After a one year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Plympton Garden Club is once again sponsoring a town wide litter clean-up for Saturday, April 17^th from 9 AM until noon. This community based effort has been a tradition in Plympton for many years, and residents are encouraged to pitch in and help their neighbors get the town looking beautiful – just in time for the blossoming of all our ornamental trees, shrubs, and gardens.

Given that Plympton has 18 residential streets that comprise many miles of roadway, broad participation is very important. Residents can make a strong contribution just by picking up the roadside trash and litter close to their residence. The Plympton Highway Department will be picking up full bags of trash placed by the side of the road and bringing it to the transfer station.

Street assignments, bags, and general information can be obtained on the morning of the event by stopping at the parking lot of the Plympton Town House. Organizers will be manning a table there. In the event it rains on the 17^th, the following day has been designated as the rain date. Thanks in advance for your help!

State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston), whose district includes Kingston, Halifax, Plympton, and portions of Plymouth, Middleboro and Duxbury, announced that the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the State Senate have passed comprehensive climate legislation, known as the Next Generation Climate Roadmap bill.

The legislation overhauls the state’s climate laws, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, advances the clean energy industry, and prioritizes and protects environmental justice communities.

The passage of the climate bill comes after a joint commitment from Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano to quickly refile the legislation following a gubernatorial veto last session. After evaluating Governor Baker’s amendments and recommendations, the legislature’s final provisions include the following:

• Sets a statewide net-zero limit on greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and mandates emissions limits every five years, as well as sublimits for transportation, buildings, and other sectors of the economy.

• Codifies environmental justice provisions into Massachusetts law, defining environmental justice populations and providing new tools and protections for affected neighborhoods.  Establishes a municipal opt-in specialized stretch energy code which includes a definition of “net-zero building” and net-zero building performance standards.

• Requires an additional 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind, increasing the total authorization to 5,600 megawatts in the Commonwealth.

• Directs the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), the regulator of the state›s electric and natural gas utilities, to balance priorities going forward: system safety, system security, reliability, affordability, equity, and, significantly, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

• Sets appliance energy efficiency standards for a variety of common appliances including plumbing, faucets, computers, and commercial appliances.

• Adopts several measures aimed at improving gas pipeline safety, including increased fines for safety violations, provisions related to training and certifying utility contractors, and setting interim targets for companies to reduce leak rates.

• Requires utilities to include an explicit value for greenhouse gas reductions when they calculate the cost-effectiveness of an offering of MassSave.

• Increases the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 3 per cent each year from 2025–2029, resulting in 40 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

• A national first, this legislation factors the «carbon sequestration» capacity of Massachusetts› natural and working lands directly into emissions reduction plans.

• Prioritizes equitable access to the state’s solar programs by low-income communities.

• Sets benchmarks for the adoption of clean energy technologies including electric vehicles, charging stations, solar technology, energy storage, heat pumps and anaerobic digestors.

• Establishes $12 million in annual funding for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to create a pathway to the clean energy industry for environmental justice populations, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, and fossil fuel workers.

• Provides solar incentives for businesses by exempting them from the net metering cap to allow them to install solar systems on their premises to help them offset their electricity use and save money.

• Creates a first-time greenhouse gas emissions standard for municipal lighting plants that requires them to purchase 50 percent non-emitting electricity by 2030, 75 percent by 2040 and “net zero” by 2050.

Representative LaNatra said, “This is significant, forward-thinking legislation that will put us on a path toward lowering harmful carbon emissions, help our green economy, and give our environment the protection that it needs. I am pleased that my colleagues in both the House and Senate worked so tirelessly to bring this bill forward.”

The bill now returns to the Governor’s desk.

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.  To reach her, email [email protected] or her legislative aide, Chris Jean, [email protected]. The phone number for the office is 617-722-2430. For updates and announcements, please visit Representative LaNatra’s Facebook page, https://bit.ly/2Ura8VR

or her website, https://www.kathylanatra.com.

Each season, a handful of athletes across the Patriot League receive league wide recognition for their achievements. The winter 2020-2021 season was no different.

Many different Silver Lake High varsity athletes received awards from the Patriot League which were announced last week. Here is a look at the awards that Lakers athletes received, broken down by sport.

Girls Basketball

Molly Terbush was the team’s lone Patriot League All-Star while Kiley O’Brien got the team sportsmanship award and Erin deMacedo was their scholar athlete. Additionally, the girls’ basketball team received the Patriot League team sportsmanship award.

Boys Basketball

Ben Lofstrom was the team’s lone Patriot League All-Star. Meanwhile, Jack Slattery got the sportsmanship award and Matt O’Donnell was their scholar-athlete.

Girls Hockey

The co-op with Whitman-Hanson had two Patriot League All-Stars, both of which are from Silver Lake: Shea Kelleher and Ellie Grady. Emily McDonald of Whitman-Hanson won the sportsmanship award while Abby Powers of Silver Lake was their scholar athlete.

Boys Hockey

Jake Generazo earned the Patriot League All-Star honor. Additionally, Nate LaPlante-Johnson got the sportsmanship award and Cam Cavicchi was named as their scholar athlete.

Swimming

On the boys’ side, Jake Foley won the sportsmanship award and Wes Hawley was their scholar athlete. For the girls, the sportsmanship award went to Sydney Adams and the scholar athlete went to Anna Billings.

Gymnastics

Both Ava Dorsey and Mackenzie Mackinaw were Patriot League All-Stars on the co-op with Pembroke. The sportsmanship award went to Sarah d’Entremont, and Lauren Canniff of Pembroke was their Scholar Athlete.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met remotely on Monday, March 8. Several representatives of the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) were invited to attend the meeting by Selectman Christine Joy to provide technical assistance regarding the safety zones that had been brought forth by the Selectmen and voted through at town meeting. The zones reduce speeds at certain problematic intersections in town.

Bill McNulty with the OCPC spoke about what they could do to provide assistance including advice regarding sign placement. He said that they can collect data to interpret what kind of effects the signs are having. Much of the technical assistance provided by OCPC has to do with speed limits. They can place tubes in the road that will record traffic volume, speed, and type of vehicle. McNulty also said that they could explore possible traffic calming techniques including narrowing travel lanes. He said that narrowing travel lanes has a “demonstrative effect on lowering speeds.”

Selectman Chair Mark Russo noted that the signs posted thus far alerting drivers to the reduced speed zones have not helped slow down traffic. “We’d like all the help we can get; the two areas where we established the safety zones are just hellaciously uncomfortable,” Russo told the OCPC representatives. Russo also said that he was interested in possibly reducing truck traffic or having a truck exclusion. McNulty said it was a possibility but that an alternate route would have to be available to trucks in order to gain approval from MassDOT. “We’ll look at the traffic pattern and identify the best alternate route for trucks,” he explained.

Joy said that any of the recommended work could eventually become a TIP project or a Transportation Improvement Program with federal funding. She noted that the data, etc. collected by OCPC would be helpful.

Next, the Selectmen looked at some possible town meeting articles. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen spoke to several related potential articles including the largest and priciest of which – a roof replacement at the Town House for an estimated $500,000. Wilhelmsen said that regardless of what decision is made about the work, some attention will likely need to be devoted to the project. Other potential articles related to the town campus include $7,500 for roof assessments at both the library and fire station and $7,000 for flagpole refurbishments at two locations in town. Other possible articles include a fund for general consultant and preliminary design services and the Center St. building refurbishment. The Town Properties Committee will prepare recommendations for the Selectmen to consider during their March 22 meeting.

Other potential articles include repurposing the leftover funds from the article that was created when hiring Town Administrator Liz Dennehy. The account still has $10,311 in it that could be put toward general search assistance for professional positions. Another possible article is for $5,000 toward hiring a hydrologist to perform analysis of reporting and consequences of Rocky Harvest water withdrawal. Joy explained that it would allow them to see trends.

The selectmen also discussed next steps with the proposal for a marijuana cultivation site in town from their previous meeting. Nick Rizzo had appeared before the Board during their previous meeting to inquire about their interest in his business which would include multiple greenhouses. The facility would not be public facing and the product would be sold to other establishments in the Commonwealth. Selectmen John Traynor said he had already received one message from a resident that was adamantly opposed to it as they were concerned about it being visible from Spring St.

There is a list of questions including potential revenue to the town that will be sent to Rizzo and his partner. The Selectmen can then decide what next steps to take based on the responses. Russo said that he sees the potential for revenue for the town without much disturbance. “I am kind of excited about this one for it being low impact and potentially in the exact right place,” Russo said. Rizzo had discussed a potential location with the Selectmen during the previous meeting though he doesn’t yet own any land in town.

The Selectmen also discussed how best to handle town owned land disposition, particularly lots of low value. Dennehy said the process is different if the lot is worth less than $35,000. She also noted that accepting a price that is much less than what it appraises for could raise issues with the State. Dennehy said that options include holding an auction or putting the land out to bid as was done recently for the Prospect Rd. lots. She said she would recommend an auction for low value land saying that she would reserve going out to bid for buildable lots or lots where fair market value could be attained.

Russo said he was strongly leaning toward not selling the Churchill property at this time. Traynor said he was not in favor of selling the land. Joy said she felt it imperative that the town get some of the land back on the tax roll by selling the lots. She suggested batching them and “having an auction and trying to get rid of them.” Joy ultimately suggested sending the list to the Town Properties Committee to make sure there were no lots that could potentially be suitable for a town project. The other selectmen agreed with those next steps.

Dennehy provided the Selectmen with her Town Administrator’s report. She said that herself and the Fire Chief are working on a grant opportunity to replace the cistern at the Town Green and possibly put one or two more elsewhere in the town. She said that she was unsure if the application would be successful as it is a large grant program and extremely competitive. She noted that it may work in their favor that they are a small town with a small ask.

The open town accountant position has been advertised in various places and will remain posted through March 17.  Dennehy said the open assistant treasurer/collector position was posted as well as of Monday.

Dennehy also said that the town had received correspondence from Habitat for Humanity who had previously presented to the Board during a meeting several weeks back. They were interested in looking at potential places where they could collaborate with the town on a possible project. The Selectmen expressed interest in doing a site visit with them to look at some potential lots. Russo said that while building a single-family home would be great for one family, what really interested him was the potential to offer affordable housing to elderly residents.

The Selectmen also voted unanimously on a Purple Hearts Community Proclamation. The vote would make August 7 a day to honor Purple Heart recipients in Plympton and encourage residents to do things such as fly the American flag.

As is customary for them, the Selectmen ended their meeting with their rants or raves of the last few weeks. Traynor said that his rave was for Mike Murphy, the manager of the Upland Club, for working with the Council on Aging to allow a Zumba class to be hosted in the pavilion for Plympton seniors. Joy said that her rave was for Jon Wilhelmsen, the School Committee, and the school staff who have been working so hard to get the kids back in school. Russo said his rave was for vaccines. “My rave is even more for the peace of mind that vaccines may offer in the near future; that sense of relief, that sense of being protected and maybe some sense of getting back to normalcy,” he explained.

Halifax selectmen heard from Taunton entrepreneurs Rhonda and Roy LaFlamme at their Tuesday, Feb. 23 meeting, about their plans for a cannabis retail operation coupled with home delivery of their product.

Representing Bracts & Pistils LLc,  the pair told Halifax selectmen they are considering running the business out  of 849 Plymouth St.   Currently there are four industrial condominiums, about 900 square feet each at that location.  “We’d like to take the two middle units, and operate a retail store out of one and a delivery system out of the other condo,” Roy LaFlamme told the board.  The two currently have a marijuana courier license in Taunton.   “We’ve been in the cannabis business since 2018.”  Woman-owned, and Roy is a veteran.

Seelig told the LaFlammes, that before they go too far down the road, they should get confirmation from the building inspector that the distance between buildings and the proximity to the preschool won’t prevent a license from being issued.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig wanted to know more about the delivery.  Roy LaFlamme answered that there are several types of delivery licenses:  the courier license is where a courier picks up a package from a store and delivers it. The driver operator will be selling its own product.  Delivery courier is delivering other people’s product.   “The one we are proposing for Halifax is a driver-operator business.  It’s like a little warehouse on wheels.“

Andrews asked what fee they were proposing for the town. “That’s negotiable,” Roy LaFlamme answered.  The 3% is a negotiated sum, and at the end of the period, quarter, fiscal year, the percentage is paid to the town.  Our business model is not to accept cash.   Everything is done electronically.

Chris Winiewicz of Circuit St. wanted to point out that there is more frontage on the side street, than on Route 106.  “I think it is something to keep in consideration.   Children congregate on that road.”

Seelig reminded Winiewicz that there are several steps to opening a marijuana business in Halifax:  First is the Host Community Agreement, second is the license, and third is bringing the project through zoning.

Halifax now zoned Yellow for COVID

Seelig told the Board of Selectmen that as of Feb. 18, Halifax is now classed as Yellow designation, rather than red.  “Halifax had been red since the beginning of December.   Seelig said he was notified by the state that there was a tenth death on Feb 18, an elderly resident in their 80s who was hospitalized with other underlying medical issues in addition to COVID.

Seelig also reported that the very local vaccine clinics won’t be happening.  Fire Chief Jason Viveiros is investigating the possibility of Halifax joining with Bridgewater State University as they put together a regional effort for COVID vaccinations.  Seelig said that they still need to set up a “Last Mile” program for people of any age who can’t or won’t leave the town for their vaccine, but the information for that probably wouldn’t be available for at least a couple of weeks from the state.

Housing Authority members named

As part of the state legislation approved last month, Halifax did finally get the procedures in place for appointment of members to the Housing Authority, for the tenant seat as well as the other seats on the board.    “What we’ll have now is a five- member housing authority:  Three members are elected by the voters, one tenant member appointed by the board of selectmen, either from names from the local tenant organization or volunteers, and one member appointed by the state.

“As of right now, Seelig told selectmen, we have Richard Clark, an elected member whose term ends  in May of 2025; Beatrice McCarthy, whose term ends in 2024, Christine Tomkins,  whose term ends in 2023, and a vacant seat, that would be the tenant’s seat, whose term would end in 2022.    Martha Smith is the State appointee for an indefinite term.   Seelig suggested to leave the tenant’s seat vacant at this time and it will be filled either at the town election or afterward.

Halifax vs. Peck was a bylaw violation that came up two or three years ago regarding an earth removal complaint, Seelig told Selectmen.   There was a hearing before the clerk magistrate scheduled but COVID shutdowns prevented it from happening.  Now the courts are re-starting their hearings schedule and this is still on their docket.  Seelig said that according to his recollection, the board had written to the court saying the matter had been settled.  Seelig asked the board if they would like him to send the letter again to the District Court advising the Court that the matter has been settled.   Selectman Troy Garron agreed.

Selectmen unanimously approved the request of Thomas Schindler for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for a period ending March 20, 2021.

Seelig told the board that two additional town meeting articles were submitted from the Silver Lake School District: one for tennis court reconstruction with a total cost of approximately $340,000. Halifax’s cost would be based on their pro-rated share.  The second warrant article would add to the stabilization fund for the District.  Seelig told the board that the town has consistently voted against this, but he suggested that both articles appear on the town meeting warrant for voters to decide.

Seelig told selectmen that recent testing showing the amount of phosphorous in Monponsett Ponds and two other Halifax ponds show elevated levels of phosphorous, a nutrient that is the primary contributor to algae growth, requiring further aluminum sulfate treatments.  Seelig said that he would look at the town’s stormwater runoff program, another contributing factor, as is the runoff from fertilizer applied to upstream cranberry bogs.    Seelig said there are grant possibilities to help pay for the pond treatments and the pumps used to dispense aluminum sulfate.

The state has grouped ten different grants under the one umbrella called Community One Stop for Growth, and asks for communities to submit an “Expression of Interest”.   Seelig said they are looking for big projects not specific to town government, but  “more community based”.  He suggested considering redevelopment of the properties at or near the intersection of Routes 58 and 106, extending the sidewalk network so it is not a “piecemeal”  effort.  Other possibilities include: Setting up a plan for replacement or reconstruction of several municipal buildings including but not limited to fire, police, water, and the water building, Council on Aging; a municipal broadband network for better internet service throughout Halifax; and also a large scale repaving of roads throughout the town.  Garron and Selectman Gordon Andrews  asked if a bridge project combining the several bridges in Halifax in need of repair could be considered.  Seelig will get back to Selectmen in a couple of weeks to see if there are other areas of interest for the town.

The Fire Dept. has been awarded two grants, a Student Awareness of Fire Education  grant for $4,692 and a Senior SAFE grant award for $2,480.

Selectmen also discussed amendments to the Wage & Personnel by-law.  Seelig said he hasn’t been able to collect much data from the 10 towns for comparisons on grades 7 and 6, they will have zoom joint committee meetings. “I did review the changes proposed by the Fire Chief and I can recommend them to the Finance Committee.“

David Walsh, Commander of Halifax VFW Post 6258, has asked selectmen to consider making August 7 Purple Heart Day in Halifax.  Walsh will attend the next meeting of selectmen March 9 to present the proposal to selectmen.

Seelig told the board that there is a proposed Nursing Service Agreement between the town and Tammy Lorizio that would replace the previous VNA agreement.  Lorizio would work as a contractor, not an employee, with pay negotiated at $2,332 for FY21 and $7,000 for FY22.  Selectmen voted to approve, contingent on Town Council’s approval.

Selectmen interviewed Joseph Vetrano and Debra Pasquale  who are interested in filling the vacant positions on the Finance Committee.   Vetrano has lived in Halifax for six years and works as a senior purchasing agent dealing with numbers and budgets all day long.

 Debra Pasquale has lived in Halifax for 12 years and now works as a photographer.  She also noted she is taking the exam to apply for a real estate license.   She has been active in the Monponsett Watershed Assn. and advocates strongly for the health of the ponds.  She said she wants to serve the town, “…because I want to live in Halifax for the rest of my life.”

 Fred McGovern of the Finance Committee said he looks forward to getting back to a full board with these two candidates, noting it will be a very busy time preparing the town budget for the Spring Town Meeting.  He said that the Finance Committee voted unanimously to accept both candidates.

Andrews said Pasquale and Vetrano would serve through June 15, 1922, both filling unexpired terms.  Garron said “it gives you an opportunity to get your feet wet.”  Garron moved to accept the recommendation of the Finance Committee.  Seelig told them to contact the Town Clerk to get sworn in.

Susan Johnston, administrative assistant at the Recycling Center and Sandra Nolan came before the board to discuss recycling in Halifax.  They gave selectmen a report showing the cash breakdown of the department, pointing out a large line item for town dumpsters – $21,000.  The biggest expenses are for town dumpsters and Hazardous Waste Day open to all residents and the needle sharps return.   If those could be paid for out of the general fund, then they think the solid waste bags would be able to continue with the fee schedule as is.

Selectmen told the duo that recycling rebates are a perennial problem and they would appreciate a protocol for residents with private haulers to document their recycling for rebate applications.

Answering Andrews’ question, “Should we be continuing the abatement system,”  Johnston said, “In 2007 we signed an agreement – people have to show that they are recycling in order for us to continue getting a $3000 grant each year… As long as a recycling charge is shown on the bill from private trash haulers, and people can produce the invoice showing the charge, we know the recycling charge has been paid.  The town can then rebate Halifax’s recycling charge to those residents with private trash haulers.

 They all agreed this would take much more discussion at another time.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, Feb. 22. Much of the meeting was spent on an appointment with Nick Rizzo to informally discuss steps to acquire a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Plympton to establish a cannabis business in town. Rizzo, who is originally from Kingston, is a veteran who will be retiring from the military in May. Rizzo said his partner John White, who is also originally from Kingston, has been in the cannabis industry for eight years running a cultivation facility in Maine. “We feel that these businesses can be a really positive part of a community… we want to build a local, sustainable business that is energy conscious and is pretty small in scale,” he explained.

Rizzo explained a bit about his specific proposal saying they were hoping to run a cultivation facility consisting of several greenhouses to start. The facility would not be public facing and Rizzo said they would sell their product to other establishments in the State. Rizzo said he had investigated the Plympton bylaws and had spoken with several property owners in the industrial zone regarding potential locations. The preferred location is one on Spring St. right off the highway.

Rizzo said that he had a previous proposal for a retail establishment in Kingston a year and a half ago that fell through. “If this is something that you all really don’t want in Plympton, I’ll respect that; I don’t want to waste your time or mine,” he explained.

Russo asked about impact in terms of noise and odor. Rizzo said that noise should not be an issue as they won’t be operating any heavy equipment with the exception of the initial construction. He also said that the specific greenhouse they would like to use has an odor mitigation system. Selectman John Traynor asked about size and Rizzo said he was hoping to start with a 5,000 sq. ft. greenhouse and eventually expand to 10,000. He also said he was expecting to initially employ 5 full time employees.

Selectman Christine Joy asked about the concern over the amount of water needed to run the facility. Rizzo said that they had considered that but told the selectmen that his partner, who was unable to attend the meeting, was the true horticulturist. Regarding electricity, Rizzo said he feels that most people getting into the cultivation business are sinking money into unsustainable buildings. He noted that the wholesale price of marijuana was likely to decrease as it moves closer to federal legalization and said that businesses with high operating costs won’t be able to survive. “From a business perspective we would love to get into solar,” Rizzo explained.

Town Treasurer Colleen Morin asked Rizzo what the anticipated profit to the town would be, but Rizzo said he was not yet prepared to discuss revenue numbers. He said that in other towns they had negotiated three percent of gross annual sales.

Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Ken Thompson, who was on the call, said he had the opportunity to talk at length with Rizzo and was impressed with his breadth of knowledge. Thompson said that he was aware of the 2-acre property Rizzo was interested in and noted that it was between other industrial businesses. He shared his opinion that it would have little impact on neighbors.

“For me personally, I’m not a big fan of marijuana but I’m here with an open mind to listen and I appreciate your proposal and your very frank answer to our questions,” Joy said. “I appreciate you being honest with me too,” Rizzo said. Russo said that several years ago another grow facility was proposed but was met with considerable resistance from residents. “It was pretty controversial, and it was a bit of a struggle,” Russo explained. “I, at least personally, could imagine being excited about this,” Russo said of Rizzo’s proposal. Traynor told Rizzo that he felt that the selectmen owed it to Rizzo to let him know exactly what information they need from him in order to move forward. Russo told Rizzo that they would be in touch with him.

Rizzo ended his time before the selectmen with a short story about how he became involved in the industry. He told the selectmen that almost 20 years ago his brother was killed. He said that his mother tried many things “to learn to live with her new reality.” “I’m not going to tell you that cannabis fixed her problems but I will say that when it came to nightmares and things that pharmaceuticals couldn’t seem to fix, we saw some glimmers of hope in cannabis and it turned a lightbulb on in my head where I thought okay, what will all of this look like in twenty years when perhaps people are able to be more open about how it might help especially in a more controlled setting,” Rizzo explained.

Dave Alberti who serves on the ZBA and the Bylaw Review Committee and Vicki Alberti who serves on the Open Space Committee asked to share their opinion with the Selectmen. “I would just like to say as residents of Plympton and a user of medical cannabis that I would welcome a grow in Plympton; I think it would be really good for the town and I just want the Board of Selectmen to understand that I think the majority of the town would probably feel the same way,” Vicki explained.

The Board also took care of several appointments and reappointments in town. Judy Dudley was reappointed to the Community Preservation Committee through June 30, 2023. Russo said, “She’s been a loyal and active member of the Community Preservation Committee.” Dave Bugbee was appointed to the Wage and Personnel Board through 2023. Art Morin was appointed as the coordinator of Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) through June 30, 2023.

Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said there is a workshop on March 10 for the Hazard Mitigation Grant. Dennehy said she is working with Area 58 to have them provide a Zoom link as well as having it broadcast on TV. “People can watch the workshop and learn about what we are trying to put into the plan,” Dennehy explained.

“As far as COVID goes, our numbers are coming down a little bit,” Dennehy told the Board. She said that a smaller surge was anticipated following February vacation.

The selectmen shared their raves for the past few weeks before adjourning. Joy said her rave was for Nick Rizzo. “Him coming in with his presentation… when he told the story at the end, I definitely know what he is talking about; I’m glad that his mother was able to find some peace because that was just a horrible thing and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy,” Joy said. Russo said that his rave was for the same. “However we decide… about a marijuana grow facility, I salute the youthful, energetic, forward looking, well spoken, just kind of a refreshing approach,” Russo said. Traynor said his rave was for getting his vaccine at the Marshfield Fair grounds.

“It is the most professional way of doing it; they just have it well mapped out and I’m very supportive. If anyone is thinking about getting a shot and they can get to Marshfield, that’s the place to go,” Traynor said.

KINGSTON -State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) has been named to four key legislative committee assignments for the 2021-2022 term of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Representative LaNatra will serve as Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee of Export Development. The duties of this committee include considering all matters pertaining to the Commonwealth’s exports, trades and international competitiveness. As Vice-Chair, Representative LaNatra and the committee will play key roles in cultivating and promoting Massachusetts as a global economic leader, developing partnerships between Massachusetts and other states and nations related to trade and commerce. Her committee will also work to support Massachusetts goods and services in international markets.

Representative LaNatra will also serve as a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means; the House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight, and the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.

She said, “I thank House Speaker Mariano for his confidence in me, and I’m eager to work on each of these committees. In particular, the Joint Committee of Export Development and the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies will play critical roles for our state as we emerge from this pandemic. I look forward to working with my colleagues, and for my constituents, on these important issues.”

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.  To reach her, email [email protected] or her legislative aide, Chris Jean, [email protected]. The phone number for the office is 617-722-2430. For updates and announcements, please visit Representative LaNatra’s Facebook page, https://bit.ly/2Ura8VR

or her website, https://www.kathylanatra.com.

It was announced during the Monday, Feb. 8 Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting that town accountant Barbara Gomez will resign effective May 27, 2021. Selectman Christine Joy said she accepted the resignation “with regret but tremendous appreciation of Barbara’s years of service to the town.” Joy continued saying, “she has been our financial rock that we’ve all leaned on; she will definitely leave a void.” Selectman Chair Mark Russo expressed gratitude to Gomez for “her patience along the way,” particularly in his early days on the Finance Committee and as a new selectman.

Town treasurer/collector Colleen Morin will retire effective June 3, 2021. Joy again expressed regret, this time at losing Morin who she called a “super source of information.”

“The nice thing is the foundation has been laid by Barbara and Colleen and it’s always great when we know that things are running well and we can take off from there,” Selectman John Traynor said. Of Morin, Russo said he was “very appreciative of her patience and sharing of wisdom along the way and a quite ready smile which was very much appreciated.” “Their expertise and kindness over the years has been very much appreciated and both of them will be well missed,” town administrator Liz Dennehy said.

Area 58 Director Richard Goulart attended Monday’s meeting to provide an overall update as well as discuss a renewal for the existing agreement which expired in September of 2020. The original agreement was signed in September of 2015. Goulart explained, “Substantively [we] don’t intend to change the agreement in any significant way.” He said that they would likely address COVID in the new agreement. Russo said, “cable access is just a constantly and rapidly evolving field… fully recognize this will probably look totally different in five years.”

Goulart said that currently Area 58 is operating out of 96 North Main St. in Carver but noted that they were hoping to move to a different location closer to both Plympton and Halifax. He said the hope is to cut down on their expenses associated with their location. Their current layout is around 3,000 square feet and their new location would need to be at least as large. Goulart said they were looking for feedback on possible locations.

Goulart said that both Carver and Halifax are occasionally holding live meetings but noted the extent to which COVID has changed their business. Traynor asked if it would be possible to live stream the selectmen meetings. Goulart said that it would be possible as long as Area 58 were the hosts of the Zoom meeting. “If you can do them live then that’s going to give us a lot more outreach,” Traynor said. Goulart said they are working on a plan for how to go live from the selectmen’s meeting room once in-person meetings are resumed. Joy spoke to a possible negative of having Area 58 host the virtual meetings as the selectmen or town administrator would lose their ability to mute a participant were things to get out of hand or inappropriate.

Traynor mentioned that he hasn’t seen the school committee meetings being posted to Area 58 regularly. Goulart said that he has had difficulty obtaining the recordings of the virtual school committee meetings. He noted that Area 58 has put out feelers to see if the committees would like them to record them or if they would be able to jump on and record the meetings while they are taking place. Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen was on the call and said that he should be the contact person for the Plympton School Committee meetings.

Dennehy provided a general update on town business. She said that to date, the town had not offered a dental plan for town employees. According to Dennehy the town carries some excess in that particular budget line. She said the cost to the town would be $120 a month for families or $60 a month for individuals. Russo called it “a nice benefit that people will really appreciate without a huge expense to the town.” Joy asked if it would apply to retirees as well and was told it likely would. All the selectmen voted in favor of offering the plan.

Dennehy also provided an update to the water emergency at the Highway Barn on 23 Palmer Road. A large water leak occurred following the recent snowstorm. As of Monday’s meeting, Dennehy said that the affected ceiling tiles had been removed. She said they were unable to tarp the roof due to it being a metal roof as well as some repairs that had taken place, so they used sealant instead. The barn will also have to be checked for damage to insulation in the walls. Dennehy thanked Administrative Assistant Briggette Martins, who she said has extensive experience in insurance, for her work in getting the claims processed.

Dennehy said that the town has been working on their hazard mitigation plan and noted that there will be a public workshop in the next month or so that will be recorded through Zoom. She said she hoped to televise it live as well. The town is looking into several grant opportunities including one that the Fire Chief is working on to increase manpower. Dennehy said that the town had unfortunately received word that one of their larger projects that they were hoping to run through Green Communities would need to go through the procurement process.

The COVID-19 update was brief with Dennehy saying that the numbers have come down a bit in town. Plympton is now designated in the yellow risk category.

Wilhelmsen provided an update on Dennett Elementary and recapped the School Committee meeting from a few weeks ago. During that meeting, which was well attended, there was a lot of public interest around getting more students back into the classroom for more in-person learning. Wilhelmsen said that despite everyone agreeing that more in-person time is better for the children, there are still many logistical issues that stand in the way including limited bus capacity, the physical distancing requirement of 6 ft at lunchtime, and shortages with staff and substitutes, in particular. “To date, we have not gone full remote at all during the school year… we think we’ve had some good successes there,” he explained.

Wilhelmsen mentioned that teachers and elementary school staff are part of the third tier of Phase Two for vaccine distribution. He said the School Committee is interested in looking at what other plans can be put into place in addition to that mitigating factor. “How can we do this in a safe and effective manner both for students but also for teachers and other staff at the Dennett?” Wilhelmsen said that he would be holding a Zoom information session for parents along with Principal Peter Veneto later that week. He said the hope was to keep the lines of communication open and provide parents an opportunity to ask additional questions. “if parents are watching here, we are looking at how we can do this and do it in the right way so that we are successful.”

“I’ll just acknowledge the incredible challenge of balancing the needs and the wishes of numerous variant and disparate stakeholders and groups; you’re surely in the midst of kind of the crossfire from a lot of different directions and we’re glad you’re still standing,” Russo told Wilhelmsen.

Before moving to their rants and raves for the last few weeks, the selectmen also approved a request for use of town property. A Daisy Girl Scout Troop out of Plympton requested to work on the garden beds at the library throughout the spring, summer, and fall. They plan to clean, plant, and maintain the garden beds. Correspondence said that they also plan to do the work entirely outdoors and will adhere to all required safety protocols.

Joy said that she had two raves for the week, the first of which was for Traynor, Russo, and Dennehy working with Senator Michael Brady and Representative Kathleen LaNatra to advocate for the town and to be proactive in looking at ways to meet the town’s needs. “I’m sure a lot of good is going to come out of that,” she said.

Her second rave was for all those that stepped up to deal with the water emergency at the Highway Department including Briggette Martins and Fire Chief Stephen Silva. She noted that without a facilities manager, other people really had to step up to the plate. Chair of the Board of Health Art Morin also spoke up sharing a rave for the same.

Traynor’s rant was for the problems seen in the rollout of Phase 2 of vaccine distribution for individuals aged 75 and over. “I’ve never seen a website problem like the State has created… unfortunately, it’s just a nightmare,” Traynor said. Traynor said that it wasn’t until after filling out all necessary forms that the website would tell you there were no spots available for the selected date. He said this would happen repeatedly. “I think the State and Governor Baker are going to lose a lot of marks over this… it should have been done better,” he said. Both the Council on Aging and Fire Captain Cheryl Davis were assisting those that needed it with filling out the forms and booking appointments. Morin agreed with Traynor saying, “from a Board of Health perspective… it’s appalling.”

Russo said that with both the town accountant and town treasurer leaving, it got him thinking about mentors as he said he has considered both of them mentors along the way. Russo said he has been spending a fair amount of time at Churchill Park where there is a bench dedicated to Gail Briggs. He said that had the town had the opportunity to name either Churchill Park or Cato’s Ridge after someone it would have been Briggs. He mentioned that Briggs passed away before all of her decades’ worth of work came to fruition. “That bench is a wonderful place to sit at the beginning of the Boardwalk to see what she created and remember how her foresight and energy brought forth something that is so beautiful; thinking of you Gail and really appreciative,” Russo said.

Twenty-twenty began like any other year but would prove to be anything but ordinary.  A global pandemic rocked nearly all aspects of life and exacerbated an already contentious political climate. Racial tensions soared following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May. It was a year filled with protests and riots. Phrases like “social distancing” and “the new normal” became a regular part of the vernacular. Many adults and children worked and learned from home. Essential workers became heroes. More than 2.24 million people worldwide and over 400,000 Americans succumbed to COVID-19. It was a busy time globally and within local communities as well.

The year began with Ryan Lynch being named as the new Assistant Superintendent for Silver Lake. Lynch joined newly promoted Superintendent Jill Proulx. In a bit of fun news from the past year, Halifax resident Susan Hill appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy in February. Another bright spot in an oftentimes dreary year was Silver Lake Regional High School senior and now graduate Alexa Connors claiming two MIAA Div. 1 state titles as a member of the school’s swim team.

The towns of Plympton and Halifax grappled with where and when to safely hold their town meetings and town elections. In addition to concerns over COVID-19, towns also had to contend with the threat posed by mosquito-borne illnesses like Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Plympton utilized multiple rooms at the Dennett Elementary School to hold their town meeting on June 17 and moved forward with their town election on June 20 after ensuring multiple safety protocols were in place for both. Halifax scheduled and rescheduled their town meeting many times over before finally holding it at Halifax Elementary School over the course of September 12 and September 22.

Residents voted in record numbers both locally and nationally in several elections this past year including the presidential general election in November. Halifax voted in favor of Donald Trump by a slim margin of 49.4 percent to 48.5 percent. Plympton favored eventual winner and now President Joseph Biden by a margin of less than three percentage points. Locally, incumbent Kathy LaNatra overcame Halifax resident Summer Schmaling in a close contest for Representative in General Court for the 12^th Plymouth District. Both Plympton and Halifax voted yes to the Right to Repair question while voting no on the question of ranked choice voting.

There were a number of changes to appointed positions in both towns in 2020 as well as the early days of 2021. Notable results from the elections held over the summer included Alan Dias besting Ashley DiSesa for a spot on the Halifax Planning Board and Highway Surveyor incumbent Steven Hayward besting challenger Michael J. Schlieff to maintain his position. Longtime Selectman Troy Garron won re-election to a three-year term. In Plympton, Mark Russo won re-election to the Board of Selectmen and would go on to be named Chair. Daniel Cadogen was also voted into a position on the Plympton Elementary School Committee.

Following resignations, Lukasz Kowalksi and Emily Davis were named as new members of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee from Plympton and Kingston respectively. Paula Hatch replaced Jason Fraser as the Chair of the Regional School Committee.  In November, Ashley DiSesa was named as the newest member of the Halifax Elementary School Committee. Also, in November, Colleen Thompson was named as the new Council on Aging Director for Plympton. Former Assistant Town Clerk Susan Lawless completed her first year as the Director of the Halifax Council on Aging after being appointed in December of 2019.

Following their abrupt closure in March, the schools grappled with how to continue to educate while maintaining the safety of both students and staff. Teachers and administrators scrambled to continue to provide necessary services including the need for free lunches for many eligible students. They worked throughout the summer to gather community input and assess all aspects of a possible reopening plan. Schools looked at how many students could fit on a bus and how many desks could fit into a classroom with proper distancing. Polices were put into place to limit the possible spread of the virus. Air quality tests were run and new equipment was purchased when necessary. All scenarios were weighed carefully, always with the safety and security of the staff and students in mind. In the end, all Silver Lake schools opened in a hybrid model sending students back in Cohorts who would divide their time between remote and in-person learning. In a piece of good news, despite numerous cases in students and staff at the schools, the evidence does not point to there being any in school spread.

Both Halifax and Plympton held peaceful protests over the summer in the name of racial injustice. Plympton organizer Amy Laura Cahn described the event as “a vigil for George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, Tony Mcdade, and all Black Americans slain by racial violence and injustice, including police brutality and the pandemic.” At the event on June 14 in Plympton residents took a knee for 8 minutes and 36 seconds in protest of George Floyd’s killing. Seventeen-year-old Jay Cline organized the event in Halifax on Saturday, June 6 that saw a few hundred people peacefully gather at the intersection of Routes 58 and 106.

Looking forward to the promise of a new year, there are signs of hope on the horizon. Vaccine development and rollout provides the first glimmer of an end to the pandemic that has poked holes in everything once seen as normal. Many healthcare workers and first responders have already been vaccinated in Plympton and Halifax. May 2021 bring healing to the physical, emotional, and financial struggles of the previous year.