Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express

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Plympton asks ROCC why bill went up to $200,000

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In the absence of Chair Christine Joy, Vice Chair Mark Russo took on the role of acting chair during the Monday, Feb. 10, Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting. The meeting began with Russo, Selectman John Traynor, Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, the entire Plympton Finance Committee, Plympton former Police Chief Patrick Dillon, Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord, Duxbury Fire Captain Rob Reardon, and Director of Emergency Communications at the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCC) Mike Mahoney seated around a table.

Russo explained that the purpose of the meeting was to address Plympton’s increasing dispatch fees with the ROCC. Plympton’s fees recently increased from $50,000 to $200,000 annually. Russo said that they were hoping to get a better sense of where those increases came from as well as how call volume was being assessed.

Reardon began by explaining a little bit about the history of Plympton joining the regionalized dispatch center. About six years ago, Chief Dillon approached them with problems he was experiencing with their current dispatch through the state. In short, Plympton felt that they were not being made a priority. “The difference between us and state police is you’re an integral part of our dispatch operation,” Reardon explained. As an example, Reardon referenced the previous Friday saying it was a particularly busy day for the four towns serviced by the ROCC, so the number of dispatchers was increased from 4 to 10 to accommodate the high volume.

Reardon also went on to say that there have been a number of benefits to the town due to the regionalization including the phone system at the police station, mobile data terminals, and better communications overall. Reardon said that the ROCC spent $800,000 this past year in order to improve communications for the sake of firefighter and police officer safety. Chief Nord, who also acts as department head at the ROCC, said, “You’ve gotten a tremendous amount of product for belonging.” Mahoney added that including just big-ticket items, Plympton has seen $193,000 worth of development funding this past year. Nord stressed that Plympton should think in terms of the big picture and all the infrastructure improvements they’ve seen, when reviewing the annual fee.

Mahoney addressed Plympton’s increase in call volume and explained how call volume is assessed. “There is no perfect metric to use to know exactly how much of an impact any one community has to a dispatch center because there are so many shared resources,” Mahoney explained. The call volume for Plympton in the last year was 15,000. Duxbury stood at 32,000, Halifax at 12,000, and Rochester at 12,000. Mahoney explained that for every item that gets logged into the records management system, a tick is added to the call volume tally.

Traynor questioned the numbers saying, “We’re less than half the population of Halifax and yet we have more call volume.” Nord explained that it was difficult to estimate what impact Plympton would have on the dispatch center initially as there really weren’t any good records to work from. Nord went on to say that initial estimates were low and stressed that Plympton is actually a very busy community with lots of traffic stops and EMS.

Mahoney said that much of Plympton’s call volume was due to building checks and motor vehicle stops. Traynor said that he assumed those things were going on in the other towns as well but was told that they were, but not to the same extent. Mahoney said that Plympton has strict traffic monitoring.

Chief Dillon said that of the 15,000 call volume, 9,000 of those were just building checks. “That’s 9,000 numbers that are sort of being, we feel, treated just the same as a domestic disturbance response or a car crash in one of those other towns.” Dillon proposed a possible weighted system where a building check might be worth half of a point whereas another type of a response might be worth two points.

Nord said that if Plympton were running a dispatch center on their own of the same quality, they would likely be looking at paying fees in the $400,000 to $500,000 range. Nord did apologize for the sudden spike in fee, however, saying that they should have begun slowly adjusting the number sooner.

Russo acknowledged that the town was aware and appreciative of the great service they were receiving. “We surely want to pay our fair share, it just doesn’t feel like this is our fair share,” Russo said.

Russo also asked about the likelihood of other towns joining the ROCC and was told that Hanson has already signed on and that several other towns are potentially joining as well. As of right now, the ROCC has the potential to more than double with a new building capable of handling a population of 100,000. The ROCC has also gone from five dispatch seats to fifteen. The potential for growth means that other towns would be sharing the burden of cost.

The meeting was very amicable with all sides agreeing that they just wanted to come to a resolution that would be satisfactory to all involved. The ROCC agreed to look at the potential of a weighted system and the Board of Selectmen and Dennehy agreed to come up with a number somewhere between $50,000 and $200,000 that would work for the town.

Noxious odor at Silver Lake a mystery

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Ambulances from all over the South Shore helped transport 34 students and staff of Silver Lake Regional High School Friday, Feb. 7, who were sickened by a noxious odor in a regular classroom.  A Hazardous Materials response was mounted and first responders went into the classroom to determine the severity of the situation.

As of press time on Thursday, Feb. 13, no cause had been determined.

In a statement prepared by Silver Lake Superintendent Dr. Jill Proulx through the Silver Lake portal, students and their families were told that no cause was found for the odor.    Hazmat was not able to determine the source, but they did confirm there were no life-threatening hazards.  Extensive air and surface testing was done by the HazMat team using a variety of metering and testing devices. 

“In addition to the first responders and staff, I want to thank our students. They were patient and brave during a difficult situation. I want them to know that we will always do everything in our power to ensure their safety.  On behalf of Silver Lake, thank you for your patience, kindness and courage,” said Proulx in her statement.

The Fire Chief and Health Department determined students and staff could re-enter the building once the cleaning of the 1100s and 2100s was complete. Service Master was contracted to complete a thorough surface and air cleaning using ozone scrubbers of classrooms, lockers and duct work, according to Proulx’s statement. Staff  and students were reportedly released from the hospital due to incident at the high school and were home safe as of 8 p.m. Friday,  Feb 7.

Nightmare on Elm Street

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Friday morning’s weatherman said he wouldn’t be surprised to see old fashion liquid barometers overflow, the barometric pressure was going to be that low.

The Feb. 7 storm was presaged all morning by dark, smoky skies and wind whipping all around. There were trees and limbs down throughout the three Silver Lake towns, but it seems that Plympton got the worst of it.

Capt. John  Sjostedt said that his department answered  18 storm-related calls.

Trees were twisted 10-20 feet high, and snapped like twigs, falling everywhere.  Elm Street seems to have suffered a microburst.

Eversource had its work cut out for them and tree crews were kept busy.

Experienced wrestling team enjoys success

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It’s been a successful year for the Silver Lake High wrestling team so far this season.

The Lakers have enjoyed their share of success, and as of the start of this week, they were 15-10 on the season. On January 31, they picked up wins over Barnstable, Middleboro and Weston in a quad meet. Two days prior, they defeated Scituate 45-29. That put them on a four match win streak and means they have won six of their past seven matches.

Kyle Cipullo (heavyweight) and Chase Perkins (160) have been among the team’s top wrestlers this season. Cipullo got a pin in the team’s win over Scituate to finish the match. Additionally, wrestlers like Will Barkowsky (152), Will Hesketh (220), Scott Snell (106), Cam Turner (170), Michael Voci (182) and Pat Ganley (126) have thrived, posting winning records thus far. Injuries to Hesketh and Barkowsky early in the season put the team in a tough spot but since they have been back, the team has been stronger.

Plus, the team has a female wrestler, Sydney Diauto. She took second place at the Phillips Academy Invitational in the 106.3-pound weight class bracket on January 26. In total, the event features more than 80 competitors. During the regular season, the freshman has won multiple matches on varsity.

Experience is on the side of the Lakers this season. They have 10 upperclassmen on their roster this time around.
   The team is coached by Wayne Reissfelder. A Silver Lake alum himself and Halifax native, he also serves as the Lakers head freshman football coach.

The Lakers have their final regular season meet of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 12 on the road against the Pembroke Titans (6:30 p.m. start time). After that, however, the Lakers will have individual wrestlers compete at sectionals and possibly in the state tournament if they perform well there.

Veterans surprise Halifax Walmart manager

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Halifax Walmart manager Martin Disla was surprised on Friday, Jan. 24, by members of the Halifax Veterans of Foreign Wars Post  6258, in appreciation of his ongoing support of the Post and all veterans in the surrounding area.

“They have been such a supportive force to our community, not only to the military, but also to many other chariites needing assistance, Post Commander David Walsh said,  “They have been gigantic in support of Children’s Hospital as well as providing assisting to the local fire and police community.”

Walsh continued, “Post 6258 Veterans of Foreign Wars of Halifax is proud and honored to award Walmart Manager Martin Disla and the Halifax Walmart Crew a special Community Service Award and a plaque to permanently remain in the store to remind all patrons of Walmart’s many accomplishments and continuing commitment to our community.  Thank you Halifax Walmart!”

Halifax PD wins OFGR grant for traffic control enforcement

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The Halifax Police Department has been awarded a grantEach December, the Office of Grants and Research (OGR) partners with police agencies across the state as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement mobilization.  OGR recently awarded grants to 125 local police departments, including a grant that reimburses the town of Halifax up to $7500 for extra patrols during the mobilization period of Dec. 11 through Jan. 20, to pay for overtime patrols to increase impaired driving enforcement targeting drivers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs during the holiday season.

Complementing these efforts was an educational campaign titled Wisdom featuring local cannabis users talking about their personal experiences with, and thoughts on, driving after consuming cannabis, alcohol, or other drugs.  Impaired crashes are not accidents; they are preventable.  Wisdom’s ads serve as a reminder for drivers to recognize the responsibility they have to drive safely and to avoid getting behind the wheel if they are impaired.  Remember – If you feel different, you drive different.

The next mobilization period is March 6-22, the spring speed enforcement campaign, followed by the April 1 – 30 campaign for distracted driving, then May 14 to 31 Occupant Protection/Click it or ticket.  From June 11 to July 5 is the Summer Speed Enforcement mobilization and final period is Aug. 20 – Sept. 8 Drive Sober or get Pulled Over.

The grant will reimburse the town of Halifax up to $7500 dollars for extra patrols during these periods.  The officers on these patrols must document at least 3 stops per hour unless an arrest is made then time is allowed to process the arrest.

Playground proposal is ADA approved

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The Monday, January 27 Plympton School Committee meeting was the last one for Joy Blackwood. New Superintendent Jill Prolix and new Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch began in their new positions on February 1.  Lynch, who received his undergraduate degree at Notre Dame and Master’s from Brown, was a classroom teacher for many years, a department head, and most recently the principal at Gates Middle School in Scituate. Proulx and Lynch previously worked together in Scituate. Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen said to Blackwood and Proulx, “Well done to both of you for being able to organize this and leave us in very good hands.”

Playground Update

Vice Chair Jason Fraser gave a presentation on the recent developments with the new playground to be built at Dennett Elementary. Fraser and Dennett Principal Peter Veneto have been working with Joe DuFour of O’Brien and Sons on the schematics for the playground. Fraser explained that last year they met with the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), CASA, and other stakeholders in town to go over the preliminary design. The takeaway from that meeting was that the town would like to see the playground be even more accessible to all students in the community. As a result, DuFour, Veneto, and Fraser had a lengthy meeting to discuss further changes to the design.

DuFour suggested taking away the wheelchair swing as it can actually be isolating. It was suggested instead to include a sway fun that would include a ramp to make it accessible to students with mobility issues. It would also be open to all of their peers. Of the sway fun, Fraser said, “It’s a good time; I’ve been on one on the fully accessible playground in Braintree.” The bank of swings will also include two accessible swings. The final item that Fraser said they would like to see included is called a “We-Go-Round”. The “We-Go-Round” would be fully accessible, have rubber matting that a wheelchair can travel over, and would be perfectly flush to the ground for easier accessibility. “If we added the “We-Go-Round”  element, I really think we would have a playground that we could hang our hats on for the next twenty-five or thirty years,” Fraser said. In order to afford this feature, however, Fraser said that they would need to access this year’s school choice funds.

Fraser said that the current playground design is estimated to cost $228,000. The cost goes up to $242,000 if the “We-Go-Round”  is included. That cost would include the excavation, leveling, putting filling in, placing sidings, and adding rubber matting. The cost of all materials and the installation are also included in that total. Fraser said that the addition of the school choice funds would give them $258,000 to work with while maintaining a $16,000 contingency. Fraser also proposed the possibility of completing the playground in stages to ensure that the contingency isn’t being depleted before proceeding with the next stage.

As of right now they are leaving out a ramp that would extend from the building to the playground. Fraser suggested possibly reaching out to the community for in-kind donations to build the ramp. Donating the old playground for scrap metal was another suggestion.

“At this point, we’re not taking any money from the operating budget; we’re not coming back to the town asking for any additional funds from CPC or from capital. We’re really trying to do this on our own, but we want to make sure what we put in was meeting the initial needs which was safety, accessibility, and modernization,” Fraser explained. Timing-wise, Fraser said that if they are able to use the school choice funds, they could likely complete construction over the summer and have the playground ready for the beginning of the next school year.

Wilhelmsen said that he had received an email from Plympton selectman Mark Russo asking for an update on the playground. Wilhelmsen said it might be a good idea to give a presentation in-person at a selectmen’s meeting.

Legislative Update

Fraser said that the Governor Baker has released the budget. The budget fully funds the first year of the Student Opportunity Act, a $1.5 billion investment in Massachusetts public schools that aims to help low income students, in particular.

Fraser recently had lunch with Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) to ask questions regarding the $30 per pupil allotment for Plympton in additional state aid under Chapter 70. Senator Lewis told Fraser that he doesn’t anticipate that number increasing, as there were dramatic increases in investments throughout the commonwealth. Fifty-seven percent of towns and cities in Massachusetts will be receiving $30 per pupil while forty-three percent will receive the vast majority of funding. Those in the forty-three percent are largely low-income communities and English learner populations. Senator Lewis did try to assure Fraser by telling him that Plympton would see some money from the Student Opportunity Act in the form of increased Circuit Breaker funds over the next three years.

Fraser traveled to D.C. last week to meet with the congressional delegation including representatives from legislature and someone from Senator Warren’s office. Fraser addressed the diminished amount of Title 1 funding seen in Plympton.

Principal’s Report

Principal Veneto gave a report on recent and upcoming events at Dennett. Yearbooks are available for purchase from now until March 31. Midterm progress reports went home on Monday, January 27. February vacation will be from February 17 to February 21. The Monday following vacation will be a service day for teachers and staff and students will not have school.

Veneto also shared that a former Dennett student come back to speak to Grade 6 at the Honorable Breakfast on January 7. The student spoke about their experience at both the middle and high school.

Budget Discussion

Blackwood spoke to the committee about the Plympton school budget. The public budget hearing will be during the next school committee meeting in February. Budgets must be voted in March to meet state law. Blackwood said that K-6 enrollment in 2010 was 245 compared to today’s enrollment of 226, up from a low of 199. In 2010 there were three students being homeschooled at the elementary level and one at the secondary level. Currently, there are no Plympton students being home schooled. Only one student is attending school outside the district due to school choice. While the number is small, Blackwood reminded the committee that it still represents funds that are being lost.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable recommended the addition of a special education teacher. That request was not included in the version of the budget Blackwood presented as it was requested that it be a level service budget. Blackwood said that $44,000 would be returned to the town from out of district vocational funds. Blackwood suggested asking the town to use that money toward a variety of “one of” or periodic budget items. Possible items that could be paid for by that money include the inspection of the cistern for $5,000, 12 document cameras totaling $8,400, and instructional materials for the updated third and sixth grade social studies curriculum. Blackwood said that it would be best to start by finding out if the town is comfortable with transferring those funds or some portion of those funds to help reduce the budget increase. Those funds would need to be spent by June 30. Blackwood said that were the town to approve such a transfer, it could help offset the cost of a special education teacher, estimated at roughly $60,000.

Blackwood explained that some items included in the budget are placeholders such as the conservative 65% for Circuit Breaker reimbursement and the bus costs. The district will be going out to bids for buses and hope that the actual number will be less than what is currently in the budget.

The regular day budget increases by 3.22 percent or $78,949. The special education budget increase is 3.25 percent or $35,000; most of that increase is due to transportation. Blackwood said that if the special education teacher were added into the current budget the overall increase would rise to 4.35 percent from 2.71.

Blackwood also made one final plea to see band returned as part of the regular school day. According to Blackwood, making band available during the day levels the playing field as it gives all students an opportunity to participate and not just those that are able to attend an extracurricular activity.

Wilhelmsen thanked Blackwood for her years of service to Plympton saying, “I personally would like to thank you for six years of as much fun as we could possibly have had doing this. I do wish you the best and I hope you have great adventures and lots of them around the world. We’re going to miss you here.”

cessible to all students in the community. As a result, DuFour, Veneto, and Fraser had a lengthy meeting to discuss further changes to the design.

DuFour suggested taking away the wheelchair swing as it can actually be isolating. It was suggested instead to include a sway fun which would include a ramp to make it accessible to students with mobility issues. It would also be open to all of their peers. Of the sway fun, Fraser said, “It’s a good time I’ve been on one on the fully accessible playground in Braintree.” The bank of swings will also include two accessible swings. The final item that Fraser said they would like to see included is called a we-go-round. The we-go-round would be fully accessible, have rubber matting that a wheelchair can travel over, and would be perfectly flush to the ground for easier accessibility. “If we added the we-go-round element, I really think we would have a playground that we could hang our hats on for the next twenty-five or thirty years,” Fraser said. In order to afford this feature, however, Fraser said that they would need to access this year’s school choice funds.

Fraser said that the current playground design is estimated to cost $228,000. The cost goes up to $242,000 if the we-go-round is included. That cost would include the excavation, leveling, putting filling in, placing sidings, and adding rubber matting. The cost of all materials and the installation are also included in that total. Fraser said that the addition of the school choice funds would give them $258,000 to work with while maintaining a $16,000 contingency. Fraser also proposed the possibility of completing the playground in stages to ensure that the contingency isn’t being eaten into before proceeding with the next stage.

As of right now they are leaving out a ramp that would extend from the building to the playground. Fraser suggested possibly reaching out to the community for in-kind donations to build the ramp. Donating the old playground for scrap metal was another suggestion.

“At this point, we’re not taking any money from the operating budget, we’re not coming back to the town asking for any additional funds from CPC or from capital. We’re really trying to do this on our own, but we want to make sure what we put in was meeting the initial needs which was safety, accessibility, and modernization,” Fraser explained. Timing wise, Fraser said that if they are able to use the school choice funds, they could likely complete construction over the summer and have the playground ready for the beginning of the next school year.

Wilhelmsen said that he had received an email from Plympton selectman Mark Russo asking for an update on the playground. Wilhelmsen said it might be a good idea to give a presentation in-person at a selectmen’s meeting.

Legislative Update

Fraser said that the Governor Baker had released the budget. The budget fully funds the first year of the Student Opportunity Act. The Student Opportunity Act is a $1.5 billion investment in Massachusetts public schools which aims to help low income students, in particular.

Fraser recently had lunch with Senator Jason Lewis to ask questions regarding the $30 per pupil allotment for Plympton in additional state aid under Chapter 70. Senator Lewis told Fraser that he doesn’t anticipate that number increasing as there were dramatic increases in investments throughout the commonwealth. Fifty-seven percent of towns and cities in Massachusetts will be receiving $30 per pupil while forty-three percent will receive the vast majority of funding. Those in the forty-three percent are largely low-income communities and English learner populations. Senator Lewis did try to assure Fraser by telling him that Plympton would see some money from the Student Opportunity Act in the form of increased Circuit Breaker funds over the next three years.

Fraser traveled to DC last week to meet with the congressional delegation including representatives from legislature and someone from Senator Warren’s office. Fraser addressed the diminished amount of Title 1 funding seen in Plympton.

Principal’s Report

Principal Veneto gave a report on recent and upcoming events at Dennett. Yearbooks are available for purchase from now until March 31. Midterm progress reports went home on Monday, January 27. February vacation will be from February 17 to February 21. The Monday following vacation will be a service day for teachers and staff and students will not have school.

Veneto also shared that a former Dennett student come back to speak to Grade 6 at the Honorable Breakfast on January 7. The student spoke about their experience at both the middle and high school.

Budget Discussion

Blackwood spoke to the committee about the Plympton school budget. The public budget hearing will be during the next school committee meeting in February. Budgets must be voted in March to meet state law. Blackwood said that K-6 enrollment in 2010 was 245 compared to today’s enrollment of 226, up from a low of 199. In 2010 there were three students being homeschooled at the elementary level and one at the secondary level. Currently, there are no Plympton students being home schooled. Only one student is attending school outside the district due to school choice. While the number is small, Blackwood reminded the committee that it still represents funds that are being lost.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable recommended the addition of a special education teacher. That request was not included in the version of the budget Blackwood presented as it was requested that it be a level service budget. Blackwood said that $44,000 will be returned to the town from out of district vocational funds. Blackwood suggested asking the town to use that money toward a variety of one off or periodic budget items. Possible items that could be paid for by that money include the inspection of the cistern for $5,000, 12 document cameras totaling $8,400, and instructional materials for the updated third and sixth grade social studies curriculum. Blackwood said that it would be best to start by finding out if the town is comfortable with transferring those funds or some portion of those funds to help reduce the budget increase. Those funds would need to be spent by June 30. Blackwood said that were the town to approve such a transfer, it could help offset the cost of a special education teacher, estimated at roughly $60,000.

Blackwood explained that some items included in the budget are placeholders such as the conservative 65% for Circuit Breaker reimbursement and the bus costs. The district will be going out to bids for buses and hope that the actual number will be less than what is currently in the budget.

The regular day budget increases by 3.22 percent or $78,949. The special education budget increase is 3.25 percent or $35,000; most of that increase is due to transportation. Blackwood said that if the special education teacher were added into the current budget the overall increase would rise to 4.35 percent from 2.71.

Blackwood also made one final plea to see band returned as part of the regular school day. According to Blackwood, making band available during the day levels the playing field as it gives all students an opportunity to participate and not just those that are able to attend an extracurricular activity.

Wilhelmsen thanked Blackwood for her years of service to Plympton saying, “I personally would like to thank you for six years of as much fun as we could possibly have had doing this. I do wish you the best and I hope you have great adventures and lots of them around the world. We’re going to miss you here.”

Jumps

Volunteers for COA

Plympton Selectmen Vote to join GATRA

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During the Monday, January 27 Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting, town administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said that herself and Selectman John Traynor met with State Representative Kathleen LaNatra, Senator Michael Brady, a representative from the town of Halifax, and Francis Gay, the administrator of The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA). Dennehy said the takeaway from the meeting was that applying for membership in GATRA would only require a vote of the Board of Selectmen. GATRA would then vote in February to act on the request. Traynor said that membership would not cost the town any additional money.

College student and Plympton resident Emily Hayes attended Monday’s meeting to speak to her need for available public transportation. Hayes said that she had a brain tumor removed many years ago that resulted in a loss of her peripheral vision leaving her unable to drive. Hayes said, “I don’t really have freedom and I’ve seen the bus go by our street coming from Kingston and it always kind of stings a little because there is my freedom going right by.” Hayes’ parents also attended the meeting and her mother Susan Hayes described her many failed efforts to secure transportation for her daughter. Hayes said she reached out to MA Rehab but was told they don’t offer transportation services. GATRA told her they don’t provide services to Plympton and the MA Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired told them Emily didn’t qualify as she wasn’t visually impaired enough. In the end, the elder Hayes had to leave her part time job of 16 years to assist her daughter with commuting to and from college. Joy thanked them for telling their story saying, “It’s nice to personalize this… It’s very brave of you to come in and share your story.”  The Selectmen voted for the town of Plympton to become a member of GATRA.

Transfer station sticker dispute

A dispute over a sticker on a vehicle for the town’s transfer station took up more than thirty minutes of Monday’s meeting and included a trip to the parking lot to ensure the correct and visible placement of a sticker. The residents insisted that they always had a sticker on their vehicle while the employees of the transfer station said it was either placed in the wrong location or not present on the vehicle at all. The residents insisted they were being singled out and even described their treatment as harassment, something those working at the transfer station vehemently disputed. An earlier incident at the transfer station between those present at Monday’s meeting resulted in the police being called on the resident due to fear for the workers’ safety.

Selectman Mark Russo said, “Public service is difficult and you end up dealing with situations that can get kind of hot and I totally respect the work of our people at the transfer station and I know they have a tough job and I know that sometimes they catch some abuse for doing what their job is.”

Russo went on to acknowledge the confusion surrounding where the sticker was and was not present saying that as long as it is now properly affixed to the car and there are no further incidents, it would be best to move forward.  Selectman Chair Christine Joy said, “Let’s put this behind us and hope that we don’t have to talk about this again.” Russo added, “I would hope that the interactions at the transfer station can be done with dignity and respect.”

Right of First Refusal

There were two public hearings both concerning Chapter 61A right of first refusal. Right of first refusal gives a potentially interested party, in this case the town of Plympton, the ability to purchase a property prior to the seller negotiating other offers. Notice of the hearings were posted in the Plympton-Halifax Express. The first hearing regarded several acres of property on Lake St. and the second was for 17 acres on Main St. The hearings were first opened to those wishing to speak in favor of the town exercising it’s right of refusal and then to those against. There was no one present that wished to speak out for either of the properties in question.

Before heading into deliberations, Russo did let those present know that the selectmen requested recommendations from various town boards and committees including the Open Space Committee, Planning Board, Historical Society, Conservation Committee, Agricultural Commission, and the Community Preservation Committee. The Board did not hear back from any of those groups. The Board unanimously voted not to exercise their right of first refusal in both instances.

Housing Choice Grant for $93,000

Dennehy explained the next step in the Housing Choice Grant contract process to the selectmen. The grant is for $93,000 for a consultant to work with the Town Campus Committee to establish a master plan for the town center and hopefully establish some housing opportunities. Dennehy also told the selectmen that the Town Campus Committee wished to change their name to the Town Properties Committee. The selectmen voted to make the change official.

Traynor told the other selectmen that he would like to see the Board increase their social media presence. Traynor cited the success of the fire department’s social media sites.

More Communication

Traynor also said that he would like to see a meeting between various elected officials to deal with issues that arise outside of the purview of the Board of Selectmen.

Currently Dennehy runs an operations meeting where the major department heads gather to look at the state of the town and ensure communication across the departments.

Joy suggested the possibility of a quarterly roundtable discussion that would include both department heads and elected officials. Traynor agreed saying that he would like to see these meetings have a theme such as customer service. “I think sometimes we miss that the only reason we are here is as a customer service to the residents,” Traynor explained. Russo agreed saying it might also be beneficial to have a de-escalation training to help officials deal with challenging situations that may arise.

Cultural Council members needed

Dennehy addressed the need for members to join the Cultural Council. Dennehy pointed out that without an active Cultural Council, the town won’t receive money from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), a state agency. The grants are used to support a number of artistic and cultural projects throughout the town. Joy described the Council as “feel good” and suggested possibly reaching out to people currently serving on some other boards and committees. Dennehy said that she felt that people may be more likely to come forward to join if they realized that the town was in jeopardy of losing the funding.

Halifax BOS fills Planning Board vacancy

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The Tuesday, January 28 Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting began with a final interview for the vacancy on the Planning Board. Timothy Fabroski told the assembled Board of Selectmen and Planning Board that he owns a real estate and construction company and has been self-employed since the 1980s. Fabroski said, “I think the Planning Board could use me” and cited his experience on the other side of the table presenting before the Board. Selectmen Chair Troy Garron asked Fabroski his opinion on building in Halifax. Fabroski said, “I honestly think the more you build, the better.” Three other candidates previously came before the two boards; they were Alan Dias, David Mascio, and Ashley DiSesa.

Planning Board Chair Gordon R. Andrews said that the Planning Board was looking forward to having the vacancy filled but also said that he didn’t want to see someone with an agenda assume the position. Selectman Tom Millias made a motion to forgo a vote and wait until May to fill the position when candidates could pull papers and run against one another in the election. Garron seconded Millias’ motion. Planning Board member Amy Troup said, “I think that would be a detriment to everyone that stepped forward.” Troup, who said she would like to see the position filled by someone not currently serving on a board in town, suggested that the experience to serve between now and May would prove a good trial. All four current Planning Board members elected to move forward with the vote.

In order to secure the position, a candidate had to receive votes from four of the seven members of the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen. Millias nominated Dias and Selectman Gordon C. Andrews nominated DiSesa. Gordon R. Andrews, Gordon C. Andrews, Karlis Skulte, and Troup all voted in favor of DiSesa, awarding her the position.

Bud’s Goods

Alex Mazin of Bud’s Goods and Provisions came before the Board just as he did at the previous meeting to hopefully finalize a five-year Host Community Agreement (HCA) for his outdoor marijuana growing facility on River St. in Halifax. Halifax is set to earn 3 percent of Bud’s gross sales, the most allowable under MA state law. Should that law change, however, Halifax will also have a most-favored-nation (MFN) status, preventing Bud’s from entering into another HCA with better terms for another municipality without amending their agreement with Halifax.

Mazin, who grew up in Worcester and attended Babson College, has three retail licenses for a retail store currently under construction in Worcester, another potential one on the Abington/Weymouth line, and a third newly acquired retail license for Watertown. Mazin also operates a facility in Lakeville that he’s hoping to now use for manufacturing purposes; he will be transferring his cultivation license from this facility to Halifax. Mazin explained his belief that outdoor growing will revolutionize the cannabis industry as the environmental impact, cost factors, and sustainability of indoor facilities do not make a viable market.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig explained to Mazin that while a few final tweaks still needed to be made to the agreement, the selectmen’s intent is to sign the HCA. Addressing any final concerns the selectmen or town may have, Mazin said, “A community that lets us in, we want to make sure is benefitting as well because we are doing something very unique and historic and we’re all taking risks at some degree and some level and risk should be rewarded.”

COA happenings

Newly appointed Council on Aging (COA) Director Susan Lawless as well as two members of the COA Committee provided the selectmen with an update on the COA. Lawless said that the addition of a kiosk has allowed her to track participation in the various COA events. These statistics will prove useful as many of the grants Lawless would like to apply for require them. Lawless also said that the COA has purchased a minivan to help get residents to and from appointments. Seelig said that the town has two interested applicants for the vacancies on the Council on Aging Committee.

Town’s Campus

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, Police Chief Joao Chaves, and Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward were all present at Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the town’s campus improvement concept. Chief Chaves explained some of the thoughts shared at earlier meetings including consolidating the police and fire departments into a new, single building, moving the Council on Aging into the current police station, and moving the water department and building maintenance into the current fire station (freeing up space for the highway department). Chief Viveiros recently surveyed all department heads regarding their most pressing needs. Millias said, “Everything is conceptual at this point, we need to get input and narrow it down.” The Selectmen agreed to the formation of a Campus Committee to further develop the global approach to improving the municipal buildings to better suit the various department’s needs. The hope would be to include the department heads and building inspector as members as well as to have representation from the Finance Committee, Conservation Commission, and any other pertinent people. The selectmen hope to have a response to the committee requests by their next meeting.

Memorial Day

The selectmen also voted to form a Memorial Day Committee per resident David Walsh’s request at their last meeting. Walsh, a member of the Halifax VFW Post 6258, had requested the formation of the committee, as well as asking that the military lead the parade and requesting more involvement between the elementary school and the veterans. Seelig said that he would request five members for the new committee that will be publicized.

Silver Lake budget

The Silver Lake budget was also discussed. Andrews asked Garron or Millias to attend the Thursday, February 13 public budget hearing to be held at 6 p.m. at the high school as he will be there in his capacity as a school committee member rather than a selectman. Seelig said that the proposed Silver Lake budget calls for a 3.84 or 3.34 percent increase. The selectmen and Seelig agreed that while increases may seem minimal in a single year, they are compounded over several years with the end result being a budget that isn’t sustainable for the town. Seelig also said that he wrote to Senator Michael Brady as well as Representative Kathleen LaNatra about the lack of state aid.

The selectmen, Seelig, and Chief Chaves also discussed the need for and method to pay for an additional 12 hours for the school resource officer (SRO) at the middle school. Currently, the SRO at the middle school is allotted only 8 hours per week, funded by the town of Plympton. The town of Halifax narrowly voted against funding their share of the requested 20 hours for the school resource officer during last spring’s town meeting. Currently, the town of Kingston fully funds the officer at the high school. Seelig said there will be an article on the warrant at this year’s town meeting to fund those hours. All parties are in agreement that there is a need for the officer to be at the school 20 hours a week, though the mechanism to pay for it has been disputed.

Oak Place repairs

Resident Bill Pond of Oak Place attended the meeting to share his concerns regarding the condition of his road and request help from the selectmen for all Halifax residents living on dirt roads. Millias clarified that Oak Place is actually considered an easement rather than a public road. Pond said that the efforts being made by the Highway Department to improve Oak Place are futile and requested that a roller be used. Hayward said that there isn’t enough money to purchase a large enough roller. Hayward also said that according to by-laws, the department is to only go out twice a year with a grader. Hayward further emphasized that they are not supposed to spend any extra money on private roads. Millias suggested to Pond that a place to start might be to petition to accept Oak Place as a public road. Currently the Highway Department rents much of their equipment and hires companies to do much of the work. Andrews suggested to Hayward the possibility of regionalizing with several other neighboring towns and hiring a crew and purchasing equipment to serve the collective communities. Hayward said he would look into the cost of such an endeavor vs. the cost of the current methods.