Stephen Richardson
Social Security Regional Communications Director

 Social Security and its Office of the Inspector General continue to receive reports about fraudulent phone calls from people claiming to be Social Security employees.  These scammers try to trick people into providing personal information or money, and often threaten their victims with arrest.  Don’t be fooled.

Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.

Real Social Security employees also will not:

o   Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended.

o Contact you to demand an immediate payment.

o Ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

o  Require a specific means of debt repayment, like a prepaid debit card, a retail gift card, or cash.

o  Demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.

o  Promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money.

If you receive a suspicious call or are unsure of the identity of someone who claims to be from Social Security:

o   Hang up.

o  Do not give money or personal information.

o   Report the scam to our Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen continued with their virtual weekly meetings on Thursday, April 23 to cover any COVID-19 related updates as well as some regular town business.   

Chairman of the Board of Health Arthur Morin reported to Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy that all COVID-19 cases in Plympton were reported to be recovered resulting in no active cases they were aware of as of April 23. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy exclaimed, “Hallelujah, that is great news.” Selectmen Mark Russo and John Traynor agreed. Morin said, “I was tickled yesterday when I got the news that they are out of quarantine and everything is good.” Since the meeting, however, the town’s website has been updated to report one active case in town.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy told the Board that they had to decide whether to conduct an appraisal of the property at 61 Upland Road. There is currently a notice of intent to convert under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 61A. The Board decided they would take a vote at a later meeting as they felt that they needed more time and more discussion to make the correct decision.

Dennehy provided an update on the town’s measures to combat the Coronavirus pandemic locally. Weekly calls with townhouse employees, the library, and the Council on Aging are continuing. Additionally, an Emergency Management meeting was held this week to discuss what it will look like when the town reopens as well as best approaches for reopening. Dennehy said that the town will need to be in compliance with both the state and federal government’s guidance. Extenuating circumstances will also have to be taken into consideration including, but not limited to, childcare issues or caretaking for ill family members. “Everything seems to be running smoothly,” Dennehy said.

Dennehy also said that Meals on Wheels has been moved out of the Fire Department and is now being operated out of the Halifax Council on Aging. Dennehy said that Council on Aging Director Joy Marble gave her an update on the Brown Bag program that delivers a bag of essential groceries to residents who qualify. Those wishing to inquire about eligibility for either Meals on Wheels or the Brown Bag program should reach out to Marble (contact information can be found on the town website).

Dennehy said that if people need to visit the Townhouse they must check in with either herself or the Chair of the Plympton Board of Health Arthur Morin. “We seem to have a pretty good schedule going right now,” Dennehy said.

Regarding the town budget, Dennehy said that despite being under certain time constraints, it would be premature to make any decisions currently about what will or will not be happening.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen was also in attendance to provide an update on the schools. Wilhelmsen said it was a challenge to keep everything equal. He added, “We’ll do things as we always do in Plympton which is collaboratively.”

The National Guard arrived on Sunday with much needed protection gear for Plympton first responders including N-95 masks and other protective equipment.  Since the arrival of COVID-19, protective gear has been in the news because it is so difficult to get.  Fire Chief Stephen Silva said that the supplies have loosened up and now his department is in good shape.

The chief made the news this week with his war against the giant online retailer Amazon.  Plympton Fire Department has been a municipal customer of Amazon for years, and has enjoyed a good business relationship with them.   Once the COVID-19 virus pandemic hit, Amazon restricted the purchase of many protective equipment items so they would be available to hospitals and emergency responders, and not hoarded by resellers.

All Plympton had to do is fill out a form.  And another form.   And fill it out again.   Weeks went by, Silva said, and no product orders came through.  Other fire departments recommended to Amazon by Silva were getting their orders, but Plympton was not.   Silva finally enlisted the aid of Channel 25 News to put their media might behind it, and Amazon did call them back, assuring them that Plympton would be taken care of.  Problem solved!

After reading an announcement on the Plympton’s Facebook page April 8 that the town would close the transfer station at the end of business on April 9 for a period of two weeks because of a health emergency that could not be discussed due to HIPPA regulations, cars and trucks poured into the transfer station Thursday morning, with the line of vehicles lined up Ring Road, as far as Crescent Street at one point in the morning, creating a traffic jam.

It didn’t take long for town officials and the Board of Health, to modify that order and by Thursday mid-morning decided that curtailed transfer station hours would be the better solution.

Chairman Joy was pleased with the quick response and praised Arthur Morin, chairman of the Board of Health and head of the transfer station attendees, for the new plan.  The new transfer station hours will be Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sundays, 9 a.m. to noon.  It will no longer have Tuesday hours.

Morin told the board that the compactors will no longer be used and residents will toss bagged trash only into open top containers, leaving no need for anyone to touch any of the equipment at the Transfer Station.   The office building remains closed to the public.  “Now you can come in, drop your trash, and go,” Morin concluded.

Morin said that residents, perhaps in an attempt to be helpful, were touching the buttons, levers, and equipment, without protective gloves, not practicing social distancing, and were trying the doorknob to get into the office, despite signage stating not to.  Morin said he took steps to protect the health and safety of workers at the transfer station.

The bottle redemption center is also closed, as they are throughout the state during this COVID-19 emergency, and the recycling compactors at the Transfer Station are closed for the present time.

Any recycling, glass, plastic, and paper now go in with the regular bagged refuse until the pandemic emergency is over and the Selectmen and Board of Health announce new protocols.  Electronics, appliances, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, will also remain closed.

Morin reported that he was notified that there are two additional  COVID-19 positive cases in Plympton, raising the total, as of last Thursday, to four.

Plympton’s Board of Selectmen met via ZOOM Thursday evening, April 9, at 5:50 p.m. following an executive session at 5:30.  All three selectpersons were in attendance, ready to tackle the town’s business on this new platform.

Chairman Christine Joy called the meeting to order and with the board acted on some housekeeping items from the posted agenda:

• Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy’s contract vote on March 2, 2020, was ratified.  She will serve the town for another three years.

• Nathan Cristofori’s appointment as Special Police Officer that was voted on April 2, 2020, was ratified

• Arthur Morin, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Health and Cathy Ferguson, Board of Health Administrative Assistant, were voted as members of the Emergency Management Team on April 2.   That vote was also ratified at Thursday night’s meeting, April 9.

Selectmen weighed the benefits of postponing the Annual Town Meeting from Wednesday, May 13 and the Annual Town Election from Saturday, May 16, to Wednesday, June 17, and Saturday, June 20, respectively.   The board voted unanimously for the postponement, hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis would have passed by mid – June.

After reading an annouJoy commented, “This is a very fluid situation … things change daily.   People need to be aware that this is an unprecedented situation,” Joy said.

Selectmen will next meet on Thursday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m.

Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Halifax Fire Department’s first annual awards night, previously scheduled for Thursday, March 19th, had to be cancelled. Fire Chief Viveiros has decided that instead of continuing to delay, the department will begin announcing the award recipients.

Today, Citizen Hero Awards were presented to John Keegan and Christine Tompkins.

John Keegan

On December 21st a small aircraft plummeted into the icy waters of the East Monponsett Lake. The pilot, who was soaking wet and could not swim, was able to climb on top of the aircraft as it slowly began to sink. Without hesitation or concern for his own safety, John immediately utilized a neighbor’s canoe and paddled through the icy water to make the rescue. In recognition of his valor and heroism, John Keegan was honored with the Citizen Hero Award.

Christine Tompkins

Christine Tompkins truly embodies the spirit of community and selflessness that who care as much about our seniors and display such willingness to help their neighbor, as Crissy does. Even as this award is presented Christine continues to once again serve our community. As quickly as the Coronavirus appeared so did the need for additional PPE. Crissy immediately recognized that need and continues to put in countless hours sewing masks for anyone who might need one.

In recognition of her countless acts of human kindness, Christine Tompkins was honored with the Citizen Hero Award.

Congratulations John and Christine !!

KINGSTON and BOSTON – State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) announced today that the House of Representatives has passed legislation to move the individual tax filing and payment deadline, support municipal government operations, and allow alcohol sales for take-out or delivery at restaurants.

The legislation would extend the individual state tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to July 15.  Additionally, it includes the following provisions:

• Permits establishments licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption to sell wine and beer via delivery and take-out provided the wine or beer is sold in the same transaction as a purchase of food and in a sealed container.

• Modifies local permitting processes, extending municipal tax deadlines, and allowing municipalities to extend property tax exemptions and deferrals.

• Allows municipalities to activate qualified workers by suspending the cap on hours and compensation for certain retired employees for hours worked during the state of emergency.

The legislation will provide administrative and economic relief to restaurants, cities and towns, and to the taxpayers of the Commonwealth. There are several provisions affording towns and municipalities the flexibility to allow for extending time frames for town meetings and assessing some kind of temporary leniency with paying taxes and late fees. The bill will now go to the Senate.

Representative LaNatra said, “This legislation will provide needed relief in a number of important areas. I am pleased that my colleagues in the House of Representatives moved quickly and we look forward to seeing it enacted into law.”

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury. To reach her, email [email protected] or her legislative aide, Chris Jean, [email protected]. The phone number for the office is 617-722-2430. For updates and announcements, please visit Representative LaNatra’s Facebook page, https://bit.ly/2Ura8VR or her website, https://www.kathylanatra.com.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, March 17 began with the three selectmen and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig seated 6 feet apart at a very long table.

The first item on the agenda was a discussion of the revised draft from late February of potential changes to the multi-family housing zoning by-laws. Seelig said that Building Inspector and Zoning Enforcement Agent Rob Piccirilli had approached him with specific concerns regarding various definitions. Halifax’s land use counsel Amy Kwesell was also in attendance to advise on the proposed revisions to the by-laws.

Piccirilli stressed that he felt that there should be a definition of both a townhouse and an apartment in the by-laws. Seelig said that a townhouse would fall under the multi-family category as it is simply another form of a multi-family dwelling.

There was some debate as to whether it would be beneficial to include a specific definition of an apartment in the by-laws. Currently an apartment is classified as a subset of a dwelling unit. Piccirilli said that many other towns clearly define what constitutes an apartment in their by-laws. Seelig said, “An apartment in my head is someone is renting it; if you own it, it’s a condo.”

The conversation moved on to in-law apartments as well.  Piccirilli asked, “Our problem with in-law apartments, and I think they are a fantastic thing, but to try and monitor these… when does a single-family dwelling become a two-family dwelling?” Selectman Tom Millias responded with, “immediately.” “In-law is a subject that is ripe for revision, I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with that,” Seelig said. Selectman Gordon Andrews asked, “Can we just note in the multi-family by-law, no accessory apartments allowed?” Seelig said, “I think there’s a worry that somehow, someday, somebody is going to try and glom an additional accessory unit onto one of the condos in the two, or three, or four, and the idea is no, you can’t do that and it needs to be explicitly in the by-law.” Millias agreed saying, “People get creative… we have to get specific.”

There was also a discussion on the differences between two-family homes and multi-family homes. A two-family and duplex are classified as one and the same whereas a multi-family home would have three or more units. Chapter 167, Section 3 provides updates to both the definitions and use requirements for a single two-family dwelling and multi-family dwellings.

Piccirilli shared his concerns over the development of Chapter 40B. Chapter 40B is Massachusetts’ affordable housing law which allows developers to build under a simpler permit process as well as less stringent zoning rules as long as a certain percentage of their units are devoted to low and moderate income families. “I’m not here to say what I want or what anyone else wants; I’m here to do what’s best for the town and the question that’s going to come up at town meeting, that I can foresee, is what kind of breathing room do we have within this to prevent the 40B from coming here?,” Piccirilli asked. Seelig immediately responded with “we don’t.” Kwesell was also quick to respond saying simply, “none.”

Piccirilli was told that cleaning up the by-laws for multi-family dwellings was the first step in incentivizing developers to not go to a Chapter 40B. Kwesell said that the plan was to allow developers to build market-rate units and sell them as market-rate units under the revised by-laws while still providing as much protection as possible to abutters.

Seelig and the selectmen also discussed the ongoing and continually developing situation regarding COVID-19. Seelig addressed the logistics for working from home saying, “If we’re going to both allow or be required… a department head has to make the request of the Board of Selectmen for an individual to work from home.” Seelig also said that the town Board of Health had some money available to pay for laptops for select employees who do not have the required equipment. Town employees working from home are required to provide a synopsis to their department head of how they spent their time each day. Seelig explained, “we need to provide some assurance to the public, to the Board, to the department head that work is actually being done.” “If there are details that need to be filled in, we have time to do that. As with many other things, we’re doing this a little bit on the fly, we’ll smooth out the rough edges as we move along,” Seelig said. The Board of Selectmen voted to approve the framework of the work from home policy.

The possibility of holding public meetings remotely was also briefly discussed.

Since the meeting on March 17, Halifax has actually moved to holding meetings via the platform Zoom with login information available on the town website.

Andrews informed the other selectmen that while 25 percent of students at Halifax Elementary qualify for free or reduced lunch, there was a delay in setting that service up for those still needing it with school closed. He said the delay was due to contract issues within the school system.

The issue has since been resolved. Andrews said that those that are not currently part of the free or reduced lunch program but are currently in need will be helped. He advised that they reach out to the food service director at Silver Lake whose contact information can be found on the town website.

The budget for the Silver Lake Regional schools were voted on by the Silver Lake Regional School Committee during their Thursday, March 12 meeting. Superintendent Jill Proulx began the budget discussion saying that before former superintendent Joy Blackwood even introduced version one she had already made $107,000 worth of cuts at the high school level and another $60,000 at the middle school level. Additionally, there was no replacement for a retiring high school aide.

The most recent version of the budget includes cuts in the form of two teaching positions at the middle school. Committee chair Jason Fraser said that he had received a letter from the president of the Silver Lake Educator’s Association (SLEA) stating that they were, “sad, shocked, and disappointed that the committee didn’t speak more about the budget at our last meeting specifically to the fact that the budget as presented included a reduction of two teaching staff members from the middle school.” Fraser apologized if it felt that the topic was glazed over at the prior meeting and said that it would be discussed during the current meeting.

Proulx offered several suggestions for additional cuts including $1,400 for teaching supplies, $1,500 from the library line item, $1,200 from AV, $1,000 for worn out band equipment, $4,000 for new ELA texts, and $2,000 from transportation for events such as music festivals. Proulx also offered the possibility of only offering late buses on two, rather than three days of the week. “The reality is that as you get to some of these categories, there are no good options,” Proulx explained. After some discussion, Fraser made a motion not to accept any of the additional cuts and the committee agreed unanimously.

Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee asked Proulx if they considered any administrative cuts. Proulx said that they did explore the possibility of cutting one position from a 12-month to a 10-month position but were advised against doing so as it was not in the current contract. McGee addressed Kingston’s high assessment saying, “I just don’t see how this is going to happen. I think we need to dig a little deeper, especially on the administrative side maybe.”

Fraser said that during the tri-town finance meeting that was held previously, Halifax made it known how difficult the budget would be for the town while also expressing concern about sustaining these increases into the future. “The goal is always to get all three towns to support our budget even though we can do it with two,” Fraser told the other committee members and school administrators. Fraser said that given the concerns over the number, he couldn’t see how it would be possible to proceed with putting the two teaching positions back into the budget.

Another ongoing issue of concern for Halifax is the proposed mechanism for paying for a part-time school resource officer at the middle school. Halifax has maintained since voting their share of the cost of the position down at town meeting last year, that they believe the position should be in the school budget rather than voted on as a warrant article. “It doesn’t belong in the budget. We have to get Halifax past this issue somehow,” Committee member and Halifax resident Paula Hatch said.

Fraser opened the budget discussion to public participation, but no one elected to speak to it. Fraser also asked the committee if anyone had any desire to either lower the number or add anything back into the budget before proceeding with a vote. The committee unanimously voted for the fiscal year 2020-2021 Silver Lake Regional Schools’ operating budget of $26,698,578. They also unanimously voted the fiscal year 2020-2021 construction budget of $1,515,905 and $766,250 Excess and Deficiency (E&D) funds to fund the 2020-2021 capital plan. The acceptance of the assessments as presented was the only vote not to receive unanimous support, with one vote against. The regional agreement identifies the statutory method as the method used to compute the assessments. The overall increase as voted on was 2.72 percent.

Fraser took time during the meeting to recognize Kingston Fire Chief Mark Douglass for his superior response during the hazmat situation that took place at the high school on Friday, February 7. The committee extended a hearty applause for Douglass. “One thing that I need to make a very clear point on is you don’t do this alone; this requires an enormous amount of help and that help comes from all different areas… specifically the school nurse was absolutely fantastic in handling and managing it,” Douglass said. Regarding the cause of the incident, Douglass said, “There is some degree of, I don’t want to say certainty, but suspicion that it could have been a vape pen.” Douglass said that should they find out the exact cause, they would be sure to pass the information along.

Student Opportunity Act Discussed

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch presented on the Student Opportunity Act. Lynch explained that in order to receive their portion of the funding, they would have to submit paperwork demonstrating the ways in which the funding would be spent by the district to close student opportunity or achievement gaps. According to Lynch, Silver Lake received minimal funding with 85 percent of new funding going to just 37 of 351 districts in the commonwealth. “In a district where we’re not receiving a significant amount of new funding, ours really focuses on the overlap between our current plan and what we’re trying to deepen as opposed to adopting lots of new staff or new programs,” Lynch explained. The population identified as needing additional support to close the gap at Silver Lake include both students with disabilities and students that qualify for Title 1 services.

Lynch said that the plan places a focus on engagement opportunities for families. A meet and greet was originally scheduled for parents to speak with both Proulx and Lynch prior to the concerns over the coronavirus. A survey will, however, go out to all families and will be translated into the language spoken within that home.

New Vape Deviation Program Proposed

Silver Lake Regional High School principal Michaela Gill introduced several staff members who are the backbone of a proposed, new vape deviation program. That staff include assistant principal Katherine Pratt, School Resource Officer Richard Allen, school nurse Penny Svenson, guidance counselor Andrea Cranshaw, school adjustment counselor Leah Wilkinson, wellness teachers Julie Warnock and Marlene Lopes, and Spanish teacher Jessica Drew. Unlike the current discipline-based approach, the LEAP (Laker Education Action Prevention) program would be education-based and would hopefully empower students to make healthy choices.

It is a five-week course and students must enter into a contract in which they agree to complete all five weeks. The program begins with a meeting with the assistant principal and then each week will cover a different topic with a different staff member. During week one, students would discuss the health effects of addiction with the school nurse. Week two would cover the social emotional aspects of addiction and mental health and would be led by a school adjustment counselor. Week three would cover the legal consequences and would include a meeting with the school resource officer. Week four would be a discussion of the ways in which media and marketing have contributed to the rise in use by adolescents. Students would have some flexibility during this week to choose a staff member to work with that they might have an established relationship with. The final week would be dedicated to planning for the future including setting goals and would involve either a guidance counselor or the assistant principal. Students will complete several assignments each week including readings or short videos. Upon completion of the program, students will receive a certificate.

In addition to the proposal, student members of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) have been working on solutions to the vaping problem as well with ideas such as a school-wide pledge.  Students in the Allied Health program at the high school have also been working on a number of initiatives.

Credit for Life Fair a Success

Gill also spoke about the first annual Credit for Life Fair which took place recently at the high school. “Our students had the opportunity to learn how to balance a budget, make financial decisions, and experience what real life financial management is like,” Gill explained. Each student attending the fair was given a career, a salary, and a credit score. Booths were setup with volunteers who helped guide the students.  “Our hope with the activity was that afterward our students would have a better perspective on financial management and that they left feeling better prepared for an independent and financially responsible future,” Gill said.

Students Earn Recognition at METG

On February 29 several Silver Lake students participated in the one act Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild (METG) Competition. Eight of the students were independently recognized by the judges. Liz Croteau received an award for Excellence in Stage Management and Technical Direction, Caitlyn Beckwith received an All-Star Award for Lead Acting, Toni Mello received an All-Star Award for Supporting Actor, Keira Nagle received an All-Star Award for Ensemble Acting, and Ava O’Connor, Allyson Peta, Kerry Driscoll, and Sarah Anderson all received All-Star Awards for Stage Design. Gill also thanked teachers and METG advisors Ashley Ferrara, Kim Orcutt, and JennyLyn Berry.

Cancellations Over COVID-19

Middle school principal James Dupille told the committee that the out of state field trip in May to Kennedy Space Center would have to be cancelled. Dupille asked permission from the committee to reschedule the trip for next year without assigning a date for the rescheduling. The committee agreed.  Dupille also said that the Grade 6 parent orientation will be handled virtually as a power point narrated by himself and others until a makeup date could be scheduled.

Dupille informed the committee that a number of students were selected to participate in the Junior District Music Festival that was now cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.  “Please let them know that we’re proud of them nonetheless for making it to that level with their music.” Fraser said.

Highway surveyor Steve Hayward spoke with the Halifax Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 10,  to get approval for two contracts. The first is a precision weather forecaster that was free for the past year and will cost $1,295 to renew. The second was for a GreenSeal Environmental prioritization plan for $38,000. Hayward explained that the plan would look at all the streets in town, saying, “Any hazard for bikes, walking, any bad intersections, stuff like that, we can get a $400,000 grant but we have to have this program.” The Board approved both contracts.

Grant to Hire New Police Officer

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig also recommended to the Board that they discuss the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) with Police Chief Joao Chaves. The program provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in order to rehire officers previously laid off or hire new, additional officers. Chaves plans to apply for the grant this week.

Seelig explained that every year for three years, the percentage funded by the grant is reduced until at the end of that period, the town is fully funding the position.

The grant stipulates that the town must then keep that position for a set minimum number of years. Seelig said that the town was involved in a similar program 25 years ago.

Resident Requests Earth Removal Waiver

Resident Joseph Peck attended the meeting to request a post permit for earth removal on behalf of his father, John Peck.

Back in 2018, the elder Peck had removed 1200 cubic pounds of soil from the bottom of an irrigation pond, violating the town’s bylaws that limit earth removal to 1000 cubic pounds.

Board of Selectman Chair Troy Garron said that his biggest concern was that there was no change to the contour of the land.

Some abutters attended the meeting after receiving a notice but said that they had no issues as long as the work was already done.

Selectman Gordon Andrews said that he wanted to see a plan showing the current contour of the entire property before signing off on the waiver.

The hearing was continued until 7:45 p.m. on March 24.

Electricity Costs Going Down

Seelig said that natural gas prices are going down and consequently electricity rates are as well.

As a result, Halifax will be going with Old Colony Gas for their municipal electricity aggregation. Seelig said that the new rate would be 10.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) versus the current rate of 10.876 cents per kWh.

Affordable

Housing Option

Seelig said that newly appointed Planning Board member Ashley DiSesa approached him about the possibility of having mobile homes count toward affordable housing. Chapter 40B is an affordable housing program in Massachusetts first created in 1969.

Under 40B, residents must earn no more than 80 percent of the area-median income to qualify.

In addition, developers may be able to bypass certain restrictions imposed on them by planning and zoning bylaws if 20 to 25 percent of their development is deemed affordable.

Seelig said that other local communities have been met with great resistance when attempting to designate mobile homes as low- and moderate-income housing.

Nevertheless, Seelig said that he would reach out to Senator Michael Brady and Representative Kathleen LaNatra to find out their thoughts on the matter.

Building and Facility Needs committee

The newly created Building and Facility Needs Committee met on Tuesday, March 11 for the first time.

The Committee, which includes most of the department heads in town, will be reviewing the various town buildings and facilities and making recommendations regarding whether to renovate, repair, or construct new buildings.

Among those facilities being reviewed are the Police station, the Fire station, and the Council on Aging building.

Changes Coming to Water Restrictions

Superintendent of the Halifax Water Department Keith Swanson informed Seelig that changes are needed to the mandatory water use restrictions bylaw in connection with a withdrawal permit.

All water departments or water facilities need a withdrawal permit from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and that permit must be renewed every ten years or so.

Swanson must make a judgment call regarding restrictions based on available water and water being used.

Selectman Tom Millias said he spoke with Swanson and was told there is a decent cushion currently between what is available and what is being used.

Selectman Andrews called into question why some communities such as Whitman and Brockton don’t have restrictions on water usage when they are drawing from the same aquifer.

Seelig said that he would speak to DEP to find out what the limits are for Brockton under their water withdrawal permit.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy gave an update to Plympton selectmen at Monday night’s meeting on the proposed contract with Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC). The Selectmen had previously met with members of the ROCCC to discuss the large increase in dispatch costs to the town. Plympton paid $50,000 for this fiscal year and the increase proposed by ROCC discussed previously was $200,000 annually. Following that meeting, the ROCCC  has since suggested a fee of $125,000 due by July 1 for the next fiscal year, increasing to $175,000 the following year.

Joy said, “The $125,000 to me, seems very reasonable and I think we should attempt to lock that in given the service that they provide. I don’t know if we want to see if there’s any room to further negotiate the $175,000.” Joy did say that she would want to ensure that if another community were to join the center, Plympton’s rate would be adjusted accordingly. Traynor said that he believed it would cost the town more than $200,000 to handle their dispatch services any other way. Russo, however, was not as eager to agree to the newly proposed rates saying he still takes issue with the formula used to determine call volume.

“My concern right now is that the means they’re using to come up with this allocation is just way off – the number of calls. Us having three times as many calls as a town with three times as many citizens (Halifax) is just crazy,” Russo explained. Dennehy and Russo agreed to have another meeting with the ROCCC.

Roads

The board discussed various roads in town. Resident Bill Manganello of 67 Pleasant St. was represented by Gary James of James Engineering, Inc. in his request to the board for a discontinuation of a county roadway. James said that the right of way in question was laid out back in the 1960s and has been unchanged since. A right of way easement essentially gives someone else the right to use a specific portion of the landowner’s property. Showing the selectmen and Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte a map of the area, James said that their suggestion would be to widen the existing road and utilize that rather than the right of way. James said that the administrative staff at the County Commissioner had indicated that they would need the request to come from the Board of Selectmen rather than a private individual.

Selectman John Traynor asked if it would affect any neighbors and was told that, if anything, it would help them as they would be gaining a bit of land back. Manganello explained to the board that he is trying to apply for a 61A application but has run into an issue due to the parcel being separated.

“So that’s the motivation? To get this into condition where you could go into 61A?,” Selectman Mark Russo asked. Manganello explained, “The main problem that has motivated this whole thing was them charging on the right of way for taxes.” Manganello went on to explain that he was being charged doubly for frontage taxes and that it was not a small amount. His hope is to make it one continuous lot.

Chair Christine Joy asked if there would be any expense to the town and was told no. Traynor said that he didn’t see a drawback, but Russo was more hesitant saying, “I’m just trying to be careful that there are not unintended consequences that we’re missing and there’s a part of me that wonders if we shouldn’t be checking with town counsel just to be sure.” James offered to draft a letter that could be reviewed by town counsel prior to taking up the matter again at the next selectmen’s meeting.

The Selectmen and Firlotte discussed the intersection at Main Street and Ring Road. The intersection has been deemed one of the most dangerous in town and was one of the motivations behind the article at special town meeting which granted permission to the selectmen to create safety zones at designated intersections by lowering the speed limit. Traynor said, “If you’re coming from the town house, it is very hard, especially when all the foliage is out, to get a clear look down there. If you’re going to make a left-hand turn onto Ring Rd., it’s a little dicey.” The selectmen also said that many drivers fail to yield despite the yield sign. Firlotte offered to speak with some engineers and get their feedback.

“My inclination is to wonder if we might try the lowering of the speed limit, the creating of the safety zone which we’re authorized to do based on the special town meeting and just see what happens with that, see if that works,” Russo said. He continued, “The advantage of that is it is really inexpensive, and we avoid any problems with disrupting current property lines. I don’t know if it’s enough, but it would be a start.” Russo also said that the reduced speed limit would be 20 mph. The selectmen agreed to put the discussion of a safety zone at that intersection on the agenda for the following meeting. The selectmen also mentioned that the abutters may want to be in attendance for that discussion.

Dennehy updated the selectmen on the modular home that was declared surplus and put out to bid. The sealed bid opening was held on Thursday, February 6 with a single bid of $8,100. The selectmen voted to award that modular home to the sole bidder, John Mathias.

Colleen Thompson was in attendance to speak to the proposed talent bank form for the town. Traynor said that it was modeled on the one used by Halifax. Thompson and the selectmen discussed possible ways to encourage volunteering including manning a table with the talent bank forms during town gatherings including election days or town meetings. Russo also suggested possibly including it in a town-wide mailing.

Russo asked the other members of the board to authorize him to seek a contract with Colonial Power Group should it prove beneficial to the town. Russo said that Colonial Power Group had informed them that natural gas is at a six-year low. Traynor said that he was fine with it as long as residents were made aware of what their current rate is versus the new proposed rate under Colonial Power Group. Traynor also wanted to make sure that residents understood that they could opt out. The selectmen voted to allow Russo to explore a new contract.

Blue Bird

Dennehy informed the board that a resident had inquired about the possibility of placing several blue bird nesting boxes along the town green and cemetery. The resident offered to donate the boxes but was seeking permission to install them. Joy suggested that there might be a better location for those boxes such as the preserve. Russo, a veterinarian, said, “It’s pretty easy for human beings to well intentionally make a change and change the ecosystem.” Russo offered to look into the matter further.

Coronavirus

Dennehy provided an update on the town’s response to the Coronavirus. “It does sound like they feel that places should be kind of gearing up in the event that we did need to start closing certain things whether it be the Council on Aging, the library, or the town house to get some plans in place,” Dennehy explained. She said she had been in touch with both the Police Chief and the Fire Chief as well as the Board of Health. “They’re very much on top of it,” Dennehy said.