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LaNatra presents bill for public health services

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Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 10, to aid in the state’s response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19 as it is identified. Baker said, “We will continue planning and preparing to mitigate the spread of this disease…I urge employers and other large organizations to follow our example and limit or eliminate non-essential travel, limit or eliminate large events where possible, and explore telework where appropriate for your organization.”

Older adults and those with health issues are also being implored by the administration to avoid large crowds and gatherings as are those that live with someone in the vulnerable population. As of press time, the number of confirmed or presumptive positives in Massachusetts had reached 91 with the majority of those being linked to a Biogen conference held in Boston in late February. As of Wednesday, March 11 the World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. What does all of this mean for our local communities?

On March 11 Kingston Town Administrator Thomas Calter posted a letter to residents alerting them of a possible COVID-19 case in a Kingston resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth. Later that same day, Kingston town officials leaarned that the patient was negative for the virus during a lengthy call with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. As of press time, there are currently no presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kingston or Plymouth County.

The Kingston Board of Health said that thus far they have been following the guidelines provided by the CDC and Mass.gov. They did say that they planned to run a simulated drill with emergency services personnel in town in conjunction with the Board of Health on March 21. The drill is meant to assess the level of preparedness of the town should the worst-case scenario take place.

They also said that they are in talks with a contractor should they elect to do a commercial grade clean of the schools and other town buildings. The cleaning would involve a mist spray made by the same company that produces Lysol.

Other local communities have taken similar measures to help ensure that their schools are being properly disinfected. Whitman-Hanson performed a deep cleaning of all school facilities over the February break and plan to do another this coming weekend. All public schools in Plymouth were closed on Friday, March 6 in order to thoroughly clean and disinfect them. The closing was due to an abundance of caution after a student became ill upon returning from a recent trip to Italy. That student ended up testing negative for COVID-19.

The Plympton Board of Health is referring residents to a letter jointly posted to the town website on March 10 by Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, Fire Chief Stephan Silva, and Chair of the Board of Health Art Morin. The letter reminds residents of common-sense actions they can take including washing hands, avoiding touching their face, and cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.

According to the letter, the town is following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Department of Public Health (DPH). Specific questions, it says, can be directed to Fire Captain Cheryl Davis ([email protected]).

The Halifax town website also provides information on COVID-19 including links to resources such as the Massachusetts Department of Public Health webpage and the CDC’s frequently asked questions regarding coronavirus and another page dedicated to interim guidance for employers. Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, who advised listening to medical professionals, said, “People should practice hygiene, if they feel sick whether it’s COVID-19 or the flu or a cold or something else, stay home. Obviously, people over a certain age or with frequent health problems are more endangered with this so they should probably take additional precautions.”

Regarding town business, Seelig said that unless specific directives were given by the Governor’s office, business would go on as usual with some obvious precautions taken. “We’re going to continue, until otherwise I would say, operating as normal,” Seelig said.

Seelig did say that maintenance staff both within the schools and other municipal buildings have been taking extra care to disinfect common surfaces such as doorknobs.

Given Governor Baker’s suggestion to avoid large gatherings, Seelig said he will reach out to the administration to find out how best to handle potentially large gatherings such as the Chapter 40B public hearings scheduled for next week.

Seelig’s advice to those in the community is to “Try and maintain, as well as you can, a sense of normalcy given the circumstances.”

HES budget approved

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Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch led the discussion on the Student Opportunity Act and what it means for Halifax during the Monday, March 2, Halifax School Committee meeting. The Student Opportunity Act, signed into law in November of 2019, rethinks the allocation of Chapter 70 funding throughout the state per the recommendation of the 2015 State Foundation Budget Review Committee. It has had the greatest impact on state education funding since the inception of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act in 1993.

Lynch explained that districts receiving less than $1.5 million in additional funds are required to produce a student opportunity plan known as the short form while districts receiving greater than $1.5 million must produce the long form. Halifax falls into the former category earning about $30 per student totaling $17,580. Under the Act, 85 percent of the funding was awarded to a small number of districts that were deemed to be the most in need.

Lynch explained that the student opportunity plan is meant to focus on ways in which to close persistent opportunity achievement gaps. “While this is a required plan, it does align with Halifax’s plan and Silver Lake’s plans to really try and support all students across the board,” Lynch explained. The plan is broken into four parts focusing on 1.) identifying which subgroups are not achieving at the same rate as their peers, 2.) Adopting, deepening, or continuing efforts to close that gap, 3.) Ways in which to monitor the plan and 4.) engaging families and stakeholders in the process. Lynch said that students with disabilities, students in the Title 1 program, and English language learners were all identified as needing additional supports to close the current gap in student achievement. Lynch also said that part of their plan includes the adoption of a new, evidence-based early literacy plan for students.

Principal Kayne Beaudry, Assistant Principal Brian DeSantes, and Superintendent Jill Proulx have recommended continuing with a math interventionist position for the fiscal year 2021 budget. The position was previously funded through Title I but won’t be for the upcoming year. A member of the public present at the meeting asked what kind of success the school has seen as a result of the position that would justify continuing with it despite needing to now fund it through the budget. Proulx said that curriculum coordinator Melissa Farrell, who was not present, would be best suited to answer the question with specifics. Proulx did stress, however, the importance of interventionists who can work alongside teachers in an inclusive classroom. “One of the things that we have talked about and focused on is really the need for push in rather than pull out. As research shows us, when we work with students in the classroom as opposed to sending them out for interventions, student achievement tends to grow,” Proulx explained.

Lynch explained that the state asks districts for specific metrics that can be used to measure success. Lynch said that ELA achievement on the MCAS as well as math achievement are two of the metrics that Halifax will be using. Halifax School Committee Chair Summer Schmaling asked that some metrics be used that are not test scores as not all students are good test takers.

Both Lynch and Proulx said that they are eager to find out from families what additional supports they may need. There will be a meet and greet with Proulx and Lynch on March 18 with a session beginning at 3 p.m. and another at 5:30 p.m.  The finalized plan must be submitted by midnight on April 1.

A member of the public and father of children at Halifax Elementary attended the meeting Monday to address his concerns over bullying at the school. The father said that he had been a part of a heated conversation on Facebook regarding bullying and “wanted to at least show everyone who I was so I’m not just sitting behind a keyboard.” He also said that he had been encouraged by a recent meeting he had with both the principal and assistant principal. He emphasized how important communication between parents, teachers, and students is to fixing the problem. Schmaling said, “Thank you for coming, there is nothing worse than a keyboard warrior… you’re sending a powerful message.”

Proulx presented a draft of the schedule for next year. Proposed in-service days for teachers would be August 31, September 1, November 3, and February 22. The first day of school would be September 2. February vacation will be from February 15 to February 19. Some school committee members asked about the professional development days all falling relatively early in the calendar year. Committee member Alison Vance, however, pointed out that prior to the current year, there were only two in-service days for teachers and they both occurred prior to school starting.

Proulx led the discussion on the budget addressing the need to fund the math interventionist previously funded by Title I. The amount needed to fund the position would be $30,000. Proulx suggested some proposed budget cuts including building cuts totaling $10,000 and another $7,000 in cuts from reducing Grade 3 textbooks and limiting the implementation of classroom materials such as STEM materials. Proulx also said that she requested cuts from technology director Steve Pellowe. Proulx said that she worked with administrators to provide a list of cuts that would have the least impact on student needs. In addition to shrinking Title I funds, Proulx said that Title II A funds are also being reduced. Title II A is currently the only means of funding professional development services.

Vance said that even without cuts, adding the $30,000 to the current budget would still be level service as it is not a new position. Schmaling was also hesitant to make the cuts proposed by Proulx. School Committee member and Halifax Selectman Gordon Andrews said that he felt that the budget was reasonable as is but that adding $30,000 on top of that would likely present a problem.  “I think it’s the fiscal reality of what’s happening with the town and what’s happening with the state,” Andrews said.

Proulx pointed out that there may be a savings in the budget once the transportation numbers are actual and the bus contracts finalized. There was also some discussion among the committee members as to whether or not it might make sense to ask the town to reallocate funds from the vocational students back to the schools in order to help fund the math interventionist. School committee member Robert Johnson said that he was not worried about the additional $30,000 given that the overall budget totals more than 8 million dollars.

In the end, the committee voted to approve the budget with the additional $30,000, forgoing the additional cuts proposed by Proulx. The committee voted to approve the 2020-2021 elementary regular day and special education operating budget of $5,871,010. They also voted to approve the elementary out of district special education tuition budget of $1,857,409 and the out of district special education transportation budget of $473,800. The final vote was to approve the out of district vocational education budget of $206,500.

How we voted on Super Tuesday

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Voters across Massachusetts headed to the polls on Super Tuesday to vote in the presidential primary.

Voters in Halifax, selected Joe Biden as their preferred Democratic  presidential nominee with him receiving 519 votes or 39 percent of the vote.  Bernie Sanders finished second with 363 votes or 27% of the vote. Elizabeth Warren received 190 votes, 14.3 percent, and Michael Bloomberg received 171 votes  or 12.8%. Bloomberg has since left the race.

Nearly 43 percent of voters in Plympton also selected Biden who received 249 votes. Sanders received 149 votes and 25.7 percent of the Plympton vote while Warren received 73 votes (12.6 percent) and Bloomberg received 64 votes (11 percent).

In Kingston, Biden also received the lion’s share of votes with 1032, or 39.1% of the democratic votes cast.  Bernie Sanders took 704 votes, or 26.7%, and Elizabeth Warren tied Micheal Bloomberg with each receiving 350 votes, or 13.27%.

Plymouth County voted very similarly overall to the Silver Lake towns of Halifax, Plympton, and Kingston. Tulsi Gabbard, who as of press time was still in the race, received very little support from Massachusetts. Biden walked away from Super Tuesday with 34 of Massachusetts’ delegates while Sanders picked up 26, and Warren 17.

Republican voters faced a choice between President Donald Trump or former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld.

Trump easily won the Massachusetts Republican primary with nearly 87 percent of the vote while Weld picked up 10 percent of the vote. For reference, both Halifax (53 percent of the vote) and Plympton (50 percent of the vote) went for Donald Trump in the 2016 general election, despite Clinton winning the state by a significant margin.

Three candidates were on the ballot in both Halifax and Plympton for Republican State Committee Man in the Second Plymouth and Bristol District. They were Incumbent and Halifax Selectman Gordon C. Andrews, former state representative and Whitman resident Geoff Diehl, and Lawrence Novak of Brockton. Diehl won decisively in  both towns with 420 in Halifax to Andrews 292, and Novak 28.  In Plympton,  Diehl won with 187 votes to Andrews 67 and Novak 11.   

Two candidates were also on the ballot for Republican State Committee Woman: Whitman resident KathyJo Boss and Brockton resident Jeanie Falcone.  Kathy Jo Boss won Halifax with 397 votes to Falcone’s 300.  In Plympton, Boss  won 146 votes to Falcone’s 108. The races for Democratic State Committee Woman and Man were uncontested with both Michael D. Brady and Peggy Curtis both up for reelection.

In Kingston, voters chose James R. McMahon, III for Republican State Committee man with 562 votes over Jesse G. Brown, 483 votes, and Sean Patrick Rausch with 36 votes. Jennifer A Cunningham won 593 votes for Republican State Committee woman over Linda M Zuern with 405 votes.  The Democratic State Committee Man in Kingston was Brian R. Dunn who ran unopposed. Democratic State Committee Woman Amy B. Kullar was also unopposed.

Results of the State Committee races were still being tabulated as of press time.

ROCCC increase queried

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Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy gave an update to Plympton selectmen at Monday night’s meeting on the proposed contract with Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC). The Selectmen had previously met with members of the ROCCC to discuss the large increase in dispatch costs to the town. Plympton paid $50,000 for this fiscal year and the increase proposed by ROCC discussed previously was $200,000 annually. Following that meeting, the ROCCC  has since suggested a fee of $125,000 due by July 1 for the next fiscal year, increasing to $175,000 the following year.

Joy said, “The $125,000 to me, seems very reasonable and I think we should attempt to lock that in given the service that they provide. I don’t know if we want to see if there’s any room to further negotiate the $175,000.” Joy did say that she would want to ensure that if another community were to join the center, Plympton’s rate would be adjusted accordingly. Traynor said that he believed it would cost the town more than $200,000 to handle their dispatch services any other way. Russo, however, was not as eager to agree to the newly proposed rates saying he still takes issue with the formula used to determine call volume.

“My concern right now is that the means they’re using to come up with this allocation is just way off – the number of calls. Us having three times as many calls as a town with three times as many citizens (Halifax) is just crazy,” Russo explained. Dennehy and Russo agreed to have another meeting with the ROCCC.

Roads

The board discussed various roads in town. Resident Bill Manganello of 67 Pleasant St. was represented by Gary James of James Engineering, Inc. in his request to the board for a discontinuation of a county roadway. James said that the right of way in question was laid out back in the 1960s and has been unchanged since. A right of way easement essentially gives someone else the right to use a specific portion of the landowner’s property. Showing the selectmen and Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte a map of the area, James said that their suggestion would be to widen the existing road and utilize that rather than the right of way. James said that the administrative staff at the County Commissioner had indicated that they would need the request to come from the Board of Selectmen rather than a private individual.

Selectman John Traynor asked if it would affect any neighbors and was told that, if anything, it would help them as they would be gaining a bit of land back. Manganello explained to the board that he is trying to apply for a 61A application but has run into an issue due to the parcel being separated.

“So that’s the motivation? To get this into condition where you could go into 61A?,” Selectman Mark Russo asked. Manganello explained, “The main problem that has motivated this whole thing was them charging on the right of way for taxes.” Manganello went on to explain that he was being charged doubly for frontage taxes and that it was not a small amount. His hope is to make it one continuous lot.

Chair Christine Joy asked if there would be any expense to the town and was told no. Traynor said that he didn’t see a drawback, but Russo was more hesitant saying, “I’m just trying to be careful that there are not unintended consequences that we’re missing and there’s a part of me that wonders if we shouldn’t be checking with town counsel just to be sure.” James offered to draft a letter that could be reviewed by town counsel prior to taking up the matter again at the next selectmen’s meeting.

The Selectmen and Firlotte discussed the intersection at Main Street and Ring Road. The intersection has been deemed one of the most dangerous in town and was one of the motivations behind the article at special town meeting which granted permission to the selectmen to create safety zones at designated intersections by lowering the speed limit. Traynor said, “If you’re coming from the town house, it is very hard, especially when all the foliage is out, to get a clear look down there. If you’re going to make a left-hand turn onto Ring Rd., it’s a little dicey.” The selectmen also said that many drivers fail to yield despite the yield sign. Firlotte offered to speak with some engineers and get their feedback.

“My inclination is to wonder if we might try the lowering of the speed limit, the creating of the safety zone which we’re authorized to do based on the special town meeting and just see what happens with that, see if that works,” Russo said. He continued, “The advantage of that is it is really inexpensive, and we avoid any problems with disrupting current property lines. I don’t know if it’s enough, but it would be a start.” Russo also said that the reduced speed limit would be 20 mph. The selectmen agreed to put the discussion of a safety zone at that intersection on the agenda for the following meeting. The selectmen also mentioned that the abutters may want to be in attendance for that discussion.

Dennehy updated the selectmen on the modular home that was declared surplus and put out to bid. The sealed bid opening was held on Thursday, February 6 with a single bid of $8,100. The selectmen voted to award that modular home to the sole bidder, John Mathias.

Colleen Thompson was in attendance to speak to the proposed talent bank form for the town. Traynor said that it was modeled on the one used by Halifax. Thompson and the selectmen discussed possible ways to encourage volunteering including manning a table with the talent bank forms during town gatherings including election days or town meetings. Russo also suggested possibly including it in a town-wide mailing.

Russo asked the other members of the board to authorize him to seek a contract with Colonial Power Group should it prove beneficial to the town. Russo said that Colonial Power Group had informed them that natural gas is at a six-year low. Traynor said that he was fine with it as long as residents were made aware of what their current rate is versus the new proposed rate under Colonial Power Group. Traynor also wanted to make sure that residents understood that they could opt out. The selectmen voted to allow Russo to explore a new contract.

Blue Bird

Dennehy informed the board that a resident had inquired about the possibility of placing several blue bird nesting boxes along the town green and cemetery. The resident offered to donate the boxes but was seeking permission to install them. Joy suggested that there might be a better location for those boxes such as the preserve. Russo, a veterinarian, said, “It’s pretty easy for human beings to well intentionally make a change and change the ecosystem.” Russo offered to look into the matter further.

Coronavirus

Dennehy provided an update on the town’s response to the Coronavirus. “It does sound like they feel that places should be kind of gearing up in the event that we did need to start closing certain things whether it be the Council on Aging, the library, or the town house to get some plans in place,” Dennehy explained. She said she had been in touch with both the Police Chief and the Fire Chief as well as the Board of Health. “They’re very much on top of it,” Dennehy said.

House lots for sale to benefit Preserve

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Alan Wheelock
Special to The Express

Late in 2018, Plympton voters approved the acquisition of a large, beautiful parcel of conservation land on Prospect Road, not far from the Middleboro town line. Recognized by the state as one of the most environmentally important natural areas remaining on the South Shore, this land might well have been destroyed in a sand and gravel operation had it not been acquired by the town. The property is extensive and covers 160 acres of forested upland, wetlands, and cranberry bogs.

 In order to finance the acquisition of the property, the Plympton Open Space Committee led a creative effort that involved the use of Community Preservation Act funds, personal donations, fund raising efforts, and the issuance of a short-term municipal bond. The Open Space Committee made a commitment to voters to retire the bond as quickly as possible by selling several house lots with frontage along Prospect Road.

 These lots are now on the market. Each of the three lots available for sale by the Town are approximately 1.5 acres in size, and have already been approved for both septic and wells. The lots are beautifully wooded with mature white pine, red and white oak, and American holly. All three of the lots have water views overlooking a reservoir (associated with the former cranberry operation) and of course are contiguous with Plympton’s newest conservation area – Two Brooks Preserve. The Preserve will afford the new residents hiking, bird watching, and overall enjoyment of nature just outside their doorsteps.

 Interested parties can submit bids for one or more of these lots to the Town of Plympton. (A public bid process is required for the sale of Town-owned property under state regulations.) Required forms and instructions are available at Plympton’s website, which is town.plympton.ma.us.

 Alternatively, paper copies of the bid forms and instructions may be obtained at the Treasurer’s Office at the Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Road, in Historic Plympton Village. The Town House is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Monday evenings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 All bids must be received at the Treasurer’s Office at the Plympton Town House no later than 12 noon, April 7, 2020.

Primary Election is March 3

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Town Clerks throughout the Silver Lake region are making last minute preparations for the Presidential Primary Election March 3.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. and is expected to be a heavy turnout.

Plympton residents vote at the Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Road, Route 58.

Halifax residents vote at the Halifax Elementary School, Route 106, Halifax.

Kingston residents in Precincts 1, 2, and 3, vote at the Kingston Elementary School, 100 Main St.; Precinct 4 votes at the Town Hall, 26 Evergreen Street.

Selectmen review Area 58 contract

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Kristy Zamagni-Twomey
Express correspondent

HALIFAX – Representatives from Area 58 and the Cable Advisory Board met with the Halifax Board of Selectmen Tuesday night to discuss concerns several months before the end of their current contract.

Selectman Tom Millias said that he feels there is a lack of transparency on Comcast’s end, specifically regarding the types of fees on bills. Millias said that the Area 58 fees are included under “franchise fees” and stressed that most subscribers are probably unaware that they are paying for those services. Cable access is available to everyone including non-subscribers who are not paying for it. “It took me a while to figure out that I was paying for it and I scrutinize my bills,” Millias said. Millias also said that he was concerned that there was no option to opt out of paying for the service. The representatives from Area 58 said that they had no control over the way in which Comcast bills for their services. They offered to do a PSA on their channel to make viewers aware.

There were several appointments scheduled during the Tuesday’s Selectmen meeting. The first was with Judith Rakutis and Martha Smith. Both women were appointed to the Council on Aging Board of Directors. The selectmen thanked them for volunteering.

Amber Sadlier, the Race Director for the Ragnar Road Relay met with the Board to request permission for the race to run through the town and use the elementary school as a minor exchange point. The Ragnar Road Relay is a series of 200-mile relay races run in 20 different geographic locations. The Massachusetts’ race traditionally begins in Hull and finished in Provincetown but had to be re-routed in recent years for safety reasons. The race will now end at Smuggler’s Beach in Yarmouth with a stop in Halifax. The race is run on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9. It is anticipated that runners would begin to trickle in around 4 p.m. with peak time being 6 p.m. on Friday. Sadlier said that it wouldn’t be necessary for roads to be closed down. Due to concerns regarding heavy traffic in the area at that time in the afternoon, Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves said he would have a police detail present. The selectmen unanimously supported Sadlier’s request. Sadlier told the Board that the race raised $400,000 for various fundraising campaigns in 2018.

Eagle Scout candidate Ryan McCarthy sought the Board’s approval for his project to create tables near the soon to be built gazebo at the HOPS Playground. McCarthy, who is a part of Boy Scout Troop 39, said that one of the tables would be handicap accessible. Asked how he would be funding the project, McCarthy said that he has several sponsors lined up as well as a GoFundMe page. Selectmen Chair Troy Garron said, “Once again, the Boy Scouts are improving upon the quality of life in Halifax.”

The final appointment of the night was with Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Land Agent Joan Pierce and Plymouth County Administrator Frank Basler. In July, Pierce met with the Board to discuss Fisheries and Wildlife buying an area of Peterson’s Swamp from Halifax. According to Pierce, the Department would maintain the land rather than develop it. Included in the plan is a small parking area to make the land more accessible.

Currently, Plymouth County and Halifax each own 50 percent of the land being referred to as Parcel A and Parcel B. Halifax needs to purchase their share of the land from Plymouth County for $75,000 before selling it to Fisheries and Wildlife for an agreed upon $150,000.

In previous meetings with Pierce, both Garron and Millias have expressed frustration with getting the short end of the stick in their previous deals with Fisheries and Wildlife. To make this deal more appealing to the selectmen and the town, Fisheries and Wildlife will also be transferring a sliver of land behind Aldana Road to Halifax. This land carries value to the town as ownership of it will be necessary to eventually pave the road.

Seelig said that they had Article 97 legislation drafted for the transaction. Seelig said that the Board could vote to request Representative Kathleen LaNatra and Senator Michael Brady to file it. Pierce said that the draft was approved by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), the Executive Office of Administration and Finance (A & F), and Fisheries and Wildlife and would now just need the approval of the town in order to be filed.

Selectman Gordon Andrews asked, “What guarantee do we have that we get the sliver?” Pierce reminded him that Fisheries and Wildlife wants Parcel B and without the transfer of the sliver, that can’t happen.  Once the Article 97 legislation goes through there is a swap for no further consideration.

Millias, who called the town’s track record with Fisheries and Wildlife “poor to lousy” said, “My issue all along has been that I have absolutely no confidence in Fisheries and Wildlife and the Commonwealth. Absolutely none and this is not just recently, this has been over twenty years.” Pierce assured him, “We are committed to this. I’m on record, I’m in the minutes, and that’s all I can tell you.”

Andrews made a motion to approve the purchase of Lot A and B from the county for $75,000 as voted by the town at special town meeting. Millias seconded the motion and the selectmen voted it through. Andrews said that he was fine with purchasing the lot but was hesitant to sign the option to sell it to the state without having the legislation filed. The Board voted to have Seelig request that it be filed.

Aside from the night’s appointments, the selectmen and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig took up a few other matters including officially signing the Host Community Agreement with Bud’s Goods and Provisions for the development of an outdoor marijuana growing facility in Halifax. Both Brian Kling and Scott Materna were named to the Building and Facility Needs Committee that also includes most department heads in the town. The committee will hold its first meeting on March 11 at 2 p.m.

The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) is scheduled to meet with the Board of Selectmen on March 10 about possibly having Halifax become a member. Plympton recently voted to join GATRA.

Many town web sites failed Monday

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Several of the Plympton town committee meetings scheduled for Monday, February 24 had to be rescheduled due to the town website going down sometime around 10 a.m. Monday morning. Under the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, a public body must give at least 48 hours’ notice (excluding weekends and legal holidays) prior to any meeting with exceptions made for emergency situations.

Towns can elect through a vote at town meeting for the town website to be the agreed upon posting location for such meetings. If that website is unavailable for viewing for six or more continuous hours, the posting is considered insufficient.

Town Clerk Patricia Detterman said that she received an influx of calls yesterday during the outage.

Meetings scheduled included a Board of Selectmen meeting, a dog complaint hearing, a Plympton School Committee meeting and public budget hearing, a Board of Health meeting, Financial   Committee meetings, and a Planning Board hearing.

The selectmen’s meeting has been rescheduled for next Monday, March 2. The new days and times for the other meetings can be found on the town website.

CivicPlus is the platform that hosts the town’s website as well as many towns throughout the state including Halifax and Duxbury. CivicPlus sent an email Tuesday at 2:39 p.m. alerting the town that the problem was related to the load balancer, had been resolved.

A load balancer, intended to increase capacity and reliability, is a device that is used to distribute traffic across various servers. If one of the load balancers fails, a second one becomes active. If both fail or are misconfigured, servers are knocked offline. 

Detterman requested a report from CivicPlus detailing what led to the problem and steps that were taken to resolve it.

Detterman said that she has never before experienced the website going down and jokingly said that you don’t appreciate what you have until its gone.

She was quick to say, however, “We do appreciate it; it is such a powerful tool for this office.”

Silver Lake Drama Club to perform

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Monday, February 24, the Silver Lake Drama Club invited the Express  to see the play Darcy and Elizabeth, a shortened version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

The Silver Lake  Drama Club has been invited to present their play at the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild festival again this year.  The festival is hosted this year by the Joseph Case High School in Swansea.

The Massachusetts Theatre Celebration is a one-day, non-competitive opportunity for students to share work, receive feedback, and forge connections with students in other schools that can lead to collaboration and support for years to come.

Tickets for the Preliminary Round at Joseph Case High School in Swansea on Saturday, Feb. 29, are $15 for the entire day!

Preliminary Round – Saturday, Feb. 29, Semi-Final Round – Saturday, March 14, and the Final Round – Thursday – Saturday, March 26 – 28.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Andover, Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Danvers, Dedham, Duxbury, Framingham, Hamilton/Wenham, Hanover, Harvard, Hingham, Hudson, Leominster, Lexington, Marshfield, North Reading, Norwood, Sharon, Wayland, Westford, and Winthrop Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Who is Susan Hill, Alex?

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Becoming a contestant on Jeopardy is not an easy thing to do, just ask Susan Hill. Hill, who has called Halifax home for the last quarter of a century; she auditioned several times in decades past. Despite making it into the contestant pool a few times, Hill was never called to be a contestant. That all changed this past December while she was attending the funeral of her beloved ninety-four-year-old aunt. Hill said her phone was turned to silent, but her husband first noticed the email from Jeopardy. Hill called them back and was invited to California in early January to be a contestant on the show. Hill said she took it as a sign from her aunt, who she lovingly refers to as a “hot ticket.”

Jeopardy! first premiered in 1964 with Art Fleming as host. The version we watch today made its debut in 1984 hosted by Alex Trebek. Each year 70,000 people apply but only 400 will be selected as contestants.

Hill grew up in a neighborhood in Dorchester that she describes as having homes that were very close together. It was this experience, she says, that ultimately led to her and her husband’s decision to build on an acre of land in Halifax. Hill initially attended public school before moving on to parochial school and eventually landing at Fontbonne Academy in Milton on a scholarship. She later earned a degree in broadcasting and film from Boston University, but chose not to pursue a career in that industry.

A self-described free spirit, Hill said she has spent most of her adult life changing jobs every five or so years. Her husband, who she credits with keeping her grounded, is the yin to her yang, having spent the last forty years employed by Stop and Shop.

Hill’s last job was helping to run golf tournaments for the Women’s Golf Association of MA before her most recent endeavor. Hill credits her current title of dog walker as helping her get a leg in the door at Jeopardy. Not only do you have to have the smarts to pass the online test, you also must have the charisma and backstory to do well in the in-person interview. Hill said that in a sea of doctors and lawyers, her status as a dog walker stood out.

About a year ago Hill decided to take the online test which led to a call asking her to come for an in-person interview in April of 2019. Hill, who said she has always considered herself to be a shy person, said that the biggest difference between her interview this time and her interview decades before, was a lack of inhibition. Hill said, “Back then I was not as…”  She stopped, searching for the right word before settling on “alive.”  “I was kind of shy and subdued and didn’t make as good of an impression on them,” She continued.  Asked what was most surprising about her Jeopardy experience, Hill says simply, “how animated I found myself to be.”

After getting that call at her aunt’s funeral in December, Hill had about a month’s notice to plan her trip to California for filming on January 6. Asked about what kind of preparation she did, Hill said, “You can’t really study up, though some people say study everything you can and maybe if I was younger and my brain a little more flexible, I could have done that.”  Instead, she said she thought of the topics she would be most afraid of and decided to learn or relearn the basics. Opera, state capitals, and American history were all on that list.

Hill said she approached the entire experience as a once in a lifetime adventure. She said that she told herself if she won third place, she could pay for her airfare, second place earnings would cover airfare and hotel expenses, and were she to win, it would just be the icing on the cake.

Two weeks’ worth of shows are taped over a two-day period with winners returning to tape a second episode during that same block of time. If you win two games, you return at a later date on the show’s dime.

Hill said she was randomly selected to be in the final game of the first day. This placement afforded her the opportunity to sit in the audience and watch the earlier games. Hill said that she was initially nervous that she would be star struck around longtime host Alex Trebek or overwhelmed by the many TV cameras. “As the process went on and I got going in my game, it was almost like playing a trivia game in a bar,” Hill explained. Hill also said that she had a conversation with Trebek about whether or not Tom Brady will be returning to Boston. She described Trebek as a “normal person” and “just a nice guy.”

Hill said she thinks she accomplished her main goal which in her words was just to “not make a fool of myself.” Since this is a spoiler-free zone you’ll have to tune in on Friday, February 28 to see how she did.