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Town Counsel explains new marijuana law updates from Town Counsel

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Monday, Atty. Amy Kessel from Kopelman and Paige Law, updated the Plympton Board of Selectmen on new information regarding regulating recreational marijuana.

Nov. 8, 2016, Massachusetts voters approved the Question 4 referendum which made the recreational use of marijuana and marijuana establishments legal. Governor Charlie Baker signed this into law on December 30, 2016.

Kessel said the law “contained inconsistencies and raised many questions.” A revised version of the law was signed by Governor Baker on July 28, 2017, “An Act to Ensure Safe Access to Marijuana.”

The Act makes several changes to the laws that were approved by the voters. According to Kessel, several of these changes addressed regulation at the municipal level.

Kessel said, “The most significant changes from the municipal perspective involve the licensing process, the optional local tax surcharge, and amendments to the optional local restrictions or prohibitions that can be considered.”

Under the new provisions regarding the licensing process, municipalities are allowed to establish a moratorium (delay) on licensing recreational marijuana establishments until December 31, 2018. Kessel informed selectmen that the attorney general is not allowing any moratoriums past this date.

Plympton already has a recreational marijuana moratorium in place until June 2018. Extending it to December is a possibility, but afterwards the town will have to decide on a zone for it.

Selectmen John Traynor said, “I don’t see banning it, given the vote, but we’ll need to have strict laws around it.”

The new act does allow for cities and towns to regulate marijuana in ways they see fit. According to G.L. c.94G, s3, Kessel said, “Municipalities seeking to generally regulate the time, place, and manner of marijuana establishment operations may adopt ordinances and bylaws that impose reasonable safeguards on the operation of marijuana establishments, provided they are not “unreasonably impractical.”’

Other things Kessel mentioned that could be regulated were processing and manufacturing that could be deemed a public nuisance, restrictions on public signs, and setting up civil penalties for violating regulations.

Another optional regulation that municipalities can use is an optional local tax surcharge. Attorney Kessel recommends taking this action.

The act allows a city or town to tax a marijuana sale at 3% the total sales price. This increases from the 2% set up in the previous legislation. The tax does not apply to sales or transfers between other marijuana establishments.

In order for a town to adopt this new sales tax, it must be voted on and passed by a majority at Annual Town Meeting.

The new act also requires that municipalities enter in host community agreements with all recreational and medical marijuana facilities. The act authorizes a community impact fee, in which the town may charge up to 3% of the establishment’s gross sales. Kessel recommends instituting this fee.

Kessel said the impact fee can only be used on things that are “reasonably related” to impact cost. She said something like a D.A.R.E. officer would qualify.

All of these regulations will be overseen under the state’s appointed Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). Kessel provided the following timeline of steps the commission took and is taking to start regulating the sale of recreational marijuana.

August 1, 2017-Cannabis Advisory Board

• Appointment of a 25-member Cannabis Advisory Board, with members appointed by a variety of officials and organizations, charged with making recommendations on guidelines, rules and regulations for the recreational use of marijuana.

• The President (or a designee) of the Massachusetts Municipal Association shall hold one seat.

September 1, 2017-Cannabis Control Commission

• Appointment of a five-member Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), by the Governor, Attorney General and Treasurer.

• The CCC will have authority to adopt regulations and issue licenses for commercial production and sale of marijuana, much like the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission for alcohol.

• The CCC shall also assume authority over the licensing of medical marijuana treatment centers, which will be transferred from the Department of Public Health before December 31, 2018.

March 15, 2018-CCC Adoption of Regulations

• Adoption of regulations, guidelines and protocols by the CCC for the issuance of licenses for recreational marijuana establishments by this date.

April 1, 2018-Acceptance of License Applications Begins

• Acceptance of applications by the CCC for recreational marijuana licenses pursuant to G.L. c.94G will begin not later than April 1.

• Important: The CCC will be governed by the zoning bylaws or ordinances in effect at the time of the application. Municipalities must inform the CCC of any bylaw or ordinance that would make the applicant noncompliant if the license is issued.

June 1, 2018-License Issuance

• The CCC may begin issuing licenses. The CCC must approve or deny applications within 90 days.

Update on Potential Ring Road/Main Street Project

The Board of Selectmen said Police Chief Patrick Dillon voiced support for the project to widen the intersection of Ring Road and Main Street. Dillion said, “The new design will create better sight lines.”

More police enforcement was also offered as a short-term solution. The Board was told by Chief Dillon that the police department will offer more speed enforcement, especially during school hours. 25 miles per hour speed limit signs are also part of the short-term plan.

The Board of Selectmen said that Chief Dillon believes this intersection is the worst in town.

Town Administrator Hiring Process Update

Community Paradigm informed the Board of Selectmen that 35 applicants in total applied for the town administrator position. Bernie Lynch from Community Paradigm is working on narrowing down the applicant pool to seven candidates.

These seven applicants will move on to interviews with the Board of Selectmen appointed screening committee. Then, the screening committee narrows down the list to three finalists who the Board of Selectmen interview.

Other News

The Board of Selectmen voted to officially sign the contract with Municipal Resources Inc (MRI). MRI will be conducting a study of the operations of the fire department.

The last part of the new Animal Control incident form was approved by the Board of Selectmen. This part of the form was withheld from full approval last week due to some language regarding the Animal Control Officer. The form has since been revised and approved.

The following 1-day liquor licenses were approved by the Board of Selectmen

• Brook Retreat for the October 21, 2017 Black Tie and Blue Jeans on the Bog

• Mirbeau Spa for the October 14, 2017 Cranberry Bog Dinner Excursion

New owners at Plympton Gas and Convenience

A hearing for Plympton Gas and Convenience’s liquor license will be held on Monday, October 16, 2017. The Board said that ownership of the store has been transferred, so the store is not allowed to sell alcohol until they receive a new license.

The same manager and staff were retained by the new owner. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said, “This might make the background checks quicker, but it could take some time.”

Coveney offers support and hope

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Derek Coveney is following his mission to support and offer hope to others. He recently returned from providing emergency flood relief and clean up with Team Rubicon USA  in some of the hardest hit areas in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. Entire neighborhoods and large expanses of Houston were flooded for weeks and he saw an opportunity to offer hope to those who lost everything.

Derek, now 21, a paid call Halifax firefighter, doesn’t come from a line of public servants. In fact he didn’t know that he would be a firefighter at all, but at the age of ten his world changed.

“10 years ago this October 5th will be my mom’s anniversary. She suffered a brain aneurysm. I found her having a seizure on the floor. She survived the incident and does have physical limits but that  is when I realized what I wanted to be.

I had the Halifax Fire Department here in my house helping me-us,” he said.

Two long- time Halifax firefighters,  Andy Scanlon, now a Pembroke firefighter, and Captain Bosworth gave Coveney hope in a time of crisis and later gave him inspiration to discover his passion to become a first responder.

“It was really cool having the Halifax firefighters there and now I am that person,” he said.

“I saw as a kid that firefighters brought that comfort and I wanted to be that person for someone else. It is amazing. I love being able to be that person … to give someone a chance and not feel hopeless. “

With his service in Texas, he was in charge of a small group who were ripping out wallboard, debris and anything that water may have touched.

The assistance was for some of the many financially challenged areas, some families who did not have insurance to assist with the demolitions.

“We saw that hopeless and helpless look on many faces,” said Coveney.

“We go in and provide ‘muck outs’, which is tearing out anything that has been damaged in the floods, interior debris removal and full demo services. Although the debris is someone’s belongings … that is their stuff, “ he said.

Seeing the immense piles of debris taking up the width of entire streets with water receding was an eye opening, and sometimes emotional, experience for them.

“Seeing resilience as these families came back from being flooded in previous storms, that struck me as amazing.

Nothing compares to working with guys who are there to make a difference. There was a lot of emotions,” he said. 

“We tried to show them (the residents) we had boots on the ground. We were instilling some hope – we were there to help.  Many people lost everything.”

As an incident commander over his volunteers, Coveney said the group offered a vast spectrum of all walks of life – “coming together and bonding like you can never believe,” he said.

There are many volunteers that come out.  Team Rubicon is doing extremely hard labor and they are happy doing it. They come from all walks of life, many retired or current first responders.

A graduate of Silver Lake Regional High, class of 2014, Coveney learned in high school about becoming a first responder.

“They allowed me to be a cadet in the high school for three years. I would go after school to see how the fire service worked. I became a volunteer and I’m continuing to serve. I received the opportunity to be a firefighter and paramedic …  the program got my foot in the door.”

His goal is to eventually become a full time firefighter.

He is looking forward to helping more people in future deployments.

In a statement from his fire chief:

“I’m very proud of Derek and the way he has stepped up to help the people of Texas. He exemplifies what is means to be a public servant,” said Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

About Team Rubicon:

“Founded in 2010, Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. With over 48,000 volunteers across the country, Team Rubicon has responded to over 200 disasters across the United States and the world,” according to the Team Rubicon USA website/ Harvey relief. www.teamrubiconusa.org.

SL Football wins exciting game on homecoming

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Maybe it took longer than they wanted, but the Silver Lake High football team was able to prevail on homecoming last Saturday.

In overtime, the Lakers were able to pull off a 20-14 win over the Quincy High Presidents. With the win, the Lakers improved to 3-0 on the year.

The first quarter of the game was rather uneventful. There was no score, although it would not take the Lakers much time at all to take the lead. Midway through the second quarter, Phil Lashley punched in a 4-yard touchdown run to put his team up 6-0.

With three minutes left in the first half, Quincy ended up taking the lead. They returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown. Their extra point attempt was good, which gave them a 7-6 lead. Even so, they would not go into the locker room for halftime with a lead.

The Lakers retook the lead on fourth down with five seconds remaining in the first half. Quarterback Tanner Boyd connected with Diamani Williams on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Lakers also had a successful 2-point conversion, giving them a 14-7 lead.

In the second half, the Lakers gave up another touchdown and Quincy hit their extra point. Since the Lakers could not score in the second half, the game went into overtime.

The Lakers defense was sharp; they prevented their opponent from scoring on their first overtime possession.

When the Lakers got the ball, however, it did not take them long to score. On their third play, Lashley, who ran for over 150 yards on the day behind a stout offensive line, punched in a 3-yard touchdown to give his team the lead and the win in overtime.

The Lakers move on to face Hingham on the road this Friday, Sept. 29 (7:00 p.m. start).

Laurel Fallis sings National Anthem at TD Garden

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After weeks of preparation, the moment finally arrived. “I’m actually doing this,” said Laurel Fallis, 13, of Plympton.

That’s what was going through her mind as she sang the National Anthem in front of a packed TD Garden at the televised Boston Bruins game Thursday Sept., 21.

“I felt very proud of myself,” said Laurel who is soft-spoken at times but instantly becomes animated as she describes her developing abilities and love for music.

Accompanied by her mom Roseann, dad Kevin, and brother Brennan, 8, who all took in the game.

Laurel was as ready as she could be.

She walked out to the B symbol on the rug over the ice taking her place in the center she had kept her tune with a pitch pipe in hand and she reminded herself to have fun. Then she sang her heart out.

She describes the night with a beaming smile and pure self-satisfaction. 

“You could barely hear the word brave…because the whole stadium was cheering and I heard a gasp. It felt awesome and I was relieved. And… my knees were shaking,” she recalled with a laugh.

After singing in front of thousands of people  … you have to wonder what is next?

Her morning routine includes humming and singing as she readies herself for school at Silver Lake Middle. She is involved in soccer, drama, and volunteers with her Girls Scouts troop.

With help from mom Roseann, they plan to continue to submit videos to numerous upcoming auditions locally and nationally.  When she is old enough, she envisions herself on The Voice.

“Singing for the Bruins was an ‘amazing opportunity’. We are very proud of her,” said Roseann.

Finding out she was accepted to perform at the Bruins game came via a cell phone call from her mom who was at home with the email confirmation.

Fallis imitated in a stage whisper how she reacted when her mom told her the incredible news.

She tried to keep their voice down on an otherwise silent bus as she processed the exciting announcement.

“I had her on my cell phone and I was talking in the phone and she said ‘You got accepted’ I was saying…

”What?  Are you kidding? …that’s nuts,” said Fallis.

She began to rehearse the National Anthem with her vocal coach Martina Ferrante of Plympton.

Fallis also takes piano and guitar lessons with Doug Bangham of Carver School of Music who has been a driving force in her stage confidence, said Roseann

“Doug has been a big part of her comfort, presence, and poise.  Roseann reminded her “you are 13, make sure you have fun!”

She intends to continue local theatre at SLRSD and plans to keep reaching for the next level. She foresees herself with a future career in music but don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you because this young lady has plans to raise the roof.

A (wet) nose for trouble

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Lily is a lifesaver. As a seizure alert dog she works 24/7 as a medical necessity.

Her owner and handler is Anders Skjerli who lives in the Monponsett side of Hanson with Kristen, his wife of 11 years, and their son Kieran, 4.   

A Newfoundland breed, Lily, doesn’t go unnoticed — resembling a hefty bear. At seven years old, she’s a leisurely 100 pounds, mild and affectionate in temperament, yet vigilant.

Skjerli who is now 31, was diagnosed with a seizure disorder at the age of 16, following numerous staring events or focal seizures. During soccer practice he suffered a tonic-clonic seizure (also known as a grand mal seizure).

It became apparent that due to the severity of his illness he required another level of assistance.

In the past, Skjerli has been intubated and has had some grave health scares. Lily, along with safety and alerts, also relieves stress on his family.

Lily gives Skjerli about an hour and a half warning before an episode

“It allows me to talk with my wife (Kristen) knowing the dog is alerting me,” he said. “I can tell her ahead and just let her know that the dog is giving me a warning in case something happens.”

Several of the most significant things individuals need to understand or when dealing with a “working” service dog include respecting that the dog is working. Skjerli needs her to be on her guard alerting him to a possible life threatening emergency.

“Ideally it is better for a person not to interact with Lily but talking to me (the handler) is fine,” he advises. “I always say ‘no’ to patting her because she is distractible. It is better not to acknowledge the dog.”

In educating others Skjerli realizes by nature people are curious and they have every right to ask about the dog, however delicate questions on his medical history can becoming invasive so he adopts the policy of less is more.

When approached at a public location such as a restaurant or business he does say “yes, Lily is a service dog”.

“I acknowledge the dog is for me. Sometimes the questions begin with “are you training her?” and I simply answer ‘no’, she is for me,” he said.

There are just questions that you wouldn’t ask someone about their medical history, he said.

Lily is Anders’s second dog. His former service dog, Mater, began having hip issues and was being considered for retirement.

“He would jump away and leave me so I wouldn’t fall on him as his way of alerting me,” he said.

Personality in a trained service dog is important as a service dog is trained to work. Mater had trouble transitioning to the down time of retirement.

“The dog doesn’t understand,” Skjerli said. “He wants to work.  They can become frustrated and act out against the handler or in the home.”

Simply enough Mater chose to move on. He fell in love with the administrative assistant at Skjerli’s place of employment, he recalled with a chuckle. Mater is a king now living the high life and the Skjerlis see him regularly.

“Having a new canine was a tough transition at first but now Lily, who came from Colorado-based Noelle’s Dogs 4 Hope gives me independence,” he said.

He is a teaching assistant at a local school serving students ages 3-21 with severe, multiple disabilities, many of whom have complex medical needs. They are used to therapy dogs coming in. Lily is at his side at work every day.

His disability is not a visible one, so on occasion he has had people tell him he “doesn’t look sick,” which made him hesitant to obtain a service dog.

“It took me a long time before I accepted the idea of having a service dog,” he said. “It was like I was proclaiming my disability. … Having the dog greatly improves my life.”

Besides having a full time-job and a busy family life, the Skjerli family attends The Well Community Church in Halifax. He also walks Lily in the Hanson-Halifax Monponsett area. She keeps him busy caring and grooming her, even as she is always keeping her ears and eyes on him.

When the day comes that Lily shows signs she is not as vigilant as she was in her younger years she will retire.

Skjerli said the most important thing he can offer to educate others is interpretation. Lily is a highly trained piece of medical equipment a slight comparison to a walker or cane.

“She is there for a medical purpose, and medical support,” he said. “The dog is not here to comfort me.”

The website Skjerli refers to most, especially when documenting his right to bringing Lily in a business or public place is ada.gov.

The website offers information for people with regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act, but is also an educational tool for anyone who would like to understand the differences between a regular pet and a service animal.

Recent news coverage on the need for companion animals, has revealed that some canine owners vest their dogs with a ‘fake’ service label to allow their pets’ access to similar places as a medical alert dog. The differences in training and also extreme necessity have been debated. As recently as last week in Boston at the State Gouse supporters rallied to pass a bill against owners who fake a service dog as a crime with a fine of $500.

Ring Road: Trouble with the curve…

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Monday’s Plympton Selectmen’s meeting saw several residents concerned as Highway Surveyor Jim Mulcahy presented a preliminary plan for addressing safety issues at Main Street and Ring Road.

The proposed plan, which Mulcahy said is still in early stages and not set in stone, involves widening the intersection at Main Street and Ring Road. A design enegineer consultant was hired by Mulcahy and the Highway Department to explore ways to make the intersection safer.

Mulcahy presented before and after illustrations of the intersection that showed exactly what is being done. According to Mulcahy, widening the intersection will not remove the curve. He said, “We’re not getting rid of the curve; we’re softening the curve.”

Even though Mulcahy acknowledged that this plan doesn’t address all the issues on Ring Road, he thinks this is a good plan that can make a difference.

Mulcahy said, “This is a pretty good scheme. I’m not saying the best, I’m not saying the worst, but I think it’s going to be the most practical.”

According to Mulcahy, a stone wall at the curve of the intersection has also been a problem. He said it may be possible to remove it for this project, but said this is all still preliminary.

Several Ring Road residents remained skeptical about widening the intersection as the solution. Many cited lack of speed limit enforcement as the real issue at hand. A few residents said they’d rather see if more speed enforcement works first before spending town money on a project.

One resident questioned if the project was needed at all.  She asked how many accidents have occurred at this specific intersection.  She was not satisfied that Mulcahy did not have this data and declared his evidence was anecdotal.

School Board member Jon Wilhelmsen responded by saying that studies do not pick up near misses. He said there’s been at least half a dozen near misses in the last 10 years.

“I’d be concerned with that just because we haven’t had a major incident we don’t take action,” said Wilhelmsen.

One resident, Gavin Murphy, who moved to Plympton with his family a few years ago, was concerned that widening the road will negatively impact the picturesque aesthetic of the town. Murphy said he’s worried that this is “hacking away at the rural fabric of this community.”

Other options were explored briefly with some residents suggesting a three-way stop sign to force people to slow down at the intersection. Selectmen’s Assistant Briggette Martins said she was skeptical this would work because of the way people drive getting their kids at Dennett Elementary. She said something similar was tried in Duxbury and it did not work.

Electrical Aggregation with Colonial Power coming to Plympton

Colonial Power Group President Mark Cappadona discussed with the Plympton Board of Selectmen the upcoming electrical aggregation service coming to the town.

The aggregation agreement doesn’t change the source of electricity for the town. Eversource is still the provider for Plympton.  Cappadona said, “Aggregation only addresses the electron running through the wire.”

Cappadona said that aggregation is flexible and allows for both standard and green energy. “You have the ability to have two products if you so desire,” said Cappadona. He also emphasized that aggregation also allows classifying residential, commercial, and industrial services.

Prices for electricity are expected to be higher over the next 24 months than the current 10.75 cent Nstar Rate according to Colonial Power Group. Cappadona said National Grid’s rate is expected to hit 12.6 cents per kilowatt hour.

Both Abington and West Bridgewater are on 12-month contracts with Colonial Power. Cappadona said both towns have a certified green National Wind product and both have fixed rates of 11 cents per kilowatt hour.

The aggregation is a service every resident is opted into unless they choose to opt out. Information and instructions to opt out are going to be mailed out by Colonial Power.

The Board of Selectmen said it’s important people are aware of the electrical aggregation. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said, “It might be a good idea to get this on the website so people know this is coming.”

Potential Green Community Grant Opportunities

Plympton is certified as a green community under the specifications of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). This certification opens up grant opportunities for the town to use on different types of projects.

Mass DOER Green Communities Regional Coordinator Seth Pickering, along with Thomas Lesure and Chris Collins came before Selectmen to discuss grant opportunities for Plympton that could reach up to $250,000 annually.

For the town to be eligible for the grant, the Board of Selectmen need to submit an annual report. Pickering said the town has not done this the last two years.

Mass DOER can help the Board with the report, but only to a certain extent because they also audit and review the annual reports.

Only one grant can be issued at a time. Collins said, “It’s about doing a project you can get done and reapplying for grants next year.”

Pickering also said the town is in a unique situation where every town that’s a part of the Silver Lake Regional School District is a certified green community. This means if the town wanted to combine on a project for the school district, there’s a potential $750,000 in grant money that could be used.

Other News

• The Board of Selectmen set up a screening committee for interviewing and narrowing down the town administrator applicant pool to three candidates. The following people were selected to be members: former selectman Colleen Thompson, Town Accountant Barbara Gomez, Police Chief Patrick Dillon, former finance committee member Marilyn Browne, assistant assessor Deb Stuart, among others.

• Selectmen approved the new incident report form for the Animal Control Officer with the exception of one part which has some language on the form involving the animal inspector that the Board will review with Town Counsel before approving.

Talented Silver Lake Girls Soccer team in position to excel

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There is plenty of talent back on the Silver Lake High girls’ soccer team this season and because of that, they should be one of the stronger teams in the area this season. They will also likely be a tough opponent in the playoffs if they do what they are capable of achieving.

After all, they are coming off a relatively strong season where they battled to an 8-8-3 finish, a performance that was good enough for them to earn a spot in the playoffs. From that team, they are returning nine of their starters–which is most of their team’s top contributors from last season.

Of those nine players coming back, two of them were Patriot League All-Stars last season. Both Ali Crawford and Izzy Ruprecht got the nod in 2016, beating out several other players on quality teams for the honor. This year, they will be vital pieces of the team with Crawford leading the attack and Ruprecht on defense.

Hannah Vogt and Morgan Palma were two of the Lakers’ strikers last season, and they are back once again. Palma had 11 goals while Vogt added eight more. They will be joined by both Jill Wohlgemuth and Morgan Wohlgemuth on the attack while Mel Coughlin and Tayla Mayberry bring strong experience to the team’s defense. Once again, Caity Smith will be in net for the team this season after excelling last year.

So far the Lakers are off to a 2-2 start. Their first loss came against a tough Whitman-Hanson opponent, who made a deep playoff run last season. Regardless, the Lakers are in a good position to finish this season with an even better record than they had last year.

The Lakers next game is this Saturday, Sept. 23, at home against Pembroke High. The game has an 11:30 a.m. scheduled start time.

Lakers take Oliver Ames 28-12

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On the ground, the Silver Lake High football team established themselves as the dominant side on Sept. 15, at home in their second game of the season.

The Lakers were able to rush their way to a 28-12 victory improving their record to 2-0 after beating Oliver Ames.

Running back Phil Lashley led the way for the Lakers, goiing 180 yards on just 12 carries (15 yards per carry) and had three of his team’s four touchdowns of the night.

To start the game, the Lakers found themselves on the attack, but it did not take them long to score. On the fourth play of the game, Lashley punched in a 34-yard touchdown run to give the home team a 6-0 edge.

The two sides exchanged turnovers and when Oliver Ames got the ball back, they scored, but the Lakers would take the lead once again late in the second quarter. Their quarterback, Tanner Boyd, who ran for 60 yards on the day, had a 15-yard touchdown run prior to halftime to give his team a 12-6 lead.

In the second half, Lashley had two more touchdown runs: one for seven yards and another for 38 yards. On both scores, Boyd ran in the 2-point conversion himself, helping pad the lead.

Late in the third quarter, Oliver Ames made it an 8-point game on a touchdown run, but Silver Lake was comfortable once again because they scored on the next drive.

Oliver Ames got intercepted by the Lakers on their final offensive stand with about three minutes left, hindering any chance they had left of winning the game. The Lakers continue their season with a home bout this Saturday, Sept. 23, against the winless Quincy High Presidents (2:30 p.m. start time).

Roof almost done at Halifax Elementary

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The roof construction at Halifax Elementary School, approved at a special town meeting earlier in the year, is expected to be completed by the end of the month, according to Assistant Principal Brian DeSantes as reported at the September 5, 2017 school committee meeting.

DeSantes furthered, “The roofing company has done a great job working with us and keeping us in the loop about the progress they are making.”

A notice was sent out before the start of the school year on the roof’s progress. It made sure parents knew when the roof is expected to be done and to be assured that the building is still safe for conducting classes.

DeSantes also acknowledged the custodians for their work in getting the school ready to open despite ongoing construction, so that the building could open on time for the beginning of the school year.

Board chairman Summer Schmaling also credited the custodians for a good cleanup effort around the school grounds, making sure they are safe for the students.

Kindergarten  Open House

The Kindergarten Open House took place on the same day the rest of the elementary school started class. Families visited the classrooms with the new students to help them get comfortable in the school environment.

The school even did a joint family bus ride to help the children get comfortable taking the bus. DeSantes was actually on one of these two buses that were only taken for a short ride down the street.

“It was a good experience,” said DeSantes. “The PTO did a fabulous job,”  (running the open house).

Beginning of the school year update

Assistant principal Brian Desantes gave a quick update, saying the year is off to a good start so far.  Currently enrollment for Halifax Elementary is at 599 total students. He also took time to thank the teachers both new and those returning for helping to start the year so strong.

He told the board the new teachers are already acclimating and responding well to the beginning of the year emergency review training. DeSantes said the emergency review went well for both new and returning staff.

Upcoming Meetings

There will be a PAC meeting on Thursday, October 5, 2017. A PTO meeting will take place on Friday, October 20, in the all-purpose room.

The next Halifax Elementary School Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 2, at 7 p.m.

Taking steps to narrow candidate pool to 3

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The Board of Selectmen announced at Monday’s meeting that Community Paradigm is making significant preliminary progress in helping Plympton select a town administrator.

Selectman John Traynor said the Board met with Bernard Lynch from Community Paradigm on Wednesday, September 13, when Lynch informed the Board that there are already 18 applicants.

Selectman Clerk Mark Russo said that Friday, Sept. 22, is the deadline for applications. Then, a screening committee that’s been set up by selectmen will interview the candidates and narrow the pool to three finalists. These finalists will then be interviewed by the Board of Selectmen.

Plans for Town House Projector System Discussed

Selectmen last Monday met with Jon Velozo, a sales representative for Ockers Company to discuss the installation of a projector system in the large meeting room at the town house.

The proposed projector would be installed on the wall to the right as one enters the meeting room at the Plympton Town House.

Velozo discussed a few different sizes for the board with selectmen, but the one he recommended most was an 8-foot by 4-foot board. According to Velozo, a board of this size allows for a 90 to 100-inch screen projection.

Installation for the projector is expected to take only a day. After installation, Velozo includes a three-year warranty for the projector system.

Selectman John Traynor asked if electrical work was included in the cost breakdown given to the Board at Monday’s meeting. Electrical wasn’t included, though Velozo said they have electricians to do that type of work. Traynor asked that Velozo send forth an updated cost breakdown with a line item for the added electrical work required to power the projector.

Selectmen plan to speak with Silver Lake Regional School District‘s Technology Director Steve Pellowe before making any final decisions regarding whether to use an interactive or non-interactive projector. At the Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, July 17, 2017, Pellowe said there’s about a $600 difference in the price between the two.

Other News

Selectmen, along with the Board of Health discussed the new incident form that will be used to report all incidents involving Animal Control.

Board of Selectmen Clerk Mark Russo said, “It (the new form) standardizes reporting.” According to Russo, the new form makes sure all appropriate agencies receive the necessary report.

The Board of Health said they are also trying to simplify what types of events require a small events permit. However, Board of Health Chair Art Morin said the Board is waiting until October before making any changes.