The Halifax Board of Selectmen met early on Thursday, May 20, to address a number of issues including an interview with Jill Carr for Council on Aging (COA) Director. Newest Selectman Ashley DiSesa was joined by seasoned selectmen Gordon Andrews and Troy Garron.

Carr, who was the third applicant interviewed thus far, told the selectmen that she has worked in human services for the last 25 years with much of that spent working with elders. “I worked 10 years at adult protective services in Braintree and we covered 11 surrounding towns.” She said she worked closely with the COA of many of those towns. “I’ve always had such a passion working with seniors and being an advocate and a voice for a lot of the seniors that might not have a voice,” she explained. She said that her philosophy has always been to empower seniors and to help them live as independently as possible. “I did recently get my masters in order to strengthen my skills regarding social services,” Carr told Selectmen. Additionally, she said she is very familiar with available resources in Massachusetts saying she has worked closely with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Garron asked Carr what she would consider her top achievement in working with elderly and other people. Carr cited being a strong advocate and raising awareness as being amongst her proudest accomplishments. “Advocating for an elder’s right to self-determination,” she added. DiSesa asked if she had experience handling a budget. “When I was the Director, we were constantly needing to be handling numbers and maintain a quota… it was my job to track and make sure that numbers were where they are supposed to be,” Carr said. DiSesa also asked if she had experience writing grants. Carr said that while she had not written any, she has worked closely with many who have. Carr said she was also able to meet with Susan Lawless to discuss the Halifax COA. Asked what one word she would choose to describe herself, Carr simply said, “dedicated.”

Andrews explained to Carr that there was currently a plan being looked at to swap the COA building with the museum building in town. He said there would be more to present on that in September. Andrews asked Carr if she had any questions for them and she said she would be eager to hear more about what the goals are for the COA. Andrews noted that the building has been closed to the public since last March and said that opening back up and getting programs running was amongst the most urgent goals. He also noted that there were various spaces around town that could be utilized for the COA. “I think that understanding what spaces are available and how to adequately use them is something that we’d be looking for in a Director right now,” Andrews told Carr.

Following the interview with Carr, the Board tackled their own reorganization. Garron nominated Andrews to serve as chair and he was voted in unanimously. It was also decided that Garron would serve as vice-chair and DiSesa as clerk. Andrews then said he would like to discuss the format of the meetings saying he would like to have department heads come in once every 6-8 weeks to provide an update on their department, both good and bad. Andrews also proposed a spreadsheet for new articles that would show progress toward estimated dates of completion on the various projects. He also recommended having a visual presentation during town meeting that would allow residents to see the motion being voted upon as well as proposed spending, etc. Garron expressed some concern over the cost of such an endeavor. Andrews also said he would like to resume department head meetings again now that the pandemic is dwindling.

The Selectmen then turned their attention to the vacancies on the Halifax Elementary School Committee as well as the Finance Committee. Alison Vance had submitted her resignation from the School Committee and Fred McGovern from the Finance Committee. There was a question sent in email form from Town Moderator Dennis Carmen regarding whether the Board would consider the results from the recent town election in filling the vacancy. The hope was that the person with the next number of votes, or the runner-up, would be considered to fill the position. The email also read, “Additionally will the related experience of each candidate be considered when making this decision; also will any consideration be given to the diversity of the candidate given our society’s building of awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues; I hope the answers to my questions will be yes, and if not, I would be interested in the thoughts of each of the members on the Select Board.”

Andrews reminded those assembled that a vote to fill a vacancy on the Halifax Elementary School Committee would require a vote from both the Board of Selectmen as well as the School Committee. “Basically, the selectmen have heard the voice of the population that the person came in second on the voting scale that should give really good consideration because at least you know they are interested in the position,” Garron said. Andrews said that anyone interested in the position should fill out a talent bank form and a joint meeting would be put together between the Selectmen and the School Committee to hold interviews and have a vote. The meeting is scheduled for June 8.

The Board also fielded a request for a VFW Memorial Day Ceremony. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig noted that the outdoor mask mandate would likely be lifted by then but said he would imagine the event would still include social distancing. The event would be 35-45 minutes long and would occur on the front lawn of the Town Hall. The Board approved the request unanimously. There was another request for an entertainment license for weekly car shows at Walmart. The Board approved the request contingent on the Certificate of Liability being presented to the Board of Health.

Halifax was able to complete its Annual Town Meeting Monday night, May 17, after failing to meet its quorum last week on Tuesday.   With just about half of the articles acted on Monday, May 10, the meeting adjourned Tuesday at 8:05 when the quorum of 100 voters could not be reached.

There were several hot button topics left to vote on: Article 55, to see if the town would authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court to enact legislation that would allow Halifax to expand the membership of the Board of Selectmen from three to five members.

Had this passed, the selectmen would have been able to put the question of expanding the board on the ballot in Spring, 2022.  Discussion ensued for most of half an hour both for and against the measure.  Selectman Gordon Andrews spoke to his article, saying that two more members of the select board would allow the business of the town to be completed more efficiently, as there wouldn’t be as many votes tabled due to conflicts of interest.  It would also allow current board members to share the ever-increasing burden of the work of the Board of Selectmen.

Candace Kniffen spoke to the room saying that for many years the position of selectman has gone unopposed, and for many boards and committees it is difficult to get people to fill the empty positions.  She also brought up the cost of health insurance for an additional two board members as a deterrent.

Retiring Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor said that she had never experienced a more contentious election ever!  “Lately every one of us has been torn down.”  Gaynor said she didn’t think that growing the board to five members would solve anything.

Kim Cavicchi said that she felt it would bring “transparency” to the board, and not have as many conflicts of interest.  “If we don’t expand we’ll continue to have lawsuits.”

Alison Long took the microphone to oppose the expansion of the board stating that she strongly feels “we have a good working system.”   She has resided in Halifax for 48 years and recognizes that having a good town manager takes a lot of the work selectmen would formerly have done.

Paula Hatch, chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee said she has made Halifax her home for 25 years.  The complexity of the issues she has to face on our boards can be overwhelming.  “What are we afraid of?   I have no reservations as to increasing the board,” she said.

After all was said and done, Article 55 failed.

Despite an impassioned plea from Shirley Graf speaking for her article to ban the sale of “nips” in Halifax, nips will still be sold for the foreseeable future.

Joe Tonello, owner of Harmony Liquors in Halifax, told the assembly that nips make up 17% of his liquor sales.  He said that taking away nips sales, after the state curbed flavored tobacco sales, menthol cigarettes, vaping, and some cigar sales, he said his business is feeling these losses.  “Where does it end?”

Tom McGrath got up to say, “I don’t want the town of Halifax to tell me what I can and cannot drink.”

Two voters pointed out that Halifax has no litter laws and that Halifax policemen have issued no tickets for littering.   In fact, there were only 12 arrests for DUI and three for open container violations since Jan. 1, 2019.

Halifax voters did not vote the $105,000 requested to resurface the five tennis courts at Silver Lake Regional High School.  There was much debate as to why there wasn’t an option to repair the courts, rather than reconstruct the surfaces.  A repair would only be guaranteed for two years and a reconstruction would last 15 to 20 years.    Because the article stated its funding source would be the general stabilization fund, the article required a 2/3 vote to pass.

Paula Hatch, Chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, defended the article and asked where the $312,000 that was Halifax’s share of the settlement when Pembroke left the region.  That money, Hatch said, was to be set aside for capital expenses at the high school just like this.  The Town Accountant said the funds were in the general stabilization fund and a 2/3 vote was needed to spend them.  The article failed.  Halifax may yet have to spend that money as Plympton voted for its share of the article last Wednesday and Kingston will vote for or against its share on Saturday, May 22.  If Kingston’s article passes, Halifax will need to conform to the majority.

Later in the evening, School Committee chairman Gordon Andrews, with other members of the school committee, attempted a reconsideration of the article, but that failed as well.

Articles 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 42, 51, and 52 were passed over.

Article 14 approved $150 for the use of the Trustees for County Cooperative Extensive Service.

Article 18 asked the town for $110,000 to purchase and equip two new marked police vehicles to be used for patrol.  Police Chief Joao Chaves spoke to the article saying this is part of an ongoing program of updating and replacing his rolling stock, transferring the replaced vehicles to other departments in Halifax that could use them.  Karen Fava amended the article so that the replaced vehicles would have to be sold or traded in and the resulting funds be used in another way.  The amended article passed.

Article 20 asked for $6,850 to fund an actuarial study of Town-paid post-employment benefits.  The article passed.

Article 21 asked the town for $25,000 to reseal the Halifax Elementary School parking lot.  Passed.

Article 22 asked the town for $30,000 to replace the kitchen flooring at the Halifax Elementary School.  Passed.

Article 24 asked for $23,000 to install and extend pedestrian pathways from and around the Halifax Elementary School including but not limited to improving ADA access to areas of the HES.  Article passed.

Article 29 asked the town for $3,500 to support South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center for domestic violence intervention and prevention services for its residents.  Selectman Troy Garron spoke in support of the article saying that over the past 30 years people in Halifax have used the services and it deserves support. The article passed.

Article 30 asked the town to add $300,000 to the General Stabilization fund.  The article finally passed after a little lesson in free cash that is neither free nor cash, and it left unaccounted for it would cause accounting problems.

Article 31 asked the town for $32,000 to purchase a document management/digitization/e-permitting/workflow system.  The article passed.

Article 33 asked the town for $135,000 for a new backhoe for the highway department.  Highway Superintendent Stephen Hayward spoke to his article saying that he was replacing a 2010 John Deere backhoe with 6,600 hours on it.  He expects the trade-in value is about $20,000.  The article passed.

Article 35 asked the town for $29,000 to replace 24 windows in Pope’s Tavern.  Jeff Bolger asked how much money the town was going to put into the “sinkhole” Pope’s Tavern?  We must have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 10 years.” Jean Gallant, Holmes Library Director, told the group that the old building has seen a lot of history and deserves to be preserved.  The article passed.

Article 36 asks to fund $17,500 to upgrade alarm systems at the Town Hall, Highway/Water Bar, and recycling Center.  Passed.

Article 39 asks for $90,000 to replace 72 windows at the Town Hall.  Pam Aducci who works in the town hall spoke about the non-functioning windows that won’t stay open, that close with a bang, leak water and wind.  The article passed.

Article 43 asked the town for $2,500 to purchase three new computers for the Holmes Public Library.  Passed.

Article 44 asked the town for $6,500 to purchase and install an OSHA required mezzanine gate in the highway barn.  After discussion about the amount of the bids, is $6,500 sufficient to complete the job, and whether or not engineering would be required, the article passed.

Article 46 asked the town for $50,000 for a fraud risk assessment on the recommendation of the town’s auditor.  Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said the program was necessary to outline areas that need to be addressed.  “If we don’t know what’s wrong, we can’t correct it,” Seelig said.  The article passed.

Article 47 asked the town for $20,000 to add to the Unemployment Compensation account.  Passed.

Article 49 asked the town for $7,500 to repair and replace the fence at the Lingan Street beach area.   After conversation about whether the fence is in poor condition, do we need a fence there anyway, or is this enough money to complete the job, the article passed.

Article 53 dealing with the floodplain district regulations was considered and since its passing is necessary to getting flood insurance in these areas the article passed.

Article 56 asked the town to allow the establishment of a stabilization fund for the Silver Lake Regional School District.  The Finance Committee did not recommend it saying that there is no control over how it is spent once it is funded.  The article failed.

Article 57 asked the town to vote to amend Chapter 146 (Stormwater Management) as recommended by the Massachusetts Attorney General.  The article passed.

Article 58 asked the town permission to acquire by gift, transfer, temporary easement for bridge construction, access and/or related purposed in, on, and under parcels of land abutting Pine Street, shown on a plan entitled “Pine Street over Cranberry Bog Overflow Right of Way Plans”.  Highway Superintendent Hayward explained that this was a formality so he would have a place to park his equipment while he was working on the area.

The original article was amended by Amy Troup and Karen Fava to eliminate any reference to monetary compensation.  The article passed.

Halifax Annual Town Meeting adjourned at 11 p.m. Monday night, May 10, with less than half of the 59 articles voted on.  Left for Tuesday were two of the most contentious articles – the ban for the sale of nips, sponsored by Shirley Graf and enlarging the board of selectmen from three members to five, sponsored by Selectman Gordon Andrews.   However, even those articles couldn’t bring Halifax townspeople out a second night in a row and Tuesday’s assemblage was dismissed at 8:05 for lack of a quorum.  It was 13 voters short of the needed 100, according to Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor.  This is Gaynor’s last Town Meeting as she is retiring May 22, and then the new town clerk, elected on May 15, will take over.

The Halifax Elementary School budget was voted with little discussion, after the finance committee requested the school committee to hold to a 2% increase.   

Paula Hatch, chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee asked the town to put back the funds that were deleted in order to keep to the 2% increase that the elementary school had abided by.   This would have put back $130,890 into the Silver Lake District budget.   Regional Halifax Elementary School Committee chairman Gordon Andrews defended the Silver Lake budget and the request for the deleted funds saying that some of the issues are reduction of state reimbursement with a number of students going to Charter Schools, taking those state education dollars with them.  “We need to fund the schools,” he said.  The townspeople did not agree, and the amendment failed.

A young man came to the microphone to say, that if the town keeps turning down Silver Lake budget items, they won’t want Halifax to be part of the region.

Salaries were reclassified for several Halifax employees, including the Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Town Administrator, so their salaries would be greater than those who work for them.  This was recommended by the Finance Committee.

Item 6 in the General Government budget had $124,500 for Law.  Selectman Andrews asked that it be reduced to $74,500, saying that the town spends too much money on legal fees.  It was pointed out that much of the legal fees are spent defending the town against suits by Selectman Andrews and that reducing the law category would hamper the town’s defense.  One resident stood to say that if the town would just do what the judge said (and not appeal the decision) the town wouldn’t incur extra costs.   Town Administrator Charlie Seelig pointed out that the first suit that was successful gave Andrews only $200 in damages.   It was Andrews who appealed, “seeking greater relief”, Seelig said.  The amendment failed and the Law line of the warrant  article was voted  at $124,500.

Also questioned in the General Government budget was the total Town Clerk salary of $57,062.   Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor pointed out that the total town clerk salary included the $1,000 reward for her certification.  The total was reduced by that $1,000 and the General Government budget passed.

Amy L. Troup questioned the Animal Control Officer salary that increased from $18,105 budgeted for FY21 to $21,619 for FY22.    She was told that it was a step increase for that contract approved by Wage & Personnel.    Also questioned was the wages increase for the Building Inspector, that was also the result of a step increase.  Jeff Bolger said he thought that step increases needed to be voted on in order to make that change.   Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that the change was voted on in the previous year.

The Public Safety budgets were approved, as well as the Public Works, and Highway budgets.

Public Works Cemetery, Walter, and Solid Waste Management budgets were all approved unanimously.

Health and Human Services budget, the Culture and Recreation budget, the Debt Service budget, and Fixed Costs all passed unanimously.

Jeff Bolger asked for an explanation as to how the Gas and Oil and the Heating Oil prices could be the same from last year to this year.  “Can you share the secret?” noting the rising oil prices.  The Finance Committee answered that there is a buffer amount to address fluctuations in oil prices, and if the true total, at the end of the fiscal year, is much more than the budgeted amount, that can be dealt with by a transfer from the reserve fund or free cash.  The FinCom member said that last year only 80% of the budgeted amount was used.

Article 5, dealing with all of the various Revolving Funds, were consistent with what has been done in the past and passed unanimously.

Articles 11 and 12 asked the town to fund the provisions of collective bargaining agreements between the town and the Police Chief Joao Chaves and Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.  They passed unanimously.

Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward asked the town to approve Article 15 for $300,000 to maintain town roads.  Hayward told the group that the $150,000 that has been allocated in past years, “just doesn’t go very far anymore.”   The town agreed and approved the article.

Article 16 to fund the purchase of parcels of land between Carver Street, South Street, and Plymouth Street was passed over.

Article 17 to transfer from available funds $18,500 for the Assessors’ Recertification Account passed.

Article 19 voted $5,000 for the purchase, installation,, and implementation of a new copy machine for the Police Department.

Article 23 was voted by the town to replace hallway flooring at the Halifax Elementary School as part of ongoing maintenance.

Summer Schmaling, Halifax Elementary School Committee member spoke to Article 25 which would use $18,600 to install central air conditioning in the Tech Lab and Art room to keep the school’s computer networks cool.  The article passed.

Article 27 saw the town vote $5,400 for the repair, reconstruction, and replacement of the fences at the Vaughn Fields at the Police Station.   Dick Steele spoke to the article.

Article 28 asked the town for $3,500 to support South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.’s continued free legal services in civil matters to elders, low-income families and their children.  FinCom recommended; the article passed.

Town meeting voted to pass over Article 32 that would purchase a work order/asset management system.  The finance committee did not recommend it and it was passed over.

Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward asked the town to approve $71,000 for a new F550 gasoline powered truck with a dump body, sander, and plow for the Highway Department.  The guys in the room picked over the requirements, whether it should be gas or diesel, and how many plows does the department need, should we spend more to save in the long run…   In all, they settled down and the town voted to pass Article 34.

Director of Building Maintenance Scott Materna answered questions about his Article 37 that asked the town for $81,000 to be combined with the $35,000 already voted for the same purpose at the Special Town Meeting of August 2018, to repair and replace the handicapped ramp and portico at the Town Hall.  When asked why it costs so much, Materna answered,  “We tried to fix it in house, but found it needs to be re-engineered.”  He told the townspeople that the proposed ramp, for which he is still receiving bids, will be concrete, not wooden, and will be maintenance-free for a long time.  Questions arose as to whether a concrete ramp can be attached to an historic building and how would it look?  Materna said that the ramp needs to be ADA compliant and the proposals he has will be so.  The FinCom recommended the project and the article passed.

Article 38 asked the town to transfer from undesignated fund balances the sum of $10,000 to repair the roof at the Holmes Public Library.  The article passed with the Finance Committee recommendation.

Article 40 was passed over.  It asked the town to fund a new Council on Aging van.

Article 41 asked the town for $10,000 to hold a series of workshops for department heads concerning personnel practices including recruitment and hiring, and proper procedures relating to discipline and termination.  The article passed.

The town voted to approve spending $21,500 to purchase and install overhead doors at the Highway Barn in Article 45.

The town voted to support a part-time school resource officer for the Silver Lake Middle School at a cost of $36,000 for Halifax’s share in Article 48.  Plympton’s share of $14,000 will be voted at their town meeting later this week.   The position has been totally funded by Kingston for the past two years.  The town voted to approve the article.

The town passed over Article 50, which would fund a new portable PA system.

Article 56 asked the town to vote to allow the Silver Lake Regional School District to establish a stabilization fund. The Finance Committee spoke against the article saying that there would be no control over how the money is spent once it is funded. Paula Hatch, chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee  said that the money would have already been voted by the towns to add to the stabilization fund.  Some likened it to giving the schools a blank check.   The article failed.

Next Monday night, May 17, the town will once again attempt to get a quorum to discuss several items that could change the face of Halifax, from how many selectmen will be on your board, how the planning board changes in flood plain maps can affect your properties, or whether or not you can buy a sleeve of nips at your local liquor store, drink them on the way home and throw the empties out the window.  There is a lot to talk about and if you don’t take part in the decisions you can’t complain if they don’t go the way you wanted.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, April 27. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig provided the Board with a COVID update saying there had been 10 additional cases since April 17 and 18 total cases in the previous two weeks. Those numbers bring the total for Halifax, who moved from the red to the yellow risk zone, to 513 total cases. Seelig also reiterated the Governor’s state-wide update which includes reopening dates. Additional outdoor activities are approved as of May 10 with further reopening occurring on May 29. A full reopening of the State is scheduled for August 1. “Of course, all of that is dependent on case loads and vaccines,” Seelig explained. Seelig said he plans to talk to the Board of Health agent about increasing capacities in the town meeting rooms. He also noted that town meeting is not considered a gathering per the State. Town employees were issued a return-to-work order per the approval of the Selectmen at their previous meeting.

Concerns Over Speeding

The Board had an appointment with Owen Graves, a resident of South St. in Halifax for over five years. Graves attended the meeting in the hopes of drawing awareness to the lack of speed limit signs on South St. and the resulting problems with speeding that occur. “The speed limit is supposed to be 30; people go nowhere close to starting at 30,” Graves explained. He told the Selectmen that cars fly down the street at 40, 50, and even 60 mph. He noted two deaths that occurred as a result in just his first two years living on the street. Graves noted that he drives a lot for his work and said that he sees many signs in other communities alerting drivers to the appropriate speed. Selectman Chair Tom Millias told Graves, “I’ve lived your pain living on South St. and in particular motorcycles are incredibly scary because they come screaming down the street… this is something we can and should refer to the Highway Safety Committee.” He added, “It probably should be looked at harder than it has been in the past and this is a good impetus to do that.”

Another resident also attended Tuesday’s meeting to discuss what he sees as a need for a 4-way stop on Circuit and Laurel streets to force drivers to slow down. While Seelig said that it had previously been determined that a 4-way stop wouldn’t be appropriate for the area, the Board said they would like to see the issue taken up by the Traffic Safety Committee.

Request for a Nips Ban

Another concerned resident Shirley Graf also met with the Selectmen. Graf had previously been named as the Litter Buster of the Year award winner for the entire State of Massachusetts during 2020. Graf asked the Selectmen for their support of an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant to ban the sale of single use containers for alcoholic beverages in Halifax. Graf provided statistics including that she had picked up 8,443 nips bottles in town since beginning to do so 28 months prior. She also stressed that after speaking to Police Chief Joao Chaves she learned that very few littering citations are issued despite the large amount of litter in town. Selectman Troy Garron said, “Personally, I don’t drink and I can’t understand how so many liquor stores are still selling it knowing the problem that we have.” For their part, both Millias and Selectman Gordon Andrews said they would like to invite the local liquor establishments in to voice their side of the argument before endorsing such an article. Before she left, Millias told Graf, “We applaud you for your efforts… I am just overwhelmed by it.”

Request to Change Marijuana Bylaws

Representatives of the company Colonel Boothe met with the Selectmen to inquire about a change to the zoning bylaws surrounding marijuana and the buffer zone around venues serving alcohol. Currently, marijuana establishments are not allowed within 500 ft of venues that have a pouring license. Colonel Boothe asked the Selectmen if they would support a petition article to ban that portion of the bylaw saying, “there’s an effective ban on a second retail store.” According to Colonel Boothe, there are no lots in town left that are not restricted by the current bylaws. Millias said, “Obviously the town has been supportive of establishments based on the votes at town meeting… I personally think it ought to be a public initiative.”

According to the company, the bylaw most likely exists to prevent people from buying cannabis and then consuming it in a restaurant. They pointed out, however, that it feels redundant as public consumption is already banned by State law. Garron said that the bylaw was originally intended for the protection of the public noting, “the public need to decide whether to change that.” The Selectmen voted not to support an article at town meeting to amend the bylaw.

In other marijuana news, Seelig said that the town attorney had reached an agreement on a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Flower and Soul on a proposed retail facility. Seelig said that the agreement would soon be posted online in order to receive public comments.

Update on Campus Building Project

Andrews told the other selectmen that the Committee had discussed a possible affordable solution to the problem of a senior center for the short term while they examine the other municipal buildings. “We all know the issues at Pope’s Tavern,” Andrews said. He said that the Committee is working on establishing short term, mid-term, and long-term plans noting that they hope to move forward with a solution for the senior center before tackling an overall campus solution including the Police and Fire stations. Andrews also noted mechanical failures with hot water pipes at the school. ““The one thing I’ve noticed being on the Committee is we’ve gone around to every building in town and every building in town needs work,” Andrews said.

Mosquito Control

Several residents attended Tuesday’s meeting after seeing the hearing to opt out of the state’s mosquito control program listed on the agenda. Seelig said that the State had issued a letter to all communities saying that there was a possibility to opt out of the program. The Selectmen had wanted to give residents an opportunity to come and speak on the issue. Seelig noted that they had not received any communication from anyone wanting to opt out. One resident spoke during the meeting saying he survived eastern equine encephalitis as a child. He recalled spending weeks in the hospital with frighteningly high fevers. He called it a “terrible idea” to opt out. All residents speaking during the hearing were against opting out.

Silver Lake Assessment

Seelig said he spoke with the Finance Committee about recommending an across-the-board increase for non-union employees. He said, “I understand it’s been a tough year for many including unemployment and under employment for many residents in Halifax however the town’s employees have, in general, worked above and beyond throughout the pandemic with few if any complaints.” Seelig said that the Finance Committee is not recommending approval of the Silver Lake assessment but noted that town meeting would make its own decision. Seelig said if Kingston and Plympton approve the assessment, Halifax will eventually have to as well. The assessment includes a 1.6 increase for Silver Lake employees. This would leave town employees without anything. “If school employees get something, town employees, union and non-union, deserve something too,” Seelig said. Seelig suggested a one percent increase.

Requests for Use of Town Property

The Board approved the use of the town green for the Historical Society plant sale on May 8 from 9 am through noon as well as a Boy Scout bottle drive on Saturday, July 17. Both events will include whatever COVID protocols are required by their respective dates. Seelig also said that line dancing groups were starting at the Great Hall and noted that they had worked with the Board of Health on appropriate safety measures.

Other News

Seelig alerted the Selectmen to the passing of longtime resident John Peck. Peck was a longtime member of the Conservation Commission. Seelig spoke of Peck’s charitable work including the annual Thanksgiving meal hosted by his family at the Country Club. Those present at Tuesday’s meeting observed a moment of silence in his honor.

Seelig also told the Selectmen that Finance Committee member Lauren Carmichael had resigned in late March. Seelig said he was appreciative of her service. Seelig also noted some awards that were recently granted including Firefighter of the Year for Jeff Arcieri, Officer of the Year for Matthew Cunningham, and Citizen Hero Award for the Halifax Building Maintenance Staff. In a final piece of good news, Seelig said that Halifax was listed as a top spot to live for communities south of Boston by the Boston Globe on April 21.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen held a virtual meeting on Monday, April 26 during which they gave their recommendations on warrant articles for the upcoming special and annual town meeting on Wednesday, May 12.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee and Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen began the discussion, as he had to leave to attend a school committee meeting. Wilhelmsen went over some articles pertaining to both the Dennett Elementary School as well as the town campus. Wilhelmsen said that funds were set aside to be used as a thank you to the staff at Dennett. He pointed out the myriad of things the staff has done to go above and beyond during the past year’s pandemic. The teachers worked throughout most of the summer and were asked to work seven-hour days in the school during a pandemic, aides taught classes that were outside of their usual scope, and custodial staff worked long hours to ensure the building was sanitized. “We think it would go a long way for a small gesture to thank them for everything that we’ve done,” Wilhelmsen explained.

Wilhelmsen also touched on the potential projects being discussed by the Town Properties Committee including the roof at the Fire Station. He told the selectmen that the costs for various projects were only going to increase as time goes by. “If we wait three years, five years, seven years, the only thing I can be certain of is we will have more costs,” he explained. Selectman Christine Joy said, “Starting to get a game plan together is truly appreciated.” Selectman Chair Mark Russo alluded to the many town volunteers who volunteer in a multitude of capacities saying of Wilhelmsen, “Jon may be the paradigm of how many hats can one guy wear.”

Town Moderator Barry DeCristofano said of town meeting, “Because we’re not fully out of the woods yet with Covid, it seems the best approach would be to run the meeting this year the same way we ran it last year.” Town meeting will utilize two rooms just as it did last year and Brian Wick will once again serve as the Assistant Town Moderator in the second room. DeCristofano said the town has hired the same audio/visual company as the previous year since the 2020 town meeting ran so smoothly. “Let’s hope this is the last time it gets so complicated,” he said.

In addition to DeCristofano, the Selectmen were joined by Chair of the Bylaw Review Committee Alan Wheelock and Chair of the Finance Committee Nathaniel Sides. The Selectmen first decided on who would present each of the articles at town meeting. They began with the special town meeting and voted unanimously to ratify acceptance of the first 11 articles. Sides noted that the Finance Committee voted not to approve Item 11B.

The Selectmen then turned their attention to the articles for the annual town meeting. Articles of note include Article 4, which is the line-by-line main budget for the town, and Article 8, which will propose moving toward an appointed town clerk. Articles 17 and 18 pertain to the Police but will be introduced at town meeting by Joy as Plympton Police Chief Matthew Clancy is not a town resident. Articles 19-21 pertain to the Fire Department. Article 23 is the power purchase agreement for solar. Articles 24-29 will pertain to the town campus and will be introduced by the Town Properties Committee and the School Committee will introduce Articles 32-34.

As described in the notice for the public hearing, Article 30 proposes the creation of a new section in the Plympton bylaws “providing for the creation of ‘Accessory Dwelling Units’ as well as associated standards, procedures and provisions for such Accessory Dwelling Units.” The public hearing is scheduled for May 3. The Selectmen decided not to make a recommendation on the article on Monday evening, as they haven’t yet heard from the Planning Board and the hearing has yet to take place. Joy suggested waiting to make their recommendation on town meeting floor after hearing the report from the Planning Board. The other Selectmen were in agreement.

Article 35, which was proposed by Russo, is for funding for a water study. Selectman John Traynor said, “I would rather see us put this off until we have a better idea of what we are getting into in terms of long-term financial costs… at least for this town meeting I would rather we not go forward.” Russo defended the article saying, “this obligates us to nothing more than $7,000 or less.” Russo explained that the intent was to get a handle on how reliable previous reporting has been. He said that he hoped that it would help with further water safety and protection. Joy said she was in favor of the article as she felt there had not been any oversight from the town for a long period of time. The Selectmen voted to recommend the article 2-1. Sides said the Finance Committee passed on making a recommendation on the article as they didn’t feel they had enough information to base a decision. The Finance Committee voted not to approve Articles 29, 32, and 33.

Following the discussion of the town meeting, the Selectmen turned their attention to other town business including the approval of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. They voted unanimously to approve the Finance Committee’s proposed budget of $11,990,351. They also voted to appoint Ronald Drollett Jr. as a Laborer with the Highway Department through June 30, 2021.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy provided an update saying that there had been a slight uptick in Coronavirus cases in town over the previous two weeks. “The Board of Health is tracking that pretty carefully,” she explained. Dennehy also said that the town is moving forward with several grant opportunities including the hazard mitigation plan. She also said that she is coordinating with Dennett to get the final pieces of the Green Communities grant completed. Dennehy said that they were waiting to hear back on a technical assistance grant as well.

As customary, the Selectmen ended their meeting with their rants or raves for the past few weeks. Joy said her rave was for “the amazing job the Town Administrator has done with the warrant and budget process this year; it has been so smooth.” Noting that multiple parties have been involved in the process, Joy said to Dennehy, “You really are the one driving the bus on this.”

Both Traynor and Russo said their raves were for Captain Cheryl Davis with the Plympton Fire Department. A ceremony was held Monday evening for Davis and both Traynor and Russo attended. Representative Kathy LaNatra’s administrative aide Christopher Jean presented Davis with a citation in LaNatra’s stead,  and Davis was named by the VFW as the top paramedic in the entire state. “We are really lucky to have Cheryl. She brings so much to a small town like Plympton,” Traynor said. “I think we can be unbelievably proud of Cheryl and that she is a product of the Plympton Fire Department,” Russo said.

Joy said that Davis was proof that one person can make a difference.

Halifax voters will make their choices on Saturday, May 15, at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St., Route 106, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  with all COVID protocols in place.

Registered voters can choose to vote early via mail-in ballot. The application form can be downloaded at http://www.halifax-ma.org/elections-registration/files/2021-vote-mail-application – and also can be obtained at the Town Clerk’s office or you can request an application be mailed to you.

The last day to apply for early voting via mail-in ballot is Tuesday, May 11. Applications must be received by 5p.m. on that day. Voters can drop off   Applications at the Town Clerk›s Office, use the election kiosk, or mail them to the Town Clerk, 499 Plymouth Street, Halifax, MA 02338.

It is expected that ballots will be mailed out starting on or about Wednesday, April 21. Ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk›s office or the election kiosk no later than Saturday, May 15 at 6 p.m.

The election kiosk located on the parking lot side of the Town Hall will be available for voters to submit applications and ballots.

On the ballot are

Assessor for three year term: Dorothy L. Lamureux. (Vote for one)

Board of Health for three year term: Alan J. Dias, candidate for re-election and Pamela Ann Engstrom.  (Vote for one)

Board of Library Trustees for three year term: no candidate.  (Vote for two)

Board of Library Trustees for two year term: Kathleen A. Shiavone. (Vote for one)

Halifax Elementary School Committee for a two year term: Lana M. Eldridge and Summer K. Schmaling.  (Vote for one)

Halifax Elementary School Committee for a three year term: Marline Amedee, James F. Keegan, III, Lauren M. Laws, Jennifer Ann Carroll, and Robert W. Johnson. (Vote for two)

Silver Lake Regional School Committee for a two year term: Marline Amedee and Summer Schmaling.  (Vote for one)

Silver Lake Regional School Committee for a three year term: Gordon D. Laws, Jr. and Jennifer Ann Carroll.

Town  Moderator for a three year term: no candidate.  (Vote for one)

Park Commissioner for a three year term: no candidate. (Vote for one)

Park Commissioner for a two year term: no candidate. (Vote for one)

Planning Board for a five year term: Alan J. Dias, candidate for re-election and Brendon William Elliot.  (Vote for one)

Board of Selectmen for a three year term: Thomas Millias, candidate for re-election and Ashley Anne Disesa.  (Vote for one)

Board of Water Commissioners for a three-year term: Daniel O. Bosworth, Jr., candidate for re-election.

Town Clerk for a three year term: Susan Marie Lawless.  (Vote for one)

Town Treasurer/Collector for a three year term: Pamela R. Adduci. (Vote for one)

Elections are held in the Gym at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street.

Vote

PLYMPTON — The Plympton Board of Selectmen met last Monday via Zoom, and took on a few previous items on their agenda, as well as several new ones. A public hearing for a Wine and Malt beverages application was also considered for KKaties Burgers Express Plympton, and two appointments were made, one for Lisa Hart, and another for Tara Shaw.

Hart, the former secretary of the Finance Committee, was appointed Town Accountant.  She said she was, “totally thrilled, and the right person for this job,” noting how much she loved Plympton.

Former Town Clerk Tara Shaw was appointed Assistant Town Treasurer, and mentioned that she had learned many things during her two-year break from Town House, working in an accounting-based University position.

She said that she, “would have regretted not putting into place [the] application… I’m looking forward to starting a new career.”

Mid-meeting there was a “wine and malt beverage” license application for KKaties, a local burger chain with locations in Hyannis, Marshfield and Plymouth. Keith Steiding, the president of the award-winning restaurant company, represented the company at the hearing.

Not long into the meeting, Steiding’s enthusiasm became obvious.

He began to speak, not always answering the questions posed to him, or answering them in a very round-about way, prompting slight smiles from town officials.

“I had a comment…” he said, “This is a malt and liquor license [not a full liquor license] … that’s all we want … [The] other locations have bars… this is not one of those situations.”

Steiding said that it was more of a restaurant where “you could grab a beer at lunch, and then leave,” as opposed to a full bar, as in the other locations.

Selectman Christine Joy had a question, although Selectmen Mark Russo and John Trainer did not have much to say.

Joy appeared concerned that because KKatie’s stated in their application that since they would be using third-party delivery services, they might try to get into delivering alcohol. The answer was a resounding, although round-about, “No.”

The motion for the application passed unanimously, after some discussion.

Finally, Secretary to the Board of Selectman Bri Martins, who phoned into the meeting and traditionally coordinates Memorial Day activities with the Selectmen, reported that the Board of Health had shut down any notion of a parade of any sort this year. There will be some limited activities, she said, but Martins sounded disappointed.

The final selection of limited activities will depend on health and safety guidelines.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, March 30 for the purpose of going over some budget items for town meeting as well as the warrant articles. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan was in attendance.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig led the discussion on the budget. Seelig said the Finance Committee had already been through most of the line items though he noted that there were several items that they had not provided final recommendations for the warrant.  The Finance Committee is still waiting to find out how much money will be available to account for increases in line items. Seelig said they must first see what happens with the Elementary School budget as well as the Silver Lake Regional assessment as they are such a significant portion of the town’s operating budget. “Things are very tight,” Seelig said, “…the Finance Committee cannot honor all of the requests that came in from all the departments.”

Seelig went over the various articles in the warrant. Article 1 is the report of town officials and committees and Article 2 is the wage and personnel amendments. Article 3 pertains to elected officials’ salaries. As of the meeting, the Finance Committee had yet to make a recommendation regarding wage and personnel or salaries. Article 5 is the operating budget and Article 6 is the traditional list of revolving funds. Articles 7 through 13 are articles for the contracts for both unions and personnel including the fire and police chiefs. “These articles will remain on the warrant even if an agreement hasn’t been made by next week,” Seelig explained.

Much of the meeting was spent going over the appropriation articles. The article for general highway maintenance has been funded at $150,000 for a number of years though the Highway Surveyor, Finance Committee, and Capital Planning Committee have agreed that there is a need to increase it to $300,000. Article A4 is a request from the Highway Surveyor for a bond for $4,000,000 for major roadwork. “Obviously, as most residents know, a number of roads in Halifax are substandard and it does unfortunately take a large amount of money to bring them up even without any engineering costs and such,” Seelig explained. Seelig said that Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward had yet to make a decision about whether or not to have this article on the warrant. A30 is for $135,000 for a new backhoe for the Highway Department. A31 is for $85,000 for a new forklift, also for the Highway Department. Several articles pertain to the Town Barn including an OSHA required mezzanine gate and new overhead doors.  Seelig said he is waiting for a quote on these items from Hayward.

A5 is for the possibility of the Building and Facility Needs Committee purchasing land for future building needs. A6 is for the Assessor’s recertification account. Other appropriation articles include money for new vehicles and a new copier machine for the Police Department. A14 is for resealing the parking lot at the Elementary School. Another article is for $32,000 for the document management system that will allow for e-permitting.

A32 is for $29,000 to replace windows at Pope’s Tavern and A33 is to upgrade the alarm systems at Town Hall, the Highway Barn, and the Recycling Center. Several articles are for work at Town Hall including A34 to appropriate additional money beyond $35,000 to repair or replace the handicap ramp at Town Hall. A35 is to crack seal and repave the parking lot at Town Hall. A37 is for $90,000 to replace the windows at the Town Hall. Seelig explained that replacing the windows at the Town Hall and Council on Aging are especially expensive as they are custom sized windows. Nolan said that there is a chance that that some of the money can be recuperated through Green Communities. An article for a new PA system for the Town Hall was also discussed.

A36 is to repair and replace the roof at the Holmes Public Library for $11,000. A45 is for $2,500 for three new computers for the library, two for the public and one for the staff. A40 is to hold a number of workshops for department heads. A48 is for a fraud risk assessment recommended by the auditors. A49 is a request from the treasurer/collector for $25,000 to be added to the unemployment compensation fund. Silver Lake Regional School requested $36,000 to support a part-time school resource officer at the Middle School. Selectman Gordon Andrews said he would be recusing himself as a selectman as he would likely be presenting the article. Article A53 is a carryover from last year when the Housing Authority was actually mistakenly paying a share of retirement for town employees.

There is also an article regarding a solar property on River St. where an agreement is still being negotiated with the town. The purpose of the article is to allow the possibility that the assessors and selectmen would bring a final agreement to town meeting for approval. Seelig explained that they are waiting for legislation pertaining to taxation of solar fields to go into effect in June before proceeding. The selectmen agreed to leave it on the warrant though they acknowledged it is unlikely that it will actually be ready for town meeting.

Seelig also addressed an article pertaining to an update to floodplain requirements per FEMA. The Planning Board held a hearing on Thursday, April 1 with someone from the state present to answer any questions residents had. It is a requirement for the town to maintain eligibility for the property owners for floodplain insurance. Selectman Chair Tom Millias said, “I would highly recommend to the residents, anybody who lives even close to any water or has had issues with floodplains in the past, to pay some attention to this because it doesn’t become a problem for them, until it’s a problem.”

There are a few petition articles as well including an article to eliminate the sale of nips.

Halifax selectmen met Tuesday night, March 23, in the Great Hall of the Halifax Town Hall to deal with a busy agenda.

As usual, COVID-19 took up much of the evening.  Town Administrator Charlie Seelig told the board that as of March 23 the active cases in Halifax were up to 31, “so I would expect that in a matter of days we will be back into the ‘red zone’”.

Seelig told the board that the state has relaxed restrictions on indoor gatherings, saying that the allowable limits in the All Purpose Room is 10, but the state says it can go to as much as 100.  Fourteen persons are the limit in the Great Hall, with one person on the landing.   Due to the increases in Covid cases in Halifax and the increases in Massachusetts, Seelig and selectmen didn’t think that many people would be a good idea.

While the current state of emergency remains in effect, Seelig told selectmen that Halifax has a protocol in place for outdoor dining.  While the state of emergency lasts, restaurants can obtain temporary permits after working with the Board of Health and the Fire Chief, but if they want to offer outside dining on a permanent basis, they’ll have to go through the regular zoning process for outdoor businesses.   Selectman Gordon Andrews asked if Halifax allows outdoor dining within the current by-laws.   Seelig answered that restaurants with indoor dining are allowed outside dining by right.   Food vendors without indoor dining who wish to offer outdoor dining are covered under the outdoor business and sales and need a special permit.

Selectman Tom Millias said that some of this was covered under the emergency acts and Seelig agreed, “You can do it on a temporary basis.”  Andrews asked, but if they wanted to do long-term, moving forward, we’d have to change … Seelig interjected that no, they just need to go through the process.   Seelig said that he has notified Grille 58, Lakeside Villa, and Rodney’s Kitchen, the three places in town that have any sort of outdoor dining.   Seelig told the board that if the state of emergency ends tomorrow, or next week, or next month, he wanted all to have a process in place.

Resident complaints

Noting that he didn’t know if it was Spring, the warmer weather, or what, but he had a number of complaints about properties in town, only one of which came under the jurisdiction of the Board of Selectmen, including

• 0 Monponsett Street  A resident was concerned about traffic safety, the use of the property without proper zoning, earth removal, health safety issues, and conservation/wetlands/endangered species issues.

• 105 Crystal Lake Road.  An unpermitted home business is alleged.

•  70 Oak Street.   An unpermitted logging business is alleged.

• Villiard Tree Service on Carver Street is alleged to be running an unpermitted logging business.

• Cled’s Tree Service, 450 Industrial Drive – an alleged logging business.  Seelig told the board that Cled’s has been contacted and is working on this, and that the Chief had some concerns.

The only item that falls under the jurisdiction of the Board of Selectmen is the earth removal item.  Seelig said that he had referred all other concerns to the appropriate boards.

Selectmen Andrews recused himself from the discussion of earth removal because his mother lodged that complaint.   Andrews left the table and sat in the audience for that part of the meeting.   Millias commented that it was difficult to unravel all of the suits and cross/suits involved in this – everybody has got a conflict of interest if you say anything.    “So I’m going to defer – perhaps it’s under investigation – maybe we can get some information.  I was going to suggest that maybe Mr. Garron could review some of that but the Board of Selectmen is being sued, too.”  Seelig responded that he had no problem, it’s fact material, simply sending a fact sheet and a copy of the bylaw to the property owner, then they would have to apply to the Board of Selectmen for a special permit.”  Off-camera, Andrews said,  “I can do that.”  Millias said that he didn’t see how the board can retroactively prove how much material has been removed from the site.  “I think going forward with what you’ve just suggested is the most obvious thing to do,” Millias continued.  Andrews re-joined the board.

Seelig said he is still gathering information on the financial end for the American Rescue Plan.  There are two checks going directly to the town, however there are some restrictions as to how the money can be spent.  Seelig said he will be getting more information from the US Treasury as it becomes available.   He also said that Plymouth County is receiving a substantial amount of money and “I hope the intention is that the money will be passed along to the 27 communities in Plymouth County.  We’ll see how that works out.”

Working from Home

Seelig told the board that at some point selectmen will have to assess the work from home situation.   With the vaccination program well underway, not next week or next month, but sometime before the end of the year between the state of emergency ending and vaccinations being available, the board will have to work out how they want to handle people working from home during the past year who want to continue.   There aren’t many, but we still have them in a couple of departments.

Memorial Day

Seelig recommended the selectmen approve the proposed Field of Flags on the Town Green similar to the display put on by the Halifax VFW Post last year.  The board unanimously approved the project.  Seelig said he had spoken with David Walsh, VFW Post Commander, about the possibility of a Memorial Day Parade.  Right now, even under the current Phase IV, Seelig said they both agreed that unfortunately “it’s just a little bit too soon to do something like that.  Balancing everybody’s desire to get back to normal and to have events like that, there are also safety precautions for everybody.”  Seelig said they had discussed a similar Memorial Day observance as the one last year with 10 to 20 attendees, with the color guard, and people can drive by and see the observance.

Complete Streets

Seelig said he had a visit from Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward with some possible projects that can be sent to Boston as part of the Complete Streets Program.  There are two projects not included in the list as all the engineering work, for the most part, has been done.  These are the sidewalks between the two lobes of Cranberry Drive along Plymouth Street and Monponsett Street from the Housing Aurhority property north up to the shopping area.   “Those appear to be the easiest to get done at this point,” Seelig said.

“The others on the list do not require engineering to be submitted and so probably in the next week or so we’ll have them sent up to Boston.“   He said he would get the projects list to the board for their comments to relay to Seelig or the Highway Surveyor including the priorities of what order the work should be done.  Andrews commented that he would like to see the sidewalk outside the Town Hall done.

Seelig said he has contacted the highway surveyor and the Buildings and Facilities Needs Committee to see if they wish to pursue bonding for any major projects.  While it appears that there is unlikely to be any request from the Buildings and Facilities Needs Committee, Hayward will be looking for a $4 million bond.  In terms of debt exclusion, Hayward said he would be meeting with the Finance Committee.  Seelig reminded the board that it needed to vote on it in order for it to get onto the ballot.    

Andrews asked if Hayward was looking to hire a crew for the large project.  Seelig said he didn’t know what the Highway Surveyor’s plans entailed but for $4 million “we won’t have the money available unless we go to debt exclusion. So this is  more of a financial issue than a fiscal one.

Andrews said that at a meeting of the Buildings an Facilities Committee the previous week they had discussed whether or not they could hire a crew to do the work on town buildings rather than hire an outside contractor to do the work.  “Somebody should be talking to Town Counsel about that because there are definitely some issues that could arise from that,” Millias said.

The board will meet Tuesday, March 30, at 6 p.m. to review Town Meeting articles.

Seelig spoke about the One Stop Grant Program.   Letters of interest have to be submitted by April 2.  They are looking for large municipal projects, Seelig said, and the redevelopment of properties including the Council on Aging, Municipal Broadband for the town.  Millias added that they had talked about some kind of filtration or pump house for the Monponsett ponds.   “My recollection was that it would be a constant pump that would aerate the water and then perhaps medicate the ponds.  Andrews suggested that they could alternate the ponds year to year.

Mosquito spraying opt out

Seelig told the Board that Halifax can elect to opt out of aerial mosquito spraying.  They would have to give the public notice.  “I wish we didn’t have to spray at all.   If you want to enjoy the outside, put on some sunscreen and go outside,” Selectman Garron said.  Andrews said he thinks the town should have a public hearing on whether the Town of Halifax should opt out of the spraying noting that people with bees and other concerns also don’t want the spraying.  The members of the board agreed.

Cannabis update

There is a host community agreement (HCA) for the 301 Holmes St. Cannabis Green Earth being ironed out with Town Counsel Mayo.  Flower and Soul, LLc, is proposing a Plymouth Street retail store and delivery service.   They will host a community outreach meeting on April 22.  Seelig clarified that the host community agreement does not need to be approved before the outreach meeting.   Flower and Soul, LLc, will contact Atty. Mayo about the HCA.

Vacation time

Selectmen two weeks ago voted to allow up to 80 hours of vacation carryover from FY21 to FY22 for nine union employees.   There is a request to expand that to all other wage earners who may not have had that available to them.   The board agreed that if you allow it for one employee it should be allowed for all.

In other business

• Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor will have mail-in voting but not early in-person voting through June 30.

•  As for the Comcast performance review hearing that was planned for the 13^th, the board was notified that Michael Power of Comcast is not going to in-person meetings so the meeting will now be held on ZOOM.

•  The Aldana Road land swap  that is in progress with the Commonwealth. is on its way to completion; there is just some more paperwork and deed work that needs to be done.

• As for Halifax Solar v. Halifax, this is a property tax abatement and there are legal papers being filed.

• The board had an appointment with Alan Dias representing the Board of Health.  Selectmen had requested his presence to ask if his board had any concerns with having their meeting taped by Area 58.  Dias told selectmen that he had discussed it with his members and staff and they have no problems with their meetings being taped.

• Discussions and work continue with National Grid to site one or more charging stations at the Town Hall.   Andrews asked that the placement be discussed with the Highway Surveyor to avoid problems with snow removal.

• Two complaints have been filed against the Halifax School Committee citing them in violation of the Open Meeting Law.   The complaints are in the file and available to the public.

• Selectmen unanimously approved the request of the Council on Aging to place a tent on the Town Hall Green for activities this spring.   Millias said he would ask them to follow proper procedure and let people know when they are planning an event.

• Selectmen voted unanimously to write a letter of condolence to the family of Martha Smith who was active in town affairs, having worked for the Police department and the Council on Aging as well as being an active volunteer,

The Plympton School Committee Monday night postponed their budget vote until their next meeting Monday, April 26, giving the committee additional time to gather more information on possible budget offsets and additional funding that may become available.   The committee also wanted to research accommodating the additional position of building substitute, a full–time substitute teacher who would be available throughout the school year.  The cost for this position is about $27,000, without taking into consideration the offset in the substitute teacher’s budget line to lessen the expense.

Dennett School Principal Peter Veneto reported that the first day of full in-person learning went very well.  “Our plan became a reality today … No remote learners … everybody came back today. ”   He said that they were able to execute their five lunch period schedule, keeping students the required six feet apart at lunch.  The only additional cost was the purchase of some 50 folding tables that post-COVID can be repurposed in a number of ways.  Pick up and drop off lines were long but executed safely.   “I saw a lot of really happy kids today.   No need to change what we’re doing right now.”

Chairman Jon Wilhelmsen noted, “It’s great that we were able to put a plan together.   It’s much easier to run the school this way with all the kids under one roof. “  Wilhelmsen thanked everyone who helped get it done – in the course of nine days!  It is the goal to keep everyone safe and in school for the rest of the school year.

Christine Healy, the financial guru of Silver Lake reported that everything looks good as far as the current year’s budget goes, no accounts in danger of being overdrawn, and things are running smoothly.

Jason Fraser gave his report on education legislation, saying that the governor’s first draft of the budget was trying to use Oct. 1, 2020 pupil counts on which to base school reimbursements.  With COVID, statewide there was a 3.3% drop in student population.  Fraser said that he spoke with Rep. Kathy LaNatra about allowing schools to use the 2019 student count as the basis for budgeting this year.  LaNatra instead wanted to “fence off” funds until accurate numbers can be had in October 2021.  If there is an increase, then those fenced off funds can be accessed.

As for COVID 19 updates, Fraser said that there has been no change in guidance.  Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, (DESE) has said that three to six feet of distance is acceptable.  While 192 school systems chose six feet, only 49 school systems chose three feet distancing.  The CDC is comparing the data for COVID transmission between the two protocols and has seen no significant increase in COVID transmission.  Two-ply masks are still required, but Dennett already requires them.

Rep. LaNatra signed onto House Docket #2548 to form a statewide commission to look at the sleep needs of students and getting elementary school students to school earlier, and allow secondary school students to start a little bit later so  that the time that they have in school will be that much more efficiently used.

Wilhelmsen said that the first capital plan item on the budget is a fire suppression system at a cost of $9,000 or less.   “This can’t be postponed.”  He also reached out to see if they could include an item on the warrant for the parking lot at the Dennett to be repaired.  “The driveway is at a critical point where if we don’t do some maintenance, we will have to replace it.”

The playground construction is on the horizon and with the proximity of the playground to the septic system, it makes sense to look into its health.  Fraser said he wanted to be able to make use of anticipated infrastructure grants should they become available.  Fraser asked if the septic system had been evaluated and Veneto answered, “the short answer is no.”  Wilhelmsen said that this must to go in as one of the overall school needs.  “Maintain, rather than fixing things that break.  It is more expensive to fix things that break.”  Veneto will reach out to his building superintendent to get that assessment done.

Fraser reported on the status of the playground project, telling the board that he originally approached 2019 Town Meeting for some assistance in building an ADA approved playground on the Dennett.   When Plympton started getting students through school choice, those funds were sequestered for one-time expenditures and not made part of the operating budget.   Outside of a few expenditures for the water treatment equipment and a few other items, the school choice tuitions are largely intact and can be used to fund part of the playground costs. The total price is estimated to be about $250,000, to $300,000 project and none of that money will be funded through the school’s operating budget.   The structures will include a Rocket Swing that will accommodate a mobility-challenged child in a wheelchair, and a soft  rubber footing that will also allow a child in a wheel chair to be able to navigate the playground and be with their peers.  They made adjustments to the playground to make it ADA Plus, building ramps onto the structures, and got a surface level merry go round that is wheel chair accessible, at an additional $37,000 cost.  “We talked about this in depth and the committee agreed to move forward with this idea,” Fraser said

“Right now we’re soliciting quotes,” Healy said, preparing to send it off to three or four vendors on the state’s contractor list.  The next step is going out to the traditional bid for the installation of the playground, as well as the rubberized safety surface.  It was suggested that fencing wait until the playground is installed to see how the area works.  Our hope is to be out to bid Patriots Day week.   

Wilhelmsen said that the committee would be able to see all of the details at the June meeting and vote on the project once they have all the information.

The dinosaur has been a topic of conversation, Fraser said.  there have been a couple of people who have approached them about keeping the dinosaur.  The playground vendors’ advice was to take all the equipment there and turn it into scrap metal.   Once the new equipment was beginning to be installed, any accident on the old equipment would not be covered by insurance.

Superintendent Dr. Jill Proulx told the board that the preliminary regular day budget stands at a 6.2% increase, and the total school budget is 2.9% increase.  Wilhelmsen said, “Overall I think the budget is very lean and of course last year we had to keep a 1.6% overall increase.  I’m not sure even in the best year we’ve ever come down that low.“

One of the issues we run into each year when we vote our budget is that we vote before April 1 and end up with a certain number of placeholders in the warrant.  Given that we haven’t met with FinCom yet ,,, it may be worthwhile for us to consider not voting the budget tonight, to talk through any other open issues and then after we have some numbers for April 1 we can make adjustments as needed.”  

The next school committee meeting is Monday, April 26.