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You are here: Home / Archives for Featured Story

Selectmen vote $11 million budget

April 26, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

PLYMPTON — The Plympton Finance Committee recommended and the Board of Selectmen voted “yes” on an $11,280,185 budget for fiscal year 2020, representing an overall increase of 3.5% over last year at a somewhat abbreviated Selectmen’s meeting, Monday, April 22.  Selectmen voted on all Annual and Special Town Meeting articles after hearing the finance committee’s recommendations.

The largest portion of the total budget is by far the school budget.

School costs are up an overall 4.7%, with the largest portion of the $6,160,582 proposed budget – up from $5,884,103 last year – going to the Dennett Elementary School and to associated special education costs for Plympton students both local and those placed out-of-district.  This is followed by the regional school assessment, which is up 6.5% from $2,174,763 last year to $2,316,518 this year.

The general government section of the proposed budget is up 27.9% from last year, from $58,868 to $75,274. The planning board budget went down by about 67%, from $1,500 to $500. The largest increase in the section was for the Finance Committee itself, which increased its own budget by $300 from $1,500 to $1,800, or 20%.

The remainder of the general government increase was with the Council on Aging. The program itself is level funded, but they requested a large increase in the director’s stipend – from $7,500 to $10,000, or about 33% – which was reduced to only 2.3%, or a $170 increase from the previous year.

The Council on Aging support staff line item increased by 4.4% because driver hours are increasing.

The Fire Chief’s salary has been brought more into line with neighboring communities, from $80,000 to $104,250, or about 30% but the overall fire budget is up only 2.7%, from $652,499 to $670,250, with many line items seeing cuts, including lines for EMS medical supplies and Fire/EMS equipment and repair.

The Police Chief’s salary was cut by 3.4% which balances out a tight budget that sees an increase from $1,060,744 to $1,100,140 in a year with the move from the old to the new police station. Utilities for the new station were estimated to be $24,000 for the year.

The all-encompassing Selectmen’s department budget, including everything from computer maintenance to building maintenance, is up 10.5%. Selectmen themselves will each take a $1 stipend, level-funded as last year, but the Selectmen’s Assistant and the Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy will each see a raise of 4.3%.

The “Town Buildings” and “Building Supplies” line items have been separated, to avoid confusion and better keep track of where money is being spent, an idea of Dennehy’s, which is repeated throughout the budget document. Custodial services will see a proposed increase of about 30% to $23,035 because of the addition of the police station.

Payments to town counsel are expected to be up 20%, topping $60,000 from $50,000 last year.

A decrease in the number of elections during the coming fiscal year will lead to a decrease in the Town Clerk’s department budget, which is down from $96,437 to $87,227 or 9.6% overall.

The total accountant, tax and treasurer’s department budget is up by 5%.

Selectmen signed new employment agreements with the Town Accountant and Treasurer/Collector, both with 4.3% salary increases reflected in the budget.

The Board of Health’s budget is up 4% from $40,237 to $41,866, level-funded except for the modest wage increase for the office’s administrative assistant.  This is the same increase seen by many Town House employees.

In the public works buget, the ice and snow budget line item remains level-funded at $60,000, despite the fact that the Selectmen had to declare an ice and snow emergency this winter, early in the season, to cover costs for cleanup associated with the minor storms that occurred.

Also, in that section, the Highway Superintendent’s wage did not increase by 4.3%, as many other positions, as requested. It was increased by only $60 from last fiscal year, or about 0.1%. Despite an 18.5% increase in the “Equipment and Maintenance” line item, the public works budget overall is rose only 1.9%.

The building department budget is up 13.8%, from $87,151 to $99,190. The department’s administrative assistant will see an increase in hours, which represents about half of the increase.

The library is in line for a 2.9% increase. Their budget is relatively small, with a request of $153,712 up from $149,367 last year.

Selectman Mark Russo thanked Dennehy and the Finance Committee for all their hard work throughout the budget season thus far and the rest of the Selectmen concurred.

In other Selectmen’s news:

• Emergency medical services will now be billed by a Cambridge-based company, ProEMS Solutions. The town is changing from its 18-year EMS billing provider, Comstar.  All bidders on the proposal came in at the same dollar amount, according to Fire Chief Stephen Silva, and selectmen deferred to his judgement in terms of why he thinks ProEMS Solutions will be better for the town than Comstar.

• The next regularly scheduled Selectmen’s meeting will be on Monday, May 6, 2019, at 6 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Town House.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Region votes down School Choice

April 19, 2019 By Kristy Zamagni-Twomey, Express Correspondent

The Silver Lake school committee gathered on Thursday, April 11, prior to their regular meeting for a hearing on school choice. Without an annual hearing and vote, Silver Lake would automatically become a school choice district.

Vice chair Eric Crone spoke in favor of school choice. Originally Crone had been interested in school choice as a means of helping one specific student who was in danger of not finishing their senior year at Silver Lake due to a change in address. Crone, however, also spoke about what he sees as potential financial benefits for the district. Schools are provided $5,000 for each student admitted under school choice with an incremental cost added to that tuition for special needs students. Crone’s suggestion was to keep that tuition out of the operating budget and use it toward specific projects. Crone reasoned that the lower enrollment in the high school grades would mean that additional students could be added through school choice without having to hire new teachers or buy new supplies. School choice students are expected to provide their own transportation.

Other members of the committee were more hesitant. Of concern was that school choice does not preclude students who were disciplinary problems in other districts from transferring to Silver Lake.  Schools are allowed to choose the number of spaces available for school choice but are not allowed to select specific pupils. If there are more students than spots, a lottery is held. Chair Jason Fraser felt it may disincentivize people from moving into the communities if they know their children can attend Silver Lake regardless of the town in which they reside.

Fraser also expressed concern that since school choice students are not included in Chapter 70 funds, money would be taken away from Plympton, Halifax, and Kingston students in order to subsidize students from outside the district. Crone countered that since Silver Lake is not at maximum capacity, placing a student at a previously empty desk with a textbook already owned by the school comes at no additional cost. Another concern was the stipend allotted for special needs students. If that stipend doesn’t end up covering the full cost for the additional services, etc. that student may need, Silver Lake would be responsible for footing the bill.

After a great deal of discussion, a motion to not accept school choice was passed unanimously by the committee. Secretary Paula Hatch noted, “This was the most robust conversation we’ve had about this in years.”

After adjourning the hearing, the regional school committee meeting began with Superintendent Joy Blackwood introducing the Food Service Director Megan Ahrenholz.  Ahrenholz, who has been with Silver Lake since the beginning of the school year, gave a presentation to the committee about changes to the department both in terms of menu and money saved. In general, the menu changes have focused on more homemade recipes and have aimed to reduce additives by using less processed foods. School leadership and members of the committee were treated to a sample breakfast consisting of banana, yogurt, and granola. The dish, which received rave reviews, counts as a complete breakfast. Since implementing a breakfast program at the middle school Ahrenholz said, “teachers have reported seeing improvements in students’ engagement in class and outlook on school in general.” The breakfast program has been averaging 25-30 students and has brought in more than $500 in revenue in three weeks with no increase in labor costs. The hope is to have a breakfast program at the high school by January of 2020.

Silver Lake Regional Principal Michaela Gill shared with the committee the accomplishments of some of her students. Student Sophia Ricci was honored as a local hero by the South Shore Community Action Council, Inc. (SSCAC) at its 25th Annual Local Heroes Awards Night and Auction. Ricci has been organizing food drives for the past two years in order to fight hunger throughout the South Shore. Junior Chris Tilton was awarded the prestigious Frank Kelley Athlete Adversity Award. Tilton overcame health challenges to finish 6th overall in the 600 meters at the MIAA Division 3 Championships. Gill also asked the committee to approve an out of state field trip to the Connecticut Science Center to view Real Bodies: The Exhibit. The committee approved the request unanimously.

Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal James Dupille spoke with fervor about the success of the school’s trip to New York City in late March. Highlights of the trip included sightseeing at the Statue of Liberty and the Top of the Rock, a tour of Ellis Island, a backstage tour of Broadway, and a stop at the 9/11 Memorial.

Dupille commended the students for their behavior and thanked the committee and superintendent for their support of the trip. Dupille says that he hopes to continue the trip in the future but would like to change it to the fall in order to make the most of the bonds that are established on the trip. Dupille also told the committee about the penny wars that the middle school has engaged in in order to raise money that will be used to support vulnerable students in Kenya. Penny wars are a form of fundraising where students bring spare change to school for a set period of time, ending in an award for the class that raises the most.

Discussion about the part time school resource officer at the middle school was continued from previous meetings. While Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton were all in agreement regarding the need for the officer, the source of funding one was a point of contention especially for the Halifax Finance Committee who felt strongly that the cost should be included in the school’s operating budget rather than through a warrant article at town meeting. Blackwood reached out to Old Rochester Regional school district to see how they fund their officers as they are also a three-town school. Blackwood said the towns have an inter-municipal agreement where the cost of the officers is housed in their police budgets. Blackwood was in favor of this approach and would like to see Silver Lake handle the expense similarly in the future. For this year, however, it will come down to the way the people of Halifax and Kingston vote at town meeting. Blackwood urged, “I don’t know what the outcome will be but I will fight the good fight and would appreciate anyone that will stand up with me.” Fraser also stressed the importance of the officer speaking of the need for “someone at the school to prevent the preventable and mitigate the unpreventable.”

Another discussion continued from previous meetings was the committee’s unanimous decision to support a one-year moratorium on marijuana retail shops in Kingston as well as to not support the reduction in distance between schools and places where children congregate. Blackwood put together a letter to the planning board chair in Kingston and Fraser read the letter at the Kingston Selectmen’s Meeting.

Crone addressed the committee regarding the need to replace the scoreboard at the athletic fields. The current scoreboard is from 1992 and it has become nearly impossible to find and replace parts when broken. The hope would be to replace the scoreboard with an electronic one, the cost of which is about $140,000. A company such as Daktronics would lease the scoreboard to the school and would go out and secure five-year contracts with local business for digital advertising to cover the cost of the board. The hope would be that the advertising contracts would pull in more money than the lease payments for the board, potentially paying for projects such as making the concessions stand ADA compliant or transitioning the field from grass to turf. The board could even be used for events outside of athletics, allowing for a live feed of students getting ready for graduation that parents sitting in their seats could watch.

Attending the meeting was Silver Lake English teacher and drama and soccer coach Ashley Ferrara. Ferrara praised her theatre students for their work as well as the prestigious awards they’ve received this year and invited the committee to attend a performance of Almost, Maine, the theatre department’s show to be performed after vacation. Ferrara said there would be an actor and crew question and answer session following the show.

Two beloved members of the Silver Lake community will be retiring in the near future. High school librarian Linda Redding, who has been the librarian there since the school opened, will be retiring at the end of this year. Superintendent Joy Blackwood will also be retiring at the end of January 2020. Fraser said of Blackwood, “She will touch the lives of students she has never even met because of the legacy she leaves behind in our schools.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Selectmen vote death to Rufus

April 12, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Officer Rob McDonnell, right, witnessed the attack and was able to help rescue Penny. The owner of Rufus the bulldog, Thomas Wilson, is in the background with his girlfriend. Others stand to be sworn in to testify at the dog hearing. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX —Selectmen ordered “Rufus,” an American Bulldog owned by Thomas Wilson of Holmes Street, to be euthanized after hearing evidence in a dog-on-dog attack concluding a dog hearing during their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, April 9.

The more than hour-long hearing, with three police officers present, appeared to exhaust the many witnesses and selectmen present. The hearing was clearly upsetting to  Rufus’ owner, Thomas Wilson, a tall man who spoke in a booming voice, and his girlfriend, who was present for the hearing.

The dog-on-dog attack occurred Saturday, March 16. Joseph Botelho, of Doris Road, was walking his dog, a Rat Terrier named “Penny,” near the intersection of Annawon Drive and Holmes Street, in front of Lindy’s General Store in the early evening.

Officer Rob McDonnell happened to be in a cruiser at Lindy’s that night, and said he witnessed a dog, identified as Wilson’s, escape from a fenced-in area and attack Botelho’s dog, “swinging her like a rag doll,” that occurred just as Botelho walked by McDonnell’s cruiser.

McDonnell immediately came to their assistance, he said.

Wilson said that Rufus escaped from his house when his girlfriend went out for a cigarette.

“[Rufus] grabbed my poor dog and shook her like a rag doll,” said Botelho, echoing the officer’s testimony to the board.

Pictures of Penny’s injuries, which caused the Selectmen visible distress, showed what appeared to be serious injuries to her hind quarter.

Penny, who is doing much better, said Botelho, needed more than $4,600 in veterinary treatment. Rufus was not properly inoculated which caused additional expenses.

After the attack, Wilson was issued a citation by Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan for having a vicious and unlicensed dog, second violation, for $110, and the dog was home quarantined.

“I’m a dog lover, and I’m sorry this happened,” said Wilson, but his various explanations and eventual pleading with the board would not sway them.

The board keyed in on the fact that this was not Rufus’ first attack on another dog.

In 2017, Rufus attacked a different neighbor’s dog, which resulted in a dog hearing that Wilson did not attend.

While Wilson insisted repeatedly on debating whether or not his dog was “aggressive” or just “dog-aggressive,” as he put it, this ultimately did not matter to the board.

He said that he had fixed his defective gate, but this was disputed by Callahan. He then said he had a wooden pallet to block the gate for more security, but no one present had ever witnessed the pallet. He begged the board for a chance to enroll Rufus in dog training, but they would not budge.

Selectman Chairman Kim Roy said that Rufus “mauled” Penny several times. She added that if Wilson could not come up with the $10 to license his dog, she did not think that he would ultimately enroll the dog in training classes.

    “I’ll borrow it from my girlfriend,” said Wilson. When Selectman Troy Garron asked him why he had not borrowed the money yet, he responded, “Have you ever had to ask to borrow money from your wife? It’s hard.”

   Garron, an animal lover who said he had been around dogs his whole life and used to train police dogs when he was a police officer, said that dogs reflect the personalities of their owners.

   “If you can’t handle a dog that’s aggressive, you should not have that dog – it’s not fair to the dog,” he stated.

“I’ve had the dog eight years and only two incidents occurred,” exclaimed Wilson.

“It was a mauling!” replied Roy.

At one point, Officer McDonnell hushed Wilson, who replied, “She’s the one you should tell not to start,” referring to Roy.

Selectman Tom Millias, who in the past usually observes dog hearings quietly and then offers his thoughts toward the end, was no different this time. When Roy asked him if he had anything to add, he said, “I don’t think I have much more to offer,” but later engaged with Wilson.

   “It appears you don’t have control over the dog at all times, and that’s a problem for me,” he said.

      “Let me prove to you … give me an opportunity!” Wilson begged the Selectman, but to no avail.

      “You had two years to do that,” said Millias.

     Roy asked Callahan for her recommendation, and it appeared that she was trying to give Wilson a chance to prove himself, but he interrupted her repeatedly and she acquiesced to the board.

     Roy also asked Animal Inspector Brian Kling, who had interacted with Wilson and Rufus, for his opinion. “I’ll be blunt,” he said, “I don’t think Mr. Wilson should have a dog.”

   Roy then entertained a motion to euthanize Rufus, and the board voted unanimously to order the dog put down.

  In conversations with board members after the vote, all expressed difficulty coming to the decision, and none took the matter lightly.

   “Dog hearings are my least favorite part of this job,” said Millias.

   “I hate having to put down an animal,” said Roy, but noted it was the job of the Selectmen to protect the citizens (and dogs) of Halifax.

In other Halifax Board of Selectmen news:

  • Representative Kathy LaNatra visited the Selectmen. She was originally scheduled last meeting to attend with State Senator Michael Brady, and the Board reiterated issues that they had presented to him to address to her as well, including the ongoing issue of cars passing stopped school busses loading and unloading children.

• Marge Smith was appointed to the Council on Aging.

  • Noreen Callahan was reappointed Animal Control Officer.

• The next scheduled meeting of the Halifax Board of Selectmen is Tuesday, April 23, in the Selectman’s meeting room of Town Hall. The time is still to be announced.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Stormwater management changes

April 5, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

HALIFAX — The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, March 26, taking on a lengthy regular agenda and two executive sessions while also entertaining several appointments. The board heard a presentation on stormwater management mandates imposed by the federal government, news that MassDOT’s RMV division will no longer take reports by school bus operators of license plate numbers of drivers who were passing stopped school buses and had a visit from State Senator Michael Brady.

Halifax holds a stormwater management permit from the federal government, as required by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. In EPA parlance they are known as municipal separate storm sewer systems (or MS4).

The permit now requires the town to make significant changes to its procedures and bylaws, according to Annie Bastoni, a senior water resources consultant with Watertown-based VHB, Inc., a civil engineering firm hired to help the town comply with the new requirements. Bastoni made a presentation via telephone to the board.

Stormwater, she said, comes from snow melt and rain runoff, which picks up pollutants such as pet waste, leaves, motor oil, fertilizers, detergents and trash as it runs to waterbodies. The permit for the town’s stormwater management system, which was renewed July 1, 2018, contains new regulations not present in previous permits.

Bastoni explained what the new mandates from the EPA will mean for the town. She noted that the rules and regulations will only affect the “urbanized” portions of Halifax, where most new development is occurring, and not the whole town. She said the town could decide to apply the regulations across the entire town.

The town must follow six steps – or minimum control measures – and implement three bylaws at town meeting. The requirements at each step have varying degrees of complexity.

Steps one and two require the town to educate and reach out to townspeople to try to change behaviors related to stormwater runoff. Steps three, four, and five are the bylaws that must be approved. They regulate illicit discharge, construction site runoff control and post-construction site runoff control. The final step, six, requires the town to prevent and reduce pollution for town facilities.

The actions required by the town are extensive– everything from documentation of procedures, cataloguing equipment, conducting investigations and developing best practices to sweeping town-owned streets and parking lots twice a year.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig noted that the town will incur additional expenses due to these mandates.

The board was informed by Seelig that MassDOT was no longer taking complaints from school bus companies regarding motorists who passs stopped busses while their red lights are flashing and stop signs displayed, as they previously had.

According to First Student, the town’s bus contractor, there was a form used to report license plate numbers collected by bus drivers that they would forward to MassDOT’s RMV division. The department is no longer collecting those forms, said Seelig. The bus company said it had thrown out the forms because they are no longer being accepted.

A MassDOT representative, Judi Riley, said, “The Registry of Motor Vehicles encourages school bus drivers to report to local law enforcement any incidents involving motorists who pass school buses that are actively operating with their lights on and signage displayed. In the past, the Registry has facilitated the collection of reporting forms, but determined that these serious claims should be vetted directly through law enforcement that has the ability to cite operators for this type of dangerous driving behavior.”

Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves said, “I have been in contact with First Student and advised them to forward me the info on violations if they occur, and we will try our best to follow up on [them].”

State Senator Michael Brady, of Brockton, who represents Halifax as part of the Second Plymouth and Bristol district, sat down with the board. He was loquacious, speaking at ease about goings-on on Beacon Hill, but didn’t give the board much chance to ask questions or voice their concerns until the very end of their discussion.

Selectman Chairman Kim Roy thanked Brady for his help obtaining funds to help offset the costs of treating the Monponsett Ponds, which he said he was able to obtain through an appropriation. “We’re looking for revenue from every source,” he said.

The board also expressed frustration with the current model of charter school funding, which they said is unfair to the town. They asked Brady for assistance with charter school tuition reimbursement.

They also described special education as a “budget killer,” and asked Brady for assistance in changing the model for how towns are reimbursed from the state for special education expenses.

Seelig mentioned to Brady that the recycling market was changing, which he described as a “big-picture” problem. “The citizens of the commonwealth are mandated to recycle,” he said, but it’s getting more expensive for the town. Brady asked about Halifax’s recycling program, and said he’d look into what could be done to help the situation.

• The next scheduled Halifax Board of Selectmen’s meeting is Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Town Hall. unless otherwise posted.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Solar bylaw eyed for TM warrant

March 29, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Solar Panels.

PLYMPTON — The Plympton Board of Selectmen met without Selectman Christine Joy, who was ill, Tuesday, March 25, 2019. The meeting was brief, although Selectmen Chairman John Traynor and Selectman Mark Russo took on a few high-profile agenda items in her absence, including a proposed zoning bylaw amendment that would cap the number of solar projects in town, an update on the Public Safety Building and a discussion of unforeseen repair and maintenance costs.

Solar project cap zoning bylaw amendment 

The Selectmen discussed a zoning bylaw amendment to appear on the Annual Town Meeting warrant, proposed by the Planning Board, which would cap the number of large solar facility projects in town at a maximum of eight. 

The board expressed their support for the proposal, which defined large solar projects as those that produce more than 250 kw of electricity or more. The bylaw proposal would also limit these solar facilities to being sited on 10 acres or less of land. All solar projects would continue to require a special permit.

Solar energy facilities used exclusively for the purpose of agriculture – with the electricity entirely used on premises – would be exempt from these restrictions under state law. 

The bylaw wording is based on a bylaw from New Braintree, a town in western Massachusetts, that implemented a similar cap on their solar facilities by a narrow, two-vote margin at a 2017 Special Town Meeting.

At first, when Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy brought up the concept of limiting solar facilities, Traynor asked, “Why would you want to do that?”

She responded that there were already a number of solar developments in town, and that there’s a general concern of them changing the character of Plympton.

Traynor was persuaded after some discussion.

“I’m very much in support of this [amendment],” said Russo, although he added he supported renewable energy.

Russo added he was concerned about deforestation of land as well as the impact of solar arrays on the beauty of the town.

The Selectmen affirmed their support of the proposed amendment to the Planning Board. 

The Planning Board, in conjunction with the Selectmen, will hold a public hearing to review the proposed amendment Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at 6:45 p.m. in the small meeting room of Town House.

Public Safety Building update

Russo reported on the Public Safety Building, and although construction is being completed slightly behind schedule, he announced some definitive milestone dates, noting, “the endeavor is finally coming to an end after eight years.”

Paving for the building is scheduled to begin April 15. A septic repair job needs to be completed behind the Town House (a $2,500 contract was awarded later in the meeting for that project to a local contractor) before the paving gets underway. 

The Public Safety Building open house and dedication will be held Saturday, May 11. 

The police will begin to move out of their current quarters May 14, and the new station is expected to be operational in late May.

“It’s really nice,” Russo said of the building. He added that Plympton constructed its police station for less money than many other towns in the state.

The Selectmen also signed the licenses for Verizon to install necessary utilities for the building. 

Since stuff breaks

Dennehy brought up unforeseen expenses the town recently incurred, specifically at the fire department, and the discussion that ensued revolved around the need to make budgets generally more realistic of the fact that there will be unforeseen expenses, “since stuff breaks,” as Russo put it.

A failure of the generator at the fire department last year resulted in a $2,000 deductible from the town’s insurance plan, Dennehy said. Additionally, the fire station’s electrical box needs complete rewiring before the new exhaust system goes in. That will cost the town about $4,300.

Another possible unexpected expense is due to a damaged pump on Engine 2 recently discovered during the course of repairs. Captain John Sjostedt, the department’s public information officer, contacted after the meeting, did not have information on the exact nature of the damage or costs, yet, but he says it may be manufacturer related or covered by insurance.

Russo was concerned about the situation and said that department budgets need to be more realistic in terms of unforeseen expenses, agreeing with Dennehy that these types of expenses need to be handled differently in the future.

In other news…

• The Finance Committee gave a brief preview of the town budget to the board, with a working total of $11,352,000, not including warrant articles. This is up from the FY’19 budget of $10,903,000.

• Jill Palenstign was appointed as temporary part-time senior clerk to assist in the clerk’s office through June 30.

• Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy announced that the town had been awarded $200,000 in Green Communities grant money. The grant is used to reduce municipal energy use and costs. It will be used to complete last year’s Green Communities projects as well as support new projects.

• The board closed the Annual Town Meeting Warrant.

• Various items were declared surplus from Two Brooks Preserve and can now be sold, and money made from the sales will be returned to the general fund.

• The next selectmen’s open meeting is April 8, 2019, at 6 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room of Town House.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Silver Lake committee on pot sales

March 22, 2019 By Kristy Zamagni-Twomey, Express Correspondent

Silver Lake Regional School District Superintendent Joy Blackwood and School Committee Chairman Jason Fraser confer at the school committee meeting Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Photo by Kristy Zamagni-Twomey)

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting Thursday, March 14, opened with Silver Lake student Bradley Sprunger giving a robotics presentation. Sprunger, who plans to study biomedical engineering in college, created a small prototype of an all-terrain wheelchair that would enable wheelchair users to better maneuver stairs and other obstacles. The committee lauded both Sprunger and his engineering teacher, Russell Shute, for a job well done.

Silver Lake student Bradley Sprunger demonstrates for school leadership and school committee members the various features of his all-terrain wheelchair that included components fabricated using a 3-D printer. (Photo by Kristy Zamagni-Twomey)

Silver Lake High School principal Michaela Gill, spoke on the possibility of incorporating a therapy dog into the school’s environment. Marshfield High School allowed members of Silver Lake’s staff to shadow their therapy dog, Nala, to better see the ways in which a therapy dog can enhance the student experience.

A therapy dog can be utilized in a variety of ways including scheduling visits with the dog prior to big exams in order to calm students’ nerves. Marshfield’s construction class even built Nala a dog house while the art class used her as a live model. In an effort to bring the program to Silver Lake, the school’s adjustment counselor Amanda Carr, has had her hypoallergenic dog Bodie registered as a therapy dog.

Gill spoke with pride about the accomplishments of Silver Lake students including twelve of the fall and winter sports teams being awarded the team sportsmanship award as voted by their opponents in the league.

On the arts front, several Silver Lake students were selected for the 2019 all-state music festival which included a performance at Boston’s Symphony Hall on March 2. Additionally, the theatre department was brought back into The Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG). Despite the prestigious and competitive nature of the METG, four Silver Lake students won awards.

The month of March comes with a lot of excitement at Silver Lake Regional Middle School. Principal James Dupille described last week’s spirit week which culminated at March Madness, one of the biggest events of the school year. Activities at the event included a staff vs. student basketball game, a dance in the cafeteria, a photo booth and karaoke in the lobby as well as a gaming system setup in the auditorium.

In other news at the middle school, breakfast is now being offered to students in the cafeteria during homeroom. Students will have the option to select from various grab and go breakfast items.

The Committee was excited about this opportunity as early start times have been shown to have a detrimental impact on adolescents and the hope is that by providing a breakfast option, students will be able to get a jump start in the morning before beginning their studies.

The potential effects that a recreational marijuana retail shop in Kingston could have on Silver Lake students was  discussed at the Sliver Lake Regional School Committee meeting Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Courtesy image)

The potential effects that a recreational marijuana retail shop in Kingston could have on Silver Lake students was also discussed among the committee.

Currently, the town of Kingston has approved recreational marijuana establishments in commercial zones that are 1,000 feet or more from schools or other areas where children congregate.

There are several warrant articles that will be voted on during Kingston’s town meeting including a proposed year-long moratorium on retail marijuana shops as well as one to reduce the buffer zone between schools, etc. and retail shops from 1,000 feet to 500 feet.

Vice chair of the school committee Eric Crone asked the committee to consider a motion to support the one-year moratorium on retail shops in Kingston as well as not to support the reduction in distance.

Crone was basing his request on research out of California that indicated that schools that have retail marijuana shops in their towns, have a higher usage amongst their students. Principal Gill also acknowledged having read similar research and said the same correlation was found between vape shops and usage.  The resolution proposed by Crone was passed unanimously by the committee.

Committee chair, Jason Fraser, agreed to draft a letter on behalf of the committee to be presented at the town hall meeting.

Another issue discussed at length was the warrant article to fund a school resource officer at Silver Lake Regional Middle School.

The discussion was a continuation of the one had at the Monday March 11 meeting between the school committee and the Halifax Finance Committee.

As of this past year, the school resource officer at the high school is a full-time position funded by the Kingston Police Department as the school is within the jurisdiction of the town of Kingston.

Currently, the resource officer at the high school does his best to make his way to the middle school whenever possible.

However, both Fraser and Superintendent Joy Blackwood stressed the importance of having an officer at both schools, citing a recommendation resulting from a safety audit of the middle school campus by experts in the field.

The regional nature of the school district complicates the question of how to fund a second resource officer. The proposed solution would be a Kingston officer funded as was previously done at the high school prior to this past year. Plympton and Halifax would share the expense as Kingston has been funding 100% of the high school officer despite a benefit to students from both Plympton and Halifax.

While the Plympton Finance Committee was on board with the idea to fund the officer, the Halifax Finance Committee had concerns.

A representative from the Halifax Finance Committee present at Thursday’s meeting stressed that while they support the idea of the resource officer, they do not support the proposed mechanism to fund that officer.

The main point of contention is the funding coming from a separate warrant article rather than included in the proposed school budget.

School leadership acknowledged this concern and agreed that even if the position were funded for a year through a warrant article, they would work with the communities to find a potentially different way to fund it in the future.

Blackwood hopes to schedule a meeting between the school committee, police, finance committees, and selectmen in the three towns to further discuss.

  

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

School roofs for $6.5 million?

March 15, 2019 By Kristy Zamagni-Twomey, Express Correspondent

Members of the Halifax School Committee and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee met with the Halifax Finance Committee Monday, March 11, 2019. (Photo Courtesy Area58 Community Access Media)

HALIFAX  – Monday, March, 11, 2019 was the first joint meeting with both the Halifax Elementary School Committee and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee to discuss the requested budgets with the Finance Committee.

The need for repairs at the elementary, middle, and high school were discussed. The chair of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, Jason Fraser, spoke about the need to have the roofs repaired or replaced at both the middle and high school due to water infiltration issues. Due to the recent snow, the fire marshal ordered that the snow be shoveled off the roof resulting in further damage in the form of punctures to the membrane. A decision will have to be made whether to sink more dollars into repairs or replace the two roofs at a cost of 6.5 million dollars or more. Other structural renovations under consideration for the near future include HVAC work and flooring that needs to be replaced in the elementary school.

One of the largest requests from the Elementary School Committee in the operating budget is the cost of half a bus, that would increase the number of buses for the school from nine to ten. Tough decisions had to be made about five years ago that resulted in the loss of one of the school’s buses. Enrollment in the elementary school is up, however, standing at 610 from last year’s 582. Overcrowding and behavioral issues are both problems that the committee hopes can be curbed by the addition of a bus. Lengthy bus rides, sometimes as long as an hour, are likely contributing to the behavioral issues on buses.

A study conducted by a bus company two years ago to analyze routes and such in an effort to alleviate the long rides failed to yield any useful results. The finance committee and school committee discussed other approaches that may help to lessen behavioral issues including looking into what policies are in place to stop poor behavior on the bus as well as what, if any, schedule adjustments could be made to reduce the amount of time students spend sitting in the driveway of the school before being let off the bus.

While the elementary school committee noted that their requested budget was reasonable, they agreed that it is difficult to say to what extent the additional bus will alleviate the busing issues.

Both the Elementary School Committee and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee stressed to the finance committee that the school system took the brunt of the cuts last year and asked that historical context be taken into consideration when deciding what to approve in this year’s town budget. It’s in that vein that the Elementary School Committee discussed the other big-ticket item that they’re requesting in their budget – a one-time lump sum payment of nearly 70,000 dollars for textbooks. The Finance Committee acknowledged that the need for new textbooks had been placed on the back burner for several years and agreed that it was a pressing matter.

Summer Schmaling, chair of the Elementary School Committee, made a point to acknowledge the work of the PTO in funding various school projects. Likewise, school committee member Gordon Andrews credited fundraising and donations with funding the re-building of the elementary school playground in its entirety.

At the high school, a need for a new plasma table for the metal fabrication shop had been put off for several cycles. Fraser spoke to the concern that without the new table, the school could be graduating students from a program without the proper skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen field. With Pembroke having voted to tuition in students to Silver Lake for vocational training, the need for such amenities is even more prominent.

An area of dispute at the meeting centered around the request for a school resource officer at Silver Lake Regional Middle School. As of last year, Kingston funds the high school’s resource officer as a full-time position. The newly requested position in the middle school was not listed in the requested budget but was instead added in as a warrant article. While all meeting participants were in agreement over the importance of student safety, The Board of Selectman Chair, Kim Roy, and members of the Finance Committee took issue with the request not being included in the budget and asked that the issue be taken up from scratch with Kingston, Plympton, and Halifax all weighing in on the best way to go about the creation and funding of the position.    

Finance Committee member Melinda Tarsi ended the meeting by stressing, as she did throughout, that she is asking all town department heads and committees to prioritize their budget increases in order to allow the finance committee to make the most educated decisions possible regarding the town’s overall budget.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Town Clerk takes Boston job

March 8, 2019 By Deborah Anderson, Express Staff

Plympton Town Clerk Tara Shaw. (Courtesy Photo)

“I have enjoyed working with everyone,” Plympton Town Clerk Tara Shaw said as she announced this week that she will be leaving the position as of April 1, “ from the people who come into my office, to the good friends I have made through work at the Town House.

“This is such a wonderful town,” she continued.  “I remember the day when my children were home alone for the first time while I went to work at the Town House.  I asked the patrolman on duty if he would drive past the house to reassure them.”

“Everyone in this town takes care of everybody.  And that’s how I thought about my job as Town Clerk.  It was always worthwhile.”

The two years remaining for her term will be on the ballot for the annual town election May 18.  Assistant Town Clerk Patricia “Tricia” Detterman has taken out nomination papers for the position.

There will be 14 open seats on the ballot:

 • 1 Selectman, 3 years

• 1 Board of Assessor, 3 years

• 1 Board of Health Member, 3 years

• 2 Board of Library Trustees, 2 years

• 1 Board of Library Trustee, 3 years

• 2 Finance Committee Members, 3 years

• 1 Moderator, 3 years

• 1 Planning Board Member, 5 years

• 1 Planning Board Member, 3 years

• 1 Plympton School Committee, 3 years

• 1 Silver Lake Regional School Committee, 2 years

•1 Town Clerk, 2 years

Nomination papers are available in the Town Clerk’s Office at the Plympton Town House during regular business hours, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Monday evenings, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The last day to submit nomination papers with at least 22 signatures is Friday, March 29, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.

The last day to object or withdraw nomination papers is Wednesday, April 17, 2019.
https://www.town.plympton.ma.us/town-clerk/elections

  Papers that have been pulled as of Tuesday, March 5, 2019:

• 1 SL Regional School Committee, 2 years, Michael Antoine

• 1 Planning Board, 3 years, John Schmid

• 1 Board of Library Trustees, 3 years, incumbent Christine Winslow

• 1 Finance Committee, 3 years, incumbent Steven Lewis

• 1 Town Clerk, 2 years, Patricia Detterman

There are only three weeks to take out nomination papers and return them to the Town Clerk to be included/printed on the ballot.

Please consider serving the town in one of these positions.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Halifax STM waits for quorum

March 1, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Selectmen wait with residents for the required 100 voters to make up a quorum so the business of the town could be voted on. Less that 2% of the registered voters in Halifax showed up on a cold and windy night to pass six special town meeting warrant articles. From left are Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy, Selectman Troy Garron, and Selectman Thomas Millias. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer,” joked Town Moderator Dennis Carmen, quoting President Abraham Lincoln, as the February 2019 Halifax Special Town Meeting reached a quorum of 100 registered voters needed to begin and kicked-off 52 minutes late at 8:22 p.m. He apologized for not being able to provide free beer to those that had waited almost an hour for the STM to start.

Only 104 residents attended the meeting, according to Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor, or less than 2 percent of the town’s registered voters.

All six of the articles, which were pulled in a random order, passed with near unanimity on voice votes, and only the first article pulled, article one, generated much discussion. That article took up more than half of the hourlong STM. The finance committee recommended all six articles at the meeting.

Article one was the most discussed article as it involved the most spending. It asked the voters to appropriate an additional $1,056,056.26 for the fire suppression (sprinkler) system project at the Halifax Elementary School, which is in addition to $977,000 voters already approved at the May 2017 Annual Town Meeting.

The town went out to bid in May 2018 for the project but no bids were received, due to the timing the project was put out to bid, officials said. The town went out to bid a second time, and according to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, the low bid came in at $1,731,687.

The article needed a two-thirds vote to pass, and town officials were both careful to answer questions from the voters and appeared defensive regarding alleged mistakes made with the building’s circa-1993 sprinkler system, which only covers part of the building and is leaking air, failing earlier than anticipated.

Seelig stated that the town could vote to approve the project now, or not, but that if they delayed it would likely cost much more in the future.

One voter, Timothy Kundzicz, of Elm Street, who said he was new to Halifax, was particularly vocal in his opposition to the article, insisting that those responsible for the failing system had to be held accountable and that those responsible for the new system be held accountable as well if the system doesn’t hold up as expected. Kundzicz spoke several times with his questions and comments regarding the article, some of which were technical in nature.

In response, Seelig, in apparent frustration, said, “You want to berate someone … you want someone to take responsibility for [the old sprinkler system] … but I suspect some of the people are dead.”

In addition to Seelig and Board of Selectmen members, Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, Building Inspector Robert Piccirilli and the new sprinkler system’s architect, of Habeeb & Associates Architects in Norwell, all answered voter questions regarding the project.

Eventually, after all discussion was exhausted, a resident moved the vote, and the article passed with a two-thirds majority. Only a few voices were heard voting in opposition.

Article six was pulled next, but because articles five and six were related, article five was discussed first. Both involved Payment in Lieu of Taxes (or PILOT) agreements for solar energy developments. Selectman Tom Millias presented the articles, stating that they were a “win-win” for both the town and the solar developer.

Article five asked voters to approve an agreement negotiated by the Board of Assessors on behalf of the Selectmen with the solar energy generation company Green Apple Farms, IV, LLC, for its proposed facility on Franklin Street.

Article six asked voters to authorize the Selectmen and, on their behalf, the Board of Assessors to negotiate a PILOT agreement with the solar energy generation company Halifax Solar, LLC, for its proposed facility on River Street.

The agreements, Millias said, will see the town receive payments much higher than the town would otherwise receive through taxes. The PILOT agreements stipulate fixed-rate payments over the course of 20 years.

Both articles passed unanimously.

Article four was pulled next. It asked voters to transfer $10,000 from the undesignated fund balance to be added to the Monponsett Pond account for studies of the Monponsett Ponds and projects to improve water quality.

At this point in the meeting, voters were yawning as the time grew later. The article passed unanimously and was not controversial.

Article two was pulled second to last and asked voters to transfer $7,300 from Article 32 of the ATM of May 14, 2018 (Repair and Replace Police Station HVAC units) to Article 30 of the ATM of May 14, 2018 (Repair and Replace Highway Barn Garage Doors) to be added to the $21,700 previously appropriated for a total of $29,000.

The article asked voters to move money that they had already approved on spending for one project (to repair and replace police HVAC units) which had come in underbudget to be added to a project that had become more expensive (to repair and replace the highway barn garage doors).

This, too, was uncontroversial and passed unanimously.

Finally, the voters unanimously voted to transfer $4,500 from the undesignated fund balance to upgrade the town’s website – $3,000 less than originally printed in the warrant.

Seelig said this was necessary because the current version of the town’s website will no longer be supported beginning this spring and that the commonwealth requires the town to have a website, legally.

The meeting was over about an hour after it had started.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Special Town Meeting Monday night

February 22, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

HALIFAX — A Special Town Meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street. All registered voters from the town are encouraged to attend. Residents must have registered to vote at least ten days prior to the meeting in order to participate.

There are six articles on the warrant. All are proposed by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee will make their recommendations at the meeting.

Article one asks the voters to appropriate an additional $1,056,056.26 for the fire suppression system project at the Halifax Elementary School, which is in addition to the $977,000 voters already approved at the May 2017 Annual Town Meeting.

The town went out to bid in May 2018, for the project but no bids were received. The town went out to bid a second time, according to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, and the low bid came in at $1,731,687.

The total budget for the project is now $2,033,056.26, therefore an additional $1,056,056.26 is needed to fund the project.

Article two of the STM asks the voters to transfer $7,300 from Article 32 of the Annual Town Meeting of May 14, 2018 (Repair and Replace Police Station HVAC units) to Article 30 of the ATM of May 14, 2018 (Repair and Replace Highway Barn Garage Doors) to be added to the $21,700 previously appropriated for a total of $29,000.

Article three asks if the voters will transfer $7,500 from the undesignated fund balance to upgrade the town’s website. Seelig says this is necessary because the current version of the website will no longer be supported.

Article four is for Monponsett Ponds. It asks voters to transfer $10,000 from the undesignated fund balance for studies of the Monponsett Ponds and projects to improve the water quality of Monponsett Pond, with the appropriation to be added to the Monponsett Pond account.

Articles five and six are in regard to Payment in Lieu of Taxes (or PILOT) agreements for solar energy developments.

The first, article five, asks voters to approve an agreement negotiated by the Board of Assessors on behalf of the Selectmen with the solar energy generation company Green Apple Farms, IV, LLC, for its proposed facility on Franklin Street.

The second, article six, asks voters to authorize the Selectmen and, on their behalf, the Board of Assessors to negotiate a PILOT agreement with the solar energy generation company Halifax Solar, LLC, for its proposed facility on River Street.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

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