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LaNatra named Legislator of Year

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State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) has been named Legislator of the Year at the 33rd annual MaMHCA (Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association), where she also delivered the keynote speech at their conference, held November 2 at the Crowne Plaza in Woburn.

 Representative LaNatra, who is a fierce advocate for mental health issues on Beacon Hill, joined Mental Health Counselors from across the state for their annual convention. Topics covered at the convention included: (1) working with domestic violence; (2) opioid overdose; (3) emergency services/critical incident stress management; (4) developing programs for veterans; and (5) taking mental health out of the criminal justice system.

MaMHCA is a state-wide professional association dedicated to providing essential professional information to Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs), mental health counseling students, mental health counselor educators and other related professionals. The organization also provides a multi-faceted program of ongoing education and training for LMHCs and mental health counselors. For the past 35 years, MaMHCA has been advocating for the advancement of the highest quality mental health services and the mental health counseling profession through public policy initiatives for both mental health professionals and consumers of mental health services.

“I am deeply honored by the award I received, and the opportunity to deliver remarks to this outstanding group of professionals,” said Representative LaNatra. She added, “The passion in this room was infectious. We thank (past president) Joe Weeks and all the licensed mental health counselors for all they do, and I look forward to working closely with them to advance legislative issues that affect mental health services.”

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.  She maintains regular office hours throughout the district.

For additional information, please contact Chris Jean, Christopher.Jean@MAhouse.gov. Meetings can also be arranged by appointment.

Bud’s wants to grow outside

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The Halifax Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, covered a number of topics including the appointment of a former Halifax police chief as a special police officer.

Lifelong Halifax resident Ted Broderick began his career as a special police officer in Halifax in 1984 before moving on to Plympton in 1986 where he became a full-time officer. Broderick returned to Halifax where he rose through the ranks, being promoted first to sergeant and then chief in 2013.

“Ted’s a welcome addition to the department not only for his knowledge of law enforcement but also of the town and the residents; he’ll be a great resource for myself and other members of the department,” Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves said. The Board agreed, passing a motion to appoint him as a special police officer.

Board Vacancies

Vacancies on both the Planning Board and the Board of Health were also discussed. The Board of Health currently has one applicant who will be interviewed by the Board of Selectmen before being voted on by the two boards. An appointment has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 10 at 7:45. There are currently three candidates for the vacancy on the Planning Board. All three candidates will be interviewed by the Planning Board for 10 minutes each on December 10 beginning at 8 p.m. A vote will commence immediately thereafter with both the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board attending.

Council on Aging Director Search

The search for a new Council on Aging (COA) director continues. The deadline for applications is this Friday, Nov. 15. All applications will be scanned and sent to the screening committee to review on Wednesday, November 20. According to Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig eight applicants from the first selection process earlier in the fall have indicated that they will be reapplying. The Board of Selectmen hope to make a final decision by December 10.

Revocation Hearing Continuations

Continuation of two revocation hearings were held. Seelig informed the Board that Twin Lake Liquors is now fully paid up on back taxes and the Board moved to close the hearing. Seelig also provided an update on Davis Automotive saying that they are continuing to pay down their motor vehicle tax and are currently up-to-date on their land tax. The hearing will be continued during the next selectmen meeting at 7:45 p.m.

Update on Sale of Aldana Road Parcel

Back in July, DFG land agent from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Joan Pierce met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss buying an area of Peterson’s Swamp from the town. Initially the Board was unhappy with the offered amount but came to an agreement contingent upon the town of Halifax also receiving back a sliver of land behind Aldana Road that is currently owned by Fisheries and Wildlife. Ownership of that land parcel is necessary in order to be able to pave that road. Seelig said that Fisheries and Wildlife have submitted a draft agreement for the sale of the parcels including what is needed from both the town and the commonwealth. Seelig forwarded the agreement to Halifax town counsel Attorney Lawrence Mayo for review.

Surplus Police Vehicle Used for Town Business

Seelig also brought before the Board the possibility to use a surplus police vehicle for town business rather than trading it in. Seelig said that Selectmen Tom Millias, who was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, has a particular interest in this topic as he was previously the building inspector and currently serves on the Board of Assessors. The Assessors are interested in using the vehicle. Seelig explained that the benefit to the employees would be reduced risk as they wouldn’t face rising insurance premiums, etc. if something were to happen while they were using their personal vehicles for town business.

Halifax Fire Rating Improves

Seelig shared some good news from the Halifax Fire Department regarding the town’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. An ISO rating is a number from 1-10, 1 being best and 10 being worst, that is assigned to a community indicating its preparedness to deal with a related emergency. The latest review upgraded Halifax’s score from a 4 to a 3. Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros attributed the improved score to staffing changes, the new regional dispatch network, and the well-maintained fleet of apparatus and equipment. Seelig said that according to Viveiros, only 1 in 8 communities has a rating of 1, 2, or 3, putting Halifax in good company. Selectman Gordon Andrews asked if it would affect homeowner’s insurance and Seelig responded, “Yes, it should, in a positive way.”

Monponsett Pond Update

Seelig provided an update on the Administrative Consent Order (ACO) issued to Brockton by the Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) in 2017 and updated in the spring of 2019. The ACO identified violations of Chapter 371 of the Acts of 1964 which allowed Brockton to divert water from Monponsett Pond to be used as part of their water supply. Seelig said that Brockton requested a waiver from the DEP to allow them to test different hypothesis and their effects on the pond. Brockton requested the waiver as some of the things they may be testing could be in opposition to the ACO. The DEP issued the waiver but asked that Brockton notify the DEP five days in advance. Seelig asked the Board for their permission to also ask that the towns of Hanson and Halifax be given sufficient notice as the public would likely notice changes in the ways the water in the pond is flowing. Selectman Chair Troy Garron said, “I’d like to add that we send a letter to the new mayor and let him know the efforts that we are making to try and bring some reconciliation to the pond.” The Board and Seelig agreed with sending Brockton’s newly elected mayor a letter informing him of the current situation with Monponsett Pond.

Outdoor Marijuana Growing Facility

The selectmen also had an appointment to meet with Alex Mazin, the President of Buds Goods & Provisions. Mazin’s attorney was also present. Back in early October Mazin met with the Selectmen to discuss the possibility of an adult use outdoor marijuana cultivation facility on the same lot where Four Daughters had previously planned to build an indoor facility. During the October meeting, Mazin had explained that outdoor cultivation is more sustainable for the environment and has significantly lower startup and operational costs as compared to indoor cultivation. Seelig informed the Board that town counsel had reviewed the Host Community Agreement submitted by Bud’s and viewed it very favorably.

Mazin, again, laid out several reasons why he believes his proposal is beneficial to the town. Amongst his arguments is that the property in question has septic issues due to poor percolation. Mazin pointed out that since his proposal is an outdoor growing facility with only a barn like structure for storage, a septic system would not need to be installed. Mazin said, “I really believe our proposal is utilizing a piece of land that is not going to get utilized any other way.” Mazin also stressed that no sales would take place at their facility and stressed that a significant buffer exists between where he intends to grow and abutters’ property. Mazin pointed out that they intend to initially grow on about 2 acres of land despite the lot being 47 acres.

Regarding security concerns, Mazin pointed out several factors that he believes works in their favor. Mazin suggested that theft would be difficult as the shrubs are actually quite large with some even reaching 8 ft in height. Trying to scale a tall fence with a large tree would likely deter any attempts at theft. Additionally, according to Mazin, there is only a two-week window where the flowers that are valuable grow making it easier to monitor for theft.

Andrews told Mazin that he had heard from several residents in the area and that they were not in favor of the facility. Mazin said, “All we’re looking for is an opportunity to present our case to the community.” Mazin further said that he did not want his business in a community that does not want them.

Bud’s will get that chance to present to the community in December.

The Board of Selectmen will hold a community forum/public hearing for Bud’s Goods and Provisions’ proposal on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall in the Halifax Town Hall.

Residents will have an opportunity at that time to voice their opinions and ask any questions that they may have.

A link to the host community agreement is available on the Halifax town website.

Consumer Affairs Rep speaks on Identity Theft at Plympton COA

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Robin Putnam, a research and special projects manager from the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR), attended the Tuesday, October 15 Council on Aging (COA) meeting to speak to residents regarding identity theft and fraud prevention. Despite a newsletter and robocalls the turnout for this COA event was quite small.

Putnam gave everyone in attendance a copy of A Massachusetts Consumer Guide to Identify Theft pamphlet. She pointed out the Consumer Hotline (617-973-8787) which is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and stressed that an actual person will be available to talk during those times. Additionally, she assured residents that if you leave a message, someone will call you back within 24 hours.

Putnam also explained to attendees that OCABR has over 39,000 contractors registered with them and explained that before hiring someone to do over $1,000 worth of work on your home, you should verify that they are registered. You can check registration either online or over the phone. Just as OCABR will defend consumers against contractor negligence, they will also defend the contractors when necessary.   

One of the most pertinent frauds discussed was the process of spoof calling where a caller changes their caller ID to any number other than the calling number. Despite it feeling as though you are being targeted, you are not as it is usually a computer system somewhere churning out phone calls. Of note, Putnam warned that it is important not to answer as even answering and immediately hanging up demonstrates that your number has an actual living person attached to it.

A new FCC program known as SHAKEN/STIR seeks to verify the caller ID information that appears on a recipient’s phone. Thus far the program seems to be working as there was a down tick in robocalls for the month of July.

Also discussed was what is known as social engineering or the act of trying to manipulate individuals into divulging personal or confidential information. For example, if they know your bank they’ll call pretending to be from that bank and they will ask you to verify personal information that they’ve gathered about you from various sources. Once they’ve earned your trust, they will ask you to verify your social security number. Another scam involves the caller claiming that your spouse is in the hospital or your grandchild in jail. The caller will then ask you for a credit card payment.

Putnam warned against engaging the scammer with fake answers in an attempt to scam the scammer. She warned of a real-life example where a scammer realized what was happening and then proceeded to call the recipient’s number every hour for a full 24 hours.

Phishing emails were another topic of discussion. Putnam advised on ways to decipher an authentic email from a fraudulent one. If an email looks suspicious it can be helpful to hover your mouse over the email sender in order to view the address in its entirety. Subtle differences such as the way an email addresses its recipient can be useful. She gave a personal example of an authentic email from her bank referring to her as Ms. Putnam vs. a fraudulent one pretending to be from that same bank and referring to her as “loyal customer.” When in question, it is advised that you find an old statement and call the 800-number given; never call the 800-number given in the potentially fraudulent email.

Putnam also provided a number of suggestions for protecting oneself against such scams. She stressed the importance of changing passwords every 6-9 weeks. The actual passwords themselves should not be recycled and should be something arbitrary rather than personal. She also suggested doing a credit check and verifying that all information on the report is actually yours. People under 18 years of age are more susceptible to identity theft as fraudsters know that guardians are unlikely to pull credit reports for someone say, three years old.

Putnam also addressed the Equifax Data Breach which affected 147 million people. If you are unsure if you were affected, it is best to go to ftc.gov/Equifax to check.

Holmes Library Costume Parade

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The Holmes Public Library, 470 Plymouth St., Halifax, hosted its annual Hallowe’en Costume Parade last week.  Children from several nearby towns came dressed in their best  costumes to Trick or Treat as the Holmes welcomed their new Children’s Librarian, Holly Iannucci.

Halifax seeks volunteers for board vacancies

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers to serve on a number of boards and committees including the Finance Committee and the Wage and Personnel Board.

These committees and boards need volunteers in order to function and provide services to the residents of Halifax. For instance, a full seven-person Finance Committee ensures that a wider variety of residents help make recommendations to Town Meeting about the Town’s annual and operating budgets than if the Committee has a minimum quorum of four residents.

Residents interested in serving on these and other boards and committees can download a talent bank form [http://www.halifax-ma.org/board-selectmen/files/talent-bank-form-2019] and submit it to the Board of Selectmen, 499 Plymouth Street, Halifax, MA 02338 or contact the Selectmen’s Office at 781-294-1316 to obtain
one.

A current list of vacancies is also available at http://www.halifax-ma.org/board-selectmen/pages/board-committee-vacancies.

BOS bans alcohol on town property

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, Nov. 4, began with a decision to include a warrant article at special town meeting that would authorize the selectmen to create safety zones in some of the town’s more dangerous intersections including Ring Road and Main Street.  Selectmen hope to reduce the speed limits for safety sake. Selectman Mark Russo said any decisions made would be done with a great deal of input from residents who live near the designated areas.

Robert Firlotte, who was in attendance, was appointed the interim highway superintendent as well as to the emergency management team. Both terms are from October 21, 2019 to June 30, 2020. Firlotte also agreed with selectmen regarding the safety zone article to be voted on at special town meeting.

Selectman John Traynor inquired about the town’s policy regarding alcohol on town owned property. Selectmen assistant Briggette Martins said that the insurance said it is absolutely not allowed without a permit. Bringing your own alcohol to events on town owned property is also prohibited. Other nearby towns such as Halifax have banned alcohol from town property. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said, “Years ago, we had an incident at the town house and there were some pretty severe repercussions for people that had been drinking at the town house.” Russo asked about the alternative to banning alcohol and was told that it would be $2500 per event for the person serving the alcohol to receive a permit with insurance. Joy said, “I think it’s cut and dry; we cannot put the town in a position where we’re compromised by allowing people to drink in town buildings. It just does not make any sense.” After some discussion, the other selectmen agreed and a motion was passed to adopt a policy to ban alcohol on all town owned property. Dennehy said she would send a memo. Russo said, “Be really clear that we are doing this to protect the town and that it is cost prohibitive to do otherwise.”

Traynor also brought before the Board, an issue with a lack of service in Plympton and Halifax by The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA). Traynor presented a map of the state shaded to indicate Transit Authority coverage. Traynor said, “Basically these transit authorities they cover almost the whole state.” He continued, “That little white spot… is Halifax and Plympton. We’re the only ones that don’t have coverage for regional transit authority.” Traynor also shared some statistics showing the number of people per square mile for many of the surrounding south shore towns.

Plympton and Halifax had previously been told they don’t have enough people per square mile to qualify for service. When combined, however, Plympton and Halifax have more people per square mile than Carver that does have service.

Traynor said he reached out to Halifax Selectman Tom Millias who lent his full support. Traynor also enlisted the help of Senator Michael Brady and Representative Kathleen LaNatra. The next step would be finding out the cost of bringing service to the two towns.

Town administrator Elizabeth Dennehy gave an update on various items including the old jail cell that went out to bid. The cell, which was classified as town owned surplus property, was awarded to the highest bidder, Ken Thompson, for $203.

Dennehy said that a large meeting will be held on November 19 to discuss the fiber optic plan and make sure that all parties are on the same page.  Representatives from regional dispatch, Industrial Communications, and Open Cape and their subcontractor will be present.  The regional dispatch center is installing their own exclusive fiber connection that will run from them to the Plympton Police Department; it will be done by a combination of Comcast and Industrial Communications. Dennehy said it is important to ensure that the two systems can function together with special attention being paid to the fiber that Plympton is putting into the police station. Dennehy also said that going forward, it may be necessary to bring a company on board to maintain the physical fiber network and handle the network administration work. Steve Pellowe, the technology director for the Silver Lake Regional School District has also been asked to attend the meeting.

Dispatch costs

quadruple

Dennehy also alerted the Board that the dispatch cost for next year is set to rise significantly. Costs are estimated at $200,000 for next year, four times that of the previous two fiscal years. The previous numbers were a discounted rate and also incorporated grant money. Dennehy said that she had already shared those numbers with the Chair of the Finance Committee. Joy asked if the amount was negotiable and Dennehy said she didn’t believe there was much flexibility. The formula is based on call volume and population. Dennehy did say that if they can get more people to join, Plympton’s costs will go down. Dennehy believed that they are currently in negotiations with Hanson. Dennehy and the Board agreed to look into the possibility of acquiring a grant to help offset the costs.

Important upcoming dates include the first meeting of the newly formed town campus committee on November 19 at 6 p.m. at the Town House. The Selectmen would like to have Area 58 televise the meeting. Also of note, the Plympton Council on Aging Christmas party will be held on December 11 at noon at the Upland Club. RSVPs have been requested by November 28. Those wishing to participate in the gift grab are asked to bring a $10 gift.

As they always do, the Board ended the meeting with their rants and/or raves of the past few weeks. Traynor praised those that put on the Veteran’s Appreciation Day this past weekend. Traynor said that the Boy Scouts attended as did some from the VFW in Halifax. Traynor also praised the “fabulous voice” of Jodi Mulcahy who sang at the event.

Both Joy and Russo shared their appreciation for the efforts of all those present at the Planning Board solar hearings last week. They said that while it is always a challenge to balance the rights of individuals vs the public good, they both felt that the Plympton committees and boards handle that responsibility well.

Dennett playground progress

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Vice Chair Jason Fraser provided an update on the playground plans for the Dennett Elementary School at the Plympton School Committee meeting on Monday, Nov. 4. Fraser and Dennett Principal Peter Veneto had what Fraser described as “a very fruitful meeting” with consultant Joseph Dufour of O’Brien and Sons.

The two-hour meeting included a discussion of the plans to make the new playground as accessible as possible for all students. The original plan included a wheelchair accessible swing but Dufour said it takes two people to man the swing and because of risks posed by the heavy pendulum, it would have to be secluded from the rest of the playground.

Fraser said that since that defeats the purpose of being more inclusive, they will instead have two of the swings on the playground be adaptive swings that are molded and include a harness.

Dufour also dissuaded them from using an abundance of pine bark mulch as it may not be allowed as a surface on playgrounds in the near future as it wears down within 3-6 months affecting its impact resistance.  Dufour suggested incorporating more rubber surface into the design. A rubber surface is wheelchair-accessible whereas woodchips are not. Rubber grounding comes in at $17 per sq. ft., making it more expensive than mulch. Fraser asked the committee if upon completion of the project the contingency fund still exists that it be applied toward more rubber grounding. Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen suggested first running it by some others but agreed saying, “I think provided the money is there and available and there isn’t any cost overrun once the project is finished, I think there is some long term benefit to the town.”

A ground level merry-go-round was another ADA compliant feature that was discussed. The installation, delivery, and equipment will cost an additional $37,000. Dufour said that he could complete the installation over the summer. Regarding the addition, Fraser said, “We really felt that at that point we would have a well-rounded playground that we could hang our hats on and hold onto for the next twenty/twenty-five years.” Fraser asked the committee for their support in using school choice funds toward the merry-go-round.

Regarding cost, Fraser said they currently have $226,000 including school choice funds and Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funds with some money being held back as a contingency fund. As drawn up, the plan proposed by Dufour would cost $201,000. Fraser said it is looking likely that they will be going with O’Brien and Sons for the creation of the new playground.

Assistant Superintendent Jill Proulx gave a presentation on the Dennett students’ MCAS results. Their results indicated that they are outperforming 73 percent of other elementary and middle schools in the state.

Dennett students had high growth in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math as well as exceeding targets in science. Fraser expressed relief that the outcomes were significantly better than last years’. Wilhelmsen pointed out that given that Plympton has such a small population, the sample same size is limited and therefore a change in just a few students can make a big difference in the results.

Proulx said that chronic absenteeism (a measure used in reporting MCAS results) did rise slightly from 5.1 percent to 6.8 percent. While Proulx asked that no one come to school with the flu she did want to remind parents and students of the importance of coming to school whenever possible.

The Title 1 Director and K-6 Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Farrell also spoke to the committee. Farrell said that Dennett has adopted a new math program this year that is better aligned with state standards.

Farrell also said that they are currently working across the district to ensure that the science curriculum is better aligned with standards. Farrell also informed the committee that there will be a $120,000 cut in Title 1 funding. Farrell said that this year would proceed as usual, but that in January, it will be necessary to evaluate where they are.

Both site visits to the current campuses of the two superintendent finalists were conducted this past week. Final interviews will be held on November 11 and November 12 at 6 pm in the Silver Lake Regional High School library. A final deliberation and decision will be made on November 13 or November 14, if needed.

Important upcoming dates include a D.A.R.E. coffee hour on November 12. The event will be videotaped and posted to the school website. Picture retakes will take place on November 18 and the annual Thanksgiving feast will be on November 20 at 11:30.

There is no school on November 28 and 29.

Budget woes at SL District meeting

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Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig attended Thursday’s Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting. Seelig said he was there to address his budget concerns now rather than in February when all departments are too far along in the process. A concern of his that would later be echoed by Chair Jason Fraser was the lack of Chapter 70 funding the district is receiving under the fiscal 2020 plan. Chapter 70, which is the major form of state aid to public elementary and secondary schools in Massachusetts, made several changes this year including a change in the student poverty measure that resulted in more aid going to urban districts such as Brockton, Everett, Lawrence, etc. while more suburban and rural districts came up short.

Seelig expressed that the lack of funding is not only a school issue but a town issue as well since the district will need to rely on town assessments to make up for what they don’t receive in Chapter 70 aid. While there is little effect to Halifax Elementary, the other schools in the Silver Lake district are suffering. Both Seelig and Fraser were careful to say that it’s not that the urban districts aren’t deserving of the help, but that other districts cannot be forgotten. Seelig said, “We need some help too, maybe not as much as some of those other communities but we’re not floating in riches either.” Fraser has reached out to local legislators including state representatives Vinny deMacedo and Kathleen LaNatra regarding a $100 per pupil minimum increment. Vice Chair of the Committee Eric Crone initiated a motion to send a letter to legislators from the entire school district.

Former Plympton School Committee member Lynn Kaupp, who has a background in special education, attended the meeting to speak on behalf of the non profit Coastal SNAP and ask permission to have the schools disseminate the word about the program. The all-volunteer program provides youths with intellectual and physical disabilities the opportunity to participate in various athletic and recreational endeavors. Kaupp, who is President of SNAP, explained that students with disabilities are matched with other students preferably from the high school (although mature middle school students may be eligible) in a one-to-one mentor relationship. Kaupp explained, “you don’t have to play a sport, that’s not really what it’s about – it’s about connection.” Students needing 40 hours of community service to graduate might consider being a part of the program. All mentors require two references. Crone made a motion for the School Committee to support the SNAP program and Superintendent Joy Blackwood as well as Silver Lake High School Principal Michaela Gill approved Kaupp’s request on behalf of the administration. The Kingston Fire and Police Departments have both donated to the organization.

Also in attendance was Kingston Police Chief Maurice Splaine and Kingston Officer Matthew Donovan. Donovan, who is a graduate of Silver Lake, was named as the new school resource officer at Silver Lake Regional Middle School. Having a school resource officer at the middle school is new this year and is limited to only eight hours per week as supported by the town of Plympton. The town of Halifax voted against contributing to the school resource officer as they were opposed to the mechanism by which it was to be funded. The School Committee is hopeful that the number of hours can be increased next year. In addition to providing security, the job of a school resource officer includes bringing a law enforcement perspective into health related discussions including vaping and alcohol. Additionally, a school resource officer can act as a liaison between the police department and the school, notifying the administration of students who may need to be handled with extra care due to circumstances at home. Donovan will be attending a school resource officer class in November. Donovan said, “I’m excited to build relationships with faculty, staff, and most importantly the students.”

New Interim Assistant Principal Dan Stewart gave the principal’s report for Silver Lake Regional Middle School as Principal James Dupille was unable to attend. Stewart previously worked for the district as a school psychologist. November 9-10 is the New York City trip with eighty students from the school attending as well as a group from the high school and drama club. Stewart also reported on the success of the Haunted Halls and dance with over 80 percent of the school attending. The guidance department will be presenting the Science of Suicide on November 7 and 8. Principal Gill reported that students at the high school participated in Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October with events including a door decorating contest and a penny wars competition. In total, Silver Lake raised $45,000 with all donations going directly to local families being treated at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in Weymouth.

Silver Lake technology director Steve Pellowe presented an overview of his department to the School Committee. There is a total of five people in the tech department and they manage over 7,000 tech devices ranging from access control panels to computers, etc. During the first month of school the technology department fielded between 60-80 help requests per day for grades K-12. Pellowe also talked about Securly which records searches done on school issued Chromebooks related to bullying or self-harm and reports them back to administrators. Pellowe said that they eventually hope to setup a student run helpdesk that could be delivered as a four-credit course. While Pellowe said that budgetary requests could be greater next year, he doesn’t anticipate any major impacts for the current year. Fraser said that Pellowe had the mindset of an educator adding, “There’s no one that knows you that doesn’t respect you.”

Superintendent Blackwood gave an update on enrollment at the various schools and the ways in which that enrollment affects the town’s assessments. Halifax Elementary School is down 22 students, bringing their assessment down from 31.4% to 30.6%. Kingston Elementary was up 25 students increasing their assessment from 56.3% to 57.1%. Dennett Elementary in Plympton was up a staggering 27 students. The middle school is down 11 students while the high school is down 10. Percentages by town for shared costs, which includes the superintendent, assistant superintendent, accountant, curriculum coordinator, etc., went down for Halifax (from 32.9% – 31.2%) and up for both Kingston and Plympton (from 56.3% – 56.7% and from 10.8% – 12.1% respectively). Budgets will hopefully be submitted by each school’s administration by Veteran’s Day. “It’s going to be a difficult year for the budget, no doubt,” Blackwood said.

Blackwood also spoke to three areas she would like to see considered during the creation of budgets. While partially funded now, Blackwood said she would like to see the school resource officer at the middle school receive more funding in order to ensure a greater presence during the school week. Blackwood also said that she would like to see a position added for a part time nurse leader who would oversee the other school nurses. The School Committee proceeded to engage in debate about whether or not it would be necessary to make such a position a full-time one. Crone pointed out that while the state audits hospitals, examining records no such oversight is provided within the schools and should be in order to ensure that laws are being followed. Blackwood said that Silver Lake is one of the only school districts without this position. The town of Marshfield, which is comparable in size to Silver Lake, has a full-time nurse leader. Blackwood also called for funding for a second teacher in the Allied Health program, which has the most students enrolled of any of the CTE programs. “This is something that we knew would be coming,” Blackwood said. Director of Career and Technical Programs Elliot Glass is currently applying for Chapter 74 status which would allow for an extra $4,000 per student. That approval would essentially fund this position. Blackwood and Fraser spoke to the success of the program as did the new student representative to the school committee Jake Twomey who is currently enrolled in the Allied Health program. Twomey who called the program phenomenal went on to say, “Honestly, it’s been almost life changing.”

Fraser gave an update on the search for the new superintendent. The hope is still to have some overlap with the new superintendent and Blackwood before Blackwood’s retirement later this school year. The search committee had narrowed it down to three finalists but one of the candidates had to remove themselves from contention for personal reasons. The next step will be conducting site visits to the candidates’ most recent place of work. Final interviews will occur on November 12 at 6 p.m. and November 13 at 6 p.m., both at Silver Lake Regional High School. The following night, November 14 there will be a deliberation and vote.

Plympton Solar Power Struggle

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The Plympton Planning Board held three hearings on Monday, October 28 for the development of three separate solar arrays. Planning Board members present were Chair Ann Sobolewski, Paul J. D’Angelo,  John Schmid, and newest member Jay Cohen.

Selectmen John Traynor and Mark Russo were also in attendance.

The first was a continuation of the hearing for the Harju solar panel project located on a 113-acre lot belonging to Gary Harju at 0 and 37 Lake St. The land is currently used for cranberry bogs and is zoned agricultural.

The proposed project is a ground mounted array split between the northern and southern portion of the lot near the Kingston/Plympton town line. A single purpose LLC was created to lease the land.

Plympton’s consulting engineer John Chessia, who reviews the projects and submits a response letter, was on hand.  Project Manager Sarah Stearns of Beals + Thomas was there to present on behalf of Harju Solar Array and respond to questions from the public as well as items noted in Chessia’s letter. Other members of the team present included professional engineer Eric Las, project attorney Greg Sampson, and Pat Jackson from the solar development company SunRaise Investments.

Of note during the discussions was the section of the bylaws that require trees and plantings used for screening to be 8ft high. Stearns explained that they were looking to plant native species that would thrive in their location with minimal maintenance and that initially they would be 5-7 ft tall. An abutter to the property present at the meeting asked Stearns for reassurance that the plantings would eventually reach 8 ft. Sobolewski recommended aiming for 6-7 ft tall plantings that would eventually reach or surpass the 8 ft marker. Stearns explained that the reason for not initially going with 8ft plants was that the size of the root balls would cause greater disturbance to the surroundings. “And I do commend you for providing the variety of plants and for taking our comments on that into consideration and for looking for things that are attractive and beneficial and would provide evergreen screening. That’s something that I think the neighbors are looking for and we’re certainly appreciative that that level of thought went into it,” Sobolewski said.

Also discussed was the way in which the areas that needed it would be cleared. Stearns said that they would bring in a tree specialist to determine the best technique for clearing whether that be the small track vehicles, drop and drag by hand with a chain-saw, or via a crane. Stearns also alluded to the myriad trails on the property saying that they may be able to utilize those to get to the area without a lot of disturbance.

Gary Harju spoke to his neighbors saying, “Many years ago there was going to be a thirty-house subdivision and we bought that piece of property so we wouldn’t have thirty houses on that cranberry bog at the time. It would have been all developed already had we not bought it and it cost us a good deal of money to get it. But all this time everybody in the world has enjoyed it and whatnot; like you said there’s trails all through it from everybody using it.”

As the principal engineer on the project, Las disagreed with some of the requirements and requests made by Chessia in his response letter saying that they also do peer reviews and that the requests made did not appear to him to be consistent with design standards. Las questioned Chessia as to his current responsibilities and probed him to find out how many solar projects he had designed. Upon Mr. Chessia’s response that he had designed only one ground mounted solar project and that yes, he mostly does reviews, Las said, “Thank you for that context.” As pointed out by the Planning Board, however, all solar projects that come before the Board are held to the same requirements and level of scrutiny. The continuation of the hearing is scheduled for November 25 at 7 p.m.

The second public hearing was for a proposed solar array at 0 Main St. and the public turnout, mostly from abutters, was considerable. Evan Watson, the project engineer with Prime Engineering Inc. was present as well as attorney Greg Sampson. The landowner, Larry Harju, planned to utilize bogs he constructed in the past that aren’t performing well anymore for the large-scale ground mounted solar facility between Mayflower Rd. and Main St. Like the earlier hearing, the proposed project is not dual use as cranberry operation will be abandoned where the solar panels are to be placed.

As with the earlier project, adequate screening was a major concern for the abutters in attendance, most of them residents of Mayflower Rd. Sobolewski added that plantings used for screening must be sufficient not just in the spring and summer but in the winter as well. Abutters also asked that the fence included in the plan be something attractive. Another resident shared her concerns that her property would become flooded as a result of the project. Watson assured those in attendance that his proposal meets the 10 stormwater standards for MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Another resident questioned why the particular portion of the lot was chosen and was given two explanations 1.) the bogs selected grow a variety of cranberries no longer in demand and 2.) The Wetlands Protection Act make a large portion of the land off-limits for this kind of development.

Schmid shared his feelings that it was a shame to deforest for solar power. Larry Harju explained his predicament to his neighbors saying, “We are looking at this because we need another income not because we are fat cats rolling in it.”

It was agreed by all parties that a site walk would be necessary. Neighbors and others can walk the proposed site and discuss the plans for things such as screening. The site walk for this site is scheduled for 10 a.m. on November 16. A continuation of the hearing was scheduled for November 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Vice President at Atlantic Design Engineers, Inc. Richard Tabaczynski presented at the third and final hearing about a proposed dual use solar facility/cranberry bogs at 0 Prospect St. on behalf of landowner Richard Johnson. The site is near the Middleboro/Carver town line. Tabaczynski informed the Board that he had filed with the Conservation Commission and a hearing was scheduled in November. The land in question is zoned agricultural/residential and totals 41 acres.

Because the proposed plan is for a dual use facility, no fence can be erected as it would impede the cranberry production. Again, abutters in attendance were concerned with not being able to see the solar facility from their homes, particularly from the second floor or higher. The abutters’ homes in this case are located on a 90 ft hill, making it difficult, if not impossible, for those in attendance to imagine a scenario in which screening could be provided that would block their view of the facility. A site visit was scheduled for November 9 at 10 a.m.

Many in attendance, including those who had lived at their current residence for 25 years, claimed that Johnson hasn’t harvested cranberries in quite some time. Given that the proposed plan is for a dual use facility, abutters wanted to know if it would be possible to shut down the operation if it was proven that they were not working cranberry bogs.

Tabaczynski said that there was a plan to re-instate the bog use at the same time as the solar panel installation. It came out during the course of discussion that a solar panel facility cannot be placed on wetlands unless it is considered dual use with the cranberry bogs.

Those in attendance were concerned that Johnson was attempting to use a loophole to work around the restrictions placed on wetlands.

A continuation for the hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Plympton Girl Scouts Party

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Plympton Girl Scouts let their fun sides show at their Hallowe’en Party Sunday night at the Soule Homestead Education Center at the Plympton/Middleboro town line. Pictured above are the costume winners and the judges for the event.  Prettiest :Anna Fraser as a Royal Princess; Scariest: Haley Petersas a scary clown; Most Original: Taylor Hempel the black angel; Funniest: Charlotte Medas the cupcake; Cutest: Carmella Boccalini the monster; Most Halloween Spirit: Avery Lorenz the witch.  Judges were the Senior Girl Scouts from Troop 80210,  Jilian Hart, Jenny Winslow, Sydney Adams. Other party helpers were Lilly and Ally Foye.