Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor has published the certified results of the Halifax town election last Saturday.  Only 15.3% of Halifax’s 5,557 registered voters came out to cast their ballot with 852 total voters.

While there were few contested seats, R. Steven Hayward won election to the position of Highway Surveyor with 667 votes.  His opponent, Michael J. Schleiff got 168 votes.  There were 14 blanks and three write-ins.

Schleiff was also a candidate for Park Commissioner, but lost to incumbent John D. Campbell.  Campbell won 597 votes to Schleiff’s 182.  There were 72 blanks and one write-in.

Schleiff was also a candidate for Selectman, a position he had formerly held, this time running against incumbent Troy Garron.  Garron won the contest with 627 votes to Schleiff’s 179.  There were two write-ins and 44 blanks recorded.

The Halifax Elementary School Committee was looking for two candidates to be elected, from a field of five.  Alison Vance got the most votes with 456, and second highest vote was Robert W. Johnson with 368.  They will join the school committee at their next meeting.   Alexander J. Meade won 207, Edward J. Bryan tallied 177, and John P. Sexton won 119 votes.  There were 374 ballots that left the contest blank.

John J.R. Shiavone was unopposed in his re-election to the Board of Assessors, winning 670 votes.  Blank were 174 and there were also seven write-ins.

John Delano won re-election to the Board of Health with 645 votes cast for him.  There were 202 blanks and five write-ins.

Paul A. Delaney won election to a two-year term on the Library Board of Trustees.  There were 202 blank and three write-ins.

Ralph W. Goodwin Jr. and Meredith M. Goodwin were elected to two three-year terms on the Library Board of Trustees with 629 votes for Meredith and 587 votes for Ralph.  483 were blank and there were five write-ins.

There were no candidates seeking election to the four-year term on the Halifax Planning Board.  There were 814 left blank and 37 write-ins.  If any are interested in serving, let Town Administrator Charlie Seelig know. 

Gordon R. Andrews was unopposed in his election to the five-year term on the Planning Board, winning 640 votes.  There were 203 blanks and nine write-ins.

Edward W. Desharnais, Jr., won re-election to his seat on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee with 621 votes.  Blank were 227, and there were also four write-ins.

Richard A. Clark was elected to the Board of Water Commissioners with 651 votes.  There were 198 left blank for that contest, and three write-ins.

The town’s vote turning down a debt exclusion to purchase a fire suppression system for the Halifax Elementary School, didn’t matter. The vote at Town Meeting to allow the project to proceed within the town’s budget made the question on the ballot irrelevant.  The ballots were printed weeks in advance, so the question had to appear.  Had Town Meeting turned down the article to finance the school’s sprinkler system through the regular budget, the vote would have been necessary to finance the project.   Halifax Elementary School will have its fire suppression system financed within the town’s regular operating budget.

Courtesy of

Hanson Police

    It was quite a chase early Thursday morning, May 11, as police from Hanson, Pembroke, Hanover, Whitman, Carver, Halifax and Plympton, as well as the Plymouth County Sheriffs finally brought Daniel Egan, 36, of Plymouth, into custody.

    At 1 a.m. Hanson police encountered a 2010 Chevy Malibu heading north on Route 58 at a high rate of speed.  When it failed to stop at the stop sign a Indian Head and Liberty streets, Hanson officers attempted to stop the vehicle which fled north, turning off the vehicle’s lights.

    The Malibu fled to East Washington St., to an area near the Hanover/Pembroke town line.  Officers pursued the vehicle back into Hanson Center, through Winter Street, back onto Route 58, traveling south.

    The Malibu struck a cruiser and attempted to force it off the road in the area of Latham Street.  The cruiser suffered minor damage.  Officers deployed tire deflation deices in the area of Route 58 and 106 causing the vehicle to eventually stop on Route 58 in Halifax.

    Egan fled the scene into a wooded area. Officers attempted to take him into custody but he managed to escape. Eagan then got into and fled in a marked police cruiser.

    Officers from Hanson, Halifax, and Pembroke attempted to stop Eagan as he fled in the cruiser on Route 58 south. Plympton police officers deployed tire deflation devices on Route 58 and disabled the cruiser.

    At approximately 1:15 a.m. the cruiser was stopped at the Plympton/Carver line in front of Tractor Supply. Eagan refused to come out of the vehicle which led to a standoff that lasted approximately 20 minutes.

    Efforts to convince Egan to exit the vehicle were unsuccessful. Officers used bean bag rounds to shoot out the windows of the cruiser. Mr. Egan eventually exited the vehicle and again refused commands to surrender. A K9 from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was used to subdue Mr. Egan. He was transported to the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth in the custody of the Hanson Police by Plympton Fire. He suffered an injury to his hand.  He was later transferred to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.

    Egan is being charged with operating to endanger, failure to stop for a police officer, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, assault and battery, larceny of a motor vehicle, and numerous other motor vehicle violations. Bail has been set at $25,000.

    Police Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies on scene showed great restraint and patience during this entire incident, according to Hanson police.

    HPD would like to thank the Whitman, Hanover, Pembroke, Carver, and Plympton Police as well as the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance during this incident.

Townspeople in Halifax will consider 50 articles at Monday night’s Annual Town Meeting, with various issues, ranging from Marijuana Establishments zoning, Marijuana tax, to adding a Foreclosed Properties by-law.

Article 48 asks if the town will amend the Code of the Town of Halifax, Chapter 167 (Zoning) to define marijuana establishments as a marijuana cultivator, marijuana testing facility, marijuana product manufacturer, marijuana retailer or any other type of licensed marijuana-related business, as is defined by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 94H.

This article would allow marijuana establishments by special permit in the Industrial District and will not be allowed within 500 linear feet of any school or child care facility or where children generally congregate, or any other marijuana establishment or any business licensed to pour alcoholic beverages.  The distance will be measured by direct calculation of a straight line from the nearest property line of a facility to the nearest property line of the marijuana establishment.

The hours of operation may not include any time between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Any permit applied for and/or issued for a Marijuana Establishment must  comply with all state laws and regulations concerning Marijuana Establishments.

Article 49 asks to allow the town to tax each sale of marijuana at an amount not more than 2%.

Article 50 would amend the Code of the Town of Halifax by requiring the registration and maintenance of foreclosed properties, and the security of foreclosed properties, to help prevent blighted and unsecured properties.  The article would require that owners must register the property with the Halifax Building Commissioner and if the owner is out-of-state it must appoint an agent within Massachusetts to act in the owner’s stead.

In addition to the usual finances of the town, its employee salaries and department expenses, the town will also be asked to fund

• $205,000 for a large dump truck for the Highway Department

• $50,000 for a security system and other items for the Halifax Elementary School

• $2,000,000 for renovations and addition to Pope’s Tavern Senior Center

• $70,000 for architectural and building plans for repairs to Pope’s Tavern

• $49,000 to purchase and equip a new service truck for the Water Dept.

• $80,000 to purchase and equip two new marked police vehicles

• $16,000 to purchase and equip two new ATVs to be used for patrol

• $5,000 to purchase and maintain communications equipment for the Fire Dept.

• $10,000 for new turnout gear for Fire Dept. personnel

• $280,000 to purchase and equip an ambulance for the Fire Dept.

• $27,145 to replace apparatus bay door openers at the Fire Station

• $9,000 to update the phone system at the Halifax Fire Station

• $10,000 to purchase IV pumps for the Halifax Fire Department

• $12,500 to repair chimneys at the Museum of Halifax, Old School House, Blacksmith’s Shop, and Pope’s Tavern

• $7,000 to replace light fixtures at the Town Hall with LED fixtures and wiring over the next two years.

• $9,500 to replace two furnaces as part of completing phase 2 of the furnace replacement at the Town Hall

• $7,200 to replace the Recycling Center’s two rear garage doors with new hardware motors, one section of panel with glass windows, and the other three sections with insulated solid panels

• $12.000 for the Assessors’ Triennial Revaluation Account

• $7,500 for additional hours for the Conservation Commission Secretary for wetlands protection work

• $5,000 for improvements to the town’s boat ramp

• $6,500 to refurbish the doors and replace the lock system at the Halifax Town Hall

• $28,100 for new computer servers at the Halifax Town Hll

• $3,500 to support South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.’s free legal services to elders, low-income families and their children

• $3,500 to support South Shore Women’s Resource Center for domestic violence intervention and prevention services

• $70,000 for the second year principal payment of the water tower painting and repair debt and $5,989 for the second year of interest on the same debt

Town meeting warrant will also be asked to

• vote to accept  Bourne Drive and Danson Road

• vote to accept Heron Road

• vote to revise the listing of delinquent taxpayers

• vote to amend the Streets and Sidewalks section of the Code of the Town.

Plympton Selectmen met Monday, April 24, with the Finance Committee to hear a presentation from Dick Kobayashi from the Collins Center. The Board is considering using the Collins Center’s services to assist in hiring a town administrator.

The UMASS Boston based Collin’s Center was established by the state legislature in July, 2008, to focus on improving public management, particularly at the state and local level. The Collins Center offers a variety of services, including staffing.

Kobayashi began by highlighting the experience of the staff at the Collins Center, saying that although it’s part of UMASS Boston, all of the people that work at the Center have worked in towns. Kobayashi says, “No students and no academics are used.”

Kobayashi then went through the process the Collins Center uses to assist filling public roles. He said they start by interviewing members of the Board of Selectmen in a one-on-one setting. They also will interview members of the community who are active in the town, as identified by the Board.

According to Kobayashi, the purpose of these individual interviews is to determine the values of the town and what they are looking for in a candidate.

Selectmen then set up a screening committee to work closely with the Collins Group to examine the pool of candidates. This committee will screen and narrow down the list of potential candidates to about ten to twelve members.

These final candidates will be brought before the board for interviews during open session, as required by Massachusetts General Law.  Kobayashi told the board, “It’s important the committee represents the board and town’s values.”

Members of the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee had several questions for Kobayashi. Selectmen Clerk John Traynor asked how big these screening committees typical are. According to Kobayashi, they usually consist of five to seven members.

FinCom members asked where the job postings would be placed. Kobayashi answered the advertisements will be placed online with the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) and International City Management. Brochures would also be posted with the ads and in print.

Finance Committee member Susan Ossoff questioned the need for the brochure if the advertisements are placed online. She described Plympton as a frugal town and the cost of putting the brochures into print, she was unsure there was value there if applicants are coming from online databases.

Kobayashi says that the brochures tell the story of the town and it may be a good idea to have some around the town hall. He did say that brochures could potentially just be put on the online profile and not printed, but they typically print them.

The cost of service is a $14,000 fee from the Collins Center. This however does not include the university’s fee, and the costs of advertising and travel. The total cost could be north of $17,000 if the town decides to pursue this option.

Review of Town

Meeting Warrant

Article 29 was removed from the Town Meeting Warrant. This article would have limited the size of temporary signs. In particular, political signs would have been affected if passed. The article was removed due to it potentially being unconstitutional by violating the First Amendment.

An article to provide dental insurance for town employees was also dropped from the warrant. Board of Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson says the cost were higher than anticipated due to a miscommunication.

One last article was removed because of a legal technicality. What was to be Article 10 reads, “To see if the Town will vote to accept provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 258 section 13 which provides that the town shall indemnify and save harmless municipal officers, elected or appointed, from personal loss and expense including reasonable legal fees and costs, if any, in an amount not to exceed one million dollars, arising out of any claim, demand, suitor judgement by reason of any act or omission except an intentional violation of civil rights of any person under any law, if the official at the time of such act or omission was acting within the scope of his official duties or employment or take any other action relative thereto.”

The Board of Selectmen learned via legal counsel that this type of action has to go forth as a ballot question rather than an article at Town Meeting. The Board still wants to see this voted on, it just cannot legally be done at Town Meeting.

Selectmen closed the Special Town Meeting Warrant. Most of the details were hammered out previously, so Monday night’s meeting was mainly a procedural discussion, with Selectmen deciding who will speak and move each the articles at Town Meeting.

Town Meeting Notes from the Financial Committee

The Finance Committee plans to reduce the equipment request from the Fire Department by $12,000. FinCom Vice Chairman Eric Hart said there was confusion about the need for several of the equipment requests from the FD, so he discussed them with the department.

One request was for new pagers which Hart says are failing. He agreed with Chief Warren Borsari and his Fire Department that this is a safety issue and this needs to be addressed.

Some of the disconnect was on the cost of uniforms and turnout gear, which Hart said was also in their budget line and for equipment thatcould fail.

Hart said, “We don’t want to budget for anticipatory breakage.” If emergencies come up, the Fire Department can come to the FinCom to request reserve funds.

Other News

Board of Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson made a request to improve the identification of Area 58 broadcasts of meetings at the Plympton Town House. The Board is asking Area 58 to either take old meetings off the air or time stamping them to avoid confusion.

Thompson said they are broadcasting old meetings on television without time stamps, and there’s nothing to tell a town citizen that itisn’t current news. This is already being done for televised school committee meetings.

The next Board of Selectmen meeting will take place on Monday, May 1, 2017.

Open session will start at 6p.m.

PLYMPTON – There are not many candidates to populate this year’s local election, according to Town Clerk Tara Shaw.   

With election on Saturday, May 20, the ballot has a lot of empty spaces.

No candidate seems willing to run for selectman, finance committee (3-year term) or planning board.   There are also no contests on the ballot that currently shows the following, unless any candidate withdraws before the April 20 deadline:

Assessor – 1 position:  Ethan Stiles for a three-year term, candidate for re-election.

Board of Health – 1 position: Brad Cronin, for a 3 – year term.

Constable – two positions: David E. Smith, candidate for re-election and Douglas Reese, both three-year terms.

Finance Committee – two positions for three-year terms: Lisa Hart, candidate for re-election is the only candidate.

Finance Committee – one position for a two year term: Steven Lewis is the only candidate.

Library Trustee – two positions for three-year terms: Louise Cosato is the only candidate.

Planning Board – one position for a five-year term: there are no candidates.

School Committee, Dennett Elementary School – two positions for three-year terms: Jason Fraser and Jon Wilhelmsen, both candidates for re-election.

Selectman – one position for a three-year term: there are no candidates.

Silver Lake Regional School Committee – one position for a three year term: Jason Fraser, candidate for re-election.

If any registered voter in Plympton would like to mount a write-in campaign for any position on the ballot, the Town Clerk’s office has all of the rules a candidate needs to follow in order for the election to be official.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday April 11, 2017. The meeting included a hearing about Heron Road potentially gaining its status as a public street.

Real estate professional Rick Springer from Century 21 Classic Gold in Carver, MA presented the case for the roads approval to the Board of Selectmen. Springer spoke with the Halifax Planning Board. He says, “The roadway and the drainage was built according to the plan, and the Planning Board has accepted it as built.”

With the Planning Board being satisfied with the completed project, Springer wants Selectmen to certify Heron Road as a public road. He told selectmen, “It was always intended to be a public town road when it was first proposed. It’s now complete and time for it to be a public road.”

Selectmen Chair Troy Garron says he has no major issues with the Herron Road project.  He did however express one concern.

Garron said, “The only issue I have right now is that the neighbors or residents of the neighborhood weren’t notified because you were out of town.” Springer said he has the abutters’ list and will be sending out certified mail notices before the next hearing on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.

One abutter who attended Tuesday night’s meeting voiced some personal concerns, stating the sidewalk in front of his home was not depressed to the same level as his driveway, making the transition coming out of his driveway to the road not smooth. He wants the project to take the time to lower the sidewalk first to improve the transition onto the road. The Planning Board voted 3-1 to approve the road and this resident would like the situation to be looked at again.

Garron told the resident there will be two more opportunities to present his case; there’s another hearing for Herron Road on Tuesday April 25. Garron said there will also be an opportunity to present the case at Town Meeting.

Beautification Committee Appointment highlights plans for memorial garden and Clean-Up Day.

Selectmen also met with the town’s Beautification Committee, who introduced Greg Cowan, their choice as a new committee member. Selectmen voted to approve his appointment.

Cowan has volunteered on several Beautification Committee projects in the past, including last year’s Town Clean-Up Day. He’s also volunteered with the local Boy Scout troop.

The vacancy on the committee is a term that expires in June, 2017. Selectmen Clerk Kim Roy says this is just procedural though and Cowan’s term will be renewed in June.

After confirming Greg Cowan as a new member, Cowan spoke to the Board about the Earth Day town clean-up event being sponsored by the Beautification Committee.

Cowan said that last year, the participation in the annual event was largely done by the Boy Scouts. He wants to not only expand this, but include education for the town about not littering. Cowan said he wants their clean-up efforts to be sustainable over a longer period of time.

The Earth Day Clean-Up Day will take place on Saturday April 22, 2017 from 10-11:45 a.m. This is a rain or shine event. Pizza will also be provided at the Halifax Town Hall at noon for all participants.

The Beautification Committee recommends anyone who participates wears long pants, long sleeves, and brings rubber gloves. Trash bags will be provided. Please remember to use safety precautions when picking up trash. If needles are found, the Beautification Committee said to call the Fire Department.

The Beautification Committee also presented plans for a garden to be built on the green of the Town Hall. The garden is a memorial for Margaret Fitzgerald and will be privately funded by family and friends.

Selectmen said the funds donated to the Town of Halifax will then be appropriated to the Beautification Committee. That’s the legal procedure for using privatlye donated funds for a public project.

Though still in the planning phase, the Beautification Committee is moving quickly on the project and close to deciding what types of flowers and trees will be in the garden. The plan is to have the garden ready for Memorial Day Weekend.

Other Town News

Cemetery Superintendent Robert Badore sent a letter of resignation to the Board of Selectmen. Selectmen Vice Chair Thomas Millias says that Bob served the town for 46 years.

Selectmen Clerk Kim Roy said she met with the Finance Committee, who were talking about putting the fire suppressant system for the Elementary School repairs under the levy in regards to tax.

Roy says that Town Administrator Charlie Seelig is more inclined to go above the levy. Seelig says this will not cost taxpayers any additional money.

Selectmen also spent time preparing for town meeting by addressing changes to the way Wage and Personnel Board goes about pay increases for town employees.

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Thomas Millias said the town currently uses merit increases to go about annual reviews. Millias described the current system in place as “hurtfully subjective.”

The Board is considering eliminating merit increases alltogether and replacing them with increases to longevity stipends.

The next meeting of the Halifax Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday April 25, 2017.  Open session will start at 7:30 p.m.

PLYMPTON – On Monday, March 20, 2017, The Plympton Public Safety Committee presented a plan for a new police station to the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee. The project, estimated to cost about $3 million, will be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting in May. If approved, the town will put the project out to bid.

Dan Palotta, project manager from P-3 LLC, helped present the plans to the board. He said he believes the project can be financed using the capital stabilization fund, which means property taxes would not increase for this project.

Details of the proposed police station were also given by the chief designer from Donham and Sweeney LLC, Jeff Shaw. The police station will be a little over 6,000 square feet. It will be stick built and slab on grid, meaning there is no basement.

Shaw said the board also considered modular buildings, but the cost turned out to be much less for this stick built police station.

The plan also looks into the future as Donham and Sweeney created layouts of future possible station expansion, a new fire station, and parking reconfiguration.

The police station expansion and new fire station are not part of the plan going to bid, but they are projects the town is considering doing later. Keeping in mind the space and limitations of the town’s lot on Palmer Road, these future projects were things the committee as a whole wanted to consider as they build the new police station.

Back at the Public Safety Committee Meeting on January 4, 2017, committee member John Wilhelmson mentioned he wanted to look at how the police station would affect other events on the property. He said, “How do you plan for events at the library and ball fields? “ He and the rest of the board wanted to make sure the parking works for everything.

Dan Palotta, told the board the plan they have now will add 29 new parking spaces for the police station, which may help free up some of the other lots.

Finance Committee members asked about connecting the new parking lot to route 58 to help solve the traffic issue. Palotta said they will do this if the town can afford it. “We will have designs for a connecting parking lot at bid.” If not, it can be used as a plan for the future, he added.

Overall, selectmen expressed optimism for the plan. Selectmen Chairman Colleen Thompson also chaired the Public Safety Building Committee and told her board how the Committee worked extremely hard through dozens of meetings. Selectwoman Christine Joy also mentioned how far the committee has come since last year.

Information on the new police station will be available to the public shortly. There will be an open house presentation at the Police Station on April 8, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by another open house on April 12, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Other items discussed at the selectmen’s meeting included annual budget discussions with the Finance Committee who spent some time explaining how different positions would be affected by the new budget.

In particular, the committee asked selectmen about some potential changes to the position of Town Clerk. The committee told selectmen that Town Clerk Tara Shaw is asking for another ten hours of work per week and an additional hour per week for her support staff. There was also discussion about rewriting her job responsibilities.

The Finance Committee wanted some insight into this. Selectmen Clerk John Traynor said, “The new Public Records Law (Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2016, “An Act to Improve Public Records”) is adding a tremendous amount of work for Tara.” Traynor added the town is also in the midst of working on a technology grant to give Tara software to make staying compliant with the new law easier.

Other budget discussion talked about a potential increase to the year’s reserve fund. More budget discussions will take place when the Finance Committee meets with the Board of Selectmen on April 10, 2017.

The Board of Selectmen also addressed some of the implications of recreational marijuana legalization and the impending retail markets planned for 2018. According to Thompson and the rest of the board, the town currently is leaning towards a one year moratorium which would keep out retail establishments for at least a year. This gives the town time to look at how the market becomes regulated at the state level.

The Board of Selectmen also voted unanimously to hear a complaint received in a letter of correspondence to the board. The complaint is about the gun range on Route 58.

PLYMPTON – The town breathed a collective sigh of relief when the follow-up “robocall” came to Plympton residents at 12:07 p.m. on Tuesday that the missing teens had been found and were safe.

At 11:05 p.m. Monday night, Plympton Police put out an automatic call to all Plympton residents:  “We are currently searching for a missing teenager, Sydney Adams, white female, approximately 5’4”, 120 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing black pants and a white sweatshirt with “TEXAS” across the front.   She was last seen with a Donald Johnson, 14, from Kingston.  Any information on her whereabouts, please immediately contact the Plympton Police Department at 781-585-3339.”

Kim Adams, Sydney’s mother, also posted photos and messages requesting help on the Plympton Facebook page, bringing the community into the search.  The response was overwhelming.   “It takes a village…” was the recurring theme once the news was announced that the two were safe.

When the phone rings late at night, it isn’t usually good news, and the missing teenagers were on everyone’s mind.  The first thing said among friends and neighbors Tuesday morning was, “Have they found them yet?”

Adams posted her thanks to all who helped.

Plympton Police issued the following statement:,

“The Plympton Police Department is happy to announce that both Sydney Adams and Donald Johnson have been located.  Both are safe and have been transported to area hospitals, as a precaution, for evaluation.  We would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police, Kingston Police, Pembroke Police, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department and SEMLEC Search & Rescue for their assistance in the matter.  We would like to thank the Plympton Fire Department with their assistance this morning.  We would finally like to thank the many members of the community that assisted in the search and the numerous telephone calls we received from concerned citizens with tips.”