The Halifax Board of Selectmen are planning to have another joint meeting with the Plympton Board of Selectmen about establishing a plan for joint fire and EMS services.

The Halifax Board said that recently, the Plympton Board of Selectmen was still deciding on important details crucial to the deal. Plympton talked about sharing EMS services, but having a completely separate fire department.

Roy said she doesn’t think this benefits Halifax. Chief Viveiros agreed, saying he sees the potential for mismanagement issues in this type of structural agreement. Viveiros said the cross training present in Halifax’s department makes this difficult.

The other board members agreed. Selectman Troy Garron said he wants a more concrete plan. He said, “It’s all sort of up in the air.”

Millias said he understands the challenges Plympton faces with this sort of agreement, especially being a small town, there’s pressure to have a separate and independent fire department. He said it ultimately needs to work out for Halifax, so residents know their tax dollars are benefitting them.

“You can’t give it away and still have it…And I can see the political pressure, more so for a small town,” Millias said.

The Board believes an agreement can still be made. Viveiros said he met with Plympton Selectman John Traynor on Tuesday and said they came to a basic understanding that the structure of this intermunicipal agreement is a contract for hire.

Roy said she’s optimistic an agreement will be reached. She said if this does hit a wall, though she doesn’t think it will, it might be smart to use some of the Halfiax Fire Department’s grant money for Bernard Lynch to conduct another study.

Roy said the most important thing is that residents can see a clear benefit for Halifax with this agreement. She said, “We’re not a for profit organization, but we will not subsidize another community.”

One benefit that Viveirossaid Halifax would get from this agreement is the potential for more grant opportunities. He said there would also be “operational benefits” such as more responders on the scene and the opportunity for improved response times.

He said a larger department would also mean more opportunities for advancement. Roy added so advancements would be based on assessment of performance. Halifax would also be adding five full-time positions under this agreement.

The grant for this type of agreement expires January, 2019. Viveiros said there’s already been money put aside for joint training with Plympton. That training will start in September.

National Grid grilled

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig invited Joe Cardinal from National Grid to discuss what the town and/or National Grid can do to reduce the number of future outages from winter storms.

Cardinal said there’s a limit to what can be done because of the locations of the substations. There are no substations in Halifax with the closest being at Mill and Spring streets in East Bridgewater.

As far as building a new substation, Cardinal said it’s difficult because of Halifax’s location in National Grid’s territory. Halifax is closer to the edge of their territory with bordering town Plympton using Eversource for its electricity. However, Cardinal said, National Grid is looking at another location closer to Halifax, but it wouldn’t make a positive difference for another four to five years.

Selectmen Chair Kim Roy asked what could be done, and Cardinal mentioned a few things during his presentation. One thing Cardinal mentioned was the cutting down of 40 miles worth of dead trees.

Cardinal also said it’s important National Grid make sure electrical lines are technologically up to date. He said diamond lines are stronger and although are still no match for a tree, they should do better when branches fall on them.

“Ninety-five percent of outages are caused by trees,” said Cardinal. “So, there’s only so much you can do.”

Selectman Thomas Millias and Fire Chief Jason Vivieros asked about exploring the possibility of having a plan where National Grid works with the Department of Public Works to provide a joint effort in dealing with fallen trees and outages.

Cardinal said this is something that Pembroke has tried to do in the past and is still brought up every once in a while at manager meetings. The concern is if National Grid sets this up with one town, it would have to be set up with other towns, but said he wasn’t dismissing the idea. 

It’s something that’s still actively discussed.

Cardinal suggested they bring it up at the next meeting between National Grid and municipality public safety officials.

As for what Halifax is doing now, Vivieros is working with the Board of Selectmen and Halifax Police Department to update the town’s critical facility list. Each critical facility is assigned a priority grade by National Grid for emergency responses.

Other News

Dennis Carman was named the town’s new town moderator. Carman has lived in Halifax for more than 35 years. He said he’s going to try to participate as much as possible because it’s important. Roy took this as an opportunity to highlight that the town needs volunteers. She said, “You’re right…we have smaller boards that meet monthly.”

Gordon Andrews officially resigned from the Finance Committee in order to serve on the school committees. This leaves some openings.

Diane Ruxton filled one of those openings and was appointed to serve on the Finance Committee until June 15, 2021. The committee currently has four members, which is the minimum for a quorum. Seelig said having seven members would be better. He said, “You don’t need a calculus, mathematics, or business degree.”

Dunkins Donuts donated $500 to the Council on Aging.

The Board of Selectmen approved the use of the town green for the Historical Society’s plant sale. It will take place on September 8, 2018.

The next Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for June 26. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Selectmen Monday night named Griffin Webb of Hanson to fill the position of Plympton Animal Control Officer effective immediately.

Webb interviewed for the position May 21, bringing a young man’s enthusiasm for the job, and exuding a love for animals and wanting to serve them.  He also brought Alyssa Ryan, the Marshfield ACO, who, Webb explained, he has been shadowing for the past month to get a good idea of what the job entails.

He graduated from the Norfolk Agricultural High School where he studied animal science, looking to eventually become a veterinarian. The prospect of eight more years of school brought Webb to consider other options to serve the animals he loves.  Webb has six horses of his own, and a number of dogs and other animals at his home in Hanson.  He told selectmen that Massachusetts law requires all ACOs to be certified by attending an ACO Academy which is 16 weeks of Fridays schooling to learn to deal with all situations an ACO will run in to with animals and their owners, as well as the laws that govern them and the reports which the Commonwealth requires to be filed.  This ACO Academy is run in April and Webb said he would attend next April 2019.

Ryan spoke highly of Webb’s ability to perform the job and said she will be available to help him as he continues with Plympton.

After voting unanimously to appoint Webb to the position, selectmen welcomed Webb, glad that he will help the town develop the animal control department.  Webb was also named to the position of Animal Inspector for Plympton.

Selectman Chairman John Traynor told the board he has chatted with Chief Lance Benjamino regarding a plan to get rid of the trailers, and regarding the Fire Technical Committee and the Oversight Committee, hoping to combine the two committees and bring the number of members down to a more workable size.

Benjamino is away until June 18 and selectmen will hear from him tentatively on June 27, Traynor said, and he hopes that there will be something concrete when Plympton speaks to Halifax.

Traynor also told his board he will be speaking with the town treasurer to see the budget for medical supplies for the ambulances.  He does have estimates for on-call but they are not “granulated” enough.  Vice-chair Christine Joy commented that until we have the numbers, we can’t budget the expense.

Electricity aggregation

Selectmen clerk Mark Russo told the board they have renewed the contract with electric aggregation for 30 months.   Summer rates are pretty comparable now, Russo said, but we expect winter rates are going to be much higher.  With a 30 month contract, we will be somewhat protected from those higher winter rates.

Dispatch Center Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy brought a renewal contract to Selectmen for the Regional Dispatch Center in Duxbury that handles all of Plympton’s emergency 911 calls.  The new contract is for $50,000 for FY19.  She also presented a letter from Police Chief Patrick Dillon who recommended the contract.

Dennehy told the board that the town doesn’t need to have Kopelman & Paige review the contract, as it is the same contract given to the Town of Duxbury, who also uses Kopelman & Paige as its Town Counsel, and has already been reviewed by them.  She did say that she would consult Atty. Gregg J. Corbo, who is Plympton’s attorney from the firm, to make him aware. She also recommended looking into having the contract auto-renew provided nothing has changed in regard to the service.

Hwy. Superintendent

Next week selectmen will begin interviewing for the position of Highway Superintendent, as Jim Mulcahy will be retiring June 30, 2018.  The four original applicants for the job have been reduced to two, and selectmen will reinterview them June 25.

Storm tree removal

Selectman Joy asked the board when tree removal of the storm damaged limbs at the town’s roadsides will begin, noting that Special Town Meeting approved $25,000 to pay for this service.

Joy also told the board the Tree Warden Bill Hayes is happy to work with the Old Colony Planning Council on developing a master plan for tree planting in the center of town.  Joy also said she is happy to remain the town’s representative on the OCPC.

Atwood property

Selectman Russo reported that the assessors will have an update on the acreage of the Atwood property off Prospect St. for the next meeting on June 11.

Selectmen will meet June 11, 18, and 25, before going on to their alternate week summer schedule.

John Shea, owner of John and Sons Barber Shop at the Cumberland Farms Plaza in Halifax, can’t believe how the years have gone by as he has been cutting hair for half a century!

Celebrating his milestone as a barber in the same location for nearly all of his career and next door for the 18 years before that, Shea is thrilled to celebrate five decades and has no intention of slowing down.

As he turns his chair, trimming and chatting with clients, he shares memories with his many repeat customers.  He hears about work, town life and sports as the scissors snip and trimmers buzz.

In addition to realizing how many trinkets have accumulated inside the shop, Shea has also absorbed the innumerable emotional milestones he sees in his line of work  making him love his job and career wholeheartedly.

John has given clients their very first haircuts, cut their hair for their wedding, and in some cases, even trimmed their hair for their funeral.   In June, some of his kids who got their first haircuts in John’s chair will come in for a trim before they graduate from high school.

He has given many first haircuts in a 1920s antique child’s chair, a replica of a carousel horse, that sits in the front window.

He found it at an auction in Pittsfield in the 1990s and had to bring it back to his shop where it has been a favorite for many of his youngest customers.

Listening is an important aspect of Shea’s work as he lathers necks and shaves with a straight razor.   He shares light banter with his customers and the atmosphere becomes even livelier he says when his son Darren is cutting in the chair next to him.

Shea is also known for decorative haircuts and designs when sports teams win, and kids want the winning logo etched into their hairline, said Shea.

His nephew Corey Socha is also a full time barber at the shop as Shea passes along his decades of experience to help train the next generations.

A buzz cut, fade, or crew cut, Shea has seen countless trends come and go, recalling his early start in the 1960s and 1970s the trend was growing long hair.

It was a tough beginning for his brand-new business when no one needed a haircut! Welcomed were the mullets and shags and Mohawks in the early 1980s when the grooming business boomed.

The décor inside his shop has evolved as rows of collectible Harley Davidson limited edition cans and knick-knacks of all sorts came in with customers. Suddenly the shelves were full of state-of-the-art conversation pieces, he said.

Although he has many clients who have followed him through the years one family came to mind who he has seen grow through four generations, named – would you believe it – the Barber family of Duxbury, he said.

Married to wife Judy for 53 years, he looks forward to spending time with her.  He foresees his body will let him know when it is time to hang up his shears.

Shea said having a career as a barber has been rewarding and fulfilling.  When asked where he sees himself in the next decade, Shea chuckled.

“I will keep going until I can’t go anymore. I may slow down physically, but I love it,” he said.