In the absence of Chair Christine Joy, Vice Chair Mark Russo took on the role of acting chair during the Monday, Feb. 10, Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting. The meeting began with Russo, Selectman John Traynor, Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, the entire Plympton Finance Committee, Plympton former Police Chief Patrick Dillon, Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord, Duxbury Fire Captain Rob Reardon, and Director of Emergency Communications at the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCC) Mike Mahoney seated around a table.

Russo explained that the purpose of the meeting was to address Plympton’s increasing dispatch fees with the ROCC. Plympton’s fees recently increased from $50,000 to $200,000 annually. Russo said that they were hoping to get a better sense of where those increases came from as well as how call volume was being assessed.

Reardon began by explaining a little bit about the history of Plympton joining the regionalized dispatch center. About six years ago, Chief Dillon approached them with problems he was experiencing with their current dispatch through the state. In short, Plympton felt that they were not being made a priority. “The difference between us and state police is you’re an integral part of our dispatch operation,” Reardon explained. As an example, Reardon referenced the previous Friday saying it was a particularly busy day for the four towns serviced by the ROCC, so the number of dispatchers was increased from 4 to 10 to accommodate the high volume.

Reardon also went on to say that there have been a number of benefits to the town due to the regionalization including the phone system at the police station, mobile data terminals, and better communications overall. Reardon said that the ROCC spent $800,000 this past year in order to improve communications for the sake of firefighter and police officer safety. Chief Nord, who also acts as department head at the ROCC, said, “You’ve gotten a tremendous amount of product for belonging.” Mahoney added that including just big-ticket items, Plympton has seen $193,000 worth of development funding this past year. Nord stressed that Plympton should think in terms of the big picture and all the infrastructure improvements they’ve seen, when reviewing the annual fee.

Mahoney addressed Plympton’s increase in call volume and explained how call volume is assessed. “There is no perfect metric to use to know exactly how much of an impact any one community has to a dispatch center because there are so many shared resources,” Mahoney explained. The call volume for Plympton in the last year was 15,000. Duxbury stood at 32,000, Halifax at 12,000, and Rochester at 12,000. Mahoney explained that for every item that gets logged into the records management system, a tick is added to the call volume tally.

Traynor questioned the numbers saying, “We’re less than half the population of Halifax and yet we have more call volume.” Nord explained that it was difficult to estimate what impact Plympton would have on the dispatch center initially as there really weren’t any good records to work from. Nord went on to say that initial estimates were low and stressed that Plympton is actually a very busy community with lots of traffic stops and EMS.

Mahoney said that much of Plympton’s call volume was due to building checks and motor vehicle stops. Traynor said that he assumed those things were going on in the other towns as well but was told that they were, but not to the same extent. Mahoney said that Plympton has strict traffic monitoring.

Chief Dillon said that of the 15,000 call volume, 9,000 of those were just building checks. “That’s 9,000 numbers that are sort of being, we feel, treated just the same as a domestic disturbance response or a car crash in one of those other towns.” Dillon proposed a possible weighted system where a building check might be worth half of a point whereas another type of a response might be worth two points.

Nord said that if Plympton were running a dispatch center on their own of the same quality, they would likely be looking at paying fees in the $400,000 to $500,000 range. Nord did apologize for the sudden spike in fee, however, saying that they should have begun slowly adjusting the number sooner.

Russo acknowledged that the town was aware and appreciative of the great service they were receiving. “We surely want to pay our fair share, it just doesn’t feel like this is our fair share,” Russo said.

Russo also asked about the likelihood of other towns joining the ROCC and was told that Hanson has already signed on and that several other towns are potentially joining as well. As of right now, the ROCC has the potential to more than double with a new building capable of handling a population of 100,000. The ROCC has also gone from five dispatch seats to fifteen. The potential for growth means that other towns would be sharing the burden of cost.

The meeting was very amicable with all sides agreeing that they just wanted to come to a resolution that would be satisfactory to all involved. The ROCC agreed to look at the potential of a weighted system and the Board of Selectmen and Dennehy agreed to come up with a number somewhere between $50,000 and $200,000 that would work for the town.

HALIFAX – The Annual Street Listing form has been mailed out to all Halifax households.  Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor requests that residents please fill out the form and return it as soon as possible.

Filling out the form DOES NOT REGISTER you to vote.   

If there is no letter such as D; R or U listed under Party beside your name, then you are not registered to vote. You may register to vote at the Town Clerk’s office or online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/.

The last day to register to vote for the Presidential Primary, is Wednesday, February 12.  The Massachusetts Presidential Primary is Tuesday, March 3.

The Annual Town Election will be held on May 16.  Nomination papers will be available beginning Tuesday, January 21 at the Town Clerk’s office and must be returned by March 25.

Nomination papers are available for the following:

Board of Assessors, three year term; Board of Health, three-year term; Highway Surveyor, three-year term; Library Board of Trustees, two positions with three-year terms; Halifax Housing Authority:  three positions: three-year term, four-year term and a five-year term; Park Commissioner, a three-year term and a one-year term; Halifax Elementary School Committee, two three-year terms; Silver Lake Regional School Committee, three-year term; Board of Selectmen, three-year term and Board of Water Commissioners, three-year term.

Dave Palana
Express correspondent

Junior Sam Shirikjian had a big day for the Lakers with a 6.89-second 55-meter dash to set a new personal best in place among all Patriot League sprinters at the meet. Shirikjian ran another personal best to place fourth overall in the 300 meters in 38.27 seconds.

Senior Nicholas Ierardi also ran a personal best to place third in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.37 seconds while Christopher Tilton ran into fifth place in the 600 meters and the Lakers’ 4×200 relay team outran Plymouth’s.

In the field events, Brandon Hooper placed fifth in the shot put. Ierardi also picked up points in the high and long jumps while Shirikjian also earned points in the long jump and Joseph Wennemer picked up points in the high jump.

Residents may have noticed a new emptiness at the Plympton Post Office.  While the clerks remain the same, and the service over the counter is the same, where are the mail carriers?  Where is the mail?

Online shoppers during the holiday season bombarded the little building with an avalanche of packages that made sorting the mail and preparing it for delivery a dangerous proposition.

One worker noted that it became an emergency situation and became unsafe for everyone behind the counter.

Now Plympton mail carriers are working out of the spacious Carver post office.  The same rural carriers are working their same postal routes, they said, but the carriers work from the Carver location.

“There is no plan to bring the carriers back to Plympton – not to this location – because it is just too small, “ a worker told The Express.  For now, service will remain the same, just happening from two locations.

If their first meet of the season was any indicator, the Silver Lake High girls gymnastics co-op, also known as Pemberlake, is in a strong position this season.

The co-op started off their year with a three-team meet in Pembroke on Friday, Dec. 20. In it, they took on and defeated Whitman-Hanson 131.5-117.95, but fell to Notre Dame Academy in a nail biter 132.1-131.5. With the win and loss, Pemberlake moved to 1-1 on the season.

Lauren Canniff was the top performer of the meet. She won the all-around with a score of 33.2. She tied for first place on the floor (8.5), came in second place on vault (9.2) and on the bars (8.1). Additionally, she finished third on the beam (7.4). This performance earned her Pemberlake’s Gymnast of the Meet award.

Just behind her, Ava Dorsey took second place in the all-around (33.1). Dorsey took first place on vault with a 9.6 and first on bars with an 8.3. She also tied for third place on floor (8.2).

Canniff and Dorsey were not the only first place finishers for the co-op. Sam Raleigh tied for first place on the floor (8.5) while Stella Lane had a first place finish on the beam (7.7).

Maizie Condon was second on floor (8.3), Sarah d’entremont took second on beam (7.7), Ciara Dalrymple came in third on vault (8.6) and Cam McGrath tied for third on floor (8.2)

On Thursday night of this week, the team competed at the Patriot League Invitational at Hanover High School. Their next team meet is set to take place on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at home. They will face off against both Marshfield and Hingham (7:00 p.m. start time). In Hingham’s first meet of the season, they scored 128.3, but fell to Hanover who put up 132.

Anyone who purchased a rain barrel this summer, it’s time if you haven’t already, to drain and store it! This prevents it from cracking from freezing water left inside.
There were directions on how to store your barrel, but if you are like most folks, finding them may be harder than the process!
Some helpful tips on how to do it!
1) take off the top of the barrel and use a bucket to get most of the water out then gently tip over to get the rest out.
2) use an elastic to keep the lever down and let it flow through the spout (see pics)
Also if you don’t have space in a garage, shed or basement to store it, make sure it is totally empty and lay it on it’s side. Secure it from rolling with rocks, bricks or some other heavy object against winter winds. If you leave it standing, rain and snow will just filter in again. If you must leave it standing, flip it over and put a heavy object on top.
This will keep your water barrel useable for next season and many more to come!
Have a safe winter and here’s to looking forward to gardening weather in 2020!

– Thank you to Nancy & Joe Botelho for these tips!

The Plympton School Committee met on Monday, December 16 to hear presentations from two department heads in addition to the usual updates and upcoming budget discussions.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto gave an update on the events of the past month. Report cards went out on December 9 and the school’s holiday concert was held on December 12. “It’s been a great month,” Veneto said. “We had a ton of parents come in for the Grade 2 Heritage Fair; we’ve seen a lot of parents in the building this month – the parent involvement has been terrific and it just goes to show that they’re very supportive of what goes on here and we’re very happy about that.” Veneto also called the Girl Scouts’ Holiday Craft Fair this past weekend “a huge success.” Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen also had praise for the Thanksgiving feast held at the school last month. The winter break will be from Monday, December 23 to Friday, December 27.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy gave an update on the financials saying, “We’re progressing very nicely through the year; there have been no unexpected events that we haven’t been able to financially take care of.”

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable gave a presentation, just as she had done at the Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting the previous week. Grable began by defining special education as “specially designed instruction to help students with various disabilities anywhere from age 3 through age 22. Our focus is to try and equal the playing field for all students so that they can all access curriculum similar to their non-disabled peers.” Grable stressed the importance of the team in special education saying that it takes the cooperation and efforts of many including the student, parents, the school representative, the evaluation expert, the regular education teacher, the special education teacher, the child expert, and community agencies. At 14, the student becomes a legally recognized member of the team process.

The state gives ten classifications for schools to draw upon to determine if a student is eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Grable said that there are currently 53 students from Plympton, both at Dennett and out of district in K-6, that are receiving services via an IEP. Grable said that the number of students in out of district placements is going down. In fiscal year 2017, there were six out of district placements and in the current year there are only three.

Grable also spoke about the budget for special education tuition and transportation. One of the ways in which special education is paid for is through the state Circuit-Breaker program which reimburses school districts a percentage of the costs over a certain threshold which are accrued educating severely high needs students. For Plympton, that threshold is any amount over $45,792 per student. Out of district tuition for the town of Plympton this year is $535,381 and out of district transportation is $90,000. Some of these costs are offset through Circuit-Breaker. Two entitlement grants, Grant 240 and a smaller Grant 262, also help offset special education costs. According to Grable, the district needs to be cautious of the fact that the 240 grant is diminishing each year. A good portion of the 240 grant money is used toward the paraprofessionals that are working with the students receiving special education services. Grant 262 which targets students ages 3-5, is mainly used toward contracted services at the preschool level. Grable also said that in speaking with Superintendent Joy Blackwood, Assistant Superintendent Jill Proulx, and Principal Veneto about budget preparations they have decided to include a proposal to add a special education teacher.

Grable gave an overview of the post-secondary Pathways program for students aged 18-22 which helps students transition into the community. The students in the Silver Lake Pathways program were acknowledged during a ceremony in November along with their colleagues in the neighboring communities of Carver, Pembroke, Duxbury, Hanover, Marshfield, Plymouth, and Whitman-Hanson. Grable said, “This program is doing such an outstanding job and all of the programs work so well together. Our students are over in Pembroke, and Marshfield, and Hanover, and they’re working alongside the students in some of the other communities in the communities and the workforce.” Grable continued, “I’m so proud of the fact that the school committee and the superintendent have had the vision to allow this program to move forward.”

Technology Director for Silver Lake Steve Pellowe also gave a brief presentation to the committee. Pellowe referred to the department as “small but mighty” saying that they manage over 7,000 individual devices. Pellowe said that the department’s budget is up only $270 from last year. “We try not to ask for more than we need,” Pellowe explained. Vice Chair Jason Fraser said, “It’s amazing what you’ve done with the amount of money you’ve asked us for the years you’ve been here.” “The budget number is ridiculous but in a great and welcoming way,” Fraser continued. Wilhelmsen added, “I think it also speaks to how you are doing your budget.”

Blackwood said that initial budget discussions had already been had for Plympton. The district will be going out to bid for buses. As mentioned during the special education presentation, the addition of a new special education teacher will be proposed. Of the request, Blackwood said, “I fully support and believe this is the right thing to do; I believe it will be a savings to the town once we educate the public to understand what it will mean if we aren’t able to provide those services within the brick and mortar of the Dennett Elementary School.”

Blackwood said there would be a slight increase in maintenance costs for the building. Wilhelmsen said that he thought it best that regular maintenance items be included in the budget while “one-of” maintenance items would best be paid for through special town meeting. Blackwood also announced the retirement of long-time kindergarten teacher Donna Resmini at the end of the school year. Blackwood said that her retirement would be a great loss for the school but did acknowledge that it would result in a roughly $25,000 cost savings to the school.

Blackwood likened the building of a budget to a puzzle and said that they hope to bring forth a budget that is fiscally responsible while still meeting the needs of those in the building.

The first item on the agenda at the Tuesday, Dec. 10 Halifax selectmen’s meeting was the Council on Aging (COA) Director search. One of the final two candidates is the current assistant town clerk in Halifax, Sue Lawless. Chair Troy Garron said, “I think by appointing Ms. Lawless it sends a message out to the town employees that there is an opportunity to move up within the organization.” Selectman Gordon Andrews and Selectman Tom Millias agreed with the decision to appoint Lawless as the new COA Director. Millias said, “A big thank you to the screening committee… it was a long time, there were a lot of applicants, there were two rounds, it was a lot to ask of volunteers and we want to thank you all.” The interim COA Director Brenda Fitzgerald will stay on for a few weeks to overlap with Lawless in order to provide training.

The Selectmen also discussed the public hearing held the previous week to discuss the possibility of entering into a host community agreement with Bud’s Goods and Provisions to establish an outdoor marijuana growing facility in town.

Bud’s president and CEO Alex Mazin was present at Tuesday’s meeting but didn’t speak. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said there were about forty abutters and other interested residents present at the hearing. Several residents mentioned concerns regarding odors as well as the appearance of the fence which would surround the facility. Millias said, “I heard concerns but I didn’t hear outright, vocal objections.” Seelig asked the selectmen if they were interested in gathering further public opinion before taking steps toward a community host agreement. The selectmen decided that while they didn’t need another public hearing, they wanted to give residents another week or so to submit comments regarding the proposed facility.

MacFaun appointed to Board of Health Steven MacFaun had a joint appointment with the Board of Selectmen and Board of Health to interview for an open position on the Board of Health. MacFaun, who said he has a background in septic, said he has been to several of the Board’s meetings and also attended a convention recently to learn more about issues pertaining to the Board of Health. Garron asked him if he attended town meetings and MacFaun replied that he does. Millias said, “Years ago, everybody kind of stereotyped the Board of Health with septic systems and that is just not the case anymore.” MacFaun assured Millias that he understood the complexity of the issues facing the Board of Health. Alan Dias, clerk for the Board of Health, moved to appoint MacFaun. MacFaun was unanimously appointed with the support of both boards.

Several other openings on various boards and committees were also discussed during Tuesday’s meeting. A talent bank form was submitted for the Municipal School Building Committee. An application for the Planning Board vacancy was submitted after the deadline but the Selectmen agreed to setup an appointment for her to come before them. According to Andrews, the applicant has a background in real estate.

The revised site plan for Amanda’s Estates was approved by the Planning Board by a vote of 2-1 last week. The Party Trust still must go to the ZBA for approval for new special permits based on their site plan.

The Board also voted to approve a number of license renewals for 2020 for many of the business in town.

Holidays in Halifax is this Saturday

Seelig said that Breakfast with Santa will be this Saturday, December 14 at 8:30 at the Halifax Elementary School. The event serves as the prelude to Holidays in Halifax which is currently in its 25^th year. “We’ve had one every year, rain, snow, winds, warm weather like we may have this year,” Seelig said.  A number of events are planned for this year’s festivities, all to take place on December 14. “I hope everyone will be able to make it out,” Seelig said.