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No school budget increases for Plympton

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, April 11.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen recalled to the Selectmen a dog biting incident in February at the Dennett Elementary School. Wilhelmsen said that in addition to the incident, there have been issues with residents not picking up after their dogs on the school’s grounds. Efforts were made to assist with cleaning up after dogs including bags being made available. There have been issues with students bringing dog waste into the school on their shoes. “Long story short…the School Committee took the vote to no longer allow dogs on the Dennett grounds,” he told the Selectmen. Selectman John Traynor said that he had heard from residents who were against the ban and noted that in the long run, the town will likely need to have a dog park. Selectman Mark Russo said that of all the issues that come before the Board the ones he fears the most are dog issues. “I think there is this balancing of privilege and need; it’s one more example of abuse of privilege takes away a lot of freedom for everyone… I’m sorry it was necessary,” Russo said. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she was in agreement that the privilege had been abused. “I think we need to look at addressing a safe place for people to walk their dogs,” she said, noting that that place was not the Dennett.

Board of Health member Art Morin spoke out against the ban saying that his wife and himself enjoy taking their Golden Retriever to their granddaughter’s soccer games at the Dennett. He said that they pay their share of taxes and that poor behavior by some should not result in penalties for all. He also suggested that it could be coyote or other wildlife excrement. Wilhelmsen said that he went so far as to research coyote waste, and it was most definitely not. “We did not jump to this decision… we took an incremental approach,” Wilhelmsen explained. He again stressed that they gave people many opportunities to correct the issue.

Regarding the Dennett budget, Wilhelmsen said that Plympton has experienced a 20 percent increase in enrollment up from 200 to 242 students. He noted that the current kindergarten and first grade classes are quite large at 40 students each and said they anticipated another large class coming in next year. He said the increases affect their shared costs and as a result, there would be some increases there. Wilhelmsen said that also included in the budget is a new position called coordinator of student support. The position would provide additional staffing from a counseling perspective as currently only the school principal and school psychologist are available for those purposes. He said that there are a myriad of issues resulting from COVID including social engagement as well as behavior and adjustment issues. “There is an enormous shortage right now with counselors… there can be an 8-10 month wait,” Wilhelmsen said. He said that they hoped that early intervention would reduce bigger issues down the line.

“On the plus side, we have increased savings in the special education line and also from the enrollment perspective, we have in the Governor’s budget, an increase in Chapter 70 funding…we should have a zero increase in the budget,” Wilhelmsen told the Selectmen of the overall Dennett budget. Silver Lake Regional School Committee and Plympton Elementary School Committee member Jason Fraser said that Plympton just enrolled their smallest class ever in the seventh grade. As a result, Plympton’s share of the Silver Lake Regional budget will be level.

The Selectmen discussed a request for use of the Old Townhouse by a mediation group. They had discussed the pros and cons during previous meetings. The town did reach out to the Cultural Council to see if they would be interested in sponsoring the event and they said that they would like to do that. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that they were still waiting to hear from town counsel regarding any potential insurance issues. Russo said he would like to see the use approved on a trial basis while a process is worked out for use of the Old Townhouse. The Selectmen voted to allow the mediation group to use the Old Townhouse on a provisional basis over the next two months.

The Selectmen also discussed the contract with the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCC). Dennehy said that herself and the Fire Chief planned to meet with them later that week in the hope of reducing the town’s share of $200,000. “It is absolutely insane that the citizens of this town should be paying three times as much as citizens of other towns,” Russo said. “A town of 3,000 [Plympton] is being asked to pay the same $200,000 as a town of 8,000 and a town of 14,000,” he continued.

Dennehy said the drafts of both the annual and special town meeting warrants are with town counsel for review. The Board’s votes for recommendations will occur on April 28. Wilhelmsen said that he would be at the library on Saturday giving a very high-level overview of the articles that would be appearing at Town Meeting for the Town Properties Committee. He said that he would go further in depth at the Townhouse the following Saturday. He also said that on the first Wednesday of May, there would be a Zoom session at 6 p.m. to go over much of the same for those that cannot attend the earlier in-person events.

The Selectmen briefly discussed the increases requested in the Police and Fire budgets. Regarding the Police Department budget, the Selectmen were in agreement that a bare bones budget with a new Police Chief was not ideal. In the interest of safety, etc. the Selectmen were united that they would like to support the budget as presented. They spoke out against having officers running overnight patrols alone, particularly in today’s climate. They voted to support the Police Department and Fire Department salaries’ lines as requested. Dennehy also said that they had received correspondence in support of acting Police Chief Daniel Hoffman to fill the permanent position.

21st annual Egg Hunt

Plympton BOS debates use of Old Town House

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, March 28. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said that they began the meeting with a brief executive session during which they secured Town Administrator Liz Dennehy’s services for another three years. The selectmen also voted to appoint Brian Kling as Animal Inspector through April 30, 2023.

There was a use of town property request made by resident Siobhan Green for the Old Townhouse. “I’ve known Siobhan for a really long time and admire her work with meditation,” Selectman Mark Russo said. He continued, “I think there is this question that we haven’t fully addressed yet on how we will decide who might use the Old Townhouse and who not but in terms of the smaller question of is this a reasonable thing to consider, I can certainly give high marks to the person who has made the application.” Selectman John Traynor said he was a little bit nervous for insurance purposes. “I’m not against it, but I would like to see us clarify and see that the town is protected,” he said. Joy said she agreed with both Russo and Traynor. She said she was wondering if there should be a fee associated with such a request. The Selectmen discussed developing some policy around use of the building. Traynor suggested having the Cultural Council become involved with the event. “We need to have a process, they’ve come forward; we want to support them, but we need to have a process in place,” Traynor said. The Selectmen agreed to check in with legal before proceeding.

Traynor said that he wanted to communicate the things he has been working on individually. Traynor said that he recently setup a meeting with the new Sysco Regional President Jane Brett, State Representative Kathy LaNatra, and the Executive Director of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce Amy Naples. Traynor said that himself, Dennehy, and Fire Chief Steve Silva had already met with Brett prior to the meeting he arranged. “It was a great meeting; these are the things I’m trying to do as I go around town; I do updates with the Council on Aging every other month…I do that same thing every other month with the Upland Club’s Board of Directors; I have done it in the past with the library,” Traynor told the Selectmen. He said that he wanted to openly discuss these things with the other Selectmen as he is representing the three of them during these meetings. He further said he wanted to keep the public abreast of what he was doing.

Traynor also said that he met recently with Jay Pateakos, the Vice President of Business Development for the south region of Mass Development. “Mass Development is a quasi-State government association, much like the MBTA, that tries to work with towns that are economically strapped, shall we say, to find funding for projects that they might not be able to afford,” Traynor explained. Traynor said that he showed Pateakos around the town. “I don’t know that there is an opportunity here, but it can’t hurt to at least be talking to them because there may be grants and funds that somehow, we may qualify for as a small town,” he said.

There was some discussion about how to best address these kinds of actions taken behind the scenes by the Board of Selectmen. Traynor was in favor of making them a part of the meeting agendas, but Joy was hesitant as she said due to open meeting law there really could not be any ambiguity on the agenda. “My fear is that this could be seen as campaigning,” Joy said. Traynor said he disagreed saying, “I don’t see this as campaigning at all; I think its an update to the residents on the Selectmen’s work and what they’re supposed to be working on,” Traynor said. Joy said she was fine with putting specific items on the agenda.

Dennehy said they were well underway with the budget process and told the Selectmen that she would alert them when they planned to have a meeting with the Finance Committee to discuss further. Dennehy also said that they would hold the annual joint meeting between the Selectmen and the Finance Committee during the last Monday in April to vote their recommendations on various Town Meeting articles.

Dennehy told the Selectmen that she placed the order for the telephone pole mounted flags that will run from the center of town to the Old Townhouse. Dennehy said that there is some funding available for the project and that the Highway Department has the capacity to place the necessary brackets. Dennehy said they should be ready by Memorial Day. She said that Traynor recommended reaching out to the Brockton Mayor to find out what kind of a flag policy they have in place.

Briggette Martins told Selectmen they were planning a Memorial Day Parade for the first time in three years. Traynor asked if they could get Sauchuck Farm in Plympton to bring tractors for the kids to ride. Martins said they are also looking into having antique vehicles brought in for display. Joy asked Martins if there would be new flags on all the poles. Dennehy said that the poles at the Town Green are finished, and new flags have been received as part of the project. Martins said she was going to reach out to scouts to see if they can help with mulching and hanging wreaths.

Joy said that there was correspondence from Cape Cod Getaway requesting use of town roads on June 25 and 26 for a multiple sclerosis bike ride. “I think we’ve done it annually and it’s been fine,” Russo said of the event. The Selectmen voted to approve the event provided they get all necessary sign offs from various department heads.

As always, the Selectmen ended their meeting with their rants and raves. Russo said his rave was for the Town Administrator position in general and Dennehy’s work as such. He said that when he first started as a Selectmen a decade ago the position did not exist. Joy said she was in complete agreement saying, “the quality of the work that she does and the way that she represents us is top notch and so professional.” Joy said that her rant was for the state of the world at large and said that it offers her perspective on how “lucky and blessed” she is to live in a little town like Plympton that doesn’t have as many of the challenges that are faced by many other places. Traynor’s rave was for the volunteers in town. “Just the sheer number of people that are willing to put in the hours, no pay… we don’t always agree but we have a wonderful town here,” he said. “I’m just totally delighted that my roots are here; my children are here,” he continued.

HES Book Fair a stunning success!

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Karyn Townsend
Special to the Express

Sharon Smith of the PTO shared information about last week’s Scholastic Book Fair at Halifax Elementary School. “It was the largest book fair to date with net sales totaling over $15,000!” she said.

It is estimated that about 1,883 books sold, that is an average of two to three books per student.

The Book Fair is a great opportunity for the HES PTO to help the school increase their library collection.   

The PTO purchased more than $1,300 worth of books for the library; a total of 154 new books to go into circulation at Halifax Elementary School. The PTO also purchased a book for each teacher to add to their classroom libraries.

Principal Kayne Beaudry reported in his weekly Friday Note that the top 5 “best-sellers” were: Girl in the Lake, Pokemon Legendary &  Mythical, Itty Bitty Kitty Corn, My Otter Half, and Couch Potato. 

There will be one more book fair this spring, and it is a “buy one get one free” event, dates to be determined. Information will be distributed via ParentSquare, the Express, and Library Specialist, Ms. Thibeault.

“The Good Sister’ is next at Second Chapters”

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Linda Redding
Special to the Express

Second Chapters met at the Holmes Public Library on March 17.  Librarian Lynnette Toohey lead discussion of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Maria Benedict.

The next meeting of Second Chapters book club will be held on Wednesday. April 20, at 2 p.m..  Meetings are held in the community room of the Holmes Public Library. Discussion will center on the thriller The Good Sister  by Sally Hepworth.

Copies of the book in various formats are available at the Holmes Public Library.  Second Chapters is  a  cooperative book club sponsored by the Holmes Public Library and the Halifax Council on Aging.

In addition to Second Chapters, The Holmes Public Library hosts three other adult book clubs.  Call the library at 781-293-2271 for more information or visit the library website at holmespubliclibrary.org

‘Thumbs Up’ verdict for Mock Trial

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District Attorney Timothy Cruz presented a Mock Trial for the people of Halifax in the Halifax Town Hall Great Room, attended by close to 50 people, as TRIAD’s March 1 presentation.

Explaining through action, the Mock Trial showed how the judicial system works at the trial level, using locals to act out the various roles.  TRIAD president Ken Vinton acted the part of the judge, complete with judicial robe, presiding over the event.

Jo Schofield, a mainstay of the Halifax senior population, was the defendant, and various witnesses were called to testify for or against the charge that she had over-celebrated her birthday and was driving while intoxicated.

First to testify was the bartender at the fictitious Ken’s Pub, who stated under oath that she served Jo and her friend Dottie two Manhattans at the bar while they waited for a table to have lunch.   When seated, they had another adult beverage while they dined. The bartender then stopped serving alcohol to Jo, who then became belligerent and stormed out of the pub, got into her vehicle, and crashed into a car in the parking lot.

Officer Cushman took the stand and stated that the defendant failed a field sobriety test at all levels: slurred speech, standing on one leg for a time, and walking a straight line, heel to toe, for ten paces.

When Jo took the stand in her own defense, she claimed to be sober when taking the field sobriety tests, and her inability to perform the tasks had to do with her age – 86!  “See if you can stand on one foot for five minutes when you get to be 86!” she told the court.  And also claimed that the bartender was mistaken in her drinks count, and that she had only had one Manhattan at the bar and had ordered a nonalcoholic beer with lunch.

Jo’s best friend Dottie testified on her behalf saying that the bartender’s memory must have been in error and  they had not over-imbibed.

District Atty. Cruz acting as prosecutor, asked Dottie if Jo was her best friend who drove her everywhere she needed to go.  Dottie agreed.  And would she do anything to help her best friend.  Dottie said yes.  And would she swear to her friend’s sobriety to help her friend.  Dottie admitted that she probably would.

Judge for the day Ken called on the jury – those in the audience  – to render a verdict – and it was guilty.

The verdict for the event was a resounding “thumbs up” for a fun and informative morning.

TRIAD meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m., regularly at the Halifax Police Station’s second floor meeting room.  This coming April 5 meeting will feature Kozhaya “John” Nessralla, who will speak about his family’s long history in Halifax.  All are welcome to attend.

Katrina Huff-Larmond pulls nomination signature papers for 2nd Pymouth & Norfolk senate seat 

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RANDOLPH – On Monday, Feb. 14, Randolph Town Councilor Katrina Huff-Larmond took an important step in her campaign for the 2nd Plymouth & Norfolk State Senate seat by taking out nomination signatures papers at the Commonwealth’s Elections Division in Boston, MA. Huff-Larmond now must collect at least 300 signatures by May 3, 2022 in order to get on the Sept. 6 Democratic primary ballot.

“I am running for State Senate because the residents of the 2nd Plymouth & Norfolk need active and engaged leadership for our communities to succeed,” Huff-Larmond said. “When COVID-19 first hit, our community wasn’t getting the attention or resources that we needed, despite having one of the worst infection and spread rates in Massachusetts. Working with my fellow town councilors and our town manager we reached out to leaders on the state level, and thanks to that work we got the support that our community needed. The issues that caused Randolph, Brockton, and the other communities of the 2nd Plymouth & Norfolk district to be overlooked and ignored during the pandemic aren’t going away just because COVID numbers are declining, and we need an advocate on Beacon Hill to really address that.”

If elected Huff-Larmond would be the first woman to represent the 2nd Plymouth & District in the State Senate, and the first person of color to represent any of the communities in the district on Beacon Hill. This is not Huff-Larmond’s first experience breaking barriers in a run for public office. In 2015 Huff-Larmond was the first woman of color ever elected to the Randolph Town Council (no women of color were ever elected to Randolph’s earlier Board of Selectmen), and was the first woman to serve as Council Vice President.

Katrina Huff-Larmond, candidate for State Senate in the 2nd Plymouth & Norfolk district, is a clinical social worker and experienced community organizer.

A graduate of Northeastern University and Simmons College, Katrina has worked with at-risk youth and young adults for more than 30 years across Massachusetts, including in all seven of the district’s communities.

She also advises companies and institutions on workplace culture and diversity and teaches social work classes at several Boston-area universities. As a Randolph Town Councilor since 2015, Katrina has successfully advocated for more youth programming and for more transparent & professional municipal government.

Katrina was a leader in the successful 2021 fight for more fair and more diverse state legislative districts which created the new 2nd Plymouth & Norfolk district among other gains. The 2nd Plymouth & Norfolk state senate district consists of Randolph, Avon, Brockton, Whitman, Hanson, Halifax, and East Bridgewater.

Katrina lives in Randolph with her husband, son, and dog Andre. To learn more about Katrina, visit katrinaforsenate.com.

Farewell dinner planned for Fr. Lee

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Linda Redding
Special to The Express

On Saturday  Feb. 26, at the 4 p.m. Mass at Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson, Father Hobson, announced that Father Kwang Lee has been appointed to a new parish assignment by Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston.

Effective March 12, 2022, Father Lee will serve as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Grace Parish serving Groton and Pepperell, as well as Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Townsend.

Father Lee has served  Our Lady of Lake Church in Halifax and Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson since 2015.

 It has been a year since the two churches have formally combined as the Holy Apostles Parish.

In addition to his parish duties, Father Lee also was chaplain at hospitals in Brockton, Milton, and Plymouth.  He also served as chaplain for the Hanson Fire Department.

A farewell dinner for Father Lee is planned  for Thursday March 10, at 6 p.m. in the parish hall of Our Lady of Lake Church in Halifax. .

Please contact the parish office at 781-293-7971 by March 6, 2022 if you plan to attend the dinner.

That Plympton cherishes its old houses is reflected in the protective by-laws

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Alan Wheelock
Special to the Express

Even by New England standards, Plympton is a very old town. Three hundred and fifteen years old, as a matter of fact. Back in the mid to late 1600’s, Plympton was a part of the Plymouth colony, and can clearly trace its beginnings to the Pilgrims. It was incorporated in 1707, and for its first 80 years or so, the families who settled here were subjects of the British king – in other words, they were not American citizens. And, of course, for thousands of years prior to the 17th century, members of the Wampanoag tribe lived on the land now described as Plympton.

A community with such a long history is bound to be blessed with a lot of old homes, and Plympton is fortunate to have many of them. Historic houses are scattered throughout the community, but significant clusters can be seen at the Town Green, Harrub’s Corner, Parsonage Road, and the neighborhood surrounding the Old Town House. These picturesque properties and their outbuildings are major contributors to the aesthetic “feel” and visual charm of the town. These aesthetics (and their preservation) are very important to Plympton residents, and thus the Demolition Delay By-law was born.

The rationale for the Demolition Delay By-law is clearly expressed in the opening paragraph of the law: “The Demolition Delay Bylaw is enacted for the purpose of preserving and protecting significant buildings within the Town of Plympton which are outside local historic districts. Such buildings reflect distinctive features of the architectural, cultural, economic, political or social history of the Town, and their preservation promotes the public welfare by making the Town a more attractive and desirable place to live and work.”

The Demolition Delay By-law is identified as Chapter 130 of our General By-laws. Residents can access it at the Town website under the tab labelled “Codified By-laws, General and Zoning.” Key features of this by-law include:

The Plympton Historical Commission is empowered, along with the town’s Building Inspector, to administrate and enforce the law.

Historically or architecturally significant buildings in Plympton, at least 75 years old, fall under the purview of the by-law.

Buildings that meet such criteria as historic importance (site of an historic event; former home of persons who had some influence on the development of the town, the state, or the nation; etc.), and architectural importance are all protected by this by-law.

Owners of one of these historic properties who intend to demolish or substantially alter the home, its barn, or other outbuildings are required to apply for a demolition permit. Working with the Building Inspector, the Historic Commission makes a determination as to whether the building is historically and/or architecturally significant. If it is determined that it is not historically or architecturally significant, the Building Inspector may issue a demolition permit. If it is determined that it is historically or architecturally significant, the Commission holds a public hearing to determine whether the building in question should be preferably preserved. After the hearing, if the consensus is that the structure should preferably be preserved, the Building Inspector may issue a demolition delay, preventing demolition for 18 months. Despite this action, the Building Inspector can still authorize demolition after the delay period if there is no likelihood that the owner or some other person or group is willing to restore the property.

Our own local HGTV stars, Mike Lemieux and Jen MacDonald, owners of Full Circle Homes and featured in the series entitled “Houses with History” are the embodiment of the values built into the Demolition Delay By-law. Mike and Jen have restored – and saved – numerous old houses in Plympton and the surrounding communities. To date, they have refurbished eight Plympton homes, the oldest of which was built in 1707. The majority of these homes were in very poor condition, but Full Circle Homes carefully restored them all, significantly increasing their value and in the process preserving the historic integrity of each neighborhood and the visual integrity of Plympton as a whole.

Imagine the beautiful red clapboard house at 39 Ring Road having been destroyed, or the handsome hip roof house at 4 Mayflower gone from the Green, or the unique twin chimney cape at the corner of Center and Main vanished – rather than preserved, and you get a sense of how important this work is to the Town of Plympton.

The Demolition Delay By-law exists to help encourage more of this sort of historic preservation. By so doing, it is helping to ensure that, in the future, Plympton will still have the bucolic charm that it has had for hundreds of years.

Silver Lake/Pembroke gymnastics co-op wins Patriot League championship

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Who in the Patriot League is better at gymnastics than the Pembroke/Silver Lake High co-op?

Apparently the answer to that question is no one. The co-op faced off against all of the other teams in the Patriot League, and proved it was better than all of them. The Pembroke/Silver Lake team won the Patriot League championship meet on Saturday, Feb. 12. The team finished with a score of 138.15. The meet took place at Mass Gymnastics Center in Pembroke.

The co-op had many strong performances in the championship meet. Senior Lauren Canniff won the all-around (35.0). Other members of the team earned first place finishes in their respective events. Senior Ava Dorsey shone during the meet. She earned first place in three different events: vault (9.3), bars (8.5), and floor (9.1). Additionally, senior Sam Raleigh (8.4) and sophomore Summer Holmes (8.2) earned second and third place finishes respectively on bars. Plus, freshman Julia Hawley came in second on the beam (8.55).

The co-op went undefeated this season. It went 12-0 overall.

Halifax’s Town Clerk releases calendar

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Nomination papers for the 2022 Annual Election are now available at the Town Clerk’s Office during regular office hours at the Halifax Town Hall, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

The following is a list of the town officers to be elected at the Spring 2022 annual election:

Positions to be voted on at the annual town election May 14, 2022 are:

• Board of Assessors, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas Millias

• Board of Health, 3-year term, currently held by Candice Greene (appointed)

• Board of Selectmen, 3-year term, currently held by Gordon C. Andrews

• Constable, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas Hammond

• Constable, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas F. Schindler

• Halifax Elementary School Committee, 1-year term, currently held by Jennifer Carroll (Appointed)

• Halifax Elementary School Committee, 3-year term, currently held by Gordon C. Andrews

• Holmes Public Library (Board of Trustees) 3-year term, currently held by Madeline Flood

• Holmes Public Library (Board of Trustees) 3-year term, currently held vacant

• Park Commissioner, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas Schindler

• Planning Board, 5-year term, currently held by Gordon R. Andrews

• Silver Lake Regional School Committee, 3-year term, currently held by Paula Hatch

• Water Commissioners, 3-year term, currently held by Donald Bosworth

The deadline to take out nomination papers is Wednesday, March 23, 2022 by 4 p.m. The deadline to return nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s Office is Friday, March 25, 2022 by 5 p.m.

The Halifax Annual Town Election will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Halifax Elementary School. Visit the Elections and Registration webpage for the most recent updates relating to the 2022 election season.

If you have any questions, please call (781) 293-7970 or e-mail [email protected].