The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Thursday, Dec. 3 at their new time of 3 p.m. for their weekly extra meeting during the pandemic. Board of Health agent Bob Valery got things started telling the Board there were 13 positive cases in town since the previous meeting, 8 of which came in after Thanksgiving. He said that of the 473 tests that were run on Halifax residents in the previous two weeks, 24 were positive for an overall positivity rate of roughly 5 percent.

Valery also updated the Board on a change in the recommendation by the CDC for bringing employees back to work after being deemed a close contact of someone that tested positive. Valery said the new requirement states that someone with a known exposure can return to work after 10 days if they remain asymptomatic or after 7 days if they have a negative test and remain asymptomatic. Valery said the CDC determined that there was only an increased risk of 1 percent in moving from a quarantine period of 14 days to one of just 10 days. The Board voted to match the town’s policy to that of the CDC requirements. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig noted that if you are symptomatic, even with a negative test result, the town would like you to stay home.

Valery also said that someone with a positive test result must notify the Board of Health and follow all directions given to them but noted that it is only strongly recommended that they communicate with fellow workers.

Selectman Gordon Andrews asked Valery when the best time would be to get a test after an exposure. Valery said that it is best to wait 5 days after the exposure. Valery did, however, say that if you are displaying symptoms it is probably best to get a test prior to the 5-day window. Fire Chief Jason Viveiros recommended getting a PCR test if you have had a known exposure.

Valery also said that there is new guidance regarding holiday shopping. Stores have been reduced to a maximum of only 50 percent of full occupancy with no more than 10 people per 1,000 sq. ft. Valery and Seelig said that it appears that Walmart is following the recommendations and Valery said that they had hired outside security to help with the count.

Chief Viveiros said they had begun the employee testing that week.  They conducted 63 tests most of which were antigen tests with the exception of 4 PCR tests. Of the 63 tests, 2 were positive. Viveiros said that those two positive cases did both have some degree of symptoms. “So far it’s been very successful,” Viveiros said.

There was anonymous correspondence to Seelig and the selectmen requesting that the town post information regarding COVID on Facebook and asking that they take a more proactive approach in debunking misinformation that is found on town Facebook pages. Seelig said that he conferred with Valery and while both intend to post accurate information to social media, he said he was “not sure either of us has the time or energy to deal with the misinformation that shows up.” Referring to it as a “rabbit hole” Seelig told the Board, “our resources are limited.”

Selectman Troy Garron said, “I appreciate the letter and appreciate the concerns, but I think there is enough information out there for any logical person to read or to watch on TV.” He noted that he, personally, wouldn’t go to Facebook for accurate information on the virus saying he prefers to get his information from trusted news sources.

The Board and Valery also discussed the disease surveillance and outbreak management platform Maven which aids in tracking positive cases. Seelig pointed out that college students who test positive while out of state but return home to Halifax would not show up in the Maven system. “We know there are more cases out there than just the numbers that we see,” Seelig explained. Andrews asked Valery whether Maven tracks people who  are a-symptomatic but positive and was told that it does.

The Board also dealt with some non COVID related items. The Pope’s Tavern project has been moved to the spring. Seelig said he was unsure at this point what the plan was to deal with patches that will be needed in the meanwhile.

Seelig also asked the Board to approve a renewal of the town’s contract with public accountants Powers and Sullivan for FY21 through FY23. The contract is for $26,500 which is up $1,000 over the previous contract. There will also be a maximum charge of $5,000 for a single audit to deal with the COVID money received by the town. Seelig said that both himself and the town treasurer have been happy with their work thus far. The Board approved Seelig moving forward with the contract.

Seelig also briefly discussed the plans for outdoor seasonal decorations throughout the town including an ice sculpture and lights. He said that there was some gift money available for decorating purposes. Garron said, “You know with what’s going on now, we do need something to alleviate the scary. If it’s possible to do it safely and not cause any problems, then do it.”

Several issues relating to various proposed marijuana ventures in town were also discussed. Seelig said that Green Earth Cannabis, who plans to open a retail store next to Twin Lakes Liquors, had presented a Host Community Agreement (HCA) but that it was not in a format that the town had previously used. Town counsel and Seelig has asked them to redo the HCA using the one drawn up with Bud’s Goods and Provisions as a template since a lot of time was spent on that.

Seelig said that a Facebook post pointed out that High Hopes proposed site for their facility was within 500 feet of Lyonville Tavern which poses a potential problem. Seelig said he alerted the company and let them know that it wouldn’t be possible to even attempt to change the zoning bylaw until at least May. He said he was waiting to hear back from them.

Finally, the possibility of requiring Bud’s Goods to have a water line was also discussed. The water line right now doesn’t extend to the agreed upon location. Seelig said they would need to make sure that they weren’t asking Bud’s to pay for a water line that other people would be benefitting from. Seelig said that from a farming perspective, it would be their business whether they would need a water line but said that it could be different from a fire protection point of view.

Andrews said he would like to see the water line extended to ensure not just the safety of Bud’s should there be a fire but also the safety of the neighbors and firefighters. A continuation of the discussion was scheduled for their next meeting.

Andrews asked Seelig where the town stood on getting answers from the County as to whether certain items would be reimbursable through CARES Act funds. Seelig said he had made appeals regarding certain items including laptops for the teachers at Halifax Elementary.

Seelig told the Board that the Massachusetts Beautification Program named Halifax resident Shirley Graf Litter Buster of the Year for her work collecting thousands of NIPS bottles. Seelig noted that this is a statewide award and not limited merely to the town or county. The Board noted the tremendous work done by Graf.

Caregivers in the Silver Lake Regional School District were given a choice of learning model at the outset of school this year. They could either choose to send their child to school in the hybrid model or keep them remote full-time. For most students, the hybrid model means two in-person learning days and three at home. Students with the highest needs are in person more often. Agreeing to a learning model came with the understanding that at certain intervals throughout the year caregivers and students could elect to change models.

Superintendent Jill Proulx told the Express that parents were asked to respond by November 16 to request a learning model change for the second trimester at the elementary level and the second semester at the secondary level. The trimester begins on December 10 for those at the elementary level and the semester begins February 1 for those at the secondary level. “We ask for this commitment so that principals may plan for any changes. Schools may need to shift staff/resources to remote or to hybrid based on families’ requests,” Proulx explained. There will be another opportunity for change later in the year as well.

Despite the designated dates for switching models, parents may elect to switch to full remote learning at any time. “Parents and guardians may contact their student’s assistant principal or guidance counselor at any time to discuss a learning model change,” Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill explained.  Requests to switch to in-person learning outside of the designated timeframe is allowed per DESE guidelines but can take up to a few weeks to accommodate. “Staffing and spacing for social distancing may present us with challenges,” Proulx said.

Gill said that at the secondary level, only about 2 percent of students have requested a learning model change for the second semester. Proulx said that across the Silver Lake schools, there were only a small number of requests made.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto said, “I did not receive many requests to change cohort models. We are all working hard to accommodate the needs of all of our students and families.” He continued, “Given the circumstances, I would say that our first trimester was a huge success.”

Despite the numbers being small, there were a handful of families that elected to switch from full-remote to hybrid at the Dennett. The Express spoke with Plympton mother of three Kaitlyn Brosnan who recently chose to move her two school aged children from full remote to the hybrid model. Brosnan is the mother to third grader Wes, first grader Benjamin, and 3-year-old Maria.

“We chose full remote to start this fall because I originally wasn’t thrilled with the hybrid plan,” Brosnan said. She cited concern with additional exposure should students have to go somewhere other than home during the three remote days. Even at the outset, Brosnan said her family always intended to switch learning models in November assuming they felt safe doing so.

Brosnan said that her third grader was very independent working remotely. “I was very happy with his remote lessons but he expressed his sadness as the weeks went on that he wasn’t seeing any friends. He’s a very social kid and the remote life was hard on him in that way,” she said.

As expected with the youngest remote learners, Brosnan said that her first grader required significantly more assistance. She credited the teachers for their efforts but noted the inherent difficulties in teaching such young children in this manner. “I have talked to many moms in this grade level and remote learning is a struggle for these younger kids. It’s hard to keep them focused and learning via a computer,” she explained. Her children were able to enjoy some safe social distancing fun outside, however, thanks to neighbors who also chose the remote option. “I am very grateful my kids had that.”

Brosnan said her youngest was slated to attend the Silver Lake Regional preschool this fall. She said that since there are high school aides that help at the school, a decision was made to completely cancel this year. “It just wasn’t going to be safe to have all those extra high schoolers coming in and out of the preschool… I was really sad about that because my boys went there and they loved that program but I totally understand why they had to make that decision,” Brosnan said. In lieu of preschool, Brosnan said that her daughter was able to take advantage of a one day per week outdoor farm program at Soule Homestead in Middleborough. “She absolutely loved that! The kids stayed outside and helped with the farm animals and played many fun games and activities.” Brosnan said they are exploring the possibility of sending her daughter to a local preschool in Plympton for the remainder of the year.

Brosnan credited the low number of cases in Plympton as well as the safety protocols in place at the Dennett with helping her family decide to switch to the hybrid model. Despite 22 cases of COVID across the six schools in the Silver Lake district, as of press time there have been no cases at the Dennett. “The school has done a great job keeping everyone safe. It’s a nice small school and I feel they are able to distance the kids safely.”

Brosnan switched learning models just ahead of the designated timeframe and said that her family has already reaped the benefits of that decision. “The kids are so happy to see some friends, even for a couple days. Both are benefiting much more from in person learning. I am able to give some much-needed attention to my 3-year-old those days,” she explained.

Brosnan also shared a sentiment that many parents are likely to share during these unprecedented times. She expressed gratefulness for being able to stay home with her children to help them but also acknowledged the difficulties in trying to assist multiple children with their learning while also caring for a younger sibling. “It’s a lot of work and I’m exhausted every day. It’s a lot of juggling and it’s hard to be everything to them at this time with little breaks,” she said.

The Express also spoke to a parent of a Halifax Elementary School kindergartener who has decided to stick with the hybrid model. Ethan’s mother explained that being home more has had a negative impact on his mental health particularly as an only child. “The hybrid has been going well for us. He doesn’t do well on the computer and has a very hard time focusing, so any time we can safely get him into school is welcome,” she explained.

As of press time there have been 4 cases of COVID at Silver Lake Regional High School, 6 at Silver Lake Regional Middle School, 6 at Kingston Intermediate School, 3 at Kingston Elementary School, 3 at Halifax Elementary School, and none at either Dennett Elementary School or the integrated preschool.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Monday, November 9 for one of their extra meetings they’ve been holding each week since the onset of the pandemic. Board of Health agent Bob Valery told the selectmen that Halifax continues to be in the yellow for COVID risk level. Valery said that he visited all local food establishments and hair salons the previous week to place notifications regarding mask guidance in their windows, remind them about the new hours of operation, and ask if they need any assistance with anything COVID related. Both Fire Chief Jason Viveiros and Police Chief Joao Chaves were in attendance but neither had a specific COVID related update.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said internal policies outlining action steps should a town employee test positive for coronavirus needed to be updated. Seelig said there was considerable confusion with department heads and employees regarding what individuals, including close contacts, should be doing. Seelig acknowledged that back in June when the policies were initially drafted, there wasn’t enough thought given to the effect a positive case would have on other employees. The new draft of the policy that Seelig shared with the selectmen and Chiefs will include a flow chart with instructions for how employees should proceed.

Andrews asked if someone can work from home if they test positive but are asymptomatic. Seelig said he could make that change as currently employees testing positive were being asked to take leave.

If employees exposed to the infected individual elect not to get tested and remain asymptomatic, 14 days would need to elapse before that individual could return to work. Should a close contact elect to get tested, they would need to produce a negative test at least 3 days after the date patient zero tested positive before returning to work. If an exposed employee is deemed essential and they have not tested positive, then the employee can return to work at the discretion of the department head. Chaves asked who is responsible for paying for the tests and Seelig told him an individual’s health insurance.

Seelig also asked the Board’s approval to update the mask policy to indicate that everyone has to wear a mask in municipal buildings at all times even when the building is closed. Exceptions will only be made for eating and drinking or where documentation of medical exemption is provided.

DEP Municipal Assistance Coordinator Todd Koep is meeting with representatives virtually from Halifax, East Bridgewater, and Holbrook about a potential regionalization of recycling processing services. The processing would take place after the recycling was collected. “The idea is if we can team together, because our individual contracts are ending in June, we might be able to bargain a better price from one outfit with having all three towns combined,” Seelig explained.

The selectmen approved a few more requests before adjourning. The first was for a socially distant wedding on the town green on Saturday, November 21. The second was to approve the town allocating $445.15 of their CARES Act funds to South Shore Regional Technical High School to account for the share of Halifax students attending the school.

November 10 Meeting

As has become customary at the Halifax selectmen meetings, the selectmen had a number of recycling abatements to deal with at their Tuesday, November 10 meeting. Regarding the requested recycling abatements Selectmen Tom Millias said, “Unless you be consistent, you have nothing.” The Board has been of the mind to deny nearly all such requests.

Resident Ryan Scott had an appointment with the selectmen to discuss one of these denials. Millias stressed his distaste for dealing with recycling abatements saying he dislikes them even more than dog hearings. Scott’s request was denied because his abatement was stamped October 2 instead of October 1. “Our only issue is trying to be consistent,” Millias said to Scott. Selectman Troy Garron called Scott’s case “unique” and said, “My motto is to try to be fair, firm, and consistent.” The selectmen agreed to speak with the appropriate parties at town hall about the possibility that the wrong date was stamped.

Another case came before the Board for a house that has been abandoned for 15 years. Millias said, “we’ve given abatements for abandoned houses before.” Selectman Gordon Andrews said he would take the opposite approach and pointed out that as of late they hadn’t been issuing abatements to anyone. In the end the selectmen voted to deny with Millias adding “with regret.”

“This whole thing is getting somewhat dysfunctional, so we have to come up with a new plan or at least handle it differently… there’s so much controversy and so many issues surrounding it, that it’s becoming ridiculously time consuming,” Millias said. Seelig suggested, “Do we say to the residents… to make sure the recycling center is open when they need it, do we pay the property tax rather than the recycling fee?”  Seelig said that doing so would eliminate the need for abatements.

All members were present for the Thursday, October 1 meeting of the Halifax Planning Board. The first order of business was an appointment with Larry MacDonald who was requesting a site plan review waiver. MacDonald, who said that much of Halifax’s takeout option is limited to pizza, said he plans to operate a food truck called “Local Larry’s Tacos.” MacDonald said that the 24’ by 8’ trailer will be located in a parking lot on 546 Plymouth St. MacDonald plans to operate the business, which will not be a permanent setup, three days a week.  He said that weekday hours would likely include lunch until dinner and weekend hours would include breakfast and lunch. The food truck will operate strictly as a takeout business and will not include outdoor seating of any kind.

MacDonald who is a resident of the town and has his ServSafe Certification said, “I’m just trying to give the town something new, you know… I noticed the town didn’t have tacos in it.”  The general consensus from the Planning Board was that they were okay with allowing a waiver though they did request paperwork showing name, address, and a permit from the Board of Health. They agreed to meet with MacDonald again at their next meeting after they’ve had a chance to review his submissions.

The second appointment of the evening was with Joe Webby of Webby Engineering. Webby was there to propose the creation of two new lots on 279 Wood St. Webby said there is currently a dwelling on Lot 3 and the hope is to create Lots 1 and 2. The Board voted to approve the request.

The Board also discussed whether to require that the meeting minutes are written verbatim or if that requirement should be limited to hearings. The Board agreed to continue handling the minutes as they have always done in a more generic manner while they would like to see public hearings written verbatim.

Board member Alan Dias brought up the two articles pertaining to the Planning Board that were on the warrant at town meeting. Article 48 which pertained to the multi-family bylaw was passed over by the selectmen. Article 49 was approved at town meeting and changed the current zoning for marijuana establishments from industrial to industrial business. The Planning Board had previously voted 3-1 against the zoning change but was overruled by the vote at town meeting. Dias told his fellow board members that they could potentially be looking at site plans for marijuana establishments. He said they currently have no fee structure or process for inspections. Dias said that he wasn’t sure it was necessary to change the by-law but did feel that the Board should put a policy in place that would allow for things such as follow-up inspections to check on things like change of use.

Member Gordon R. Andrews pointed out that there is oversight in the form of the Building Department. Dias said that the Building Department doesn’t have annual inspections and also said that they are currently overwhelmed with responsibilities.

The Board also discussed the Complete Streets Program. The Highway Surveyor was contacted to find out which areas had the greatest need for improvement. Steve Hayward identified the intersections at Plymouth St. and Pine St. and Holmes St. and Oak St. as being problematic. The Board agreed that many accidents have occurred at those intersections in the last few years. They also mentioned the success of the blinking red light on the end of Walnut St.