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Second buyer wants Atwood acres

By

Jessica Zeoli

Express Correspondent

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met Monday to provide updates on the Atwood acreage on Prospect Road, the preparation for the Annual and Special Town Meeting warrants, and the Fire Advisory Committees.  They also introduced theconcept of forming a committee for Housing Production.

Atwood    acreage

First on the agenda was the Atwood Property. Last week prior to their meeting, selectmen received another purchase and sale agreement for the Prospect Road property. The interested buyers plan to develop the property, including building four to five houses. Plympton’s option of a right of first refusal must be decided by July 10, 2018, 120 days from April 11, when the agreement was received by the board. Selectmen must then notify the Atwoods that they will or will not seek to go forward to purchase the land.

Plympton’s Open Space Committee hired an appraiser to verify the value of the property as a first step.  While $800,000 is a large investment for the town, there is currently a sum of as much as $450,000 in CPA funds that could contribute to the purchase.

Mark Russo, board member, and Chairman of the Community Preservation Committee, spoke about the Cato’s Ridge and Churchill Park projects and how he genuinely favors preserving open land to provide an experience every member of the town can enjoy. He discussed following the Churchill Park model on the Atwood Property and creating fundraising similar to the planks on the Boardwalk at Churchill Park.

The Community Preservation Committee met Tuesday to discuss options if the town decides to exercise its right of first refusal.

The board plans to continue discussing the property and providing new details at each selectmen’s meeting as they become available. Selectmen hope the public will attend to state their opinions so they may continue in a direction supported by the town.

    Town Meetings

Up next for discussion were the Annual and Special Town Meetings. The Board of Selectmen, along with the guidance of Nathaniel Slides, Finance Committee; Barbara Gomes, Town Accountant; and Brian Wick, Town Meeting Moderator, went through each article for the Annual and Special Town Meetings correcting any wording, and addressing who will be speaking on behalf of the articles at the meetings. Christine Joy thanked Gomes and the Town Administrator, Elizabeth Dennehy, for the time they spent perfecting the structure of the articles for the meeting stating, “this is the easiest Town Meeting we have prepared in a long time.”

Fire Advisory Committees

Next, John Traynor, board member, provided updates on the Fire Advisory Committees. Several weeks ago, MRI or Municipal Resources Inc. completed their research on the Plympton Fire Department to see how they could better maximize the use of their resources. After the study, MRI presented the town with their recommendations to improve the Plympton Fire Dept. Selectmen created two committees to implement those suggestions that they found would work well in Plympton.  Selectmen created the Fire Department Technician Committee and the Executive Oversight Committee to prioritize recommendations and evaluate them.

Last week, Plympton selectmen met with Halifax selectmen to investigate how shared fire services could possibly function, as suggested by the MRI study.  Plympton selectmen feel confident they could work well with selectmen from Halifax if the towns decide to go further with shared services.

The Fire Department Technician Committee met Wednesday to consider the recommendations and find a direction to begin implementing them. Updates on their meeting will be presented at next week’s Plympton selectmen’s meeting.

Housing Committee

Last on the agenda was the formation of a Housing Production Plan Committee. Lisa Sullivan of Old Colony Planning Council submitted a rough draft of the regulations of housing production for the town. The board hopes to form a committee of about four or five people to help finish the draft by December of this year. Selectmen will provide their feedback regarding the draft once the Annual and Special Town Meetings have passed.  The draft will then be sent to the Zoning Board for approval and the formation of the committee will begin.

    In other news:

• Selectmen received word from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development that it has approved the Housing Production Plan submitted by Plympton in April.   The Housing Production Plan (HPP) certification lastS for a term of five years, expiring on April 11, 2023.

• The town has begun their search for an Animal Control Officer. There has been one interested applicant thus far applying for the job. Dennehy plans to interview him next week, once a job description has been developed and approved by selectmen at their next week’s meeting.

• Board members personally thanked Linda Leddy and Amy Cronin for all of their hard work on behalf of the Town of Plympton. They have volunteered on numerous committees throughout the past year and the board found them very worthy of recognition. With that being said, the board suggested creating a “Volunteer of the Year” award to help recognize the dedication of the town’s residents who give their time to volunteer for Plympton.

The next selectmen’s meeting has been changed to Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m.

Dennett School Committee meets

By

Jessica Zeoli

Express Correspondent

The Dennett School Committee had their monthly meeting Mon., April 23 to provide updates on the school over the past month. The first item on the agenda was a School Choice Public Hearing. School Choice allows slots within the Dennett Elementary for students out of district.

The committee discussed opening slots for new potential School Choice students for the upcoming school year, and voted against it. Currently, there are eight School Choice students, and no siblings of those are enrolling in Kindergarten for the upcoming year.

Next, Emily Peters of CASA, met with the committee to discuss plans for the new sign at the end of the driveway at the school. CASA located the artist of the original sign, and he declared it was unrepairable.

They found an artist willing to do a very similar design of a small school house, and raised letters. A company has also donated 8×8 granite posts for the sign, the original having 6×6 posts. The sign will be moved slightly forward and lit so it is more visible to those passing.

Updates on the water treatment project were presented by the committee, stating that a new water tank was installed over break, which consists of pipping up to the building itself. The project is expected to be completed by early summer this year.

The committee is still seeking guidance as they update the current playground at Dennett. They are in need of a consultant or project manager with experience working on playground safety and accessibility to help guide the project. A proposal must be completed and ready for approval by Fall 2018, which sparked Joy Blackwood, Superintendent, to offer contacting anyone she may know who can help.

The project would be aided by the School Choice fund. Updates on the project will be discussed at the next school committee meeting, May 21.

Christine Healy then provided the current Financial Report, briefly stating there was a deficit in custodial supplies due to custodians taking on more responsibilities and needing more supplies.

There was also a deficit in contracted services due to the new generator; this is expected to drastically drop next year. There was a surplus in Special Education, and Vocational Technical accounts of about $105,000.

Jill Proulx discussed the Curriculum Instruction Assessment updates, such as a new training available in the fall on suicide prevention and social emotional learning. It will be taught by an ELA teacher in the school who is an approved instructor of the course.

Next, she discussed the new policy to make available EpiPen at the school for all students. If the student goes on a fieldtrip, however, they will need to bring one from home.

In other news:

• There are currently 204 students enrolled at Dennett, with 25 to 30 potential Kindergarteners entering the school.

• The committee approved allowing several students each month to present their work at the school committee meetings to remind members why they volunteer their time for the children, and also to allow students to gain exposure for their work.

• CASA is planning to hold a Fun Run at the Dennett this upcoming summer, which will be further discussed in next month’s meeting once details are worked out.

• The next Dennett school committee meeting is Monday, May 21.

New school accountability rating measures schools

By

James Bentley

Express correspondent

On April 4, the Halifax Elementary School Committee addressed a new state measurement set up by the state’s Department of Education to assess a school’s accountability rating. The state placed a greater emphasis on student absenteeism.

According to Silver Lake Assistant Superintendent Jill Proulx, the state is defining “chronic absenteeism” as missing ten percent or more of the school days. She said the State Department of Education has not made any suggestions for how schools can combat absences.

Committee Chair Summer Schmaling said, “I don’t really feel it’s the school’s responsibility if the child is absent.” She hoped the state would have made some suggestions to address this.

According to Superintendent Joy Blackwood, being accountable for student attendance isn’t new. She said the accountability is just shifting to the school’s accountability rating.

To try to curb some of the absences, the school sends letters to parents when a certain number is reached. Assistant Principal Brian Desantes said letters are sent out at seven and twelve absences. Proulx said, “The most the principal can do is continue contacting the parents.”

This state mandate is part of a federal initative under the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” The accountability check, Proulx said, is intended to let students with anxiety issues back into schools. She said, “This is really a push on schools to reintegrate students with social/emotional needs.”

Annual School Choice Hearing

Every year, the state requires school committees to hold a public hearing on whether the school would like to allow out of district students into its classrooms. The Halifax School Committee voted not to allow school choice this year.

According to Blackwood, the school gets a $5,000 credit for each out of district child and more if it’s a special education student. She said, “This is much less than the cost to educate the child.”

Blackwood said the school has “great class sizes,” but doesn’t have any small classes numbers at any of the grade levels.

Blackwood didn’t recommend school choice. She said that if the school said yes, you cannot deny or review any application. All applications are accepted until capacity is full.

Currently, Plympton is the only town in the district allowing enrollment of out of district students. Dennett Elementary is open to school choice and has eight students from outside of Plympton.

School Construction Updates

Blackwood said Halifax is in the process of going out to bid for the school’s new siding, windows, doors, and fire suppression system.

There are some questions if the fire suppression system can be completed in one summer. Blackwood said they will wait to see how the bids look.

Blackwood said, “It’s going to be an exceptionally busy summer. I have to say we are concerned about our ability to get everything done and to open on time.” Blackwood said the window will be “tight.”

Next School Year Calendar Draft

Blackwood presented a draft of next year’s school calendar. It included the following:

• The first day of school is scheduled for August 29, the Wednesday before Labor Day.

• Veteran’s Day will be observed on Monday, November 12.

• There will be a half-day the day before Thanksgiving.

• The last day of school before Christmas Vacation is December 21. Vacation goes until January 2, 2019.

• There are two early release days scheduled in March, 2019. The first is on March 7 and the second is March 21, the same day as parent-teacher conferences.

• Spring vacation runs April 15-19.

• High school graduation is June 1, 2019

• The last day of school is scheduled for June 13, 2019. Blackwood joked, “There won’t be any snow days. I put in my request. We’ll be all set.”

Other News

• According to School Committee Member Allison Vance, a new executive director is being chosen at this month’s meeting. Blackwood said they’ll announce the new executive director at the next school committee meeting.

• Proulx said over 130 staff members have been trained by Plymouth County’s Suicide Prevention Coalition.

• The School Committee held a presentation reviewing the school’s A.L.I.C.E. active shooter training following the shootings in Parkland, Florida.

• Proulx said the state’s Department of Education is setting new standards for an English proficiency target. Halifax Elementary School’s accountability ratings will be graded depending on where the school measures.

Rep. Calter will step down

By

Potential candidates are lining up to fill the open seat that will be left by State Rep. for the 12th Plymouth District, Thomas J. Calter, as he steps down to accept the position of Town Administrator for Kingston.

As of Wednesday morning, Summer Schmalling, Halifax School Committee chairman, and Joseph Truschelli from Plymouth, both Republicans, have drawn nomination papers.  Democrats Daniel Zotos from Halifax, R Lindsay Wilson, II, from Kingston and Kathy LaNotra, a Kingston selectman, have declared their intentions, according to the Secretary of State’s Elections office. Candidates have until Tuesday, May 1, to return nomination papers with at least 150 signatures of registered voters, to secure a place on the primary ballot.  That election will be held Tuesday, Sept. 4.

There will not be a special election to fill the position.  The seat will remain vacant until the November election.  Calter told his constituents his office will remain open and his staff in place to handle their concerns.  They will be helped by Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury; Rep. Mathew Muratore, R-Plymouth, and Sen. Vinne deMacedo, R-Plymouth.

Kingston selectmen voted last week 4-1 to give the job of town administrator to Calter.  After negotiating a contract with the town, Calter announced that he would accept the position.

Calter told his constituents he will work through the budget hearings this week to support those articles that affect his region.  He has not, however, announced the date he will leave the Statehouse or the date he will begin in Kingston.

Kingston will be a short commute for Calter who has made his home in that town for many years. “My wife and I raised our children here,” Calter said.

He held the seat of Representative to the 12th Plymouth District, serving the towns of Kingston, Plympton, Halifax, part of Plymouth, Duxbury, and Middleboro, since 2006.

Clean-up Day is Saturday

By

The Halifax Beautification Committee announced at last Tuesday’s selectmen meeting that the committee is hosting a town clean up day Saturday, April 28 at 10 a.m.

Anyone that wants to help can meet the Beautification Committee at the front porch of the town hall. T-shirts as well as gloves and trash bags will be provided for anyone who wants to help.

Committee Chair Amy Troupe asked that for their own safety, volunteers wear long pants and long sleeves under the t-shirts. The Highway Department said people should not touch any needles or sharp objects found. If they are found, the volunteer should call the fire department who will remove them from the area.

Troupe is excited about the direction of the committee going forward. She said, “We have enthusiasm and a full committee.” Besides the committee, Troupe said the local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops have committed to helping on clean-up day.

The Committee has also been in contact with the Plymouth County House of Correction, however, nothing has been confirmed because the corrections facility is unsure they have the inmate personnel to commit.

The Beautification Committee is also looking for help beyond clean-up day. They are asking that people consider adopting an area in town to keep litter-free.

“We’re hoping to get people involved, take an area, and adopt it,” said Troupe. The Committee is hoping that person can clean-up their designated area two or three times per year.

According to the committee, nips have been the most found item in terms of littering. Selectwoman Kim Roy wondered if the Selectmen had any power on whether or not to sell nips in town. Town Administrator Charles Seelig was unsure. He brought up the idea of potentially increasing their deposit value from the current five cents.

Dog Hearing Continued

Kimberly Mahoney’s dog hearing that originally began on February 27 continued last Tuesday and remains unresolved.

Because of work obligations, Mahoney was not able to attend this week’s dog hearing. The Board of Selectmen asked that she contact a trainer as an attempt to curb her dog’s aggressive behavior. Mahoney contacted Tracy Marzelli of Middleborough as a potential trainer. Marzelli attended the Selectmen’s meeting.

Marzelli said that due to personal issues, she has not had a chance to meet Mahoney’s dog. She said she’d want to meet the dog and make an evaluation about the bite based on the Dunbar scale. The Dunbar scale measure dog bites on a scale of one through six. Marzelli said a six almost never occurs and is only used if the victim dies. A one would be an air snap from the dog.

“It gives an idea of why dogs bite,” said Marzelli. “Dog don’t bite for no reason, we just don’t always understand.”

Marzelli said she plans to evaluate the dog, but not in its own home. She said doing so puts the dog in a territorial situation and can set up the dog for failure.

“I can rehab almost any dog,” said Marzelli. However, she said the dog owner needs to be able to commit to the follow-up time and training after she’s done. If the owner is uncapable of carrying out the plan, Marzelli said she will recommend putting the dog down. She said she’s only had to make that recommendation once and doesn’t make them lightly.

The Board of Selectmen is giving Marzelli sometime to evaluate the dog. The hearing will continue at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, May 1.

Other News

• Maria Matthews-Forte was appointed as town matron. A matron is responsible for the supervision of a woman or minor when they are arrested. Roy was pleased with Forte’s background. She said, “Your resume is so impressive with your mental health background and substance abuse.”

• Warren Gardener was approved for four unregistered vehicle permits. Gardener’s property is zoned as industrial.

• A contract memorandum of understanding was approved between the Board of Selectmen and the Highway Department. Seelig said the memorandum means that if the two percent raise is voted for at town meeting, the contract will be signed by the Selectmen.

The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, May 1. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

HES Sixth graders squeak out a victory

By

Kim Ciccone

Express correspondent

On Friday, April 6, the Halifax Elementary School 6th grade students faced off against the Halifax Hoopsters in a competitive basketball game. 

For the past twenty-four years the Hoopsters, a team made up of Halifax Elementary School teachers and administrators, have taken on the sixth graders to raise money for the Halifax Teachers Association Scholarship.  This scholarship is given to a deserving Silver Lake Senior from Halifax.

Six teams of 6thgraders faced off against two separate teams of Hoopsters in front of a crowd of parents and friends.  The 6th graders started out strong and held the lead for most of the night.

At half-time the younger kids got involved with a Shoot-To-Win competition, parents purchased raffle tickets and got snacks in the cafeteria.

The Hoopsters made a comeback in the second half, but the sixth graders squeaked out a 94-93 victory.  As the sixth graders celebrated on the court everyone agreed it was a great night for a great cause.

Seniors will carry SL baseball team

By

Based on the MaxPreps schedule, the Silver Lake High baseball team should have played twice already this season. They would have been given an opportunity to show just how strong they could be with an experienced squad this season. However, the weather has stopped that from occurring early in the season.

The Lakers’ bouts against East Bridgewater on April 3 and Plymouth South on April 9 were cancelled, like almost any other spring varsity team at the school. Unlike those other teams, however, the Lakers have 12 seniors on their roster this season– another reason they could go far this season.

Not only did they go 14-7 last year, the Lakers have some younger talent on their roster–like pitchers Alex Heffernan and Nolan Hughes–but it’s a senior-laden squad.

The team’s ace pitcher, Dan Collins, is a senior, as is their catcher Josh Harvey, who batted .383 last season. Both of them were Patriot League All-Stars in 2017.

Their classmate, Stephen Quigley, will man shortstop and has been on varsity for three years, so he will certainly be dependable. The same could be said for Jake Armstrong, who became an asset to the Lakers lineup at the plate as last season progressed.

Since they have an older ballclub this year, expectations for the Lakers are high this year, which is justified because they have a talented squad.

In all likelihood, the Lakers next game will be Saturday, Apr. 14, against West Springfield at Plymouth North High School (time TBD).

Budgets, bylaws, top BOS agenda

By

Jessica Zeoli

Express correspondent

Continuing discussion from the past three meetings, the Plympton Board of Selectmen heard the current state of the draft for the proposed Earth Removal Bylaw, budget and warrants for the Town Meeting, as well as an update on the Fire Advisory Committees.

Up for discussion first was the Earth Removal Bylaw, presented by Linda Leddy. She told the board that she, Rick Burnet, Marta Nover, Brian Wick, Amy Conin, along with the guidance of selectman Mark Russo, had volunteered to develop a new Earth Removal Bylaw for Plympton as it is currently outdated according to state standards and the growing needs of the town. The goal of the bylaw is to take into consideration everybody involved in an application of an Earth Removal site.  Citizens, land owners, and wildlife all need to be considered to ensure the potential project is fair on all sides.  In developing the bylaw, volunteers met on several occasions and for many hours to adapt bylaws from surrounding towns, as well as edit sections to be better suited to Plympton’s needs.

The sudden action to construct a new bylaw was due to the rising concern of Ryan Vlaco of BRV I, Inc. in Middleborough, which is a sand and gravel company. He is a potential buyer of the Atwood property on Prospect Road and presented to the board several weeks ago his plan to expand a pre-existing cranberry bog, and also begin a sand and gravel removal operation that will require 100 trucks a day moving material for sale out of Plympton. Due to the unreasonable amount of trucks estimated for a small restoration project, many town and board members believe he has found a loop hole by claiming to be agricultural and exempt of needing to file an application. Without filing an application for an earth removal permit, he would be able to build a sand and gravel distributing company, without consent of the town.

To try to prevent similar companies from finding the same loopholes, the draft of the bylaw had three main edits to the version that was presented to the board last week.

The first main change to the draft was specifying which agricultural projects were exempt from filing an application for earth removal. These exempt projects would be normal construction and maintenance projects, including for existing bogs and farmland that operate under the state’s agricultural and wetlands laws. If new projects arise such as installing a new bog, or pond, then an application must be filed with the board of selectmen.

This portion also included the addition of a new section stating that any amount removed from a site more than 1,000 yards must also require an application.  This was heavily debated by a concerned resident, Rebecca Lipton. She stated, “If you have a project happening on one side of you and another project on the other, you would have about 75 to 100 trucks going by your house per day.” Another concerned resident asked the board to consider the typography of Plympton and the need to protect all the open land that Plympton has left.

After several other concerns of 1,000 yards being too large a quantity to allow an application, Marta Nover of the Bylaw Committee, suggested the quantities be discussed when the draft is sent to Town Council for approval.

The second change to the Earth Removal Bylaw was making sure it provided significant protection for the town’s residential properties, special environments, water, or any other qualities that give Plympton its rural character. Any applications that may harm Plympton’s valuable features would not be allowed.

The last change to the bylaw was constructing clear standards and procedures for applications so that residents, applicants, and the board can reference the bylaw for guidance at any point. Board member, Christine Joy, stated that the bylaw was “very well written, comprehensible, and transparent.”

The bylaw will be sent to Town Council, on Tuesday, April 10, for recommendations and approval. The bylaw is expected to be presented to Town Meeting, May 16, for a vote of the residents.

   Fire Advisory               Committees

The Fire Advisory Committees updated selectmen on their progress and the joint training for Plympton and Halifax Fire Departments to receive their Firefighter I/II certifications. Interim Chief Phil Curran of the Plympton Fire Department reported that both departments will begin their joint training session the first or second week in May.  Selectman John Traynor, the board member overseeing the Advisory Committees, discussed a meeting Wed. April 18 for all fourteen volunteers of the Fire Advisory Committees, and then a meeting the following Wed., April 25 between the two fire departments regarding shared services. Selectmen wanted to emphasize that the town is only exploring the option of shared services and have made no legal decisions yet.

FinCom Budget

The Finance Committee presented their approved budget for next fiscal year, as well as vote on approvals for the presented articles for the Annual Town Meeting. After evaluating all the recommended budgets for each committee in the town, the Finance Committee came up with a final budget of approximately $10,903,000 for next year, which is a 5.7% increase from last year. Local real estate taxes will not increase to that extent, only roughly 2.5% from last year. The Finance Committee presented their changes such as their decision to separate EMS services from medical supplies needed for the town, and a reduction of the budget for vocational technical students as less people registered for the program than expected.

Selectmen and the Finance Committee then discussed each article presented for the Annual Town Meeting one by one, providing recommendations or approval for its current state. Out of the 27 presented articles, three were not recommended by both parties, as they believe there are other options worth exploring that could exclude the need for those articles this year.  For example, Article 13, which was not recommended, requested funds for hiring a specifically named consultant for map research for the town. Both selectmen and FinCom believed there could be more exploration of costs for consultants for the town and they did not recommend the article for this year.

In other news:

Council on Aging Warrant-

The director of the Council of Aging, Joy Marble, met with the board requesting $55,000 for the COA budget so they may be able to get a new van to help with their services. The current van is getting old, and in need of repairs, as the Council on Aging often transports senior citizens to distant towns for medical appointments such as Cohasset causing wear and tear on the vehicle. The van is also a regular minivan that is not handicapped accessible, and riders often have a difficult time getting seated.

With the increase to the number of people being served by the COA, the van is not always available. Because of this, volunteer drivers are using their own cars when transporting seniors to so-called  “social events” such as shopping and other non-medical appointments. Director Marble is trying to eliminate the need of volunteers to use their own vehicles with the purchase of the new van.   The present van would be maintained for these uses.

Possibilities of a donated van from Best Chevrolet, or cashing in an unused town sedan were discussed among the board, leading to their decision to pass over the article for this year, which was presented as Article 24. The board plans to explore this idea over the coming year, and bring a solution to next year’s Annual Town Meeting.

Animal Control Officer Update

The board contacted the former Animal Control Officer, Frank Bush, who said he was not interested in serving in that position again. The board is now exploring any surrounding towns that would be interested in sharing animal control services with Plympton. If no suitable candidates are found, the town will post the position for any interested applicants.

CORI Policy

Elizabeth Dennehy, Town Administrator, presented a new CORI policy last week, which is beginning to be utilized for new employees for the town. The application is simpler, and excludes the Dennett Elementary School and Plympton Police Department since they have more in-depth procedures for CORI checks. There were questions regarding this policy such as if current employees are now needed to submit a CORI check, even though they did not require one upon hire. The board authorized Elizabeth Dennehy to meet with legal counsel regarding this.

The next open  meeting for the board of selectmen is Monday, April 23, at 6 p.m.

Another marijuana facility for Halifax?

By

A second recreational marijuana company is showing interest in a Halifax facility, said Town Administrator Charles Seelig at last Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting.

Hono East reached out to the board to gauge interest for a recreational growing and retail facility but haven’t proposed a location. According to Seelig, Hono East wanted to know if there was any interest before making a formal detailed proposal.

The only details provided were the town would receive a two percent community impact fee and the size of the proposed facility. Hono East is looking to create a 20,000 square foot facility for both growing and selling at retail.

Four Daughters, the other facility applying included a larger fee at three percent. Their proposal does not include a retail facility.

Selectmen Troy Garon and Thomas Millias said they are not “big fans” of a retail establishment. Millias said he’s not satisfied with a two percent impact fee when the other proposal is offering three percent.

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Dog Hearing

The dog hearing for Kimberly Mahoney that originally began on February 27 resumed after delays from two separate winter storms. According to Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan’s statement, the victim said the dog was loose from a metal tether and barking. When the victim crouched down, the dog bit the man on the arm.

Selectmen left Mahoney with several requirements for her dog. She needed to get a dog license and have the dog vaccinated, which Mahoney and Callahan confirmed was done. Selectmen also want a kennel built and for Mahoney to be the only one that takes the dog outside. When she takes it outside, the dog is supposed to be muzzled.

Due to the weather, Selectmen said it can be lenient about the outdoor kennel requirement. Where the Board said it can’t be lenient is with the dog being muzzled. According to Mahoney, she is the only one who takes the dog outside, and Callahan confirmed she hasn’t seen the dog outside during any of her patrols of the area. However, Mahoney admitted the dog only wears a muzzle during the day.

“This was not the agreement,” said Selectwoman Kim Roy. Mahoney said the only reason the muzzle wasn’t on at night was because her dog would bite at it instead of going the bathroom. She said her dog was uncomfortable. All three selectmen agreed the dog needs to be on a muzzle.

The Board of Selectmen are giving Mahoney two more weeks to be compliant with its requirements. Roy said, “We wanted to give you an opportunity to let the dog have a normal life among others.”

Other stipulations include reaching out to a trainer, having them assess the dog’s aggression, and giving an estimated time table of how long the training might take. Callahan gave Mahoney a suggested contact for a trainer she knows has done great work with other aggressive dogs.

Selectmen will continue this hearing to Tuesday, April 24. This will be the last continuation of the hearing,

Selectmen Chair Thomas Millias said, “We can’t go on indefinitely with this.” He said the board will be forced to make a tough decision if requirements aren’t met  and the dog will be euthanized.

Franklin Street

Solar Array

Keith Akers from Syncarpha Solar came to the selectmen’s meeting to discuss the solar array project at Franklin Street. Akers said compared to other projects, this one isn’t large for them. He estimated installation of the panels taking about five months.

Akers said, “The construction project isn’t too disruptive.” He added the project could take less than five months to install, but he wanted to be conservative with his estimate. The largest part of the construction will be the clearing of roughly 11.5-12 acres of forest.

Seelig said Selectmen will see what progress has been made with the project on May 8, 2018. This will give the town time to write a town meeting article if they decide to do so.

Other News

• The Halifax Board of Selectmen finished union negotiations with firefighters, police officers, sergeants, and highway and cemetery employees. Seelig said all four unions agreed to a two percent raise.

• Warren Gardener’s multiple unregistered vehicle permit hearing will continue after the Planning Board has an opportunity to review it. The permit is for an industrial zoned property, so the permit might grant up to seven or eight vehicles if approved.

• Linda Braga resigned from the Finance committee. The Board of Selectmen will wait until after annual town meeting before seeking a replacement.

The next Halifax Selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24.

BOS adopts new CORI policy

By

Jessica Zeoli

Express correspondent

At Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting, the Plympton Board of Selectmen approved the contract for construction of a new Public Safety Building for the town. Dan Pallotta of P3 came to the meeting to present the contract to be signed for the new proposed police station. Except for a couple of minor details, the contract is complete and was voted to be signed at the March 26 meeting by the chairman of the board, Christine Joy. The performance bond was also approved.

Elizabeth Dennehy, Town Administrator, clarified the new CORI background check policy which selectmen voted to utilize for new hires. In 2015, Plympton adopted a CORI policy for new employees for the town. The meeting this week, outlined the new changes to the CORI check policy, making the form simpler since the old version also included tips to reverse criminal behavior to pass a CORI check. The state adopted a new CORI policy which made the tips a separate document from the CORI form itself. The state then sent their new policy as a suggestion to municipalities and Plympton voted to adopt it. The new version excludes the Dennett Elementary and Plympton Police Department from needing to follow this new policy as both places have their own more in-depth CORI procedures.

Amy Cronin, Conservation Commission, with Brian Wick, Town Moderator, met with selectmen at their meeting March 26, to go over the earth removal bylaw which is being drafted. Cronin and Linda Leddy of the Open Space Committee had volunteered to compose an updated earth removal bylaw, since the current bylaw is outdated and too broad and no longer serves the needs of the town. Cronin and Leddy researched 20 to 30 rural towns within the state such as Sutton, and Hubbardston, and area towns like Marshfield, using their current earth removal bylaws that have already been approved by the Attorney General’s office, to construct a version for Plympton. The draft was sent to Brain Wick to evaluate as he works in cranberry agriculture and has dealt with bylaws regarding earth removal from several towns. Selectmen believed his recommendations would be beneficial for Cronin and Leddy. He was able to add comments and edits to the draft, which he discussed with the board. The need for a more comprehensive earth removal bylaw was made evident when a 100-acre parcel came up for sale on Prospect Road, known as the Atwood property. Should the town opt not to exercise its right of first refusal, as this has been “Chapter Land” taxed at a far less than fair market value, Ryan Vlaco of BRV I, Inc. in Middleborough, has signed a purchase and sale agreement to purchase the property for $1 million. Vlaco owns BRV I, a sand and gravel company. At a meeting several weeks ago, Vlaco told selectmen he would use the gravel on the property to restore a large cranberry bog and would remove and sell the remaining gravel. In his application for an earth removal permit, he estimated that the gravel would be mined for a term of three years, with as many as 100 trucks per day removing it. Many town members, and board officials, after expressing their concerns with the purchase, believe the company wants to claim they are exempt as agricultural to gain approval, and then actually use the land to dig a pit and build a sand and gravel distributing company.

Due to this uncertainty, Brain Wick suggested how to edit the draft of the bylaw to protect the town from potential loopholes.

Cronin, Wick, and concerned town members debated how to enforce these restrictions in the bylaw. One resident suggested any agricultural business must file an application when conducting a new project and that the board of selectmen would then visit these sites to make sure they are following their application. Selectmen found this to be an unreasonable enforcement since it would require companies that have been legally working for years, and even the smallest projects, to file an application, which would become very numerous. Board member, John Traynor, expressed his concerns over which board would oversee all those applications.

Prior to Monday’s April 2 meeting, Mark Russo, Linda Leddy, Rick Burnet, Marta Nover, and Brian Wick met on Saturday for more than four hours discussing the wording and scope of the proposed article. Russo believes they have come “pretty close” and hope to have a final draft by this weekend to send to Town Council for approval as a warrant article for the Annual Town Meeting.

PFD Committees established

The next topic on the agenda was establishing committees for implementing new changes to the Fire Department. Two weeks ago, Municipal Resources, Inc., or MRI, met with the board to discuss their findings after conducting an assessment of the Plympton Fire Department. Their purpose was to provide suggestions for the town to maximize its resources. After receiving the recommendations from MRI, the board has convened a Fire Advisory Committee to oversee the changes to the department. There are currently about 13 volunteers, that may be too large for the small town of Plympton, so the board decided to make two committees: the Fire Department Technician Committee and the Executive Oversight Committee. The Technician Committee is to take all the recommendations of the MRI Report and classify them as most important, important, and least important, estimate costs for the changes, and create a course of action. Within the next several weeks, the board hopes to hear from interested volunteers from the Halifax Fire Department, and will assign them to the appropriate committee. A meeting of the committees will take place at the Halifax Town Hall on Wednesday, April 25.

Continuing on with the Halifax Fire Department, selectmen discussed how attending a joint training session will give those firefighters who have not yet received their Firefighter I/II certification a chance to do so, completely funded by a grant. Also, by training together, the two departments may have a seamless training experience and can learn how to handle emergency situations for each town if needed.

In other news:

• Selectmen heard about plans for the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremonies at the Gazebo on the town green. The music departments have been notified as well as Dennett Elementary School. The possibility of a float this year was introduced, which would be a first for Plympton.

• Tara Shaw, Town Clerk, brought selectmen up to date with her ongoing project regarding the organization of laws and bylaws within the town. Plympton has hired General Code, a company that will review and re-index the current bylaw documents based on state laws, and inconsistencies such as punctuation, and typographical and grammatical errors will be corrected and then the by-laws organized after correction by topic. General Code would also upload the bylaws to a database which then can be searched and then accessed by the public. The town has paid their first installment of $1,735 out of $9,100, that was covered by a Technology Grant from February 2017. The board was very impressed with the project. Mark Russo stated, “The project seems to be really worthwhile.” The town clerk estimated the project would be completed by Fall 2020.

Town-wide cleanup is April 21

• The Gazebo at the Town Green was approved by the board to be used by the Garden Club for a town-wide clean-up day, scheduled for April 21, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. with a rain date of Apr. 28. Any volunteers are encouraged to participate in the event to create a cleaner town.

• The board will next meet Monday, April 9, in open session beginning at 6 p.m.