A final decision on the Host-Community Agreement (HCA) with Bud’s Goods and Provisions was on the agenda during the Monday, Feb. 11, meeting of the Halifax Board of Selectmen. Alex Mazin, President and CEO of Bud’s, has been attending Selectmen’s meetings for several months now and has also held public hearings regarding his proposal for an outdoor marijuana growing facility.

River St. resident Leonard Teceno attended Tuesday’s meeting, apologizing for not bringing his specific concerns to the Board sooner. Teceno, who said that he had read the HCA, was questioning the section meant to protect abutters from nuisance issues related to the proposed facility. As written, the section defined abutters as those within 600 ft. of the property line and created a formal process for those abutters to file a complaint about Bud’s. Teceno pointed out to the selectmen that no one fell within that jurisdiction effectively making the section moot. Teceno said that residents on River St., Wood St., Pratt St., and parts of Thompson St. could all potentially be affected by the facility due to proximity. The specific nuisance in question was that of smell.

Teceno said that the language in the section of the HCA he was questioning appeared to have been lifted directly from the HCA between the town of Truro and High Dune Craft Cooperative for a proposed marijuana farm there. The farm in Truro is to be only 4,500 square feet whereas the one proposed by Bud’s will eventually reach 100,000 square feet. Teceno pointed out the difference saying that if 600 ft. is sufficient for a 4,500 square foot farm, it surely isn’t sufficient for one significantly larger.

Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig asked Teceno what he thought would be an acceptable distance from the property to qualify someone as an abutter. Teceno said he was unsure what would be fair but felt that those with residences on the streets he mentioned should certainly be included.

For his part, Mazin argued that despite the large size of his farm, the parcel on which he would have his farm is 47 acres and only a small portion of that would be used as farmland. Mazin also said that his business intended to utilize the land in a way that the actual growing would take place as far from neighboring properties as possible.

In the end, Selectman Gordon Andrews suggested listing the actual streets in the section pertaining to abutters rather than selecting a distance that felt somewhat arbitrary. Both Teceno and Mazin were satisfied with the proposed change. The selectmen voted to approve the HCA with Bud’s assuming that the language would be amended to include River St., Wood St., Pratt St., and Thompson St. up to Walnut St.

The selectmen briefly discussed regarding recycling abatements. Both Selectmen Chair Troy Garron and Selectman Tom Millias have consistently voted against granting abatements that were filed after the September deadline. Andrews, on the other hand, has stated that he doesn’t believe that residents should be made to pay for a service they aren’t receiving. Seelig agreed to setup a meeting between the selectmen and Recycling and Solid Waste to discuss the matter further.

Police Chief Joao Chaves attended Tuesday’s meeting where Seelig asked the selectmen to vote on establishing a video surveillance registry in town. Chaves first presented the idea during a selectmen’s meeting in November. The program would be completely voluntary and would allow residents or businesses with security cameras to register them if they so wished. The registry could be utilized by the police department so that if an event took place in the vicinity of someone’s camera, they could request the footage for use in an investigation. Seelig stressed that even if someone elected to register their camera, the choice to surrender the footage would still be voluntary. The selectmen voted to approve the creation of the registry.

George Latini had an appointment with the selectmen to request a change of premises for In Season Restaurant. The restaurant won’t be physically moving but Latini was hoping to extend the liquor license to include the entirety of the building as well as the three outside patio areas. The selectmen voted to approve the request.

John Sexton also had an appointment with the selectmen to discuss his proposal to build and maintain a library box. Sometimes referred to as little free libraries, these boxes are essentially small boxes where someone can take or leave a book.

Sexton said he would be building the box with the Cub Scout Pack 39. Sexton said that the scouts encountered one of these boxes in the woods during a hike in Pembroke and were interested in building one of their own as a community project. Garron asked Sexton who would ensure the maintenance of the box and Sexton said that he has lived in Halifax for ten years and had no intention of leaving. Garron also asked what would happen if there was overflow and Sexton replied, “if it fills up, that’s a delightful problem to have.” Sexton further said that he would be able to store the overflow and ensure that books were being stocked accordingly. Chief Chaves called the proposal “a great idea” and asked Sexton to be sure to make the box waterproof. The selectmen voted to approve the little library.

The selectmen and Chaves also discussed whether or not to allow non-residents to use the Lingan St. beach area. Last year both taxpayer non-residents and non-taxpayer non-residents came before the selectmen requesting rights to use the beach.

Some of the residents were considered Hanson residents but did pay a small amount of taxes to Halifax due to a small portion of their land being in Halifax. Chaves said that the police were frequently having to monitor the beach this past summer due to a lot of non-residents using the beach.

The selectmen proposed the possibility of non-residents being able to pay for a permit to use the beach. Chaves said he would reach out to both Kingston and Duxbury regarding the process as the selectmen said they would be interested in seeing if the idea would be viable or not.

The Monday, January 27 Plympton School Committee meeting was the last one for Joy Blackwood. New Superintendent Jill Prolix and new Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch began in their new positions on February 1.  Lynch, who received his undergraduate degree at Notre Dame and Master’s from Brown, was a classroom teacher for many years, a department head, and most recently the principal at Gates Middle School in Scituate. Proulx and Lynch previously worked together in Scituate. Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen said to Blackwood and Proulx, “Well done to both of you for being able to organize this and leave us in very good hands.”

Playground Update

Vice Chair Jason Fraser gave a presentation on the recent developments with the new playground to be built at Dennett Elementary. Fraser and Dennett Principal Peter Veneto have been working with Joe DuFour of O’Brien and Sons on the schematics for the playground. Fraser explained that last year they met with the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), CASA, and other stakeholders in town to go over the preliminary design. The takeaway from that meeting was that the town would like to see the playground be even more accessible to all students in the community. As a result, DuFour, Veneto, and Fraser had a lengthy meeting to discuss further changes to the design.

DuFour suggested taking away the wheelchair swing as it can actually be isolating. It was suggested instead to include a sway fun that would include a ramp to make it accessible to students with mobility issues. It would also be open to all of their peers. Of the sway fun, Fraser said, “It’s a good time; I’ve been on one on the fully accessible playground in Braintree.” The bank of swings will also include two accessible swings. The final item that Fraser said they would like to see included is called a “We-Go-Round”. The “We-Go-Round” would be fully accessible, have rubber matting that a wheelchair can travel over, and would be perfectly flush to the ground for easier accessibility. “If we added the “We-Go-Round”  element, I really think we would have a playground that we could hang our hats on for the next twenty-five or thirty years,” Fraser said. In order to afford this feature, however, Fraser said that they would need to access this year’s school choice funds.

Fraser said that the current playground design is estimated to cost $228,000. The cost goes up to $242,000 if the “We-Go-Round”  is included. That cost would include the excavation, leveling, putting filling in, placing sidings, and adding rubber matting. The cost of all materials and the installation are also included in that total. Fraser said that the addition of the school choice funds would give them $258,000 to work with while maintaining a $16,000 contingency. Fraser also proposed the possibility of completing the playground in stages to ensure that the contingency isn’t being depleted before proceeding with the next stage.

As of right now they are leaving out a ramp that would extend from the building to the playground. Fraser suggested possibly reaching out to the community for in-kind donations to build the ramp. Donating the old playground for scrap metal was another suggestion.

“At this point, we’re not taking any money from the operating budget; we’re not coming back to the town asking for any additional funds from CPC or from capital. We’re really trying to do this on our own, but we want to make sure what we put in was meeting the initial needs which was safety, accessibility, and modernization,” Fraser explained. Timing-wise, Fraser said that if they are able to use the school choice funds, they could likely complete construction over the summer and have the playground ready for the beginning of the next school year.

Wilhelmsen said that he had received an email from Plympton selectman Mark Russo asking for an update on the playground. Wilhelmsen said it might be a good idea to give a presentation in-person at a selectmen’s meeting.

Legislative Update

Fraser said that the Governor Baker has released the budget. The budget fully funds the first year of the Student Opportunity Act, a $1.5 billion investment in Massachusetts public schools that aims to help low income students, in particular.

Fraser recently had lunch with Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) to ask questions regarding the $30 per pupil allotment for Plympton in additional state aid under Chapter 70. Senator Lewis told Fraser that he doesn’t anticipate that number increasing, as there were dramatic increases in investments throughout the commonwealth. Fifty-seven percent of towns and cities in Massachusetts will be receiving $30 per pupil while forty-three percent will receive the vast majority of funding. Those in the forty-three percent are largely low-income communities and English learner populations. Senator Lewis did try to assure Fraser by telling him that Plympton would see some money from the Student Opportunity Act in the form of increased Circuit Breaker funds over the next three years.

Fraser traveled to D.C. last week to meet with the congressional delegation including representatives from legislature and someone from Senator Warren’s office. Fraser addressed the diminished amount of Title 1 funding seen in Plympton.

Principal’s Report

Principal Veneto gave a report on recent and upcoming events at Dennett. Yearbooks are available for purchase from now until March 31. Midterm progress reports went home on Monday, January 27. February vacation will be from February 17 to February 21. The Monday following vacation will be a service day for teachers and staff and students will not have school.

Veneto also shared that a former Dennett student come back to speak to Grade 6 at the Honorable Breakfast on January 7. The student spoke about their experience at both the middle and high school.

Budget Discussion

Blackwood spoke to the committee about the Plympton school budget. The public budget hearing will be during the next school committee meeting in February. Budgets must be voted in March to meet state law. Blackwood said that K-6 enrollment in 2010 was 245 compared to today’s enrollment of 226, up from a low of 199. In 2010 there were three students being homeschooled at the elementary level and one at the secondary level. Currently, there are no Plympton students being home schooled. Only one student is attending school outside the district due to school choice. While the number is small, Blackwood reminded the committee that it still represents funds that are being lost.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable recommended the addition of a special education teacher. That request was not included in the version of the budget Blackwood presented as it was requested that it be a level service budget. Blackwood said that $44,000 would be returned to the town from out of district vocational funds. Blackwood suggested asking the town to use that money toward a variety of “one of” or periodic budget items. Possible items that could be paid for by that money include the inspection of the cistern for $5,000, 12 document cameras totaling $8,400, and instructional materials for the updated third and sixth grade social studies curriculum. Blackwood said that it would be best to start by finding out if the town is comfortable with transferring those funds or some portion of those funds to help reduce the budget increase. Those funds would need to be spent by June 30. Blackwood said that were the town to approve such a transfer, it could help offset the cost of a special education teacher, estimated at roughly $60,000.

Blackwood explained that some items included in the budget are placeholders such as the conservative 65% for Circuit Breaker reimbursement and the bus costs. The district will be going out to bids for buses and hope that the actual number will be less than what is currently in the budget.

The regular day budget increases by 3.22 percent or $78,949. The special education budget increase is 3.25 percent or $35,000; most of that increase is due to transportation. Blackwood said that if the special education teacher were added into the current budget the overall increase would rise to 4.35 percent from 2.71.

Blackwood also made one final plea to see band returned as part of the regular school day. According to Blackwood, making band available during the day levels the playing field as it gives all students an opportunity to participate and not just those that are able to attend an extracurricular activity.

Wilhelmsen thanked Blackwood for her years of service to Plympton saying, “I personally would like to thank you for six years of as much fun as we could possibly have had doing this. I do wish you the best and I hope you have great adventures and lots of them around the world. We’re going to miss you here.”

cessible to all students in the community. As a result, DuFour, Veneto, and Fraser had a lengthy meeting to discuss further changes to the design.

DuFour suggested taking away the wheelchair swing as it can actually be isolating. It was suggested instead to include a sway fun which would include a ramp to make it accessible to students with mobility issues. It would also be open to all of their peers. Of the sway fun, Fraser said, “It’s a good time I’ve been on one on the fully accessible playground in Braintree.” The bank of swings will also include two accessible swings. The final item that Fraser said they would like to see included is called a we-go-round. The we-go-round would be fully accessible, have rubber matting that a wheelchair can travel over, and would be perfectly flush to the ground for easier accessibility. “If we added the we-go-round element, I really think we would have a playground that we could hang our hats on for the next twenty-five or thirty years,” Fraser said. In order to afford this feature, however, Fraser said that they would need to access this year’s school choice funds.

Fraser said that the current playground design is estimated to cost $228,000. The cost goes up to $242,000 if the we-go-round is included. That cost would include the excavation, leveling, putting filling in, placing sidings, and adding rubber matting. The cost of all materials and the installation are also included in that total. Fraser said that the addition of the school choice funds would give them $258,000 to work with while maintaining a $16,000 contingency. Fraser also proposed the possibility of completing the playground in stages to ensure that the contingency isn’t being eaten into before proceeding with the next stage.

As of right now they are leaving out a ramp that would extend from the building to the playground. Fraser suggested possibly reaching out to the community for in-kind donations to build the ramp. Donating the old playground for scrap metal was another suggestion.

“At this point, we’re not taking any money from the operating budget, we’re not coming back to the town asking for any additional funds from CPC or from capital. We’re really trying to do this on our own, but we want to make sure what we put in was meeting the initial needs which was safety, accessibility, and modernization,” Fraser explained. Timing wise, Fraser said that if they are able to use the school choice funds, they could likely complete construction over the summer and have the playground ready for the beginning of the next school year.

Wilhelmsen said that he had received an email from Plympton selectman Mark Russo asking for an update on the playground. Wilhelmsen said it might be a good idea to give a presentation in-person at a selectmen’s meeting.

Legislative Update

Fraser said that the Governor Baker had released the budget. The budget fully funds the first year of the Student Opportunity Act. The Student Opportunity Act is a $1.5 billion investment in Massachusetts public schools which aims to help low income students, in particular.

Fraser recently had lunch with Senator Jason Lewis to ask questions regarding the $30 per pupil allotment for Plympton in additional state aid under Chapter 70. Senator Lewis told Fraser that he doesn’t anticipate that number increasing as there were dramatic increases in investments throughout the commonwealth. Fifty-seven percent of towns and cities in Massachusetts will be receiving $30 per pupil while forty-three percent will receive the vast majority of funding. Those in the forty-three percent are largely low-income communities and English learner populations. Senator Lewis did try to assure Fraser by telling him that Plympton would see some money from the Student Opportunity Act in the form of increased Circuit Breaker funds over the next three years.

Fraser traveled to DC last week to meet with the congressional delegation including representatives from legislature and someone from Senator Warren’s office. Fraser addressed the diminished amount of Title 1 funding seen in Plympton.

Principal’s Report

Principal Veneto gave a report on recent and upcoming events at Dennett. Yearbooks are available for purchase from now until March 31. Midterm progress reports went home on Monday, January 27. February vacation will be from February 17 to February 21. The Monday following vacation will be a service day for teachers and staff and students will not have school.

Veneto also shared that a former Dennett student come back to speak to Grade 6 at the Honorable Breakfast on January 7. The student spoke about their experience at both the middle and high school.

Budget Discussion

Blackwood spoke to the committee about the Plympton school budget. The public budget hearing will be during the next school committee meeting in February. Budgets must be voted in March to meet state law. Blackwood said that K-6 enrollment in 2010 was 245 compared to today’s enrollment of 226, up from a low of 199. In 2010 there were three students being homeschooled at the elementary level and one at the secondary level. Currently, there are no Plympton students being home schooled. Only one student is attending school outside the district due to school choice. While the number is small, Blackwood reminded the committee that it still represents funds that are being lost.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable recommended the addition of a special education teacher. That request was not included in the version of the budget Blackwood presented as it was requested that it be a level service budget. Blackwood said that $44,000 will be returned to the town from out of district vocational funds. Blackwood suggested asking the town to use that money toward a variety of one off or periodic budget items. Possible items that could be paid for by that money include the inspection of the cistern for $5,000, 12 document cameras totaling $8,400, and instructional materials for the updated third and sixth grade social studies curriculum. Blackwood said that it would be best to start by finding out if the town is comfortable with transferring those funds or some portion of those funds to help reduce the budget increase. Those funds would need to be spent by June 30. Blackwood said that were the town to approve such a transfer, it could help offset the cost of a special education teacher, estimated at roughly $60,000.

Blackwood explained that some items included in the budget are placeholders such as the conservative 65% for Circuit Breaker reimbursement and the bus costs. The district will be going out to bids for buses and hope that the actual number will be less than what is currently in the budget.

The regular day budget increases by 3.22 percent or $78,949. The special education budget increase is 3.25 percent or $35,000; most of that increase is due to transportation. Blackwood said that if the special education teacher were added into the current budget the overall increase would rise to 4.35 percent from 2.71.

Blackwood also made one final plea to see band returned as part of the regular school day. According to Blackwood, making band available during the day levels the playing field as it gives all students an opportunity to participate and not just those that are able to attend an extracurricular activity.

Wilhelmsen thanked Blackwood for her years of service to Plympton saying, “I personally would like to thank you for six years of as much fun as we could possibly have had doing this. I do wish you the best and I hope you have great adventures and lots of them around the world. We’re going to miss you here.”

Jumps

Volunteers for COA

Many of the department heads were present at the Tuesday, January 14 Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting to discuss a feasibility study that was conducted for their respective buildings. Fire Chief Jason Viveiros had sent a survey to the various departments inquiring about the state of their facilities.

The library reported to have issues with acoustics, lack of parking, and overuse of the bathroom since the playground renovation.

The police department stated that their building is just too large for their purposes.

The fire department reported the most significant problems and expressed their desire for a new building.

Pope’s Tavern which houses the Council on Aging also has a number of issues including a lack of accessibility. Additionally, a front room on the second floor is closed down due to a leak in the ceiling. Maintenance Director Scott Materna said that they do not yet have an estimate for the roof repair.

Board of Selectmen Chair Troy Garron said that the requests would have to be prioritized.

John Campbell of the Municipal and School Building Committee said that outside help would be needed in reviewing and prioritizing the various department’s needs. Campbell suggested an article at the annual town meeting to ask for money to hire such help. Garron agreed saying that bringing on a third party would help eliminate in-fighting.

Memorial Day parade committee requested

David Walsh from the Halifax VFW Post 6258 had an appointment to meet with the Selectmen to discuss some of his ideas as well as his concerns. Walsh asked that either the color guard or honor guard lead the Memorial Day parade this year as it is a day dedicated to the military. In the past, the parade has been led by the fire department. Walsh also requested the formation of a Memorial Day Committee. Walsh said, “It’s a very sacred holiday; I don’t think any of us have to be reminded how important this day is as a remembrance. It’s so different from Veteran’s Day when we honor all veterans for their service. On Memorial Day, we remember those special people that are no longer with us who worked so hard to give us what we have today. It is so important for future generations to understand this.”

Walsh, who emphasized how important children were to the VFW, also addressed what he referred to as “patriotic awareness of the youth.” According to Walsh, the veterans have held programs such as veteran’s assemblies at many of the surrounding elementary schools geared toward kindergarten to third-grade children. Walsh said that the children give speeches and the chorus and band are often incorporated.

Walsh described one ceremony years ago where the students formed a big gauntlet for the veterans to walk through as children high-fived and thanked them. Walsh said he would like to see similar programs brought to Halifax Elementary school. Garron, who was very receptive to Walsh’s suggestions, asked that he put them into writing and submit them to the board.

Planning Board candidates interviewed

The Board also held several interviews for the vacancy on the Planning Board. No vote could be had on any of the candidates, however, since the Planning Board did not post a meeting and wouldn’t be able to vote.

The first candidate to come before the board was Alan Dias, a 40-year resident of the town and an elected official on the Board of Health for the last five years. Dias said that he has been a self-employed surveying contractor for the last 30 years who has represented clients before planning boards. He also said that he knows how to read sewerage and draining plans. Selectman Tom Millias asked Dias if he had both the time and desire to dedicate to the position and Dias replied, “Yes, I do.”

Selectman Gordon Andrews asked Dias if he was aware that as an elected official, he is unable to represent someone in front of a town board. “As a member of the Board of Health, I went back and looked at the Conservation Committee minutes, and you represented Brookside Realty before the Conservation Committee. You acted as their agent and as their representative,” Andrews said to Dias. Dias said, “That’s Incorrect.” Andrews replied, “That is not incorrect. It is in the minutes from 2017.”

Dias said he has no affiliation with Brookside Realty. “It’s also in the minutes from the Planning Board meeting in 2018 that you represented Mr. White,” Andrews said. Dias said, “Yes, Brad White is a friend of mine.” Dias and Andrews then went back and forth regarding whether an elected official can represent someone in front of a town board.

Andrews said the exception would be if you have a personal interest in a property and are representing yourself. Both Dias and the other selectmen said they would have to look into the rule further.

Anonymous letters sent to selectmen not  given credence

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig told the selectmen that he had received an anonymous letter about Dias. Dias said that while he had not read the letter, it was his understanding that the subject of the letter was similar to the accusations Andrews was making.  Millias said, “As far as anonymous letters go, if someone doesn’t have the courage to put their name on it, I don’t give it much credence because anybody can make any accusation against anybody anonymously – isn’t that brave,” Millias said. Garron agreed and the letter was not read.

David Mascio, who has lived in town for 4 years, was next to interview for the opening. Mascio said he has a background in construction with knowledge in heavy equipment, carpentry, and plumbing, saying, “I know quite a bit about a lot.” Mascio explained his reasons for wanting to serve as follows, “I’m trying to get on the Planning Board to help shake things up in this town – protect our by-laws that we have. I understand that there are some differences in the town with some things that are going on. I brought my kids here for a reason so they could grow up in a farming community, a small community, not to watch it get impacted and grow… There are things that this town will require if we do grow more than we can fit. I understand that there is plenty of land; let’s leave it that way is the way I feel.”

Mascio went on to say, “I mean nothing disrespectful by it, but I think we need to start moving some of the older politicians that are in this town – maybe its time for them to step aside and let some younger people that have families, that really care about where their families are going to be brought up in,” Mascio said. As with Dias, Seelig said another anonymous letter was received regarding Mascio. Again, the selectmen declined to hear the letter on account of its anonymity.

The final interview was with Ashley DiSesa, a Director of Operations for a home remodeling company. DiSesa, who has lived in Halifax for five years, has two children, one in the school system where she volunteers frequently and attends PTO meetings.

DiSesa said she has a strong background in reading plans, working with engineers, and understanding by-laws. My biggest reason for wanting to get involved is I grew up in Carver, two towns over, always wanted to come here and be a part of Silver Lake…

I plan on being here long term and really just want to make sure we are making good decisions for my children to be able to grow up here.”

DiSesa stressed that she would look beyond her own wants when serving, “I feel like I could make good decisions for the town as a whole.”

Millias told DiSesa that should she not receive the appointment, he would encourage her to seek another volunteer opportunity.

Buds Goods and Provisions host agreement change

The final appointment of the night was with Alex Mazin of Buds Goods & Provisions. Garron asked Mazin if he was looking for a final answer regarding his proposed outdoor marijuana growing facility in Halifax.

Mazin responded that he was but with some contingencies. Some amendments were still needed on both sides of the host community agreement.

Mazin was looking to increase the size of the building from 10,000 sq. ft. to 20,000 sq. ft. Millias pointed out that under Massachusetts law, buildings over 7500 sq. ft. require sprinkler systems. Mazin said that they may end up going with several smaller structures, rather than one large one.

The biggest change requested by Mazin to the language of the agreement was to add “indoor” in addition to outdoor.

Mazin explained that the only reason for the requested change was to allow for some vegetation to occur indoors in order to prepare for the outdoor season. Andrews suggested adding to the language that the indoor growing would be for propagation purposes only.  Millias agreed adding that he would like to see propagation defined in the agreement.

The Selectmen agreed to have the agreement amended as necessary before meeting to vote on Bud’s on Tuesday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m.

The first three hearings scheduled for Monday, January 13 with the Plympton Planning Board all requested continuances to later dates. The remaining hearing was for CLE, LLC to seek site plan approval to construct two buildings at 0 Palmer Rd. to be used as retail/showroom spaces for cellular nodes.

Cellular nodes are small low-powered antennas, sometimes referred to as small cells, that provide coverage and capacity much like a cellular tower.  These nodes, which are often placed on utility poles, streetlights, etc., are necessary to power 5G technology which handles large amounts of data at extremely fast speeds. According to CLE, LLC owner Kevin Farrell, who was present at Monday’s hearing, his customers include Crown Castle, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint.

Farrell said that the nodes are manufactured at a fabrication shop on Wood St. in Middleboro. Since the facility is not conducive to displaying the nodes for potential clients, Farrell intends to use the proposed buildings on Palmer Rd. as a showroom and retail facility where customers can go to view and purchase the nodes.

CLE, LLC was represented Monday by their attorney Edward Conroy and by a representative of Webby Engineering. Farrell stressed that the proposed buildings would be strictly for business use and emphasized his belief that they fit well into the character of the area as it is a business district.

Planning Board member Paul D’Angelo recused himself from the Board as he knows Farrell. Chair Ann Sobolewski and Planning Board members Jennifer MacDonald, John Schmid, and Jay Cohen were all present. Conroy said that Farrell has been putting these nodes up throughout Boston and handed the Board photos of them.

Sobolewski said that the town’s technical review engineer was unable to review the plans due to a death in the family. He will, however, review the plans prior to the next hearing and provide feedback to the applicant.

The proposed buildings are 80 ft. x 90 ft. and are 7,200 sq. ft. each. The lot is 12 acres. Sobolewski asked what the rationale was for having two identical buildings to be used for the same purposes. The engineer explained that the town restricts retail spaces to be less than 10,000 sq. ft. in size. Additionally, there was a problem with the installation of sprinklers in a building over 7,500 sq. ft. According to Farrell there will only be one sign on one of the two buildings.

Farrell said there would be 6-8 employees, but they would not all be full-time or on-site. The initial plan would be to have two employees in each of the buildings.

Schmid had a number of technical questions for the engineer that appeared to reveal problems with the proposed plan that would need to be fixed before proceeding. Several questions from the Board regarded the aesthetics of the buildings themselves. Schmid asked if the green color depicted in the plans was really the intended color of the actual buildings and was told that it was but that it could be changed if the town preferred something else.

MacDonald also reminded them that there were some specific requirements such as 60 percent of the building consisting of windows. Sobolewski asked if they had any waivers for the parts of the plans that do not align with town requirements and was told that they did not.

The hearing was opened to public participation and abutter Siobhan Green took the opportunity to share her concerns. Green, who said that she has lived in her residence for 18 years, said that during that time there have been three owners of the property at 0 Palmer Rd. Green said that the previous owner dumped truckloads of dirt that have resulted in “ferocious” flooding to her property.

“I worry about people holding to their word because everybody that has bought the property has somehow lied or defied the town in one way or another in what they plan to do with it and how they plan to handle it,” Green explained. Green went on to describe a past incident where a number of trucks idled on the property as early as 3 a.m.

In examining the site plans, Green noted that it looked like several trees would have to be taken down that would appear to result in a full view from her property of the buildings to be constructed. “I am partial, of course, to the woods, that’s why I moved to Plympton…I like the rural beauty of it,” Green explained.

Sobolewski said that there are a lot of things that can be done to provide attractive screening. “One of the things that this Board has routinely, as John said, been focused on is appropriate landscaping especially when there is a residential abutter because your home is your biggest asset that is your value of your land and we’ve really taken that to heart. A lot of our applicants are very forthcoming and willing to meet with abutters and talk to them,” Sobolewski told Green.

Green also questioned the area of the property that she believed to be wetlands. CLE, LLC will have to come before the Conservation Commission because they are within 100 ft. of wetlands. They will also still need to go before the Board of Health as well.

A site walk has been scheduled for February 8 at 11:30 a.m. All abutters are invited to participate. A continuance of the hearing has also been scheduled for February 10 at 7:15 p.m.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met Monday, January 6 for the first time since the holidays. Selectman Mark Russo was absent, but Chair Christine Joy and Selectman John Traynor were in attendance. Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said she met with Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig and Brockton Area Transit (BAT) to discuss what services BAT could potentially offer both Plympton and Halifax. “What we found out,” Dennehy explained, “is that they have a couple of different ideas as far as involvement.” The first, most introductory level, would involve BAT helping build the towns’ volunteer base. In this scenario, BAT would help coordinate with Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) on training initiatives. Dennehy explained that this would be beneficial as volunteers could be covered on insurance once they had completed some sort of formal training.

A mid-level involvement includes BAT working with MassDot to help the town acquire more vehicles to be utilized by volunteer drivers. This would require more formal involvement including identifying a bus stop. Traynor asked what kind of charges were associated with each service. Dennehy said that while they didn’t get into cost during this initial meeting, BAT was aware of the assessments for both Plympton and Halifax and seemed willing to work within those constraints.

Dennehy said that much of BAT’s funding comes from MassDOT as well as the federal government and a lot of numbers were needed to support their requests. Dennehy said, “Charlie and I have to kind of go back to the drawing board and figure out what our demand really is. They’re going to work us through that and give us some tools.”

Dennehy also discussed the best possible method to gather data such as when and where rides would most be in demand. Options include surveying residents, attending Council on Aging meetings, and reaching out via social media.

BAT appeared to be interested in having Plympton and Halifax bring a third town aboard. There is currently a well-established program in Hanson and BAT encouraged Dennehy and Seelig to reach out to them for more details. BAT also encouraged Plympton and Halifax to continue to pursue The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) as they might be a better fit.

Traynor and Dennehy also met with the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce earlier Monday. Traynor described the meeting as “positive” and “very successful” and said, “the takeaways from that is they could assist us by providing letters to either GATRA or BAT.” They also told Traynor and Dennehy that they could provide assistance to some smaller businessess in town by highlighting them throughout the region. They would also be able to hold a grand opening for any new businesses that may come into town. Traynor emphasized that they were interested in hearing about both SYSCO and Hubbell Inc.

Plympton awarded $93,000 in Choice Small Town Grant

Dennehy shared with the selectmen that the town was successful in securing a Housing Choice Small Town Grant in the amount of $93,000. The grant is available to Massachusetts’ towns with populations under 7,000 residents. Dennehy said the money would be put toward a consultant who will work with the Town Campus Committee.

And then there were five on ConCom

The Board voted to reduce the number of people on the Conservation Commission from seven to five members. Two of the members have left town and the Commission was having difficulty with quorum issues. Remaining members include Richard Burnet, Amy B. Cronin, Linda Leddy, Michael Matern, and Marta J. Nover. The Board also voted to appoint Rob Firlotte as the highway superintendent (he was previously serving as an interim) through June 30, 2020.

Class 2 licenses approved

The Board also voted to approve several Class 2 licenses for various business in town. Those businesses include Angel’s Auto and Towing, Carey Auto Inc., Competition Auto, Plympton Sand and Gravel, and Plympton Cycles. Conditions specify the number and type of vehicles to be sold as well as limiting the number of vehicles to be displayed. Other conditions include that the premises be kept neat.  All conditions are subject to change with thirty days’ notice from the Board of Selectmen.

As is customary, the Board ended their meeting with their rants or raves for the last few weeks. Traynor said,

“I thought the meeting today with the council kind of showed that Plympton, even though it’s very small, has lots of resources and we know how to go out and touch on them.”

For her rave, Joy said she was impressed with the turnout at town meeting and was thankful that both the funding for the Council on Aging van and the article to enable the Board of Selectmen to make safety zones passed.

Traynor said that the success of town meeting was a testament to all of those working on the various boards.

Joy agreed saying, “It’s not like it used to be. We’ve got a very good group of people who are doing their homework and making presentations that make sense to the residents and there is a level of comfort and trust with it. We’ve come a long way.”

The Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and our local fire departments limit open burning for public health and safety reasons.

Open burning is allowed in Plympton and Halifax from January 15 to May 1, with permits available at no charge at the fire station beginning January 1.  You must have a permit issued by the fire department in advance.

State fire wardens determine each day whether conditions are safe for open burning. Weather and air quality can change rapidly, especially in the spring, and fire departments can rescind permits when that happens.

Open burning must be done between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from January 15 to May 1, at  least 75 feet from all buildings.

You must also be sure air quality conditions are acceptable for burning by calling the Massachusetts DEP Air Quality Hotline at (617) 556-1021 or by visiting the MassAir Online website at http://public.dep.state.ma.us/MassAir.

Only Certain Materials Can Be Burned

• Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from other than commercial or industrial land clearing operations, agricultural materials such as fruit tree and bush prunings, raspberry stalks, and infected bee hives for disease control, trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing, • Fungus infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal is available.

Call For Help Immediately if a fire gets out of control.  People conducting illegal burning, or who allow a fire to get out of control, may be held liable for the costs of extinguishing the fire in addition to fines or imprisonment (M.G.L. c.48, s.13).

See the Massachusetts web site for complete information www.mass.gov/doc/safety-tips-for-open-burning

A special town meeting was held Monday, December 16 at Dennett Elementary School in Plympton. Each speaker was allowed three minutes during the first round of discussion on an article and up to two minutes during the second round. Town moderator Barry DeCristofano said, “we come here as friends and neighbors; we will leave here as neighbors and hopefully still friends.”

Planning Board Chair Ann Sobolewski spoke to Article 1 which strikes section 6.10 of the Plympton Zoning Bylaws that regulates solar facilities and replaces it with a significantly revised article. Sobolewski asked that section 6.10.6.2.2, which prohibited the use of herbicides, be changed to allow them as they had since learned that prohibiting them could negatively impact the site if agricultural. Sobolewski asked that the warrant be approved as otherwise printed in the warrant.

Sobolewski explained to her fellow residents that the current by-law regarding solar facilities was adopted wholesale directly from a model provided by the state that was meant to encourage large scale ground mounted solar facilities. She further explained that this article is an attempt to change the  bylaw to make it more beneficial to the town.

Sobolewski addressed her fellow residents saying, “I can tell you the only thing the Planning Board has done since I have been chair as of this past May is look at enormous large scale solar energy facilities being installed in Plympton one after the other after the other; they don’t stop. There is lots of deforestation associated with them and the way the bylaw is currently written there is literally very little we can do.”

A properly published public hearing on the matter was held back on Nov. 12 to discuss the bylaw changes. Regarding the public participation, Sobolewski noted that “in general the comments were favorable.” At the conclusion of the hearing the Planning Board Recommended Article 1 with four in favor and one abstention. The abstention felt that the changes were not necessarily strong enough.

Co-chair of the Open Space Committee Linda Leddy, who also served on an active subcommittee regarding the bylaw change, asked to speak to the article. Leddy asked to acknowledge Amy Cronin who also served on the subcommittee but was unable to attend the town meeting. Planning Board member John Schmid also served on the subcommittee and was in attendance. Leddy echoed Sobolewski’s sentiment saying that the model bylaw they adopted had very few parameters associated with it. Leddy said that the number one concern as expressed through the Open Space surveys is keeping the character of Plympton rural. Another major concern was that the town continue to support the local farmers. Leddy explained, “What we’re really trying to draft in this is to find the middle road between the basic bylaw we have right now and one that would be more extreme and shut many things down.” Leddy said that limiting forest cutting to no more than ten percent of the acreage on the property was one of the ways that the subcommittee hoped to ensure that the rural character was maintained.

Article 1, which required a two-thirds majority to pass, was passed with a show of nearly all hands in the crowded room. There were only a handful of residents voting against.

Article 2  would enable the Board of Selectmen to appoint Matthew Clancy as the new Plympton police chief. Chair of the Board of Selectmen Christine Joy moved the article as written in the warrant. Joy spoke on behalf of the article saying, “Matthew Clancy is uniquely qualified to serve as our chief of police and it is in the town’s best interest to secure his services.”  Before returning to Plympton as the interim police chief, Clancy served as the Plympton police chief from December 2002 to April 2010. The article easily passed.

Article 3 would allow the Board of Selectmen to establish designated safety zones for roads that are not a state highway. The article would give the Board the ability to reduce speed limits in such zones without Massachusetts Department of Transportation approval. Selectman Mark Russo spoke to the article telling residents the article would provide an “easy, inexpensive fix for some safety problems rather than expensive construction.”  Russo also assured those in attendance that the Board would not take action without significant input from abutters and other concerned residents. Nearly all in attendance voted to approve the article as stated in the warrant.

Article 4, which had the support of both the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee, would transfer available funds in the amount of $12,501 from the general stabilization fund to pay for an eight passenger, wheelchair accessible van to be used by the Council on Aging (COA). Selectman John Traynor explained that the current van used by the COA is not wheelchair accessible. Traynor further explained that the town received a Massachusetts Department of Transportation grant in the amount of $62,800 but that the town was required to match 20 percent of the grant.

A resident asked what would be done with the current van and if an additional driver was to be added. Traynor said that currently the COA utilizes a non-wheelchair accessible van as well as a sedan that formerly belonged to the police department. Traynor said that they will most likely be getting rid of one of the vehicles though it may be the sedan. Traynor also said that currently the COA has one paid driver and one volunteer. He said he is hopeful to have more volunteers in the future. COA director Joy Marble addressed the crowd saying, “It is very much needed, not just for seniors but for handicapped residents.” The article passed with what appeared to be unanimous support.

Article 5 proposed increasing the fines for dog related offenses to match the standard rates required by the state. Animal control officer Brian Kling explained to residents that the fines imposed by municipalities cannot be lower than those in the statute. There were a few questions by the public regarding the bylaws affecting the control of animals though none specifically about the increase in fines. Sobolewski elected to address the crowd reminding them that they were mandated to increase the fines. The article passed.

Article 6, that was not recommended by the Board of Selectmen or the Finance Committee, was to transfer funds from an available overlay surplus fund in the amount of $270,000 in order to reduce the fiscal 2020 interim tax rate. The Board of Assessors made a motion to pass over the article rather than voting upon it. The motion was approved.

Article 7 generated the most controversy albeit still minimal. The article would transfer $20,000 from available overlay surplus funds for the purpose of purchasing and installing an update for the Assessors’ CAMA system software. Neither the Board of Selectmen nor the Finance Committee recommended the article. Chair of the Board of Assessors Ethan Stiles explained that fiscal year 2022 is a revaluation year where the assessors must update all the assessments in the town. According to Stiles the Board of Assessors last updated their software in 2014. Stiles referred to the conversion as a “nightmare” and explained that the Board doesn’t want to wait until the spring to bring their request to town meeting as they want to avoid having to convert the software during a revaluation year. Planning Board member John Schmid asked several questions of town accountant Barbara Gomez before saying, “I support this.” Finance Committee Chair Nathaniel Sides said, “Speaking on behalf of the Finance Committee, the reason the Finance Committee does not feel that this is an appropriate article to entertain at tonight’s town meeting is exactly the fact that we have not had the opportunity to do our due diligence the way we normally would do when an article like this is presented… so that is the primary reason we voted against recommending this article at special town meeting. We are not necessarily saying that this item isn’t worthy of funding at a future town meeting, but we feel very strongly that this is the type of article that should be entertained at an annual town meeting and not rushed at a special town meeting.” Joy agreed saying that it is not that the Board of Selectmen doesn’t support the request but rather that they don’t feel it is appropriate for a special town meeting. The article failed to pass but the vote was the closest of the night.