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
The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in-person on Thursday, Jan. 12. Committee Chair Paula Hatch began the meeting with a moment of silence for twelfth grade student Aiden Ramsey, who passed away during the winter break. “Our hearts and our prayers go out to his family,” Hatch said. Committee member Summer Schmaling thanked the administrative team for the things that they did to support the students in the wake of the tragedy.
The Committee members welcomed new member Laurie Casna who replaced Emily Davis. The Committee reorganized and Jason Fraser nominated Chris Eklund to serve as the Vice Chair.
Preliminary Budget Presentation
Superintendent Jill Proulx put on a presentation for the Committee regarding the FY24 budget for Silver Lake. She said that input was received from the building principals as well as various directors including the Administrator of Special Needs and the Technology Director. The increase represents 3.78 percent or $1,068,915 over the previous year’s budget. Special education transportation was an increase of just over 14 percent. Proulx said that the budget includes 2.5 retirements. She said that any potential changes to shared costs were not yet included in the preliminary budget.
Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill addressed notable increases and decreases in her requests. She said that unlike in previous years, the freshman orientation would be its own line rather than being included in professional development. She said that the Guidance Department would also represent an increase to account for translation and interpretation needs. Transportation would be going up in part due to rising costs. Gill noticed a “giant jump” in athletics but said that it is due to the trainer being included there rather than elsewhere in the budget. She said that an updated kiln would need to be purchased for the Art Department and a modular computer for wellness classes. A new lifting cage as well as other equipment will need to be replaced as well. In addition to the retirements, she also noted that staffing-wise, the second allied health teacher will now need to be fully funded in the budget.
Requests at the Middle School included new copy machines as well new PE equipment. Principal Becky Couet said that they have a 0.5 adjustment counselor currently, but she would like to see the position fully-funded and is therefore asking for another 0.5. “Our students with social and emotional exceptionalities don’t have outbursts or need to be regulated half the time,” Couet said. She said that she is also asking for a special educator position. Finally, she said she would like to have an exploratory seventh grade program where students would be exposed to every elective before choosing to specialize in eighth grade.
Proulx said that the two items that are not in the budget are the two staffing requests. She said the first of which would come out of the revolving account while the second two items would represent $132,000.
Schmaling asked Couet if Silver Lake had the capacity to offer a foreign language to all eighth graders and was told they do not. Committee member Jason Fraser said that he was “trying to lend to the alarm bell” by pointing out that most other middle schools on the South Shore offer two full years of a language while Silver Lake cannot even offer one to all students.
Committee member Gordon Laws noted that residents could ask why student head count has been decreasing each year while the budget has continued to increase when the money is tied to that head count. He pointed out that it becomes a question for a financially strained town like Halifax, in particular. “I think getting some particulars around where we’ve been historically and what we’re looking to do would be useful. I don’t personally have a huge issue with the budget as presented but I just know that that is the sort of thing that comes back,” Laws said.
Fraser said that some of the long-term Committee members will likely remember the push for social and emotional supports even in the years prior to the pandemic due to things like the advent of social media. He noted that the increases to pay for those things falls on the shoulders of the Committee as well as the administration. He acknowledged Laws’ point that it can be difficult to explain those things to someone who is just comparing enrollment numbers to budgetary increases. “I’m just asking for more understanding and detail and it’s not to call anybody out or anything like that,” Laws said. He said he is looking to answer to questions that will be raised, particularly at Halifax’s Town Meeting.
“The sustainability of the Silver Lake budget has been brought up year after year after year… we do need to be very cognizant of our budget and what budget we present to the town every year; I agree we need to look… at how student population dovetails to the staffing, not necessarily to make a change, but as Gordon said, evaluate it and make sure it is reasonable.” She said that it is necessary to be able to defend the budget at the town meetings. Hatch asked the administrative team to come to the next meeting with some of the information requested regarding rising costs and diminishing student population. She also said that a 3.78 percent increase is too high. Laws said that he couldn’t justify that number in the era of inflation, again, particularly for a town like Halifax and requested seeing a number that was a full percent lower. Hatch recommended that the team show the Committee what would have to be given up to get to a number closer to 2.75. She further suggested that the cuts be presented as tiers as has been done in years prior.
The President of the Silver Lake Education Association Jon Lay spoke during the report of standing committees. He touched upon some of the things discussed during the budget presentation, jokingly calling himself a “Silver Lake historian” saying he was in the Middle School in 1992. He noted that foreign language was offered even back then. He also said that special education teachers were feeling the strain of too high caseloads. He also addressed the concerns about rising budgets and reduced enrollment saying that the student to staff ratio was at or just below the State average.
School Calendar Presentation
Proulx also presented the school calendar for next year to the Committee. The first day of school is scheduled for August 30 and the last day, without any snow days, is June 12. Eklund brought up the much-debated topic of including Good Friday on the calendar when other religious holidays are not listed as such. Hatch said that she looked at other local districts and did see that they do list Good Friday in the same way. Eklund suggested holding school on that day and there was some debate on the matter including a Committee member mentioning that most services on that day are held after school hours. The Committee did, however, vote to approve the calendar as presented which did include Good Friday as a day off.
Capital Plan Discussion
Fraser spoke to the Capital Plan calling it a preliminary draft and noting that it was at $1.5 million. “We’ve never had an intention as a Sub Committee to bring this to the table for a vote at that number,” he explained. He said that $800,000 or $900,000 was closer to the number that was voted on during past years. He opened it for discussion with the entire Committee.
Eklund addressed the Admin. building saying that they have had to make constant repairs to it in recent years. “We’ve looked into doing a new Admin. building in the past… we’ve done studies… it’s been unfunded,” he explained. Eklund explained that the cost of the repairs, and an eventual new building, is the responsibility of the three towns and Silver Lake Regional. He noted that Silver Lake has been paying for the repairs thus far.
Fraser told the Committee that at one point they were looking at an $8 million roof replacement plan but said they have managed to get the roofs back to a place where they are, again, under warranty. He said that the $200,000 in the Capital Plan has been the standard allocation to deal with water infiltration in the roofs over the last seven years. He said that one of the largest costs is $300,000 for two large HVAC units on the roofs of the buildings.
“One of the things we discussed in large conversations with the three towns… is potentially putting in a turf field and doing some sort of athletic complex here at Silver Lake when our debt falls off… in ’27… so we’re rapidly approaching when our debt is going to fall off these two buildings and our accounting to the towns,” Fraser said. He noted that the $200,000 in the Capital Plan for an updated track could be absorbed into that cost instead.
The Committee decided to remove the $250,000 placeholder for turf fields as well as a new scoreboard. Hatch said, “my mind always goes to safety.” She went on to say that the doors in the CTE wing posed a safety risk and therefore she was “hesitant” to remove them. Fraser explained that it was a safety concern from the perspective of access to entryways to the school as well. The HVAC units and the CTE doors total approximately $481,000.
The Committee discussed which smaller costs to keep in the Capital Plan as well as exploring other potential funding sources for some of the items such as articles at Town Meeting.
Substitute
Teacher Increase
Superintendent Jill Proulx asked the Committee to consider raising the substitute teacher rate to $107 per day up from $95. She said that the increase was necessary to be in-line with an increase in the minimum wage. The Committee voted unanimously to increase the rate.
Principals’ Reports
Gill began her update by turning things over to the Student Council Representative who told the Committee about Homecoming as well as School Spirit Week. Gill said that the Committee members had a handout that went out to parents of eighth graders as well as parents whose children homeschool or attend charter schools. She said it included save the dates for events such as the CTE Open House. There was some discussion amongst the Committee regarding receiving a similar handout in the mail from Rising Tide Charter School. Hatch said she would like to see some of the school’s achievements highlighted such as the strength of their music program.
Gill also told the Committee that she had three field trip requests for the Committee. The first was for a CTE program to attend a large, construction conference at the Aladdin Center in Providence. The second was for the Girls’ Varsity Basketball program to attend a Division 1 college game, also in Providence. The third request was for two student who qualified to attend a music festival in Rochester, NY. The Committee voted to approve all three.
Finally, Gill provided some program of study updates. She said there were two minor proposals this year with the first being an adjustment to the Sociology course. She said that it would be reduced from a full-year to a single semester course. She said that the reduction would make room for a new Criminal Justice course.
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided a brief update. He said that a student survey which “checks in on students’ learning needs as well as the progress with the social and emotional learning curriculum” would be administered soon in Grades 6-12. Parents are provided with a link to the questions asked as well as the option to opt-out for their students.
Legislative Update
Fraser spoke as the Legislative Agent saying that Representative Kathy LaNatra has agreed to sponsor a bill to allow for a regional assessment stabilization fund. This would allow for towns to create a fund in a year where their assessment is low to be used when the assessment is high. He said that they are also exploring adjusting the Circuit Breaker assessments so that they receive more money back as a reimbursement. Fraser also said that they are pushing for an expansion of the Federal Perkins Act so that students can continue to access CTE programming as close as possible to their home district.
The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on the evening of Monday, Jan. 23.
Chair Christine Joy said that the first item up for discussion and a vote was the purchase and sales agreement of Turkey Swamp. “We’re just waiting on some finishing touches from the attorneys and to get you the final draft for vote; we hope to have this all set for our next meeting on February 13,” Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said. Selectman Mark Russo added, “I will say, I’ve been in touch with the seller, and she does assure us that she’s excited about moving forward.”
Dennehy told the Selectmen that she filed again this year for technical assistance on the Housing Production Plan update. She said that she was also expecting to hear back regarding who the point person is for technical assistance on the MBTA zoning changes that would need to be implemented. “They’ve toned down the guidelines substantially, so I think it’s going to be something that with some competent technical assistance, we’ll be able to be in compliance with,” Dennehy said.
Dennehy also said that Old Colony Planning Council is working on the final report to close out the Green Communities projects the town has completed. She also said that the town’s energy vendor will be visiting all the town buildings. “I think it would be helpful if they do a new inventory and see what other projects may come up; they’re still operating from the old audit that they did when I first started working with the town so I think it’s time for an update,” Dennehy told the Selectmen. Dennehy said she was also looking into whether the new Police Station could be eligible to be looked at as part of the energy audit process.
Dennehy said that the budget process was well under-way and that she had most of the budgets in from the various town departments. She noted that she expected that the budget discussions with the Finance Committee would be commencing soon.
Joy said that she had correspondence from the COA Director Colleen Thompson regarding a hands-on training for the seniors in town regarding the new Pay-As-You-Throw recycling program. She said that Thompson recommended doing them in April. Joy said that the town would continue with the plans to run trainings in March but noted that they would plan on coordinating with Thompson to do a training that would be promoted through the Council on Aging.
Joy asked her fellow Selectmen if they had any raves to wrap up the meeting. Selectman John Traynor said, “The library again – I know I’ve raved before.” He continued, referencing Library Director Mike Slawson, “The breadth of what he’s offering now is just phenomenal; I mean it goes from tools to the Roku… the way he’s got the kids programs going, the speaker forums he’s driving… it really has become, I think, the hub of the community.” Russo referred to the contract negotiations in Executive Session saying, “My rave is for some nice progress, particularly tonight on kind of a logical, rational, fair approach to proposed contract terms in the next fiscal year; I think we’re making really good progress and working in an orderly fashion.” Joy said, “My rave would be for the nice email that we got from John Sjostedt about a medical incident involving our Police and Fire and how well they worked to, I think, save a resident’s life.” She continued, “It’s just great to see and hear how they are working together.”
Alan Wheelock, chairman of the Plympton By-law Review Committee, spoke to residents about the function of his committee. The Third Saturday at the Library community meeting brought neighbors together for coffee, tea, and sweet treats, along with good conversation. Each meeting, First Saturday and Third Saturday, draws a dozen to three dozen people together to hear about what’s going on in town. Selectman John Traynor has been spearheading the effort, with the full support of library director Mike Slawson. If you have an idea that you would like to hear more about, contact the Library by email at mslawson@sailsinc.org. Photo by Sandi Neumeister
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
Earlier this month at the Kingsbury Club in Kingston, the combined Silver Lake and Whitman-Hanson Swim team took on Plymouth North. Led by their Senior Captains Anna Billings, Ava McTighe Tassinari, Wesley Hawley, Jake Foley, and Matt Ward and in this, the second year as a combined team with Whitman-Hanson, the Lakers are continuing to grow both renewed interest in aquatic sports as well as score consistent results in the pool. In addition to this meet against Plymouth North, the team has also faced their Patriot League rivals, Scituate and Quincy North, and are now half way through their season.
Photos and text by Steve Gilbert
The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, Jan. 10 for what would end up being a nearly 4-hour long marathon meeting filled with resident complaints. The option to participate remotely via Zoom was also provided.
Complaints Against Morse Brothers
Brendan Moquin of Morse Brothers appeared before the Selectmen to address the numerous letters and phone calls the town had received regarding an increase in truck traffic as well as sand and gravel issues. Selectmen Chair John Bruno acknowledged that there were some permitting issues the previous spring prior to the current iteration of the Board of Selectmen.
Moquin said, “We’re simply screening an existing face that we’re bringing material closer to ground; we’re not digging under water, in the water table, etc.; we’re simply screening the above face material into by-products which is sand and stone; the sand is then being used at our Middleboro property.” Selectman Jonathan Selig asked Moquin if he had an estimate of when he anticipated being completed with this portion of the project. Moquin said “ASAP” and that there would be no trucking traffic until the end of March or beginning of April.
Bruno said that the goal of the Selectmen that night was to understand the problems on both sides of the issue and that ultimately the Board would likely confer with land counsel. Bruno implored with the public, before speaking, that they “keep the temperature down a little bit.” Resident Steve Goodman, who also serves on the Conservation Commission, disputed some of what was said by Moquin. “The bog that they… built last time they asked for a permit… is already filled with water all the time – doesn’t really create great cranberries because it is wet all the time because they dug too deep, so they’ve already broken the water table there,” Goodman said. He continued, “They’re very close to doing it again and if that happens, it’s one of the largest aquifers in Massachusetts that you’re talking about damaging. It’s a sand mining operation. They’re creating a pit and those pits can collect bacteria and those pits can collect a lot of run-off that’s going to go directly into the water table that affects almost 200,000 people’s drinking water in Eastern Massachusetts – it’s not just a Halifax problem.” He said that secondary to this concern was the truck traffic. Goodman also noted that the town’s bylaws supersede those of the State.
Resident Jeremy Gillespie spoke saying, “From Mass DEP – these are things that cover that property. Zone 2, wellhead protection area, public water supply reservoir, surface water protection supply Zone A, B, and C., surface water supply watershed boundary covers all of that property. So, we have a lake that’s been deemed impaired, we have an EPA enforceable TMDL.”
Another resident spoke saying that roads with the level of truck traffic being seen are supposed to be 25 ft. wide but noted that residents’ measurements have shown them to be otherwise. She continued, “My main concern is my kids… I can’t have my kids out there riding their bike, hit a patch of sand… if God forbid, a truck were going by… there are a lot of kids in that neighborhood.” Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward said that the road width is 20 ft. Gordon Andrews, who previously served as a Selectmen for multiple years, spoke next saying, “I would hope the Board would review the earth removal bylaw and institute the fines and penalties for this project.”
“It’s obviously a tough situation and it’s hard to find somewhere where we can make everyone happy, but I think we owe it to ourselves as a town to work together to come to a solution that we can all be okay with – that you guys feel okay with living in the area, that our environment is protected, that our farmer can make a living,” Selig said. He said that they would be doing their due diligence as a Board and would be conferring with Town Counsel.
Complaints Filed Regarding Fines Issued
The Selectmen also dealt with complaints filed regarding fines issued at 145 Cranberry Drive. Owner of the property Joseph Kehoe said he owns his own excavating company. He said he has a small excavator and a small bobcat that he sometimes brings home. Kehoe said that in 2022 he was told that he needed to remove his equipment and that he was illegally running his business from his property. He disputed this saying that he owns a business and simply lives at that location. According to Kehoe, he has been ticketed $300 a day and continues to get fines despite not having any equipment in the yard. Kehoe also alleged that the Building Inspector has not even “stepped foot” into his yard but continues to fine him.
The Building Inspector James Perry said that he did do a site walk with some members of the ZBA. According to Perry, the property owner was given 30 days to remove the equipment and was even offered a place to park his equipment. Perry said that after the 30 days were over, he began issuing fines. Perry also disputed that he had not been out to the site recently. Kehoe pointed out that he had been fined every day, including Christmas, despite Perry admitting he had not been out to the property daily. Andrews asked, if since the issue was being taken up in court, it should be discussed in Executive Session, but Bruno said, “I don’t think that’s necessary.” Bruno said they would speak to legal counsel before making any decisions. Bruno also noted that he was unsure if the Selectmen even had any authority over the matter.
Complaint Filed Against Conservation Commission Member
Stacy Villiard of 63 Carver St. appeared before the Selectmen to discuss a three-page letter she sent them regarding issues with the Conservation Commission and her house renovation and barn construction. She said that the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board had no issues with either project initially. Villiard said that she spoke to the Building Inspector who said that a neighbor complained of water encroaching on his property. “I have a catch basin… what I was required to put in to keep all of the water on my property from my property on my property… it is 40 ft., 50 ft. even maybe from his property,” she explained. She said the flooding has been occurring for 12 years, but it wasn’t noticed before because she recently took down multiple trees that had previously blocked the flooding.
Villiard said that she received a cease-and-desist order and said that a Conservation Commission member (later named as Kimberly King Cavicchi) misrepresented herself to her workers. She also said that she believes the member in question has a vendetta against Alan Dias, who she said has nothing to do with the property beyond being hired by her to do some work. “How is she allowed to be on a Board? How is she allowed to come onto my property, demand things, lie about things, lie about who she is, misrepresent who she is, not show any ID and continue to be a Board member in this town?” Villiard asked.
Goodman appeared before the Board this time as a member of the Conservation Commission. Selig asked how it became an emergency that the property need to be inspected. Goodman did say that Dias was listed as the owner based on the property map. Cavicchi also appeared before the Selectmen disputing what was said by Villiard.
“I think it’s time for this Board [Selectmen] to sort of exercise its authority a little bit and try to get some education going; I would recommend to our Board that to address this issue that we have a series of meetings – appointments are coming up at the end of the year… the fiscal year… that between now and then that we set a schedule to meet with each individual Board and go over with that Board what their protocols are, what their trainings are… some of these things are very technical… not something for a rookie to be doing… I think right now we have a little bit of a gap in our knowledge, and we need to address that,” Bruno told everyone. Bruno said that it was important to note that Villiard is able to continue with her projects. Bruno said that once they have the new Town Administrator in place, they should be able to better coordinate these kinds of issues.
Concerns Over the Pine St. Intersection
The Selectmen tackled complaints coming in from residents regarding traffic concerns at the Pine St. intersection. Police Chief Joao Chaves called into the meeting. He said that they have signs and other indicators to drivers at the intersection but noted it is difficult to get drivers to adhere to them. He also said that he does have officers that intermittently monitor the intersection but said that it is impossible to do so at all times. Selig asked about adding a Dangerous Intersection sign there, but Hayward said that too many signs are known as “sign pollution” and can add to the confusion. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan said that one option might be to have Old Colony Planning Council do a traffic study on the intersection. Chaves said that some traffic studies have been done of the town but said that contacting them about a specific intersection might be a good idea.
Town Hall and Master Key Policy
Bruno said he spoke with the head of Buildings and Grounds regarding the master key policy. “I’m going to propose to the Board that whatever the policy used to be, that we change it; that master keys only be issued to the Building Department, and they will maintain those. If we need to get into some building, we can do it through them. Police and Fire already do through a lockbox,” Bruno explained. Selectman Naja Nessralla and Jonathan Selig agreed, and they voted to pass a motion to that effect. Bruno noted that they would be collecting the master keys to hand over to the Building Department.
Bruno also addressed the access to Town Hall saying that when the building needed to be accessed during off hours, IT Director Caesar Calouro would have to be reached via email or phone to lock the building. “We’re looking into two things – using the hex key once the building has been unlocked, whoever unlocks it can use the hex key to close down the crash bar and that way the building will be open for the duration of the meeting. Whoever that person is will just need to lock it again on the way out,” Bruno explained. Calouro told Bruno there may be an issue with handicap access that it is in the process of being worked out. Bruno also said that he is interested in re-working the space inside the Town Hall and moving some offices, etc. around. Both Nessralla and Selig said they were in favor of pursuing that. Selig said he would like to see the Departments and the new Town Administrator also involved in any discussions regarding changes to space usage at the Town Hall.
Meeting with Cable
Advisory Committee
and Area 58
The Selectmen met with John Shiavone, who is on the Cable Advisory Committee as well as the Board of Directors at Area 58, as well as Rich Goulart, the Director of Operations at Area 58. Shiavone told the Selectmen that Halifax has hired an attorney for the renewal license with Comcast. Goulart said that Area 58 becomes involved through the tri-town agreement and noted that they currently have an attorney reviewing the contract before it will be presented to all three town’s Boards of Selectmen. Regarding the contract with the town, Goulart said that they would be maintaining level funding. Goulart called it a “significant deal” noting, “Halifax has, per subscriber, a much higher rate of capital provided through Comcast than most other towns of this size.” He also noted that they would be adding an HD channel.
The Selectmen and Goulart also discussed the possibility of adding robotics into some of the larger meeting rooms. They discussed cost as well and Bruno said, “I would move that we ask Cody Haddad to get in touch with the Cable Committee and Area 58 to discuss these issues that we talked about tonight and maybe… if we could put it on the budget for this year’s Town Meeting.” Finally, Goulart told the Committee that there is one opening for a Halifax member on the Cable Advisory Committee.
Resignations,Retirements
Bruno read a retirement notification regarding Sgt. Patrick Sterling with the Police Department. He said that Sterling would like to be considered for a Special Police Officer position upon his retirement. His last day will be in February of 2024. Special Police Officer Edward Broderick resigned from his position. Bruno read a notice from the Police Chief that said, “He has served the town admirably and with distinction during his tenure… Ted has always been a man of many talents and I’m sure he will not stop putting his talents and skills into his next ventures.” Suzanne Emerson also resigned from the Agricultural Commission. Joanne Snow also resigned from her role as the Planning Board secretary. Holly Merry will be retiring from her position as Principal Assessor/Appraiser.
A Request to Do Away with Mail-In Voting
Town Clerk Sue Lawless appeared before the Board to let them know that if they are not going to have mail-in voting, they would need to hold a public hearing 45 days prior to the election. The opt-out would only apply to local elections, not those at the State or Federal level. Lawless said that her preference was to opt-out of the mail-in voting saying that most of the ballots that went out were not sent back in and that with the town’s limited resources it was difficult to field the mail-in ballots. The Selectmen voted to hold a public hearing to discuss doing away with the mail-in voting.
Use of Town Counsel
The Selectmen fielded a request for use of Town Counsel by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Bruno made a motion to ask that Town Counsel meet in joint session with the ZBA and the Board of Selectmen related to the ZBA’s request to discuss protocols related to the upcoming 40B proposals. The Selectmen voted unanimously to hold that meeting.
Regarding various Committees and Commissions use of Town Counsel, Bruno recommended that the Town Administrator be the one to decide when Town Counsel could be used. Planning Board member Amy L. Troup spoke up saying that they were currently dealing with a lawsuit that they are already in touch with Town Counsel about. “I find it can be political,” Troup said regarding requiring permission to use Town Counsel. “Thank you, just to answer that point though, the legal budget is controlled by the Board of Selectmen… we’re ultimately responsible for it,” Bruno said. He called speaking to the Town Administrator first strictly “procedural.” Troup pushed back insisting that she felt that certain Boards and Committees should have access to Town Counsel without needing to first get permission from the Town Administrator or Selectmen.
Appointment with Veteran’s Service Officer and COA Director
The Veterans Service Officer for Halifax Steve Littlefield had an appointment with the Selectmen to discuss the termination of the Memorial Day Committee and the creation of a new Committee to assist with Veterans’ issues in the town. Littlefield said that the Memorial Day Committee currently consists of just himself. He also noted that he felt the scope of the Committee was too narrow. The Selectmen voted to reconstitute the Memorial Day Committee into the Veterans Service Committee.
The Selectmen also took up the issue of changing the Selectmen’s Assistant Position into the Assistant to the Town Administrator. Selig said that most of the surrounding towns handle the position this way. He noted that there was the potential that the position could change the paygrade. The other Selectmen agreed to investigate further the potential change.
Council on Aging (COA) Director Darlene Regan appeared before the Board to discuss the project to move the Council on Aging into the Halifax Museum and to move the museum into Pope’s Tavern. “I think the enthusiasm has come back for it,” Bruno said of the project. The Building and Facilities Needs Committee has been working with an architect on ways to reduce the cost of the renovation. Regan said that the problem lies in that 1.2 million dollars is what was supported at Town Meeting, but the actual numbers are close to 4 million. Acting Town Administrator Sandra Nolan said that she was told that it would be best to wait for construction and material costs to come down before proceeding with the project. It was agreed that the issue would be brought forth to the incoming Town Administrator Cody Haddad once he begins. Regan said that she even explored having HGTV do some form of renovation.
The Halifax Board of Selectmen also met with the Planning Board regarding real estate developments that had been started but the roads never completed – these included Sherwood Drive, Pasture Lane, and Delia Way. Planning Board member Amy L. Troup explained the issues and Steve Hayward handed out photos of Pasture Lane. “Those pictures there, the whole development, the town got part of the bond back but if you look at those pictures where they finished isn’t really finished. There’s some places where the sidewalk has like 2 to 3 inches where they never back-filled; the islands are a complete mess, I don’t know who is going to take care of those,” Hayward said. He did say that the drainage issue appeared to be fixed. Regarding strictly the drainage issue, Bruno said that having conferred with both the Planning Board and the Highway Surveyor, the consensus was that it was fixed.
Gordon Andrews said that he believed that the Planning Board was asking Selectmen to call the bond in so that they could finish the base coat. “The issue the residents are bringing up is the road isn’t completed – the developer hasn’t followed through so you need to call the bond in so the work can be done,” Andrews explained. Bruno said that the only complaint that has been brought to them was the drainage. Bruno did move that the Planning Board ask Town Counsel the right procedures to follow for calling the bond for the Sherwood Drive extension.
The Building Inspector spoke to the myriad of issues that the developer needs to fixon Pasture Lane. “He needs to repair any of the binder that is in disrepair… topcoat the road according to specifications… install sidewalks, loom and seed the area, clean out the detention basin… there’s a safety grate that needs to go on that basin… install bounds along the driveway,” Perry said. Bruno said, “I did drive that road, it’s a mess.”
Finally, they discussed issues with Delia Way. Bruno said that there was a collapse on that road that was fixed over the past weekend. Bruno read a letter from several residents on that street saying, “request appropriate action be taken to correct safety issues that are caused by deterioration on the metal plates on the five manholes which led to the collapse of one of the plates on December 31.” They also asked that the town expedite getting the road accepted formally. Hayward said that the problems were not limited to the manholes saying that the sidewalks were not wide enough among other issues. Hayward noted that they are stuck not being able to properly fix the issues saying, “we are not supposed to spend money on a non-accepted road.” Hayward did say they plow the unaccepted streets for safety reasons.
Delia Way resident Michael Chapin said he was walking his dog on Dec. 31 when he saw an 18 inch hole that had been created. Another resident noted the 18 inch hole is also 4-5 ft deep. “It’s a serious safety issue,” he told the Selectmen. “I’ll move that the Planning Board get in touch with Town Counsel to begin the process of foreclosing on the lot or selling it or whatever needs to be done to secure enough funds to finish that road,” Bruno said. Selectmen voted unanimously to move Bruno’s motion. Selig requested that photos of the holes be sent to the developer reminding them that they are still legally bound due to the bond, particularly if an emergency were to arise.
SPRINGFIELD, MA Springfield College Recognizes Dean’s List Students for the 2022 Fall Semester.
~ Springfield College has named Kathryn Gilbert from Halifax to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the 2022 fall semester. Gilbert has a primary major of Psychology.
~ Springfield College has named Hayden Wechter from Halifax to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the 2022 fall semester. Wechter has a primary major of Health Sci / Pre-PA.
The criteria for selection to the Dean’s List are as follows: The student must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded coursework for the term, exclusive of “P” grades. The student must not have any incompletes or missing grades in the designated term. The student must have a minimum semester grade average of 3.500 for the term.
Springfield College is an independent, nonprofit, coeducational institution founded in 1885. Approximately 4,100 students, including 2,500 full-time undergraduate students, study at its main campus in Springfield, Mass., and at its regional campuses across the country.
Springfield College inspires students through the guiding principles of its Humanics philosophy – educating in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.
The Halifax Elementary School Committee met on the evening of Tuesday, January 3. Chair Summer Schmaling began by opening things up for public participation. Kathleen Berry of Highland Circle began her remarks by thanking the School Committee for their time and dedication. She said she was there to speak on behalf of substitute and long-term substitute wages as she has been employed as both at Halifax Elementary. “Substitution teachers, they’re not babysitters,” she said stressing their myriad of responsibilities. Berry also said that special education suffers when a sub cannot be secured since a paraprofessional would normally need to step-in to fill the role. She said that after everything was taken into consideration, the positions end up receiving less than minimum wage.
Superintendent Jill Proulx said, “You may recall that last spring, I recommended that we consider changing the long-term sub rate to paying the long-term subs Bachelor Step 1 starting day 1 and to not wait the 21 days.” She continued, “Given the fact that we have had some difficulty attracting candidates for long-term sub positions, I’m asking the Committee to consider this change.” Committee member Lauren Laws suggested that people could be enticed to fill the positions if they were told that there was potential to be hired to a full-time open position. The administrators in the room pushed back on this idea explaining that there were issues from a budgetary and qualifications perspective. The Committee did vote to move the long-term sub rate to Bachelor Step 1 on day one of the position.
Proulx also addressed the rate for regular substitutes. “I believe we have, as Katie [Kathleen Berry] mentioned, an issue here with making sure that we are meeting minimum wage and we have proposed moving from $95 to $107… this would bring us to $16.07 per hour.” she told the Committee. Proulx also said that this same rate change was recently approved by the Plympton School Committee. It was explained that they wanted to make sure the rate was high enough to be competitive but not so high that it was more than what was being paid to permanent positions such as paraprofessionals. The Committee voted to increase the rate as proposed by Proulx.
A report of standing committees was given. For PTO, it was said that the last meeting mainly revolved around preparations for the mingle and jingle event. “It was great, we tried to incorporate several different religious holidays into the celebrations with crafts and decorations,” Karyn Townsend explained. She also said that the position of president was still open. Schmaling noted that Union 31 met in a joint meeting that included all the department heads. She noted that school start times were discussed briefly as was the school calendar.
Principal Kayne Beaudry provided a brief Principal’s report. He said he wanted to recognize that three babies had been born to school staff between December through January. He said that all are doing well. He also acknowledged the retirement of long-time teacher Linda Mullin.
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided an update on the way the student survey would be utilized this year. “The purpose of surveying our students is to ensure we are meeting every student’s needs and also evaluate the progress of our social and emotional learning curriculum,” he explained. He said that parents would have the opportunity to opt out of having their student participate in the survey. Laws said that given “recent tragedies” she felt that these surveys were vital as they ask questions about feelings and whether students feel that they have someone to confide in about those feelings. “You just never know what goes on in someone’s head and I hope that students feel comfortable answering honestly,” she said.
Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update saying that they had a training session with building administrators with an attorney regarding changes to student discipline under MA general laws. The changes include additional steps to be taken before a suspension is considered lawful. Exceptions include infractions that involve assault or weapons charges. Of the changes, Proulx said, “It’s part of a larger mental health concern and also recognizing when students drop out of school, they are more likely to become a problem in society and more likely to become in trouble with the law, so this is a way to force schools to think about alternatives to suspension.”
Proulx also shared with the Committee a preliminary budget presentation. “We always look at what our academic and developmental needs are for our students. We look at trying to maintain class sizes and the structures necessary for effective instruction… we also like to be mindful and considerate and respond to the fiscal conditions of the town,” Proulx said. She also told the Committee that they looked at what would be necessary to level fund services.
Proulx explained some assumptions that were built into the budget including estimating Circuit Breaker at 70 percent. The regular day preliminary budget represents an increase of 5.25 percent or an increase of $315,177. Special education, tuition, and transportation reflect a decrease of 4.27 percent. The total budget is an increase of 2.21 percent or $192,071 over last year’s budget. “That is to maintain our current programming and staffing,” Proulx told the Committee. She did note, however, that there were some additional staffing requests that Principal Beaudry would address.
Regarding enrollment, Beaudry said that he anticipates that number to decrease with the outgoing sixth grade class and the incoming kindergarten class. Beaudry noted that there was a 16 percent increase in custodial supplies and an 11 percent increase in building supplies. He also addressed proposed costs above the level service budget. Included in those costs is an instrumental music position which was also proposed last year. He said that Halifax Elementary is the only elementary school without an instrumental music program. “That puts Halifax students at a significant disadvantage when they get to the Middle School and High School,” Beaudry said. He said that through a grant last year, they were able to move the math interventionist position from a part-time to a full-time one. He noted that the grant funding would run out in 2024. Another requested position was a shared cost position of a second elementary level curriculum coordinator for the district. There were some building maintenance requests including updated flooring and air conditioning for the fifth and sixth grade classrooms upstairs.
“Currently we have five Halifax students who are receiving English language learner services and currently the way that we provide services because we have so few students who need these services, these services are provided by a Kingston English as a second language learner teacher… Halifax reimburses Kingston’s schools’ operating budget,” Proulx told the Committee. She said that the money comes out of the teaching line. She also said that while they anticipate the number will be similar in the coming year, it can be difficult to anticipate.
Regarding next steps for the second round of the budget, the Committee requested that administrators look into funding the full-time math interventionist position in the long-term. They also requested that the administrators list out the building improvements in order of priority. Schmaling thanked the administrative team for coming to them with a reasonable budget increase.
Proulx also presented the Committee with a calendar for the 2023 to 2024 school year. She said that barring any major number of snow days, the last day of school would be June 12. Townsend brought up a concern that the Chair of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee had regarding changing the names of certain days off or vacations to no longer reflect specific religious holidays, etc. Schmaling said that she was not interested in having that conversation. Townsend made a motion to update the calendar to change Good Friday to No School Day as well as to add the open houses to the calendar. The motion failed in a tie.