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.

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.

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.

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.

Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy, in a Jan. 22, 2019 file photo, appeared hurt by recent comments on social media at the Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal/Express News)

HALIFAX —While schools and afterschool activities were canceled due to inclement weather, the Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, Feb. 12, during a snowstorm to discuss their lengthy agenda.

Roy, Seelig on Social Media

Selectman Chairman Kim Roy spoke early in the meeting, sharing her thoughts on recent social media posts that have attacked Halifax Town Hall employees as well as board and committee members, that, she pointed out, are made up of volunteers.

Doing her best impression of President Richard Nixon, she joked, “I am not a crook!” All joking aside, Roy appeared hurt by the recent vitriol on Halifax community Facebook groups regarding attacks on the integrity of Halifax officials and workers.

Facebook posts for the last several weeks have blamed the board for discussions on ways to reduce litter caused from nips, which are small, inexpensive bottles of liquor generally under 50 milliliters that police say are often associated with drinking and driving.

The concepts discussed have included the idea of banning them in conjunction with other towns (the City of Chelsea recently passed a ban) or putting deposits on them to encourage recycling. Roy pointed out that this began with the town’s Beautification Committee, and the board was simply following up on their suggestions by discussing the issue.

The board received correspondence from a trade group representing alcohol retailers and local retailers concerned about these proposed measures, any of which would need to go to Town Meeting for the voter’s approval, according to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig.

But one Facebook user posted to the Halifax MA Community Page, “Here we go[,] the dictatorship of Halifax want[s] to ban nips! No public input[,] just Charlie[–] we can grow pot here in Halifax but we can’t have nips!”

The online responses have been emotional on both sides of the issue, with users offering up posts that are demonstratively not truthful.

“Think before you type,” said Roy.

Roy mentioned that the Beautification Committee also proposed a now-controversial Town Meeting article would ban single-use plastic bags by Halifax retailers, not the Selectmen. It has caused quite a stir on social media as well.

Seelig took to Facebook to defend town employees, board and committee members at several points over the last few weeks, including a lengthy post, reprinted in part, from Jan. 30, in response to a Facebook user who said, “Been telling you people for years [there is corruption] on the Hill!!! The Town Hall is so corrupt!”

Seelig said, “A belief such as this causes any action taken by the Town and, in particular, by the officials and employees at Town Hall, to be viewed through a lens of who was paid off for this to happen and that any action taken cannot be seen as being taken in the best interests of the Town and the people who live here.”

He continued, “I agree that there are ‘bad actors’ in municipal government. That’s also true in the regional, state and federal governments, private businesses and nonprofit organizations. But using a broad brush to paint everyone in a certain group on the basis of the actions of a few is unfair. It’s ‘sentence first, verdict afterwards.’ It’s accusations without evidence … It’s a common meme. Everyone who works for the government or, in this case, those who work at the Halifax Town Hall, are part of some great conspiracy; all of us are “on the take.” It simplifies the frustrations of many and it becomes the explanation for any action that the Town takes. And it leaves those who do work at Town Hall trying to prove a negative: that we are not corrupt.”

Roy, at the meeting passionately said, “Oh Mama Mia! We’re talking about ways to keep people from littering … and I found it interesting that more people were upset about us having this discussion of trying to figure out solutions rather than people drinking and driving and littering at the same time.”

HES fire suppression system

Article one of the Feb. 25 Special Town Meeting warrant, according to Seelig, asks voters to appropriate $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, he said, 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. The current system is in disrepair and needs to be replaced, he said, and it will not be getting cheaper if the town waits to replace it.

The board was frustrated but resigned to the additional spending necessary for the safety of the schoolchildren and the integrity of the building.

Further information is available at http://halifax.ma.us/Pages/HalifaxMA_WebDocs/firesuppression

School bus scofflaws investigated by Chief

A concerned parent filed a complaint with the board regarding cars passing stopped school buses with red lights flashing, which, as drivers should realize, is illegal, said Seelig.

According to Roy, Chief of Police Joao Chaves, a “hands-on” chief, decided to investigate on his own, unbeknownst to area bus drivers.

Chaves followed a Halifax school bus in his unmarked cruiser recently, and the attentive bus driver noticed that their bus was being followed by a suspicious vehicle – Chaves.

The driver radioed their dispatcher, who contacted police.

When Chaves realized what was going on and that he had concerned the driver, Roy said he turned on his blue lights and pulled the bus over, to let the driver know that the suspicious vehicle was actually a police cruiser, and that he was in fact the Halifax police chief.

The driver was understandably nervous about the situation, said Roy, but the board commended both Chaves and the driver for their conscientious work.

Fortunately, no cars passed the bus in question while it was stopped loading and unloading children. The board did discuss how camera technology might be used to capture license plate numbers of such dangerous driving behavior and scofflaws all over Halifax should know that they are being watched, even by the town’s top law enforcement officer.

Summer Schmaling, chair of the Halifax School Committee at their meeting Feb. 4, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — At the Halifax School Committee meeting Feb. 4, 2019, school committee members discussed a letter penned by Steve Ruisi, president of the Halifax Teachers Association (HTA), with five recommendations for the budget at the School Committee’s annual budget hearing for fiscal year 2020.

Two people from the public at large attended the hearing:  one elementary school teacher and one community member were present.

Ruisi, in his letter, thanked the chairman of the committee, Summer Schmaling, for the first opportunity “in some time” to have input on the budget.

The teachers say that they are mainly concerned about class size, especially in grades one and two where enrollment is high, they say, at 23-25 students, which they believe is significantly higher than the ideal “benchmark” of 20 students per class.

The committee framed this as an issue where an extra teacher would need to be hired, and an extra classroom space found, something the committee said is cost prohibitive.

And Principal Kayne Beaudry and Assistant Principal Brian Desantes indicated that they were less concerned about class size than the association. Beaudry noted that when he was a classroom teacher class size numbers were higher, although he acknowledged the many challenges of teaching to larger classes.

Silver Lake Regional School District Superintendent Joy Blackwood said that Halifax’s class sizes were comparable to surrounding communities, including district member Kingston Elementary School, although they are much higher than at the Dennett Elementary School in Plympton, where class sizes are unusually small due to the comparatively small size of the town.

The HTA would also like HES to hire four recess and cafeteria aides who they say would take the burden off teachers and classroom aides, in order to provide better management of the recess playground and the cafeteria. They say this would reduce student behavior issues in both venues.

School officials say that it would be hard to find people to work from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Schmaling suggested stay-at-home moms may be able to volunteer or work those shifts.

The association would also like to see a new special education position added. They say that would allow a special education teacher for each grade, 2-6. Under their proposal, Kindergarten and 1st grade would share one special education teacher, as is currently the case.

The HTA also noted that there is currently no math specialist at the school, and the teacher in the audience suggested this would be especially useful as students who struggle with math in lower grades often struggle throughout elementary school, she said. There is a literacy specialist, according to the association, just no math specialist.

But officials and committee members are reticent to create positions where someone once provided those services as part of their job description, noting that someone did have math “overlap” as part of their job at one time.

“None of our elementary schools have a remedial math specialist,” said Blackwood, although four part-time federally-funded educators, known as Title-I tutors, are available to students, two of whom address math deficiencies, she pointed out.

Finally, the association recommended the purchase of additional iPads and Chromebooks, which are heavily used in educating today’s students, say teachers. Some grades only have six per classroom which are shared among students, and they say that adding two more per room would help facilitate small group work.

Blackwood noted that some of the technology is being replaced as part of scheduled upgrades, and that she believes the school is “set” and that this is “not a priority right now,” although she appreciates the input from the association.

She said that in grades three through six, there is a Chromebook for each student.

“Certainly, all of these recommendations together are a lot to add to the budget, but any consideration would be an improvement to the educational experience at HES,” Ruisi, of the HTA, wrote.

The budget wrangling, far from over, continues.

Professional grant writer Terry Walker discusses a potential position with the town before the Plympton Board of Selectmen on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal)

PLYMPTON — The Board of selectmen met Monday, Jan. 28, and furthered discussions with a grant writer, did not exercise their right of first refusal on a portion of an Upland Road Chapter 61A property, discussed the awarding of the fire station exhaust removal system project and met with Karen Foye, moderator of the Plympton Helping Plympton Facebook group, who donated photography from the group after an online contest to decorate the Town House.

Grant writer coming to town?

Terry Walker, of Tolland, in the western region of the state, was before the board to further formal discussions of bringing her to Plympton as a grant writer. She would work remotely, if hired, as she says it is more than a two-hour drive for her to come to Plympton.

Walker is a prolific grant writer, according to a memo she wrote to the board, with many certifications and qualifications, including a certification from Berkshire Community College with a 100 percent final grade and a housing certification from the Berkshire Planning Commission.

She attended grant writing seminars sponsored by officials from Washington, D.C., and completed the Commonwealth Capital Application, part of a town’s Master Plan. (The points received qualifies the town for more grant funding, she writes.)

Walker has received 30 awards on behalf of several towns concentrated in western Massachusetts, ranging from $2,500 to $1,000,000. In total, the 30 awards she presented to the board add up to $5,347,258.

The board is excited about the possibility of the opportunity to work with Walker and bring more grants to Plympton.

Town will not buy lot
lot out of Chapter 61A

An approximately 1.561-acre parcel of land of a Chapter 61A property located on Upland Road, (a portion of Map 12, Block 3, Lot 1), owned by the Margaret Keirstead Revocable Trust, has been passed over by the town. The town had a “right of first refusal” on the property because of its Chapter 61A agricultural use tax status. Because it is being sold, and taken out of agricultural use, the town had a right to acquire it before the sale to a private buyer went forward.

Although the Kiersteads had been seeking to move the sale along more quickly than the town’s process allowed, the board, at a very brief public hearing, voted against attempting to acquire the parcel.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy will provide a letter with the determination to assist in the closing.

Contract for fire station exhaust system awarded

The contract for 18-PFD-2, an engine exhaust removal system for the fire station, which is necessary for the station to be occupied as Massachusetts becomes an “OSHA-compliant” state where cities and towns must meet federal safety requirements they have previously been exempt from– has been awarded to the second-lowest bidder, Air Vacuum Corporation of New Hampshire, for $24,662, just under the $25,000 that Dennehy expected the contract to cost.

The Plympton Fire Station, with six firefighting and emergency vehicles parked inside, does not have room for a system where hoses can connect directly to the exhaust pipes of vehicles. The lowest bidder could not supply a “hose free” system that would work in the tight confines of the station, therefore the second-lowest bidder was awarded the contract.

Fire Chief Stephen Silva said that this is the first step in firefighters being able to fully occupy the building and to removing the trailer outside the station where first responders spend the night.

Board thanks Karen Foye

Karen Foye, in concert with Christine Kelly, the town’s assistant treasurer/collector, arranged for a photography contest on the Facebook group that Foye runs, Plympton Helping Plympton, and had some of the winning photos enlarged and printed to be displayed at the Town House.

The photos, which have been hung around the building, depict scenes from all over town, from sunsets to flowers.

“We’ve been trying to get some things done cheaply or for free around here,” said Selectman Chairman John Traynor, who said he was pleased with the photographs.

Selectman Christine Joy asked if the photographers would be interested in having their names on the photographs, and Foye said she’d look into it.

In other BOS news:

• Patrick Ganley, with the support of his family, proposed his Eagle Scout project to the board. He is planning to spend one or two weekends this Spring fixing up the flag pole in front of Town House. The selectmen enthusiastically gave their support to the project.

• Fire Chief Stephen Silva attended the meeting to thank the Upland Club on behalf of the town and presented Mark King of the Upland Sportsman Club a plaque for the Club’s donation of an unused house that area local and federal public safety workers used to practice life-saving techniques, including live-fire burns and drills.

• The board delegated further authority to Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy to sign documents on their behalf in their absence, should an emergency need arise.

• The board adopted its official version of their 2019 goals for the coming year; they discussed them at a previous working meeting reported on by the Express.

Nine-year Halifax Selectman and longtime town volunteer Kim Roy will complete her term as selectman and move to Hull in June. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HALIFAX — “When my term expires in May … so will my service to the town,” said Kim Roy, the nine-year Halifax Selectman and town volunteer. She told the Express on Tuesday, shortly after she made the stunning announcement to town department heads.

Roy, a Quincy native who came to Halifax in 1993, will move to Hull with her husband, Marc, in June. She said she is as surprised as many in town at the news, where she has become a fixture on numerous boards and committees.

“It’s only been two weeks since I made the decision,” she said, stifling back tears. “It’s happening so fast. I don’t even know the reason I’m doing it.”

Roy brought up her four sons in town. “It’s a wonderful town to raise a family. You know everyone in Halifax.”

Selectman Tom Millias joked that Marc lets her do whatever she wants whenever she wants.

Roy studied at UMass Boston but did not complete her degree. “It’s one of my biggest regrets. I think it’s the one thing that’s held me back from running for higher office.”

But she said she loved working and began as a teller at the former Boston Five Cents Savings Bank. She quickly moved her way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming a vice president, overseeing collections operations for the bank with a staff of about 45 working for her.

Not wanting to be a typical collections agent, Roy worked to help people in financial trouble, she said, even developing budgets for them. “I once received flowers from someone in pre-foreclosure.”

She later went on to sell real estate, but, “I was a terrible real estate agent,” she said.

She and Marc next bought a home in the heart of Halifax, within walking distance of Town Hall and across from the elementary school. Her volunteer life began after she had her first son. She said that in a way it was a distraction from a busy home life.

Her service to both the town and committees and associations for the state is nothing short of prolific.

Before serving on the Board of Selectmen in Halifax, Roy served on the Finance Committee for eight years, and many search committees for staff, including superintendents and principals for Silver Lake and the Halifax Elementary School. She was also a member of a study committee that would have regionalized Silver Lake from K-12, which, in her own words, was, “an epic fail.”

She was a member of the Government Study Committee, the Fire Study Committee and is a current member of the Capital Planning Committee and Wage and Personnel Board. She has served as the selectmen’s emergency management liaison, planning for storms and working at the shelter during emergencies.

“I could write a book just on that,” Roy said. “Even though I was across the street from my house, I wasn’t with my family.”

“Kim does so much for our town. She’s on so many boards and committees, but what stands out to me is that we have a hard time finding volunteers for the shelter. Kim stays overnight, sometimes the only one there, serving meals, changing diapers and doing whatever it takes to get the job done,” said Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

At the state level, Roy was on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Municipal Association for eight years, appointed by Governor Patrick to the Local Government Advisory Commission for six years, president of the Massachusetts Association of Town Finance Committees, president of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association and is currently on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, for the last five years.

As part of her statewide volunteering, she once had the opportunity to drive Governor Michael Dukakis home, a highlight to her, because “subway Mike” needed a ride.

Roy is a world traveler, having been everywhere from Iceland to Morocco, and shares her travels on social media.

She has never lived by the beach, she said, but is looking forward to it and has a healthy respect for the ocean. “Jaws changed my life. You won’t find me in the water deeper than my knees,” she said, half-seriously.

Roy has been no stranger to the ups and downs of life and exudes a “seize-the-day” attitude toward all of her undertakings. “People don’t understand how fleeting life is,” she said.

Whether talking about her struggles, or the latest news around Halifax, Roy said she finds the humor in everything in life, and her outlook and laugh are infectious to those who know her.

“It’s constantly in play when she’s in the room. She’s going to missed. I’m going to miss her,” said Millias.

“I’m in tears,” said Selectman Troy Garron. “I’ll remember Kim most for dog hearings. She felt strongly about protecting the public. She was, and is, steadfast, and did her homework, never asking a question that she had the answer to. She’s good people, like family.”

Roy has a reputation of being cautious with the taxpayer’s dime, but she says she is an independent (unenrolled), who is neither a Democrat or a Republican and has brought an independent perspective to the job of selectman.

Roy said it frustrates her when people assume things.

“I want people to understand where I’m coming from,” she said.

Roy said she won’t get involved in politics in Hull, despite already getting encouragement in that direction from others in public life on the South Shore.

“I don’t think I could ever remake the magic [of Halifax],” she said, barely able to get the words out through tears.

“It’s been awesome … I got back more than I ever gave.”