marcolini would be starting as the Director of Student Support at the Dennett. She also introduced David Turcotte who will be the new Director of Human Resources for Silver Lake. Proulx said that she received a request to elaborate on the hiring process.

Proulx said that the building principal has the hiring authority though she noted they will typically have a committee that reviews applicants. Veneto said that they are interviewing for a school psychologist position to replace Marcolini. Other openings include an art position, a music position, and two kindergarten aide positions.

Plympton Selectmen to Voice Complaints about Carver to State

North Carver Redevelopment Project

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, July 11. The Selectmen discussed the possible drafting of a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) regarding issues the town is facing stemming from the North Carver Redevelopment Project. The main issue involves the reconfiguring of trailer bays near Montello St. and Heather’s Path in Plympton. Carver’s plan is currently with DHCD for approval. Joy said that she hoped that a letter would help bring the issues to the attention of the DHCD so that they could be considered in the approval of the plan.  Selectmen Mark Russo and John Traynor agreed, and Joy said that the letter would likely be sent later that week.

Plymouth County Advisory Board

The Selectmen also discussed who would be appointed to the Plymouth County Advisory Board for FY 2023. Joy said that the budget is voted in the spring and noted that there are a few meetings in other parts of the year as needed. Joy said the Board manages the parking tickets for some of the larger towns. “They often look for creative ways to help member communities,” Joy said of the Board. Traynor was chosen as the new representative with Russo listed as the alternate. Previously, Joy had been the rep.

Board Goals and Priorities

The Selectmen also discussed their goals for FY 2023 as well as their Projects and Priorities list. “It’s become kind of a catch all for all sorts of things, big and small,” Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said. She asked if the Selectmen wanted to create one or two goals with actionable steps that could be taken to achieve those goals. The Selectmen agreed to come up with some goals to be discussed during their next meeting.

“One of the concerns I’ve had is because of the open meeting law we have not been able to just sit and chat,” Traynor said. He expressed that some things are not issues that he feels should be brought up in a meeting but still need to be discussed. He posed the possibility of those kinds of issues going through Dennehy to avoid a violation of open meeting law. Traynor had previously expressed the desire to have each of the Selectmen share an update at each meeting of what issues and projects they are currently working on, but Joy and Russo had felt that it could appear to be campaigning and were not in favor of the idea.

The Selectmen all agreed that they would like to return to having different department heads attend meetings to provide an overview of what is currently going on within their department. Russo suggested that the overview be presented in writing ahead of time so that the meeting time could be used for questions and discussions regarding that submission.

Town Administrator’s Update

Dennehy said, “We’ve had a little bit of movement with that opioid settlement that town counsel had us sign onto.” She was referring to the State’s $526 million share of two national $26 billion settlements. Massachusetts’ share will be divided between the State and the municipalities which chose to sign onto the settlement.

Dennehy said that the government was moving away from a DUNs number and moving toward wanting towns to have a separate SAM.gov entity ID. Dennehy said she was cognizant of not wanting the process to delay the town receiving their second ARPA disbursement.

She also said she was working with the Fire Department to put out invitations for bids for a refurbishment of Engine 1. The funds were appropriated during town meeting two years ago.

Dennehy also said she was waiting on a couple of pending grant applications. “I haven’t heard anything yet on our most recent Green Communities Grant.” She said they were also waiting to hear about a grant for the Fire Department to obtain an ATV type vehicle.

Town Property Requests

The Selectmen fielded two use of town property requests. The first was for National Night Out on August 12 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Holt Field. The event is being organized by Library Director Mike Slawson and the Plympton Public Library. It will utilize the Town House, Library, and Police Station parking. There will be food trucks and a myriad of entertainment. “I’m excited about this, I think it is going to be a wonderful time for the town,” Traynor said.

The second request was for a wedding at the gazebo on the Town Green on August 13 at 4:30 pm. Decorations will be hung but promptly taken down following the ceremony. The Selectmen voted to approve both requests.

Selectmen’s Rants and Raves

Russo said his rave was for weddings on the Town Green and the use of town property in a “sweet and historical way.”

Traynor said that his rave was for the Plympton-Halifax Express as so many other small towns no longer have a paper.

Joy said her rave was for Russo finally figuring out the Zoom technology blip during the previous meeting.