The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, July 25. They continued their on the road summer series, highlighting different departments at their meetings. Chair John Bruno explained that due to difficulties with holding the meeting in the actual Council on Aging (COA), they elected to move it to the Great Hall in the Town Hall. Bruno said that due to the size of the crowd as well as the lack of handicap access, the meeting would have needed to be held outside and since it was raining, it was moved. He turned things over to COA Director Darlene Regan. Regan, who has been the Director since 2021, spoke of the need for a new COA building. “As a community if we band together, bring your thoughts together, I think we can build a senior center and a community center that is conducive to the needs here in Halifax,” she said. Regan said she was hoping to be able to have a feasibility study completed.
“Right now, we serve about 2,033 seniors in the senior center… the majority of our services are in transportation,” Regan explained. She noted that Halifax is unique because they have three dedicated drivers that serve seniors and the disabled. She said that the COA assists with finding adult daycare as well as providing questions regarding MassHealth and Medicare. “Thank you for all that you do; it’s marvelous work that you do over there – we like to have the opportunity to highlight it tonight; even though it’s a quiet organization to a lot of us, it’s very active and busy,” Bruno said.
Noise Complaints at 122 Monponsett
The Great Hall was filled with residents, most of whom were there to discuss noise complaints at 122 Monponsett St. The property is owned by Angel Castro. Castro had someone present to translate for him in Spanish. “He wants to start off by saying that he wants to apologize to the neighbors and to the city for all of the noise and complaints that he has caused, and he hopes today that they can resolve this,” the translator said. Bruno clarified that while you can play a radio, if you amplify it or have live music, you need a permit by the Board of Selectmen. The translator said that Castro believed that the permit he received in March could be used for future parties/events. Bruno asked if it was clear to him now that each individual event would need a separate permit. Castro asked if there was a permit that could be applied for that would cover multiple events. Bruno noted that he was in a residential property and was not a business and therefore would need to apply for individual permits for each event.
“The permits will be issued for that type of entertainment, but they have restrictions on them,” Bruno said referring to start and end times as well as other restrictions. He continued, “He has to understand that he can’t hold large parties and gatherings with amplified music or disc jockeys unless he gets permission to do it.” Castro said through his translator that the events he was holding were for family and friends. Bruno brought up the claim that Castro was charging admission for events. Castro claimed that he was unaware that his friend would be charging admission for the event held in February.
Some residents in the audience disputed this stating their belief that he was aware. Castro assured those present, through the translator, that he was clear that he would need a permit for each event and that he was not allowed to charge admission. Bruno said that he wanted it to be clear that if he doesn’t follow the proper procedures, the Police may become involved. Selectman Jonathan Selig asked for clarification regarding whether the only time a party was advertised for was the one in February. Castro said that he believed two parties were advertised – one in June and one in February. A resident asked if the permit stipulates how many people are allowed to attend a party. Bruno said that the permit process goes through both the Fire and Police Chiefs. Town Administrator Cody Haddad said that the Chiefs had no concerns over the number of people allowed under the permit. Another resident complained about the lights coming in through his windows from cars, etc. in addition to the noise. “I don’t want people in my neighborhood; I don’t know who they are; I pay a lot of money in taxes in this town and I don’t want people I don’t know walking down my street,” another resident complained. Castro pointed out that he also pays taxes. The discussion ended with Bruno saying he hoped that it would be the last time that the issue would have to be dealt with.
Committee and Board Changes
Jonathan Schmaling resigned from the Finance Committee. Haddad said that it would leave the Committee with two vacancies but noted that they had interviewed a candidate recently.
Bruno brought up the composition of the Zoning By-Law Review Committee. He said that Haddad did some research and the Committee had been together a long time and had not met in quite a while. “We tried about a week ago to get the Committee together to get things moving and we couldn’t get a quorum so that tells me that we need to revise it,” Bruno told the other Selectmen. “My recommendation is that we revise… the Zoning By-Law Review Committee… and that what I would do is make the composition five members… one of whom has to be from the Board of Selectmen and that Selectman would be the Chair,” Bruno continued. Bruno suggested four additional members-at-large though Selig recommended giving “strong consideration” to members of boards such as the Planning Board. The Selectmen voted unanimously to reappoint or appoint members to the Zoning By-Law Review Committee to align with Bruno’s recommendations.
Town Administrator Updates
Regarding the MBTA Action Plan, Haddad said, “We have been in contact with our local delegation who has been great in getting us in contact with the Department of Housing and Community Development… Mr. Selig and I actually have a meeting with them on Thursday.”
Haddad said that the town signed a contract with a company to conduct a compensation classification study as requested by the Wage and Personnel Committee. The results will be brought before the Selectmen and Wage and Personnel and any needed changes can be voted on during the fall Town Meeting. Haddad told the Selectmen that they have hired someone to the new position of Zoning and Planning Admin. He said that while they are almost at full staff, they are still looking for a new Building Commissioner. Haddad also said that they are moving forward with receiving bids on the replacement of the roof at the Highway Barn.
Haddad also provided an update on the new trash and recycling program. He specified that it is an opt-in program with an annual fee of $400 that will be billed in two installments of $200. Residents can opt-in by either mailing in the card that was mailed out to residents or dropping it off at Town Hall. There is also an online form available. “We’re really doing everything that we can to get the word out on this,” Haddad said.
The town is hoping to have the cards in by August 16 with the switch to totes being effective on September 4. “You will put the trash in the totes, you wheel your totes to the curb, trash truck comes along and picks it up,” Haddad explained. Haddad said that they will be issuing a frequently asked questions document.
He noted that they have been asked if residents can share totes and emphatically answered that they cannot.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met in-person on June 26. As he has done in the past, Selectman John Traynor brought forth the issue of changing the name of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board. “I saw a Boston Globe article that said we are now at about 100 towns that have either made the renaming or not all of them are not yet official, but they are in progress. And I just think it’s going to happen, I would just like to see this Board approve it,” Traynor said. Selectman Mark Russo said that he still was not in favor of the renaming. Selectman Christine Joy said, “I don’t really care about keeping up with everyone else; I like the name Board of Selectmen. I actually find it very empowering to be on the Board of Selectmen and I just think I’m not ready to make the change yet.” Traynor said, “That’s alright, I’ll just keep bringing it up.”
The Selectmen voted to allow a one-time increase to the cost-of-living adjustment granted to retirees for FY23. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy recommended the adjustment.
Dennehy also provided a Town Administrator’s update saying, “we have been very busy trying to close out FY 23 and also beginning the preparations for FY24. She told the Selectmen there were a number of items in correspondence.
Dennehy said that Upland Road Solar is changing ownership entities. She said that there would be a lot of documentation associated with that and recommended that the Board vote to allow Joy to act on behalf of the entire Board. The documents would still appear before the entire Board for approval once finalized. The Selectmen voted to authorize Joy to work with the Town Administrator and Legal Counsel regarding all documents pertaining to Upland Road Solar with the understanding that the finalized documents would come back before the full Board.
Dennehy also told the Selectmen that she had a request from the Library for use of town property. The Library was requesting the use of the Deborah Sampson room in the Town House for estate planning on July 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Selectmen voted to approve.
Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte met with Dennehy to discuss several roads that will be undergoing work. Dennehy said that Elm St. would be getting paved from Main St. to Winnetuxet Rd. and West St. She also said that Main St. would be getting a binder course to bring it back up to grade from roughly 149 Main St. to Ring Rd. “As the time gets closer, we’ll put stuff out on social media if we need to,” Dennehy said.
Dennehy further told the Selectmen that she received a memo from the Board of Health, who had contacted Webby Engineering to look at the elevations between the Fire Department and the Library. She said the hope was that the current Fire Station could tie into the Library septic system, but they were told it was not feasible. She said she would be sending the results of the study to the Town Properties Committee.
The Selectmen ended their evening with their raves for the last few weeks. Joy said her rave was for the screening committee responsible for bringing forth three excellent candidates for the position of Fire Chief. She announced that earlier that evening, the Selectmen had voted unanimously to appoint Captain Cheryl Davis as Plympton’s next Fire Chief. For his rave, Russo said, “It is a great pleasure to me that the little town of Plympton would have a woman Fire Chief.” Traynor said, “My rave is for the Assistant Assessor Wendy Jones. I’m sad to see her leaving; I think she’s done a great job. We’re losing a critical resource – I’m sorry to see her go.” Traynor also noted her excellent work on the complicated subject of solar and said that she would still be assisting with that in some capacity during the transition.

The tradition continues, thanks to community contributions and stalwart volunteers who put everything together and clean it all up.
The Town of Halifax’s Fireworks Celebration, coordinated by the members of the Fireworks Committee, is scheduled for Saturday, July 1. There will be a day event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and an evening event from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. that will include a variety of fun-packed and family-oriented activities such as a DJ, food vendors, dunk tank, and much more. Day Event Activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. include T-Shirt Sales, Corn Hole, Hula Hoops, Cookie Decorating, Dunk Tank, and Face Painting.
Evening Event Activities from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. include Food Trucks , DJ/Music, Face Painting, Balloon Animals, and of course Fireworks (after dark)
The Halifax Fireworks Committee is also seeking volunteers on July 1 to assist with setting-up and running activities throughout the day and also on July 2 to help with clean-up. If you can volunteer, please e-mail Janice Hayward at Janice.Hayward@halifax-ma.org or Susan Hill at Susan.Hill@halifax-ma.org.
This event is made possible by the support and funding from residents, guests, sponsors, and local businesses. We are thankful to all who have contributed towards continuing the tradition. Everyone is invited to take part in watching one of Halifax’s grand community events as we celebrate our nation’s birthday alongside friends, family, and neighbors.

As of June, 1, 2023, the following outside water restrictions were put in place.
SUNDAY: NO WATERING
MONDAY: EVEN NUMBERED HOUSES 5 – 8 a.m. and 6 – 9 p.m.
TUESDAY: ODD NUMBERED HOUSES 5 – 8 a.m. and 6 – 9 p.m
WEDNESDAY: NO WATERING
THURSDAY: EVEN NUMBERED HOUSES 5 – 8 a.m. and 6 – 9 p.m
FRIDAY: ODD NUMBERED HOUSES 5 – 8 a.m. and 6 – 9 p.m
SATURDAY: NO WATERING
Sprinklers are allowed during the above specified hours. Washing cars is allowed during the above specified hours even on a no watering day.
If these restrictions are not adhered to the following fines will be enforced:
1st Offense – Verbal Warning
2nd Offense – $50.00 fine
3rd Offense – $100.00 fine
4th Offense – TERMINATION OF WATER SERVICE & $250 TURN ON FEE.
If you have a well, please go to the Board of Health and obtain a well or irrigation well
number. THIS NUMBER MUST BE POSTED ON THE FRONT LAWN. To prevent the Water Department or Police, who enforce this policy, from stopping at your house,
The Board of Water Commissioners appreciates your cooperation.

The Kingston Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, June 6. Jared Waitkus appeared before the Board with a proposal for a sugar kelp/shellfish farm. Waitkus told the Selectmen that he has been on the oyster wait list since 2015. He referenced a book called Eat Like a Fish by Bren Smith. Waitkus said Smith is the founder of GreenWave and has spent 15 years creating the 3D Ocean Farm off Long Island. Waitkus included in his presentation, “GreenWave’s integrated model shifts the practice of aquaculture from growing vulnerable monocultures to creating vibrant ecosystems, which produce higher yields.”
Waitkus explained that sugar kelp is a “yellowish- brown marine algae that looks like lasagna.” He also said it is popular in Asia and is now becoming more popular in the U.S. He called it a “zero impact crop.” Regarding the benefits of growing it, he said, “sugar kelp consumes excess nutrients and carbon dioxide from the water column and give off oxygen as they grow.”
Regarding the grant layout, he said that it would be just under three acres, 200 ft. wide by 645 ft. long. He said that the sugar kelp would make up approximately two acres while the shellfish would take up approximately one acre.
Waitkus explained the seeding process saying, “They take PVC pipe in short lengths, they wrap it with a thin twine, and then they put it in tanks and that’s where it gets seeded with basically baby kelp.”
Waitkus also explained potential locations saying that they investigated three different locations. According to him, the nearest land is 2,520 ft. away, Gray’s Beach is 3,175 ft. away, and the nearest eel grass bed is 189 ft. away (well within requirements). Waitkus said, “Channel width at that location is approximately 350 ft. wide and with the farm there, there will still be 200 ft. of open channel for boats to navigate.” He noted that Duxbury has a 12-acre kelp farm that is currently being farmed.
Chair Kimberley Emberg, “Is there enough room to navigate around that, it looked like there are very few deep spots and channels in the bay?” Waitkus said, “Even with that, with the farm there, when it’s fully operational and the kelp is in the water, there’s still 200 feet for boating; I think the average boat in Kingston is no wider than eight feet wide.”
“The hope after talking to Woods Hole is to try to get approval from the State to do basically scallops, mussels, oysters, and sugar kelp,” Waitkus said. He clarified that the sugar kelp would account for 80 percent of the farming. Waitkus acknowledged that there could be a potential issue as he is number two on the waitlist for a shellfish grant and there is someone ahead of him. “We have a waitlist for shellfish, so I just want to make sure that we’re cognizant of that,” Emberg said. She also said that at this point she wanted to consider a sugar kelp grant rather than a dual one for that and shellfish.
Selectman Tyler Bouchard said, “We have a moratorium on new grants… there’s three and at this point, it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be more than three for the time period and obviously you are on the short end of that list, which is great.” Bouchard said that he would want to make absolutely certain that the 250 feet or 350 feet are navigable given the limited waters in Kingston. Town Administrator Keith Hickey said that he would want to verify that emergency boats would still be able to navigate around the farm in the event of an emergency.
Bouchard also said that another consideration is that the three grants have specific locations already and if one of those were to retire and Bouchard’s turn should come up, will one of those plots be able to be moved to his kelp farm location. There will be a public hearing in July regarding the proposed kelp farm.
Hickey provided a Town Administrator’s update and said that there are three employees who were hired through the Regional Health Coalition. “The Board that oversees that grant voted to move that grant Host Community from Kingston to Plymouth, so those employees will become Plymouth employees after July 1,” Hickey said.
Hickey also said that representatives from the Town and the State, including D.O.T., and concerned citizens have been invited to a meeting with the Old Colony Planning Council to discuss the intersection at Maple St. and Landing Rd. The intersection has been deemed dangerous by many.
Hickey also said that Eversource has reached out to see if they could install a transformer in the library parking lot. He noted that it would be about the size of a parking space. “Unless there’s an event going on, it really shouldn’t be that much of an issue,” Hickey said.
Emberg provided those in attendance with several announcements including various vacancies. The Sewer Commission has a vacancy as of July 1. Emberg also said, “The Moderator is recruiting to fill open seats on the Finance Committee. Anyone interested should reach out to the Moderator.” There is also an open seat on the Capital Planning Committee, and anyone interested should reach out to Finance Committee. Additionally, there is an opening for a Kingston resident on the Old Colony Elder Services Board of Directors, and for a volunteer to deliver for Meals on Wheels. The Council on Aging is seeking an Associate member.
Other announcements included that the Animal Rescue League of Boston is sponsoring a spay wagon and will be coming to Kingston a few times per month. Appointments are required and can be scheduled via phone or online. Transfer Station sticker sales have begun. Upcoming events include a farmer’s market on Sunday July 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gray’s Beach. The next Music at the Beach event will be July 11 at 6 p.m. at Gray’s Beach Park.
Selectman Don Alcombright brought forth the issue of a need for a police detail at the Hilltop during sports season, particularly for the Thursday night events. “Part of the issue is traffic gets backed up all the way to the light, so they’re double parking and they’re taking up all the spaces in the first few baseball fields; so, people that are actually trying to attend sporting events, can’t,” Emberg said. Hickey said he would have a conversation with the Chief and the club.
Selectman Sheila Vaughn acknowledged that it is PRIDE month and said two Kingston residents are running an event to celebrate at Nelson Park in Plymouth on June 25. “It is a great event and it is run by two of our Kingston residents who run Plymouth PRIDE. Plymouth PRIDE is all of our surrounding towns… Plymouth area,” Vaughn said. She said there would be food trucks and other entertainment.
Before adjourning, Bouchard said of the Memorial Day events in Kingston, “It’s one of those days where it’s like the best of what you get to see in a town like we have, between the speakers and the volunteers who put their time into it.” Emberg also thanked everyone for a wonderful Memorial Day parade and cookout.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, May 23. Selectman Naja Nessralla was not able to attend. The Board did a quick recap of Town Meeting and Selectmen Chair John Bruno said the only real complaint he heard was regarding the acoustics in the meeting room. “To the extent possible, I think we should always use the other room, because you can hear better,” he explained.
Noise Complaint
Bruno said they had a noise complaint regarding Fieldstone Farms. The complaint came from a neighbor on Plymouth St. Health Agent Bob Valery sent correspondence to the Selectmen letting them know that he has had numerous site visits and he cannot substantiate a noise complaint. “We’ve investigated this for four years and nothing has ever come of it,” Bruno said. “Mr. Valery does a great job and he’s gone out there several times and he’s very detailed in his reports so unfortunately, there’s not much we can do,” Town Administrator Cody Haddad said.
Vacation Carryover Requests
The Selectmen took up requests for many members of the Police Department to carry over significant vacation time. Bruno asked why so many of them were not taking their vacation time. Haddad said, “His explanation was they were without a couple of officers for much of the last calendar year.; They were down a couple of officers, so their officers were required to work overtime and not use their vacation. There was one officer who is going on a trip next fiscal year who is looking to carry over the time – you know, cases like that, that’s very reasonable, if you have a planned event that you’re looking to use, but you know, just continually carrying over isn’t necessarily a good practice,” Haddad said. Bruno made a motion that the Selectmen indicate that it will be the policy of the Board to look closely at any vacation carryovers in the future. “That they are expected, and the default is that the vacation be used in the year that it is accrued,” Bruno said. The Board and Haddad agreed.
Live Entertainment Permit Requests
Raun Jerome came before the Board to request a live entertainment permit for July 8 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jerome said it was for a cookout for friends and family. It had previously been approved by the other necessary town Departments. The Board approved.They also approved a live entertainment request for Generations for a DJ at an animal festival on June 4 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Requests of Various Committees
Haddad told the Selectmen that the Veteran’s Service Officer Steve Littlefield had requested that the Board create the Veteran Services Committee. Littlefield requested that it consist of the Veteran’s Service Officer (VSO), the two Assistant VSOs, the Cemetery Director, and two members at-large. Haddad read, “The Committee will assist in serving the Veterans in Halifax on a year-long basis with a special emphasis on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day celebrations while also providing services to our Veteran community.” The Selectmen approved the request and voted to create the Committee.
Jeremy Gillespie of the Halifax Beautification Committee appeared before the Board to request permission to plant trees in various locations throughout town. Haddad said that the approval would be contingent upon Steve Hayward’s approval since he serves as the Tree Warden. The trees were awarded as part of an Earth Day essay contest sponsored by the Beautification Committee. There was a winner for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade.
The Board also discussed the status of the Bylaw Review Committee. Bruno said that it was his belief that the current iteration of the Committee has never met. Bruno recommended to Haddad that they organize a meeting to get started.
Building Commissioner Search
“As you know we are recruiting for our Building Commissioner – I wanted to bring before you, the process for determining who the next Building Commissioner should be. Historically, the Board has interviewed several individuals for the position. My recommendation would be to not do that… by requiring an interview of the full Board you deter qualified applicants to apply because they may not want their existing employer to know… my recommendation would be to form an internal team to sift through, conduct preliminary interviews, and then make a recommendation to the Board of a finalist,” Haddad explained. Haddad recommended only presenting one finalist before the Board. Bruno said that he would feel comfortable leaving it up to the Committee to have the discretion to determine the number of candidates to present.
MBTA Action Plan Update
Regarding the MBTA Action Plan, Bruno said they received a letter back from State Representative Josh Cutler. Previously, Bruno had sent a letter expressing his concern over the requirements of the MBTA Action Plan that the other Selectmen had co-signed. “We didn’t hear much from the other representatives,” Bruno said. He continued, “Our problem is that our townsmen, people, I haven’t heard anybody say that they are in favor of this; I would like to go back to them and thank Mr. Cutler for his thorough response but ask them to say, ‘look will you come in here and talk to us and explain about this program and why it’s a good idea’… there are rooms full of angry people and I’m not going to justify it.” Haddad said he reached out to a group of about 50 Town Administrators and said that he has received an “overwhelming response” from about 25 other local Town Administrators who plan to meet to discuss next steps. The MBTA Community Action Plan requires that towns served by the MBTA zone for a district of reasonable size to be used for multi-family housing. Failure to comply will result in the loss of certain grant funding.
Town Administrator Updates
Haddad told the Selectmen that the Park Commissioners finally submitted their proposed uses for the Economic Development Bill funding. The first use is for landscape cleanup to the area to the left of Fourth Ave down to the water’s edge and the driveway and gateway near Sixth Ave. The cleanup is estimated at $9,500. They are also looking for a conceptual design as part of the beach re-nourishment process. The Board approved the two projects.
Regarding training for Department heads, Haddad said they received special training so that they could control their own Web page within the town Website. “We hope that it will help the functionality of our Website, allow residents to be more engaged, have more up-to-date information,” Haddad said. The Selectmen and Haddad also discussed the plan to hold Selectmen’s meetings at various locations around town to highlight buildings and Departments.
Haddad thanked Tommy Schindler for providing free lunch to all town employees recently. He said he is starting a new business called Teddy’s Hot Dogs. Haddad said he had the “bacon and mac dog” and noted it was “very good.”
Haddad also said that he recently started an employee of the month program. The first recipient was Peggy Selter of the Board of Health and Conservation Commission. “She’s been going above and beyond in the absence of some Building Department staff, some Zoning Board of Appeals staff, Planning Board staff; she’s taken on the Conservation Commission. Peggy is great in every aspect,” Haddad said.
Haddad also told the Selectmen that they received word from MASS DEP that Halifax was awarded a Host grant that provides funding assistance for the town. The town makes money and all they need to do is provide an office space in the recycling center. They also get access to a State DEP employee who will be housed in the building.
The Annual Fourth of July Fireworks event will be held on July 1 this year. The Selectmen voted to approve the event.