The Plympton School Committee held their close-out meeting on Monday, July 15. Attendance was limited with only three committee members present including Chair Jon Wilhelmsen, Amy Hempel, and Jill Palenstijn. Director of Business Services Christine Healy and Superintendent Joy Blackwood also attended.

Wilhelmson had a lengthy meeting with Dennett Elementary Principal Peter Veneto regarding the ongoing issue of lead showing up in the water testing being done at Dennett.

The source of the lead has remained a mystery and has confounded the board for months as the system appears to be working as it should. Additionally, the amount of lead in the water heading into the system is less than the lead that is in the water coming out of the system. Wilhelmson described to the committee his theory about what he believes may be to blame. Every 14 days a backwash cycle is run at night.

Water is pumped backward through the filter during backwashing. The samples that were tested were taken in the morning and Wilhelmson theorizes that if the samples were taken the same day as the backwash cycle, it could explain why the water would be temporarily tainted as it would be pulling in the lead that had been filtered out of the water over the previous two weeks. In order to test this theory, the next step will be to repeat the testing at a time that does not coincide with the backwash cycle.

New Playground

at Dennett

Vice Chair Jason Fraser was absent but Wilhelmson shared with the committee some notes from Fraser regarding progress on the new playground at Dennett. Veneto and Fraser met to pick a location for the playground based on the land survey that was completed. Since the committee will not meet again until September, they voted to authorize Fraser to proceed however he sees fit to get the playground completed.  Superintendent Joy Blackwood commented that given that construction has not yet begun, it is unlikely that the playground will be completed by the beginning of the school year.

An emergency management operations meeting attended by Veneto, Wilhelmson, the police chief, the fire chief, and the highway department was held regarding the power lines. With a generator now at Dennett, the building can be used as an emergency shelter. With only one way in and one way out of the school, however, there is a problem if a tree would be to fall on power lines and block the entrance as has happened in the past. It was agreed upon that a reasonable solution would be to use some grant money that may be able to be acquired to place the power lines underground (as some already are). Wilhelmson, who relayed the idea to the town administrator, said, “Hopefully this is something that we are going to continue to push on and try to affect that change so that we never have that issue that we had before again.”

Healy gave an update on the close-out for the budget. Healy said that $1,507.29 will be returned to the town with $1,198.25 of that coming from special education and $309.04 coming from the regular budget. This is the total after all the transfers were done that were approved at special town meeting. The transfers included money from the out of district vocational fund to the SPED stabilization fund which is now fully funded at $47,000. Other transfers coming from the out of district vocational fund included $10,000 to the operating budget for roof repairs and $8,500 to the operating budget for a new copier. The out of district vocational fund still has a balance of approximately $21,000 after all bills have been paid for the year and the above-mentioned transfers were made. In total, over $22,000 will be returned to the town. Wilhelmson thanked Healy for her work. Healy said, “We have an amazing staff that helps us make that happen and it’s all hands-on deck and I would say since the middle of June it has been we need to make it work and we do.”

School Choice questions

The issue of school choice was also discussed. Plympton, Halifax, Kingston, and Silver Lake Regional school committees make decisions individually regarding whether or not to accept school choice. Currently only Plympton allows it. The committees and administration believed that this meant that once a student who elects to come to Dennett Elementary through school choice is through with their k-6 education, they would have to leave the district as Silver Lake Regional does not allow school choice either at the middle or high schools. Blackwood shared with the committee that she was recently told by DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) that those students would have to be allowed to continue with their education at Silver Lake middle and high schools if that was their preference.

This creates a conflict as the Silver Lake Regional School Committee voted down school choice. There are currently eight students at Dennett Elementary there through school choice with five of those coming from towns within the Silver Lake district anyway (Halifax and Kingston). This means that only three students would fall under the umbrella of school choice for Silver Lake Regional.

Blackwood admitted to not having any definitive information at the moment and said that they are still working their way through this development. Wilhelmson felt that the Plympton School Committee should not be able to obligate the Silver Lake Regional School Committee to take on school choice just as the regional committee should not be able to stop Plympton from accepting it.

A major question arising from this conundrum is who will pay for the students to attend Silver Lake schools beyond sixth grade. Blackwood said she will provide an update to the committee when she knows more.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, July 9.

DFG land agent from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Joan Pierce came to speak to the Board about the possibility of acquiring an area of Peterson’s Swamp from the town. Pierce, who brought a map of the area to show the selectmen, said, “We would like to acquire it because it would make a really good public access for a couple of cars.” Pierce also mentioned that their intention with the land would be to maintain rather than develop it as it contains ecologically important attributes including, but not limited to, white cedar trees.

The inhabitants of Plymouth County and the town of Halifax share fifty-fifty undivided interest in the property. An appraisal of the property came in at $250,000. Fisheries and Wildlife is interested in purchasing the area for a total of $150,000 with $75,000 going to each of the entities. Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair Tom Millias took issue with the low price offered given that it falls significantly short of what he considered to be an already conservative appraisal. Adding to the dissatisfaction with the offer, Fisheries and Wildlife currently owe the town of Halifax $52,500 from a past transaction. Payments on debts of this nature must be tied to a land purchase. Pierce explained that Fisheries and Wildlife’s intent was that the purchase of the land would also absorb the debt owed to the town. The Selectmen were displeased to hear this as the $52,500 would be coming out of the $75,000 purchase price, leaving the town with a net gain of only $22,500 on a property appraised at $250,000 ($125,000 of that value belonging to Halifax). Pierce argued that the town would also be gaining a parking area (albeit a small one) that would provide residents with better access to the area.

Explaining, in part to newest Selectmen Gordon Andrews, Millias said, “Every time we deal with Fisheries and Wildlife we get short-changed and we keep kicking this can down the road.” Board of Selectmen Chair Troy Garron also expressed frustration with what has been an ongoing theme in the town’s dealing with Fisheries and Wildlife. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig and the Board discussed the offer at length with Pierce before a possible suggestion was offered by Andrews. There is a sliver of land in Halifax owned by Fisheries and Wildlife behind Aldana Road that would be necessary to possess in order to be able to pave that road. Andrews suggested Fisheries and Wildlife turn over that land to Halifax as part of the negotiation. This idea was amenable to all parties. Before any negotiations can take place, however, the town of Halifax must first purchase the inhabitants of Plymouth County’s portion of the land from them. The next step would be to sell it to Fisheries and Wildlife for $150,000 plus the land behind Aldana Road. Pierce agreed to email her summary of the proposed plan to Seelig prior to sharing the details with Plymouth County Administrator Frank Basler. The Board also plans to verify that the land behind Aldana Road provides everything needed in order to eventually pave the road. While the selectmen still felt that the deal leaves something to be desired, they agreed that they could live with the proposed plan as the town would still be receiving something of value to it.

Library Director Jean Gallant attended the meeting to speak to the need for more parking as the library is now competing for parking with the new playground built by Friends of HOPS (Halifax Open Play Space). Additionally, many people also use the library parking lot when attending events at the athletic fields. Gallant pointed out the safety issue posed by the lack of adequate parking as cars are often circling the parking lot looking for a space while children are running in the area.

Millias said, “The simple answer is we need to create more parking spots. The bigger question is where and at what cost?” Friends of HOPS still have some funds available but were planning to use them to have an Eagle Scout build a gazebo for the playground. Both Gallant and Millias agreed that they would rather see those funds go to the gazebo project and have the cost of the additional parking area paid for by the town. Garron argued that the town could oppose the idea of paying for the additional spaces since the reason for the lack of parking is the playground. The selectmen agreed that speaking with the highway surveyor about how many spots can be added as well as where to best place those spots would be a good first step.

Police Chief Joao Chaves addressed the Board requesting permission to institute a six-month trial of a motorcycle unit. Chaves, who previously headed the motorcycle unit in New Bedford, reached out to a contact at Seacoast Harley in New Hampshire who provided tips for a small lease plan. The lease would cost $325 a month for six months for a total expense of $1950. The leased bike would be fully equipped and would have only 80 miles on it. Officer Michael Schleiff would be attending a 40-hour course in Taunton starting next week at no cost to the town. The addition of the motorcycle unit would be instead of rather than in addition to a cruiser patrol. Chaves explained, “He can respond to calls the same way and can actually get to calls a little quicker.” Chaves sees the motor unit as potentially having a lot of benefits to the town.

“Halifax has a high population of motorcycle riders that enjoy the roadways. I think it’s another way for police to connect with that part of the community. We can utilize it for races and for funeral processions, it’s just another way to get us closer to the community.” The Board gave permission to move forward with the trial after which the feedback from both the community and the Police Department would be evaluated to determine whether to continue with the unit.

Various other items of business were also discussed. A hearing for “Jada,” a dog accused of biting another dog while loose on June 30, will be held on July 23.

The Traffic Safety Committee plans to meet with Chief Chaves later in the summer regarding complaints about truck traffic and speed on Walnut Street. Seelig agreed to talk to the highway department regarding a resident complaint of overgrown brush on South Street just off of River Street.

Trash bag fees will also be increased from $2.00 to $2.25 for small bags and from $3.00 to $3.25 for the large bags. This is the first increase for bags since 2009.

PLYMPTON — Plympton Selectmen, firefighters, police, Boy Scouts and the community honored the memory of Diane Giordani, along with her German Shepherd, Blitz, in a ceremony Monday, June 17 in front of Town House. Giordani and her dog were killed in a violent head-on crash with a pickup truck, driven by a drunk driver on County Road, Route 106, a year ago, on May 10, 2018,

Brian F. and Elizabeth Hamlet, of Sheffield Park, donated an American flag to the town in Diane Giordani’s memory.  The Hamlets are neighbors of her widowed husband Michael Giordani and told the town they will replace the flag as necessary in perpetuity.

The last flag in front of the Town House was badly in need of replacement.

About two dozen people attended the flag-raising dedication and ceremony, including Michael Giordani, Diane’s sister Stephanie O’Leary along with her husband Brian. Other family members and friends were in the audience as well. Eagle Scout candidates landscaped around the flag pole prior to the ceremony and were seen saluting as the flag was raised.

Selectman Chairman Christine Joy opened the ceremony, and Fire Chief Stephen Silva dedicated the flag and spoke about Diane. Fire Chaplain Gary Blume offered the benediction.

“The ceremony was wonderful. It just shows you it doesn’t stop around here, the love for her, it just keeps coming. I didn’t know until hours before who had donated the flag. I’m surrounded by incredible people right now,” said Michael Giordani. “Things that used to be important are not … I try not to let things get to me. It’s all about Diane.”

“I try to do a good deed every day, [he volunteered] and it comes back tenfold, there’s an awful lot of love out there,” he added.

Michael Giordani reminisced about how Diane Giordani raised rabbits while she was young in the 4H club, and even won a national award with a breed of rabbit as an adult. For him, rabbits are a sign of his late wife.

Giordani enjoys hot rod shows and traveling to the Adirondacks to visit Lake George, where he visited with Diane, and described an experience while taking a recent trip there. “Out of the woods came a rabbit about 10 feet away from me, and it stayed and it stayed and wouldn’t move, and I lost it, so you never know where’s [the grief] is coming from.”

Justin Kilburn, 30, formerly of Links Way, Kingston, was found guilty of one count of Motor Vehicle Homicide by OUI, May 8, 2019, in Plymouth Superior Court at Plymouth nearly one year after causing the fatal collision.  He was sentenced to five to six years in prison by Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty, II.

Kilburn had a blood alcohol content level of 0.17%, more than twice the legal limit, when he caused the collision, said the district attorney’s office, and this was not his first alcohol-related driving offense according to records.

Kilburn is currently incarcerated at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole.

“He got five or six years, but we got a life sentence … you have to move forward, I guess,” said Michael Giordani.

Matthew Will in a May 4, 2019, Rockland Police Department booking photo. (Courtesy Rockland Police Department)

BROCKTON — Roofer Matthew Will, 35, of Pembroke and formerly working out of Halifax, was supposed to be arraigned Wednesday, June 12, in Plymouth Superior Court in Brockton on 18 fraud- and larceny-related charges.

He was not transported by state corrections or county sheriff’s officials to court, confusing court staff from multiple departments Wednesday morning, leading to a flurry of phone calls and speculation as to where Will was and why.

A handful of alleged victims, including some from Hanson and Middleboro traveled to Brockton for the hearing, and said they were disappointed that Will did not appear. Even Will’s newest court-appointed attorney, Charlotte Tilden, seemed baffled. Will’s family members were there in his support but left when it became apparent that he would not appear.

The Express was able to confirm from multiple sources, including law enforcement and court officials, that Will was in custody at a Department of Corrections ward at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain, where he has been for more than five weeks. A source said he believed that Will had been medically cleared for transport.

“Mistakes were made,” said one source close to the investigation. “A lot of mistakes were made.”

Monday, officials transported Will to Wareham District Court where he had four outstanding warrants, and he, unbeknownst to Tilden or Superior Court prosecutors as represented to Superior Court Judge Brian A. Davis, fought for release. District Court Judge Toby S. Mooney held Will on $50,000 cash bail.

Davis set a June 24 date to reschedule the arraignment.

Davis asked if anything else could be done on the Will case, which prompted Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane to attempt to file motions.

The judge laughed and said, “This is the ‘rocket docket!’” Zane said that the commonwealth was prepared to go to trial, but then Davis cautioned him, “Let’s get [Will] arraigned first.”

A Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments against Will charging him with one count each of larceny of property over $1,200 by single scheme, state building code violations, employer failing to have workers’ compensation, money laundering and being a common and notorious thief. Will was also indicted on seven counts of home improvement contracting violations and three counts each of forgery and uttering.

Police and prosecutors say Will targeted more than 50 mostly elderly homeowners, beginning in July 2018 at Oak Point, a 55-plus community in Middleboro.

In total, the alleged victims have lost at least an estimated $250,000 and have been found so far in Brockton, Duxbury, Falmouth, Hanson, Kingston, North Easton, Pembroke, Plympton, and Wareham in addition to Middleboro.

Will was arrested Thursday, May 9, at his Furnace Colony Drive home in Pembroke, after a run from the law and a police standoff.

He missed a Falmouth District Court arraignment April 10, then was arrested May 4 in Rockland following an escape from police after leading them on two multitown high-speed chases in central Massachusetts into Rhode Island the night before, according to court records and police reports.

Subsequently, he was released by a Hingham District Court judge who was not told of the chases by prosecutors, according to audio of the hearing, was ordered to Wareham District Court that day, but fled again and was rearrested after a tense standoff with police in Pembroke May 9.

As law enforcement personnel attempted to execute a search warrant at his Pembroke home, Will hid from police in his attic. Police used canines to extricate him from the attic, and he was injured after wrestling with the dogs and falling through his attic ceiling.

The state Department of Corrections, citing HIPPA laws, would not give out Will’s condition when asked by The Express.

The June 3 Plympton School Committee meeting began with a reorganization. Jason Fraser nominated Jon Wilhelmsen to once again serve as chair and it was voted through unanimously as was Fraser’s nomination for vice chair. A unanimous vote also declared Michael Antoine as the new secretary. Congratulations were also extended to the committee’s newest member Amy Hempel.

Dennett Elemetary School Principal Peter Veneto was unable to attend the meeting so Superintendent Joy Blackwood gave an update on the ongoing issue with the water testing at the school. The most recent results were still showing lead levels that are too high. Veneto forwarded the results to Greenseal but is waiting to hear back from them.  Wilhelmsen plans to follow up with Veneto and then have a call with Greenseal directly.

The committee feels strongly that the problem is likely with the system as lead is not present when entering the system but is present when coming out the other end of the faucets. Adding to the confusion, the faucets have all been replaced and the lead is being found in the part of the school where the pipes the water is traveling through are from the last renovation.

Wilhelmsen said, “The lead has to be being introduced between where it comes in and where its being sent out from the pipes.” Wilhelmsen continued, “The lead should either be in the water before it comes in because it just has a higher level or it is leaching  because of the acidity of the water as it goes through and each time it hits a solder point in the lead solder it is taking a little bit of it with it, but we shouldn’t have any lead solder and in the places where it is, there shouldn’t be any and we’ve replaced all the faucets so the only thing is, we’re back to the system.”

The system has a treatment for manganese as well as a PH adjustor to make the water less acidic and should therefore leach less metal from everything. The system should also be equipped to deal with lead as there was a one-off lead test several years back showing higher than expected levels. Wilhelmsen and Blackwood were in agreement that too much time and expense has already gone into this problem for there to still be no resolution.

Fraser gave an update on the project to renovate the playground at Dennett for accessibility and safety. Fraser thanked the Community Preservation Committee for giving their support to an article that was brought forth at town meeting for an additional $94,000 toward the playground. The Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and School Committee all supported that article at town meeting.

“On the floor the night of town meeting having unanimous vote to support the playground really shows that the entire community supports the initiative,” Fraser said. Halifax Elementary Principal Kayne Beaudry reached out with ideas and offers to help with the planning process as Halifax recently completed work on their own playground.

Parents with expertise and experience in the field have also volunteered to serve as assistant project managers. Private donors have also come forward with in kind donations.

Wilhelmsen mentioned a general desire from the public, as shared on social media, to not see the dinosaur from the playground hauled away to be used as scrap metal.

Given the nostalgia that seems to surround the dinosaur, the committee suggested possibly auctioning it off or preserving it as a statue of some sort at the school. Best case scenario for completion of the playground would be September, but Fraser acknowledged that they are moving forward cautiously and mindfully to ensure the best possible end result.

The May 23 joint regional school committee meeting was also discussed as was the superintendent search.  Fraser mentioned the outstanding response thus far to the superintendent criteria survey that is open to the public.

Over 700 responses have been recorded thus far with parents, staff members, and other Plympton residents offering their thoughts and opinions on questions ranging from what issues are most important in the district to what qualities will make for the best superintendent. The survey will remain open throughout the summer as the search begins for Blackwood’s replacement.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy gave the financial report. With only a few weeks left in the school year, there are only a few deficits that will be absorbed by categories where there is a surplus.

Healy, who referred to the financials as “an amazing puzzle” also stated that a balance of approximately $21,700 will be returned to the town at the close of July.

Fraser thanked Healy for her hard work and reiterated, “So, we’ll be able to absorb any deficits in the budget and we’re still returning money to the town?”

“Yes,” Healy confirmed. The committee also approved the 2019-2020 elementary operating budget of $2,454,774 as well as the elementary special education budget of $1,084,164.

HALIFAX — The Halifax Board of Selectmen reorganized Tuesday, May 28, the first regularly scheduled meeting attended by Gordon C. Andrews, who was elected to the board earlier this month. The longest serving member, Troy Garron, was voted Chair for the 10th time, and acted comfortable in that role, asserting himself and speaking more often than he has in the previous year. This is only the second time in his 30-year tenure as Selectman that there has been an all-male board, according to Garron. The board voted Tom Millias vice-chair, now in his fourth year as a Selectman and voted Andrews as clerk.

Andrews came into his own and was asking frequent questions about some of the board’s latest as well as longest standing issues, from Rufus, the dog ordered euthanized, to the ongoing negotiations with Fieldstone Farms. His wife and parents were in the audience to support him at his first meeting, which was routine and brief.

Rufus’ euthanasia decision appealed

Rufus the bulldog, owned by Thomas Wilson, of Holmes Street, has received one final chance at life.

A clerk-magistrate’s ruling supporting the board’s April 9 order to have the dog euthanized as a nuisance by reason of vicious disposition following a dog-on-dog attack in March is being appealed by Wilson to a Plymouth District Court judge, said Town Administrator Charlie Seelig. A civil hearing will occur June 7.

The court conducted a hearing May 9 and reviewed the board’s procedures and findings. In a written ruling, Plymouth District Court Assistant Clerk-Magistrate Brendan Barnes found that Wilson had filed to offer “any evidence” that the selectmen’s decision was made in bad faith. He also found that there was proper cause: Wilson admitted the dog had aggressive tendencies and there had been two violent incidents in as many years’ time.

Barnes also wrote, “the physical appearance of the dog” buttressed his decision.

Barnes affirmed the Board’s ruling to euthanize Rufus, and now Wilson is exercising his right to have the decision reviewed by a judge.

The decision was handed down May 13

.

Empty Wage and Personnel Board

Melinda Tarsi, who ran for selectman and sits on the Finance Committee, has left the Wage and Personnel board due to a personal conflict, and as no members of the public currently sit on the board, there are currently three non-town employee openings.

When there are not enough non-town employee members for the board to have a quorum of two, the town bylaws require that the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen send a liaison to the board so that it is able to function.

Right now, according to Seelig, the board is technically empty.

The Selectmen are taking their time in appointing a member to the often-unpopular board, which former members report as difficult work.

Andrews noted that the town’s biggest expense is its employees but was hesitant to serve, pointing out his obligations to both the Silver Lake Regional School Committee and the Halifax Elementary School Committee.

He said he’d rather serve as the Selectmen’s liaison to the school committees before he served on Wage and Personnel.

When Millias asked if he wanted to be the board’s liaison directly, he said, “Not really, but I will.”

Garron cautioned Andrews to take his time in deciding if he really wanted to take on the position, and recommended he wait.

No one from the board was appointed to the committee.

According to the town’s website, “The three-member Wage and Personnel Board oversees the administration of the [t]own’s Wage and Personnel [bylaw] which covers the wage and benefits for all employees of the [t]own other than elected officials, School Department employees and employees covered under collective bargaining agreements.”

New town website

The town’s new website, according to Seelig, will be finished later this spring, although he will not give a precise date as to when the site will go online, noting a number of factors that need to go into the site before it goes online.

The roughly $5,000 website upgrade is in its design phase now.

The upgrade was necessary because the town’s website provider, Virtual Town Hall was bought out by a company called CivicPlus, and CivicPlus would no longer support the product Virtual Town Hall had provided.

The current town website is functional, but slow and cluttered.

• The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Halifax Board of Selectmen is Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of the Town Hall.