Halifax Special Town Meeting set for Sept. 8

Selectmen in Halifax Tuesday, Aug. 11, heard  advocates for a new or renovated Council on Aging Building currently the historic Pope’s Tavern, called a Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to deal with its three warrant articles, and met with the Town Accountant and Recycling Coordinator to discuss recycling fees.

Senior Citizens filled the room to support another attempt at either building a new senior center or renovating Pope’s Tavern, the current building. The late State Senator Thomas P. Kennedy secured a $50,000 grant for the Town of Halifax to begin the process of exploring different options for the town.

John Campbell represented the Building Committee and Joy Marble and Sharon Hart were present to represent the Council on Aging.

This is not the first time attempts have been made to complete this project; in fact, it would be the third.

Over the last five years or so, an attempt to work with an architect failed as well as an attempt to purchase the building housing the Four Seasons restaurant.

“We have to work with what the taxpayers have an appetite for,” emphasized Selectman Chairman Kim Roy, to the clearly frustrated but motivated crowd. “We supported the Four Seasons building purchase [at a previous town meeting] but it was FinCom that couldn’t,” said Roy.

Several options exist, including purchasing the Morgan Equipment Building, which is vacant or continuing renovation plans with a different architect for the current building. All have upsides and downsides, and frustration was palpable in the room.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig stated, “We are keeping all of our options open.”

Though this seemed to satisfy no one fully, representatives of the several boards present agreed to meet to discuss further planning at the end of September.

Roy was especially excited to speak about the recently awarded grant Fire Chief Jason Vivierios won for the town from FEMA for the purchase of an aerial ladder truck.

The town approved the financing of a new aerial ladder truck for the Fire Department at last Town Meeting, but because the truck awarded to the town is slightly different than the one Viveiros had planned to originally purchase, and only the first payment of roughly $160,000 of the financing was approved, a Special Town Meeting was called for Tuesday, September 8, at 7:30 to deal with this issue and two others.

Special Town Meeting:

Three articles will be considered, the first addressing the use of the first $100,000 of the roughly $160,000 to be used for modifications to the truck or station to fit the truck in the building, training, and matching funds the town needs to pay to the federal government for the grant.

The second relates to returning the remainder of the money back to the taxpayers.

The third article has to do with a $11,000 remainder in the Halifax Elementary School’s IT budget. They have completed all IT projects for the year and they would like to use this money to begin to lay the infrastructure for a new phone system, which would eventually cost an additional roughly $30,000.

Town Accountant Sandy Nolan and Recycling Coordinator Susan Johnston had an appointment with the Board to discuss raising recycling permit fees.

Several projects are necessary at the recycling center in the near future, including new windows and resurfacing of the driveway. As much of the money for FY’16 has already been spent on a new recycling truck, both women did not see there to be any other way to sustain their budget other than to raise the yearly fee from $38 to $50.

Although all the Selectmen expressed reticence to raise taxes or fees, especially Selectman Thomas Millias, according to him, “I don’t see any way around this.”

In Other News:

• Continuing issues with junk and junked cars on multiple properties throughout town continue to be a nuisance. Town Administrator Seelig will continue to post signage, which he reports is often torn down.

• At the suggestion of Town Administrator Seelig, the Board approved him to explore partnering with the YMCA for a wellness program for town employees.

• Several routine “road cuts” and other utility work permits were approved and routine “use of town property” permits were granted to community groups.

• A number of businesses were notified of sign violations.

• The board was informed about possible changes in legislation in both how paint is recycled and how public records requests are processed, although no new legislation has passed yet.

• The City of Brockton continues to be unresponsive and uncooperative to requests by area officials, including Plympton, for further information on that city’s use of water from Monponsett Pond.

• Bob Baker filled out a talent bank form and is interested in serving on the Planning Board.

• Christine Pruitt was appointed new Assistant Superintendent of the Silver Lake School District.

Electric buzz at Plympton BOS meeting

Kurt Penny (left) and Joe Fitzpatrick of IRC Solar Roof Systems present the company’s proposal for a solar array on the Dennett Elementary School’s roof. The two met with the Plympton Board of Selectmen on Monday, August 10.

On Monday, August 10 the Board of Selectmen met in Plympton. The most electric issue by far was a proposal by IRC Solar Roof Systems of Lewiston, Maine, that would like to build a solar array on top of the Dennett School roof and enter into a fixed-rate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Town.  Chairman Mark Russo made clear to everyone assembled that the Board was “just listening to a proposal,” and that nothing final has been agreed to.

Two representatives, Joe Fitzpatrick, of DG Green Power which works with IRC, and Kurt Penny of IRC Solar Operations, made a presentation to those attending. Dennett Elementary School Committee members  called a concurrent meeting within the Selectmen’s meeting, to view the company’s presentation as  a committee as well, and Maureen Springer of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee was present as well.

IRC representatives echoed much of the information that had already been presented to the public and the Board. A large portion of the Dennett School roof is need of repair whether or not solar panels are installed, and that is a known upcoming large bill, according to Town Coordinator Dale Pleau.

IRC would come and do engineering studies, replace the roof, at cost to the town, and install, maintain and guarantee both the roof and the solar array that they propose for 20 years.

The installation at maximum would produce approximately 451,000 kw/h per year and save approximately $42,000 per year, according to IRC, representing significant savings, as the Dennett School uses the most electricity of any town buildings.

At the end of the PPA, the panels would either be removed, or replaced by the company and a new PPA would be negotiated.

According to the representatives, the solar energy would be used right at the school, as well as sold to their investors, but the Dennett School will never be entirely “off the grid,” for example, when electricity is needed at night. The savings also come from the 40% lesser cost when the Dennett School is purchasing Eversource energy.

IRC emphasized that the project would require no upfront investment from the town or school, and the possible educational aspects of teaching students about solar electricity.

“This is becoming more and more common in schools in the Commonwealth,” according to Penny. One final push from the company was a reminder that tax-credits to offset the cost of solar energy end in 2016, thus the project would have to be completed by then.

In order for the town to move to the next step, IRC said that a letter of intent would need to be signed so they could hire engineers to evaluate the roof, and determine if the roof can support the solar units.  If the town backed out at any point during this stage, they would only be obligated to pay for the engineering reports which could be useful in further consideration of the roof repairs.

Russo asked as well, “What can go wrong?” to which Penny responded “Nothing!”

Selectperson Christine Joy wished to know specifically what parts of the roof were being discussed and if not all were viable for solar, would the project still be profitable, to which Penny responded that any part of the roof, or all, would be viable for the company.

Michael Antoine, of the Dennett Elementary School Committee stated, “I’m not opposed to solar, just holes in the roof.” He was reassured that IRC Solar is a roofing company, and guaranteed their work.

Further concern from the School Committee involved making sure workers on site were fingerprinted and background checked, and that work could not be done while school was in session. Questions about snow and the weight of the solar panels were discussed, as well as safety systems for disconnecting the panels in the event of an emergency.

“Code is code,” said Penny. There are very strict rules for building solar arrays, and the fire chief must sign off on safety permits.

Town Coordinator Dale Pleau at this point pushed to encourage a letter of intent be signed by the Selectmen and/or the School Committee so that an engineering study can begin, which will be needed at some point anyway, according to Pleau.

Both Jon Wilhelmsen, of the School Committee, and Russo refused to sign anything without further consideration. “I’m not signing anything tonight. I’m bringing this back to the whole School Committee,” said Wilhelmsen.

Maureen Springer, representing the Silver Lake Regional School committee, expressed displeasure at not being notified that solar presentations were being scheduled and she had to find out about it by reading the newspaper. Selectmen said they would do better at notifying all concerned through email.

Soccer field rental?

Several weeks ago, a private soccer club, CS United sought permission from the Selectmen to lease fields owned by the town. The board expressed that they did not believe there was any precedent for private lease of town owned fields, although they suggested the new Jason field might be a viable location as it is currently underused.

Kevin Kaupp, new chair of the Recreation Commission, reported that last spring, at the invitation of Carver Youth Soccer in exchange for some coach training, the Recreation Committee allowed US Soccer Elite, a private soccer club, to use playing fields at the Dennett School.  Kaupp said that US Soccer Elite has approached the Recreaction Committee and asked to rent the Dennett School soccer fields when school is not in session and when the fields are not in use by the Dennett two week nights and three hours on Sunday.  The Recreation Committee would collect the rent through its revolving fund and use the proceeds to help pay for the maintenance of  the fields and its irrigation system which the RecCom has paid for several years.

This led to several school board members questioning who has jurisdiction over the “physical plant,” the school building, and the fields, and who should collect the leasing fees.

Selectman Colleen Thompson compared it to a, “tenant/landlord relationship,” where the town is the landlord of the building known as the Dennett School,  but the tenant is the school, directed by the school committee.

All parties agreed that Town Counsel would likely need to be consulted to sort the matter out.

Plympton selectmen met Monday, July 27, and gave updates on the committees they are forming to address goals for this coming year.

Selectman Colleen Thompson’s Public Safety Building Committee with seven members including the Chief of Police and the Fire Chief who will serve in advisory roles.  The committee could use one more member, Thompson said.

Selectperson Christine Joy met with Town Moderator John Traynor, to discuss the recent report of the Department of Revenue  which outlined areas of concern in the way the town handles its finances.

Finance Committee chairman Susan Ossoff will serve in an advisory role.  The committee is still seeking members and anyone interested should contact the selectmen’s office at 781-585-2700.

Chairman Mark Russo had nothing new to report on his area of focus: internal and external communication improvements in town government.

Selectman Colleen Thompson and former Selectman John Henry have been working on the Blue Wave solar proposal which has been tied up in litigation for  months with an abutter and continues to be stalled.  The board approved contacting IRC Solar Roof Systems, a Maine company, to have them present their proposal to  install and maintain a solar array on the Dennett Elementary School roof.  They ask in return that Plympton sign a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Among the board’s correspondence was a letter from a private company, US Soccer, requesting the use of Plympton’s soccer fields by two of their teams, twice a week.  The company indicated that they would be willing to pay rent and also train the town’s soccer coaches at no charge.

Chairman Russo asked other board members if they were aware of any other situation where the town would rent the town fields to out of town agencies.  They had not. 

Town Co-ordinator Dale Pleau suggested that if the board wanted to pursue the concept, they might consider Harry Jason Field for the soccer club as it is hardly used at this time.  Selectmen tabled it to give the board more time to fully investigate the company and its proposal.

Selectperson Joy read the request of the organization AJC-Global Jewish Advocacy asking selectmen to join mayors of major cities such as Boston, New York, San Francisco, in signing a statement denouncing anti-Semitism in all forms worldwide.  According to the letter of request, the effort is an international push for community leaders to stand in solidarity against hatred.

Joy told the board she wished the wording had been more inclusive, fighting all types of discrimination.  Russo stated, “this is one small step toward that goal.”  The board unanimously signed the statement.

Linda Leddy, noted the Express newspaper accounts of grants being awarded to Halifax and asked what steps Plympton is taking to secure grant funding. She asked specifically about the Commonwealth Community Compact grant from the office of Governor Charlie Baker which asks communities to apply for monies to promote best practices in municipal government.  The program is under the direction of Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. She also noted the Halifax Fire Department grant for emergency equipment for their two ambulances.  “I think we should be going for whatever money we can get,” Leddy said.  Pleau said he will look into it. 

In other business:

• Zoning Board of Appeals member Ken Thompson told selectmen that even though there is an opening on the ZBA, he wanted to let the board know that membership on his board takes a person with a number of qualifications and experience to be effective.

• Art Morin, chairman of the Board of Health, said that the town would no longer offer blood pressure clinics due to the expense.  He recommended senior citizens and others go to the pharmacy or to the doctor’s where they can check their blood pressure for free.

• Xfinity is making changes to their product bundles and tv packages.  Selectmen advised citizens to cable bills for more information.

• The inter-municipal agreement for Plympton to join Area 58 Community Access Media was received the morning of the meeting.  Russo told the board it could be signed as early as at the next meeting.

• Anyone interested in any committee openings are asked to contact Selecten’s Assistant Kristen LeVangie at 781-585-2700.

• Appointed to the Public Safety Building Committee were Colleen Thompson, Nancy Butler, Robert “Jake” Jacobsen, Henry Weikel, Arthur Morin and Robert Karling.

The board will next meet on Monday, August 10.

Connects to state intitiative; Commends fire department’s pursuit of grants

At Tuesday’s Selectmen’s meeting in Halifax, Selectmen agreed to join the “Community Compact”, a state program initiated by Gov. Charlie Baker to provide grants to cities and towns to promote “best practices.”

The “Community Compact” is  “an opportunity for cities and towns to enter into partnerships with the state to accomplish mutually agreed upon goals,” according to information from the Office of the Governor.  These “best practices” can range from Capital Planning to IT Security, to anything that a city or town might suggest.  A town can apply for up to three areas in one application.

After a brief discussion, the Board decided to apply for the grants in the areas of Information Technology Security, Capital Planning, and Financial Reporting. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, who chairs the committee disbursing the grants, stated in the same information, “by promoting best practices and incentivizing our cities and towns, I look forward to championing this effort to create better opportunities for our schools and communities.”

Also during the Tuesday meeting, Fire Chief, Jason Viveiros was commended for “aggressively pursuing grants.”  Chairman Kim Roy and the rest of the Board voted to send him a letter of commendation.

Chief Viveiros and his department secured another grant from F.E.M.A. in the amount of $714,210 towards the purchase of Halifax’s new aerial ladder fire truck. As taxpayers approved one lease payment of more than $160,000 toward the truck at the annual Town Meeting in the spring, these funds will be returned to the town.

Last Friday morning, the Lucas Automatic Compression machine, which automatically does the chest compression portion of C.P.R., was brought out again to assist with a rescue.

This is the second time in a week that one has been used, and the two the town owns were purchased through a F.E.M.A. grant, secured by Chief Viveiros.

Roy pointed out as well that she would also like to recognize the police officers who respond to emergency calls; they are often the first to arrive. “It really takes a village,” said Roy.

In other business, the board appointed Michael Zarrella to the Capital Planning Committee, discussed current and future improvements for the 5th Avenue beach on West Monponsett Pond, held a hearing on a dog bite that occurred in May, and received status updates on several ongoing matters.

The Board briefly interviewed Michael Zarrella, an 18-year Brockton firefighter and seven-year Halifax resident to the Capital Planning Committee. They unanimously appointed him to a term expiring in June 2018. “I want to give back to the town,” said Zarrella.  Selectman Thomas Millias stated that he was “thrilled to be getting so many qualified candidates to fill board openings.”

Residents on West Monponsett Pond living near 5th Avenue beach, between 4th and 5th Avenues, have recently significantly cleaned up the beach. While the selectmen were very pleased with this improvement, some residents are asking for more permanent fixtures, everything from benches to volleyball nets. Selectman Troy Garron was concerned about the ongoing maintenance costs of such items, although the Recreation Committee is looking into how to keep up the beach now that residents have put so much work into it.

The Board held a pro-forma dog-bite hearing. Although the incident happened at the end of May, and involved two dogs from the same family, according to the selectmen a hearing is held anytime there is an incident involving domestic animal bites.

On May 28, two dogs, one a 14-year-old schnauzer, got into a squabble at 11 Baker Street. The owner stepped in to break the fighting dogs up, which Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan, also present, mentioned was a mistake, and the owner received a minor bite.

Although everything turned out well, selectmen, especially Selectman Garron, were concerned that it was only a one time incident and quizzed the three family members on exactly what happened until he was satisfied that there was no danger to the family or public.

In Other News:

• There are two openings on the Planning Board. If interested, contact Selectmen Assistant Pam McSherry at 781-294-1316.

• Solar panel powered lights in order to light up flagpoles in town are being studied by the Highway Department and Town Administrator Charlie Seelig.

• The City of Brockton continues to be unresponsive according to Town Administrator Seelig to invitations to discuss water quality issues in the Monponsett Ponds, which Brockton taps for drinking water and which the selectmen believe is affecting the water quality of both ponds. This is an ongoing issue.

• The Board declared an SUV from 1986, still used by the Fire Department, as surplus at the request of the Fire Chief and the sale process of the vehicle will begin.

• Selectmen went into executive session with Police Chief Edward Broderick for the purpose of discussing the “Security of the Town,” which according to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig had to do with staffing changes.

The Plympton Historical Commission met Monday night at the Town House for a demolition hearing on a house located at 6 Cross Street and a continuation of a hearing for a second demolition hearing for 3 Forest Street.

Present were Commission chair Jon Wilhelmsen, Jane Schulze, member, and Jill Palenstijn, member, who is also a licensed contractor, and Rick Burnet, Associate member, who is a licensed contractor and builder.

The Cross Street property, owned by Melinda Descanctis, is a Greek-revival cottage, a common mid 19th century structure for Plympton.  Similar structures exist or existed on Center Street and perhaps elsewhere in town, according to Wilhelmsen.

Ms. Descanctis told the Commission that she is not willing to consider renovating the structure and would replace it with a modular structure with 2 ½ baths, a three-car garage, and would be complete with septic system.  “Without being too aggressive … I’m definitely not going to rehab the house.  It’s not feasible,” she said.

“Is there a middle ground here?  If not, we’re all just wasting our time.“   

Dana Nilson, a contractor with Southeast Development Co, LLC, from Marion, said , “It all doesn’t have to go into a dumpster, much can be salvaged.  There are other ways to salvage this.”

Wilhelmsen said that he had to look at the by-law and see what it allows.  “We’re trying to work with folks and we want to do our job.”

Jane Schulze remembered how overwhelmed she felt when she first moved into her antique home. She asked Ms. Descanctis if she had wanted to restore the home when she first purchased it, to which Ms. Descanctis said she had thought it would be worth it.   

Jill Palenstijn commented, “As an historian, what concerns me is not just this one house, but many.”   “In 15 years it could be a totally different landscape as one after another old homes are replaced.”  She said she could also look at it from a practical point of view, but like others on the board, said she needed more time to consider the proposal.

The Commission adjourned the hearing on 6 Cross Street to Monday, August 3, at 7 p.m. to give members time to review the added information brought before them.

They then re-opened the hearing on the 3 Forest Street property, owned by Elsie Murgida.  Architect Bob Gosselin of K&G Development Corp in Kingston, brought new drawings for the Commission’s consideration.  The owner, at age 85, is unable to deal with the house as it stands and seeks relief by way of reconstructing the home.

The plan first brought to the commission was a very basic ranch with none of the character of the old house, which was likely built as a summer cottage near Silver Lake in the 1920s.  The new plan drawn mimics the original house’s architecture while meeting the needs of the homeowner. 

Jill Palenstijn commented, “I certainly appreciate the nod to the original.”

Associate member Rick Burnet had made a site inspection to 3 Forest St. determining that the original part of the house would be difficult and costly to salvage as it rests on a limited foundation.

This hearing was continued to Monday, Aug. 3, at 7:30 p.m.

Wilhelmsen gave the following insight into the by-law:

The Demolition Delay Bylaw for Historically or Architecturally Significant Buildings was enacted to help preserve and protect “significant buildings within the Town of Plympton…Such buildings reflect distinctive features of the architectural, cultural, economic, political or social history of the town…”

Additionally, “The intent of the bylaw is to provide an opportunity to develop preservation solutions for significant, preferably preserved properties threatened with demolition.

The bylaw is intended to encourage owners and townspeople to seek out persons who might be willing to purchase, preserve, rehabilitate or restore such buildings rather than demolish them, and to limit the detrimental effect of the demolition on the historical or architectural resources of the Town.

The bylaw also allows the Commission discretion on how to meet this goal as it states in Section 3.5 that the Commission shall “determine whether the building should be preferably preserved”.

The Commission takes its role very seriously and endeavors to take into consideration any and all information provided by the applicants.

That said, it must also be sure that it upholds the intent and purpose of the bylaw. The current applications before the Commission are more challenging than those that have previously come before the Commission given that the structural concerns are less certain.

The Commission must consider the intent and purpose of the bylaw along with the information presented by the applicants and that which it has independently gathered to arrive at a decision.

The hearing process is the primary avenue of relief that the homeowner has. The consideration of all information available and provided is a role that the members take very seriously.