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Halifax votes to fund school resource officer

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There was a continuance of the Halifax town meeting held on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Halifax Elementary School. Back on Sept. 12, the Halifax Town Meeting had begun but needed to be recessed due to quorum being questioned several hours into the meeting as well as time constraints. As was the case in the previous meeting, residents were divided between the gym and the all-purpose room to ensure proper social distancing. While quorum had been reduced to 75 for Tuesday’s meeting, 110 voters were counted initially.

Article to Fund Part-Time School Resource Officer

With the exception of those articles grouped together into consent agendas, articles were voted upon using a lottery system. One of the more controversial articles of the night was Article 26 which asked for $36,000 to fund Halifax’s portion of a part-time school resource officer at Silver Lake Regional Middle School. The same article appeared on the warrant last year and was voted down. Since Plympton voted in favor of supporting their share of the officer, a part time school resource officer served the middle school for a limited number of hours this past year. Kingston fully funds the full-time school resource officer at the high school.

Melinda Tarsi spoke on behalf of the Finance Committee, who was not recommending the article.  Tarsi said that as was the case last year, the Finance Committee’s objection to the article is not the concept of the school resource officer but rather the mechanism for funding the officer. “We don’t want to establish the precedent that any department can propose the addition of new personnel through an article brought to town meeting,” Tarsi explained. She said the committee also took issue with it having to be a Kingston officer and said she would like to see it more equitably distributed between the three towns.

Halifax Selectman and Chair of the Halifax School Committee Gordon Andrews spoke on the article explaining that under the current law, the position would have to be filled with a Kingston officer due to the school’s location. He also advised the gathered residents that, in his opinion, funding the officer through an article outside of the operating budget gave the town greater control over the position. In addition, he explained that funding the position through an article at town meeting would actually save the town money versus funding it as part of the school’s budget.

A resident questioned if the counselors at the school couldn’t fulfill the same need attempting to be filled by the school resource officer. Andrews told him that due to the nature of the issues that are being brought up in executive session, they would best be handled by law enforcement. Selectman Tom Millias shared his opinion saying, “There is no contest, we need a school resource officer… my problem has always been how it’s being funded… the problem is we can’t get a resource officer unless we do it this way and at the end of the day, we need a resource officer.” The article passed with a vote of 72-41.

Article to Grade Private and Unaccepted Roads

Article 28, which was brought forth by a resident who was not present at town meeting, was for $11,000 to grade all the unpaved roads in Halifax including private and unaccepted ones. The Finance Committee, who didn’t initially recommend it, said that after receiving the dollar amount, they were now in support of the article.

The article generated considerable discourse among those present. Amy Troup asked, “Shouldn’t we be spending money on the roads that the towns are actually responsible for before we take care of the roads that are private?” Troup went on to request a list of the specific roads that were to be worked on as a result of the proposed article. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said they did not have a list like that with them.

Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward said that 22 of the 26 unpaved roads in town are already maintained twice a year. According to Seelig, the town’s bylaws allow for limited repairs such as grading to be made to private roads including unpaved ones. This article would include all unpaved roads.

Resident Jeff Bolger said, “It just seems to me instead of this hodge podge, hit or miss road repair that this town constantly goes through and in many cases it’s the squeaky wheel that gets taken care of, that we ought to have some master plan where there’s priorities drawn on what roads need to be taken care of.” Seelig replied that the Highway Department is working with an engineering firm on a Smart Streets program that includes a complete assessment of all of the roads in town. “The Highway Department is well aware of the idea of getting a Master Plan for the roads in town,” Seelig said. The town almost unanimously voted down the article. They did, however, approve the $150,000 requested by the Highway Surveyor for maintenance to town roads.

Proposition to Change Marijuana Zoning

Article 49, which sought to change the current zoning for marijuana establishments from industrial to industrial business, generated considerable debate amongst meeting goers. The article was not recommended by the Finance committee. Bob Maker, who proposed the article, said, “From everything that I’ve been hearing, we need money coming into this town… if we open up a dispensary in town we can get 3 percent of all sales… it just seems like a no brainer that we pass this today.” Someone pointed out that the business zones are also usually residential and such dispensaries, etc. are not allowed within 500 ft. of property lines or schools and other areas where children gather.

Selectman Andrews took a turn at the microphone saying, “I would ask that the town would vote in favor of this.” In the end, the town voted in favor of the zoning change with a required two-thirds vote of 83-23.

Article to Recodify Town’s Bylaws

Article 30, which was brought forth by the Finance Committee, also proved controversial. The article was for $65,000 to pay for a complete revision of the town’s zoning bylaws. Troup once again approached the microphone saying, “I don’t think that the town asked for our bylaws to be changed.” Tarsi said that the Finance Committee was proposing the revision in response to being asked to make recommendations on amendments to various bylaws. Tarsi said that rather than making changes in little bits, the committee felt that it would be better to do a complete recodification. She said they wanted to hire counsel to do that since it would be too big of an ask to place on elected and volunteer committees. The article passed after a recount was had with a vote of 64-41.

Police and Fire Articles

There were a number of articles voted on that pertained to either the police or fire departments. Article 22, which was moved by Selectman Troy Garron, was for $14,000 to buy a 2014 Harley Davidson that the Police Department has been leasing for $325 a month. Police Chief Joao Chaves spoke to the article telling residents that at the time of purchasing, the bike only had 18,000 miles on it and was like new. Up to this point, much of the leasing has been paid for through grant money. Tarsi said that while the Finance Committee is not against the idea of the motorcycle, they would prefer to see another year of leasing to bring down the cost of the bike. Chaves explained, however, that there would only be $2,000 of grant money available this coming year.

Chaves told the assembled residents that the motorcycle has been used for parades and traffic enforcement. He said it allows the police to efficiently respond to congested areas where it might be difficult for a cruiser to access. He also said that the motorcycle was used in assisting Brockton and Wareham during protests there. He said that should Halifax need to they can request up to 45 motorcycle officers for any event at no cost to the town. The article passed.

A number of other articles pertaining to the Police Department were also passed. Article 20 was for $100,000 to purchase and equip two police vehicles, Article 21 was for $20,000 to purchase or upgrade all existing cruiser radios to make them digitally compatible, and Article 23 was for $5,000 to purchase bullet resistant vests. Article 11 was for $4,386 to fund the collective bargaining agreement between the police chief and the town of Halifax. “This was negotiated in good faith and if anyone knows the chief they know that he’s done a great job in town here and he’s one of the lowest paid chiefs in the area; we’re just trying to bring him up to par,” Garron explained. The article passed with unanimous support.

Article 12, which was recommended by the Finance Committee, was for $2,000 to fund the bargaining agreement between Fire Chief Jason Viveiros and the town. “I think that everybody here would agree that Fire Chief Viveiros does a great job and this was the agreement that we came to with him,” Andrews explained. The article passed with unanimous support. Also passing was Article 7 for $10,440 to fund the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement between the town and the local firefighters. The Finance Committee recommended the article which represented a 1.6 percent increase on the firefighters’ annual salaries.

Article 19 was for $600,000 to purchase and equip a fire engine for the Fire Department. Viveiros explained that it would be replacing a 25-year-old engine and said that if passed, the department wouldn’t need to ask for another vehicle for at least 10 years. Of the current engine, he said, “it most recently failed a pump test and is prone to unexpected breakdowns.” The article passed.

Several articles pertaining to improvements were passed. Article 39 moved $15,000 from undesignated funds for repairs on the landfill cap on Hemlock Lane. Article 29 was for $27,800 for the installation of crosswalk devices at Plymouth St. and Holmes St., Lydon Ln. and Monponsett St., and Plymouth St., and Hemlock Ln. Council on Aging (COA) Director Susan Lawless spoke to Article 18 which requested a transfer of $4,100 for a new copier for the COA. An article for $13,000 for insulation and a vapor barrier in the old section of the town barn also passed.

Other notable articles that passed Tuesday evening included Article 51 which proposed taxation to any solar powered device that generates greater than 0.1 megawatts of electricity. Millias said that it wouldn’t affect anyone’s rooftop solar installation. Article 32 was for $3500 to support the South Shore Women’s Resource Center in order to help prevent domestic violence. Article 31 was for $3500 to support South Coastal Counties Legal Services which provides legal services to elders and low-income families and their children.

Police shooting at Kingston Collection under investigation

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Benjamin Paulin
<ben@jgpr.net>

KINGSTON — Police Chief Maurice Splaine reports that the shooting of an assault suspect by a Kingston Police officer early this morning is currently under active investigation by State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

At approximately 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, Kingston Police received a 911 call from a security guard at the Kingston Collection mall, located at 101 Kingston Collection Way. The guard reported that a man in his 20s allegedly brandished a large knife and told the guard to get out of the vehicle.

Kingston Police officers quickly arrived on scene and located the suspect near the entrance of the old Sears parking lot. The man had a large knife in a sheath on his hip. The man was given several verbal commands by the officers and the man ignored their commands.

During the incident, in response to the suspect’s aggressive and threatening actions, officers attempted to deescalate the situation and used non-lethal tactics to get him to comply. The man continued to escalate his threatening behavior and fearing for the safety of themselves and the safety of others, the officers drew their firearms. The man was shot once in the shoulder.

The man was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. He was then flown by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

The man was subsequently identified as Alexander Bakutis, age 25, of Plymouth. Bakutis is in police custody and has been charged with three counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.

Bakutis is expected to be arraigned remotely by the Plymouth District Court on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The officer involved was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. The officer was uninjured and was released from the hospital earlier today. The officer, a 15-year veteran of the department will be on administrative leave during the investigation.

Investigating officers recovered and seized the large knife and other items as evidence from Bakutis.

The incident is actively being investigated by State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. The Kingston Police Department is cooperating fully with that investigation.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) Critical Incident Stress Management unit responded to the scene to assist the Kingston Police Department.

All further inquiries about this incident should be referred to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

Halifax selectmen approve more maintenance personnel in schools

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Monday, September 14 for one of their bonus meetings they’ve been holding throughout most of the pandemic.

Selectman Gordon Andrews recused himself from the Board of Selectmen in order to put on his School Committee hat. Andrews said that on September 9 Precision Air did an evaluation of the air flow at Halifax Elementary School. He explained, “They came back with a number of issues with basically the summary being that there are twenty classrooms that don’t meet the recommended level of having the air exchanged six times per hour in the classrooms.” Vice Chair of the School Committee Alex Meade, who works in the HVAC industry, told Andrews that ideally the filters would have been changed prior to running the test. Andrews said that time constraints prevented that from happening. The school plans to make improvements beginning with the classrooms that were flagged as having airflow issues. The test will be run again once that is complete.

As of the meeting on September 14, the test on the quality of air (versus the airflow test mentioned above) in the classrooms had not been done as that test would best be completed once the classrooms were populated with students and teachers. Andrews as well as Board of Health agent Bob Valery noted that something as small as mold on someone’s backpack or the tennis balls used on the bottom of chairs could affect the outcome of a test.

Andrews told the Board that Head Custodian Matt Durkee was requesting one additional maintenance facility personnel at the Halifax Elementary School through the CARES Act reimbursement deadline of December 31. The cost would be $19 per hour for 40 hours per week. The Board unanimously agreed to use some of the town’s CARES Act money to fund the position.

Andrews also requested that the selectmen approve the town using CARES Act funds to cover similar positions at both the middle and high schools. The positions being requested by Durkee would also be for $19 an hour and would be 40 hours per week over roughly 13 weeks. Each position is anticipated to cost $9,988. Andrews’ proposal to the other selectmen was that Halifax use their town’s CARES Act money to fully fund these maintenance positions with the assumption that Kingston and Plympton would be footing the bill for other COVID-related expenses that the schools will incur. Andrews said that as it was explained to him, whatever CARES Act funds that Kingston has left to be spent, will be put towards the schools as they had previously received none of the money.

Selectman Chair Tom Millias expressed concern over Halifax potentially expending a greater share of CARES Act money on the schools than the other two towns. Seelig said, “We’re putting money in early and the other two communities will be putting money in late; any future requests should reflect that.” The Board of Selectmen agreed to approve the requests for the two additional maintenance personnel with the understanding that other future requests from the middle and high schools will be considered based on the amounts already expended by the town.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that the outdoor licenses granted to restaurants in town could be extended by the Board of Selectmen for two months from November 1. Seelig acknowledged the obvious in that restaurants would have to utilize heaters, etc. in order to serve people outside in the coming months.

Last Monday’s meeting also included the annual classification hearing prior to establishing the tax rate and issuing the tax bills. Before turning things over to Principal Assessor/Appraiser Holly Merry, Millias recused himself from the Board of Selectmen as he also serves on the Board of Assessors.

Merry said that they were proposing that residential, industrial, and commercial all be taxed at the same rate. The town of Halifax has less than ten percent of their properties that fall into either the industrial or commercial zone so therefore the Board of Assessors were not recommending a tax rate split. They also recommended against adopting the open space discount, the residential exemption, and the small commercial exemption. Merry asked the Board of Selectmen to vote on the proposals. They did so unanimously.

Dennett off to a strong start

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Director of Facilities Matt Durkee attended the Monday, Sept. 21 meeting of the Plympton School Committee. Durkee said that a lot of work has been done recently throughout the district and noted that an airflow exchange test was performed at the Dennett Elementary School. “The good news is that for the most part, the building is operating normally; we got good airflow exchange back on that,” Durkee said of the test. The test flagged certain deficiencies that are now being improved on. “Those improvements are ongoing if not already completed,” he said. An example of a deficiency was a restroom where the exhaust fans were not functioning properly; they have since been fixed. The music and art room were also flagged due to a faulty motor that is scheduled to be fixed this week.

Committee member Jason Fraser asked Durkee, “Are we using CO2 monitors as a proxy to give us an idea of air exchange or how are we monitoring how are HVAC units are handling the air exchange in the building?” Durkee answered that CO2 monitoring would be a separate test except for higher-level HVAC systems that might contain CO2 monitors within the system. “The air change per hour is measured by… it looks like a laundry basket that you put over the unit ventilator and your measuring how much air is coming in and your using that same mechanism at an exhaust fan… and measuring how much is being exhausted and a calculation gives you the air changes per hour (ACH).” Fraser said that he had heard of some people using the CO2 monitors as a proxy but said that he much preferred the air exchange testing that was described by Durkee.

An air quality test to measure pollen counts, mold spores, and CO2 had not been completed as of Monday’s meeting but, according to Durkee, remains a possible option. Air purifiers in the nurse’s office and medical waiting room have also been installed at the Dennett. Other physical changes include plexiglass installed at high traffic areas throughout the district including the kitchens. Touchless faucets have also been installed as have touchless paper towel dispensers as they become available. Social distancing signs have also been installed throughout the school. Regarding products that have been backordered, Durkee said, “We’ve been very fortunate to work with contractors and suppliers that have really pushed us up in line to receive some of these items so to that I’m very thankful to the companies that we have been contracting with.”

“I believe the Dennett is in really good shape, facility-wise.” Durkee did note, however, that the siding of the building will have to be addressed eventually as part of a capital plan measure.

Fraser gave a brief update on the plan for the new playground at the Dennett. The school has been working with consultant Joe Dufour of O’Brien and Sons and have received what they needed from him to move forward with an RFQ.  Fraser said that the playground has, unfortunately, had to take a backseat to reopening the schools safely.

Fraser also provided the legislative update noting how difficult it is to be the legislative agent during an election year, particularly a contentious one. He said the State House has been relatively quiet as they are pursuing a lot of reelections across the state. The finalized budget should be ready sometime in November. While multiple watchdog groups are anticipating a $5 billion dollar shortfall, Fraser said there have been assurances that Chapter 70 will be level funded.

Principal Peter Veneto began his update saying, “The good news is that children are back in the building at the Dennett where they belong, and it’s been really a fantastic opening on a lot of different levels.”  Veneto mentioned the 11 days of professional development that staff underwent prior to students returning. “I can’t underscore how important these 11 days were to help prepare our staff and for our staff to be able to work together to be ready for our students,” Superintendent Jill Proulx said.

“Everything has been rewritten, every one of our procedures from recess, to lunch, to dismissal… the people that have been impacted the most are the kids and quite frankly they have adjusted to everything just fine,” Veneto said. Veneto was quick to give credit for the successful opening to the teaching staff, support staff, and custodial staff as was Proulx. Veneto said that the administration has been mindful about trying not to overwhelm parents on any single day with a bombardment of emails or the like.

Proulx stressed the importance of community and caregiver vigilance in keeping the schools open. The administration has been in communication with the Board of Health and has been monitoring state metrics. She told the Committee that her last email through Parent Square included instructions for what to do if a student or caregiver tests positive. She also stressed the importance of staying home and notifying the school nurse or building principal if exhibiting symptoms of COVID, having close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID, or testing positive for COVID yourself. “It’s going to be a community effort in order to keep our students in school and I know that is important to everyone,” Proulx said.

School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen said that several districts in Massachusetts have already had issues with a student attending school despite knowingly waiting for a COVID test or having already tested positive themselves.  “If we have a case in the school there is going to be a certain amount of time that the doors are going to be closed for us to figure out what happened or didn’t happen,” Wilhelmsen said.  “Hopefully it’s as short as possible and everything ends up being good but that’s the risk that we have,” he continued.

Fraser told the Committee, “Through my work with MASC [Massachusetts Association of School Committees] and my background in science, I helped develop a matrix just to try and determine what kind of shutdowns you have and when they would occur based on certain triggers.” He said the matrix is based off DESE’s guidelines regarding contact tracing or what Fraser jokingly refers to as “what if COVID.” “We’re keeping an eye on it and we’re also cognizant of the fact that several municipalities have reported back to MASC that the data the state puts out every Wednesday is not accurate per their own Boards of Health… While that guidance is helpful that comes from MASS DPH every Wednesday, we have to really lean on our parents and our own Board of Health and our own schools to keep our kids and our communities safe,” Fraser explained.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy provided the financial report. Healy said that herself and Wilhelmsen have been working with the town to secure CARES Act funding for the school. Wilhelmsen said that the process for securing that funding is difficult, noting that it takes an invoice in order to get reimbursement. A purchase order with a check will not suffice. Adding to the already convoluted process, many companies will only send an invoice for what has already been sent. The money allocated to Plympton through Plymouth County must be spent by the deadline. Whatever is leftover at that time will be returned to the County to be reallocated differently from that point forward.

Wilhelmsen said that the school has already made it clear to the town and the selectmen that there would likely be costs over and above the school’s budget which was trimmed as a result of the pandemic. “I don’t have a problem going back and saying this is a cost that we are going to incur,” Wilhelmsen said. He also said that he has already warned that utility costs are likely to be considerably higher than in a normal year.

Two potential uses for CARES Act funding that were discussed during Monday’s meeting include a long-term building-based substitute as well as laptops for teachers. Proulx said that in order to stay competitive this year’s rate for substitutes will be increased from the previous rate of $95 per day to $150 per day.

Wilhelmsen pointed out that while in a normal year a teacher, as anyone might, would more than likely push through minor symptoms in order to come into work, it won’t be safe to do so this year. Therefore, there will be an even greater need than normal for more substitutes. Veneto said that just in the first three days of in-person teaching, a substitute was needed every single day. “The current configuration of our cohorts right now, it is a house of cards, and it is very, very fragile,” Veneto stressed. He said that interventionists are stretched as thin as possible. He fully expects that staff absences are likely to cause a shortage of teachers, particularly with the advent of cold and flu season.  Veneto said that the answer may end up being that students will have to be remote if an in-person teacher isn’t available to teach.

School Committee member Daniel Cadogan inquired about the feasibility of notifying parents early in the morning that their child’s school day is suddenly a remote one. For parents working outside of the home, the economic fallout of having to call out of work repeatedly could be significant. Cadogan was advocating for the additional expense to the community as he said the alternative would likely cause hardship for many families. “I just see this as a very small expense to mitigate for just the parents, just the families… there are a lot of families that aren’t going to be able to take that hit 6 or 7 times in a month.” Cadogan said. Wilhelmsen agreed saying that the cost of a building-based sub would equate to only roughly .33 percent of the total town’s budget. Wilhelmsen, who said there may be potential to use CARES Act funds to cover the cost at least through December, plans to speak to the town administrator about the issue.

Ann Walker attended Monday’s meeting on behalf of the Dennett teachers to advocate for the purchase of laptops for them. The teachers have found that the chromebooks being used thus far have many limitations that are making their jobs even more difficult. “Everyone in our building has been working overtime on everything… having these laptops would be much more efficient,” Walker explained. Wilhelmsen again said he thought it might be possible to use CARES Act money to fund at least a portion of the cost. Fraser, who is a teacher, said he has had access to a laptop for both remote and hybrid teaching and said he could not do what is needed on a chromebook.  “If we can make their lives a little bit easier and that can translate into better lessons and less stress for them and for our students, I think it’s a great idea to do it,” Fraser said. Proulx said she would speak with Technology Director Steve Pellowe and ask him to put together some proposals.

Plympton seeks to fill COA director vacancy

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Monday, September 21. The first order of business was to address a memo that was received from the Board of Health regarding limitations on indoor in-person meetings. The memo reiterated the March 2020 order that addressed the issue as well as the third revised memo that stipulated an 8-person limit within the confines of 1,000 sq ft with a maximum limit of 25 persons in any space. The latest memo stated that the Board of Health has decided to discontinue in-person meetings on town owned properties.

Selectman John Traynor said that he was concerned that the restriction on in-person meetings would have a negative impact on the ability of the Council on Aging (COA) Board to meet as many members don’t have the necessary access to technology to attend virtually. At ten people, the Board would need to be reduced in order to continue to meet – something Traynor doesn’t want to do. Traynor said that the COA did meet last Monday. While he said the time in the meeting room itself went well, he did note that the time before and after the meeting in the lobby “left a lot to be desired.”

The Director of Elder Services, Joy Marble recently resigned requiring that an interim strategy be developed while the town searches for another director.  Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy asked the selectmen how quickly they would like to see the position filled. While Selectman Chair Mark Russo said as soon as possible, Traynor said he felt that it might be beneficial to wait a bit to figure out the situation. Traynor also shared that the COA Board plans to take more of an active role in the management of the Council on Aging. While the director won’t be back, both the administrative assistant and driver will be returning. The selectmen agreed that the first step in their search for a new director will be developing a job description. Dennehy said she felt it best to keep the description somewhat broad and mission based.

As part of a new initiative to invite a different chair or department head to each Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Treasurer/Collector Colleen Morin attended Monday’s meeting to provide an update. Morin said that there have been some issues with unemployment. Some at the townhouse had received fraudulent reports that they hadn’t filed. Morin said that she enlisted help from Representative Kathleen LaNatra in order to get through to those in the unemployment department. “She has done a great job helping me and getting me into contact with someone there,” Morin explained.

Morin told the Board that while a hold has been placed on foreclosures during the pandemic, fourteen properties are going into tax title. Of those, ten of the properties are considered to have low land value as they are valued at approximately $22,000 or less. Of the other four, one of the property owners is interested in donating the land to the town. Morin said the property abuts the Harry Jason Park. The current owner was previously unaware they had inherited the land and would rather donate it than pay taxes on it.

Dennehy provided a brief update on the schools as no one from the school committee could attend due to their meeting running concurrently with the Board of Selectmen. Dennehy said that school was back in session and told the Board the Fire Chief and the schools’ Director of Business Services Christine Healy have been working together to improve upon the process for making submissions for CARES Act funding. The current round of CARES Act funding and reimbursement closes at the end of September.

Per usual, the selectmen ended their meeting with their rants and raves. Selectman Christine Joy said, “My rave would be for Liz and John and the COA Board who have stepped up at this time to make sure we are continuing to meet the needs of our seniors in town.” While initially opting to pass on a rave, Russo said that he actually did have one. He spoke about an academician of writing who reminds students of the latin root of the word essay when assigning such work. At its root, the word essay means to make an attempt or endeavor. Russo pointed out that in times of struggle it might be best to focus less on the outcome and more on simply trying. “I appreciate the degree to which we all continue to try,” Russo said. He continued, “May we all continue to do so and may the outcomes be good along the way.”

Trick or Treat alternative proposed

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday evening, Sept. 8 for their regular weekly meeting.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig began with a brief discussion regarding CARES Act funding which is being administered to towns by Plymouth County. Seelig said that after being rejected for the Shared Streets Grant twIcee  for the Cranberry Drive sidewalk project, he is exploring the possibility of using CARES funding. Seelig said he is waiting to hear back from the County on the eligibility of a few projects. He said there was some confusion as to whether CARES Act funds could be applied to those things for which purchase orders have been submitted but payments have yet to be made by September. The Plymouth County Commission may organize another call with the county’s fire chiefs soon.

Not even ten minutes into the meeting, Board of Selectmen Chair Tom Millias told those assembled that they would need to place their masks on as the room was now at capacity. He further said that if anyone else were to enter the room, since it would be inappropriate to ask anyone to leave, the meeting would be adjourned until Thursday. Luckily, this didn’t end up being necessary.

Seelig told the Board that there were two new cases of COVID-19 in Halifax since their previous meeting only a few days before. They were the first cases in town in over a month. Seelig said, “It’s still out there.” He continued, “Massachusetts has been doing an excellent job, the positive rate on the testing is very, very good. It matters what’s your behavior. Are you going to make good decisions or are you not going to make good decisions? Wearing a mask, washing your hands, not going to beach parties with whatever number of people not wearing a mask – I think that’s going to determine what happens here in the next couple of months. Halifax isn’t some place where we have this barrier that magically prevents people from having COVID.”

The Board had several appointments including one with the Library Board of Trustees. They were there to appoint Kathy Shiavone to the Board until May. It took a vote of both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Trustees to appoint her. The vote was unanimous.

The Board needs to hold a joint meeting with the Halifax School Committee to appoint someone to fill the vacancy left on the school committee following a recent resignation. Just as was done with the Library Board of Trustees, it will take a vote from both the school committee and selectmen to appoint someone to the position. Thus far, three talent bank forms have been submitted. The selectmen plan to attend a school committee meeting in October in order to hold interviews and vote on the position.

Ashley DiSesa met with the Board to discuss a possible alternative to traditional trick-or-treating.

She proposed an idea similar to the lunch handout that has been taking place at the Elementary School during the week. “My idea was to try to figure out a way to do a drive through trick-or-treating,” she explained. Her proposal included multiple stops at the school for cars to receive treats as well as a possible contest for the best decorated car.

DiSesa said the plan would be for residents to sign up online through something like SignUp Genius and select a time slot for their drive-through. The event would start relatively early to accommodate the youngest trick or treaters. A number of parents in town have already expressed interest in volunteering and the hope would be to have a few local businesses sponsor the event in order to purchase candy and bags. DiSesa said she had already spoken to the Halifax School Committee and said she also intends to speak with the fire chief. Millias suggested she contact the police chief as well.

“I think it’s a nice idea. I think the community would certainly back it. As long as you can work out the logistics, I would be in favor of it,” Millias said.

DiSesa asked the selec-men if they had a preference on which day to hold the event, suggesting either the Friday before Halloween or Halloween day itself which falls on a Saturday this year.

Selectman Troy Garron said the Saturday would probably make better sense since most parents are probably working on Friday. “And, it’s a full moon,” joked Selectman Gordon Andrews. The selectmen agreed that it was a great idea and asked DiSesa to work out the logistics and come back with a plan that they could approve.

The final appointment of the night was with Drew McGlincy who came to the meeting to discuss charging stations and solar panels at Town Hall. McGlincy spoke about the need to transition away from fossil fuels and said that depending on the speed of the charging stations, the town could probably handle 4-6 of them. He said he was pending verification of how much electricity the system at Town Hall can handle and said that he would propose 240 solar panels to be installed on the roof of Town Hall.

Millias who noted that he isn’t against the concept of the charging stations said, “I for one am not a big fan of panels on the roof. It’s not a matter of if it’s going to leak, it’s a matter of when it’s going to leak.” Millias reminded McGlincy that if the intention was to utilize town funds, it would have to be approved by a vote at town meeting. The earliest that could happen would be next May.

McGlincy said he would pull together a blueprint for a proposed location behind the cemetery in the Town Hall parking lot. Millias asked him to include some estimated costs as well. “I don’t know if it will go anywhere or not, but if you’re willing to do the work, at least that’s a start,” Millias said.

Seelig provided the Board with a few more updates including that the police chief had inquired about a new civil service list for the hiring of three new part time patrol officers. Seelig also provided an update on the Pine St. Bridge project. It is currently in the permitting phase with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Conservation Commission, and Riverways for Massachusetts. The next stage will be the final engineering and it will go out to bid in February or March of 2021 with a completion date of October 2021.

Halifax women inspire through business

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Finding a balance between outward and inward emotions as well as the boundaries of body and buildings have been current challenges so many businesses have faced during the pandemic.

Two local women both Halifax residents are using the opportunity presented by the lockdown to reinvent space and grow their businesses in Hanson.

Local artisan and vendor Amanda Bright, of Always Bright Creations, and Naturespeaks2you’s Sara Beth Ostrander (who goes by Sara Beth) are sharing space and offering a variety of items for all age groups in an outdoor vendor-style tented area in the parking lot of their normally indoor space is at 500 Liberty St., in Hanson — across the street from the fire station.

They are extending into the community at a time it is most needed including a practice of positivity they call “raising the vibration.” The changes during the pandemic have taken a toll on the well -being of so many.

Bright’s displays contain countless inspirational hand-made items thet include: wire wrap and organite  jewelry, mirrors and coffee cups with both funny and positive sayings, and the ever popular  tie-dye trend. She hand dips and creates patterns on her T-shirts, bandanas and table decorations; the hues are instantly uplifting. She twisted and created more than 50 shirts that were nearly sold out by Sunday afternoon.

Sara Beth who normally teaches inside her space at the naturespeaks2you has two and a half decades of self-teaching in geology. The more she learned about the  healing powers associated with rocks and crystals  she knew there were dozens of reasons she sought to teach others.

She is well-versed in the healing properties of natural rock formations using them in her everyday life as well as in mediumship practice and intuitive healing services that she offers at the naturespeaks2-you. She showcases her own handmade jewelry, and gifts inspired by nature, which she hand-collected from crystals throughout New England. A portion of her own journey has been as a member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Mineral Club.  She has an inherited passion for teaching the younger generations about minerals and rocks, which has carried through three generations in her family.

COVID has changed some of the classes and in-person services but her intuitive development services are offered remotely on a case basis and one on one individual class as the State restrictions allow.

On Sunday the tent sale featured both full and partial dinosaur prints collected in the Connecticut River valley, according to Sara Beth.

She also has museum quality replicas of many different dinosaurs.

Numerous items seen on Sunday’s outdoor sale belonged to an avid collector of 50 years, a fellow mineral club member who has recently fallen ill. They are working together with the family to try and get his collection out for purchase with money supporting the family and his medical bills. Along with the opportunity she aims to pique the attention of younger generations educating them on crystals and the energy found in natural formations.

“It is cool to see people come over and pick the crystals up … and see the excitement of what people are drawn to- it is what serves them,” said Sara Beth.

Bright who has done great reflection and self improvement has found her passion after losing her mother in Dec. 2018, it coincided with the breakup of a toxic two-year marriage.

She had depression and complex PTSD, with financial insecurity that forced her to move back home. She thought she was at rock bottom and in her own words “felt like giving up.”

“I was a mess,” she said.

Empowering herself and realizing giving up was not in the cards she started writing on her mirrors screaming self love and self worth at herself by writing ‘you got this! … you are strong. You are beautiful.”  Each day finding strength and literally writing these affirmations on and in all of her reflective surfaces.

She began crafting, picking wild flowers and drying them teaching herself how to make smudge sticks and balls made from organic white sage and an assortment of beautiful handpicked flowers and herbs as well as Dream Catchers handcrafted and made from the grapevines right in her own back yard in Halifax.

They are planning to host their outside sale 12-5 on Sundays and a second day weather permitting.  All of their sale and contact information as well as updates on their tent sale are located on Facebook pages Always Bright Creations and Naturespeaks2you .

Dennett plans to open its doors next week

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The Plympton School Committee met on Tuesday evening, Sept. 8 to provide an update on school reopening plans.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto said, “Our back to school plan shifted slightly in that the school committee initially voted for us to start full remote but as I suspected, once we had staff members in the building and we got down to the planning… my teachers want students in front of them and we feel that we can do it safely.” The first day for most students will be Wednesday, Sept. 16 and it will be a full remote day. Cohorts B and D will report to school in-person on Thursday, Sept. 17 and Friday, Sept. 18. Kindergarten screenings will take place on that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The first day of school for kindergarten will be Monday, Sept. 21. That Monday will also be the first day of in person learning for Cohorts A and D.

Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen said, “The reason we voted for a phased-in hybrid approach was to provide Peter and the teaching staff with the opportunity to consider all the options which they did and this appeared to be the best option for facilitating getting folks back to school.”

Veneto said the administration took into account the information from parents when creating cohorts. “We did have to do a little bit of tap dancing… basically A-K would be in Cohort A and the rest of the alphabet Cohort B. That became a challenge because we were trying to honor families’ wishes about keeping their children within the same cohort so inevitably, when you have a district our size, there were some errors along the way,” Veneto explained.

Committee member Jason Fraser asked if there was room built into the cohorts for students that wish to opt back into some in-person learning midway through the year. Veneto acknowledged that the cohorts are very tight as-is. “Much like our master schedules, with these cohorts, it is a very, very delicate balance,” Veneto said. He continued, “If there was to be a lot of shifting, we would have to get even more creative.” Fraser also asked Veneto what he referred to as a “dad to dad question” saying, “You would feel comfortable with your own children in your school come September 17?” Without missing a beat, Veneto responded, “absolutely, no question.”

Veneto also provided the committee with an update on changes to staff. Two staff members retired while several more decided not to return to work due to concerns around COVID. “I completely respect the opinion and the judgment of the people that decided they were uncomfortable coming back,” Veneto said. There will be a new librarian, music teacher, and kindergarten teacher. As of Tuesday’s meeting, Veneto said he still needed to hire a new art teacher as well as a part time kindergarten aide. He said he felt confident that the positions will be filled prior to the start of school.

A Health and Safety Advisory Committee has been established to deal with issues related to the pandemic. The ad-hoc committee is made up of Wilhelmsen, Fraser, Veneto, several teachers, the school nurse, and a parent with expertise in the area. The formation of the committee will ensure a two-way communication that includes those with their boots on the ground in the day to day implementation of new safety procedures and policies.

According to Fraser, one of the committee’s concerns was with the state’s ability to provide data on COVID infections in the area in an accurate and timely way. Fraser said that himself, Wilhelmsen, and Veneto had previously met with the Emergency Management Team, including the Board of Health, where he says they were told, “contact tracing isn’t necessarily the 21st century science that we would all hope it would be… we’re all going to have to be advocates at the local level.” Fraser stressed the importance of parents notifying the school nurse regarding any COVID cases within their family. Due to Plympton’s small population, it would only take 8 cases to move Plympton into the “red” risk level which could necessitate a school closure. Fraser said that since 8 cases could be two households with no connection to the school, the committee will be exploring an alternate means of interpreting the data regarding school closure.

Students and staff will be required to complete an attestation each day that verifies that they are in compliance with the CDC checklist of COVID risks. If not completed on time, parents will be sent a reminder within 15 minutes.  “We realize, and its almost purposeful, that this is inconvenient. It’s supposed to make you stop – knock you out of your routine a little bit and really consciously think about your own health or your child’s health before you send them to school each and every day,” Fraser explained. He also pointed out that for most families it will only be twice a week and that doing so helps to ensure the health of the community.

Superintendent Jill Proulx read through a list of revised policies. She said the policy regarding visitors to school will remain the same except she will have the ability to amend the policy should the need arise. Proulx also spoke on the policy regarding communicable diseases saying that while it will be similar to the current policy, it will allow the superintendent to “establish protocols for tracking student’s contacts as a means of locating others from whom the student may contract or expose other persons to COVID 19.” Proulx noted that the policy will be in line with privacy laws. Proulx also noted changes such as the stance on attendance. She said that while in the past, perfect attendance would be celebrated, it won’t any longer as individuals are encouraged to stay home whenever symptoms of illness are present.

The policy on masks in school was also discussed. The school is asking that all students be put on buses with masks on regardless of their age. Bus drivers in Plympton will be supplied with spare masks. Some masks will also be deemed inappropriate for school. These include either homemade or store-bought single ply masks, masks with valves, and gaiters. If a mask is deemed unacceptable, it will be replaced with a school-supplied disposable one and the caregivers will be contacted. If after multiple attempts to facilitate proper mask wearing fails, the school will reserve the right to ask that a student be moved to remote only.

“As we continue to move forward in opening the building, we’re going to be keeping our eye on the data but we’re aware that that data is actual people and individuals with family and people who care about them. I never want it to get lost that each number that you see on the TV every night when the state does its reporting is a person that has a family,” Fraser told those present at Tuesday’s meeting.

The Plympton School Committee meets again on September 21.

Halifax readies for Annual Town Meeting

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Sept. 3 in preparation of the town meeting to be held Saturday, September 12 at Halifax Elementary School at 9 a.m. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that town meetings are exempt from the Governor’s limit of 25 persons per room. Seelig said that seats would be kept to about 7 feet apart and people would be divided between the gym and the multi-purpose room. The quorum remains at 100. Screens, cameras, and microphones will be setup in each room to keep everyone connected. People from the same household will be allowed to sit together. Town Moderator Dennis Carman will be in the gym, where 100 people are estimated to fit, and an assistant town moderator will likely be needed for the multi-purpose room. Masks will be mandated, and microphones will be wiped down between uses.

Seelig recommended that the town distribute placards with a red side and a green side for residents to use to indicate their vote. Carman expressed concern about his vision and shared concern over a third party helping to indicate to him the outcome of the vote. Seelig said if it isn’t easily discernible if there are more green or more red, counters would be available to tally the total.

Ways to move the meeting along as quickly as possible while still allowing voters an opportunity to speak to or debate articles as needed, were discussed. The idea to vote on a consent agenda was proposed. This would allow multiple articles to be voted on together as a group with a hold being placed on individual topics should someone wish to speak on them.

“There are two extremes for the town meeting,” Seelig said. The first of which occurs if there aren’t enough people for a quorum. If that happens, town meeting will have to once again be rescheduled. The Board opted to keep the quorum at 100 despite having the ability to temporarily lower it with advanced notice. Seelig said the other end of the spectrum is if too many people turn out and there isn’t enough room to socially distance between the two rooms. If that happens, town meeting would have to be postponed and moved to another, larger location. A possible option could be the Kingston Collection. Carman said, “I hate the optics of having to close down a town meeting because there are too many people who want to go… people may misunderstand that.”

Seelig said he could contact the Kingston Collection and find out if they could book the venue for town meeting on Monday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. to serve as plan B should they be over capacity on Saturday.  The Board voted to ask Seelig to reserve the location with the understanding that they may have to pay for the deposit even if it ends up not being needed.

Following the discussion on logistics, they turned their attention to the warrant beginning with the special town meeting. The first article is for $6000 for HVAC work to the town hall. The second is for $30,000 for unemployment. Seelig said they would likely pass over Article 3 which is for $30,000 for a Council on Aging van. According to Seelig the town is looking into the possibility of getting CARES Act money to fund it. Article 4 is the result of a petition article and is for $20,000 for truck traffic reinforcement. The money would go to the police department to be used for that purpose. Article 5 is for a crosswalk extension between the two roads of Cranberry Dr. and Plymouth St. The town has applied for a state grant to fund it but have not received word yet as to whether they will be granted the money. Seelig said they may know by the date of the town meeting whether the town will have to fund the project, should the town vote to proceed with it.

Selectman Gordon Andrews asked if the Finance Committee had made recommendations on the five articles. Finance Committee member Melinda Tarsi said they had made recommendations for all but Article 3 as they were waiting to see if it could be covered through the CARES Act. Articles 1 and 2 received the Finance Committee’s recommendation while Articles 4 and 5 did not.

Article 1 in the annual is the normal report for town officers and committees. Seelig told Carman that as much as he appreciates their ability to do that, he would like to keep it brief in the interest of time. Article 2 is a series of amendments from the Wage and Personnel Board. Article 3 is a Finance Committee article on the salaries set for the town officials. Article 4 is the budget. Article 5 is the revolving accounts. Seelig said there are no appropriations necessary and the article simply sets the revolving funds and the limits to which they can be spent. Article 6 is the reserve fund. Articles 7-13 are union and personnel contracts. Article 14 is an article for becoming co-opt. Article 15 is Chapter 90 and according to Seelig the state has changed things so that this article won’t be necessary in the future. Article 16 is a traditional article on the roads.

The next several articles are for the capital budget. Seelig said that some of them will be passed over. Article 17 is for $150 for a backhoe, 18 is for a copier for the COA, and 19 is for a fire engine. Articles 20 through 23 are all for the Police Department and are for police vehicles, radio systems, a motorcycle, and bullet resistant vests, respectively. Article 24 is regarding an error made by the retirement system where a town employee was charged to the housing authority rather than the town. Seelig said he was unsure if the correct amount could be ascertained prior to town meeting. Article 25 is the assessor’s recertification account.

Article 26 is to fund Halifax’s share of the part time school resource officer at Silver Lake Regional Middle School. The same article appeared on last year’s warrant and the town voted it down. Plympton voted in favor of it, however, meaning that the part time officer could serve the middle school for just a few hours per week. Kingston already funds the school resource officer at the high school.

Article 27 is for a truck inspection program. Article 28 is to grade all unpaved roads in Halifax including private roads. Article 29 is for $33,500 for crosswalk devices. There was some mention that the expense may be eligible for CARES Act funding if touchless devices were installed.

Article 30 is a revision of zoning bylaws and is recommended by the Finance Committee. Articles 31 and 32 are traditional, annual articles. Articles 33, 34, and 36 will likely be passed over. Article 35 is for insulation at the town barn. Article 37 is to fund repairs to the roof at Pope’s Tavern. Article 38 is an annual article to appropriate money received from Lyft and Uber for the town in the amount of $857.60. The state requires the money to go toward the highway maintenance account.

Articles 40-44 will likely be passed over. The Selectmen are also recommending that Article 45 is passed over. Article 46 is for the next phase of the stormwater protection bylaw. Article 47 will be passed over per the direction of FEMA. Of Article 47, Seelig said “I’m sure it will be highly divisive.” It concerns multi-family housing and needs a two-thirds majority to pass.

Article 49 would allow marijuana facilities in the commercial district by special permit. Article 50 would change the bylaw to allow the Beautification Committee to increase their membership. Article 51 is being proposed by the selectmen and involves taxes on solar fields. Article 52 will likely be passed over and Article 53 is the election article.