The Halifax Finance Committee met on Monday, Feb. 13. Chair Todd Dargie said that at a previous meeting, they had conducted three interviews for the open position of Finance Committee secretary. The three candidates were Gina DiMuzio, Katelyn Esposito, and Holly Merry. Dargie said that Merry had since expressed concerns that she would not have the availability and capacity to serve in the position. “All three candidates I thought were fantastic… were all qualified to do the position,” Dargie said. He went on to say that his primary concern was that the candidate had municipal experience.
Committee member Frank Johnston said that he liked that Esposito had experience as the office administrator at the Abington Housing Authority. “That brings some value to municipal government that we are looking for… she also had good availability… I think both candidates were well-suited,” he explained. Committee member Michael Bennett said he agreed with Johnston. Committee member Jim Walters said that he also echoed the same sentiments. The Committee voted unanimously to offer the open position to Esposito. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan said that she would forward an offer letter to Dargie.
Building Inspector Jim Perry attended the meeting to provide the Committee with a budget update for his department. He explained, “Pretty much everything is level- funded with respect to the total budget with built in pay raises and so forth; the only additional funds that we are looking for were… $1,800 for training of new secretaries in the Zoning, Conservation, and Planning Departments under the Regulatory Board.” He also noted that currently those positions are vacant and that they are in the process of conducting interviews. “We have found that there is a need to get a lot of training done within those departments,” he said.
Perry said there was some discussion with Nolan about putting that $1,800 under training in the Selectmen’s budget for municipal trainings. New Town Administrator Cody Haddad said, “That should go into that account for training; one of my requests this year will be to increase that… there’s a lot of trainings out there; I’m a very big proponent of professional development so I would like to see that increased.” He continued, “Jim’s request would certainly be approved – it’s warranted; it makes sense to kind of keep it centralized under training.” Dargie asked Haddad if they had started to assess where additional trainings are necessary. Haddad responded, “We’re assessing that; I would like to bring in management training for our department heads and then there are specialized trainings for individual departments… but it’s really a dialogue I’ve begun having with department heads –they know best, they know what they need best so we’re going to take their feedback and bring in the appropriate training as needed.”
Johnston asked Perry to also address the budget line for Interim Inspector. Perry told the Committee, “that is a cost that we incur because I am just a local inspector at this point – an interim local inspector. I have just recently passed my final test to be certified as a local inspector which would then bump me up to interim building inspector/inspector of buildings… so because I did not have that certification we need to hire, beside an inspector of buildings which the previous Select Board appointed, an individual to assist me with certification of occupancies and yearly inspections that are required so that $2,250 goes to pay his time to do those additional inspections with me; we paid him basically a per diem or per inspection fee of $50.” Perry said that the fee should stay in there until the hearing with the Board of Building Commissioners to accept his examinations and appoint him as a conditional inspector of buildings.
Library Director Jean Gallant also provided a budget update for her department. “My budget is really kind of mandated by the State,” she explained to the Committee. “I figure out my wages, I figure out my salary, and then I figure out my expenses and then I put that into a formula, and it comes out with what the town has to appropriate for me in order to get my State aid,” she continued. Gallant said that her State aid has been going up each year, noting that she got $16,000 last year as an incentive grant. She said that she uses that grant to pay for several different expenses including small things like a broken printer or blinds. The library budget for this year stands at $344,790. “Jean’s very good with if there is a wage increase, we refigure her wages and when possible, we then lower her expenses by the same amount that her wages have increased,” Nolan told the Committee. Gallant said that she was requesting $244 to be added into this year’s budget. It was decided to put that expense onto the agenda for their next meeting. They did say that the easiest method would likely be a reserve fund transfer.
Dargie said that an email had been sent out to department heads with a link to an online form to share revenue suggestions. Haddad said he believed that the form was to include existing fee structures and proposed changes. Dargie said that it was found last year that some fees were below neighboring towns and could potentially be raised to increase revenue. Haddad said it should become policy to review fees annually even if changes were not made each year.
The Police and Fire Departments’ budgets will be reviewed during their next Finance meeting.
Plympton BOS Opens Town Meeting warrant
The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Monday, Feb. 13. The warrants for the Annual and Special Town Meetings were approved during the meeting. “Three months to Town Meeting!” Selectman Mark Russo said. Selectmen also voted to accept the election calendar for the 2023 town elections. Town Clerk Patricia Detterman told the Selectmen that if they wanted to opt out of early mail by voting for local elections, they would need to hold a hearing. Detterman said that for the local elections, many of the mailed-out ballots were not returned. “My initial reaction is, I’m not interested in opting out,” Selectman John Traynor said citing concerns about seniors and disabled people being able to vote. Traynor asked if they could put it on their next meeting’s agenda and gather additional information in the meanwhile. Detterman also told Selectmen that a new Registrar would need to be appointed as their terms begin at a different time than other elected officials. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that they would add it to their next meeting’s agenda.
Selectmen were ready to vote on the Dennett Elementary School solar power purchase and sales agreement and lease documents for the rooftop project that’s been ongoing since 2020. “It’s the culmination of a lot of work between myself, Jon Wilhelmsen on behalf of the Dennett School Committee, and respective Counsel for us and for Selectmen, and also a lot of work put into this by Wendy Jones in the Assessor’s office,” Dennehy said. “Really nice teaching tool as well as the cost savings along the way,” Russo said of the project. The project was voted on and approved by the town during Town Meeting. The Selectmen voted to take control of a portion of the roof at the school to make the project possible and voted to approve all necessary documents.
They also took up the Turkey Swamp purchase and sales. Regarding voting on the documents at that night’s meeting, Russo said, “We came really close but we ran into a couple of snags along the way… apparently this is going to have to go to the Planning Board of both Plympton and Halifax so it’s going to take a little bit more time; we have long known how slow and convoluted these processes could be and they’re living up to it.” Russo also said that Counsel had recommended that the Board authorize Russo to accept the documents assuming any necessary edits are minimal. The other Selectmen voted unanimously to accept that proposal.
The Selectmen also nominated Russo to serve as point person for the RFP process for Power Supply. Russo said that they actually have a year left on a three-year contract which he said, “turned out pretty well; we’ve certainly saved citizens along the way.” Russo said that rates are going down so it would be best for one of the Selectmen to move forward with an RFP should the rates become ideal.
Traynor brought up to the other Selectmen that many other Boards and Committees hold their meetings on Monday evenings making it difficult for them to attend other meetings. He also said that many Monday holidays force the Selectmen’s meetings out further than he would like. He proposed moving the Selectmen’s meetings to Tuesdays. Russo said that given how long they have been meeting on Mondays “it would be a real challenge for me to switch.” Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said the same. Traynor said in light of their feelings, it might be best to “table it for a while.”
Dennehy provided a few updates saying, “We have been working through some issues at some of our town buildings. The heating system that replacement took place at the Old Townhouse and the Council on Aging… have been informed that the building is back open and ready for use… the library we had a little issue over the weekend, so we had our heating vendor out there today… so hopefully that’s settled for the short-term.” She said that longer term, they’ve asked the vendor to finish off the library’s heating system. She noted that they would hopefully be using funding from the next round of the Green Communities grant. Dennehy said that they would also be looking at the overhead heating units in the garage of the Highway Department. “We had a lot of success with that same type of project at the Fire Department.”
Traynor led off the Selectmen’s raves saying, “I had a resident reach out for help moving a large object in order to make room for a hospital bed.” He said that he reached out to the Fire Department who were able to move the object within a matter of hours. “Kudos to the Fire Department, as always they stepped up and did a nice job, especially on short notice,” he continued. Russo said that over the last few weeks, they have had several emergencies come up during weekends. He said his rave was for Dennehy, Bri Martins, and all town employees who mobilize and get things done even during off-hours. Joy said her rave was for the clear nights making star gazing possible.
SLRSC budget has more than $200k in staff cuts
Budget Presentation
The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 9. Superintendent Jill Proulx gave a budget presentation for the second round of the budget process. The preliminary budget that was presented at the previous meeting represented a total increase of 3.78 percent. She noted that the School Committee had requested that the Administration provide tiered cuts that show what would need to happen to bring the total increase down to 3 percent and another set of cuts that would be necessary to bring it to 2.75 percent.
Proulx said that technology was reduced by $25,000 and that there was potential to make that up with rural aid. Some equipment including a touch screen for health class, a lifting cage, and copy machines were cut though Proulx noted there was some grant potential there. Cuts were also made to the Middle School/High School maintenance line.
“We had been asked some questions about student-teacher ratios and declining enrollment,” Proulx said of a concern that was raised during the previous meeting. She then turned it over to the Principals. Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Becky Couet said that over the last several years, Silver Lake Regional has been within six-tenths of the State average. She said that currently they are right at the State average. Committee member Gordon Laws pointed out that there appears to be consistent growth at the Middle School level but decline at the High School level. Couet also said that current enrollment stands at 532 and next year’s projected enrollment is 562.
At the previous School Committee meeting, there were concerns voiced by members about the lack of access to foreign languages at the Middle School level. According to Couet, 17 students that wished to take a language, did not get the opportunity to take one. “Next fall, it would be closer to 132 students that either wouldn’t have the opportunity to take a language or would not have a choice.” She said that Mass Core says that language should be treated as a core subject. “We used to have three languages in seventh and eighth grade – we were very strong as far as Middle School language programs and now we’re down to two languages and only offered in eighth grade,” the World Language coordinator explained. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill said that it is typically a requirement at most four-year colleges, that students take two consecutive years of a foreign language.
Principal Michaela Gill told the Committee, “We’ve cut a lot of programs, Tech Ed, Family and Consumer Science, Marketing Management, then on the other side we’ve expanded CTE offerings… but we have cut some core subject areas – Latin, Wellness, ELA, Music and we haven’t really restored those since 2005, 2006 when those cuts started to begin.” She explained the impact that staff cuts would have explaining that science teachers, for example, are only licensed in their area of science and cannot just cover for other science courses were cuts to be made. Regarding staffing cuts Proulx said, “we would be looking at reducing our budget by $235,886. She noted that they didn’t get into specifics for those cuts.
There was discussion about using the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant money. Committee member Jason Fraser said that he wanted to be sure the schools were spending all of those funds that are available for them. “The one thing that gets me a little queasy, is using it for something that is not a one-time budget item such as staff,” Committee Chair Paula Hatch said. Fraser acknowledged that he was also cautious regarding the fiscal cliff but said, “It just makes me sick that tier one has two full-time equivalents and I came to the table tonight to propose adding a world language teacher at the Middle School, so I’m just having difficulty squaring that knowing that we have hundreds of thousands of Federal funds that we need to spend in the next 18 months or so.”
The Committee requested that as many items as possible be removed from the budget for the next round, in the hopes that they could free up as much money as possible for staffing lines. Proulx said, “I just want everyone to be clear, I want the directive to the Principals to be very clear that they are being asked to pull everything out of the budget that could possibly be funded by ESSER… and to pull out even things that are required with the hope that they will be approved by ESSER.”
SLEA Update
President of the Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) Jon Lay spoke thanking the Committee for the robust conversation around the budget and agreeing that he would like to see ESSER funds used aggressively. Lay also addressed negotiations with the paraprofessionals. “I’ll just take a moment to publicly say what our offer on the table is now, so the Committee had offered an additional two steps, two percent higher… we’re asking to make those four percent higher… that increase is very reasonable and the other thing we’re asking for is three paid vacation days,” he said. He pointed out that paraprofessionals are the only school staff that do not get paid over school vacations. He said that they were looking forward to “hashing it out with a mediator.”
Policy Update
Fraser laid out a few policies including one pertaining to who has access to the security cameras on school grounds and for what purposes the footage can be used. He said that one change allowed access to emergency responders during an emergency as designated by the school. He noted that they do not have access to those cameras for general surveillance. He said that Police can only access the footage during an active Police investigation. Fraser said that parents can come into the school to view footage, but he noted that students’ faces will be blurred, and no one can take a copy home.
Fraser said that the majority of the last Policy Subcommittee meeting was centered around educational surveys. He said that they tried to make the language more pro-parent, putting the obligation, instead, on the District. He said that the District must, to the fullest extent, share out the survey questions, etc. before administering to students. He said that per the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), they did not offer an opt-in option for parents, rather than opt-out. Committee member Summer Schmaling pressed a bit as to why DESE would recommend against an opt-in process. Proulx said that there could be grant funding tied to certain types of questionnaires. Poor participation in the surveys could result in a loss of those funds. Schmaling insisted that she felt that the District should not be chasing all grant money available and insisted that surveys should be opt-in only. Committee Chair Paula Hatch asked how many surveys are sent out in an academic year. Proulx said, “maybe one or two.”
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said, “people found it hard to learn about the opt-out process… typically you want to… give parents the opportunity by sharing all the survey questions, and the information how to opt-out, the timeline, the reminders.” He continued, “I just think logistically with a higher percentage choosing to participate, that it’s sort of easier to manage.”
Principals’ Reports
Couet provided an update on the exploratory curriculum of studies. She said, “I did remove things like Latin, Twenty-first Century Literacy, Literacy in the Digital Age, Language Lab, and Healthology – things that haven’t been run in years, to my knowledge.” She said that some new art and music exploratory courses were added. The Committee voted to accept the updated program of studies.
Gill said she had just one item which was the potential to sponsor an international exchange student during an upcoming school year. “The opportunity for our students to meet someone from somewhere else is fantastic,” Fraser said. The Committee voted to approve it.
SAFER Update
Fraser provided the SAFER update. He said that the administrative building they currently have is not ADA compliant and cannot house all of the administrators currently employed by the District. He further said that renovations to the existing building would be nearly $1,000,000 more than new construction. He said that total cost for new construction would be “somewhere around $6 million.”
Capital Plan
Regarding the Capital Plan, Fraser said that they managed to get it down to $550,000 down from $1.5 million. “That would include $200,000 for the envelope to continue to work on the water mitigation for the buildings and roofs, this would also include the five doors for the CTE program for the safety issues they are causing… putting in an updated and to-code electrical panel for our metal fab students, and also it would put in the sound system for the theatre here at the High School, we had $60,000 for one of the J.V. baseball fields as well,” Fraser said. He noted that the guidelines for what to include versus what to cut were “safety and equity.”
State and local police visit TRIAD
PHOTOS AND TEXT BY
LINDA REDDING
The Halifax TRIAD held the first meeting of the new year on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 at the Halifax Town Hall.
Speakers included Officer Joe Cushman of the Halifax Police Department and Trooper Jesse Walker from the Middleboro Barracks of the Massachusetts State Police. Both spoke of the collaboration between the two agencies, as well as duties within their departments.
TRIAD is a partnership between local and regional groups to help inform and educate seniors. The next Halifax TRIAD meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Planned speakers include members of the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department. Participants will learn how to administer Narcan. Discussion will center on drug abuse and prevention.
Halifax TRIAD meetings take place the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 am in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall. Future meetings will include a presentation by a Halifax senior who spent over 7 months walking the Appalachian Trail, a talk by a local cranberry grower, and insight into the New England fishing industry.
February at the Holmes Public Library
On February 14 the afternoon bookclub will meet to discuss “The Engineer’s Wife” by Tracy Emerson Wood. This novel is a fictional account of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the contribution engineer Emily Roebling played in the building when her engineer husband became ill. “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States” by Sarah Vowell is the selection for the nonfiction bookclub meeting on February 15 at 6 p.m. This well-researched book chronicles General Lafayette’s time in Washington’s Army. Second Chapters, the book club co-sponsored by the Halifax COA, will meet on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. to discuss the book “Nine Lives” by Peter Swanson. This book has the feel of an Agatha Christie story. All book clubs meet at the Holmes Public Library in the Community Room. During the month of February, the Holmes Public Library will be collecting new pajamas for the annual Boston Bruins PJ Drive for kids in need. Donations will be going to the DCF/Wonderfund and Cradles to Crayons
Silver Lake Wrestling visits Marshfield
Silver Lake’s wrestling team travelled to Marshfield earlier this month for a quad meet going 2-2 with wins against Marshfield and South Shore Votech and losses against Methuen and Taunton. Overall the team is 15-3 this year and in close competition for the Patriot League title.
Photo and text by Steve Gilbert
A Snowy Thank you to John Shea
Snow sculptor extraordinaire Fred Corrigan, 86, left, loves to play in the snow. Tuesday’s storm brought Fred outside to pay homage to John Shea, of John & Son Barber Shop. Later in the afternoon John himself stopped by to see the likeness. Not bad! Courtesy photo
Rep. Josh Cutler champions Right Whale Awareness Day
Massachusetts has declared April 24 as Right Whale Day in an effort to boost awareness about the endangered species. North Atlantic right whales number fewer than 350, according to federal fisheries estimates.
“The North Atlantic right whale is part of our rich maritime history and, yet, our official state marine mammal is at risk of extinction. Establishing this annual day to celebrate right whales will help promote education and protection efforts,” said Rep. Josh S. Cutler, D-Duxbury, lead sponsor of the legislation. The bill (H. 3869) was signed into law by outgoing Gov. Charles Baker, in one of his final acts before leaving office.
Cutler credited his constituent, Matt Delaney of Pembroke, for bringing the idea to him to dedicate a day for the rare whales after being inspired by a personal encounter. The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Moran, D-Falmouth.
The New England Aquarium, that has long dedicated efforts to study and protect the Right Whales, praised the passage of the bill.
“More than 40 years of scientific research from the New England Aquarium shows that human impacts, specifically entanglements in fixed fishing gear and vessel strikes, are driving North Atlantic right whales toward extinction. Massachusetts has a major role to play in the survival of this critically endangered species, given the importance right whales have played in the state’s history, culture, and natural environment. The newly created Right Whale Day will help increase awareness for this species’ plight, providing additional opportunities to educate the public about the urgent need to protect these incredible animals that spend much of the year in and around Massachusetts waters,” stated Vikki N. Spruill, President and CEO of the New England Aquarium.Plans are underway to commemorate the inaugural Right Whale Day later this year.
An afternoon walk in the woods
This past week’s mild temperatures saw many residents take advantage of the newest park in Plympton, “Two Brooks Preserve,” and our photographer, Sandi Neumeister, brought her camera to snap these images to share. The majestic swans who make the pond their home seem to be planning to stay for the winter. The engraving on the rock is complete and the wooden walkway beckons you in to the woods to see what’s there. The parking lot isready and the walkers appreciate the trails that meander through the vast acreage. The project is the result of the efforts of many people and organizations in Plympton: the Community Preservation Committee, the Open Space Committee, and many individuals who gave their time and talent to make this exquisite parcel safe from destruction and development.
A Clock for Christmas
By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to The Express
Asa Wallace was the father of four children. His oldest daughter Ceara was 19, attended a local college and earned money babysitting. His second oldest, Ben, was 17, then Joel, 14. Both boys had after school jobs two days a week which they alternated at the market in their small town. The youngest, Cassy who was twelve, was just starting to babysit.
Asa was short on communication and sensitivity and long on gruffness, but he loved his family and was a good provider. He wished his job in construction paid more but with the help of his wife Jane who drove a school bus and was very good at managing their finances, they managed. Where Asa was gruff, Jane was the heart of their home.
Summer had ended and the Fall season was in full swing. Asa had seen an advertisement in Yankee magazine for a build -it-yourself grandfather clock that came with plans and all the parts. The ad showed a picture of what the clock would look like all put together and the cost was affordable. Jane had always wanted one and he was thinking about it for Christmas. Asa started saving money. He was sure he could put it together and have it ready for Christmas and his parents who lived nearby offered to let him use their garage to work on it. Very unlike him, he even showed the ad to his son Ben who thought it was a nice idea.
Ben told his sister Ceara what their father had planned to do for their mother for Christmas. She was surprised her dad told Ben but was excited and thought it a great idea. She knew how long her mother had wanted a grandfather clock and how much she would love it.
Asa picked up a part-time job on Saturdays operating a backhoe at a sand pit loading dump trucks so he would not have to take money out of his paycheck to save for the clock. He had to send for the plans in October to have the clock finished and ready by Christmas. The third week into October the weather turned very cold and there was a heavy snow storm. All the work at the sand pit came to a halt and it wasn’t sure when they would be back up and running. He was $80 short and could not send for the clock.
His family noticed he seemed more short-tempered than usual but it happened from time to time and they steered clear of him. Jane was used to his moods and didn’t think too much of it. Then he took Joel to task saying a C was too low a grade to get on one of his tests. He also got angry at Ceara’s boyfriend saying 11 o’clock was too late to get home from a party. Then he got upset at Cassy and told her she shouldn’t take phone calls after seven at night. He was upsetting the entire household and Jane and the kids were upset.
Jane tried to talk with him to see if there was something wrong and he became very argumentative. She told him he was turning his kids against him with his behavior by getting on them about every little thing.
Asa went down cellar after Jane told him he better do something about himself. He started working on a lamp that needed fixing when Ben came down to see if he could find out what was troubling his father. “Hey dad, looks like you’re in the dog house.” Asa just grunted. Ben tried again. “How’s it going with the clock?” “Not too good!” “How’s that?”, asked Ben. In his gruff way Asa came back with, “Well, I lost my Saturday job!”, he yelled. “You mean that’s how you were paying for the clock?” “Well ya, what’ya think!” “Well, said Ben, “I didn’t realize that’s why you took the job, you just said they needed you.” “They don’t need me now!,” exclaimed Asa. “Well, maybe some other place might need some part time help?” Ben suggested. “Extra work’s hard enough to find right now with such cold temperatures and all the snow and ice.” Ben looked at his father, “How much do you need?” “I’m $80 short, I’ll have to wait until next year”, Asa said looking down at the floor. “You better get your homework done Ben, I have to finish up down here.” “Okay dad.” Ben went upstairs to look for Ceara.
Ben told her what happened. “So that’s what’s been going on! Why doesn’t he ever tell us anything?” Ceara sighed, saying “He makes you so mad you just don’t even want to care.” “True”, said Ben, “but we do care, he’s really in a spot.” Just then Joel came looking for Ceara to get some help with his homework and Cassy came bounding into Ceara’s room as well. “How come everyone’s in here?” Cassy wanted to know. Ben looked at Ceara, “We might as well tell them, dad’s never going to.” Ceara nodded and they told Joel and Cassy why their dad had been in such a bad mood. “ It’s hard to feel sorry for him” said Cassy, “He gets so awful sometimes,” “Tell me about it”, said Joel. Ben said, “I know but he also works really hard and this is something he really wanted to do for mom and if it were us that needed help, he’d help us.” “Ya, after he yelled at us!”, said Cassy. After a good laugh they tried to figure out how to help.
Asa came up from the cellar late that night. Jane had kept his supper warm in the oven and she and the kids had gone to bed. Asa was feeling pretty miserable about not having enough money to get the clock and also about upsetting his family. After he ate he got ready for bed. Jane was sleeping soundly as he started to get into bed and he was careful not to wake her. He noticed something sticking out from under his pillow. He pulled out a long white envelope and walked down the hall to the bathroom to open it so he wouldn’t disturb Jane. He turned on the bathroom light and opened the envelope. It was full of paper money and change. There was a note with it that read, Merry Christmas Dad, love Ben, Ceara, Joel and Cassy. When Asa counted it there was $80. A tear rolled down his cheek and his heart burst with love and pride as he realized what his children had done for him.
The clock came out beautifully and Mom loved it. It’s still in our family to this day. It lives in my brother’s house still happily telling the hours as it chimes away. Dad was never one to say he was sorry but we knew he was by the better way he treated us.
Linda Hurd is a Halifax resident who grew up in Hanson. We are delighted to print her delightful musings of gentler days gone by.
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