The Tuesday, May 26 Plympton Board of Selectmen’s meeting began with a discussion regarding the logistics for holding town meeting on June 17. Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said that she had met earlier that day with members of the emergency management team, Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen, Dennett Elementary principal Peter Veneto, and town clerk Patricia Detterman.

The group is planning a walkthrough well in advance of the meeting to figure out a seating arrangement that still allows for 6 feet of social distancing. Members of the same household who attend, can sit together. There are also plans to utilize two rooms in the Dennett, if necessary, to ensure proper distancing. Both would be equipped with the necessary technology to ensure communication between the rooms. Town Moderator Barry DeCristofano said that he would be able to nominate an alternate moderator for the second room.

Wilhelmsen said that he would speak to Veneto about possibly getting the technology department at the high school involved as it may be necessary to add to the existing equipment. There was some discussion between those at Monday’s meeting about possibly dividing those normally seated in the front at town meeting (selectmen, Finance Committee) equally between the two rooms.

There will most likely be a singular check-in point at this year’s town meeting located at the vestibule area. The check-in table will have a portable plexi-glass wall. From there, people will be directed to one of the two rooms. Dennehy said that unless guidance from the governor’s office changes before then, everyone attending the town meeting will be required to wear a face covering. The only exception will be those who have an underlying medical condition that prohibits them from doing so safely. Dennehy also said that there will be plenty of staff present from both the police and fire departments. Hand sanitizer will be available as will wipes to disinfect the microphones between use. If residents refuse to follow safety protocols while at town meeting, DeCristofano would have to declare them out of order and then the police would intervene.

Dennehy said that a bulletin outlining what to expect at town meeting will be sent to residents. Selectman Mark Russo was in favor of the idea as he said he had been hearing from many people that they would not be attending town meeting, some out of concern for their safety and health.

When asked if temperatures will be taken at check-in, Dennehy said that they decided to hold off on doing so as they didn’t want to create a bottleneck at the check-in area. She also mentioned the possibility of asymptomatic carriers. She did say it may be something that they will revisit prior to the meeting.

Dennehy said that the town has been working diligently on plans to get the townhouse up and running for the public by Monday, June 1. Regarding the new protocols, Dennehy said, “This is a very fluid situation and new territory for all of us, so everyone’s cooperation is appreciated as we navigate through this uncertain time.” The following is a list of the guidelines Dennehy will be issuing to the public ahead of reopening.

We will be following all protocols and Orders issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Should Commonwealth-instituted protocols be lessened, we will update our Town protocols accordingly.

The Town House will be open to the general public, beginning on Monday, June 1 for our normal business hours, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Please note that elected offices, such as the Town Clerk, for example, may have extended or varied hours as required by law.  The Building and Inspectional Services Department will also be available by appointment on Monday evenings.

Everyone is asked to wear a face covering the entire time you’re in the building unless you have an underlying medical condition.

Plympton Fire Department personnel will be conducting mandatory temperature checks.  No personal information will be recorded and the temperature scan is contactless.  If someone has a temperature above 100.3 degrees they will be asked to leave the building.  Employees will also be subject to this screening daily.

One person at a time visiting any offices within the Town House.  A waiting area that facilitates social distancing will be established in the Main Meeting Room.

If you need to speak to a specific Town employee, it’s best to call or Email them directly.

If you prefer to conduct business remotely, we can accommodate that to the extent practical.  Please contact the respective Town Department and they will make every effort to assist you.

The full set out of guidelines will be available on the town website (town.plympton.ma.us).

Protocols for the town election are also in the works.

The meeting ended on a high note with Chair Christine Joy giving her “rave” for the week. Joy credited Briggette Martins and the Memorial Day Committee for stepping up despite initial difficulties securing the necessary supplies. Of their Memorial Day efforts, Joy said, “She and the Committee did an amazing job getting the green spruced up and getting flags and medallions on the veterans’ graves.”

The Plympton Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee held a three-hour, remote, joint meeting on Monday, May 18 to go over the budget as well as the warrants for the annual and special town meetings.

Chair of the Finance Committee Nathaniel Sides led the budget discussion. Sides said that salaries were capped at a 1.6 percent cost of living increase. Other highlights include an estimated 14 percent increase in disposal and recycling fees associated with the transfer station. Overall, the public works budget is relatively level funded.

Sides said that the Finance Committee and Fire Department went back and forth several times regarding their budget requests. The Fire Department requested $747,000 and the Finance Committee is recommending $696,000. The Police Department requested an additional officer. Sides said, “Initially I would have liked to support that but given the current scenario, we can’t.” Costs associated with emergency dispatch are also going up significantly though they are down from original estimates thanks to negotiations with the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCC).

The Finance Committee and the schools also had several communications on the budget. Sides said that while there were some requests that they would like to recommend, he noted the importance of treating all town departments equally. Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen was also in attendance. Wilhelmsen said that the school was asking for a new special education position. He said the position is necessitated by the number of current and incoming students in need of such services. According to Wilhelmsen, without the position, students may need to seek services outside of Dennett. The cost of just one student doing so would be at the same cost as the new position. If two students were to go outside the district, it would be double.

Sides said that the reserve fund was increased from ¾ percent to one percent of the total budget due to the departments being asked to be extra lean this year as well as the unknowns that potentially lay ahead due to the current climate. The total of the budget voted on by the Finance Committee is $11,412,323 for a 1.2 percent increase overall. The selectmen also unanimously voted in favor of the budget as presented.

Selectman Mark Russo gave kudos to the Finance Department and Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy for their efforts to bring forth a budget during difficult times. Selectman John Traynor said, “The budget as presented is well done.”

Dennehy led the discussion on the warrant, beginning with the one for the annual town meeting. The Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee voted whether to recommend each article. Article 2 authorizes the treasurer to enter into compensation agreements, Article 3 is for an updated wage and personnel chart, Article 4 is for the budget, and Article 5 is for financial audits. All were approved by the necessary participants at the meeting.

Articles 6 through 8 pertain to the Highway Department. Article 6 authorizes the Highway Department to utilize Chapter 90 funds, Article 7 transfers $200,000 for road resurfacing, Article 8 is for roughly $17,000 for the annual lease agreement for the department’s truck, and Article 9 is for $30,000 for a flail mower. All were approved unanimously.

Article 10 is a standard CPC article for estimated revenues for various items.

Articles 11 and 12 are each for $2500 and are for various property valuations. Article 13 is for $10,000 toward updated software for the assessors.

Article 14 is for the Police Department to lease and purchase radios and accompanying equipment. Article 15 is to authorize the selectmen to enter into a purchase or lease agreement for equipment needed to continue to build the fiber optic network. Article 16 is for $340,000 to purchase an ambulance. Article 17 is for roughly $49,000 for lease payments on the Fire Department vehicles. Article 18 is for $10,000 for the Fire Department to purchase new personal protective equipment. Article 19 is for nearly $16,725 for the annual lease payment for the Fire Department command truck. Article 20 is the required 5 percent match for the FEMA Grant with the contingency that it is dependent on the success of the town’s application. Article 21 is for $8,000 for the purchase or repair of self-contained breathing apparatus for the Fire Department. Articles 10 through 21 were all recommended unanimously.

Article 22 is for $14,000 to support the part time school resource officer at the middle school. Plympton supported this article last year at town meeting while Halifax did not. Plympton’s support allowed for a school resource officer at the middle school for a very limited number of hours per week. Halifax selectmen are once again not recommending this article as they are opposed to the mechanism to fund the officer through an article rather than as part of the school budget. It was also one of the only articles of the night not to garner unanimous support from both the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee Monday. Sides voted against it leading to a 4-1 vote on the part of the Finance Committee. The Plympton selectmen all voted to recommend it.

Article 23 is for $100,000 to replace the roof and insulation at the Highway Department building. Article 24 is to authorize the selectmen to enter into an agreement with the not-for-profit Soule Homestead in Middleborough. According to Dennehy it is a project that has been in the works for a while and the agreement would be mutually beneficial to both communities. The agreement would enable Plympton to get access to the public open space area near the two lots that are currently for sale at 2 Brooks Preserve. “This article is the product of a lot of work and a lot of talking back and forth between us, Middleborough, Soule Homestead, as well as both town councils,” Dennehy explained. Both articles were recommended by unanimous votes.

Article 25 is a zoning article for the updating of the flood insurance rate maps. Articles 26 and 27 are to digitize the zoning and general bylaws respectively. Article 28 is for $3,100 to continue bylaw codification. All were recommended unanimously.

Articles 29 through 32 are to authorize the selectmen to enter into pilot agreements on various solar projects including those on Upland Road, Lake St., and Main St. The Board of Selectmen voted to recommend these articles.

Article 33, which requires a vote by both the Finance Department and Board of Selectmen, generated considerable debate during Monday’s meeting. The article, which was submitted by the Conservation Commission, is intended to establish a natural resources protection fund. It would be funded primarily through the transfer of funds earned by the sale of town owned land or other fund transfers as voted at town meeting. The funds would be used to match federal, state, or private charitable grants and/or to fund other natural resource protection efforts. Traynor said that his initial reaction was that the article was quite broad, saying it appeared to state that revenue from the sale of any town owned land would automatically be transferred to the Conservation Commission. Sides was similarly concerned.

Conservation member Linda Leddy spoke to the article during Monday’s meeting. She said that the intent behind the fund would be a show of capacity for matching funds when applying for various grants, etc. Town Accountant Barbara Gomez asked if town counsel had approved the wording of the article since the sale of town property is directed into a separate account. Dennehy said that he had read it but not commented either way. She also suggested changing the wording so that the sale of town owned property was a potential source for the fund but not an automatic transfer. There was also discussion as to whether the transfer of sale funds would require a vote at town meeting. Traynor said that there were other things to consider such as affordable housing and said that he would hate to see one thing moved to the front of the line over another due to the wording in the article.

Even after the language change to the article, the Finance Committee said they would like to wait to vote to recommend the article. The selectmen agreed saying they would also like to see the article in its final form before making a recommendation. Since the warrant will be printed this week, the Finance Committee and selectmen will make their recommendation on the town meeting floor.

Gomez suggested further wording changes requesting that the $5,500 from the sale of the pumps at 2 Brooks Preserve be removed from the article and made into a separate article. Sides said that the Finance Committee took issue with the processes that were followed in selling the pumps. He said that it was not the Conservation Commission’s property to sell and assume the money as it belonged to the town. Selectman Chair Christine Joy said that the property should have been advertised as has been done with the sale of other town owned property.

“This is a function of sometimes volunteers don’t know all the rules,” Leddy said. “We appreciate there are probably some rules that we bumped into or crossed… there was always good intent along the way,” she continued. Leddy said the money is to be used toward public access areas at 2 Brooks Preserve. “My personal opinion is the money should go to 2 Brooks,” Traynor said. Russo said he was really uncomfortable with the article as it could appear that town owned money was being used to fund CPA projects that  have been touted as not using town money. In the end, the Selectmen and the Finance Committee agreed to leave the article on the warrant and just be honest at town meeting about the mistakes that were made and explain the intention behind the use of the funds. Leddy said, “I would like to have a warrant on the town meeting floor… we just say, hey, volunteers make mistakes sometimes. We need the money to open this parking lot, the money is sitting in the town coffers, if you want to support it this is the time.”

Dennehy also went over the warrant for the special town meeting. Article 1 is to pay for the final changeover for the Plympton Police Station project. Article 2 is for $6,897 for unpaid bills from the prior fiscal year, and Article 3 is for $10,000 for the opec account. Article 4 is for money for larger scale building projects related to COVID-19. Article 5 is for line item transfers in the fiscal year 2020 budget. Article 6 is for $8,100 to be transferred out of the sale item account and moved toward repairs at the Fire Department. Article 7 is for $7,000 to replace fire ladders. The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee voted in favor of all applicable articles.

Before adjourning for the evening, the Board touched base on some COVID updates. Dennehy said that they are looking to finalize anything that needs to b done to the townhouse building prior to reopening. Some staff will begin returning to the building next week. Dennehy said that all announcements made during Governor Baker’s May 18 press conference were as expected.

The Transfer Station hours are also going to be increasing in coming days. Dennehy also told the Board that as of Monday, there were two confirmed and two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Plympton.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig met in person on Friday, May 8 to discuss the town meeting warrant one final time before going to press. The Selectmen and Seelig were seated at a large table and were observing social distancing protocols.

As of right now, the town meeting is still scheduled for June 15. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will be possible both financially or logistically to hold the meeting on that date. According to Seelig, town meetings fall outside the scope of gatherings limited to 10 participants under Governor Baker’s directive. Seelig said that the hope was to have the warrant printed by Thursday, May 14 and mailed out a few weeks after that.

Seelig went through the articles one at a time with most requiring very little discussion. Article 1 is the report for town officials and committees. Article 2 is for wage and personnel matters including a possible grading of the lieutenant position for the Police Department as well as a possible re-grading for both the animal control officer as well as the director of building maintenance. There were several more routine articles involving revolving funds as well as an annual article for the reserve fund.

Seelig said that Articles 7-13 are intended to settle union contracts. According to Seelig there are no settlements as of right now and he is not sure if there will be any by June 15. If not, they will be passed over.

Seelig went on to go over the appropriation articles. A1 is a normal extension service article, A2 is a Chapter 90 article, A3 is the annual article for $150,000 toward the maintenance of town roads. Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward asked that Articles A4 and A5 be removed; both were large sums of money for street repairs. Other articles included $150,000 toward backhoes, money for a new copier for the Council on Aging, $600,000 for a fire engine for the Fire Department, $100,00 for two marked police vehicles and associated equipment, and money for radio systems for both officers and vehicles in the Police Department.

A11 is an article to allow Police Chief Joao Chaves to continue to lease or outright buy the motorcycle used by the department. Thus far the lease has been paid for by gift account money. Chaves believes that there may be enough gift money from Walmart and another business to continue paying for it with the intention to purchase the motorcycle next year. A12 is for 4 new patrol rifles and A13 is for $5000 for bullet resistant vests, both for the Police Department.

A14 would send money from the town to the Housing Authority. According to Seelig there was an employee who worked for both the town as well as the Housing Authority. Both entities were supposed to be contributing money to the employee’s retirement, but the Housing Authority was charged the full amount. Seelig said he is still trying to sort through the finances for this article.

A16 is for $36,000 to support a part time school resource officer at the middle school. This topic has been a point of contention for those in town. It was voted down at last year’s town meeting. Plympton did vote it through last year and have been supporting a very limited number of hours for the school resource officer. Currently, Kingston fully supports the school resource officer at the high school as it is a Kingston Police Officer and comes out of their police budget. The school resource officer at both the high school and middle school must be a Kingston officer as the schools are located there.

Seelig said the Halifax Finance Committee is not recommending the article. When Selectmen Chair Troy Garron asked why, he was told that the Finance Committee believes the expense belongs in the school budget. Selectman Gordon Andrews, who is also a member of both the Halifax School Committee and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, said that adding the part time officer at the middle school into the school budget would also mean needing to add the high school resource officer. Andrews also reiterated that everyone is in agreement about the need for the part time officer but that the dispute is over the mechanism to fund that officer. Seelig said, “If it’s a priority and we have a limited amount of money, we have to make a choice… if the resource officer is more important than other expenditures for the school, they’ll leave it in and take something else out.” Selectman Tom Millias agreed saying, “I think philosophically, from the very beginning, the first time we heard about this, I was not in favor of the towns going about it separately.” He also called the school budget, “out of control, in my personal opinion.” Seelig went on to use Old Rochester Regional School district as a similar district that handles the school resource officers as part of the school budget. Andrews, however, was quick to point out that Old Rochester actually handles the school resource officers through the town budgets as is being proposed by the article. Andrews also told the other selectmen and Seelig that if the officers were put into the school budget, it would end up costing the town more than $36,000.

A17 is a petition article for $20,000 for a truck inspection program. Seelig said he believed it should be included in the police budget. A18 is a petition article for grading all the unpaved roads in Halifax including private and unaccepted roads. Seelig said that Hayward had been doing work on these roads the last few weeks and that they had received “satisfactory compliments” on the results. A19 was in regard to Pasture Lane which is currently an unaccepted road. Millias said, “I understand the frustrations of the residents on this road, but I don’t see that this is the year for the town to be doing this.” The Selectmen agreed to leave it on the warrant with the caveat that the Board of Selectmen do not recommend it.

There were several more articles that were taken off the warrant before moving on to A23. A23 is intended to deal with the trash that has been piling up at the boat ramp and fishing area on Rt. 58. Seelig said that because of the financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there just is not money to deal with the issue. Seelig also explained that the town doesn’t want to place barrels there as people often take it upon themselves to dump personal trash in them. He also said that this is the reason there are locks on the barrels at the townhouse. Despite calling trash on the roadway an important issue, Garron said, “My gut feeling is to take it off.”

A24 is for crosswalk control devices at various locations. A26 is a petition article for $3500 that is essentially a contract between the town of Halifax and South Coastal County Legal Services. A29 is the same article that appears each year in case at the end of the night there is money to put into the stabilization fund. A30, A31, and A32 were for folding chairs for the great hall and selectmen’s meeting room, insulation and vapor barriers at the old town barn, and soundproof panels at the Holmes Public Library, respectively. A34 is for the repair of overhead doors at the town barn.

A35 is for the replacement of the roof at Pope’s Tavern. The cost includes architectural, engineering, and repair. “We can’t let the building go and I don’t see a new Council on Aging anytime soon…I think it is one of the things we have to do,” Millias said. Garron agreed, saying, “We definitely need it. I mean that place is leaking like a sieve.”

A36 is the annual Uber/Lyft article that state law mandates be included. It is for a small amount of money from rides that originate in town.  A37 is for a repair to the landfill cap.

The next several articles discussed pertain to moving the town toward a more electronic business model. A38 from the auditors asks for a fraud/risk assessment. Andrews suggested waiting a year since the hope is to move toward an online system and it wouldn’t make sense to do such an assessment on a program that wouldn’t be in existence much longer.

A39 would allow for e-permitting and A40 would allow for papers to be filed electronically and copies obtained without contacting town officials. Seelig said, “Conceptually, we understand what we are talking about, but we would have to have a firm proposal to go to town meeting.” A41 would establish an electronic payroll system.

Article F1 is a possible pilot agreement for the River Street Solar Farm. If everyone agrees to a pilot by the time of town meeting, the town can vote to approve it. If not, it will be passed over.

The zoning related articles will come before the Planning Board. The first is a change to floodplains to reflect what FEMA wants. There is also a multifamily bylaw revision. The last zoning article would allow for recreational marijuana establishments in the business or commercial district with a special permit.

Seelig also mentioned an article to increase the size of the Beautification Committee from 5 to 7 members. The increase needs to be an article as it requires a change to a town bylaw.

The selectmen and Seelig also discussed possible locations for the town meeting given social distancing restrictions. In closing, Andrews said that the town will need to come up with some sort of celebration once past this pandemic.

The virtual Plympton School Committee meeting on Monday, April 27 began with a public hearing and vote on school choice. No one was in attendance from the public that wished to speak on the matter. Vice Chair Jason Fraser made a motion not to accept school choice for the 2020-2021 school year beyond extending it to the students currently enrolled through the program. Chair Jon Wilhelmsen also pointed out that the incoming Kindergarten class was a large one, by Plympton standards. Wilhelmsen also cited the uncertainty surrounding the budget as yet another reason he was opposed to school choice. The motion not to accept school choice for the upcoming year passed unanimously.

Fraser, who currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) Board of Directors and is the Division III (southeastern) Chair, has volunteered to serve as secretary/treasurer on the MASC Executive Board. Wilhelmsen made a motion to show the Plympton School Committee’s support for Fraser. “I think not only will MASC benefit greatly from Jason’s expertise, but it also allows our school and our district a persistent voice up at that level and I think that is something that is beneficial to us,” Wilhelmsen said. “Thank you very much for your kind words and I want to acknowledge the support of the Committee and the administrators,” Fraser said. The vote is scheduled for June 23. “Regardless of if I’m nominated to that position by the MASC Nominating Board, I will continue in my role as an officer at the very least and continue to fly the flag of Plympton and Silver Lake at the state and federal level,” Fraser said.

Wilhelmsen said that the two positions coming due on the School Committee are those belonging to himself and Fraser. Both will remain on the Committee until the elections are held.

Fraser said he was in touch with the townhouse regarding pulling papers. He said that regardless of their answer his intention is to run for both seats he holds currently (Plympton School Committee and Silver Lake Regional). “I think that now more than ever it is important for us to have some history and some continuity on the Committee to make sure that we can guide our town through this unchartered territory,” Fraser explained.

Wilhelmsen led the discussion on the budget for fiscal year 2021. The Finance Committee recommended that the special education stabilization fund of $1,000, the quinquennial cistern inspection and cleaning in the amount of $5,000, and a group of technology expenses totaling roughly $21,000 would best be handled as articles at the special town meeting.

Those articles have been drafted and provided to the town. It was further decided that curriculum expenses totaling $15,500 for social studies grades 3 and 6 and math resources would best be handled within the budget. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said she would tweak the budget per those recommendations. Healy also said that there is a savings of $12,000 as a result of the new bus contract.

Wilhelmsen said he is having regular discussions with Town Hall and mentioned that the warrant could potentially be stripped down to essential items only such as the budget.

“We’re pretty well insulated at the local level for receipts because most of our income  at a local level comes from property taxes but we do receive a substantial amount of funds from the state level and right now at FY20, which ends on June 30, they’re predicating between a $300 and $700 million deficit for this year,” Fraser explained.

“The Governor has given his word that he does not plan on doing any 9C cuts to this year and will pull from the rainy-day fund to supplement the budget if necessary,” he continued.

Fraser said that things are more unclear for the FY21 budget at the state level. Last year’s budget was $44 billion dollars at the state level and, according to Fraser, “there are numbers right now floating around… the most conservative number I’ve heard is a $2 billion shortfall compared to the $44 billion dollar budget at the state level but I’m hearing some people on the fringes using numbers much, much larger than that.”

With the House 1 budget thrown out, Fraser said that the state doesn’t believe they will have numbers for municipalities to work from until early May at the earliest. Fraser said that a lot of towns and regional schools are looking to going to a 1/12 budget as a result.

“Regardless of where we end up, we could be looking at a 2-4% decrease in state aide or it could be much, much more dire than that,” Fraser said. Plympton’s school likely won’t benefit from the CARES Act passed at the federal level.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto was unable to attend the meeting so Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update in his stead.

Proulx said that according to Veneto, the vast majority of families are working really hard with teachers to make remote learning successful. She also said that Veneto has been meeting weekly with the special education team, response to intervention groups, as well as each individual grade level. Proulx said, “he gives all the credit in the world to his teachers for their efforts and dedication.”

Proulx spoke on the survey that was sent to staff, secondary students, and parents to gauge how the remote learning was working.

“We would like to begin by thanking our school committee, our students, our parents, and our staff for their patience and their assistance in helping us through this transition. It has truly been a team effort and we cannot thank you enough for your support and your kindness and your teamwork throughout all of this,” Proulx said.

Key takeaways from the survey include working with the staff to streamline communications and make sure that the district is using best practices for remote learning, as well as continuing to revisit and revise as needed. Proulx said that they will also be incorporating updated guidance from the state into their remote learning plan.

A second set of surveys will be sent out in mid-May. Proulx also said that another item being looked at right now by the administration is reentry; both what that will look like as well as what expenses may be related to it.

“I just wanted to say how appreciative I was of the surveys that you put out…I shared out some of the data that we received and other communities all around us on the South Shore asked if they could have your surveys…. I’m very thankful to hear that you’re going to do a second round to continue that two-way dialogue,” Fraser said to Proulx.

Wilhelmsen praised a video that was created by teachers and other staff members at Dennett Elementary to reach out to their students.

He said the video was noticed even outside of the district. He described it saying it was, “what the kids needed at that point, just to be able to see everyone… it was very well done.”

There was a virtual, joint meeting between Silver Lake Regional School Committee and Union 31 on Thursday, April 23 to discuss the remote learning program that has been instituted district-wide in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic. Representatives were there from each of the three towns’ school committees.

Superintendent Jill Proulx led the presentation on remote learning. A survey was sent out to secondary students (grades 7-12), staff, and parents to gather information on the first few weeks of remote learning. Proulx said that herself and Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch were looking for trends in the data from the survey. Seventy-five percent of the staff completed the survey with 826 responses received overall.

Proulx said that overall the staff feels supported but face challenges such as monitoring the progress of their students in addition to simply missing their students. The range of responses were also varied with some parents and students eager for new material while others felt otherwise. Lynch said that when asked if they would be able to move forward independently if their teacher were to introduce new content, 47 percent of students responded yes. About one-third of those surveyed said they would not be able to do so without additional support. Lynch pointed out that students surveyed reported the workloads to be heavier than their parents who were also surveyed. Students surveyed said that the work veered toward the too much side of things. Most parents were clustered somewhere in the middle between too much and too little. Many parents also expressed frustration with working from home while also supporting their child regardless of their age. Additionally, many older students are now working more hours, largely in grocery stores, and are feeling overwhelmed trying to maintain both a job and their schoolwork. Proulx noted that the students who responded did so appropriately and thoughtfully.

According to Proulx and Lynch, the qualitative data from the survey showed that there should be a focus placed on consistency in both communication and expectations. Proulx and Lynch also met virtually with all building principals to get a sense of what’s working in order to expand upon it and make it consistent for all schools in the district.

The Silver Lake leadership is also working on answering frequently asked questions and distributing sample schedules. All groups surveyed will be surveyed once again in about three weeks. Proulx said their biggest concern is trying to meet the needs of all the children.

Proulx also said that the Department of Education would likely be providing additional recommendations about remote learning by early next week that could include some summer school guidance. According to Proulx, Silver Lake will be waiting for further guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) before making any big changes to their distance learning program.

Some Committee members asked questions of Proulx including how the district is addressing students who are either not participating or participating at lower levels. Proulx said that first steps include the teacher reaching out and if that fails, a counselor or principal attempts to make contact. As a last resort, the school resource officer is sent out to do a wellness check. Committee members also wanted to know if the goal of remote education was to prevent regression or to continue to educate. Proulx said that a major focus was preventing regression adding, “I think one of the things we continue to struggle with is to what extent new material should be introduced and how to introduce new material.”

Another question was in regard to how teachers were expected to be educating. Proulx said that teachers should explain things verbally and visually to whatever extent they can in the given environment rather than just posting a list of assignments. “In some respects, it is like we are all first-year teachers again, but good teaching remains good teaching,” Proulx explained. Proulx also emphasized that if something is not working for a parent or student, that issue is best communicated directly to the teacher as they are best equipped to make a quick adjustment.

Following Proulx’s presentation the Committee members engaged in some debate about the level of structure that needs to be applied to the remote learning program. Some on the Committee felt that the expectations for the students should be elevated with students being “in class” online at regular times, particularly for those in grades 7-12.

Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill said that as an educator and mother to three young children she sympathizes with the difficulties such a strict schedule would impose on teachers and other working parents. Gill emphasized the importance of both flexibility and mental health.

Committee member Gordon Andrews, who said his wife works at a private school, said that he would also like to see some more structure in the form of a daily plan for all students but said that he understood Gill’s take. Kingston School Committee member Jeanne Coleman said flexibility is key and stressed the importance of keeping the parents’ and students’ mental health in mind. Coleman said that she allows her ten-year-old to sleep in so that she can finish her younger children’s schoolwork earlier. Proulx said, “I would just comment that we do have different needs across the district; as you can see, we do need to be flexible.”

Silver Lake Regional Committee Chair Jason Fraser said that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) has started compiling things that are working for various school districts and sharing them. Fraser, who is on the Board of Directors for MASC, said that while on a call with many other school committees, none were claiming to have this all figured out yet. A motion was made and voted through to support Fraser in his bid to become secretary of the MASC.

Committee member Jon Wilhelmsen asked Proulx what would happen if the pandemic continued into the Fall. Proulx acknowledged the possibility of a second wave of the virus and the need for social distancing and said that she feels that the things transpiring now would better prepare the district to handle remote learning, etc. should it come to that again.

Proulx was also asked if parents or students would be able to pick up personal items from the buildings. Proulx said that doing so now would not be safe as any additional people in the building increases both contact and potential exposure. If an essential item has been left behind, Proulx recommended contacting the building principal.

Fraser touched on the budget toward the end of the meeting acknowledging that everything is up in the air at this juncture. “Things need to happen, but we need to move with information not conjecture,” Fraser explained. Fraser acknowledged that staffing cuts would likely have to be made and Regional Committee Vice Chair Eric Crone agreed saying that many districts have already had to make cuts and furloughs. “There’s a pretty significant chance that we are going to have to cut deep,” Fraser said.

In the only non COVID-19 related business of the night, Director of Business Services Christine Healy gave an update on the new bus contract. The current bus contract is set to end on June 30, 2020. Healy said that atop the priority list for the new contract were newer buses, additional cameras, updated safety equipment, and an enhanced radio system and routing software. Healy said that she had 8 inquiries to her bid with one response back. The new contract would be a five-year contract with two one-year extensions. There would be a four percent increase year one, a two and a half percent increase years two through five, and a four and a half percent increase after that. There will be 33 buses with five 2019 buses and 28 2016 buses. All buses will be equipped with at least two cameras.

The Committee voted to approve the bus contract.

State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) announces that the House of Representatives recently passed legislation to set a moratorium on most residential and commercial evictions and residential foreclosures during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, and for 30 days after it ends.

The legislation includes the following provisions.

• It establishes a moratorium on most residential and commercial evictions within the Commonwealth for the duration of the State of Emergency and 30 days after the State of Emergency ends.

• Landlords may not charge late fees or send reports to credit rating agencies if a tenant notifies the landlord within 30 days of a late payment that the non-payment of rent is due to a financial impact related to the COVID-19 emergency.

• Prohibits landlords from sending “notice to quit” letters for the duration of the State of Emergency and 30 days after the State of Emergency is terminated.

• Establishes a moratorium on foreclosure actions for the duration of the State of Emergency and 30 days after the State of Emergency ends.

• Allows for video conferencing during the State of Emergency for reverse mortgage loans. Current mandates require in-person consultations for these loans.

• Emergency evictions may proceed during the moratorium for actions that involve allegations of criminal activity or substantial lease violations that may detrimental to public health or public safety.

Representative LaNatra said, “This is important protection for both residents and businesses because it provides some protection during this crisis. These are difficult times for us all and we are working to enact legislation that protects our citizens and help us all through these challenging circumstances.”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

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 Kathleen.LaNatra@mahouse.gov or her legislative aide,  Chris Jean, Christopher.Jean@MAhouse.gov. 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.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met via Zoom on Tuesday, April 14. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig told the Board that he would like them to revisit the Halifax COVID leave that had been established for town employees following the Governor’s statewide stay-at-home advisory.

He said that it would be necessary to differentiate between time off due to vacation or sick leave (unrelated to COVID) from leaves of absence related to the pandemic. Seelig said that in the weeks since the order, the town has been able to establish the ability for most town employees to work from home. He said there are still a select few who cannot work from home but no longer have a job site. Seelig said he would work with departments to try to find remedies for those situations, including possibly finding other town work for those employees to do from home. The Board plans to review further at their April 28 meeting.

Seelig also addressed the need for certain town employees to be granted carry over for vacation hours.

He said that the police and fire departments have not seen an influx in calls related to COVID-19 and therefore it wouldn’t be necessary to grant the carry over across the board. Seelig said, however, that both he and the town health agent Cathy Drinan would like the ability to carry over vacation time for use at a later time as they are having to work more hours as a result of COVID-19.

The Board approved the request with Chair Troy Garron saying it would be best to take such requests on a case-by- case basis.

Joseph Peck attended the meeting remotely to fulfil an appointment with the Board to discuss the issuance of a post permit for earth removal done a few years back by his father, John Peck. The Board and Seelig had a copy of a report from an engineer that included comments and recommendations for how to move forward before issuing the permit. Seelig asked Peck what his intentions were with the remaining earth mounds. Peck said, “I have no intentions with it. They’re just piles of dirt right now… it is certainly not leaving the property which I guess is the main concern.” Selectman Gordon Andrews said that he felt that a topographical plan should be submitted per the recommendation of the engineer.

Selectman Tom Millias agreed saying that in a perfect world he would like to see the recommendations carried out as well.

Peck told the Board that his father was quite ill and would be unable to attend a court date should there be one. He requested that the Board allow him to pay for the permit and waive the other recommendations stating that he would rather see money go to the town right now for the permit than to a land surveyor.

He also stressed his continued cooperation in the future in abiding by all town bylaws. Referring to Peck’s father’s health and the overall situation Garron said, “My feeling right now is that we set out to make sure everyone follows the rules and the bylaws and the situation has changed radically.

The Board agreed to move forward allowing Peck to simply pay for the post permit with the caveat that if there were to be any future violations, the town would need to take further legal action.

The Board also met virtually with Robert Bergstrom to discuss the upcoming Mudfest. Bergstrom said that just under 1,000 people attended the event last year and said that he was coming before the Board with the understanding that the event could only move forward if the Governor lifted his ban on gatherings before the June 21 date of the event. The Board voted to approve the event contingent on a review of the Governor’s restrictions prior to the event date.

Seelig gave a quick update on the town budget saying that the Finance Committee plans to meet next week. He said they will review guidance from town accountant Sandy Nolan as well as a framework provided by himself.

Seelig also said that the Halifax town meeting is still scheduled for June 15 and the town elections are still scheduled for June 20. Seelig said that he hopes that the state government will give consideration to a mail-in vote as it gets closer to June.

Two articles in the proposed warrant for town meeting will be submitted to the Planning Board for their public hearing on May 7. Those include one related to floodplain mapping as well as an article allowing recreational marijuana in the commercial district with a special permit. The Selectmen also voted to submit a new draft of the proposed multifamily zoning bylaw to the Planning Board for the May 7 hearing.

In other news, the May 8 Ragnar Road Race scheduled to use Halifax Elementary School as one of it’s stops has been cancelled.

Seelig also said that the Board had received a request to proclaim May 3 through May 9 as Children’s Mental Health Week.

Both Garron and Seelig pointed out that the Board has never participated in making such proclamations. The Board requested that Seelig gather more information on the organization making the request before they make their decision likely at the next meeting.

The Board voted to approve a generic contract requested by Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward in the amount of $28,500.

The money would be spent surveying the conditions of the town’s roads and estimating the cost of improvements. Seelig also asked the Board to approve a $5,000 grant from the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards for the town to use toward COVID-19 related costs.

Seelig told the Board that the pandemic has given the town more of a reason to try handling more business electronically moving forward. Seelig said that they may want to consider articles at town meeting to appropriate money to have new systems put in place.

Garron, who referred to himself as “old school” said, “I like hard copies.”

Word has come that the transfer station in Plympton will close for two weeks beginning today, April 10.  The decision was “not made lightly” and  is the result of several factors, according to the edict, including patrons not following safety instructions, and trying to enter the closed office at the site, touching buttons on the equipment, and while trying to be helpful may actually be putting employees at risk.

The station is due to re-open Saturday, April 25, unless otherwise posted.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen held their Thursday, March 26 meeting remotely using a conference phone line that members of the public could also call into.

Chair of the Board of Health Arthur Morin and Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy were also on the line. Dennehy told the Board that she has been having conference calls several days a week with department heads and others to discuss Plympton’s contingency plan for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dennehy said that the town would be receiving some supplemental guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they would be passing along.

The Plympton Fire and Police departments are doing their best to minimize exposure. They have designated just one ambulance to be used should a dispatcher get a sense that the call could involve potential exposure to COVID-19.

First responders will be put up in hotels should they need to be quarantined, particularly if they have vulnerable family members at home. Additionally, the ambulances are being fogged and there are plans to also fog the police cruisers and library. The fire station is being utilized to house several much-needed programs such as meals on wheels and the free and reduced school lunch program.

As part of the contingency plan, the Board of Health suggested making sure that there is more than one person with access to each of the passwords needed for various town departments. A backup would be assigned for each password holder. “It just seems like with everything being so uncertain and the numbers that are projected to come out with positive cases, I don’t think its realistic to think that none of us will be impacted in some way,” Dennehy explained.

Despite many municipalities canceling and postponing their town elections and town meetings, Dennehy said she was not ready to go that route. “I still don’t think that we’re in a spot where we necessarily want to pursue that at this time. It might be optimistic but I’m hoping that maybe things will be somewhat back to normal by that point and that we’re able to go on as planned. Obviously, we’ll be ready if we’re mandated to change those dates and I think we’ll get a better handle on it as the weeks go forward,” Dennehy told the Board.

Dennehy said that she has continued to meet with the finance committee and town accountant Barbara Gomez to work on the budget. She also told the Board that warrant articles are still being sent in at this time.

Selectman John Traynor had a number of suggestions for making sure that members of the community were taken care of during this crisis. Traynor proposed a petty cash fund that could be utilized by the fire department to buy supplies, etc. for residents who find themselves in trouble. Dennehy as well as Selectmen Christine Joy and Mark Russo were all on board with Trainor saying he would be glad to donate to such a fund. Dennehy said she would speak to Gomez about getting such an account set up. Traynor also suggested making well-being calls to residents. The possibility of robocalls with pertinent information regarding what to do if feeling ill was also discussed.

Morin commended Dennehy for her work during this crisis, saying, “Over the past fifty years, I’ve worked with a lot of professionals and I will tell you that this town is extremely lucky to have a professional like Liz Dennehy. She does just an amazing, amazing job.” Russo also jumped in, saying, “I think our emergency management team… are just doing amazing work… I absolutely feel comfortable that we are in good hands, the citizens are, and we all are. So, thank you.”

The Town of Halifax notified residents on March 25 that a second case of COVID-19 has been confirmed.  Due to privacy requirements, the name and address were not disclosed, although the close contacts of the positive case have been notified and are following CDC guidelines for self-quarantine.

Other contacts are still being investigated. With increased testing capabilities and community spread of COVID-19, having positive cases in Town was inevitable. This is a crucial time in infection control. Maintaining social distancing, limiting exposure to others, avoiding crowded places, and vigilant hand washing are vital steps in slowing the spread of this disease.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) continues to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other Federal agencies and our local Board of Health to share the most up to date information available. The DPH website is updated constantly with the latest guidance, including printable fact sheets in multiple languages at www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

The CDC website is https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html   The Town will continue to share information to ensure you are updated as broadly and quickly as possible.