The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in person on Thursday, September 9. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill introduced senior Riley Doyle. Doyle is the Student Council Executive Board President, and one of the seniors on the Student Advisory to the School Committee. The other senior is Callie MacInnis. Other members of the Student Advisory Board include junior Mia Mitchell and sophomores Connor Doyle and Nikhil Harish. The seniors will attend the School Committee meetings. “We’re delighted to have their voice and their experience at the table with us,” Gill said.

Gill presented her Principal’s Report to the Committee telling them that this year’s theme for the staff and students is “Lakers to the Core”. She said that the phrase will appear throughout the building as well as on social media with that hashtag. Gill said she hopes to “remind folks what it really means to be a true Laker.”

There are several new staff members at the school. Lori Cullen joins the math department as a computer science teacher, Laura Mackey is a new biology teacher, Beth Fradet is a new art teacher who will also act as the yearbook advisor, Laura Olsen is a new French teacher, Colin Foley is a new social studies teacher and freshman soccer coach, Craig Murray is a new physics teacher, Silver Lake alumna Jessica Guilford is a member of the office staff, Silver Lake alum Jamie Jones is a new preschool paraprofessional, Kelly Griffin joins the English Department, Dan Richards will serve as a long-term substitute, and Suzanne Simmons will serve as a paraprofessional.

Gill said that Amy Woods will serve as the new PTO President. She also said that Spirit and Homecoming are coming up. Additionally, Gill said there were several dress-up days on the calendar and noted that they were returning to their pep rallies. “We’re thrilled to be back to as much normal as possible,” Gill said. Gill also said that parent teacher conferences will be offered as a choice of either in-person or remote. Gill also provided an update on the dual enrollment program saying that over the summer they did have a student take several courses through that program.

Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Jim Dupille also provided a Principal’s Report saying, “There’s definitely some normalcy to the starting of the year which was really good to see; the students in the classroom – the excitement and energy,” he told the Committee.

Dupille said that the Summer Enhancement Camp that was run in July was highly successful. This year’s camp included a social and emotional component. He said that attendance rates were high with more than 20 incoming seventh and eight graders attending. He also noted that they had successful professional development programs over the summer. The open house held in August included more than 400 people. A motivational speaker came to meet with students at the school that day. Dupille said that his message to students was to connect to their passions.

The Back-to-School night will be held on Thursday, September 23. Parents and guardians will begin the night in the auditorium speaking with Dupille. The Welcome Back Cookout and Karaoke night will be on Friday, September 24. Dupille said the Haunted Halls will also be coming back with tours in October. He noted that there are a myriad of clubs and activities that will be making a return this year.

During Director of Business Services Christine Healy’s financial update, Committee member Summer Schmaling asked what would happen to the Silver Lake budget if Halifax doesn’t get a quorum at their next town meeting. “At Halifax’s town meeting, the Finance Committee supported a number that was less than what was going to support our budget; they supported a 2 percent increase and their assessment went up more than that… so at town meeting they voted a number that does not support the full commitment that they would need to make for their assessment for the year,” Healy explained. Healy said that if the town does not have a quorum on Sept. 21, the town plans to address it within the annual town meeting. Other Committee members clarified that the town would have to “fall into line” so to speak as the other two towns force them into that position with their votes.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch also provided an update saying that on August 31 there was a professional development event focused on social and emotional learning for the district’s paraprofessionals. He thanked the Middle School PTO and High School Yearbook Committee for providing breakfast treats for the opening day.

Lynch also provided grant updates saying they were approved for their ESSER II submission. He said the allotment for Silver Lake is $250,589. “The focus for that grant is unfinished teaching and learning – social and emotional supports and operations,” Lynch said. He said they are working with teachers and administrators on where to best allocate the funds based on the needs of students. Lynch also said that they are looking to line up ESSER III which is due in October.

Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update to the Committee. On September 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a vaccination clinic will be held at the Kingston Intermediate School in collaboration with the Kingston Board of Health for residents from Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton who wish to be vaccinated. Proulx provided data from the Nutritional Director regarding summer meals saying that from June 23 to August 18, meal bundles including five breakfasts and five lunches, were distributed on Wednesdays. In total, they served 25,998 meals.

Proulx also provided a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) update. She noted that as of August 25 they have mandated masks indoors for all K-12 public schools. “The State is using vaccines as the primary mitigation measure,” Proulx said. She said they were being encouraged to host vaccination clinics. There are plans through November to hold several more vaccination clinics at the Kingston Intermediate School. Proulx said that unlike last year there are no social distancing requirements. She said that they have signed up to be a part of the test and stay program that would allow asymptomatic close contacts to remain in school while being tested daily for a determined amount of time from exposure. She said they had just received their first set of tests that day and said that there was some delay in securing a program testing coordinator. Parents will receive the opportunity to opt into that program.

Proulx said that close contacts are those within 6 ft of a COVID positive individual for 15 minutes or more indoors during a 24-hour period. She noted that certain exemptions apply including those who are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated. Other exemptions include if both individuals were masked and three feet apart as well as those that were masked on buses with open windows. Finally, those that were diagnosed with COVID in the last 90 days but are currently asymptomatic are also exempt. Proulx said that masking would likely be in place until a school reaches a certain vaccination percentage – likely 80 percent.

Proulx shared with the Committee the vaccination percentages for each community in the district. She said the first number would be the vaccination rate for 12–15-year-olds and the second number would be for 16–19-year-olds. As of late August, Halifax stood at 57 and 59 percent, Kingston at 63 and 84, and Plympton 65 percent and 71 percent. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said she would like to see the Committee receive aggregate numbers of the percentage of Silver Lake Regional students and staff that are vaccinated between now and October. Proulx said she would need to speak with the nurse leader about how accessible that information would be to the district.

Committee Chair Jason Fraser spoke saying while DESE and DPH are working on a way to facilitate an easy way to identify school vaccination rates, their current priorities lay elsewhere including the test and stay program. Fraser said that there have already been 30 school districts in Massachusetts that have had to quarantine entire classrooms or school buildings. Fraser said that while the 80 percent vaccination rate is the metric being focused on at the moment as it is quantifiable, if the incidences of COVID in Massachusetts were to reduce greatly, that metric would likely change. He further said that currently there are nine states and the District of Columbia that have mandated vaccines for all school staff at the state level and said that he expects Massachusetts to be next. Fraser said that some school committees have mandated vaccines for school staff and even for some school activities.

“As you may have noticed, Commissioner Riley came very late to the game in the masking of our students; it’s because he’s very concerned about many of the same issues that a lot of parents and a lot of you have expressed at this table,” Fraser said.

The School Committee also considered whether or not to rescind their current masking policy. One of the ramifications of doing that would mean that students under 5 would no longer be required to wear a mask but would be strongly recommended. McGee said that she would be voting against rescinding the policy because it takes away local control to make decisions as it would then mean strictly following DESE and DPH guidance. Committee member Emily Davis said that she didn’t feel comfortable going past the mandates by DESE and DPH and said she would be fully in favor of rescinding the policy. The Committee ended up voting in favor of rescinding the policy by a divided vote.

Proulx provided some non-COVID related updates including that they would be hosting a capital planning meeting on September 30. She said that many community stakeholders would be invited to attend.

Fraser provided the legislative report. He said that in December of 2020, the legislature released a report from the special committee for improving efficiency relative to student transportation. Fraser said that he had previously told the Committee that regional transportation funding was in jeopardy. He verified with Healy that Silver Lake Regional receives about $590,000 in state reimbursement for transportation aid. He said that towns like Plymouth that have an extraordinary number of miles that need to be traveled each day are wondering why regionalized districts get reimbursement funding and they don’t. He said that the report that was passed onto the legislature suggested that they look at the needs of the region including low-income students and also the distance traveled each day. He said that compared to other regions, their communities come out looking “rich” despite not feeling it. He said that another item in the report that might have budgetary implications for Silver Lake was their “greening the fleet” proposal that would see them move toward all electric or hybrid buses. Fraser promised to let the School Committee know if he saw movement on any of these measures.

Fraser also said that at the Federal level, there was a House bill being considered under reconciliation that includes several hundred million dollars for universal pre-k, community college, school safety upgrades, etc. Fraser said that these were all areas that have seen erosion in recent years. “This would put us back to whole and beyond whole, hopefully.”

The Halifax Elementary School Committee met on Monday, August 30. The meeting began at the elementary school but was moved across the street to the Town Hall after several meeting participants refused to put on masks and the Superintendent and other school administrators had to leave to avoid being in violation of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) mask mandate. Halifax does not mandate masks in public buildings hence the location change. School Committee member Lauren Laws chose to join the meeting remotely after the move.

Chair Summer Schmaling began the meeting by opening it to public participation. Ashley Gregor of Middleborough took the opportunity to speak. Gregor began, “I’m here because I strongly oppose the masks.” She continued, “I think in the long run this is really going to psychologically affect the kids. They don’t understand, they went all summer without masks now they’re going to step back into the school system and have to put a mask on… I’m sad that there’s not a lot of Halifax parents here tonight. I think that you guys need to be brave and you need to stand up… there’s a big home-schooling community in Halifax; there’s a lot of people that will support you and stand up for you and this isn’t right and I’m just here to stand and say this isn’t right – no masks for the kids.”

Another parent took to the microphone to quote from the Holocaust documentary The Last Days. She read, “People wonder how is it that we didn’t do something. We didn’t run away, we didn’t hide. Well, things didn’t happen at once. Things happened very slowly so each time a new law came out or a new restriction, we said well, just another thing – it will blow over. When we had to wear the yellow star to be outside, we started to worry.” Using her own words, she then asked the School Committee, “sound familiar?” Another woman took to the microphone saying, “I just want to say, my grandchild is in the public schools and I will not allow him to be muzzled because that’s exactly what this is and it is a health risk.” She continued, “It increases your chance of getting sick. The viruses fit through the mask itself so you’re only increasing the risk of getting sick – you’re going to notice a spike in the children getting sick this year. Why? Because of the muzzle.”

Schmaling then addressed those gathered saying, “I just want to make one statement and I want to be very clear as to why we’re sitting in this room right now. I do not agree with masking our children at all and I’ve been very, very outspoken about it.” She pointed out that the School Committee had agreed to rescind the previous year’s masking policy prior to the DESE mandate. She continued, “I was not aware that by holding the meeting in the Elementary School tonight that it would put the license in jeopardy of my Superintendent, my Assistant Superintendent, my Principal, and my Assistant Principal… I agree with a lot of what was said here tonight, and I want you to know that I will continue to fight for our kids.” She said she believed it to be an overreach of DESE and the Education Commissioner to mandate masks. Finally, she said that her reasoning for moving the meeting was to include the administrators and conduct all necessary business.

Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry gave an update on the staff meeting that he described as “a good vibe, good energy, lots of positivity there.” Beaudry thanked the custodians for all their hard work over the summer getting the classrooms set for the school year. “We can’t thank them enough for everything that they did,” he said. He also thanked the office staff for their work over the summer. “There’s a lot that goes into it behind the scenes; I don’t think that people realize it,” he explained. Regarding enrollment he said that it had been in flux right up to the first day. As of that day, the number stood at 564 students. There were four new staff members including a sixth-grade teacher and a new kindergarten teacher. He said there are still two open positions in the school. Beaudry also told the Committee that there are fans and air purifiers in every classroom.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided some grant updates saying that they closed out their ESSER 1 grant that was established as part of the Education Stabilization Fund in the CARES Act. Lynch said they had successfully applied for ESSER 2 that allots $106,000 to Halifax for the next year or so with the aim being to support missed teaching and learning opportunities. He said they were looking for input from teachers and staff regarding supports needed by students. Lynch also said that the school was granted a wellness coach by DESE.

Superintendent Jill Proulx touched upon the welcome back day for all staff noting that it was the first time that not only all faculty, but all staff was invited to the meeting. “The focus was on celebrating the efforts of those staff members and faculty members who came together to try to recreate the way that we teach and learn to the best of our ability,” Proulx said.

Proulx provided an update on guidance from DESE and the Department of Public Health (DPH). She reminded everyone that remote learning would no longer be recognized by the State, unlike last year. Proulx said that earlier that week, DESE had granted Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley authority to mandate masks for all public K-12 students through at least October 1. After October 1, the mask mandate may potentially be lifted for all vaccinated students and staff if the school meets a certain vaccination rate. Proulx said she was told that rate would be eighty percent. Proulx said they anticipate hosting vaccination clinics at the Kingston Intermediate School in September.

Proulx told the Committee that there are no social distancing requirements this school year. She also said that there will be a test and stay program implemented. “If you are a close contact, you would have the option to stay in school and be tested daily… as long as you are asymptomatic,” she explained. Schmaling asked if a parent opted out of the free testing, would they then have to quarantine. Proulx said they would have to quarantine for seven days from the date of exposure. Students would be sent work that they can complete at home. Proulx read, “close contacts are defined as individuals who have been within six feet of a COVID 19 positive individual while indoors for at least 15 minutes during a 24-hour period.” Individuals who are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic are exempt from testing and quarantine. Other exemptions include asymptomatic individuals who were exposed but masked and three feet apart as well as those on buses that were masked while windows were open. Another exception is for asymptomatic individuals who are exposed within 90 days of their own positive COVID test.

A member of the School Committee asked what would happen if a student without a viable exception refused to wear a mask. Beaudry said that they would likely have a conversation with the school nurse and himself and if the behavior continued the caregivers would have to become involved. “Hopefully at that point we would come to the conclusion that it’s a State mandate,” he said. Schmaling said, “I personally feel very strongly, I don’t know how the rest of the Committee feels, that if anyone is going to have a conversation with my child, who is a minor, regarding their health or their opinion on something and it’s pertaining to anything medical, I need to be present as a parent so I think that we should, perhaps, entertain a policy.” She went on to say that the policy would stipulate that if any staff members are to have conversations regarding masks, vaccines, etc. that a parent needs to be present.

Committee member Gordon Andrews argued that wearing a mask is a requirement to be in the building and not a medical issue. He argued that anyone in violation of that requirement would have to go through the chain of command, beginning with the teacher and ending with the Superintendent if still not in compliance. Schmaling disagreed vehemently and said, “I do not think that our least vulnerable population should ever be masked; it’s a hindrance to their learning and their education. They’re not effective, they’re not health measures; these cloth masks do nothing for anybody but make their kid have a bacteria filled wet rag on their face all day.” Committee member Lauren Laws who was zooming into the meeting argued that transmission in schools was negligible last year due to the mask wearing. Schmaling loudly countered, “That’s not true. That’s not true. You’re just making things up! You’re making up talking points and it’s not true.” Laws said, “We did not have a lot of transmission in school, that’s a fact.”

Committee member James Keegan steered the conversation back in the direction of whether a policy should be put in place requiring caregivers to be present for conversations regarding mask violations. He said that if those conversations were to take place absent a caregiver, they should not include discussions on health. “I want to make sure that teachers and staff in the school who may have very strong opinions one way or another, do not bring those opinions into the classroom,” Keegan said.

Schmaling brought up an incident in a classroom where she says a teacher asked the students to raise their hands if vaccinated calling it “highly inappropriate.” Laws pointed out that the students at the elementary school are not even yet eligible to be vaccinated. Schmaling raised her voice crying, “thank God for that.” She told Beaudry, “I am like full on Momma bear mode with this issue – full on and I will be pissed if my kid comes home and tells me that they got cornered and felt intimidated, coerced, bullied, discriminated against.” Regarding teacher and administration intervention, Laws said, “if they are enforcing a policy, that is all we are talking about.” Keegan was very adamant that he does not want to see any teachers or staff harassing students. Schmaling claimed to know of a Halifax Elementary School teacher who has been vocal about how she would handle disciplining a child not wearing a mask. Keegan asked if there would be progressive discipline for a staff member who was handling the situation inappropriately.

Keegan appeared confused as to whether the School Committee could lift the mask mandate for their school despite the DESE requirement. Silver Lake’s attorney corrected him and said that option only existed prior to the DESE mandate. Fellow committee member Jennifer Carroll expressed her disapproval of the mask mandate. She said that students would be confused as to why they were allowed not to wear a mask at various venues over the summer only to be told they must wear one while in school. Laws countered that things have changed in the last several weeks citing the more contagious nature of the more dominant Delta variant as one of the things that has changed. Laws said her own family is all fully vaccinated but said they went from not wearing masks to wearing masks indoors again. “Looking at how things have changed and that there is more spread again, I truly believe this is what will keep our kids in school,” Laws said. Schmaling asked Laws sarcastically, “Could you please send me some information on where you’re finding these magic masks that are FDA approved because I can’t find them anywhere. I even looked in my lab; I work in a virology/genetics lab.”  Laws then asked Schmaling why she believed masks were being mandated. Schmaling said, “Because it’s a virtue signal.” Both Keegan and Schmaling then said, “We know why.” Schmaling continued, “That’s silly to even ask that question” to which Laws pressed her to further explain her reasoning. She did not. Carroll then interjected saying that the masks being worn clearly state that they will not protect you against viruses. Carroll said that if masks are being mandated, they should be proper masks and Schmaling added that they would also need goggles and a hazmat suit.

Schmaling also suggested that the School Committee send a letter to the State asking that the power to mandate masks be placed back under local control. Laws asked the attorney if it would have to be signed by everyone and was told it would not but that the letter would be sent if the majority of the Committee voted in favor of it.

Tempers flared at the Aug. 24 meeting of the Halifax Board of Selectmen when Ashley DiSesa, Halifax’s newest member of the board, introduced discussion for a possible vote for the replacement of the town’s various specialty attorneys with the town’s new choice for Town Counsel Brooks & DiRensis.  DiSesa said that there was a lot of confusion on this because certain departments are being told to go to certain attorneys  Brooks and DiRensis, she said, had mentioned at previous meetings that they would like to take over this work so there would be less chance of misinterpretation between attorneys and firms.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that he was not aware of any confusion and told selectmen that it’s been the policy of the boards for 15 or 20 years that regulatory departments such as the Board of Health, Conservation Commission, ZBA, Planning Board, all have use of Town Counsel, they just have to notify selectmen that they are consulting with Town Counsel.  Labor questions have been answered by Atty. Michael Gillen, who has served the town for perhaps 30 years.  He has his own personnel to handle all of these things.  Seelig asked, at Gillen’s request, for Gillen to have an opportunity to address the board before the decision was made as to who would handle the matters going forward.  After a bit of discussion, selectmen allowed Gillen to speak before them at the Sept. 14 meeting.

Andrews spoke to DiSesa’s request saying that he believes, from his perspective, it makes sense to have one firm handling everything.  Seelig explained that Paul (DiRensis) is Town Counsel of Record, but one of the requirements for appointment as town counsel is that there be backup so he has assigned other attorneys in his firm with aspects of Halifax’s town work.  The discussion was tabled until Atty. Paul DiRensis could be present as he had not yet arrived.

Former Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor asked the board if it was financially wise to have work taken over by the new firm who would have to be brought up to date on these cases that have been going on for four or five years, and now will continue longer and possibly cost the town a whole lot more money.   My understanding is that the new town counsel has charged more than $14,000 to the town.   And YOU, having several cases against the town handled by Brooks & DiRensis, questioned why Andrews didn’t recuse himself on the discussion and vote.  Andrews defended himself saying that he has recused himself in every discussion of his cases and other related issues, saying that the choice of consolidating the legal matters had nothing to do with his cases before the town.  He reiterated that with everything going forward he would like to have one law firm representing the town.    

Attorney Dirensis arrived and explained that he likes to be able to look at the town as a whole,.   as opposed to different special counsels focusing on the different trees in the forest, I can look at the whole forest and get a sense of that’s good for the town so if I see that there’s a problem in a particular area, I could suggest an amendment to the bylaws of the town to fix that problem and if there’s a personnel issue then I can bring that to the board’s attention.  I see myself as like the family doctor; I like to be able to see the whole patient and know what’s going on with the whole patient and figure out the overall health, because if you have a problem with your liver, it may very well have impacts on all kinds of other parts of the body, if you understand that medical reference, the town is being analogized to a body and the lawyer  as the doctor.   

I see myself as the old- fashioned doctor that actually comes to your house and sees you in your own bed and tries to figure out what’s going on and what you need.   If there are things I don’t know about then I can’t get involved with, then I can’t treat the whole patient.”

Ashley DiSesa asked “Do you feel your firm can handle everything else for our town?  DiRensis:  I don’t know what everything is, as I wasn’t here earlier when the board reviewed them.

Gaynor questioned why Andrews could vote on this matter when he has cases with this attorney against the town and should recuse himself from the vote.  Andrews countered that he had allowed her to speak at the public meeting and perhaps should not have.   He didn’t know where she was getting her numbers and it was a matter that the board had not previously discussed.

Alan Dias, former member of the Planning Board and Board of Health objected loudly saying that the decision was made about 20 years ago to go with counsels who specialize in the kind of legal advice needed.   He disagreed with the analogy of the using a general practitioner for all of the town’s needs.  “If I have cancer, I’m going to a cancer doctor.”   The town has been run successfully.  The only reason that you two guys are trying to come up with this is a financial gain for you.  Andrews and DeSesa retorted “That’s not the case.”  Dias argued it IS the case. DiRensis said, I’m with the firm.  I have a labor guy, land use, procurement guys, contract guys, litigators.  I don’t do everything myself.   

Dias spoke again to arguing that the only reason was to put the town in a weakened position in arguing Andrews’ suits against the town.  Andrews said he should not have allowed Dias to speak and requested he be silent.  Dias asked if we were living in a totalitarian government now.

Andrews declared a 5-minute cooling off period.  Gaynor said she still hadn’t gotten an answer to her question. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig asked on behalf of Atty. Gilman asking that he could be heard by the board of selectmen before any decision was made on his cases.  The board allowed that.   

DiSesa moved the question to have all new legal matters except personnel matters currently with Attorney Gilman are to be referred to Brooks & DiRensis going forward and Andrews seconded the motion after Garron said no, he would not second.

COVID-19 policies

Halifax Health Agent Bob Valery spoke to the board regarding the mask policy for the Town Hall building as well as other municipal buildings in town.   “Our COVID numbers are back to where they were last spring.  The data is worse now.  “We had much discussion in our Board of Health meeting and came to a decision.   At this point in time the board was pretty much going along with what the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) was doing.  Then DESE changed its mind.   What we would do as a town as far as municipal buildings is a personal choice.   We had it in place, it worked effectively with no detrimental side effects.  Do we lead by exmample or not?  As for the school, it’s a very controversial issue.  Vaccinations, very controversial.  Testing?   It’s another.  We’re still working on getting funding for testing.”  Valery said it will change but at this point in time erring on the side of caution can’t hurt.

Chairman Andrews, who is also a member of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, said that beginning Oct. 1, each school with 80% vaccination rate can apply to waive the mask mandate.    Charlie Seelig responded that with Halifax at 44% for the 12 to 15 year-olds and 51% for the 15-19 year olds, we’re not going to make it for the Oct. 1 deadline because we’re only going up by one or two per cent.  Kingston’s a whole lot better than we are, and so’s Plympton.  Plympton’s at 54% for ages 12 – 15, and 63% for ages 16-19.

“The politics are different here in Halifax than those in Plympton.  I think there’s more antivax sentiment here, the result is that the schools those children will be attending will have a mask requirement longer than those whose parents choose to get their children vaccinated,” Seelig said.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on the evening of Tuesday, August 23. Chair Christine Joy introduced Bill McNulty with the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) to discuss ways to deal with heavy truck traffic in town, particularly on Main St. and Ring Rd. McNulty said originally they were discussing establishing safety zones but have begun looking at heavy commercial vehicle exclusions in order to help mitigate cut-through traffic. He showed a map with two options, one that would look at Main St. alone and another that would involve Ring Rd. and require the cooperation of the town of Kingston.  The OCPC performed traffic counts on these roads back in March. He said that while the numbers were relatively low on Ring Rd., they did include a high percentage of trucks. He noted that “speeds were a little high” as well. Main St. was seeing about 2500 vehicles per day with a high percentage of those being heavy truck traffic. The percentage seen was somewhere between 14 and 16 percent. The heavy truck exclusion as shown on the map would include Main St., Ring Rd., Crescent St., and Upland Rd. McNulty suggested considering adding Center St.  and Maple St.

McNulty said the first step would be for the Board of Selectmen to vote on the traffic exclusion and then to send a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Selectman Mark Russo said he was in favor of the Main St. exclusion as well as Ring Rd. but recommended getting started on approval of the Main St. one while waiting for approval by Kingston for Ring Rd.

Selectman John Traynor asked, “Once we exclude them, what happens if they continue to use it?” “Most trucking firms would avoid it because they know that getting caught… can carry heavy fines,” McNulty explained. He further said that the GPS systems used by the trucking firms would have the updated information regarding the truck exclusions. McNulty also said that approvals from MassDOT are usually fairly quick and completed within a month. The Selectmen voted to seek the heavy traffic restriction zones as outlined by OCPC. They also voted to move forward with getting Kingston’s approval.

Plympton Treasurer/Collector Christine Kelly met with the Selectmen to discuss updated financial policies and procedures. “Basically, I’m just looking to put our procedures in writing per the auditor,” Kelly explained. She said the changes would only effect turnovers to the treasurer and grants. The Selectmen voted to approve the changes.

The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve a few agreements including the Agreement of Services with Habeeb and Associates for the Townhouse roof project. They also discussed the agreement for grant funded services for the MVP Winnetuxet River Corridor Open Space Project with Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD). Russo said, “Essentially what this does is give us Bill Napolitano, the trails and watershed manager for another year; Bill is amazing… is unbelievably patient and kind in holding our hand and this is great that we get him for another year.” The Board voted unanimously to approve the agreement.

The Board also discussed issuing a proclamation to designate September Suicide Awareness Month. Joy said they had received correspondence from Plymouth County asking the town to make the adoption. Joy said she sent an amended document to the other Selectmen. “Basically, it just kind of got rid of some of the language that made me think it might be kind of an unfunded mandate…. I thought it was good stuff but it was asking the town to take some action that I didn’t know we are in a position to do at this time,” Joy explained. The Board voted unanimously to adopt the document as amended by Joy.

Town Administrator Liz Dennehy provided an update. She said they are in the process of closing out the latest round of Green Communities grant funding. She said they are hopeful they can purse the boiler project at Dennett Elementary with the next round of grant funding. Dennehy also told the Selectmen that the Hazard Mitigation Grant is also close to being closed out.

The Selectmen provided their rants and raves for the past two weeks. Traynor said his was a “resident rave.” He said he felt there should be a rave for all the signs around town for the graduating seniors. Another rave he had was for two small, book houses or tiny libraries being paid for and soon to be placed throughout the town with the potential for more. Russo said his rave was for the progress on the truck exclusion. His other rave was for the progress made with the appointment process. Joy said her rave was for the great job being done by the financial team.

The Board also took a vote to rescind all prior appointments to the Emergency Management team. The Selectmen voted to reaffirm naming the Town Center Campus Committee, formerly known as the Public Safety Building Committee, to the Town Properties Committee. Additionally, they approved a number of appointments as listed below.

Area 58

Mark Russo, June 30, 2022

Veteran’s Agent

Roxanne Whitbeck, June 30, 2022

Emergency

Management Director

Stephen Silva, indefinite

Historical Commission

Jon Wilhelmsen, June 30, 2022; Jane Schulze, June 30, 2022.

Board of Registrars

Gabe Lundgren, March 31, 2024; Jeffrey Montello, March 31, 2023;and Mary Neckes, March 31, 2022

Bylaw Review Committee – all ‘Until Dissolved’

Dave Alberti, Jean Cohen, Amy Cronin, Linda Leddy, Kim Russo, Ann Sobolewski, Ken Thompson, and Alan Wheelock.

Community Preservation Committee (CPC)

Deborah Anderson, June 30, 2022, Richard Burnet, June 30, 2024; Irving Butler, June 30, 2022; Nancy Butler, June 30, 2024; and Judy Dudley, June 30, 2023; Mark Russo, June 30, 2023; Jane Schulze, June 30, 2024; and Justin Shepard, June 30, 2022.

Conservation

Commission

Richard Burnet, June 30, 2023; Amy Cronin, June 30, 2022, Linda Leddy, June 30, 2024; and Michael Matern, June 30, 2024. 

Council on Aging (COA) Nancy Butler, June 30, 2023; Michele Llanes, June 30, 2022; Dot Martel, June 30, 2022; Mary Lou White, June 30, 2023; and David Zeoli, June 30, 2024

Cultural Council

Heather Sanda, June 30, 2023; Elizabeth Westly, June 30, 2023; Jennifer Zanolli, June 30, 2023.

Harry Jason Jr. Park

Study Committee

Robert Doucette, June 30, 2024; and Jacqueline Freitas, June 30, 2024.

Historic District

Commission

Stuart Chase, June 30, 2024; Charles Nickerson, June 30, 2024; and Jonathan Shaw, June 30, 2022;

Open Space Committee

Vicki Alberti, June 30, 2024; Linda Leddy, June 30, 2023; Gavin Murphy, June 30, 2022; Jane Schulze, June 30, 2022; and Alan Wheelock, June 30, 2023.

Recreation Commission

Jeffrey Haas, June 30, 2024; Amy Hempel, June 30, 2022; Kevin Kaupp, June 30, 2022; Katrina Player, June 30, 2024; and Erik Player, June 30, 2024.

Town Properties

Committee

All serving until dissolved

Nancy Butler, Ross MacPherson, Colleen Thompson, John Traynor Jr., and Jon Wilhelmsen, until dissolved

Wage and Personnel

Dave Bugbee, June 30, 2023; Elyse Lyons, June 30, 2022;  and Alan Wheelock, June 30, 2024.

Zoning Board

of Appeals (ZBA)

Dave Alberti, June 30, 2022 (alternate); Carolyn DeCristofano, June 30, 2022 (alternate); Suzanne Jafferian, June 30, 2024; Ethan Stiles, June 30, 2022; and Colleen Thompson, June 30, 2022.

There is a single vacancy on the Bylaw Review Committee, the Community Preservation Committee, the Conservation Commission, the Harry Jason Jr. Park Study Committee, and the Coordinator of Races.

There are two vacancies each on the Cultural Council, the Historic Commission, and the Open Space Committee. All spaces on the Agricultural Commission are vacant.

Cathleen Drinan
Express correspondent

Spoiler alert: this article is full of opinions and emotions. I no longer represent the Town of Halifax and this column is my own.

I was asked to “cover” the online meeting of the City of Brockton Department of Environemental Management meeting Aug.3, discussing the Resource Management Plan for Monponsett Pond (RMP), prepared by its consultant CDM Smith out of Providence, RI.. I put the word cover in italics because there is too much to cover in a short article.

The water quantity and quality issues and practices for the City of Brockton would require at least a white paper to summarize all that has happened (and not happened) over the many decades. It really needs someone to choose the topic of Water Resource Management between Watersheds as his or her PhD thesis to sufficiently cover this topic. The topic should/could be fairly simple if nature, science, and water management were respected. Yet, it has been politicized and complicated for so long, it takes patience to pick apart the tangled threads. I don’t have that patience anymore.

I do have many questions, though.

Before the online live review of CDM’s report, I started to read the report. It is 161 pages long, available online at https://brockton.ma.us/news/resource-management-plan-for-monponsett-pond/ It is not the length that prevented me from finishing reading it. It was the content and the memories; memories as the health agent, of working with others on numerous grants to help the Monponsett Ponds, of being a member of the Central Plymouth Water District Advisory Board and so many more. At the time, those activities were filled with purpose and hope. Everyone needs hope, right?

From the RMP:

“Humans impact freshwater systems, particularly when water sources serve multiple uses.

Monponsett Pond, located in Halifax and Hanson,  is one such water source, as it serves as a drinking water supply for the City of Brockton, cranberry bog irrigation source, aquatic life habitat, and a community and recreational asset.

This report addresses the Resource Management Plan (RMP) requirements of the May 21, 2019 amendment to the Administrative Consent Order (ACO), Enforcement Document No. 0001010.

The ACO defines the RMP as recommending “metrics and procedures for Silver Lake diversions and Stump Brook Dam operations intended to improve Monponsett Pond’s water quality and ecosystem while maintaining Brockton’s drinking water supply reliability.”

(Me: Stump Brook Dam operations are going to improve Monponsett Pond’s water quality and ecosystem while maintaining Brockton’s drinking water supply reliability? Show me how!)

“The amendment to the ACO requires the RMP include the elements listed below, along with the report section(s) where the requirements are addressed.

a. Establishment of monthly Monponsett Pond elevation goals or some other metric on which to base Stump Brook Dam operating procedures to balance the needs to providing:

§ Stump Brook flow

§ Better flood control, including reduced need of flood control diversions to Silver Lake

§ Improved flushing of West Monponsett Pond

§ Fish passage

§ Adequate water depth for bathing, fishing, and cranberry cultivation

§ Impoundment to provide adequate water for Silver Lake diversions

(Me: Fish passage? Why is there even a fish ladder when fish cannot reach it?)

“Compilation of a recommended actions list and prepare a preliminary feasibility assessment of additional measures that could be performed by others, including but not limited to, the Towns of Halifax and Hanson, area cranberry growers and residents to improve water quality in Monponsett Pond, such as: programs to upgrade septic systems; improved stormwater management, installation of a control structure between EMP and WMP, and utilization of alternative procedures and/or technologies, and chemical treatment.

*** “Implementation of recommended actions list prepared herein is not the responsibility of the City.”

*** (Asterix, underline and bold are mine alone.)

“Pond levels are controlled by natural hydrology, a dam on Stump Brook and diversions to Silver Lake.”

(Me: What is natural about this situation???)

Brockton’s water emergency resulted in the 1964 legislation, adding the Monponsett Ponds and Furnace to the city’s water supply. Why hasn’t the legislation been removed? Surely, emergency legislation is not supposed to last forever!

The first engineering company Halifax worked with was Princeton Hydro in 2013. They concluded that the current quantity and quality practices for the Monponsett Ponds could not be sustained. Their conclusion remains as truth.

Other questions:  Why are words such as reciprocity, stewardship, restoration, gift, hope, and love missing from the Plan?

The word watershed does appear but in an unnatural compartmentalized context. Here is an example: “The ponds are part of the Taunton River watershed. The natural routing of water is from Stetson Brook to EMP, through the culvert to WMP, and out to Stump Brook, which flows into the Satucket River, a tributary of the Taunton River.”

There is more to it than that AND water is being transferred from one watershed to another. That is wrong!

§ “The 1923 Chapter 91 license, noting that this document refers to a reference point that most likely has been disturbed/lost. Information will be gleaned from this document, to the extent practicable.”

(Really?? Lost information? How do you glean from that?”

§ “Discussions with Massachusetts Historical Commission, and town engineers and/or historical commissions in Halifax and Hanson on available historical mapping of Monponsett Pond.”

(Halifax has a town engineer?)

As the live online meeting was nearing a conclusion, a guest, Pine DuBois, asked questions about the quality and quantity to Jones River and Silver Lake. Jonathan Hobill, of MA DEP responded each time that this report was addressing the Monponsett Pond.

Again, I ask you, how do you take a chunk out of a watershed, compartmentalize it, and ignore the undeniable connections to other areas and water bodies in both the same and nearby watersheds? It makes no scientific sense!

As I believe there is no easy way to wrap this up, I conclude with the words of Mavis Staples: “What do we do with this history now? Do we go in like a surgeon? Do we go in like a bomb?”

I am not alone in wishing the band aids and minor surgery would cease and desist and the “emergency” dams are bombed away!

For an informative FAQ, please see what Jones River has prepared.

https://jonesriver.org/facts/brockton-water-supply-faq/

Cathleen Drinan is a freelance writer interested in public health, art, nature and more. She can be reached at [email protected]

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met virtually on the evening of Tuesday, July 27.

Water System Discussion

Selectmen met with the Water Commissioners and the Board of Health to discuss the water system. Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews explained that a resident had attended a previous Board of Selectmen meeting to complain about the state of the water supply to her home. The resident had provided the Board with photographs of brown water. Andrews asked if someone could provide some clarification on the discolored water. A member of the Water Commissioners responded, “I know that specific development that she lives in; it’s because of what the water main is in.  it’s an eight-inch water main going in with a two-inch main coming off and a dead end.” He said the building maintenance company was supposed to go in and do something since the Water Commissioners cannot go in and flush. He said the company was not flushing as often as they should be. Andrews asked if the water was safe and was told it was. The resident asked if it was just the condos, why was brown water being seen in other areas in town. The Water Commissioners acknowledged that the town may not have been doing their due diligence regarding flushing in the past and stated that there is a new Superintendent in place as of the last three weeks. “We know there’s been a problem with flushing and we’re going to correct that,” the member of the Water Commissioners stated. “Thank you for taking some ownership,” the resident said. Someone asked if the discoloration could be rust from older pipes. The Water Commissioners said they didn’t believe that to be the case.

The Water Commissioners insisted that if a proper flushing job was completed then “ninety percent of these problems will go away.” Selectman Ashley DiSesa pushed for an answer regarding when residents would begin to see improvement but an answer was not given. DiSesa also asked if they would be willing to go out to the condos and investigate and was told that they would.

Zoning Bylaw Review Contract

Seelig told the Board of Selectmen that if they wished to make amendments to the proposed contract, they would need to be sent to Attorney Mark Bobrowski soon. “I did talk to the Finance Committee about this last night; they’re welcoming other Boards, Committees, and town officials to participate in this project with the anticipation that the work reviewing and revising the contract moves ahead,” Seelig explained. Andrews said that his concern was that the Finance Committee, through their own admission, does not have the expertise necessary to do the work. He noted that they are not getting the needed outside participation at their meetings. “I think we should consider revamping the bylaw subcommittee and assigning them to work on this task with Attorney Bobrowski,” Andrews recommended. Andrews said that thus far it is really just Attorney Bobrowski providing recommendations on what he sees could be done differently. DiSesa agreed with Andrews. “And who would you put on that Committee?” Selectman Troy Garron asked. DiSesa replied that she would like to see someone from Zoning and Planning. Seelig said that previously there were members from Zoning, Planning, the Selectmen, the Building Inspector, and some members at large.

“I know obviously a number of people opposed this project at Town Meeting back in September; I’m not quite sure that it would be normal to have people that oppose the project and voted against it to be on the same Committee that actually is trying to get the work done,” Seelig said. Andrews disagreed saying, “Except those are the people that you need to get buy-in with two-thirds of the vote.” Seelig asked what would be preventing those against the project from sabotaging it. DiSesa said she felt the necessary checks and balances would be in place. A motion was made to revamp the bylaw subcommittee. It was voted through with Garron abstaining.

Appointment for Live Entertainment Permit

The Board met with David and Linda Tonioli who were seeking the permit for August 14 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Andrews confirmed that they had already verified that a Police detail would not be necessary. DiSesa asked if they would have enough space for parking and was assured that they would. “Our invitations are in the mail?” Garron joked. The Board voted unanimously to approve the permit.

Council on Aging Coffee Group

Seelig said that while a men’s coffee group has been in place for a number of years, they have only recently organized a woman’s one. He said it was great to see more activities happening under the new COA Director. The new Director spoke saying, “In order to increase the awareness of the COA, what has been difficult of course is finding the resources to be able to hold the events. We have so much energy here, tons of energy, I don’t want to squash that energy – I want to create more programs.” Officer Cushman has been invited to the event. “The community is very supportive of one another and you don’t see that often,” she said.

Town Facebook Page

Seelig said that the Board would need to decide whether or not to allow comments from the public as they would need to be moderated if they were allowed. If not allowed, it would simply be a means of posting information to the public. “So, I think posting onto Facebook to share information is good; I think it creates issues if you’re going to have more than one person comment back because if two members of a three-person Board comment back, that’s a violation of an open meeting law,” Andrews said. Seelig said he was more interested in whether or not to allow comments from the general public. DiSesa said that she didn’t necessarily think comments should be allowed but said she did feel that messages should be allowed. Andrews said he felt that they needed to have a policy in place and recommended speaking to the town attorney to see if they have a social media policy to recommend.

ZBA Appointment

Seelig asked the Board if they wished to make an appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Garron said he wished to nominate Daniel Borsari. DiSesa said she felt that applicant Tina Kenyon had the qualifications necessary. “It would be nice to see a mom on the Board with all of her education and background in real estate,” DiSesa said. Garron agreed to second the motion to make Kenyon the newest member of the ZBA. Andrews recused himself.

Department Head Meeting

Andrews explained that they had invited all of the various department heads to see if there were any unforeseen issues, etc. that they wished to discuss. The Board of Health led things off saying that as of right now their budget looks secure but noted that it was dependent upon what happens this fall. Board of Health Agent Bob Valery noted that the town was currently on an increase regarding Covid. He also noted that he’s had more tick bite cases than Covid cases in the last month and said that mosquitos are likely next. DiSesa thanked Valery and the department for all of the extra work that was required in the past year.

Police Chief Joao Chaves provided an update on his department saying, “things are good budgetary-wise.” He also noted that staffing was finally at one-hundred percent. An article will be on the warrant for Town Meeting to remove Halifax from civil service. He noted that it was supported by both unions. “I think for a department our size, it makes all the sense in the world,” Chaves explained. He said that a new program will be put in place where any home that has an autistic child living in it, the family will be provided with a decal for either their home or car. The Department will also participate in a litter program where the officers will be given gift certificates to be handed out should they come across someone cleaning litter. Another program will provide care packages available for children ages 0-12 should they find themselves at the station.

Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry spoke next. “The school is actually, finally quiet for once,” he said laughing. He said the custodians were doing a deep clean of the building to make it ready for the fall. He also gave a rundown of several projects that were underway including putting AC into several areas of the building. Beaudry noted that they had no idea what kind of restrictions will be mandated come the fall.

John Shiavone spoke next on behalf of the Board of Assessor’s. He said the Assessor’s Office should be able to level fund any budgetary matters. He also said they weren’t anticipating any additional requirements for equipment.

Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward provided an update on the Highway Department. He said he would be losing a part-time recycling employee. A mechanic will also be leaving soon. He said they are working on a job description. He provided an update on the cremation garden, saying that 7 lots were sold. A new section is now open and already a burial has occurred.

Holmes Public Library Director Jean Gallant spoke next. “The library is doing well… we’ve made some adjustments to our summer reading program,” she said. She noted that they were very busy and said that they were holding most of their programming outside. She said she is down one 35 hour per week position which she hopes to fill in September. Gallant said she is in the middle of writing a 5-year strategic plan. Gallant said they are also working on a grant to design three new spaces in the library including the toy room.

Treasurer/Collector Pamela Adduci said that cash flow was good in their office. She said they were waiting on word from the Selectmen to send out the recycling bills. Town Accountant spoke on the heels of Adduci saying this was probably the busiest time of year for her as the office closes out FY2021 and opens FY2022.

New Council on Aging (COA) Director Darlene Regan also provided an update. Regan said that the senior center opened on June 28 noting that everyone was “pretty excited to the point where it was difficult to keep up…. you know, in a safe way.” She said she reached out to Valery regarding safety measures including mask wearing in a small environment. She said that they have rebranded a bit in the hopes of reaching out to not only the senior community but their caregivers as well.

Cesar Calouro spoke on behalf of Information Technology. Calouro said he began his 40 hour a week position the previous week and noted that he was able to get their email security system setup. “We’ve also started to implement our new backup solution to our servers as well as dedicated workstations across the town,” he explained. He said that as of right now the only system being backed up properly is the one at Town Hall. Andrews recommended having a meeting dedicated to the IT issues throughout the town. “I know there are a lot of issues and I appreciate everyone’s patience… it does take time, I wish I could do everything with the snap of a finger but I’m not a magician,” Calouro said.

Town Clerk Susan Lawless said that their office has been quite busy and noted that dog licenses are now past due. Lawless also said that they sent out a mass inactivation for people who did not complete their census. She said their voter registration becomes inactive. She said they sent out a postage paid postcard that they just need to sign and send back to verify that they are still living in town.

New Town Counsel Paul DeRensis introduced himself to those gathered.

Other News

Police Chief Chaves made Seelig aware of some valiant actions on the part of one of the town’s officers. “Officer Hingst was able to diffuse the situation and help both the individual and the family… the Chief wanted to make sure that the public was aware of Officer Hingst’s work,” Seelig said.

Garron recommended sending a letter to Hingst.

Seelig said that the Assistant Building Inspector had resigned and asked the Board if he should move forward with the process of finding a new one. The Board confirmed that he should.

Seelig mentioned that the Board has been dealing with a number of complaints and inquired as to whether or not they wished to formalize the process. “I think that we’ve got a new firm with Brooks and DeRensis to reach out and talk to about policies they can recommend,” Andrews said.

Seelig said that he has been asked what steps the Board of Selectmen intend to take to address the lowering of morale that has occurred in the last year. “I think by having these open meetings with department heads – getting people together with the understanding what everyone’s going through with their issues,” Andrews said.

DiSesa said, “I think it’s important that everyone work together… I get that people don’t like change… and there’s been a lot of change in this town in the last couple of months but I think change can be good sometimes and I think if everyone has an open mind about things and works together that will help the morale.”

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in the early afternoon of July 23. The Selectmen quickly went into executive session to deliberate on multiple contracts before returning to open session. Those contracts included sergeant, patrol officers, firefighters, Highway Mix Unit, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and all unions at the Silver Lake Regional School District and Halifax Elementary School. Upon returning, Selectman Chair Gordon Andrews said of the next item on the agenda, “I’m going to recuse myself because of the ongoing lawsuits and my petitioning activity.”

The item in question was the appointment of the Building Inspector. Selectman Troy Garron said, “First of all, I work for the town. The town has put me in this position several times, I don’t know why, but they have. It’s important to me that things are always above board and fair. I still feel very strongly that Rob Piccirilli is the choice for Building Inspector but unfortunately, that’s not happening.” Selectman Ashley DiSesa then said that she recommended James Perry. Following a sigh, Garron said, “I’ll second it.” It was then voted on unanimously.

Perry, who was appointed as Building Inspector, said during his interview, “I’ve been in the building business my whole entire career, residential and commercial.” Perry attended and earned a degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology. He ran the family business for many years before going into business on his own where he specialized in residential development and new construction. “I always had it in my mind, at some point down the line, to transition into some type of inspector’s job and this became available and I think I’m at a point in my career where between all of my experience and knowledge, I think it’s a good fit,” Perry had told the Board during his interview in June.

A member of the audience did ask why Mr. Piccirilli was not reappointed to which Garron replied, “I’m not at liberty to say.” It was also questioned why DiSesa would have a vote on whether Piccirilli was capable of doing the job as she wasn’t serving on the Board during his stay as Building Inspector. With regard to public comments made that the residents were being left in the dark, Garron said, “I agree with you on that. Unfortunately with legal matters that are going on, I can’t comment on it.” The resident then turned to DiSesa and said, “Can I ask you, what do you base your decision on?” DiSesa responded, “We’ve been advised by our legal counsel to probably not take public comment and to not speak anymore on this at the moment… so I apologize.” Robert Piccirilli currently has an ongoing lawsuit against the town of Halifax.

Piccirilli was not the only longstanding town employee or volunteer to not be reappointed by the new formation of the Board of Selectmen. Town Counsel Lawrence P. Mayo was also recently replaced by the law firm ofBrooks & DeRensis. Additionally, Robert Gaynor who has served on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for 32 years, most recently as Chair, is unlikely to continue on the ZBA. In all instances, Garron voted in favor of reappointment stressing his disappointment that the individuals would not be reappointed.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on the evening of Tuesday, July 13. The Selectmen voted on multiple Licensing Authority Appointments including David Acevich, Edward Broderick, Patrick Donnelly, Robert Gaynor, Jay Guidaboni, Jennifer Keegan, Thomas Reed, and Herbert Wiltshire. Selectman Gordon Andrews abstained from voting on Gaynor. All were unanimously approved.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig then asked the Board if they wanted to deal with the appointment of the Building Inspector. Robert Piccirilli, who served as Building Inspector for the last several years, was not reappointed and currently has a suit against the town. Longtime Selectman Troy Garron has previously stated that he believed Piccirilli performed well in the position and should have been reappointed. Andrews recused himself from the discussion and potential vote. Garron and newest Selectman Ashley DiSesa were previously unable to come to an agreement on the appointment of a Building Inspector. They did, however, vote to appoint Piccirilli as the temporary Building Inspector for a few weeks in the interim. Garron, again, reiterated his belief that Piccirilli should be reappointed to a full-time position.

The last meeting of the Traffic Safety Committee was also discussed. DiSesa, who was in attendance, said that Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward will be putting up speed limit signs on portions of Walnut St. She said they were also working on a speed trap. There was also some discussion around who would be responsible for the blinking sign by the school. Hayward argued that since the sign is associated with the school, they should be responsible for the maintenance of the sign. Seelig said that it should likely be its own line item in the Highway budget.

The Selectmen had an appointment with Paul Nixon, owner of Independent Fermentations Brewing for a temporary liquor license for three events being held at Fieldstone Farm. Nixon said that there are annual horse shows held each year at Fieldstone Farm. Representatives from Fieldstone Farm had contacted Nixon to see if his brewery would be interested in serving the events. Nixon named the event dates as August 21, 22, 27, and 28 as well as September 11 and 12. The Board voted to approve.

Seelig gave a vaccination update saying that Halifax was doing average compared to other surrounding towns. He said the town could be doing better with younger demographics. Seelig pointed out that cases were going back up in Massachusetts saying he would urge people to get the vaccine to protect themselves and friends and families. Andrews recommended that the town utilizes the reverse 911 feature to notify residents of the dates for the vaccination clinic that will be held in Kingston for residents of Duxbury, Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton.

The Selectmen had a 7 p. m. appointment with Susan Hill for the Board of Library Trustees. Hill said that she has been a resident of Halifax for 26 years. Hill, who said she grew up in Boston, said, “I know from personal experience… from growing up in an underprivileged community, how important libraries are.” Hill referenced her stint on Jeopardy last year and said that when brushing up she noticed herself turning to the library rather than Google. Garron asked her if she had attended town meeting and she said she had been to some of them. Kristine Boyles was next to interview for the Board of Library Trustees. Boyles said she just moved into town last November from neighboring Plympton where she said she served on the Board of Library Trustees for 18 years. Boyles also said she was an educator in the area for nearly 30 years and is now currently employed by the Plymouth Public Library. Garron said she sounded busy and asked if she had time for the position. Boyles said her mother always said, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” The vote is a joint one between the Library Trustees and the Selectmen and will be taken at a later time.

Kim Cavicchi interviewed next for the Conservation Commission saying she has served as an associate member for the last few months. “It’s such a great group of people,” she said of the Commission. Seelig explained that associate members are involved in discussions, etc. but cannot vote. The other members of the Commission wrote a letter recommending Cavicchi for the open position. Cavicchi was appointed to the position.

Jean Gallant was next to interview for the Council on Aging (COA). Gallant is the current Director of the Holmes Public Library since 2016. “I think we all know the answers to the average questions,” Andrews joked. Andrews did ask Gallant if she had the time. Gallant said that she had thought of it a lot adding, “the way I feel about having the time is I would make the time for something like this.” She said that in most communities the COA and the library work together closely. Gallant was voted unanimously onto the COA by the Selectmen.

Daniel Borsari was next to appear before the Selectmen for a regular member opening on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). He has been an associate member on the ZBA for the last five years. He said he was able to vote when one of the regular members was not able to attend a meeting. Borsari took the opportunity to say he was wondering why Robert Gaynor was not reappointed to the ZBA saying he was “the best Halifax had to offer…. I think the best decision for the town would be to reappoint Bert Gaynor.” He said of Gaynor that he has “impeccable character.” He continued, “If it’s not going to be Bert, I think the most logical thing for the town and the most logical thing for me… would be to now fill that possibly vacant full member position.” He noted that his own personal feeling was that variances should be handed out sparingly.

Kasey Sims also had an appointment with the Selectmen to discuss issues with the Halifax water system. She said she has lived in town for 27 years. She read the letter she sent to the water department in which she requested an abatement of half of her bill as she felt that the water department didn’t hold up their end in providing reliably good water to her home. She said that tainted water and even completely brown water has often become the norm. She said that after several requests, she did not receive a response to her request for an abatement. She shared pictures of her water with the Selectmen. Andrews said they should invite the water commissioner to come to the next meeting for a discussion. Garron recommended also having the Board of Health present. Sims said she has concerns to be discussed such as whether or not the water is safe for her family including her young son.

The Board also met with David and Laura Gibbons of 70 Oak Street. They said that applying for a wood stove permit has cost them approximately $4,300. Gibbons said a mistake was made during the process that resulted in the high costs. Andrews said that if a complaint needed to be made against a specific individual, they should also be there to speak to the issue. “I’d rather talk about the what than the who,” Gibbons said. Andrews said he would be recusing himself. Seelig explained to the Gibbons’ that there were several suits going on against the current Building Inspector and certain members of the Board of Selectmen. DiSesa recommended pushing the discussion to the meeting on July 27.

The Selectmen discussed setting a date for a meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, and Silver Lake Regional School Committee to discuss Silver Lake’s capital plan. The meeting will likely take place in the fall. Andrews explained he felt that better communication was necessary.

A discussion was had on the Host Community Agreement with Green Earth Cannabis. Andrews recused himself as he said his father owns property within close proximity to the property in question. Director of Operations Robert Maker came before the Board saying, “I’ve been in this town for 27 years. I raised my family here; my mom lives in town, my brother, my nieces and nephews, my kids.” He also said he has coached and volunteered in a number of different capacities in the town over the years. He said he wanted to discuss any issues that the business has had with the town. He said they negotiated a Host Community Agreement with the town for a long time. “We are preparing to mitigate whatever impact the facility may have on the neighbors,” Maker said. He said they just want the ability to come before the town and address any concerns. “We’re looking to hire people to work for us that come from this town,” Maker explained. Garron asked Seelig when the issue could be added to the agenda. They agreed to add it to the August 3 meeting. DiSesa said that the Planning Board and any other pertinent Boards could be made aware in case they want to attend.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Monday evening, July 12. Chair Christine Joy said that a vote would need to be taken to appoint Suzanne Jafferian to a three-year term on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Chair of the ZBA Ken Thompson was on the call and said that fellow ZBA member Colleen Thompson plans to hold an open house to introduce future prospective members to the Board on July 20. The vote to appoint Jafferian through June of 2024 was unanimous.

Rescinding of State of Emergency

The next order to business was to ratify the rescinding of the town declared state of emergency which came at the suggestion of Fire Chief Steve Silva who also serves as Director of Emergency Services. The vote to ratify the rescinding was unanimous.

Corrections to Reappointments

The Board then had to rescind their votes to reappoint a number of individuals from their previous meeting with the exception of the appointments for Dave Alberti and Ethan Stiles to the ZBA. On June 21, the Selectmen approved the reappointments of several individuals to several Boards and Committees through 2022 when they should have been through 2024. The Selectmen corrected their errors. Before continuing, Selectman Mark Russo spoke to the appointment process saying, “It’s been kind of a challenge for years and continues to be kind of a struggle… so it’s something that I think we need to keep working on and absolutely aiming at a new protocol next year.” Joy agreed saying, “It definitely needs an overhaul – long overdue.”

Amendment to ADA Ramp Project

The Town Properties Committee brought forth the need for an amendment to the ADA ramp project consultant agreement. The amendment was to change the compensation for the engineer from $12,500 to $16,000. “Is the project still going to come in at $50,000 total?” Joy asked. Selectman John Traynor said it would not. “This is the ramp that would run from the old police station entrance to the main entrance now,” Traynor explained. He continued, “We received a grant of $95,000 from the State… originally the assignment of the money was for a lift or an elevator but after talking to the State more we suggested that we would be better off with a ramp; we all agreed on the Town Properties Committee.”

Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen joined the call and spoke to the amendment. Wilhelmsen said, “We hoped we could get it under $50,000 but that’s not possible given the amount of materials and work and cost and everything like that,” he explained. Joy asked if the project would still come in under the grant amount of $95,000. Wilhelmsen said that while he anticipated that, it couldn’t be guaranteed at this time. Wilhelmsen also explained that they have as an alternate project, getting rid of the two steps at the entryway. “The ones everyone falls over,” he said. “Should the first bid come in and we get the alternate, we might be able to do it all; my guess is that given the way that costs are and we are going out to bid in the next couple of weeks, we might only be able to – with the money we got from the State, the earmark – we’ll probably only be able to get the main ramp in but if the alternates come in at a reasonable amount… we might be able to look at other sources of funding to be able to do it as part of the project too,” Wilhelmsen told the Board. He said the alternate project is estimated at roughly $12,000 to $18,000. The Selectmen voted to approve the amendment.

Carver Urban Renewal Project

Town Administrator Liz Dennehy told the Selectmen that she had received an update from the Carver Town Administrator regarding the Carver Urban Renewal Project. He told Dennehy that there may be a public meeting in August with the Carver Redevelopment Authority. She said they are looking to hire a direct consultant for the project that people could contact. Carver is considering having a special town meeting in October to consider a zoning amendment that would increase the height allowance for the buildings. “I think it’s something that we should stay on top of particularly if we have Plympton residents located near the project especially if the building height somehow gets allowed to be up to 65 ft,” Dennehy told the Selectmen. She said the Board might want to consider going on record formally at some point regarding their thoughts on the project. Traynor said that when they talked to them, they had agreed to take out the zoning piece that abutted Plympton. He said the acreage from the Plympton line was significant.

Board of Selectmen Liaisons

The Selectmen also reviewed the Board’s liaisons assignments. The Historic Society was reassigned from Russo to Traynor per Traynor’s request. “I don’t want to get in the way of enthusiasm so it’s all yours,” Russo said with a smile. Traynor also asked to be made the liaison to the Recreation Commission. “I think the Town Properties Committee is going to be very involved with the Recreation Committee as we lay out the campus plan,” Traynor said. The Town Clerk was also transferred from Russo to Joy. Wage and Personnel was transferred from Russo to Traynor.

Town Administrator’s Update

Dennehy said the town had received another $32,000 in CARES Act reimbursements from the County. “So far so good; we’ve largely been made whole,” Dennehy said of the reimbursements. Regarding the Green Communities, Dennehy said that they have begun the weatherization project at the Dennett Elementary School. Dennehy also said that they will be doing Wi-Fi thermostats at the historical building (the Old Townhouse). In another update, she said the bylaws regarding kennel inspections have been requested to be reviewed. They will have to look into how partnering with Carver for animal control will affect such things. Dennehy told the Selectmen that Police Chief Matt Clancy has been working on the new phone system. She said that they are not quite up and running as there have been some technical difficulties. “Hopefully, in relatively short order, we will all be functioning on the new phone system and then we can terminate the old one,” Dennehy explained.

Habitat for Humanity

There was also an extension of previous conversations regarding Habitat for Humanity building affordable housing in the town. Dennehy said that she and Traynor met with the representatives from Habitat the previous week. Sites being considered include the old portion of Brook St. as well as another on Main St. Habitat plans to send their engineer out to look at the lots. Dennehy said they would have to go through an RFP process because of the value of the land. She further said that in working with Habitat and the State, Plympton would be able to select the population for the housing. The town would most be interested in working with either age 55 plus or 62 plus. There are specific requirements for each including how many people living in the home must be that age. Dennehy said she wasn’t sure if they could do a combination such as 4 units with two being designated for 55 plus and two for 62 plus. She also noted that they could request a local preference though she wasn’t sure if they could stack preferences. “Regardless of how it shakes out, I think we have an ability here to do a very nice project… there was talk of possibly four units on the site,” Dennehy explained. Joy brought up the possibility of someone in town wanting to donate an unused lot in order to get a tax write off for the donation. “To me the opportunity here is huge,” Wilhelmsen said.

Rants and Raves

As is customary, the Selectmen concluded their meeting with their rants and raves. Russo went first saying that he was glad that the end of year budgeting and administrative issues were through. “Glad to have new people and talented people getting involved,” Russo said speaking to Jafferian who had joined the call to say hello. Traynor went next saying, “If you live on the north end of Crescent St. we have a lot of excitement this week. If you’ve been following Plympton helping Plympton, we have an owl that has decided to make it’s residence between the three houses on the street down this end.” He went on to say that the owl was lethargic and that he was brought to the Cape Wildlife Center. It was found there that the owl had a broken wing and couldn’t fly. “It’s going to be a three-week recovery,” he explained.

Joy said her rave was for someone she doesn’t even know. She said she recently had a dead battery in Plymouth and a kind man helped her jump her car. “Thank you to the kindness of strangers that are there to help each other out,” Joy said.