The Halifax Board of Selectmen met remotely on Tuesday, Oct. 5, in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall to hear from the Green Earth Cannabis, Inc. and address concerns by neighboring property owners and other townspeople.

Selectman Chair Gordon Andrews recused himself from the hearing regarding the Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Green Earth Cannabis, Inc. as his father owns a business in close proximity to the proposed site. The Chief Executive Officer of Green Earth is John Kudryk, the Chief Financial Officer is Matthew Collins, The Director of Operations is Robert Maker, and the Director of Security is Jay Skowronek. Maker has lived in Halifax for more than 25 years. While not a principal, Laurence Gogarty will be heavily involved, particularly with the site plan.

The proposed location for the adult use marijuana retail establishment is 657 Monponsett St. The lease for the left side of the commercially zoned building was signed in November of 2020. The right side of the building is Twin Lakes Liquor Store. According to Green Earth the location meets all local and state requirements.

A preliminary store layout was shared on screen during the meeting. It still needs Planning Board approval as well as approval from several other agencies including the Halifax Police Department and the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).

The four steps required to open include an approved HCA, a community outreach session, a license from the CCC, and a full site plan review by the Planning Board complete with public hearings as well as a special permit. The only issue on the table during Tuesday’s meeting was the HCA. Lawyer for Green Earth Toby Dilworth laid out the terms of the 5-year HCA including a preference for hiring local residents, a 3 percent local excise tax on each retail sale, the highest allowable community impact fee of 3 percent, an adequate security system, and a community dispute resolution process. The terms are the same as those in Halifax’s HCA with Flower and Soul. “We say that what is reasonable and fair for Flower and Soul is reasonable and fair for us,” Dilworth said.

Projected revenues were also shared with the Selectmen and others on the call. Dilworth called the numbers conservative saying that by year one they anticipate $4,900,000 in total sales with that number increasing to $7,841,103 by year five. Halifax would see roughly $290,000 of the first year’s sales. “I submit that there is no other business that could generate as much revenue for the town at that location as Green Earth could and I think it would be a much better neighbor than other options,” Dilworth said. Dilworth acknowledged concerns such as loitering, litter, and traffic but said that they would all be properly addressed.

During the question-and-answer portion of the hearing, Selectman Ashley DiSesa asked what would be done to make residential neighbors more comfortable. DiSesa said that while the HCA is the same as the one used by Flower and Soul, the location proposed by Green Earth is very different with a lot of residents nearby. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback on this particular property from the residents of this town,” DiSesa said. Dilworth said that there would be both fencing and buffering which would need to be resolved by the Planning Board. Selectman Troy Garron expressed some concern over security. Dilworth assured him that they would be consulting with the Halifax Police Department regarding security requirements.

Nearly 30 residents joined the call to offer input during the hearing. A resident who said she lives directly behind the building questioned whether there was really three acres of parking available as stated by Dilworth during his presentation. Gogarty clarified that there were in excess of 98 parking spaces available. He went on to say that it would require maximizing the paved area but noted that they may not necessarily create that many spaces.

Another resident spoke up to say that it would bring in revenue to the town and if the company follows the rules and procedures, “why wouldn’t we when every other town seems to be doing this?” He questioned why residents would want to bring their money to another town. Someone else countered that they have concerns about people drinking and smoking in the parking lot and then driving. Gogarty again stressed that they would be meeting or exceeding any local or state safety requirements.

Throughout the hearing, Dilworth continually replied that it would be the job of the Planning Board to sort through the issues that were being brought forth by the residents in attendance. “In your presentation, you said you wanted to be a good neighbor; don’t you think you would have come with some of these answers or been able to give us a better answer than that’s someone else’s job,” an abbutter said. She continued, “I just don’t hear that you guys are trying to be good neighbors because you are completely dismissing everything that people are saying… I think the other companies that did get the approval in Halifax definitely did stuff to appease the neighbors to get their stuff approved.” “There’s always opposition from the abutters, but we’re going to do everything we can to alleviate that,” Dilworth said.

Before closing, two other residents offered their support for the new business. The residents opposed to the business seemed to echo the sentiment that it was not the type of business they were opposed to but rather the location of that business.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig expressed concern that the CCC was moving away from allowing towns to use the three percent community impact fee for whatever they want and more toward the money needing to be allotted to issues directly caused by the marijuana business in question. “I’m just concerned that… the laws themselves may change in the future,” Seelig explained. “You’ve negotiated as much protection as you possibly can,” Dilworth said.

Garron said he was not as comfortable as he wanted to be with the presentation that night but said he believed they should move forward with the HCA. DiSesa agreed acknowledging that it was not their job to deal with things like the security of the business or whether the setbacks are appropriate. “I do hope that they will do the community outreach as soon as possible… I do believe if you are going to be a successful business in this town you should really hear what the residents in this town are saying and be a little bit more accommodating,” DiSesa said. “I just want to make a statement that we have to trust the fact that the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Planning Board, the Building Inspector – they are going to do their job to their best before any kind of permit is given,” Garron said. It was agreed that the decision on the HCA would be made at a later meeting.

In other business, Seelig told the Board that the South Shore Children’s Museum was seeking permission for live entertainment during a not so scary walk that they plan to hold at Walmart in late October. The Selectmen voted to approve the request.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 28. The first appointment of the night was with Todd Dargie who was to be appointed to the Finance Committee. He had previously interviewed for the Committee and has been serving on the Capital Planning Committee. “I do have extensive experience in budgeting and the financial services sector and banking and things of that nature,” Dargie explained. They voted unanimously to approve his appointment through June of 2023.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig discussed the official town of Halifax Facebook page. He said that logistically they would need to figure out who would be responsible for posting on the page. It was explained that you can have as many contributors as wanted but the particular policy limits it to two members of each department. It was discussed whether the messenger feature would be disabled. Selectman Chair Gordon Andrews said he would recommend leaving messenger off for the time being. The Selectmen voted to unanimously approve the policy on the Facebook page as presented by Information Technology manager Cesar Calouro. Calouro and Seelig will be the page administrators.

Calouro was also on hand for a discussion of the social media policy for employees and committee members. Of the policy, Calouro said, “It is to establish a set of guidelines and expectations to protect the town of liability.”  He said that it should serve as a reminder that everything is still public record regardless of the town hosting the platform. The main gist of the conversation was to distinguish town employees or volunteers’ personal comments versus those made in a professional capacity. Andrews argued that unless they are commenting on a town hosted platform, it should be assumed that any views expressed are their personal ones and not the official stance of the town. The Selectmen asked Calouro to reword the policy before they would approve.

Calouro also discussed changing out the bulletin board at Town Hall with a tv screen that would cycle through the items that are currently posted there on paper. A suggestion to have a touch screen display that could be paused was explored. Calouro said he didn’t plan to buy a touch screen as he didn’t think the money to do so would be available.

The Selectmen met with Peter Gallistino and Robert Palma of Elevated Roots in regards to a proposed marijuana dispensary. Gallistino said they were following up on previous communications with the town and the Selectmen. He said they were able to secure the property at 319 Monponsett St. They explained that the parcel is in what they called an “appropriate” location which they said does not abut residential properties. They also said that the construction process would be quick as it was limited to an interior remodel. They plan to hire around 35 people for the Halifax location with preference given to local residents.

Elevated Roots is currently located in Kingston where they operate an adult use retail facility and are in the process of constructing a cultivation facility there as well. They said that their partnership with the community is what sets them apart. They said that despite it not being part of the Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Kingston, they donated five percent of their sales on Memorial Day to Kingston Veteran’s Committee.

Selectman Troy Garron said his biggest concerns would be traffic and security. Palma said the inside door cannot open until the outside door closes. He said it allows them to control who accesses the property. He further explained that the team’s access to various parts of the building depends on their role within the company. When asked if they had given consideration to an armed intruder, they explained that they operate similarly to a bank with panic buttons equipped throughout, etc.

The next appointment was with Daniel Parsons of 715 Old Plymouth Street. Andrews explained that the Board had received complaints about a number of unregistered cars on the property. Parsons explained various reasons for having unregistered vehicles and also said that he has moved the junk on his property to the back so that it could no longer be seen from the road. He said he makes extra money through scrapping. Seelig told Parsons to verify that inspections were up-to-date for the vehicles to which Parsons said that up-to-date inspections did not matter for the state of Massachusetts. Seelig said that it was part of the town’s by-laws. Andrews asked if he was willing to have a site visit by the Board. Parsons said, “I don’t like people on my property. You guys have already tried to break into my property once before. Your building inspector and health inspector tried to break into my house saying I was squatting after living here for a year and a half.” He continued, “I do not like people from your town on my property. You have already shown me that you don’t care… my wife was cowering in the corner with my two-month-old baby.” They agreed to a site visit on the following Saturday.

Town Accountant Sandra Nolan was present to ask for clarifications regarding the bonuses that had been approved for town employees using the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding. Decisions were reached on how to pro-rate the raises for part-time employees as well as whether to issue bonuses to recent hires. Seelig also told the Selectmen that $110,000 in additional ARPA funding was now available to the town. Seelig also told the Selectmen that the town would be receiving $200,000 in grant money through a Green Communities award.

Regarding use of the additional ARPA funds, Andrews, who also serves on the Halifax Elementary School Committee, told the Board that currently the Fire Department is handling the testing required to implement the test and stay program that allows asymptomatic students to stay in school if they are close contacts. There was a question regarding how the Fire Department would be reimbursed for the costs associated with that task. Andrews also asked that the system that allows communication between the various rooms for Town Meeting at the school be purchased and the wires be left in place permanently. Andrews said that given the number of times they have paid for the equipment to be placed and the company to run it, they would have been able to purchase the equipment multiple times over.

There was mention of a few resignations in town as well. Drew McGlincy resigned from the Finance Committee and Special Police Officer Thomas Reed resigned from the Police Department.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, Sept. 27,  continuing their discussion from previous meetings on heavy truck traffic exclusions on certain roads in town. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said she had heard back from the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) who said the best option would be to do a heavy commercial vehicle exclusion on portions of Main, Center, and Maple streets. Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte had previously questioned whether including Main St. in that exclusion would preclude the town from future grant funding opportunities. Dennehy said OCPC is currently looking into whether or not the funding would be affected. The town had previously been interested in including other streets but needed approval from Kingston to pursue those. Kingston decided they were not interested in participating at this time. The Selectmen voted to approve moving forward with the exclusions with the caveat that Firlotte’s concerns be explored further.

Selectmen also held a public hearing to consider the application of Eversource for a new pole at Mayflower Rd. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy opened the hearing to anyone who would like to speak either in favor or against the pole. Karen Johnson spoke on behalf of Eversource. Johnson said the pole was needed to run electric service to a solar array farm. Joy asked if the pole was standard size and Johnson confirmed that it was and that it would be placed within an existing pole line. There was no one present to speak against the installation of the pole. Selectmen voted unanimously to authorize Eversource to install the pole.

Firlotte provided the Selectmen with an update regarding ongoing Highway Department projects. Prospect Road paving was completed. He said that work on the wooden Winnetuxet River Bridge has been suspended indefinitely and he is unsure when work will be able to be resumed. He said that he was in the process of trying to find someone capable of making stencils large enough to go on the road to mark where the new safety zones are located. If needed, Firlotte said he would make his own though he said they would be smaller than originally desired.

Selectmen also awarded the bid for the work on the ADA ramp at the Townhouse. Dennehy said the lowest bidder was St. John Corporation out of Wellesley whose bid was $110,000. “Then we also asked the bidders to price out one alternative which would have to do with our current entrance of the Townhouse and they priced that out at $17,900.” Dennehy said she was recommending that Selectmen award the bid to St. John Corporation pending a favorable recommendation from the Town Properties Committee. Dennehy also recommended not proceeding with the alternative although she said it might be possible to pursue it for town meeting.  The Selectmen voted unanimously to award the contract.

Dennehy provided Selectmen with a Town Administrator’s update including grant funding. She said they got their Green Communities grant application in by the deadline with the help of OCPC. She said they are moving forward with another Green Communities application. Dennehy said that the quick deadline of October 8 means many communities take a year off in between applications but said she is hopeful they will be able to submit materials in time. Dennehy said she has an upcoming meeting at Dennett Elementary School with the school nutritional director, the lead custodian, and the lead cook to see about using some of that potential funding to possibly replace outdated appliances. “The school staff is very excited about this,” she explained. In addition, Dennehy said they are also looking into the library heating system.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee as well as Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen provided an update on the school saying that work on the new playground was underway. He said that after many delays, all the equipment has been delivered. He said that installation of the rubberized surface would have to wait until spring as it needs a constant temperature of 52 degrees to cure properly. Wood chips are to be used in the interim.

Selectman Mark Russo began the rants and raves portion of the meeting saying his rave was for the town of Brewster. During their town meeting Saturday, they approved the purchase of 66 acres along Long Pond in addition to another approximately 60 acres along the ocean. “This is invaluable land almost never available on the Cape… I salute the townspeople of Brewster for making an investment into the long-term future of their town,” Russo explained.

Selectman John Traynor went next saying it was nice to see Dennehy send out a list of long-term items. “It shows the progress we’re making in terms of addressing a number of things,” he explained. He said his semi-rant was with the Post Office as they are sending more and more services to Carver. Traynor said he hoped it was not indicative of a plan to close the Plympton branch. Joy said her first rave was for Rob Firlotte. “He’s getting a lot of really good work done and he’s so engaged and responsive to concerns,” she said. Her second rave was for all of the great work being done by the Council on Aging.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on September 17 to discuss possible uses of the town’s allotment of $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan was also present for the discussion. Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews said, “one use of the ARPA funds is bonuses for employees; I was going to suggest that we do a $1,500 bonus this year and next year.” Andrews said that for the unions, including fire, police, and highway, part-time employees’ bonuses would be pro-rated based on the number of hours worked.

Andrews said he wanted to discuss “everyone else” noting “but I don’t know that I have a solution for that today.” Selectman Troy Garron said, “I think we need to reward the staff for what they have done through the pandemic – the loyalty they have shown to the town.” The Selectmen decided that all town employees, including full-time elected employees, would receive $1,500 if full-time and a pro-rated bonus if part-time.

Andrews asked how to handle the school employees saying that the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were available for their use. Selectman Ashley DiSesa said they would need to research whether the School Committee plans to allot funds for bonuses for school employees before proceeding with using ARPA funds for that purpose. She noted she did not want to hold up bonuses for other town employees in the meanwhile. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the bonuses for all but the school employees.

The Selectmen then turned their attention to what is referred to as “the affected communities.” “Because of Covid restrictions, you have restrictions at the elementary school for masking and you have issues with humidity and heat there… I have a motion to designate $35,000 for engineering consulting for the complete scope of work to upgrade, renovate the Halifax Elementary School HVAC system and building management system.” Garron clarified that work had already been done on some of those systems but Andrews said the issue needing fixing is related to heat and humidity. “I can say after all of us sitting in the gym and not being able to breathe and everybody going outside to try and breathe with the masks on, I think we need to do something,” Andrews explained. The Board voted unanimously to approve the cost for the consulting/engineering fee.

Andrews said he was going to make a request to the Director of Facilities and Maintenance for an estimate for either engineering work or the cost of the project for reviewing/fixing the HVAC system at the fire station. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve this motion.

The Selectmen next discussed building a senior center with ARPA funding. “Because of Covid-19, the seniors in our community have definitely been affected – they’ve been isolated and I will be pushing to use some of the ARPA funds to provide a place… I don’t know whether we could cover the whole cost of the senior center within the ARPA funds but I think we can use a portion of those funds; they are an affected community,” Andrews said. Garron said, “I personally believe that the seniors have been discarded over getting things for the younger kids… you’ve got to remember the senior citizens are the ones that made this history of the town – made it what it is today.” The Selectmen agreed to look into the cost of a new senior center.

DiSesa suggested potentially allocating some of the funds to deal with infrastructure and, in particular, water. The quality of the water in town was a topic of discussion during recent Selectmen meetings with residents complaining of brown water amongst other things. Andrews said he was in agreement. Andrews noted that the funds weren’t eligible to be used for road construction.

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 drinan.cathleen@gmail.com