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

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

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

Budget Highlights include permanent funding for universal school meals, free community college for qualifying residents, investments in child care funded by the authorization of online purchasing options for the state lottery, and funding to ensure statewide access to abortion medication

BOSTON – Last week, State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston) and her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its fiscal year 2024 (FY’24) budget. This budget responds to the needs of residents and makes targeted investments that provide support for families across the Commonwealth. Funded at $56.2 billion, the House’s FY24 budget provides strong support for the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, and among many critical investments, includes significant funding for education, transportation, health care, housing, and workforce development.
“Budgets reflect organization’s values and priorities and this budget prioritizes and values a strong workforce, families ability to access health care and educational opportunities, a public transit system that our residents can rely on, and the need for a more stable and affordable housing market,” said State Rep. Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “Among these accomplishments, I was proud to be able to secure $335,000 for the 12th Plymouth district to honor our veterans, increase public safety, support small businesses, and invest in our youth enrichment. Thank you to Speaker Mariano, Chairman Michlewitz and all of my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee for another successful budget debate.”
Representative LaNatra secured a total of $335,000 through the adoption of the following sponsored amendments:
$150,000 for Harbor Health Services Inc. to expand their dental services in Plymouth and Cape Cod
$100,000 for the construction of a new Veteran’s Memorial in Kingston
$25,000 for the purchase of new furniture in the Plympton Public library children’s room
$25,000 for the Plymouth Downtown Waterfront District to support small businesses
$20,000 for the Kingston Rec. Department to purchase lunches for summer campers
$15,000 for electronic upgrades on the Plymouth Police boat
Other notable items in the budget include investments into education and transportation stemming from an anticipated $1 billion in Fair Share revenue that includes funding universal school meals, MBTA workforce development, and other capital investments.
The budget invests in protecting renters through the RAFT program as well as the rental voucher program. The budget makes other strong targeted investments in workforce development, higher education, mental healthcare and environmental protection and clean energy.
The budget passed the House of Representatives 156-0 and will now go to the Senate for consideration.
Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Kingston, Plympton, Plymouth (Precincts 1,2,3,5 and 13) Middleboro (Precincts 1 & 5A), Halifax (Precincts 1 & 2A) and Pembroke (Precinct 3)..  To reach her, email [email protected] or her Chief of Staff, Chris Jean, at [email protected]. The phone number for the office is 617-722-2575.
For updates and announcements, please visit Representative LaNatra’s Facebook page, or her website, https://www.kathylanatra.com.

The Dennett Elementary School Committee met on Monday, April 24. Chair of the School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen provided an update on school safety. “Since last June, the event that happened in Uvalde, Texas, we’ve actually been holding with the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Town Administrator and myself representing the School Committee, and of course Mr. Veneto and others, have been meeting to talk about school safety and making sure that we are doing everything we can with respect to both the physical building and trying to make sure that we have the appropriate plans in place; those meetings happen every month, every two months,” Wilhelmsen explained. He further said that a large drill was held at Silver Lake in April and noted that both the Plympton Police and Fire Departments were present. A training was held at the Dennett over winter break as well. Wilhelmsen said that upgrades were made to the building’s security including the front entryway which now has additional security. “We are constantly looking at that,” he explained. According to Wilhelmsen the Police Department has put a request on the warrant for Town Meeting to fund a full-time school resource officer at the Dennett. A member in the audience asked, “as you can tell, we are surrounded by glass… are there additional considerations that are going into as far as swapping that kind of stuff out to bulletproof glass or putting some kind of protective film on that that is bullet resistant?” Wilhelmsen, who said that he didn’t want to go into too much detail, said that they were.
Dennett Roof
Wilhelmsen said a study was done on the Dennett roof. Of the results, he said, “it wasn’t awesome.” Wilhelmsen told the Committee that a follow-up meeting will have to be held with Facilities Director Matt Durkee. “There Dennett Roof
Wilhelmsen said a study was done on the Dennett roof. Of the results, he said, “it wasn’t awesome.” Wilhelmsen told the Committee that a follow-up meeting will have to be held with Facilities Director Matt Durkee. “There were some spots where there is significant moisture in the installation but I want to understand, can we repair that and then utilize the additional roofing treatment or is it just something we are stuck with having to do a complete redo,” Wilhelmsen explained.
Dog Droppings on Dennett Fields
Wilhelmsen noted that sports were starting back up again outdoors and said that it was his understanding that nothing was better with respect to owners not picking up after their pets on the Dennett Fields. He said that signage had been put up and trash bags provided. Committee member Jason Fraser asked what next steps would be and Wilhelmsen said that talking to the Board of Selectmen about enforcement, whether it be an animal control officer or other method. Wilhelmsen also said that an idea might potentially be to explore a dedicated dog park in Plympton. Wilhelmsen noted that it is standard practice for dogs not to be allowed on town sports fields.
Playground
Director of Business Services Christine Healy said that she has had initial conversations regarding the next steps for the removal of the mulch and the installation of the rubberized surfacing. She said they need to figure out where to put the mulch. She also said that they are working on securing updated pricing.
Solar Project
Regarding the solar project, Wilhelmsen said, “the panels are up, the electrical connection is done, the inspection is done, now they’re waiting on the connection piece of that. I have some documents that I have received that I have to sign.”
School Choice Hearing
The Committee held a school choice hearing to decide if they would allow school choice at the Dennett next year. They unanimously voted not to allow it citing concerns over already large class sizes.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Working Group
Committee member Jason Fraser complimented Coordinator of Student Support Christine Marcolini on her efforts within the group. Marcolini said that they have looked at different models and what that would potentially look like at the Dennett. “We’re kind of at that point where we have a good framework of what we think this would look like at the Dennett… our vision is that we would be able to do some work over the summer and that would involve teachers, paras, specialists, so that we can really take a whole-school look at this and get together a model that is comprehensive… I did connect with a consultant,” Marcolini explained. Fraser said that ESSER funds were held back to be used for exactly this type of purpose.
Legislative Update
Fraser began, “So the House Ways and Means budget came out – ironically, Plympton, for schools, is down about $2,500 compared to the Governor’s budget which doesn’t typically happen but it’s all around the adjustments made for reimbursements for charter schools… After a student has been out of care for three years, 100 percent of our Chapter 70 funds goes towards that student; we’ve tried to balance out making it fair to the town and also making it fair to the school… so there’s constant readjustments to how much we’re being charged and how much the State reimburses us for.” He said that Representative Kathy LaNatra and her counterparts were debating the budget in the full House, noting there were still a number of steps for it go through before moving onto the Governor.
Principal’s Update
Principal Peter Veneto said that current enrollment stands at 241 students. He also said that on Good Friday, he received a call from Technology Director Steve Pellowe saying that water was coming from the water closet. “Upon further inspection, it was a lot of water… the issue was with the pressure relief valve,” Veneto told the Committee. ServePro was called in to dry everything out and eventually the dry wall was replaced. “Electricians and plumbers confirmed that things were running smoothly,” he said. Veneto said that the water issue was the same day as the power outage; he further said that no one could definitively say if the two things were connected. Veneto said that on a positive note there would be a number of fun events and field trips to come before the end of the school year.
Wilhelmsen’s Farewell
Fraser noted that it would be the final regular meeting for Wilhelmsen. “Appreciate over the eight years of you sitting in the Chair, the leadership that you’ve shown, and your presence is going to be deeply missed,” Fraser said. Wilhelmsen joked, “I was supposed to be gone three years ago.” He continued, “It has been a pleasure to do this, it’s been a pleasure to learn as much as I have with this and even though I won’t be sitting on this side, you’ll always have a supporter in the audience… I wish the Committee and the School and teachers and everything all the best of luck as you keep moving forward.”

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, April 11. Selectman Chair John Bruno said he wanted to provide an update on the MBTA Action Plan. “Just to refresh our memories, the State, about two years ago, passed a law regarding what they call MBTA communities, which lucky for us we are one, where they are trying to force us to change our zoning to add a significant amount of multi-family housing. I don’t have any problem with multi-family housing, and I do think we need to add some to Halifax. What I do have a problem with is overreach of the State government on this project,” Bruno said. He further said that he had drafted a letter stating his opinion which he would like to see sent to State representatives and surrounding towns. He then proceeded to read the letter which can be found in the recording of the Selectmen’s meeting on Area 58. “Glad to sign it and send it along,” Selectman Jonathan Selig said. “I think the only way we can really address this, other than crossing our arms and refusing to do it, which is going to cause problems, is to bring our representatives in – that’s what their job is. Their job is not to show up on Facebook every other day saying I went to a Needle Scout ceremony, I just got appointed to this community or that community – their job is to look out for us and I think we need to put the heat on a little bit… it’s time that they did their work,” Bruno said.
Bruno said that Police Chief Joao Chaves, Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward, and Fred Corrigan with the Traffic Safety Committee were all in attendance to discuss changing the speed limits on Route 106. “You can’t just go changing speed limits, especially on 106 or any numbered road. We might take care of it, but it is still a State road, so you have to have studies done,” Hayward said. He further said that the change would be to make the speed limit 25 mph throughout all of Halifax unless otherwise posted. Corrigan argued using excerpts from State law that you do not need a survey done to change the speed limit.
Chaves said that it was brought up at Town Meeting a few years ago and voted down. “The issue with asking the State to do a study is they could actually tell us, your street is too low,” Chaves said. He further said that 85 percent of the vehicles that travel that road do so at an average speed of 41 mph when the posted speed limit is 35. Corrigan noted that Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) does these studies without additional cost to the town. Selig said, “I know there have been residents that have been concerned where 106 is getting built up with businesses so I wouldn’t be opposed to slowing things down in that business area but we just have to be sure we aren’t opening up a can of worms with setting a town-wide speed limit so I would be for the OCPC recommendation.” Corrigan asked if anyone asked why the Traffic Safety Committee was formed and Bruno said, “I absolutely do” and referenced a pedestrian that was struck. The Selectmen agreed to contact OCPC.
Appointment to Zoning By-Law Review Committee
The Selectmen had an appointment with Jeremy Gillespie to discuss his appointment to the Zoning By-Law Review Committee. “I just see a lot of things in there that could be simplified and then things that need to be addressed,” Gillespie said. “I know… you’re a very passionate guy especially about environmental things in the town… you’d be open to, I guess, other takes on different issues and other ideas and working together to come to some sort of consensus?” Selig asked. Gillespie said “absolutely.” Resident Alan Dias spoke up saying, “I did send a letter to the Board suggesting that they not appoint Mr. Gillespie based on his Facebook posts, his anonymous complaints to DEP, Conservation Commission and I don’t know that that type of action would be helpful to the town.” A Conservation Commission member disputed the claims saying that Gillespie never files anonymous complaints. Bruno said that he doesn’t have a problem with someone being passionate and unafraid to tell the town when they are wrong. The Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Gillespie.
50k for Park Commission and Youth and Recreation
Bruno said that there was an issue of $50,000 that needs to be allocated between the Park Commission and the Youth and Recreation Commission. At a previous Selectmen’s meeting, the Board had gone over Youth and Rec Director Dick Steele’s proposals for using a share of the funds. Steele said that they were looking to take care of some of the more costly items in their small budgets. He noted that they were looking for approximately $16,000. The Selectmen agreed to submit the Youth and Rec request for the $16,000 of earmarked funds while allowing the Park Commission to take another week to finalize their requests for the remaining $34,000.
Open Seat on Board of Registrars
Haddad told the Selectmen that there was an opening for the Republican seat on the Board of Registrars. He said that the Board of Registrars would submit three recommendations or nominations and then the Selectmen would select one for a three-year term. The Selectmen had a brief discussion regarding whether to choose Gordon C. Andrews or Summer Schmaling. “I know they’re both passionate Republicans and I think both would, for that capacity, be fine – splitting hairs,” Selectman Selig said. Bruno moved that they appoint Schmaling and they all agreed unanimously. “And that’s just because I had to pick one,” Bruno explained.
Morse Brothers Update
Haddad said, “they did notify us that they would be moving a second pile of dirt with two trucks – they would be avoiding the school bus schedule. We obviously have had various discussions with counsel and engineers, we brought in our Water Commissioners, Water Superintendent to make sure that there was no negative impact on the water. We’ve been assured by everyone involved that there is not and at this point, they are not digging anything further.”
Review of Town Meeting Articles
Haddad said that Town Meeting would be held at 6:30 p.m. on May 8. “It’s only an annual town meeting, we do not have a special town meeting,” he explained. He said that the election would be on Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Haddad reviewed the articles with the Selectmen. “Many of the articles are housekeeping, annual articles,” Haddad said. There were no significant changes to salaries of town employees. He did note that they are recommending a part-time Conservation Agent. “The Wetlands Protection Act and our bylaws are very diverse and they require a professional who really understands this. If we get a call for enforcement, we are really limited in who can go out and make that assessment,” Haddad said. He noted that it was a recommendation of the Conservation Commission. The town also wishes to add a Deputy Chief to the Police Department.
Regarding the schools’ budgets, Haddad said that overall, they are at a 2.9 percent increase, and the Elementary School is at a 5 percent increase. “We’ve had discussions with our schools to voice our concerns that we cannot continue to sustain large increases like this,” Haddad said. There was an article for $38,000 to support the School Resource Officer.
“We have a total operating budget of $28,113,913 for this year,” Haddad said. “One million more than last year,” Bruno said. Haddad noted that despite the large increase, the budget is mostly level-funded.
Some of the larger expenses from the Capital Plan article included a wield excavator for the Highway Department for $150,080, ADA Compliance projects for $500,000, town hall portico repairs for $50,000, library window replacements for $45,000, A fire command vehicle for the Fire Department for $80,000, and two police cruisers for $110,000.
Article 22 allows the Board of Selectmen to lease a landfill for the purposes of solar for up to 30 years. Article 23 is a petition article to increase the size of the Board of Selectmen from 3 to 5 members. Article 24 is an article to change the Town Clerk, Highway Surveyor, and Treasurer/Collector from elected to appointed. Bruno noted that he was not in favor of either Articles 23 or 24. “I don’t see how it gets any more efficient by increasing the size,” Bruno said of increasing the members on the Board of Selectmen.