Board of Assessors Clerk Ethan Stiles met with Plympton Selectmen on Monday, August 14, 2017 to discuss which Town Counsel will represent Plympton in Sysco’s tax abatement appeal.

Stiles explained the direness of the situation to the Board. He said that Sysco believes the town is greatly overvaluing their property and have filed for abatements in both 2015 and 2016. According to Stiles, Sysco wants the valuation brought down from $65 million to $45 million. The Town of Plympton denied both abetment requests and Sysco is appealing.

Discussion first started at last week’s Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, Aug. 7. Principal Assessor Deborah Stuart told Selectmen that the Board of Assessors strongly recommends Ellen M. Hutchinson, an attorney who operates a private practice out of Beverly.

At last week’s meeting, Selectmen admitted they were caught off guard by the Hutchinson selection because they said they were under the impression that the town’s current co-counsels, Richard Bowen and Kopelman and Paige Law were the only ones being considered. Stiles came in to further discuss the Assessors’ thought process.

Stiles said, “When we looked at Attorney Hutchinson’s resume, we felt that her practice was more strongly suited and focused to the appeals process of the Appelate Tax Board (ATB).” He added that Bowen’s resume was strong, but the Board of Assessors believed Hutchinson was the stronger candidate.

The Assessors were also impressed, said Stiles because Hutchinson attached and summarized 12 specific cases related to these types of tax abatement appeal cases.

Selectmen still had some concern because they were unaware of what was going on in the process. “We’re in this together,” said Selectman John Traynor, “If the town loses this, we’re going to lose $360,000 give or take every year, and that’s a big concern to me.

Traynor added that he did look at Hutchinson’s resume though. He said that she seems to be well qualified.

Selectmen said they will request Atty. Hutchinson come before the Board of Selectmen at a future meeting. Selectman Chair Christine Joy said, “We’ll try to get this set up as quickly as possible, hopefully next week.”

Hazardous Waste Day Update

Plympton’s Hazardous Waste Day took place on Saturday, August 12, at the Transfer Station. Board of Health Chairman Art Morin reported that the event was a huge success. He also complimented Highway Surveyor Jim Mulcahy for coming up with the idea.

Morin said, the event was run by Clear Harbor who wore hazmat suits and required residents to stay in their cars. This caused a line all the way down to Ring Road, but Morin said the line moved “incredibly efficiently.”

Morin said, “It never stopped from 9 a.m. all the way up until a few minutes before 12.”

Morin also reported with delight to the Board of Selectmen that the event ran under budget. There was a small surplus left over from the $5,000 approved for the event at Town Meeting.

Other News

Selectmen John Traynor said he heard back from the last of four consulting firms who applied to do the fire/emergency services study approved at Annual Town Meeting. The Board was waiting for a written study proposal from this last firm.

All four firms will be interviewed over the next two weeks. Two firms will be interviewed at the Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, August, 21. The final two firms’ interviews will take place Monday, August 28.

The interviews for the fire department’s clerical position are over and Traynor said he believes Chief Warren Borsari and the rest of the screening board have a candidate they’d like to select. Traynor wants to confirm this one more time though, so there was no name announced at this time.

The next Plympton Selectmen’s meeting is Monday, August 21. Open session begins at 6 p.m.

The tension between Wolf Rock Farm and the Town of Plympton reached new levels at Monday, August 7, 2017 Selectmen’s Meeting as the farm at 157 Center St. continues having horse shows despite a lack of a business license or proper food and event permits.

On Sunday, August 6, 2017, Wolf Rock Farm held a horse show without a large event permit or vendor food permits. These permits are issued by the Board of Health.

According to Board of Health chairman Art Morin, Wolf Rock Farm didn’t want a health inspector there. Morin said he attended and didn’t see any cooking, but told them if he saw any, he’d shut down the vendor since proper permits were not issued.

Last week, Town Clerk Tara Shaw spoke with Town Counsel about the situation and learned that the Farm doesn’t necessarily need a business license with the town in order to operate. Shaw said that Wolf Rock Farm is registered as an LLC (corporation).

Shaw said LLC’s only need to have a business certificate with the state. It’s merely contact information and not grounds for the town to disallow the conducting of business.

Inaccuracies were discovered by Shaw though, which makes the certificate not fully valid. Shaw said the address on the certificate is incorrect and listed the business at 163 Center St. The business, however, operates at 157 Center St.

Shaw also said the managers on record are inaccurate. In fact, they no longer work at Wolf Rock Farm. In order for this to be valid, Shaw said this information needs to be updated with the state. She’s only been able to make contact with Project Manager Rebecca Nunez via email at this time.

Morin was not happy with this and urged for a bylaw change. He said, “I’m speaking as a tax payer in this town. It’s deplorable that someone cannot pay taxes, but generate income in the town. We need a new bylaw.”

Selectmen are choosing to explore all options and see what kinds of licenses are needed for certain events as well as explore bylaw changes for the future. Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo said there’s a lot that needs to be evaluated, more about what requires an event permit and what constitutes just using private property.

  Fire Department

  Update

The search for a consultant to do the Fire EMS study approved at Town Meeting is moving quickly. According to Selectman John Traynor, the search is narrowed down to four candidates.

Three have submitted detailed proposals and they are waiting for the fourth. Selectmen want to conduct two interviews per night at Selectmen’s meetings.

Traynor also gave an update on the search for clerical help for the Fire Department. He said Town Accountant Barbara Gomez narrowed down the position to two candidates.

  New assessors’

  administrative            assistant

Allison Merry has been hired as the Board of Assessor’s new administrative assistant.

In a letter of correspondence to the Board of Selectmen, the Assesors said they look forward to working with Allison.

The Plympton Fire Department received a grant award of $16,079.74 from Kathy Crosby Bell, the founder of the Last Call Foundation. The grant was presented at the Plympton Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, July 31, 2017.

This grant gives the fire department the ability to purchase air compressors, as well as extractors for cleaning gear. According to Fire Chief Warren Borsari, the new compressors replace a 40-year-old piece of equipment. He said “It’s the oldest in Plymouth County.”

In addition to equipment, the grant Plympton received funds a pilot program that promotes safety and proper use of equipment. There’s a small cost after the pilot is up if the town would like to continue with it.

Kathy Crosby Bell founded the Last Call Foundation three years ago after her son, Firefighter Michael Kennedy lost his life when a Beacon Street brownstone caught fire in Boston. Kennedy was only 33-years-old.

Since this tragedy, Bell said she’s channeled her grief in ways that make a positive difference for firefighters. She’s used her organization to improve safety conditions for firefighters and works to pass legislation to help fund the needed equipment. Crosby said, “I want to know if there’s a firefighter without gear.”

Katy Crosby Bell spoke of some of the dire safety situations firefighters are often put in when trying to extinguish flames and save lives. “Fires burn at 1,200 degrees,” said Crosby, “Some hoses burn at 900 degrees. That’s not acceptable.”

Besides on-site hazards, Crosby said firefighters face more health risks than the average person. According to Kathy, “63 percent of firefighters have a cancer diagnosis in their life.”

“When we need the support is when firefighters are alive,” said Crosby “Every fire fighter is a hero every day.”

Most of the fire department attended the grant presentation and were moved by Crosby’s efforts. Chief Borsari said, “She’s a very courageous woman.”

Selectmen all said that this is great news for the Fire Department and praised Chief Borsari for his efforts working within a tight budget.

Selectman John Traynor said Borsari is actively hiring and working hard. He’s been able to keep the town’s advanced life support status because of his efforts. Traynor added that the results from the Fire Department study that was approved at Town meeting should add some clarity.

Town Employment Update

According to Traynor, the opening for a part time clerical position to the Fire Department has been narrowed down to two candidates.

There are also five applicants for the open administrative assistant position in the Assessor’s office.

Board of Health Update on Vendors

Board of Health Chairman Art Morin informed the Board of Selectmen about a horse show at Wilfrock Farm on Center St. without the proper food permits needed to serve at the event.

Morin told the Board the owner of the property appeared before the Board of Health on Tuesday, July 25, and was told she needed to get the proper permit. If she does not get the permit, The Board of Health said it has the right to remove the vendor from the property at the event.

There are also other permits needed if alcohol is served or if more than 200 people are attending an event. Morin said, “People can’t just flaunt the law and do what they want in the town.”

Morin and the Board of Selectmen also discussed the possibility of raising permit fees. The two boards want to explore this since their fees are much lower when compared to other towns.

Other News

There is a Bylaw Review Meeting on Wednesday, August 9. A memo is being sent out to all departments with details.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) is holding an essay contest for 8th graders and a picture contest for 3rd graders with the theme, “If I lead my community, I would (blank).” The Board of Selectmen approved allowing MMA to contact the schools.

The next selectmen’s meeting is Monday, August 7, 2017. Open session starts at 6 p.m.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy told her board Monday night she had heard back from Northeastern University Professor Mina Heidi about a potential partnership that would give the town assistance with writing grants. Professor Heidi is an acquaintance of former Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson and passed the contact along to the current Board.

At the selectmen’s meeting on Monday, July 24, Joy told the Board that Heidi is willing to help the Board in one of two ways: either have a student work on a particular grant for the board as a class assignment or allow the Board of Selectmen to sit in on a class and get a better idea of the grant writing process.

Selectmen John Traynor said he’s more inclined to go with the assignment option, but would like to have Professor Heidi come to a meeting and talk to the board about its options. The board plans to reach out to Professor Heidi to see if she would be willing to come to a meeting.

Upcoming Changes to Meeting Notification Process

Town Clerk Tara Shaw briefly announced upcoming changes to the way the town notifies people about meetings at the Town House. The town will adopt the alternative method of posting which involves the notification of meetings online rather than in print. This means the posting box outside will be removed and no paper copies of meeting notifications will be made unless requested.

At most, Shaw said request will be granted within 48 hours if outside of town clerk office hours. She said she can do them within 24 hours though if it’s within regular hours.

Shaw said, “This was voted on at Town Meeting.” She wanted to notify the board that this will be going into effect soon.

Town Administrator Search Update

Bernard Lynch from the consulting practice Community Paradigm, will talk to certain members of the Community in order to get an idea of what they believe Plympton needs in a town administrator. Selectmen said they are deciding on those individuals and will reach out to them.

Some of the individuals mentioned included former Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson and former Finance Committee member Susan Ossoff. Selectmen John Traynor said board heads and other members of the community will also be invited.

Other News

The Board received four applications for the open clerical position in the Fire Department. The Board and Fire Chief Warren Borsari plan to create a screening committee to do the interviews for this position. John Traynor said he wants to be a member of this committee.

The Board of Selectmen followed up on some recent complaints about after hours operations at Rocky Harvest, LLC, on Brook Street.  Selectmen said they plan to send out follow-up letters to the abutters and owner, Ed Rose. The Board said this will be the second signed letter of complaint.

The next selectmen’s meeting is Monday, July 31, 2017. Open session starts at 6 P.M.

The Board of Selectmen met with Silver Lake Regional School District Technology Director Steve Pellowe to discuss the potential installation of a projector in the meeting room. Selectmen, at their meeting on Monday, July 17, said this will make presentations easier and allow those watching at home on television the ability to see any presentations made before the Board.

Pellowe presented two different options for projectors to the Board of Selectmen and said he has good plans for proceeding with either. The choice presented to the Board was whether to use an interactive smartboard or a non-interactive projector. In addition, another interactive option was discussed which uses a LCD television screen.

The interactive system has pens that allow you to take notes with dry erase markers. Pellowe said you can save these notes, annotate them, highlight certain points in a slide show, and even post the annotated versions to the town website. According to Pellowe, the interactive television allows this sort of note-taking, but uses electronic pens rather than dry erase markers.

The Board of Selectmen asked how much more an interactive system would cost. Pellowe didn’t have an exact number, but gave a “ballpark estimate” of about $600 more for the interactive system. Selectmen John Traynor said they will need to get a quote on the interactive system.

Board of Selectmen Chair Christine Joy asked if the projections would show up well for television viewers at home. Pellowe said, “Projectors tape pretty well and are used at School Committee meetings.” The cameraman from Area 58 TV also added his input saying he can get a shot of the wall for the proposed projector location without issues.

One potential part of the proposal the Board of Selectmen wanted to stay away from was using a carted mobile projector. Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo listed four problems with mobile: “Time, money, placement, and responsibility.” All members of the Board mentioned responsibility and had worries about the mobile cart not being put back in the same location.

After the Board receives a quote from Pellowe, they plan to decide on which type of projector to get.

Dog Complaint Update

The Board of Selectmen received the full report of the dog bite incident on 73 Mayflower Road from Animal Control Officer Frank Bush. The incident was first addressed at the Board of Selectmen Meeting on Monday, July 10, 2017.

Selectman Mark Russo said that allegedly the victim was on the dog owner’s property for real estate purposes and was taking pictures. When first brought up at the July 10 meeting, what happened was not entirely conclusive.

Frank Bush’s report said the three dogs’ quarantines are now over and all three dogs are in healthy condition. However, it’s still unclear which dog or if any of the three was the one that bit the victim, making it difficult to conduct a dog hearing.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she doesn’t want to just let the incident go because there are children who live in the area and wants to be positive that no one, especially children, are at risk. According to the Board Selectmen, the Board of Health was also involved with the proceedings because there was a quarantine to prevent any potential spread of rabies. The Board of Selectmen will ask the Board of Health their course of action before the Selectmen make any proceedings.

Assistant Assessor Deb Stuart met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the ongoing Solar project and how the assessors recommend going forth with a valuation approach. Stuart said she recommends going with the income approach rather than basing it on property value.

Stuart said, “I don’t know any town using it (the personal property valuation approach).”She also told the Board that there’s more recourse the town can take if needed, using the income approach. Stuart also said that this is what the Board of Assessors recommends.

Selectman Chair Joy reminded anyone who was newly voted, appointed, or volunteered to a board or committee must be sworn in before they can vote on their respective board/committee. This can be done by seeing Town Clerk Tara Shaw in her office.

Joy also announced she emailed former Selectmen Chair Colleen Thompson’s contact, Mina Heidi. Heidi is a professor at Northeastern University who teaches grant writing. The Board wants to explore the possibility of having Heidi’s students work on town grants as projects for the students.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen received noise complaints from neighbors about dogs barking in the early morning at the Tarawood Kennel. Town Administrator Charles Seelig informed the Board of these complaints at the selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, July 11, 2017.

Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy said there haven’t been any other complaints about noise this year. Roy did however visit the area and verified with other neighbors that they could hear dogs barking in the early hours of the morning. Those neighbors had no complaints though because they recently installed new air conditioning and no longer keep the windows open at night.

According to the Board, Tarawood Kennel is due for a random inspection with the town’s animal control officer Noreen Callahan, a requirement before recertifying a kennel’s permit.

ACO Callahan told selectmen she had attempted inspections on two separate occasions this year, but both times failed to get access to the property. Both times, the gate was closed without anyone there to let Callahan in. All members of the Board expressed concern about the gate preventing the kennel’s inspections from being random as they are required to be.

The board is taking the issue seriously and is looking at a potential hearing  to exploring all options before any licensing reissuance can be done. Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy said that there are questions that need to be answered first. She said, “What means is she (the Tarawood Kennel owner) taking to deal with noise?”

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias said he is concerned about access keeping a random inspection from happening. He said, “We aren’t trying to do these inspections at two in the morning.” Millias said they want to do it at a reasonable work hour.

Kim Roy said that Bobbi Harmon of Tarawood Kennels claims she tried reaching out to Callahan by phone on a couple of occasions, but never heard a response. However, according to the Board, Callahan attempted to contact Harmon several times and claimed her message box was full.

The Board members all said they’d like to get this taken care of with an inspection this week and a future hearing, but are exploring other measures if necessary. Chair Millias mentioned the possibility of a search warrant, but the board does not want to take this step if they do not have to.

Senior Tax

Work off Program

The Board of Selectmen voted to increase the maximum married couple income for the Senior Tax Work off Program from $50,000-60,000. Council on Aging Director Barbara Brenton met with the Board to make this proposal.

Brenton did surveys of other towns who use the tax program including Duxbury and Bourne. The surveys showed that the maximum allowed income was up and down throughout the state.

Brenton said the town has two unused slots for this program that gives tax relief to seniors in need. She admitted that advertising the program has been a challenge and are hoping this will help some people qualify who may not have previously.

Selectmen Vice-chair Kim Roy suggested putting a slip with details about the program in seniors’ tax bill, which the rest of the Board as well as Brenton thought was a good idea. However, Selectmen Clerk Troy Garron said that they would have to check with town tax collector before doing so. The Board also suggested Area 58 Community Access as an opportunity for better promotion.

Electrical Aggregation Update

Chairman Thomas Millias said the electrical aggregation agreement with Colonial Powers goes into effect on September 1, 2017. The aggregation gives residents of Halifax an option for lower rates outside of National Grid.

The rates will be 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour until November 17, 2017. After that, rates are expected to go up to 10.87 cents per kilowatt hour for around three to four months. According to Town Administrator Charles Seelig, this increased rate will still be less than what National Grid raises their rates to during the winter months.

Citizens will be allowed to opt out of the aggregation program if they like. Information will be mailed and will include a post card that residents can check off and send if they wish to opt out of the program.

Other News

The Board of Selectmen received requests asking if the town could hire someone to weed the Margaret Fitzgerald Garden located on the Town Green this summer. These requests are being explored in a preliminary manner.

Town Administrator Charles Seelig said he plan to speak with the Finance Committee about using a contractor for this service rather than creating a new position. Seelig said that temporary hiring can be difficult because of pay grading.

Thomas Millias and Kim Roy also brought up there are complications with paying for unemployment when it comes to temporary positions.  Kim Roy also wants committee input. She said, “I would suggest that the beautification committee be involved with this.”

The HOPS Playground grant was scheduled to be completed for Wednesday July, 12, 2017. Town Administrator Charles Seelig said that things are on schedule with the grant.

On Saturday, July 1, Halifax celebrated Independence Day with a family fun day and fireworks display. The event was made possible by donations and sponsors only.

Family fun day lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with many events for all ages. Volunteers, many students, helped staff the events. Fishing for rubber ducks, a corn hole toss, sack races, egg and spoon races, crafts, hula hoops, bounce houses, face painting, tie dying t-shirts, and a petting zoo were all activities that appealed to the large crowd.

Meanwhile, several contests were underway as well, including a bicycle decorating contest, a patriotic cake contest, a pie eating contest for several age groups and a patriotic baby contest (where everyone was a winner) for ages 0-2 were all popular.

Following the family fun day, crowds started gathering on the hill behind Halifax Elementary School, with children playing on the playground and running around everywhere beginning at around 6 p.m. Long lines began to develop at the various food vendors as people waited in excited anticipation of the fireworks at 9 p.m.

Before the evening got dark, pyrotechnic technicians were checking and double checking their equipment. Police wandered the crowd and helped people cross busy streets. The Halifax Fire Department prepared for any emergency.

Shortly after nine, to the strains of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” under cloudy skies and amongst fireflies, the fireworks spectacular began. As the show wore on, the bursts of light in the sky became larger and larger, ending in a mighty finale.

The only downside? Traffic getting home. But, the night was well worth the small inconvenience.

Nate Coombe from Boy Scout Troop 39 met with the Halifax Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, June 27, to present his Eagle Scout Project. Coombe wants to build two benches at the veteran’s memorial across the street from the Town Hall. He also wanted to plant some sort of shrubbery around the memorial and flag pole.

All members of the Board of Selectmen support the project and thanked Coombe for his future efforts, but want a focus on simplicity when it comes to the memorial. One version of the plan had three benches instead of two. Selectmen Vice-chair Kim Roy said she thinks three is too many. Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias agreed with Roy. He said, I like the simplicity of two benches.”

Selectmen Clerk Troy Garron said he thinks it’s a great idea to put a couple of benches near the memorial, but said shrubbery/ flowers may take away from the focus of the memorial being on the memorial itself. Roy also said, “I want it to be something that can be maintained in a beautiful way.” She said other great Eagle Scout projects around town have sadly not been maintained after the fact the way they should.

Garron, who is a veteran said, “I think your ideas are good, but the main reason for the monument itself is to attract people to the memorial.” Garron had concern about people loitering and hanging out at the memorial for the wrong reasons if too much is done there.

Nate Coombe was open and understanding to the Board’s suggestions. He said that two benches is fine and said they would match the benches on the hill. Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias suggested mahogany as a possible material because it doesn’t involve much maintenance.

Troy Garron made a shrubbery suggestion in case Nate still wanted to plant something for the project. He said he couldn’t speak for the whole board, but suggested Hosta as a potential plant because it is relatively low maintenance.

The Board of Selectmen approved Nate Coombe’s project barring comments from the Veteran’s Agent and the Beautification Committee. This makes Nate the seventh current Eagle Scout candidate in Troop 39.

Fire Department Update

Town Administrator Charles Seelig informed the Board of Selectmen that the fire station garage door repairs went out to bid. However, there was only one bid and that landed above the $19,000 appropriated at this year’s Annual Town Meeting. The one bid was for $23,994.

Seelig said, “This is more than what was appropriated at town meeting, but the Fire Chief feels he has sufficient money.” This money would come from the station’s maintenance account.

Chairman Thomas Millias asked if there was a problem with this, but Seelig said he checked in with the Town Accountant and that there is no issue. The Board of Selectmen approved this request to use the fire station’s maintenance account to offset the rest of the costs of the repairs.

Wage and Personnel Update

Erika Rossini was appointed to Halifax’s Wage and Personnel Board via a joint vote between the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee Chair Gordon Andrews.

Rossini said she’s been a resident of Halifax since the early 90s and has served on the PTO with the schools for many years. She said that getting involved with her kid’s education was important to her and drove her being on the PTO for so many years.

The Board of Selectmen asked Rossini why she wanted to be on this board specifically. Rossini said she heard the plea at Annual Town Meeting since there currently isn’t a Wage and Personnel Board in town. She hopes this will inspire others to join. Rossini said, “We need to try to recruit people to this board.”

Selectmen Vice Chair Kim Roy asked Erika for a commitment to attending all Annual Town Meetings and that it’s something they ask all volunteers to do because it’s where decisions are made on fund allocations and tax dollars. Rossini committed without reservation.

Rossini is excited to start this role. She says she thinks she’ll enjoy it and learn a lot about the roles and responsibilities of the other boards and committees. Rossini’s term runs until June 30, 2020.

Other News

After July 10, 2017, Town Adminstrator Charles Seelig said much of Halifax Elementary School parking lot will have parking restrictions because of the school roof construction project. The ban will be within the working hours of 6AM-4PM.

This will not affect parking for the annual Halifax Fireworks scheduled for Saturday, July 1. Fireworks will start at 9 p.m

Selectman Vice chair Kim Roy commended the work done by this year’s Firework’s Committee. She said that a lot of the members of this year’s committee are new, but are certainly committed. She praised their work on events around the family fun day going on before the fireworks.

Family Fun Day starts at 11 a.m. on the Town Hall Green. The event includes fun activities such as a pie eating contest and a cake decorating contest. More details can be found on the town website.

The next selectmen’s meeting is Tuesday, July 11. Open session starts at 7:30 p.m.

Halifax– From June 6 to June 14, the contractor SOLitude Lake Management applied a phosphorus-limiting agent to West Monponsett Pond. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, feed on phosphorus. According to Dominic Meringolo, a senior environmental engineer with SOLitude,  aluminium sulfate and sodium aluminate have been applied in low doses as far back as 2012 to reduce cyanobacteria with only limited success.

This time is different, he says, because through a matching grant with the town of Halifax and the federal government’s Clean Water Act– administered by MassDEP– more money is available and the doses will be much higher, aiming to immediately block the bloom.

“No bloom is expected this summer,” said Meringolo.

To obtain the grant, the town and the contractor worked with the Natural Heritage Endangered Species program to develop a plan to not interfere with two endangered species, a type of freshwater mussel as well as a dragonfly that frequents the area. This will involve ongoing monitoring by SOLitude.

“It’s really hard to tell how long the treatment will last…we’re hoping for multiple seasons,” explained Meringolo. “But, phosphorus will leak back in through the watershed.”

Problems with the water quality in the West Monponsett pond go back decades. In 1964, during a drought, the state legislature passed special legislation allowing the city of Brockton to draw water from Monponsett Lake via Silver Lake, Brockton’s primary water source.

This effectively reversed the natural direction of the water flow, leaving West Monponsett pond stagnant and an excellent source for phosphorus to grow. Soon, cyanobacteria blooms were frequent in the summer, limiting recreational activity on the pond.

Residents and interest groups debate the sources of the phosphorous. Everything from fertilizers that cranberry bogs use to human sources such as leaking septic tanks have been blamed, yet it’s likely that a mixture of several sources have caused the problem.

Hopefully this summer will be cyanobacteria free.

At Monday night’s meeting, Plympton Selectman John Traynor said he is torn between what firm to use to help hire a town administrator. In several previous meetings, Traynor and other members of the board expressed their leanings towards the Collins’ Center. Traynor said that he likes their process in the screening stages.

Representatives from Municipal Resources, a consulting firm based out of Meredith, NH, made their case to selectmen for why Plympton should choose their hiring firm. Highlighting their familiarity with towns like Plympton, the pair told selectmen that most of their work is primarily in New England, although they have also consulted for communities as far south as North Carolina.

Unlike the Collins’ Group, whose process relies heavily on input from a citizen panel throughout the entire process, Municipal Resources puts a larger emphasis on their experience as a firm in finding the right candidates.

Municipal Resources representatives said that this doesn’t mean they don’t use input from the town. There are cases where interviewing/screening panels from town representatives are used and there is always town input. The firm’s normal process is conducting all the screening before having candidates interview with the Board of Selectmen.

This process starts with the firm narrowing down the field of applicants to 10-15 candidates. Municipal Resources will then send out 5 essay questions to each of the remaining applicants.

Selectman Mark Russo asked what types of things are asked in the essay questions. The firm’s representatives said they need to get to know the town better early in the process before knowing the exact question’s they would ask.

They did say though that a question about large budget projects will be asked. since the hired town administrator will be coming into a situation where Plympton is working toward a $3 million dollar police station. Once the essay portion of the process is complete, on-site interviews with selectmen will take place and the field will be narrowed down to three candidates.

Municipal Resources explained their emphasis on their experience in the hiring process by telling the town about the veto power that is a part of every one of their hiring processes. This means that if a town panel screens/interviews a candidate and does not like them initially, Municipal Resources reserves the right to put a candidate through to the next interview round anyway.

This raised some questions from the Board and other department and committee members in attendance. Traynor voiced some concern over the veto power process Municipal Resources uses. He asked how the community gets involved.

The firm said they want to get to know Plympton more by having a meeting with the department heads. They said they plan to interview those department heads individually for about 15-20 minutes. Input from the Council on Aging is also expected.

Former selectman Colleen Thompson questioned  a comment where the firm referred to the Plympton opening as entry-level. The firm’s representatives said that based on the town’s population, they inferred that the town would not be paying a salary of $140,000-150,000 per year that Town Administrators make in some larger cities and towns.

Municipal Resources said that it’s not likely someone would take a pay cut to come here, but did not rule out the possibility. They said the town is more likely to get candidates who would be looking to advance in the public sector or have a relevant background in the private sector.

Thompson followed up by saying that entry level can mean a stepping stone for an employee and raised some questions about the long-term commitment of this type of candidate.

Selectmen are planning to decide which of the two consulting firms they will use when they next meet on Monday, June 19.  Selectman Mark Russo will be calling references for both Municipal Resources and the Collins’ Center this week.

Public Safety Building Update

John Wilhelmson and Colleen Thompson from the Public Safety Building Committee came before the board to ask that they renew the contracts for P-3 (project management firm) and Context (engineering and design firm formerly known as Donham and Sweeney). Wilhelson said that “It was a very purposeful process to get to $3 million. (for the police station).” He acknowledged that both played a large role in getting to a figure the town can afford.

While talking about P-3 Wilhelmson mentioned that the Public Safety Building Committee plans to survey the 5-acre parcel of land abutting the town property, which the town plans to purchase. John Wilhelmson said that there’s $44,000 left from last year’s appropriated article and some of this could be used for the survey.

Dennett School Water Treatment

John Wilhelmson is also a member of the Dennett School Committee and presented an update to the board on the water treatment project approved at Annual Town Meeting. Wilhelmson said he had a follow-up meeting with the designer. The meeting included talks about preparing build contracts and selecting these contracts.

Wilhelmson said that every part of the water treatment has to be approved by the Department of Environmental Protection before they can be installed. The board signed a work order for $14,500 for these services. This is within the appropriated budget for the project according to Wilhelmson.

Other News

Planning Board Chair Deb Anderson came before the Board of Selectmen to inform them that Building Inspector Robert Karling has volunteered to join the Planning Board to help the board to a quorum.  At last month’s annual Town Election, no candidate came forward to be on the ballot and while there were several names written in, there was a failure as no candidate got more than one vote.

Karling is currently the Zoning Enforcement Officer. Selectmen will check with Town Counsel to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

This appointment was approved pending Town Counsel approval. Having Karling as a member of the Planning Board, in addition to his wealth of knowledge, either allows or gives the board the necessary numbers for a quorum.  His term, if approved, will last until election next year.

Plympton selectmen will next meet Monday, June 19. Open session starts at 6 p.m.