By Abram Neal
Express Staff

Tuesday evening the Halifax Board of Selectmen began on a sad note by acknowledging the tragic death of 43-year veteran Halifax Firefighter Bruce Wood in a head-on collision Friday afternoon, and offered their condolences to his family, several of whom also work for the Town of Halifax.

Presentations from the Beautification Committee and a dialogue with State Representative Thomas Calter were also on the night’s agenda.

Representative Calter was invited to explain to the Board why the town was moving forward with a non-binding ballot question asking if voters support continuing with the current Massachusetts Common Core Standards, or wish to go back to the MCAS curriculum framework that existed prior to 2010. John Shiavone stated from the audience that a group within town had formed opposing the Common Core Standards, and wanted to gauge where the rest of the town stood on the subject.

Representative Calter stated that about a year and a half ago he been to a forum, also attended by Selectman Kim Roy, which was clearly opposed to Common Core. He believed that decisions should be based on data, not emotions as at that forum. He left the Board with some data he had prepared for other legislators. Representative Calter stated that he did not want to take a stand on one side or the other.

Calter went on to say that critical thinking was the most important skill lacking in today’s youth. He then repeatedly stated that the Common Core Standards taught critical thinking, despite emphatically taking the position that he wasn’t taking a position.

Rep. Calter also pointed out that under either standard, area community colleges were reporting back that large portions of their budgets were being spent to teach remedial math and English to students who had passed S.A.T. and MCAS testing, seeming to indicate a severe deficit in education today. From a businessman’s standpoint, Representative Calter said that this was frustrating as mid-career employees were now filling jobs once held by entry-level college graduates, and college graduates were now graduating with only a degree, but without the right skill-sets needed to get jobs.

He said that there are plenty of jobs available, yet the employment rate lies artificially high because people are not being trained in the right job skills. He finished with a heart-warming anecdote of a friend’s daughter whom, when unable to decide what to do with her business degree,  he counseled to combine her two major interests from high school, sports, and writing, and become a sports writer, which she had never considered. She is now a well-known sports writer, but apparently had never been taught critical thinking skills before her encounter with Representative Calter, he said.

Two forums will be held for the public on the issue of the Common Core ballot question, one on Wednesday April 29 and again on Thursday May 7.

The Beautification Committee presented to the board three proposals for a spring and summer garden outside Town Hall. Selectman Roy, a self-described “former gardener”, seemed most interested, and the major debate revolved around which type of tree to plant in the middle and was it appropriate for the site. Selectmen were solicited for their ideas outside of the meeting. Work will begin in May and the garden is hoped to be ready for a dedication ceremony in June. Selectmen moved to allow the project to continue to go forward with the caveat that they be updated if any major changes are made to the proposal.

Russ Kleekamp, an engineer, updated selectmen on a grant for feasibility studies to put automatic flood controls on a dam on Monponsett Pond. He expects to be able to report back soon on the feasibility, cost and size of the project, but noted that it is a multi-faceted project with many stakeholders, and it might take some time before any work begins, if the grant is awarded.

Finally, a debate on issues regarding parking on a town-owned parcel at 15 Ocean Street was held, and was obviously a difficult subject for the Board. Town Counsel strenuously objects to neighbors or anyone else parking there, due to liability issues for the town. A Mr. Dale Anderson was present, and has an unregistered car on the site. It was a hardship for him to move his car until next week, despite the deadline being April 14 to have vehicles removed, as Selectmen voted last week. All selectmen were visibly torn regarding the issue of balancing Mr. Anderson’s hardship against the town’s liability. Mr. Anderson submitted a written letter to the Board asking for a one-week extension, which in a 2-1 vote, was granted, after a lengthy discussion by the Board. Selectmen Roy voted against, stating her duty was to the liability of the town and that this had been going on since January, and surprisingly during the actual vote vociferously exclaimed “No!.” after the first two “Yea” votes. Mr. Anderson thanked the Board for their time and apologized for putting them in that position.

In other news:

Police Officer Al Hingst was recognized for his work mentoring a young person through a difficult family situation. A letter was written by the person’s mother to the police chief who shared it with selectmen. The Board voted to send a letter of thanks to Hingst and also include a copy for his file.

The grant application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for replacing the roof at Halifax Elementary was submitted by Superintendent John Tuffy.

Selectmen voted to extend the third year of a 3 year contract for gas and diesel fuel with Dennis K. Burke.

Selectmen will not meet next week.

By Abram Neal
Express Staff

PLYMPTON – Monday evening Plympton Selectmen met to continue to work on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on May 13th.  The Finance Committee also reported to selectmen where they stand on their recommendations for final budget warrant articles.

Town Coordinator Dale Pleau stated that most of the articles are completed, but he continues to edit the language in several.

One important question is whether and how the town will contribute to the South Shore Community Action Council, a non-profit group that provides assistance to needy citizens. The selectmen had previously voted to donate $2,000, but cannot directly donate in this way according to Town Counsel.

Concerns were raised to Selectmen that the heaviest users of the services provided by the SSCAC, the Council on Aging, are not satisfied with services rendered. Chris Maiorano, Director of the Council on Aging, later told the Express that the Council was either not aware of services offered, or found that services were cost prohibitive.  Maiorano has called Plympton’s representative to the SSCAC, Janis Morrison, to COA’s next meeting. Selectmen did pass a motion to make the gift if a financial vehicle to do so is found. FinCom will consult with the board further on the matter.

FinCom was invited to the meeting and presented some preliminary findings, but also sought advice from Selectmen on whether areas of the budget needed further funding. They were very clear that the budget was in near  final state but preliminary, and that they, “needed to make sure it all added up,”  Funding for D.A.R.E. was previously removed, but FinCom was optimistic that moving some money around could restore it. Furthermore, the Town Clerk’s office asked for further funding at a previous Board meeting, and the Selectmen agreed that it was needed.  Selectmen were so strongly in favor of the Clerk’s request that they asked their salaries be reduced to $0 and the money appropriated to the Town Clerk’s office.

The FinCom stated there was no money to further fund any other departments this year. The only other major concern was that the animal control budget looked high this year, which will be looked into, and Board Chairman Mark Russo otherwise thanked FinCom for keeping the budget under control.

An audience member voiced his concern about an item that was glossed over in correspondence last week. Eversource had sent a copy of a letter to the Board that was addressed to the Board of Health stating that they are going to be spraying herbicides along their power line right-of-way to reduce unwanted vegetation. Last week the Selectmen seemed satisfied that all proper permits had been pulled and that they didn’t need to sign off on anything. This week, the Chair of the Board of Health, Art Morin, confirmed that Eversource had acted properly. The audience member asked to know specifically when and where the spraying would take place, as he was a bee-keeping hobbyist. He also had concerns over chemicals seeping into groundwater and stated that this had been a concern in neighboring communities and Cape Cod. Mr. Morin told the audience member that he would forward documents from Eversource to him and the Board of Selectmen decided that they may address the issue as an agenda item at at next week’s meeting.

An ongoing issue with fire inspectors and town assessors making home visits at the same time, concerning some residents, has not been resolved. It seems that the issue more specifically now is that the assessors are not identifying themselves as such. Residents do have to allow in fire inspectors, but not assessors. The Board and Town Coordinator are waiting for further advice from Town Counsel.

Finally, Mr. Russo read a letter of commendation from Police Chief Patrick Dillon regarding life saving action taken by Officer Brent Peterson. An unresponsive adult male was found by a family member, who called 911 and began CPR. Officer Peterson arrived at the scene and administered NarCan, a medication that is an opioid antidote. He then took over C.P.R., provided 6 cycles of twenty chest compressions and two breaths, reviving the patient and restoring normal heart function and breathing. The Board commended Officer Peterson as well, who will receive a “Life Saver Day” (a paid day off).

In other news:

Due to the Patriots’ Day holiday, the next Board of Selectman meeting will be held  Wednesday, April 22, at 6 p.m.

By Abram Neal
Express Staff

On Tuesday morning, April 14, TRIAD held its monthly meeting at the Halifax Police Station. The Guest Speaker was Larry Erickson, Director of Programming for Carver-Halifax TV.

Guest Speaker Larry Erickson, also joined by board member John Shiavone of the non-profit that owns and operates what is currently known as CHAT, or Carver Halifax Access Television, updated the meeting on what is going on with Public Access Television. CHAT broadcasts town board meetings, educational programming and locally produced programming.

Erickson began by giving a brief history of the laws and development of the concept of Public Access Television, going back to 1972. He then went on to describe some of the current challenges with what is going on locally. At this time, there is just one channel being shared by both Carver and Halifax, Channel 13. The new television studio, at 96 North Main Street in North Carver, is being upgraded, and the goal is that each town will have its own Channel 14 and Channel 15.

One question is whether Plympton will join the alliance, which is causing delays in implementation of this plan. Plympton selectman John Henry felt strongly that they needed to bring this for a Town Meeting vote before moving forward.

Mr. Erickson enthusiastically described the possibilities of CHAT, noting that anyone can come in and make a show, learn how to be behind or in front of the camera, or borrow a camera and take it off site. He also described how the town will gain further “access points”, where live television can be broadcast. He put out a call for more programming, especially from Senior Citizens. The phone number for the new studio is 508-866-1019, and the website can be accessed for now at http://www.ccat.cc

Officer Herb Wiltshire, Senior Affairs Officer, presented briefly on phone scams going on in the area. Officer Wiltshire emphasized strongly that there were many scam-artists currently operating, targeting senior citizens in the area. They often seek out personal information so that they can commit identity theft. He stated that there is often not much that the police can do once information is given. Even worse, sometimes people are tricked into sending money via Western Union or another such wire service, and that money simply cannot be gotten back once it is in the hands of thieves. He also suggested not answering unknown phone numbers.

, because once the scam-artist knows it is an active number, they may try to use it again.

In other TRIAD news:

There is a Safety Assurance Program that provides an automatic call checking your or a loved one’s wellbeing everyday available through TRIAD.

There are pouches called “File of Life” available as well through TRIAD that contain all personal and medical information for glove compartment or wallet.

HALIFAX — Voters at Special Town Meeting on Tuesday Feb. 17 nixed a $619,000 capital improvement package for the Silver Lake campus, rejected a $121,250 request by cemetery commissioners to purchase 10 acres of farmland at Hayward and Franklin streets, and approved a $27,937 budget transfer to fund a collective bargaining agreement with the police patrolmen’s union.

By a voice vote, Halifax Special Town Meeting rejected the $619,000 Silver Lake plan, with some “yes” votes, but many more “no” votes.

On Jan. 8, the Silver Lake Regional School Committee voted to amend this fiscal year’s budget to fund the $619,000 capital plan, drawing on the district’s $1.1-million is excess and deficiency or free cash funds.

The measure would not alter assessments to Halifax, Kingston or Plympton. However, voters at Town Meeting in each town may vote to affirm, reduce or reject the budget amendment.

If Town Meeting in two of the three towns approve the measure, it stands. If Town Meeting does not act, the measure is deemed to be approved by that town.

Kingston did not schedule a Town Meeting to deal with the $619,000 Silver Lake plan, therefore it is deemed approved by that town. Special Town Meeting in Halifax on Tuesday rejected the measure. Voters at Special Town Meeting in Plympton Friday night, Feb. 20, will meet at 7 p.m. at the Town House to discuss the Silver Lake plan and cast the deciding vote.

A number of Halifax and Plympton firefighters will graduate from the Plymouth County Training Council Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 programs, during a ceremony to be held on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Duxbury Senior Center, 10 Mayflower Road in Duxbury.

The Halifax graduates are Adam Flaherty, Derek Coveney, Shamus Ricciarelli, Heather Littlefield, David Bradshaw, Richard Ferguson and Michael McDonald.

All seven graduates are trained EMTs who will be firefighter-EMTs in Halifax. Two of them are already on staff as EMTs, and the other five will fill new positions. Littlefield is a paramedic. All seven positions are on the call department, said Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

“They’ve shown an incredible amount of dedication to it,” he said.

The Plympton graduates are Fire Lt. Robert Law and firefighter-EMT Brian Gray.

Gray is a promising young man who has been in EMS for five or six years and a Plympton call firefighter for more than three years. Law has 26 years of experience in EMS and has been a paramedic for 16 years. He is a full-time Plympton firefighter, the only full-timer in the fire department other than the chief, and is in his second year in Plympton, said Plympton Fire Chief Warren Borsari.

“This is a great program where these guys went to. I’m very proud of them,” he said.

Viveiros said the program started on Sept. 23 and ends Feb. 12.

“It covers all of the basic skills needed for firefighting,” he said.

Borsari said that for more than five months, firefighters took classes for two nights a week and on weekends.

The Firefighter 1 program covers the essentials of firefighting, and the Firefighter 2 program covers more advanced material, including hazardous materials response and motor vehicle extrications, he said.

“It’s the same as the Massachusetts Fire Academy in Stow. It’s the same syllabus, the same criteria. It’s done for call fire departments statewide,” he said. “It’s a huge course.”

PLYMPTON — Selectmen on Monday Feb. 2 voted 3-0 to call for a Special Town Meeting, to be held on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Plympton Town House at 7 p.m.

Voters will consider one warrant article, to affirm or deny a $619,000 capital needs package requested by the Silver Lake regional school district.

On Jan. 8, the regional school committee approved the measure, an amendment to this fiscal year’s budget that draws from the district’s $1.1-million in excess and deficiency or free cash funds in order to pay for long-term security, building, grounds and equipment needs.

The budget amendment does not affect assessments to the three towns. However, voters at Town Meeting sessions may vote to affirm or deny the measure. If Town Meeting in two of the three towns affirms the measure, it is passed. If Town Meeting takes no action within 45 days of the Jan. 8 School Committee vote, the budget amendment is deemed passed.

Special Town Meeting in Halifax will consider the measure on Tuesday Feb. 17.

Last July, Pembroke paid Silver Lake $917,000 to settle a dispute over retiree health care costs.

Plympton Selectman John Henry said Plympton, Halifax and Kingston paid to cover those costs, and the towns should be reimbursed now that Pembroke has settled.

“The controversy is over whose money it is, what should be done with the money we got from Pembroke for the settlement. We feel it should be the taxpayers who decide, not the School Committee,” he said.

Henry said there are other needs in Plympton that need funding.

“It’s our public safety building or buildings,” he said.

Henry said the Silver Lake school district is proposing a draft budget that would increase spending by 5.29-percent in the fiscal year that will start on July 1.

The Plympton School Committee has a draft budget that would increase spending by 8.4-percent, which includes increases in special education spending, he said.

“There’s a lot going on with the towns. We just can’t spend willy-nilly,” he said.

Town Coordinator Dale Pleau said selectmen had no choice but to schedule a Friday night Town Meeting session in order to satisfy the 45-day action deadline after the Jan. 8 School Committee vote, and a 14-day warrant posting limit before Town Meeting convenes.

“You really don’t have any alternative,” he said.

This past week’s blizzard dumped more than a foot of windswept snow, but the power stayed on for the most part and that kept people in their homes, Plympton and Halifax officials said.

Plympton Fire Chief Warren Borsari said that looking back Wednesday afternoon, the storm was fairly uneventful.

Borsari said there was a lot of snow, high winds, and a couple of small power outages. One of the outages affected the police and fire stations.

There were fewer than 10 calls during the storm, for medical calls, investigations, sparking wires and trees down, he said.

“It was a lot of snow, but nothing like the Nemo storm we had in ’13. That was bad news,” he said.

The storm in 2013 had most or all of the roads in Plympton blocked, and Plympton firefighters responded to a house fire during that storm, rushing up a hill and putting the fire out using hand tools. The driveway was unplowed, and blocked by thick pine trees that had fallen. Firefighters saved the house that day. “A big save. I’m proud of that,” Borsari said.

This past week, fire and police did wellness checks on residents and opened a warming center at the Plympton Town House at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, but closed it at 7 p.m. because nobody stopped by, he said.

“It’s a hardy bunch here in Plympton,” he said. “They’re pretty well self-sufficient, pretty well experienced.”

Borsari said a few people showed up at the regional shelter at Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston, which was open for 24 hours.

Plympton sent personnel to help staff the shelter, and Kingston had some power outages for a few hours as well, he said.

“Not bad. We fared very well,” he said.

Borsari said people were good with respecting the travel ban put in place by Gov. Charlie Baker. In the past, people did not respect such bans, the chief said.

“That was very helpful to us. People get into trouble, then we have to go get them,” he said.

Halifax Selectman Kim Roy said shelter volunteers, retired police chief Michael Manoogian, Police Chief Edward Broderick and Fire Chief Jason Viveiros all did a good job with the storm response.

“They did a tremendous job just preparing,” she said.

Roy said there were not a lot of trees down and no power outages. Four people did visit the shelter, she said.

Walmart donated $260 worth of supplies and food for the shelter, and was generally available for the town, she said.

Broderick said the police department was not continuously plowed out during the storm, and as a result, it was hard getting in and out, a dispatcher got stuck in the snow, and police officers had to shovel and move cars around.

“Our driveway plowing has been an issue since I’ve been there,” he said.

All Halifax, Kingston, Plympton and Silver Lake schools were closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday due to unsafe road and sidewalk conditions.

The Silver Lake school board meeting scheduled for Thursday night was canceled.

Viveiros the storm was the first opportunity for Halifax to test at least past of the town’s emergency management plan.

In the past, Halifax tried to run a town shelter, but was not well suited to do so because of staffing issues, he said.

The town opened a warming center at the Halifax Elementary School, and worked with Halifax and Kingston to open, operate and staff a regional shelter at Silver Lake Regional High School.

The goal is to not house people for more than 12 to 24 hours in a warming center, but to transport them after a longer stay at the center to the regional shelter, he said.

Viveiros said Halifax took four elderly residents to the shelter, picking up some of them with the ambulance. They stayed at the Halifax Elementary School warming center Monday night, then were taken by bus Tuesday morning to the Silver Lake shelter. The shelter closed at 8 a.m. Wednesday, he said.

Halifax utilized the town’s CERT team. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. CERT volunteers manned the warming center and shelter, provided transportation, and manned the emergency operations center at the police station, he said.

Viveiros said the manager of the Halifax Walmart called the town three times to let volunteers come into the store, take food and supplies for the warming center, and to consider it a donation.

Halifax Fire brought in extra staff. They responded to mostly routine calls. The chief said there is a concern during storms because ambulances take twice as long to take patients to the hospital and return to the station. Extra manpower is needed for medical calls during storms to help move someone from a house to a stretcher to an ambulance, and responders might need to shovel out snow, Viveiros said.

“I was glad we were able to test out our emergency management plan, our sheltering plan. Everything went very well. The cooperation between the three towns was great,” he said.

HALIFAX — Voters at a Special Town Meeting to be held Tuesday, Feb. 17 will be asked to affirm or deny a capital improvements package for the Silver Lake regional school district, and to purchase farmland at Hayward and Franklin streets to use as a cemetery.

Selectmen on Wednesday Jan. 28 voted 3-0 to call for Feb. 17 the Special Town Meeting, which will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Halifax Elementary School, insert five articles into the meeting warrant, and close the warrant.

On Jan. 8, the Silver Lake School Committee approved a $619,000 capital needs package, funding it in this year’s budget by drawing from the district’s $1.1-million in excess and deficiency or free cash funds.

“Perfectly legal,” said Town Administrator Charlie Seelig of the school board’s vote.

However, Seelig said, voters acting at Town Meeting sessions in Halifax, Kingston and Plympton may vote to affirm or deny the measure, under a state law that governs Town Meeting reatification of school board amendments made to current year budgets.

If two out of three towns vote to affirm the budget amendment, then it will stand. If two towns vote no, it will fail. If a town does not schedule a Town Meeting to take place within 45 days of a school board vote to amend a current year budget, the amendment is deemed to be approved, he said.

Selectman Kim Roy said voters at Town Meeting should get the opportunity to act on the amendment, which is just like any other appropriation.

“I feel like we’re obligated to do it,” she said.

Voters on Feb. 17 will also be asked to raise some $120,000 to purchase 10 acres of farmland at Hayward and Franklin streets.

There is a purchase and sale agreement for the property, which has been exempted from paying property taxes under a state law for agricultural use. Under the law, the town gets the first right of refusal to purchase the property.

Seelig said half of the property’s 10 acres are wetlands or in a wetlands buffer zone.

Halifax could draw from $114,000 in funds from the sale of lots and graves, he said.

Voters will also be asked to accept an additional $135,469 in state Chapter 90 highway aid, after Gov. Charlie Baker indicated he would release an additional $100-million in Chapter 90 aid that had been approved by the state Legislature but withheld by former governor Deval Patrick.

Special Town Meeting will also consider an article to approve a police patrolmen’s contract, which includes new provisions and an amount of money to be funded.

Voters will also be asked to consider using an administrative fee to fund a police detail account to avoid payment delays to detail officers.

Seelig said the measure would put money in the pot and establish a base. The practice now is for detail officers to be paid when the town gets paid by whoever orders a police detail.
Haliifax could put some $8,000 up front into the account to get it started, or let the administrative fees accumulate, he said.

“We’re going to have to prime the pump to do that,” he said.