The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Dec. 22, for one of the special meetings they have been holding during the COVID period. Normally, Police Chief Joao Chaves, Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, and Board of Health Agent Bob Valery are all present but only Viveiros was in attendance for much of the meeting.

Viveiros provided a COVID update saying that while he didn’t have the accurate counts, the town was averaging between 2 and 5 new cases per day. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig jumped in to say that the town was “double red.” “If red is 25 cases over a 14-day period, we’re now at 53 or 54 cases,” he explained. Seelig also said that a colleague had reached out to others in surrounding communities who all confirmed that they were seeing similar jumps in the numbers. “It’s not unique to Halifax; there are very, very few cases where you can point to and say this is the cause,” he continued. He recommended that people go back to the basics of washing their hands, wearing masks, and reducing the number of contacts they have.

Viveiros said they have been working on the vaccination rollout for first responders. “We’re working with our medical director Dr. Muse working through the hospital; he’s making a submission on behalf of twelve different departments, we’ll be one of those twelve departments,” he explained. Viveiros said that all vaccines will be shipped to Brockton Hospital so that they can store them at the required temperatures. He also said that once ready to begin vaccinating the Department can go and pick up the vaccines. The vaccine will most likely be the Moderna vaccine. They are hopeful that vaccinations will begin the second week of January. Viveiros said that they have not heard much regarding a widescale distribution plan for the vaccine.

Valery returned for the final minutes of the meeting following a conference call with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Valery told the Board that the flu shot deadline for students that had previously been set at Dec. 31 has now been extended until Feb. 28. “I just urge that people follow the guidelines that are on Mass.gov when it comes to your home gatherings,” Valery said. He told the Board that nearly half of all positive cases come from household spreads.

Seelig touched upon the new state restrictions effective December 26 including reduced capacity for office spaces, etc. to 25 percent of capacity with the exception of those performing essential functions including K-12 schools. Seelig said that the town hall and other municipal buildings have been considered essential. He also suggested that the Board consider asking departments to go to staggered shifts to try to reduce the possibility of transmission, particularly now that the laptops are available for individuals to work from home. “Thinking that everybody is an essential employee and I would leave it up to the individual departments to present a plan as to how they would like to move forward,” Selectman Chair Tom Millias said. Selectman Troy Garron said he was in agreement. “I think if the department head can handle their staff to get the job done, then that’s fine,” Selectman Gordon Andrews said. “I think that we need to keep the town hall open to allow residents to get their business done,” he added.

Seelig also said that indoor event venues are limited to 10 people though he noted he was unclear as to whether or not the Board of Selectman meetings would fall under that umbrella. He asked the Board what decision they would like to make regarding continuing to meet in person. Seelig pointed out that most boards and committees in town have been meeting virtually. They decided to remain in person for the short-term.

Seelig told the Board that during the Thursday, December 17 storm the backflow regulator at the Halifax Elementary School failed. The staff, including Facilities Director Matt Durkee, Bob Clancy, and Halifax Maintenance Director Scott Materna were able to put something together to allow the school to reopen on Friday. “The decision that we made to have Scott be able to work over at the school and direct functions there and also obviously take advantage of his expertise and being able to compensate him properly for his expertise made a big difference in terms of being able to open the school or not open the school,” Seelig said. Andrews, who also serves as Chair of the Halifax School Committee, said that he plans to invite both Durkee and Materna to the School Committee meeting in January to thank them for their extra time and efforts to ensure that the school could open.

A proposed new development project in Halifax known as 8 Hilda Lane has a history dating back to 2005. The property is in an area zoned residential and is owned by 8 Hilda Lane Realty Plus courtesy of Scott Burgess.

The construction planned would consist of 21 single family units spread across 5 buildings.

Burgess bought the property, which consists of 21 acres, back in July of 2019. The original subdivision was approved back in 2005 but was not built except for what appears to be 2 houses that share a common driveway that have their access from Hilda Lane.

Burgess as well as his civil engineer Don Bracken with Bracken Engineering appeared before the Planning Board during their Dec. 3 meeting. “The intent is to build a subdivision road and construct this multifamily development on this one large lot,” Bracken explained. The original application was for a special permit with two variances, however, it was discovered during the Planning Board meeting that two additional variances would be required. Bracken said that they did withdraw their request for site plan approval due to some of the concerns of the Planning Board. He said they plan on resubmitting.

The development is to be constructed in accordance with bylaws with the following exceptions advertised: 1. to allow a 53 ft front yard setback where a 75 ft setback is required and 2. to allow a 43 ft separation between buildings where a 100 ft separation is required.

The necessary changes that were brought to light during the Planning Board meeting include the relocation of a drainage basin which is currently within the riverfront area. Bracken said that the option not to make the change exists though it would require going before the Conservation Commission for approval. The second request is to install a water line. When the subdivision was initially approved in 2005, water was not available at the road but it has since been added. Bracken noted that getting approval on these changes should not be difficult as he would consider them both improvements. Another change includes altering the four driveway entrances that were part of the original plan to just two proposed entrances for the new project.

Bracken presented the project to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) during a scheduled public hearing via Zoom at their December 14 meeting. While the application had been amended to include the four variances as of the date of the meeting, only two variances had been advertised.

ZBA Chair Robert Gaynor said, “I’m concerned with the fact that right before us now… is for a special permit and two variances.” He confirmed with Bracken that correspondence had been sent to the Board stating that they would like to ask for additional variances. Town counsel Amy Kwesell was in attendance and told the Board that it would be their decision whether to move forward or not. Gaynor said, “It’s the intention then, as recommended to the Board, to the Zoning Board, I recommend that I don’t want to do this piecemeal… I want to do it all or nothing.”

Bracken, who was understanding of Gaynor’s position, said that he realizes that the process would likely take several meetings. He said he was hoping that his appearance at the meeting could serve as an opportunity to explain the project and possibly get any feedback prior to another hearing. A potential site walk was also mentioned.

Gaynor also mentioned to those present that Burgess came before the Zoning Board of Appeals in December of 2019 for a different version of the project. The applicant withdrew their application at that time and were not denied. Bracken said he knew little of the encounter.

Gaynor recommended that “we continue the hearing for this petition until it gets advertised correctly with all the variances that are necessary.” Kwesell had concerns, however, that they would be best served getting approval from the Planning Board before proceeding with the ZBA. Kwesell pointed out that the subdivision approval was granted 15 years ago and under the Planning Board regulations for subdivision control, a subdivision approval is only good for two years. She recommended to Bracken that they get approval from the Planning Board as to the modification of the roadway before again appearing before the ZBA.

Kwesell explained, “Right now, if they want to come before the Zoning Board of Appeals under the multifamily, they have to come under the 2005 approved roadway because that’s the only approved roadway that’s out there so they either need to get their modification to that roadway approved or the ZBA can only look at the 2005 approved roadway.” She said she believed it would behoove the client to attain approval for those modifications since they themselves described them merely as improvements. She told the ZBA, “Right now they don’t have an approved roadway that match the plans that are in front of you.”

ZBA member Peter Parcellin echoed the sentiment that the application before them was inaccurate saying, “It needs to catch up.” He went on to say, “I know that the neighborhood around here is very concerned about this project and I think that they deserve everything to be very clear as we’re voting on it.”

Gaynor agreed with Kwesell and Parcellin telling Bracken that they would need to work out the modifications with the Planning Board before even advertising for the special permit with the 4 variances with the ZBA.

“We have no problem continuing this for a couple of months and hopefully that will give us plenty of time to go through the Planning Board process and hopefully get those changes that we’re pretty confident that we should be able to get because they’re improvements,” Bracken said.

Gaynor asked Bracken if he would like to withdraw his petition from the ZBA. While initially Bracken said he would like to confer with his client first, Kwesell told him if they were unwilling to withdraw, the ZBA would need to deny the first project for the special permit with 2 variances resulting in them having to wait two years to present another due to the denied project. Bracken then agreed to withdraw without prejudice. The Board voted to accept the withdrawal.

Resident and abutter Kerri Butler was in attendance and requested to speak. She thanked the ZBA for their due diligence as she said she had noted that there were only 2 variances explicitly listed in the advertising. “We’ve been down this road before; the neighbors are all very concerned. We know that development is inevitable, however, there is reasonable development and then there is over the top development.”

The Halifax Board of Selectmen as well as Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, Police Chief Joao Chaves, and Board of Health agent Bob Valery met Thursday, Dec. 10, for what is being referred to as an extraordinary meeting during the COVID era.

Valery began by telling the selectmen that there have been 22 confirmed cases of COVID in town since their previous meeting. Valery said that the numbers from November 25 through December 8, which included Thanksgiving, showed 48 positive cases for a percent positivity rate in Halifax of 8 percent which was up from 5 percent. He said the town would be moving into the red along with approximately 150 other communities. Valery also expressed concern that there would be even more gatherings between Christmas and New Year’s, compared to Thanksgiving. “I would caution everybody to follow the guidance that has been set forth by the state no matter how difficult it is, during this upcoming holiday season. It’s going to be different than it has been in years’ past,” he explained.

Valery also said that updates to the Maven system including contact tracing information linking directly to it, have allowed him to see when and where clusters of cases develop. According to Valery the guidance from the CDC encourages remote work wherever possible or at least staggering shifts, if possible. He said it might be something that the Board of Selectmen may want to consider.

Chief Viveiros gave an update on the drive-through testing that had been held in Halifax the previous weekend. He said that cars began lining up around 6 in the morning and that there was a steady flow throughout the day. Just under 800 people were tested between the two days with 54 tests coming back positive. Not all those tested were residents of Halifax. Viveiros said that they learned a lot of lessons from the weekend testing that they can use should they choose to run another similar event. He also said that since holding the testing, he has received at least 7 phone calls from communities who were inquiring about holding their own. Hanson plans to do one partnering with the same company as Halifax.

Halifax plans to continue with their employee testing program as well. Additional dates are coming. Viveiros said that he plans to speak with Town Administrator Charlie Seelig about expanding the testing to include the senior population.

Viveiros also took a moment to publicly recognize Dr. Daniel Muse for everything that he has done in assisting with the testing. Muse, an emergency physician at Brockton Hospital, is the Medical Director for the Fire Department. He oversees all emergency services that run out of Brockton Hospital. Muse has already given written, standing orders to the Halifax Fire Department for vaccine distribution, should they be needed. “He has been extremely supportive with all of our COVID efforts,” Viveiros told the selectmen. Chief Chaves expressed his gratitude for Chief Viveiros in executing the drive up testing relatively seamlessly despite inclement weather.

Selectman Gordon Andrews asked if there was a plan to hold another testing event in Halifax, perhaps two weeks after Christmas. Viveiros said that it was certainly something that could be done but noted that the CARES Act funding will expire at the end of December.

Seelig said that decisions will have to be made to proceed with certain expenditures despite not immediately having the receipts/revenue to balance it all. He said that emergency situations sometimes necessitate having an article at the May special town meeting prior to the annual to appropriate money against free cash. “If it’s necessary it’s no different than a snowstorm and spending money beyond what you have in the snow budget. At some point you say we’ve got to do this, we know we have to pay that bill, but it’s worth doing,” Seelig explained.

Seelig asked Valery what the correct protocol for instances was where an employee tests positive but remains asymptomatic.  Seelig, who said he was fielding this question from town employees, asked if they would have to wait the full 14 days to return or if they could shorten the duration to 10 days. Valery answered, “It’s on a very individual basis level because first of all I have to make sure that they haven’t shown any symptoms so that, you know, comes down to integrity, whoever is giving me that information… they do find that if you follow the proper procedures that 10 days coming back and still monitoring yourself for any symptoms for the last four days, only shows about a 1 percent risk factor over the 14 day period.” Valery, who asked that employees are directed to him, noted that if he had any doubts, he would ask the employee to wait the full 14 days.

Chief Chaves asked the Board to extend an offer of employment to Michael Boncariewski as a permanent intermittent patrol officer. Boncariewski is a lifelong resident of Halifax who attended Silver Lake schools. He also previously worked as a special officer in both Hull and Halifax. “I believe he’s an asset to the department… he is well respected by his peers,” Chaves said. The Board voted to approve his hiring. Chaves explained that the department is moving toward state accreditation which will require each new hire to undergo a psych evaluation. Officer Boncariewski will be the first in the department to fulfill this requirement.

The Selectmen voted to sign an amended Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Bud’s Goods and Provisions.

The amended agreement added both indoor cultivation and manufacturing to the list of approved uses. Bud’s will still need to go to the Cannabis Control Commission for a revised provisional license to expand their uses. They will also need to come before the Planning Board for a site plan review and special permit.

The selectmen had an appointment with Green Earth Cannabis, who has proposed a retail marijuana store at 657 Monponsett St., during Thursday’s meeting. John Kudryk and his partners Matthew Collins and Robert Maker were in attendance.

Andrews recused himself from the discussion as he has family that owns adjoining property and therefore a potential conflict of interest.

Kudryk said that the zoning for the proposed location was changed from industrial to commercial. He also said that the location appears to be well within the guidelines that prohibit such an establishment from being within so many feet of a school or other area where children congregate.

Kudryk told the Board that they have had an engineer draw up some preliminary plans. He also said that they are anticipating needing 18 full time employees which he said would help to stimulate the local economy. The projected opening date is July 1, 2022.

Seelig brought up the proposed 21-unit multi-family project known as Hilda Lane. It is set to go before both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Andrews said that he was directing people on social media to contact the appropriate department secretary regarding whether they are for or against the proposal. Seelig said that a letter was received from a resident opposing the project.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy announced during the Tuesday, December 8 meeting of the Plympton Board of Selectmen that the Townhouse would be reverting back to a remote model of business from Dec. 14 through January 11. The decision was made by the Emergency Management Team in conjunction with the Board of Health. Dennehy said that it was not a decision that was entered into lightly but noted the escalation of the virus in town, in the state, and even nationwide.

Dennehy said that all offices will be up and running remotely and noted that the public should still be able to proceed with most business. She also said that they are working on a plan to keep the Council on Aging (COA) pantry open, most likely by appointment. COA transportation services will also continue.   

The selectmen voted on a number of appointments in town including Madeleine Pompei as the senior clerk for Permitting and Planning. A number of appointments were made within the Police Department as well including Daniel Hoffman as acting sergeant, Stephanie Connolly as a special police officer, and James Cranshaw and Matthew Terenzi both as part-time police officers. The appointments are through the end of the fiscal year though language in the contract indicates that they do not need to keep being reappointed once they’ve been appointed for a year. There was also a ratification of two appointments made at the previous Selectmen’s meeting – Colleen Thompson as the Director of Elder Affairs and Carolyn DeCristofano as the alternate for the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Plympton Police Chief Matthew Clancy presented before the Board as part of an ongoing series of discussions with various department heads and other town officials. Chief Clancy began by saying that it had been a tough year for a number of reasons.

There were a number of long-term injuries among members of the Department that required them to be paid as well as those filling in for them. The pandemic also resulted in a number of officers having to quarantine. As with injuries, officers were paid while quarantining resulting in greater expenditures for the Department.

Regional responsibilities required the Department to send officers to protests throughout the region including in New Bedford and Brockton in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Clancy also said that there was a five-day state-wide plan for dealing with possible fallout from the election. As a result, Plympton had some officers assigned to regional response teams and consequently there were costs also associated with the extra responsibilities.

Clancy said that he doesn’t yet have a projection of the shortfall but is working on it and is keeping both Dennehy and the Finance Committee apprised of the situation. While there hasn’t been a lot of federal or state money targeted to law enforcement this year, Clancy said that he was able to procure a few grants. A DOJ Byrne Memorial Grant was awarded in the amount of $20,000 which will be used toward the purchase of protective vests for officers. The funds will also be used to acquire a solar powered, trailer-mounted signboard so the Department won’t need to continue to borrow them from nearby communities. The Department was also awarded a traffic enforcement grant of $11,000 to pay officers for their participation in various Department of Transportation (DOT) traffic campaigns.

The new fiber network is up and running and will be installed in all buildings by the end of this week. Clancy said they will then proceed to thoughtfully and methodically cut various systems in town into the network. The new phone system which will be one system across the entire town will hopefully be up and running in January.

Clancy also gave an update on the accreditation program. He said it is a goal of the Department to obtain state certification. Though the process has been somewhat delayed due to COVID, Clancy said they are close to complete with the revamping of their policies and procedures. The next step will be the state audit. Clancy said that accreditation will likely soon be mandatory so the department has a jump start.

The new Plympton Police Department website that has been in the works for several months, will likely go live in January. “It’s going to give residents a bunch of different opportunities to open up the lines of communication,” Clancy explained.

Clancy also told the selectmen that the Department’s relationship with Duxbury and the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC) continues to be successful. The selectmen thanked him for the updates and Chair Mark Russo said, “We so appreciate your professionalism.”

Chair of both the Plympton School Committee and the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen asked the Board if they would be willing to approve a letter of intent with Solect Energy for a solar power project at Dennett Elementary School. Wilhelmsen said that the opportunity to work with Solect Energy on a project only recently came about and noted that in order to obtain the higher rate for a tax credit, a letter of intent would have to be signed by Tuesday, Dec. 15. Wilhelmsen said that while he had discussed the idea with fellow School Committee member Jason Fraser as well as the Town Properties Committee, he had yet to discuss it with the entirety of the School Committee. All those conferred with were in favor of the idea.

Due to the less-than-ideal state of most of the Dennett roof, the project would entail rooftop solar panels on the blue metal portion of the Dennett roof only. A possible addition would be a canopy in the parking lot. One option involves cutting down what likely amounts to 12 pine trees while another possible option does not. While the taking down of the trees would need to be funded, Wilhelmsen noted that it would probably be just as well as they are within striking distance of the building itself.

Wilhelmsen said that placing panels on just the one small portion of the roof would be an opportunity to invest and learn and said that when the time comes to redo the Dennett roof, they could make sure that it could accommodate solar panels. He also noted that the technology keeps getting better and the cost lower. He described the Dennett as an ideal location in town for solar panels as it is somewhat tucked away.

Russo said, “I have actually felt a little challenged about the trees… also about this canopy thing in the parking lot just in terms of aesthetics.” He did, however, say that it was clear that as a society we need to be moving toward electricity and away from fossil fuels. Given that the letter of intent doesn’t lock the town into an agreement, Russo and the other selectmen agreed to move forward with it pending an approval from the School Committee during their meeting early next week.

Wilhelmsen also provided an update on the Townhouse entrance accessibility project. The Town Properties Committee is hoping to award the design services to the company BETA. Thanks to funds acquired through the efforts of Selectman John Traynor and Representative Kathy LaNatra the plan to add an elevator or lift has evolved into a more comprehensive redesign of the entrances to allow for easier access to the upper floor.

The selectmen also voted to move forward with a notice of intent to award the Highway Barn roof replacement project to the lowest bid. NEL Corporation came in with the lowest bid of $105,875 and according to Dennehy they meet all necessary requirements. The work will be required to be completed within 150 days from the notice to proceed.

Dennehy said that the town had received a $1,000 anonymous donation to benefit the Plympton Public Library. She said that a number of gift cards to be used by seniors for groceries were also donated.

She also updated the selectmen on the signage for the speed zones the Board voted to create in certain areas of town. While the signage is expected to be up this week, Dennehy said that further steps, such as painting markings onto the road, will be investigated in the spring. She called the signage a “step in the right direction.”

The Selectmen each had raves at the conclusion of the meeting, mostly for the volunteers in town. Christine Joy sang the praises of both the Bylaw Review Committee as well as the Town Properties Committee. She also thanked Wilhelmsen for his leadership on a number of committees – a sentiment that was shared by the other selectmen. Traynor said that while two members of the Library Trustees resigned, two more volunteers stepped up to take their place leaving only one opening to be filled. Russo said that while the current times are filled with frustration and challenges, he was heartened by the patience and heartfelt well wishes seen within the community.

The Nov. 23 Halifax School Committee meeting began with a request by committee member Summer Schmaling to hold further meetings in person. Schmaling said she found the virtual format distracting and voiced her opinion that certain participants could be in person while others could participate virtually. “It’s hard to communicate with each other… I just find it an ineffective way to do business,” she explained. Committee Chair Gordon Andrews said he understood that the format wasn’t ideal but explained some of the hurdles standing in the way of in person meetings. He said he would look into resolving the issues prior to the next meeting.

Discussion on Full In-Person Return

Superintendent Jill Proulx opened the discussion on the regulations from the state and their impact on the possibility of a full, in-person return to school. She referenced Governor Baker’s early November press conference where he urged schools, where feasible, to return to full, in-person learning. Proulx cited several issues with the state regulations including the need for social distancing on buses and at lunchtime. Funds and space must be available to meet those requirements.

Of the social distancing requirement Proulx said, “more students will mean less social distancing; six feet is still recommended by the state as well as the CDC and three feet is the minimum set by the state. At this time Halifax has been able to maintain 6 ft of social distancing.” Proulx said that she asked Principal Kayne Beaudry, Assistant Principal Brian DeSantes, and Director of Business Services Christine Healy to look into the feasibility of a full return.

Healy said that in order to provide transportation for all students with proper social distancing, five additional buses would be necessary which would be the equivalent of $800 a day. Healy also noted the likely difficulty in obtaining both the buses and drivers. Andrews said there was nothing in the budget that would allow them to come up with the $800 a day necessary.

DeSantes addressed the issues surrounding lunchtime saying that they can hold a maximum number of 44 students in the cafeteria with necessary distancing and the largest cohort they have is 43. He said that kindergarten and first grade are currently eating lunch at the same time though the kindergarten students are eating in the multi-purpose room. Cleaning and transition times must also be built into the lunch schedule. “So, unless there’s a change on the 6 ft requirement for taking their mask off when eating, that’s pretty tight there as well,” Andrews said.

A parent spoke up during the public participation portion of the meeting, asking why a full return isn’t being looked at more seriously. Proulx cited the difficulty that is posed by the state’s regulations. Andrews said, “I know we’re not giving people what they want and what our students need because of these regulations. We didn’t put these in place but we have to abide by them. I think the busing is the biggest hurdle that our school system has both at the elementary level and at Silver Lake… and then there’s the financial implications of that.” Schmaling angrily said that Governor Baker’s statement was irresponsible given the impossibilities that school committees and school districts are up against. She said that getting the kids back into school full-time is the Halifax School Committee’s ultimate goal, “I just want parents to know that we… as a committee… want that.”

President of the Halifax Teacher’s Association Stephen Ruisi spoke on behalf of the teachers saying that while they would love to see a return to full, in-person learning, it is “a balancing act of health and safety and the quality of education.” He continued, “Unanimously we feel as a union of teachers, 6 ft of social distance is a must and hybrid is the only path forward.”

Reports of Standing Committees

Andrews reported on the negotiations subcommittee saying that they have reached an agreement with the teacher’s union. Ruisi said that the teacher’s union had voted to accept the contract but that they were just waiting on a rough copy of it.

The PTO reported that the virtual book fair was ongoing. They also said that they are still encouraging teachers to file wish list items. Additionally, they are always encouraging more parent participation.

Principal’s Report

Beaudry reported that enrollment was holding steady at 568 students. He said that there was a lot of positive parent feedback from the virtual conferences that were held in late October, citing the flexibility offered as one of the perks. Nearly 85 percent of families participated.

Beaudry also said that Ruisi was able to pull off the annual turkey trot at the school. The event was held over two days and included all cohorts, even those that are fully-remote. The food drive is another annual event that has been able to thrive in spite of the pandemic.

Beaudry said that families faced a decision to switch learning models or stay with their current model for Term 2. He said that requests to change from either full-remote to hybrid or hybrid to full-remote were minimal as were requests to change busing.

Beaudry also reviewed some important upcoming dates. December 10 marks the start of Term 2, Term 1 report cards are released on December 21, Holiday break begins December 24, and students and faculty return to school on January 4. He also said that as of right now, students should plan for MCAS in April/May of 2021.

Financial Report

Healy said, “There really isn’t much to report, we’re doing pretty well right now… I think you’ll see signs of cracks in the next few months.” According to Healy, one of those “cracks” could be rising utilities costs from open windows, air purifiers, and other electricity uses.

Cafeteria Changes

Food Service Director Megan Ahrenholz presented to the Committee saying that two out of the three-person cafeteria staff at Halifax Elementary would be retiring in the near future. One suggestion was to have Ahrenholz take over the administrative piece including the menu planning, the reporting to DESE, and the handling of the audits. “The School lunch world keeps getting more and more difficult with DESE and the Federal government getting involved,” she explained.

Benefits of having all of the Silver Lake towns under the same cafeteria management would include continuity of services across the district, shared costs for bids, and a single point of contact for parents of children in more than one district school.

Ahrenholz proposed the creation of a new nutrition manager at Halifax Elementary with set hours and days and a slightly higher pay scale than a normal aide. They would perform the normal functions of a lunch aide but would also be responsible for managerial type tasks including the day to day paperwork. The Committee agreed to discuss the proposed positions further in executive session so as to move quickly on the hiring.

Special Education Presentation

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable gave her annual presentation regarding special education programming, the budget, the status of the grants and the direction of special education in the district. She defined special education as specially designed education, at no cost to families, to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability. She emphasized the difference between equality and equity saying that the goal was to have equal access to the same opportunities.

In FY21, 18.3 percent or 104 students in the Halifax district are in the special education program.  Grable said this number has stayed relatively steady over the last couple of years. The percentage is slightly higher than the state average and higher than the overall percentage for Silver Lake which stands at roughly 15 percent. The breakdown of those 140 students includes 87 at Halifax Elementary, 20 in the integrated preschool program, 14 in district sub separate programs, and 19 in out of district placement (ODP).

The cost for ODP is $1,857,409 and $473,800 for transportation. The State’s special education Circuit Breaker program provides reimbursement for a portion of costs above $48,000 per placement. Other incoming funds that help the district maintain their special education programming and services include the largest grant, Fund Code 240 which is for $174,642 for Halifax. The majority of these funds are used to offset the cost of the paraprofessionals working directly with the special education population. Grant 262 in the amount of $6,722 targets supports for preschool students ages 3 through 5. Grable also said that two grants that had disappeared in 2018 have returned. Those include Fund Code 274 in the amount of $7,722 and Fund Code 298 in the amount of $1,113.

Grable also gave an overview of the various programs. The Developmental Learning Center (DLC) and Pathways, the Structured Learning Center (SLC) or Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC), and the Language Based Learning Center (LBLC). The programs exist for ages 3 through 22 beginning with the integrated preschool and running through the relatively new Pathways program for young adults.

Grable also addressed the effects of COVID-19 saying, “all of our students have regressed; all of our students have struggled with the school closure from March.” She said compensatory services were being explored if needed due to the regression that occurred in the spring.

She continued, “The difference between the remote plan in the spring and the learning program in the fall is that we really need to ensure FAPE (a free, appropriate education for all of our students). She said the services that are outlined in a student’s IEP are expected to be implemented this fall as they are written in the IEP despite looking different.

Grable also reviewed some upcoming goals including opening another preschool classroom as the slots for students with disabilities are full. Her final slide of her presentation was a shoutout to the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) and Committee Chairs Heather Eddy and Michael Cecere.

Technology Presentation

Technology Director Steve Pellowe presented on the technology budget for Halifax for FY22. Pellowe broke the budget into four main areas/preliminary requests which were school management curriculum (software and subscriptions) at $30,080, technology management (software and subscriptions) at $30,520, supplies and repairs at $7,400, and technology hardware and assistive technology at $22,700. Pellowe said that included in those numbers are several items that are for remote learning and have not been there in the past.

Pellowe said that Silver Lake has agreed to fund a technology paraprofessional position through the end of the year for additional assistance as their department’s requests for help have tripled over this time last year. Andrews asked Pellowe if he had any specific requests should further CARES Act funding become available through the town and Pellowe said that he would fully support laptops for the teachers as was being done in other schools in the Silver Lake district.

Curriculum Coordinator Presentation

Title I Director and K-6 Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Farrell also presented to the Committee. Farrell showed a historical overview of the Title 1 grant showing the continuing decrease from 2018 to 2021. In FY18, Title I funding was $335,867 and in FY21 it was $156,013. Farrell commended Halifax for funding a needed math position in their budget and said that Halifax’s Title 1 money will be used to fund two reading interventionists positions. She said they were having difficulty filling the positions but noted that they would continue to be posted. She said that unlike previously thought, they will have the allocation available for summer programming this year.

Farrell said they are in the second year of a new math curriculum. Farrell also said they are implementing a pilot for the online program Lexia for Halifax grades K-5. Grade 6 is using a new ancient civilizations program. There is also a new anti-bullying, social and emotional curriculum for all grades across the district. Farrell also created a website called “Parent Academy” which highlights resources available to parents during this difficult time.

She then turned to budget considerations saying that the school is in their last year of the current ELA program which she called “outdated.” “Budget implications for ELA are all over the mark,” Farrell said. She continued saying that she has quotes as high as $500,000 for a 7-year district implementation of a literacy program. Of that $500,000, about $157,000 would come from Halifax which Farrell said she would try to split between two years’ budgets.

Vote on Continuation of CARES Act Positions

Proulx told the Committee they would need to take a vote on whether or not to continue funding several positions that were funded through the CARES Act. That funding will run out at the end of December. The Committee needed to decide whether to continue funding them through the end of the school year. Those positions include a long-term building substitute, three long term substitute classroom teachers, and a long-term substitute custodian. Andrews said that while the school budget wouldn’t support those positions, the Halifax Board of Selectmen (of which he is one) declared a state of emergency which allows them to deficit spend.

“If we didn’t make any changes at the special town meeting at the annual town meeting then we would deficit spend, but if we make an adjustment to the line at the special meeting then we should be able to add that amount of money or some amount of money necessary to cover those costs for this school year. So, there is a way to pay for that outside of the CARES funding,” Andrews explained. The Committee voted unanimously to fund those positions in the amount of $116,293 through the end of the school year.

Halifax Selectmen Chair Tom Millias began the Nov. 19 meeting saying, “Welcome to another exciting episode of the town of Halifax Board of Selectmen. This is our meeting in-line with our policy during this COVID era to have extraordinary meetings.” He then turned things over to Halifax Board of Health agent Bob Valery.

Valery told the selectmen that there had been 4 cases of COVID in the town since the previous meeting. He also implored residents to consider safety protocols such as social distancing over the Thanksgiving holiday. “Proceed with caution,” he warned.

Millias said he had noticed the stores in town becoming more lax with counting heads as shoppers entered the door. Valery said he spoke with establishments such as Walmart and Stop and Shop and they ensured that they will be monitoring the numbers moving forward. “This is going to be the telling season when people are out doing their shopping though I think a lot of it is going to be online,” Millias said. “Hopefully people are going to be responsible,” he continued.

Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves said that Walmart had been holding Black Friday sales the last few weekends in an attempt to minimize the number of shoppers on the actual day following Thanksgiving. He also said there will be detail officers assigned to the store that day.

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros gave an update on the portable coronavirus testing site in town which he said should be ready to begin testing in a week or two. Viveiros said they will be utilizing an antigen test which is administered via a nasal swab rather than an antibody test. “If someone has antibodies it doesn’t give us any true information whereas the antigen test gives us useful information; if the person tests positive they’ll be considered contagious for the virus,” he explained. Halifax received 350 PCR tests with Fedex labels. Results will be available within 24-48 hours. “PCR tests are the gold standard,” Viveiros said. The town was able to get the cost of the tests down from $140 per test to just $75 apiece.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig asked the Board to approve buying thermometers for each town department. Seelig said that at $60 apiece, the town would likely need to purchase 10 at a cost of $600.

It is yet to be determined if CARES Act funds can be used to pay for the devices or if the money will need to come from elsewhere.

Selectman Gordon Andrews said, “I’m okay with the expense if we think it’s valuable.” He added, “The data seems to be conflicted.” Millias said, “It’s at least something we can do that’s minimally invasive and quick.” He noted, however, that the temperatures are “not necessarily telling.” Seelig said that he was envisioning the new safety protocol to be managed by each individual department.

Seelig also reviewed the mask mandate. Unless you’re in a closed building not open to the public or in an enclosed office not open to the public, you are supposed to be wearing a mask regardless of whether 6 feet away from someone. Seelig said that while he expects pushback from town employees, it would be better than dealing with complaints from residents.

“I’d rather deal with it internally than deal with it externally,” he explained. Viveiros said that while there was a bit of Covid fatigue going on in the middle months of the pandemic, for the last three weeks, everyone has been wearing a mask at all times at the fire station.

Seelig also reviewed some updated guidance from the state. While the initial guidance of quarantining for 10 days after exposure still stands, people can now test out of quarantine after 10 days as long as they meet certain parameters. Individuals must have had no symptoms of COVID and must continue not to have any symptoms. A negative PCR test after day 8 of quarantine must also be achieved.

Finally, individuals must continue to monitor themselves for the full 14 days and must get tested should any symptoms arise. Valery also added that this set of qualifications is based on the assumption that no one else in the household has tested positive for the virus.

Various Boards of Health in the state are sending a request to Governor Baker and other legislative leaders asking for $15 million in supplemental funding for Covid activities performed by the Boards. Seelig pointed out that if you breakdown the expense per person in the state, it was a really small amount of money.

“It can go a long way in a lot of communities to help staff in whatever community it is to perform the functions related to Covid,” Seelig explained. The selectmen voted to sign a letter of support for the measure.

The selectmen also signed the annual contract with the dog shelter in Lakeville.

The Monday, November 16 virtual Plympton Selectmen’s meeting was a popular place to be with much of the Dennett Elementary School staff present as well as members of the Finance Committee and a few other committees. As explained by Chair Mark Russo, the selectmen have begun a practice this year of inviting a representative(s) from various boards, commissions, and committees in town to come to a meeting and provide an update. He told those assembled, “This week, we have the opportunity to meet with the teachers and we are absolutely thrilled with that chance.”

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen was in attendance as was School Committee member Jason Fraser. Dennett staff present included Principal Peter Veneto, school psychologist Christine Marcolini, teachers Ann Walker, Jenna Ouellet, Bea Reynolds, Elizabeth Goodman, JaneMarie Sylvester, Kara Schofield, Meghan Conroy, Andrea Clawson, and Meghan Shaheen.

Ann Walker spoke on behalf of her fellow teachers saying, “We have had to rebuild our schools from the ground up… had to rethink any and all aspects of the school day.” She described teachers working to learn new technology over the summer as well as designing virtual classrooms and making videos for asynchronous learning. Unlike many districts, Plympton was able to devise a plan that allowed students to have live teaching even when remote.  She also acknowledged the extensive efforts of not just teachers but all staff including custodians. She also had high praise for Veneto who she said didn’t miss a video or phone call all summer. “All of this extraordinary effort has gone into ensuring that the children of Plympton continue to receive an effective and meaningful education that nurtures not only the mind but the spirit as well,” Walker explained. A video was then played that had been prepared in collaboration with the staff at Dennett to demonstrate what the new normal looks like in the school.

Russo thanked the teachers saying of their success this school year, “We are thrilled that you’re here and thrilled with your presentation… I will admit that I would have given very low odds that you or anyone could have pulled this off and the fact that you have is just stunning.” Selectman Christine Joy concurred saying, “It’s been amazing to watch and to hear about what you’re doing… this group of teachers and staff in the building are an amazing group.” Selectman John Traynor asked how they are dealing with the stress of the situation. Walker said that in 28 years of teaching this year has been the most difficult. “We have such a strong support group in our building. We really, I think, have bonded even more closely throughout this whole process… I think each one of us has had our moments,” Walker said.

Following the discussion with the teachers, the selectmen turned their attention to future priorities for the budget cycle. Russo said despite town meeting still being six months away, the budget process was beginning as it often takes that long to put the budget together. Russo said that the meeting would allow for the Town Properties Committee and the Board of Selectmen to present their expected needs for the next year to the Finance Committee. Russo also said it would allow them a chance to explain their priorities in terms of short, medium, and long-term goals as well as those that they deem essential versus those that are less essential.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy spoke first assuring those present that she was well aware of the financial situation of the town and was not advocating for spending on all of these priorities at one time. “We are managing expectations,” she explained.

Dennehy mostly addressed personnel management saying she would like to see the town establish an article for professional level searches such as department heads. She said the funds could be used toward professional advertisements and professional recruitment services. One possible suggestion Dennehy gave was to repurpose the funds leftover from the town administrator search. “It would ensure we continue to bring in the best and the brightest as far as those department head roles,” Dennehy explained.

Dennehy also shared concern over the razor thin budgets that don’t allow overlap between when an employee leaves a role, and another starts. She also spoke to what she called “the revolving door” with public safety officials in town. Plympton has been losing a lot of fire and police personnel to other towns. She said that retirements and employees leaving their positions can be quite costly as accrued, unused vacation time, etc. must be paid out resulting in reduced salary lines for new hires.

The Selectmen spoke next. Russo said that he echoed Dennehy’s points and said that he understands the need to keep the tax rate as moderate as possible. Speaking to the upcoming year, Russo said he understands the questions regarding revenues and what additional expenses may be accrued by the town. He noted that they are trying to run a 10-million-dollar operation mostly with part time help or volunteers. Russo said he would like to see better funding for consultants to assist in job searches as well as more hours for the building inspector, Council on Aging, and the zoning enforcement officer. Other needs according to Russo include more help with the website and new budgeting and accounting software.

Joy suggested performing an analysis to determine which is costlier – losing employees to other towns or paying a little bit more for insurance as she believes people are leaving Plympton for communities that offer better health insurance. Joy also said she would like to see a tightening up of the personnel bylaws that would stop allowing employees to accrue unused vacation time resulting in $20,000 payouts when leaving a position. “You need to lose your vacation time or lose it,” she said. Joy also said she would like to see more notice given prior to retirements.

Selectman John Traynor, who said he has lived in town for 50 years and volunteered for 30, said he was concerned about losing the volunteer spirit in the town. He said that of the roughly 130 volunteer positions available in town, only 60 or 70 people are doing that work. He noted the importance of utilizing volunteers saying, “that’s in a sense the beauty of the town is that people care about it.”

Wilhelmsen, who serves as Chair of the Town Properties Committee, began by saying, “Don’t freak out because we’re going to talk about a lot of things, and we understand that we have to pay for them and we have to put things in order.” Wilhelmsen said that when the decision was first made to build a new police station there were a lot of numbers thrown around regarding cost before a decision was made to stop and hire a professional to assess exactly what was needed. He referred to the hiring as slowing down in order to move faster and related it to the work of the Town Properties Committee. According to Wilhelmsen the goal of the Town Properties Committee is to “thoughtfully evaluate and document both current and future town property’s needs” and to “make recommendations for the town to act upon.” The Committee plans to take advantage of a grant that will allow them to look at the town campus and help guide in planning for the future.

Wilhelmsen said they are currently working with a consultant on septic and water use on the town campus. “We need to understand what we have before we can even understand what’s feasible,” he explained. He also said that the new roof for the town barn is going out to bid this week. There is currently $100,000 available for the project as approved at town meeting. Wilhelmsen said they are hopeful they will get a bid that will allow them to move forward with the project and get a new roof put on before it is too late in the winter.

Wilhelmsen also addressed what the Town Properties Committee is considering short term needs with limited costs. Those items include fixing lighting issues at the library, installing an accessibility ramp for the upper floor of the townhouse for which funds are available through the state, refurbishing or replacing the flagpole on the town green, and addressing problems with the cistern that the Fire Department has under the town green and for which a grant may be available. Other short-term needs include performing an assessment of the roof on the townhouse building and an assessment of waste lines and drainage issues at the townhouse.

Amongst the items Wilhelmsen categorized as potential items for town meeting were assessments to the roofs at the library, fire station, and the old townhouse. While it’s not expected that these roofs would be replaced in the near future, having the assessments done would allow the town to create a plan and have an idea of potential costs. Wilhelmsen advocated for establishing a fund to withdraw from when professional assessments are needed.

Wilhelmsen said that the new ambulance and brush truck that have been acquired by the Fire Department are larger than the outgoing models. This is creating a space issue within the station that will need to be solved. In the long-term, the town may need to start thinking about designs for a new fire station.

Medium to long term projects would include eventually fixing or replacing the roofs for which assessments will be done. Fixes will have to be done to deal with whatever comes of the investigation into the waste line issues. Townhouse drainage issues and basement water issues will eventually have to be resolved. The Dennett will likely need a new roof in 5-7 years, a cost that estimates have placed at $1.5 million dollars. The driveway and the parking lot at the Dennett will also eventually need fixing.

Chair of the Finance Committee Nate Sides joked that he will be holding weekly bake sales until some of the items can be funded. Sides said, “We certainly appreciate the effort that everyone has put into this meeting and I agree with what has been said by everyone previously as far as the need for the planning and the benefits that we realized from taking a moment to step back and take a look at the big picture.” Sides said it would be helpful to have an inventory from the various departments regarding the state of their equipment so the town could better plan for replacing the items when the time comes. Sides also said he agreed with Joy that vacation time for town employees should either be taken or forfeited.

Following the discussion on the Town Properties Committee, the selectmen moved on to two appointments. The first of which was for the much anticipated role of Director of Elder Affairs. Traynor had been acting as an interim director. Colleen Thompson, who has served in many roles in town, was named to the position. Traynor said, “I’ve talked to Nancy Butler, the Chair of the Committee, and she is delighted. I’m delighted.” There were many murmurs of agreement coming from those present at Monday’s meeting. Her term will run through June 30, 2020.

The second appointment was Carolyn DeCristofano as an alternate on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Her term will run through June 30, 2022. There is still an opening for another alternate.

Traynor gave a brief update on the Council on Aging (COA) saying that an outreach worker was still needed. “I think I feel good about what we’re offering our seniors,” Traynor said.

Dennehy provided an update on the COVID situation. The County will be dropping off two CARES Act reimbursement checks for a little over $5,000 apiece from expenses submitted in September. A larger reimbursement check for $170,000 is still pending. Two more submissions are going to be made from the town – one largely on behalf of the school and another for various town-related odds and ends. Dennehy also asked that residents remain vigilant as numbers in the town continue to rise.

Wilhelmsen provided a brief COVID update on the school saying that despite Governor Baker’s recent announcement that he would like to see students back in school full time where feasible, it is still the position of the School Committee that Dennett won’t be moving that way until the state has reached Level 4 which means an available vaccine and/or therapeutics. Despite there being approximately 20 cases in the entire Silver Lake district as of Monday’s meeting there had been no cases at the Dennett.

Dennehy told the Board that they are working on a hazard mitigation plan which is funded through a FEMA grant. As part of that plan, the general public will be surveyed regarding natural hazards. While there will be a link to that survey on the town website, hardcopy mailings will also be sent to seniors in town.

Dennehy said she has been working with the South Shore Community Action Council to find out about possibly securing a small number of turkeys for seniors in town for Thanksgiving. Jean Pacheco at the Council on Aging said that while the seniors are grateful for the premade meals received from the Fire Department, some are interested in cooking their own turkeys.

As customary, the selectmen ended their evening with their rants and raves. Traynor said his rave was for the Fire Department who intends to deliver Thanksgiving meals to any seniors that request one. Joy said her rant was for the divided state of the country. “We need to focus on what we have in common more so than what divides us,” Joy lamented. Her rave was for the great people of the Plympton community. For his rant Russo said, “This is my third three-year term as selectman and I increasingly find this sense of so much to do with limited human and financial resources.” His rave was for how well the town does in spite of the things they are up against.

Much of the Thursday, Nov. 5, Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting was spent discussing measures to curb the spread of COVID both at the town level and within the Town Hall.

Board of Health agent Bob Valery told those assembled that there had been two new cases of COVID in town reported just that morning. Valery also mentioned Governor Baker’s new restrictions released on Nov. 2 and taking effect on Nov. 6. Baker’s guidelines include a 10 p.m. curfew as well as an order for restaurants and other establishments to stop serving by 9:30 p.m. Valery said he visited local establishments to make sure everyone would be adhering to the new guidelines.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig added, “That order comes with you shouldn’t be over a friend’s house after ten o’ clock. You should be back in your house by then.” Selectman Gordon Andrews clarified that he didn’t believe it was an order, but rather an advisory. Co-Chair of the Board of Health Alan Dias said he was under the impression it was an order rather than an advisory. He also said that he didn’t believe it to be enforceable by the town. Police Chief Joao Chaves said he believed the enforcement of mask wearing and limits on gatherings to be an order while the travel restrictions were an advisory. For his part, Chaves said he wouldn’t feel good about pulling people over after 10 pm if there were no other violations.

According to Valery, Plymouth has hired an outside security agency to monitor activity in the town. Selectman Troy Garron wondered aloud about what kind of authority would be granted to such an agency. Valery said, “We’re not at that point here in Halifax.”

Dias asked the Board if they would consider a policy requiring a sign-in and temperature check for all town employees upon the start of each day in order to better aid with contact tracing. The Fire Department is already following this procedure. Selectman Tom Millias said it was “certainly something we can think about.”

Seelig agreed that the proposed procedure may help with contact tracing but clarified that it would not help curb the spread of the virus. Referring to a recent case in a town employee, Seelig said, “the situation we had earlier was more … employees making decisions that they probably shouldn’t have made. Not, in fact, who was in and out of the building.” He continued, “… if people had, in fact, stayed the six feet away and kept their mask on and such we should have been able to say, ‘okay, you weren’t within this person for 15 minutes.’” Regarding the proposed policy, he said, “We can do this, but the big thing is the behavior. It’s not getting a list of people and getting them checked in by 8 a.m. – it’s what they do after 8 a.m.” A reminder of proper safety protocols was sent out to all town employees with the last paycheck. Andrews said, “Seems like the protocol wasn’t followed, not that we don’t have one in place.”

There was some additional discussion between Valery, Dias, Seelig, the chiefs, and the selectmen as to whether residents should also have to sign in before entering the Town Hall. Dias said that Plymouth residents are not allowed into the town hall without first leaving their name and phone number. Seelig pointed out that residents don’t typically spend 15 minutes or more inside the building and therefore their information wouldn’t be needed for contact tracing.

The selectmen voted unanimously to put a policy in place that all town employees must wear a mask at all times and in all areas of the buildings unless eating or drinking. The only exception would be for those providing a doctor’s note for a medical exemption. Chaves said that since a member of the Police Department tested positive, all members of the department have been wearing masks diligently. “The next ninety days are going to be very difficult the way the numbers are going,” Dias said.

COVID Testing

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros gave an update on a potential testing program in Halifax. Viveiros said that they certainly had the ability to do both the antibody testing as well as the nasal swab testing. He said that the big question would be determining the goal behind the testing. Of the antibody testing, Viveiros said, “There are plenty of communities that are doing the molecular level tests… how much money are we willing to invest into that?” The department is still working on a plan.

Annual Toy Drive

The selectmen also discussed the logistics behind the toy drive that is run annually by the Fire Department and the Girl Scouts usually on the first Saturday in December. In a normal year, Santa would ride through on one of the Fire Department vehicles. Viveiros said that typically about 6-8 people participate from the department with twice that many volunteering on behalf of the Girl Scouts.

While the majority of the event is outside, keeping people six feet from one another could prove difficult. It is an all-day event usually running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seelig said, “however they do it, we don’t want a large group of people intermingling.” Viveiros said that typically the back of the Fire Station is loaded with toys and said that it would be important to stress that large groups of people cannot gather there.

The selectmen agreed that those running the event would need to touch base with Valery and decide on what restrictions would need to be put in place in order to ensure it is a safe event. The selectmen will approve the event at a later meeting after hearing the final plan.

Recycling abatements

The selectmen then turned their attention to dealing with requests that were submitted late for recycling abatements. The selectmen voted unanimously to reject these requests. Millias said, “this is all uncomfortable… this isn’t something that anyone wants to do.”

Andrews, who has not always been aligned with the other selectmen regarding whether to issue abatements, said he agreed that it was necessary to have a building available and a recycling program. He went on to say, however, “we’re acting like this is a tax, so if it’s a tax to keep the building open then it should be coming out of tax… if people aren’t using the service, they shouldn’t be paying for it, the other people should be paying the amount necessary to run the service.”

Millias said that there were a myriad of options to consider when deciding the fate of the current recycling program. Millias suggested the possibility of eliminating the curbside pickup and asking, instead, to have residents bring it directly to the facility. Garron said he would just like to see people alert the town if planning to use a private recycling company. Millias said, “at some point, I think even the fees won’t sustain the program.” The plan is to schedule a dedicated time to explore and discuss the options.

HOPS to get help

Seelig said that they had received correspondence from a resident concerned with some maintenance issues at the HOPS Playground. According to Seelig a downed bench would be dealt with as would some broken equipment and overgrowth outside the fence.

It was a late night counting votes in most polling places with voter turnout setting records in Plympton, Halifax, and Kingston – about 80 per-cent.  In Plympton, the 2016 presidential election broke all records for voter turnout, and 2020 topped those!

Kingston resident and incumbent Kathy LaNatra won her bid for a second term as Representative in General Court for the 12^th Plymouth District, besting Halifax resident Summer Schmaling in a close contest.   LaNatra took 13, 150, or 53.7 per cent of the vote to Schmaling’s 11,348 votes, or 46.3 percent.

Here are the results as of Wednesday noon:

Plympton’s Town Clerk Patricia Detterman released the following unofficial results:

President

Biden and Harris 962

Hawkins and Walker  12

Jorgensen and Cohen  31

Trump and Pence 912

Blanks   16

Others     1

Senator in Congress

Edward J. Markey 960

Kevin J. O’Connor 932

Blanks   34

Dr. Shiva   7

Other   1

Representative in

Congress

Bill Keating 983

Helen Brady 826

Michael Manley   59

Blanks   66

Councillor

Christopher A. Ianella, Jr.   1253

Blanks   676

Others       5

Senator in General Court

Michael D. Brady 1266

Blanks   661

Others     7

Representative in

General Court

Kathleen R. LaNatra 963

Summer K. Schmaling 923

Blanks   48

Register of Probate

Matthew J. McDonough 1273

Blanks   657

Others     4

County Commissioner – Vote for two

Gregory M. Hanley   849

John Patrick Riordan   513

Jared L. Valanzola   826

Blanks 1680

County Treasurer

Thomas J. O’Brien 1081

Carina Leeza Mompelas   736

Blanks   117

Question 1 –

Right to Repair

Yes 1512

No   370

Blank   52

Question 2 –

Ranked Choice Voting

Yes 555

No 1298

Blank     81

Halifax

In Halifax, 79.1 percent of Halifax voters cast ballots on Tuesday.  Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor released the following unofficial results of the 4853 ballots cast:

President

Biden and Harris 2379

Hawkins and Walker    27

Jorgensen and Cohen   76

Trump and Pence 2385

Write-ins     18

Blanks     18

Senator in Congress

Edward J. Markey 2335

Kevin J. O’Connor 2363

Write-ins     35

Blanks     120

Representative

in Congress

Bill Keating   2431

Helen Brady   2132

Michael Manley     79

Write-ins       6

Blanks   205

Councillor

Christopher A. Iannella,

Jr.               3226

Write-ins     86

Blanks 1541

Senator in General Court

Michael D. Brady 3205

Write-ins 83

Blanks 1565

Representative in General

Court

Twelfth Plymouth District

Kathleen R. LaNatra 2215

Summer K. Schmaling 2460

Write-ins     4

Blanks   174

Register of Probate

Matthew J. McDonough 3164

Write-ins     69

Blanks 1620

County Commissioner –

Vote for two

Plymouth County

Gregory M. Hanley 2029

John Patrick Riordan 1226

Jared L. Valanzola 2069

Write-ins       9

Blanks   4373

County Treasurer

Thomas J. O’Brien   2585

Carina Leeza Mompelas 1847

Write-ins       4

Blanks   417

Question 1 –

Right to Repair

Yes 3560

No 1166

Blank   127

Question 2 –

Ranked Choice Voting

Yes 1419

No 3201

Blank   233

When asked if Halifax’s use of use Early Voting Advance Processing helped, Gaynor answered,  “It’s time consuming, however, since EV was only about 36 per cent.of the vote, I knew that we would be busy at the polls, so yes, it did help. “

Kingston

In Kingston, Town Clerk Paul Gallagher said Kingston had an 82 percent turnout of their 10,404 registered voters.   These are the unofficial results of their 8,529 ballots cast:

President

Biden and Harris 4498

Hawkins and Walker    28

Jorgensen and Cohen  163

Trump and Pence 3763

Write-ins     28

Blanks     49

Senator in Congress

Edward J. Markey   4435

Kevin J. O’Connor 3852

Write-ins     53

Blanks   189

Representative in

Congress

Bill Keating 4698

Helen Brady 3309

Michael Manley   177

Write-ins       6

Blanks   339

Councillor – First District

Joseph C. Ferreira     5764

Write-ins     112

Blanks 2653

Senator in General Court

Plymouth and Barnstable

District

Susan Lynn Moran 4307

James R. McMahon, III 3754

Write-ins       9

Blanks   459

Representative in

General Court

Twelfth Plymouth District

Kathleen R. LaNatra  4794

Summer K. Schmaling   3448

Write-ins       6

Blanks     281

Register of Probate

Matthew J. McDonough 5785

Write-ins     78

Blanks 2666

County Commissioner –

Vote for two

Plymouth County

Gregory M. Hanley 3854

John Patrick Riordan  2561

Jared L. Valanzola   3252

Write-ins     18

Blanks 7373

County Treasurer

Thomas J. O’Brien 5032

Carina Leeza Mompelas 2819

Write-ins       4

Blanks   674

Question 1 –

Right to Repair

Yes 6203

No 2100

Blank   226

Question 2 –

Ranked Choice Voting

Yes 2590

No 5605

Blank   334

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met for three hours on Thursday, Oct. 22. Newest member Lukasz Kowalksi was in attendance representing Plympton.

Principals’ Reports

High school principal Michaela Gill and middle school principal Jim Dupille provided the Committee with updates. Gill began by saying that the graduation date this year will be moved from Saturday morning to Friday evening as was done this past summer. Gill said they received a lot of positive feedback regarding the switch and also said that it allows the rain date to be the following day. The new date will be Friday, June 4 with a rain date of June 5.  Committee member Eric Crone said that as a parent of a graduating senior last year, he agreed with the change and noted the cooler temperatures during the evening. Gill also said that due to the overwhelming success of the senior parade held due to COVID restrictions, it may become a new tradition moving forward.

The school hosted its first ever virtual back to school night with teachers creating slide presentations and videos for parents to view at their convenience. The presentations remain on the website should anyone still wish to view them. Parent-teacher conferences were also held virtually and Gill said that there was a 10.5 percent increase in parent participation over the previous year. She attributed the increase to the convenience of parents not having to take time off from work or schedule a babysitter in order to attend. Gill said that they will consider restructuring both the back to school event and the conferences in the future, perhaps offering a remote option even after the pandemic is over.

Gill also brought before the Committee a request to approve both drama and band beginning in a limited capacity after school. Band would begin as just one day a week and would include percussion instruments only to avoid the possible risk posed by wind instruments. The drama program, which will include only one show this year during the spring, would also be meeting one day per week after school in the auditorium. Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said the requests complied with DESE guidelines and the Committee voted unanimously to approve.

Due to the pandemic last year, the requirement for seniors to complete community service hours was waived. Gill said she has been fielding questions regarding whether the same accommodation will be made this year. Given that there have already been some opportunities for students to complete hours either virtually or with safety protocols in place, Gill said she would like to hold off on making a final decision on whether or not to waive the requirement until after the new year.

The school participated in raising funds for breast cancer research in October through a small staff fundraising event which was held virtually. Students were also encouraged to wear pink to help raise awareness. Students also participated in a global Unity Day that entailed wearing orange to stand in solidarity against bullying.

Gill also recognized several teachers and staff members for their outstanding efforts in getting school started this year including the school nurse who Gill said is the first one in the building every day. “Without her obviously we would not have been able to open our doors this year… I don’t think she’s slept since March 12,” Gill told the Committee.

Dupille said that parent teacher conferences were coming up at the middle school on November 18 and 19 and said the format would be the same as the high school. He also said that Term 1 progress reports would be issued electronically. Like the high school, Dupille said they held a virtual back to school night. Parents were able to speak virtually with their children’s teachers.

A Halloween costume contest was planned by student council and students in the in-person cohorts were encouraged to wear their costumes to school as part of Spirit Week.

Dupille said he wanted to thank his teachers and other staff such as the custodial staff. He noted their dedication saying, “students are the recipient of all that hard work.”

CARES Act Funds and Technology Needs

The administration was able to speak to the towns of Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton about sharing their CARES Act funds with Silver Lake Regional. A meeting was scheduled so that the three towns and the school could discuss how best to ensure that an adequate share of each town’s allocation is going toward the region. Committee member Christopher Eklund said, “whatever is proportionate to our portion of the towns’ budgets is fair to ask for.”

Director of Business Services Christine Healy said that Representative Kathy LaNatra was able to secure $120,000 in CARES Act funding for Silver Lake to be used for technology infrastructure as well as $26,000 to be used for PPE.

Considerations for technology expenditures include laptops for faculty instead of chromebooks as well as a technology paraprofessional position through the end of the year. Teachers have been finding that the chromebooks don’t support the kind of work they are doing. Silver Lake Technology Director Steve Pellowe told the Committee that chromebooks are not designed to run Google Meets while also having multiple tabs open.

There was some discussion among the Committee regarding the need for laptops for students as well. Pellowe said that in an ideal world, laptops would be issued for all students in Grades 7-12 but noted that laptops run approximately $1000 a piece while chromebooks are only $230. Pelllowe also said that the repairs and upkeep for laptops are far costlier. Even if CARES Act funds could be secured for the purchase of laptops for students in older grades, Pellowe said, “the ongoing costs would be so high I think it would be unsustainable.” Crone cited the durability of chromebooks as another reason why they are ideal for students.

The Committee voted to approve laptops for the faculty as well as the tech para position through the end of the year. The estimated cost for these items is roughly $184,000.

Some members of the Committee expressed concern over spending CARES Act funds on technology expenses that assume a remote or hybrid model through the end of the year rather than a return to full-in person learning. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee stressed that with guidelines and budget restrictions what they are, it would be impossible for schools to open up full time even if the communities stay out of the red zone. Committee member Gordon Andrews noted that the busing restrictions prevent a return to full in-person learning but did note that a change to that guideline might change how best to spend CARES Act funds.

Superintendent Jill Proulx said, “I recognize the hardship that the hybrid model and remote model and basically just not returning to a traditional classroom setting has caused for many students and families and so I am aware of that. We have discussed before some of the issues that will arise with returning to full, in-person and that is the need for the regulations with regards to busing to change because we had determined a while ago that that would be cost prohibitive for us as a regional school district and we are required to provide transportation.”

Proulx said the other issue that would make a return to full, in-person learning difficult is the 6 ft social distance mandate during lunch. While DESE guidance allows for less than that in a classroom setting, lunchtime requires more distance.

Enrollment

Proulx said that as of October 1, enrollment at the middle school was 524 and 1,082 at the high school for an overall decrease of 19 students over last year. Assessment percentages for 2022 stand at a 10 percent increase for both Halifax and Kingston and a 20 percent decrease for Plympton. The shared cost percentage for Halifax will be increasing by 20 percent and increasing by 10 percent for Kingston. Plympton, on the other hand, will see a 60 percent decrease. Proulx told the Committee that there has been an increase in students attending private and charter schools as well as being homeschooled. Additionally, many elementary school aged children have chosen to take a year off before entering kindergarten. Proulx said it was not a Silver Lake problem but rather a problem for all of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Association of Superintendents has asked the state not to hold these numbers against individual schools given the unusual nature of this school year.

School closures

Proulx told the Committee that there has been a change in regulatory language that would allow communities in the red for more than 3 weeks to remain in a hybrid model. While still subject to change, Proulx said that even If a community remains in the red for three or more weeks, if there isn’t school spread, the schools may remain open. As the schools’ largest population, Proulx said that Kingston is the primary metric for consideration in deciding whether to change models at Silver Lake Regional. Both the Board of Health and the state has allowed Silver Lake to remain in a hybrid model as there hasn’t been school spread. Proulx said that should there be a cluster of cases or school spread, an epidemiologist for the Department of Health may make the determination to close the schools. She said that Cohort D students would be prioritized for in-person learning in whatever capacity would be allowed.

John Lay spoke on behalf of the Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA). He said, “This year will only work with compromise… Since the start of the year, our teachers have worked without any contract because we hold the best interests of the children of the town higher than our own. We’ve been holding up our end of this compromise.” He continued, “Tonight I’m calling on the School Committee to recognize the efforts and the sacrifices of the faculty and staff of Silver Lake by offering the teachers a fair contract and settling the memorandum of agreement.” Before closing, he added, “We’re overwhelmed. We quite literally couldn’t be working any harder for our students. The School Committee has the power to thank us for all that hard work by settling right now.”

Committee Chair Paula Hatch responded to Lay telling him how appreciative the community and Committee are of the staff’s efforts. “The only thing I’m going to say to that is a lot of people put a lot of time in to try to come to terms, your side and our side. I think we are where we are with mediation and fact-finding because both sides have an idea of where we need to be and we just haven’t been able to come to terms on that,” Hatch said.