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Halifax School Committee looks to September

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Halifax School Committee Catches up During Pandemic

The Halifax School Committee met virtually on Monday, May 11. Chair Summer Schmaling began with correspondence from Silver Lake Regional School Committee Chair Jason Fraser (who is also vice chair of the Plympton School Committee) asking if they would support him in his bid for treasurer/secretary on the Massachusetts Association of School Committee (MASC) Executive Board. Just as the Regional School Committee did, the Halifax Committee also voted unanimously to do so.

The Committee then provided reports for each of the standing sub committees. Superintendent Jill Proulx spoke on behalf of Policy saying that while they do have a list of recommendations from MASC, policy updates have not been a priority given recent changes to the remote learning plan. Negotiations said that they voted earlier that evening and plan to reach out to both the Halifax Teacher’s Association and the Halifax Custodial Negotiations Team to setup a remote meeting for further negotiating.  Committee member Alison Vance said that PAC has continued meeting and that chromebooks were rolled out to students. Regarding Youth and Rec, Schmaling said, “Clearly they’re kind of at a stand still themselves and not really sure what the summer will hold.” Union 31 had not met. Capital Budget also had not met though it was noted that the budget is obviously in flux.

Principal Kayne Beaudry provided an update on the remote learning plan. “I want to give kudos to our teachers. They have really jumped in and have been working with adapting and changing up their game plan every week; we feel that the plans are getting better and better,” he explained. Beaudry said that student engagement has been the top priority for the last few weeks. Families that have been flagged as needing extra help keeping up with engagement have been placed on a watch list.

Beaudry also mentioned that per state guidelines, teachers have been transitioning from just assigning work to focusing on prerequisite standards. “I do want to give a little plug to our specialist teachers,” Beaudry said. He noted the unique difficulties faced by this set of teachers as they see seven different grade levels. “They have really done a nice job on scaling back and listening to our families and making it as user-friendly as possible,” he continued.

Beaudry also spoke from personal experience, saying that he has his own children from preschool to middle school that are being homeschooled. He noted the inherent difficulties in remote learning especially for those in the younger grades.

Enrollment for the incoming kindergarten class is currently hovering around 78 students compared to the current kindergarten’s class of 64. Committee member Gordon Andrews told Beaudry he had seen some questions online regarding the kindergarten registration process. Beaudry said that the school has been working behind the scenes to address things like orientation for parents and screenings for students. Andrews also said that he has seen a number of questions from parents and other guardians regarding the required medical records as scheduling doctor’s appointments has become difficult given the pandemic. Beaudry said that the school nurse as well as the administrators are aware that there will be a backlog for medical records and said there will be a grace period for obtaining those records.

Proulx and Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said that they have been meeting with union leadership, department heads, curriculum coordinators, and building principals regarding the remote learning plan.

Lynch said that they have been favoring asynchronous learning over synchronous learning as it allows families to go back and access lessons when convenient for them. Andrews said that the Committee wanted to express their thanks to the administrators and teachers for their hard work during unprecedented times. Proulx was quick to mention that thanks should also be extended to Director of Business Services Christine Healy. Proulx joked that she has been asking Healy “a million budget questions every day.”

As of right now, the anticipated last day of school is June 19.

Plympton BOS eye ‘New Normal’

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met remotely on Wednesday, May 6. Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy told the selectmen that she is working with staff to figure out the best way to safely reopen.

They are paying particular attention to any structural changes that may need to be implemented. Dennehy and Selectman John Traynor met with Library Director Debbie Batson to discuss possible changes such as droplet barriers. Dennehy also said that Amazon sells large sneeze guards that might be useful for a temporary change to townhouse offices with large counters.

For those offices without counters, work has already begun to trim the doors and alter them into a Dutch style door where the top can remain open.

This alteration would allow business to be conducted through the door. Dennehy said they are also looking into what kind of face coverings will be required for the employees.

The Plympton Highway Department has resumed normal business hours but are still following social distancing protocols. One of those protocols is limiting vehicles to just one person. The department has begun their regular seasonal mowing.

Memorial Day activities postponed

The selectmen also discussed postponing the usual Memorial Day events in town. They had previously discussed moving the events to Veteran’s Day as other local communities have elected to do. Selectman Mark Russo said that he absolutely agreed that the events needed to be postponed but suggested making Veteran’s Day a tentative date with a firm one to come later. He said that if possible to hold the events sooner than Veteran’s Day, it might be a good opportunity to celebrate getting past the adversity that has been posed by the pandemic.

Tree loss on Green

The selectmen also voted to remove the tree that is down at the town green. Dennehy said she would find out if grinding the stump is a possibility. Russo said, “It is not infrequent when a tree comes down anywhere in town, but particularly the town green, that there are one or two citizens that get pretty upset.” He continued, “ That’s the reason we waited a week and got it on the agenda, moreover, any of us that have seen this tree it’s amazing it didn’t come down in the last week… this isn’t a debatable one and there’s no way that we could be held in any way but the highest judgement to get rid of that tree.”

Town Barn roof replacement

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy made a motion to open the town warrant to insert an emergency article to replace the roof and insulation at the town barn. The selectmen voted to do so before making a motion to close the town warrant immediately.

Free and reduced lunch program continues

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen was in attendance and gave an update on the schools. Wilhelmsen said that the chairs of the various school committees met with the administrators to discuss the ongoing free and reduced lunch program which has continued despite the school closures. The food service director requested that the program be opened to anyone who needs the assistance right now rather than limiting it to just those that had previously qualified.

Wilhelmsen also said that he had requested that the school budget be amended to adjust for items that are being put into the special town meeting as well as the actual numbers from the new bus contract.

Raises for town employees

The Selectmen and Dennehy were joined by Chair of the Finance Committee Nathaniel Sides and Committee member Marilyn Browne to discuss the FY21 budget. Dennehy said they were considering a 1.6 percent cost of living adjustment across the board for town employees. Dennehy said that she felt that it was a “defensible” number even after going over all the numbers with the town accountant. She said that it was actually a net decrease due to the rising cost of insurance. “From my perspective, it is also about building up some goodwill with the employees,” Dennehy explained. Russo noted, “Even the 1.6 percent cost of living increase is going to ruffle feathers a little.”

Sides said that it has been an extremely challenging time for the Finance Committee. After wrapping up the budget previously, they were looking at about a 3.8 percent increase. Sides said, “There were some asks from some various departments that we were supportive of and still would be in a perfect world.” He continued saying that it would be difficult to stand in front of residents, many of whom are without jobs, and propose a budget that was arrived at through normal means. “I think our committee realizes we need to take another look at everything and come back to the townsfolk with a revised budget,” he finished.

All were in agreement that fiscal year 2022 is going to be the more challenging year. “I think the bigger problem is going to be next year and kind of managing people’s expectations,” Dennehy said. Speaking of 2022, Traynor said, “I’m very pessimistic about it.” Dennehy said that they would likely have to continue the freeze for non-essential items through next year especially given the possibility of another wave of the virus. Dennehy did say that some items, such as vacation overages, should be reimbursable but noted that reimbursement can sometimes take up to two years. She said the town has been maintaining records for those items.

Russo asked if the town had any indication how much of the $90 million received by Plymouth County under the federal CARES Act might go to Plympton. Dennehy said, “We don’t unfortunately, and I just hope that whatever the process is, it’s transparent and its nonpolitical and every community gets what they rightly deserve.” The Plymouth County Commissioners have elected to distribute the $90 million themselves rather than letting the state distribute the money to municipalities as most other counties have done. The Halifax selectmen and town administrator expressed their frustration with the commissioners’ decision during one of their meetings.

New Normal committee eyed

Traynor said that it would probably be a good idea to form a committee to address how the town should plan for the “new normal.” Joy said that the Old Colony Planning Council had sent out a survey to help in coming up with a plan for maximizing resources, serving the town, and establishing a new normal.

Dennehy said that many surrounding towns have been moving their town meetings outdoors with alternate rain dates available. They have also been moving them earlier in the day in order to take advantage of daylight. The town moderator had concerns about moving the start time to 5pm, however, as it could impede on some residents’ ability to attend. Traynor suggested the possibility of holding it on a Saturday. Russo said he was going to take the minority position saying, “I think the less variables we have the better… I could make the case we said the seventeenth and we just make that happen.” Joy said she would like more time to think it over before deciding.  If a town meeting doesn’t occur before June 30, the town will have to go to a 1/12 budgeting scenario.

Halifax BOS consider TM warrant

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig met in person on Friday, May 8 to discuss the town meeting warrant one final time before going to press. The Selectmen and Seelig were seated at a large table and were observing social distancing protocols.

As of right now, the town meeting is still scheduled for June 15. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will be possible both financially or logistically to hold the meeting on that date. According to Seelig, town meetings fall outside the scope of gatherings limited to 10 participants under Governor Baker’s directive. Seelig said that the hope was to have the warrant printed by Thursday, May 14 and mailed out a few weeks after that.

Seelig went through the articles one at a time with most requiring very little discussion. Article 1 is the report for town officials and committees. Article 2 is for wage and personnel matters including a possible grading of the lieutenant position for the Police Department as well as a possible re-grading for both the animal control officer as well as the director of building maintenance. There were several more routine articles involving revolving funds as well as an annual article for the reserve fund.

Seelig said that Articles 7-13 are intended to settle union contracts. According to Seelig there are no settlements as of right now and he is not sure if there will be any by June 15. If not, they will be passed over.

Seelig went on to go over the appropriation articles. A1 is a normal extension service article, A2 is a Chapter 90 article, A3 is the annual article for $150,000 toward the maintenance of town roads. Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward asked that Articles A4 and A5 be removed; both were large sums of money for street repairs. Other articles included $150,000 toward backhoes, money for a new copier for the Council on Aging, $600,000 for a fire engine for the Fire Department, $100,00 for two marked police vehicles and associated equipment, and money for radio systems for both officers and vehicles in the Police Department.

A11 is an article to allow Police Chief Joao Chaves to continue to lease or outright buy the motorcycle used by the department. Thus far the lease has been paid for by gift account money. Chaves believes that there may be enough gift money from Walmart and another business to continue paying for it with the intention to purchase the motorcycle next year. A12 is for 4 new patrol rifles and A13 is for $5000 for bullet resistant vests, both for the Police Department.

A14 would send money from the town to the Housing Authority. According to Seelig there was an employee who worked for both the town as well as the Housing Authority. Both entities were supposed to be contributing money to the employee’s retirement, but the Housing Authority was charged the full amount. Seelig said he is still trying to sort through the finances for this article.

A16 is for $36,000 to support a part time school resource officer at the middle school. This topic has been a point of contention for those in town. It was voted down at last year’s town meeting. Plympton did vote it through last year and have been supporting a very limited number of hours for the school resource officer. Currently, Kingston fully supports the school resource officer at the high school as it is a Kingston Police Officer and comes out of their police budget. The school resource officer at both the high school and middle school must be a Kingston officer as the schools are located there.

Seelig said the Halifax Finance Committee is not recommending the article. When Selectmen Chair Troy Garron asked why, he was told that the Finance Committee believes the expense belongs in the school budget. Selectman Gordon Andrews, who is also a member of both the Halifax School Committee and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, said that adding the part time officer at the middle school into the school budget would also mean needing to add the high school resource officer. Andrews also reiterated that everyone is in agreement about the need for the part time officer but that the dispute is over the mechanism to fund that officer. Seelig said, “If it’s a priority and we have a limited amount of money, we have to make a choice… if the resource officer is more important than other expenditures for the school, they’ll leave it in and take something else out.” Selectman Tom Millias agreed saying, “I think philosophically, from the very beginning, the first time we heard about this, I was not in favor of the towns going about it separately.” He also called the school budget, “out of control, in my personal opinion.” Seelig went on to use Old Rochester Regional School district as a similar district that handles the school resource officers as part of the school budget. Andrews, however, was quick to point out that Old Rochester actually handles the school resource officers through the town budgets as is being proposed by the article. Andrews also told the other selectmen and Seelig that if the officers were put into the school budget, it would end up costing the town more than $36,000.

A17 is a petition article for $20,000 for a truck inspection program. Seelig said he believed it should be included in the police budget. A18 is a petition article for grading all the unpaved roads in Halifax including private and unaccepted roads. Seelig said that Hayward had been doing work on these roads the last few weeks and that they had received “satisfactory compliments” on the results. A19 was in regard to Pasture Lane which is currently an unaccepted road. Millias said, “I understand the frustrations of the residents on this road, but I don’t see that this is the year for the town to be doing this.” The Selectmen agreed to leave it on the warrant with the caveat that the Board of Selectmen do not recommend it.

There were several more articles that were taken off the warrant before moving on to A23. A23 is intended to deal with the trash that has been piling up at the boat ramp and fishing area on Rt. 58. Seelig said that because of the financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there just is not money to deal with the issue. Seelig also explained that the town doesn’t want to place barrels there as people often take it upon themselves to dump personal trash in them. He also said that this is the reason there are locks on the barrels at the townhouse. Despite calling trash on the roadway an important issue, Garron said, “My gut feeling is to take it off.”

A24 is for crosswalk control devices at various locations. A26 is a petition article for $3500 that is essentially a contract between the town of Halifax and South Coastal County Legal Services. A29 is the same article that appears each year in case at the end of the night there is money to put into the stabilization fund. A30, A31, and A32 were for folding chairs for the great hall and selectmen’s meeting room, insulation and vapor barriers at the old town barn, and soundproof panels at the Holmes Public Library, respectively. A34 is for the repair of overhead doors at the town barn.

A35 is for the replacement of the roof at Pope’s Tavern. The cost includes architectural, engineering, and repair. “We can’t let the building go and I don’t see a new Council on Aging anytime soon…I think it is one of the things we have to do,” Millias said. Garron agreed, saying, “We definitely need it. I mean that place is leaking like a sieve.”

A36 is the annual Uber/Lyft article that state law mandates be included. It is for a small amount of money from rides that originate in town.  A37 is for a repair to the landfill cap.

The next several articles discussed pertain to moving the town toward a more electronic business model. A38 from the auditors asks for a fraud/risk assessment. Andrews suggested waiting a year since the hope is to move toward an online system and it wouldn’t make sense to do such an assessment on a program that wouldn’t be in existence much longer.

A39 would allow for e-permitting and A40 would allow for papers to be filed electronically and copies obtained without contacting town officials. Seelig said, “Conceptually, we understand what we are talking about, but we would have to have a firm proposal to go to town meeting.” A41 would establish an electronic payroll system.

Article F1 is a possible pilot agreement for the River Street Solar Farm. If everyone agrees to a pilot by the time of town meeting, the town can vote to approve it. If not, it will be passed over.

The zoning related articles will come before the Planning Board. The first is a change to floodplains to reflect what FEMA wants. There is also a multifamily bylaw revision. The last zoning article would allow for recreational marijuana establishments in the business or commercial district with a special permit.

Seelig also mentioned an article to increase the size of the Beautification Committee from 5 to 7 members. The increase needs to be an article as it requires a change to a town bylaw.

The selectmen and Seelig also discussed possible locations for the town meeting given social distancing restrictions. In closing, Andrews said that the town will need to come up with some sort of celebration once past this pandemic.

Regional school budget cuts $1million

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The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met on Tuesday, May 12 during which time Superintendent Jill Proulx and the administration team presented nearly a million dollars in proposed cuts to the budget. A copy of the presentation can be found on the Silver Lake homepage. The Committee met again on Wednesday, May 13 to vote on the proposed cuts.

The cuts were categorized as either tier one or tier two. In addition to the elimination of freshmen sports and some expanded transportation, many positions including professional status teachers were included on the lists. Due to contractual obligations, some staff potentially facing a layoff must be notified by Friday, May 15. To vote in favor of cuts presented does not mean they will come to fruition. Instead, when preparing the budget, the list will be drawn upon when in need of cuts. Silver Lake Regional School Committee Chair Jason Fraser explained, “Tonight is not the end of the budget, tonight is the beginning of the development process. There will be some time for us to consider all of our options as we move forward.”

Proposed tier one cuts at the high school include the elimination of several paraprofessionals and the full-time wellness teacher. Tier one cuts at the middle school include a full-time special education teacher, a full-time science teacher, and the reduction of a librarian position.

Potential tier two cuts at the high school include a Latin teacher, a full-time tech ed teacher, a full-time computer teacher, a full-time special education teacher, a full-time ELA teacher, and a full-time adjustment counselor. Tier two cuts at the middle school total $144,000 and include a full-time math teacher and PE teacher as well as the remainder of the librarian position among others.

The presentation also included a few items where there will be savings this year that could potentially offset the need for as many cuts. With school closed since mid-March, expenditures for buses, utilities, and substitute teachers have been reduced.

Fraser began Wednesday by laying out the ground rules for the meeting which was being held virtually and boasted over 150 participants. Each committee member would be offered one opportunity to speak on any comments or questions they had developed since the previous night’s meeting.

Committee member Eric Crone noted, as did many others, that he was against many of the proposed cuts. Crone also said that when moving forward with the budget, he would like to see some new areas considered for cuts including technology costs and administrative costs. Committee member Laura Tilton said, “This is a really painful process… but the bottom line is we’ve been asked by the town to come in with a budget that is lower.”

Leslie-Ann McGee offered, “I think it’s a very difficult process to consider essentially gutting education as we know it at Silver Lake.” She added, “I just don’t want anyone to think that my yes vote tonight means that I’m in favor of all of the components of this package.” McGee noted she was only voting in favor of the package due to time constraints.

Committee member and Halifax Selectman Gordon Andrews asked if the teachers potentially facing layoffs were informed prior to the meeting the night before. Fraser assured him that they had been notified by their building principal and/or other administrators. Andrews also asked, “At this point in time, no other staff members could be let go that are under the union contract that do not get notified tonight?”

Proulx answered, “My understanding is that the notices go to the people who are currently in the position but some of those people who would be notified could, in fact, bump other people in their bargaining unit which could set off a need to notify other people.”

Committee member Michael Antoine asked, “I would like to know if the administration has looked at their own area as far as the contracts, we have going forward with them, if there’s been any talk of salary freezes or voluntary reductions in pay.” Proulx responded, “There has been discussion but no formalized decision regarding the freezing or reduction of salaries; that is certainly something we have discussed and considered and would consider.”

Before moving forward with a vote on the proposal, Fraser said that if salary modifications were considered, he would like to see it be across the board and not on the backs of any particular group.

The Committee proceeded to vote with the necessary two-thirds majority to approve both the tier one and tier two cuts as presented.

School Committee budget uncertainty

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The virtual Plympton School Committee meeting on Monday, April 27 began with a public hearing and vote on school choice. No one was in attendance from the public that wished to speak on the matter. Vice Chair Jason Fraser made a motion not to accept school choice for the 2020-2021 school year beyond extending it to the students currently enrolled through the program. Chair Jon Wilhelmsen also pointed out that the incoming Kindergarten class was a large one, by Plympton standards. Wilhelmsen also cited the uncertainty surrounding the budget as yet another reason he was opposed to school choice. The motion not to accept school choice for the upcoming year passed unanimously.

Fraser, who currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) Board of Directors and is the Division III (southeastern) Chair, has volunteered to serve as secretary/treasurer on the MASC Executive Board. Wilhelmsen made a motion to show the Plympton School Committee’s support for Fraser. “I think not only will MASC benefit greatly from Jason’s expertise, but it also allows our school and our district a persistent voice up at that level and I think that is something that is beneficial to us,” Wilhelmsen said. “Thank you very much for your kind words and I want to acknowledge the support of the Committee and the administrators,” Fraser said. The vote is scheduled for June 23. “Regardless of if I’m nominated to that position by the MASC Nominating Board, I will continue in my role as an officer at the very least and continue to fly the flag of Plympton and Silver Lake at the state and federal level,” Fraser said.

Wilhelmsen said that the two positions coming due on the School Committee are those belonging to himself and Fraser. Both will remain on the Committee until the elections are held.

Fraser said he was in touch with the townhouse regarding pulling papers. He said that regardless of their answer his intention is to run for both seats he holds currently (Plympton School Committee and Silver Lake Regional). “I think that now more than ever it is important for us to have some history and some continuity on the Committee to make sure that we can guide our town through this unchartered territory,” Fraser explained.

Wilhelmsen led the discussion on the budget for fiscal year 2021. The Finance Committee recommended that the special education stabilization fund of $1,000, the quinquennial cistern inspection and cleaning in the amount of $5,000, and a group of technology expenses totaling roughly $21,000 would best be handled as articles at the special town meeting.

Those articles have been drafted and provided to the town. It was further decided that curriculum expenses totaling $15,500 for social studies grades 3 and 6 and math resources would best be handled within the budget. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said she would tweak the budget per those recommendations. Healy also said that there is a savings of $12,000 as a result of the new bus contract.

Wilhelmsen said he is having regular discussions with Town Hall and mentioned that the warrant could potentially be stripped down to essential items only such as the budget.

“We’re pretty well insulated at the local level for receipts because most of our income  at a local level comes from property taxes but we do receive a substantial amount of funds from the state level and right now at FY20, which ends on June 30, they’re predicating between a $300 and $700 million deficit for this year,” Fraser explained.

“The Governor has given his word that he does not plan on doing any 9C cuts to this year and will pull from the rainy-day fund to supplement the budget if necessary,” he continued.

Fraser said that things are more unclear for the FY21 budget at the state level. Last year’s budget was $44 billion dollars at the state level and, according to Fraser, “there are numbers right now floating around… the most conservative number I’ve heard is a $2 billion shortfall compared to the $44 billion dollar budget at the state level but I’m hearing some people on the fringes using numbers much, much larger than that.”

With the House 1 budget thrown out, Fraser said that the state doesn’t believe they will have numbers for municipalities to work from until early May at the earliest. Fraser said that a lot of towns and regional schools are looking to going to a 1/12 budget as a result.

“Regardless of where we end up, we could be looking at a 2-4% decrease in state aide or it could be much, much more dire than that,” Fraser said. Plympton’s school likely won’t benefit from the CARES Act passed at the federal level.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto was unable to attend the meeting so Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update in his stead.

Proulx said that according to Veneto, the vast majority of families are working really hard with teachers to make remote learning successful. She also said that Veneto has been meeting weekly with the special education team, response to intervention groups, as well as each individual grade level. Proulx said, “he gives all the credit in the world to his teachers for their efforts and dedication.”

Proulx spoke on the survey that was sent to staff, secondary students, and parents to gauge how the remote learning was working.

“We would like to begin by thanking our school committee, our students, our parents, and our staff for their patience and their assistance in helping us through this transition. It has truly been a team effort and we cannot thank you enough for your support and your kindness and your teamwork throughout all of this,” Proulx said.

Key takeaways from the survey include working with the staff to streamline communications and make sure that the district is using best practices for remote learning, as well as continuing to revisit and revise as needed. Proulx said that they will also be incorporating updated guidance from the state into their remote learning plan.

A second set of surveys will be sent out in mid-May. Proulx also said that another item being looked at right now by the administration is reentry; both what that will look like as well as what expenses may be related to it.

“I just wanted to say how appreciative I was of the surveys that you put out…I shared out some of the data that we received and other communities all around us on the South Shore asked if they could have your surveys…. I’m very thankful to hear that you’re going to do a second round to continue that two-way dialogue,” Fraser said to Proulx.

Wilhelmsen praised a video that was created by teachers and other staff members at Dennett Elementary to reach out to their students.

He said the video was noticed even outside of the district. He described it saying it was, “what the kids needed at that point, just to be able to see everyone… it was very well done.”

SSA warns of fraudulent phone calls, scams

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Stephen Richardson
Social Security Regional Communications Director

 Social Security and its Office of the Inspector General continue to receive reports about fraudulent phone calls from people claiming to be Social Security employees.  These scammers try to trick people into providing personal information or money, and often threaten their victims with arrest.  Don’t be fooled.

Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.

Real Social Security employees also will not:

o   Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended.

o Contact you to demand an immediate payment.

o Ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

o  Require a specific means of debt repayment, like a prepaid debit card, a retail gift card, or cash.

o  Demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.

o  Promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money.

If you receive a suspicious call or are unsure of the identity of someone who claims to be from Social Security:

o   Hang up.

o  Do not give money or personal information.

o   Report the scam to our Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.

Plympton looks toward re-opening

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Thursday, April 30 as they have been doing each week during the COVID-19 pandemic. Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy gave an update on the town’s plan to deal with the virus. Dennehy said that the town is following the Governor’s guidance to extend the stay-at-home order to May 18.

Town employees continue to work remotely whenever possible with only a select few continuing to go into town buildings in order to complete essential services. The town has also begun implementing virtual tours for inspection processes. Dennehy also said that everything is continuing to go smoothly with the Police and Fire Departments and that the town currently has a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The Emergency Management team has met to discuss logistics for reopening. Dennehy said they have discussed such necessities as face coverings as well as structural changes to buildings. The possibility of installing plexiglass to reduce contact was a potential option mentioned. Dennehy said the team is “trying to get an idea of the best path forward.”   

Dennehy and the Selectmen also discussed how best to handle the town’s Memorial Day events. Dennehy said that many surrounding towns have postponed those events to Veteran’s Day. Both Kathy Ferguson and Briggette Martins, who are both on the Memorial Day Committee, were receptive to the idea. Selectman Mark Russo said, “I’m in total agreement that it needs to be postponed. My only concern is that we wait a week to put it on the agenda in case there was opposition.” Selectmen Christine Joy and John Traynor were in agreement.

Dennehy also told the Board that she had been in touch with the Co-Chair of the Open Space Committee Linda Leddy about extending the bid date for the three lots on Prospect Road. The new due date for offers is May 20, 2020 by noon at the Plympton Town House.

The town received word from energy provider Eversource that there was a problematic tree down on the town green. Dennehy said that due to COVID-19, Eversource was asking either herself or Joy to sign off on the removal of the tree. “I took a ride down there and the tree is practically coming down now; It’s dangerous,” Traynor said. He continued, “I wonder if they could do it with a provision that they grind the stump since it is on the town green.” Russo agreed and asked that it be put on the following week’s agenda to enable anyone who may be sensitive to such issues to attend the meeting.

In other town business, Traynor made a motion to send the codification warrant article that would change the bylaws to the Planning Board. Traynor said that it would be necessary to have a clear date for doing so before going to the Attorney General’s office. Dennehy also said that she had received correspondence from a town solar project stating the need to do an electrical crossing on Ring Road.

Traynor also had a rave for the week. He commended the Russos (Mark and family) for what he referred to as “Friday night cooking” during which meals would be given out to as many as 40 families.

Early and mail-in voting for Halifax Election

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Halifax Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor has been getting the town ready for the first election in the past hundred years to be held during a global pandemic.  But she’s up to the challenge.

The election is Saturday, June 20, and the last day to register to vote is June 10.  “I will encourage online voter registration,” Gaynor said.  The link to register to vote is on the town’s website – Halifax-ma.org /Town Clerk.

The polls will be open the regular hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and as of now, “we are still planning on the polling place being the gym at Halifax Elementary School.”   She encourages early voting/absentee voting for this election.

Selectmen are meeting virtually this morning, Friday, May 8, at 9 a.m. to discuss the warrant for the annual town meeting scheduled to be held Monday, June 15.  “Town meeting … is still a work in progress.  There are bills before the Senate and House dealing with town meetings so I think that is part of the town delay.   I take direction from the Board of Selectmen as to the when and how,” Gaynor said.

The ballot is finalized and shows only two contests, Michael J. Schlieff is opposing incumbent R. Steven Hayward for Highway Surveyor, and Alan J Dias and Ashley DiSesa are both seeking the single five-year term on the Planning Board.

The rest of the ballot looks like this:

• Board of Assessors, 3-year term, vote for one, John J.R. Shiavone (candidate for re-election)

• Board of Health, 3-year term, vote for one, Steven MacFaun

• Housing Authority, 3-year term, vote for one, no candidate

• Housing Authority, 4-year term, vote for one, Patricia McCarthy (candidate for re-election)

• Housing Authority, 5-year term, vote for one, Richard Clark, (candidate for re-election)

• Board of Library Trustees, 3-year term, vote for one, Diane Ruxton

• Park Commissioner, 1-year term, vote for one, no candidate

• Park Commissioner, 3-year term, vote for one, no candidate

• Planning Board, 5-year term, vote for one, no candidate

• Halifax Elementary School Committee, 3-year term, vote for two, Robert Johnson and Alison J. Vance (both candidates for re-election)

• Silver Lake Regional School Committee, 3-year term, vote for one, Edward Desharnais, Jr. (candidate for re-election)

• Board of Selectmen, 3-year term, vote for one, Troy E. Garron (candidate for re-election)

• Board of Water Commissioners, 3-year term, vote for one, Richard Clark, (candidate for re-election)

There is one ballot question.

“Shall the town vote to accept the provisions of section thirteen of chapter two hundred and fifty-eight of the General Laws which provides that the town shall indemnify and save harmless municipal officers, elected or appointed, from personal financial loss and expense including reasonable legal fees and costs, if any in an amount not to exceed one million dollars, arising out of any claim, demand, suit or judgement by reason of any act or omission except an intentional violation of civil rights of any person under any law, if the official at the time of such act or omission was acting with the scope of this official’s duties and employment?”

COVID-19 Police Station disinfect

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Plympton resident Scott Materna, who works as the Facilities Manager for the Town of Halifax, put his skills to good use recently as he disinfected the new police station in a mutual aid endeavor.  The disinfecting was not due to any specific risk, just something that needs to be done from time to time, according to Plympton Police Sgt. Stephen Teri.

Halifax BOS mulls ATM, election changes

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During the Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, April 28 town administrator Charlie Seelig said that as of right now, the town is operating under the assumption that there will be a town meeting on June 15. He noted, however, it is all subject to change due to COVID-19 restrictions. Based on that assumption, the town is required to get the warrant out to residents. Selectman Gordon Andrews asked if the town was bound by legislation to hold town meeting in June. Seelig said that they would need to do so as a starting point even if in June it is decided that it will need to be postponed another 30 days.

Seelig also questioned the need to spend several thousand dollars printing and distributing warrants to every household in Halifax. He suggested, instead, printing less copies and making them available at a few public locations throughout town in addition to posting it online. The bylaws regarding the requirements for the distribution of the warrant would need to be changed first.

Seelig pointed out that they are printing approximately 3,500 copies of the warrant yet only 100 or so households are usually represented at town meeting. He did, however, say that he was in no way trying to discourage participation.

Andrews suggested the possibility of sending a postcard to each household in town letting them know where they could pick up a copy of the warrant. Both Selectmen Chair Troy Garron and Selectman Tom Millias were on board with the idea.

Planning Board member Amy Troup was in attendance and made it known that she was adamantly opposed to the idea of not sending warrants to all individual households.

As of now, the town election is still scheduled for late June. Seelig said that they are currently reviewing the final proof of the election ballot.

Seelig said he would encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of early voting and mail-in voting.

Seelig relayed that town clerk Barbara Gaynor proposed reducing the number of hours that the polls are open from 10 am to 6 pm to 12 pm to 4 pm. Millias said, “I’m not sure I’m comfortable shortening the hours.”

He continued, “I want to be sure everyone gets their chance.”

Seelig and the selectmen were unsure whether shortening the hours would reduce or increase exposure for residents and poll workers. Shorter hours would mean less time being in contact with others, but it could also result in greater crowd size. Garron said, “I’m not sure. six of one, half a dozen of the other.” Seelig said he would speak to Gaynor about the Board’s concerns.

COVID Leave Policy Re-examined

Seelig said that back in March, the town had decided to continue paying those who weren’t allowed back in their places of work but were unable to work from home. A few of those employees have been temporarily transferred to a department that could utilize them. For others that are available to work but unable to be transferred or work from home, Seelig said they would have to either take a leave option or be furloughed until they can be put back to work. Millias said, “This whole thing has opened up a lot of inequities… I would like to give this a little more thought, myself.” Seelig said the Board could delay making a decision until their May 12 meeting.

Budget Discussion

Seelig said that himself and town accountant Sandra Nolan met with the Finance Committee on Monday, April 27 and made some progress regarding decisions about line items in the budget. Seelig also said that he was waiting to hear back from the schools regarding their budgets. He acknowledged that everyone was waiting to hear about changes to Chapter 70 funding and unrestricted local aid from the state. Andrews pointed out that were the state to change their numbers, it could potentially have a negative impact on Halifax’s assessment for Silver Lake.

Seelig said that there would be a possibility that they would have to do a 1/12 budget. Seelig also said that while there wasn’t money for general wage increases across the board, there would most likely be step increases for union/non-union and school and non-school employees. Troup, again, took issue with Seelig and the Board’s proposal saying, “Raises for people should not even be considered right now… taxpayers are losing their jobs…we need to unite and come together as a team like we used to.”

After what was, at times, a heated debate between some of the selectmen and Troup, Garron replied, “We do the best we can with what we have to work with.”

CARES Act Distribution

On March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, was signed into law, establishing a federal fund of $150 billion to help cities and towns cover costs related to the coronavirus pandemic. Plymouth County received $90 million from that fund which the Plymouth County Board of Commissioners elected to distribute to towns and cities within their jurisdiction themselves rather than having the state administer the money. Aside from the city of Boston, all other local governments opted to have the funds funneled through the commonwealth.

Seelig said that the three Halifax agencies that are in greatest need of the funds, including the Board of Health, have yet to receive any word from the County. Seelig also said that on April 30 a Plymouth County Commissioner’s meeting will be held via Zoom with one participant allowed per city and town. Garron volunteered to sit on the call saying, “I’m not too pleased about it that they didn’t notify anybody about this, especially the advisory board.” Andrews and Millias were also displeased with the County’s decision. The Selectmen voted to have Seelig draft a letter stating their preference that the state handle the allocation of the funds.

Suggestion to Honor Graduating Seniors

Seelig told the selectmen that a suggestion was sent to him to hang congratulations signs on the town utility poles for the individual graduating seniors from Halifax. Seelig said that doing so could be difficult as there are only 10 or 12 poles with the necessary clips. The Highway Department would have to be involved as well. Seelig proposed a logistically simpler idea of placing signs along the roadway, potentially on Plymouth St., to represent each of the roughly 90 students. The selectmen agreed that they would like to figure out some way of honoring those students. “I think if we could do something it would be a really nice gesture,” Millias said.

Official Declaration Made

Seelig also asked the selectmen for their opinion on declaring May 1 to May 7 Children’s Mental Health Week in Halifax per a request that had been received. Regarding making such declarations Andrews commented, “We don’t do this a lot.” Millias said, “It is a little odd, but I don’t see any harm to it.” The selectmen voted to approve the request.

Odds and Ends

A Planning Board hearing is scheduled for May 7 at 7:15 pm.

The three items on the agenda include updating the zoning bylaws regarding floodplains, allowing marijuana establishments in the commercial district, and potentially updating the multifamily bylaw.

The Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a remand on May 4, 2020 at 7:30 pm for Amanda’s Estates. The Zoning Board of Appeals will also hold a public hearing on Country Club Estates on May 6 at 7 pm.

Mosquito control

Seelig said that while it is too early to begin other mosquito control measures, the town has administered larvicide to swamplands, etc.

Memorial Day Parade

Assistant Veterans Agent for Halifax, Steven Littlefield, told Seelig that he couldn’t see how the Memorial Day Parade could be held given Governor Baker extending the stay-at-home order through May 18.  The Board agreed to hold off on making a definitive decision regarding the parade though Andrews said, “I think, personally, we are going to have to cancel it.” The Selectmen had previously voted to allow flags to be placed on the town green several weeks in advance of Memorial Day.

Condolences to

Halifax Nova Scotia

The Selectmen voted to send a letter of condolences to Halifax, Nova Scotia following the mass shooting that took place near there on April 19. It was the worst in Canada’s history.

The selectmen voted to do so due to their shared name.