The Halifax School Committee met on Monday, Feb. 6. It began with a public budget hearing. The Grade 7-12 Arts Coordinator Kelly DePasqua asked the Committee for their support of the 0.4 instrumental music position that is being proposed in the budget. She said, “reason number one is music has been recognized as a core subject since 2015… it develops reasoning and creativity, improves memorization, increases coordination, builds listening skills… if you look to number two, at this point in the District, Halifax is the only school that doesn’t have curricular instrumental lessons as part of the day provided by the School District.”
She noted that students who start beginning band in Grade 7 are at a disadvantage. “As you can see from the District, the interest is there, it’s the opportunity that we need to provide,” DePasqua said. She told the Committee that she is also a graduate of Halifax Elementary School saying, “the opportunities that were afforded to me at Halifax Elementary set me on my career path… I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t played Annie in the fourth grade.” She said that the 0.6 beginning instrumental and general music teacher at Dennett is “willing and able” to come to Halifax for 0.4. DePasqua was met with applause following her remarks.
Later in the meeting, Committee Chair Summer Schmaling said, “frankly, I think it would be wonderful if we could find a way, now that it’s a smaller impact to our budget, to try and fit that in if it’s at all possible… having the ability to share a partial position across the District is a little easier pill to swallow.” Schmaling asked who would pay the benefits for the employee. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said that they would be eligible for benefits in Plympton as a 0.6 position. Committee member Lauren Laws asked about access to instruments. DePasqua said that they were able to do an instrument drive this year and get instruments to all students who wished to participate.
Schmaling also suggested that they get guidance from the Finance Department regarding where they would like to see the school budget. Proulx said that they were invited to a meeting later in the week with the new Town Administrator and the Town Accountant. She also noted that they did want to see the math interventionist position included in the budget. She told Proulx and the Committee that she would like to see the budget increase stay around two percent.
Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry provided the Committee with an update on the goings-on at the school. “I’m happy to say that we only had one little blip in terms of the cold weather this week – we had a pipe that broke in the main lobby there… Scott Materna and the guys were able to assess the situation and address it,” he told the Committee. He also said that enrollment is currently at 560 students. Kindergarten registration opened on February 1. “It’s important for us to try and get the numbers as exact as possible,” he explained. Beaudry said that MCAS would begin in April for ELA and in May for math and then science. Term II progress reports went out recently. School will resume February 27 following the winter break.
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said he had a brief update regarding Collaborative Literacy, the new K-5 literacy program. He said a representative from Collaborative Literacy came to the school on January 23 to go over the implementation of the program. “We know we still have more training and support to provide; there will be additional professional development sessions for staff that focus particularly on writing,” Lynch said.
Superintendent Jill Proulx also provided an update on students attending private, parochial, and charter schools. She said that Halifax has had an increase from three students to five additional students attending those types of schools in the last year.
Proulx told the Committee that she had been in contact with Police Chief Joao Chaves regarding updates to the MLU with respect to the expectations of the State and the Department of Education as well as some staffing changes. The police chief explained that last year they had a school safety officer who was not able to be at the school on a normal basis. He said that staffing changes resulted in her now being available during the day. Chaves asked that her title be changed from School Liaison Officer to School Resource Officer. “She’s been at lunch, she’s been at recess, she’s been at dismissal,” Beaudry said. The Committee voted to approve the changes.
An update on policies was given during the report of standing committees. One of the policies discussed was regarding parents opting out of student surveys. The other policy was regarding approved uses of school security footage. Proulx said that the policies would be discussed in greater detail during their next meeting.
Proulx also addressed the contract with the custodians. “At this point, the Halifax custodians have agreed and voted to accept the proposals; I am asking the Halifax School Committee at this time to vote to approve the Halifax custodians’ contract,” she said. The Committee voted unanimously to approve it.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met Tuesday, Feb. 7. Selectman Naja Nessralla was unable to attend the meeting.
Selectmen took up the issue of training for town Boards and Committees. New Town Administrator Cody Haddad said that they have sent out some training materials to department heads and Boards and Committees regarding how to hold meetings. Haddad also said that he has reached out to the Attorney General’s office in the hopes of holding some open meeting law training sessions. He told the Selectmen that he is looking into holding some more specific training programs geared toward individual Boards and Commissions.
Selectmen Chair John Bruno said he would like to make it policy that as part of the appointment process, people are required to attend certain trainings. They did note that it wouldn’t be possible to insist on trainings for elected Boards such as the Planning Board. The Selectmen voted to approve Bruno’s suggested policy. Resident Jim Walters, who serves on the Finance Committee, said that the Massachusetts Municipal Association has many training WebEx’s available for different types of Committees and Boards.
Downed Trees at Halifax Mobile Home Estates
Selectmen had on the agenda to review and approve a draft CDBG application from Halifax Mobile Home Estates. The application is to remove several trees that came down during a recent storm. The town would be responsible for overseeing the project and would be the ones receiving the funding on behalf of Halifax Mobile Home Estates. Bruno told the representative from Halifax Mobile Home Estates that he would arrange to have them meet with new Town Administrator Cody Haddad and Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward to sort out the details.
Lingan St. Beach
The Selectmen had an appointment with the Park Commissioner and Police Chief Joao Chaves regarding the Lingan St. Beach. It was said that there are issues with the beach area being used to launch boats, jet skis being all over the place, inappropriate parking at Walmart, and non-resident use of the beach. The Park Commissioner said that the ticket structure and signage all need to be updated. It was acknowledged that the Police can’t be always monitoring the beach. Chaves said that it would be best to have someone monitoring parking, suggesting that it might be a good job for a high school student. He said that the additional parking across the street is overgrown and in need of being cut back.
Chaves said that last year people were coming from Revere, Boston, and even Rhode Island to go jet skiing, etc. at the beach. “It was out of control there for a little bit,” Chaves said. Bruno asked the Park Commissioner to sit down with Haddad and review the existing bylaws. If the bylaws aren’t appropriate for dealing with the issues, Haddad will meet with Town Counsel next. A resident pointed out that the bylaws only say that non-residents can’t park and use the beach but that it doesn’t say anything about non-residents that walk over to the beach.
The Selectmen also discussed the use of a one-time allotment of State funds that have been received. Bruno asked if some of that money could be used for the beach issues including signage. The Park Commissioner said they are working on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s WPA Form 2 Determination of Applicability for beach nourishment and reconditioning. “The road’s washing into the lake, it’s a mess down there,” he said. He further told the Selectmen that engineering drawings will have to be created to move forward. He also noted that there are no picnic tables down there. He said they are also working on a feasibility study in town regarding accessibility in the form of boat ramp areas and parking.
Morse Brothers
Haddad told the Selectmen that a site visit will be scheduled for Morse Brothers. Haddad, a member of the Board of Selectmen, and an engineer will all attend the visit. Bruno said that once they figure out what is going on, they will schedule an appointment with Land Counsel. There were some residents in attendance at the meeting to speak on the project. Steve Goodman, who serves on the Conservation Commission and is neighbors with Morse Brothers, recommended that the Board enlist the help of someone from the Conservation Commission. He also recommended that someone from the Taunton Watershed also attend the site visit and/or get involved. Another resident recommended having a hydrologist visit the property as well.
“If we only attack it as a Halifax problem, we’re not going to solve the problem,” Goodman said. He recommended enlisting the help of the State saying that the digging is almost at “lake level.” Goodman also questioned if Morse Brothers was really selling cranberries or if they were making money from selling the sand. Bruno said that a member of the Conservation Commission could come along for the site visit and said they would like to begin by gathering the thoughts of the engineer.
Food Pantry
Steven King of the Helping Hands Food Pantry appeared before the Selectmen regarding starting a Farmer’s Market that could be used to fund the food pantry. He was specifically requesting use of the Town Green as well as the Great Hall for several Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the summer and early fall.
“We serve a lot of people – more and more everyday – food uncertainty and such as that,” he explained. He also noted that they were privately funded and don’t receive grants or State money. The Selectmen approved the dates contingent upon the approval of the Board of Health and Police Department.
ARPA Grant Agreement
Haddad spoke to the Selectmen regarding the Plymouth County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant Agreement. Haddad explained that in order to utilize the funds from the County, the town would need to sign the agreement. Some of the funds have already been approved for specific projects including HVAC at the elementary school. The Selectmen voted to approve the agreement.
Open Meeting Law Complaint
Haddad also spoke with the Selectmen regarding an Open Meeting Law complaint from the January 24 meeting. He said that the allegations included that the meeting was held in a room that required attendees to stand. Haddad said, “we did have enough seating, participants chose to stand.” Another allegation was that meeting minutes were not approved in a timely manner. Haddad said that they would work to get the meeting minutes approved in a timely manner and noted the difficulties posed by the recent turnover of the Board. The final allegation was that the Chair didn’t announce the names of the organizations that they would be entering into negotiations with during Executive Session. Haddad said it was an oversight and they would make sure that it didn’t happen again.
Appointments and Resignations
The Selectmen dealt with a few appointments, resignations, and talent bank forms. Brian Kling was unanimously reappointed to the Halifax Cultural Council. They also had a talent bank form from Ruth Mills for the Council on Aging. Mills said she moved to town two years ago and wanted to get involved. “I’m a freelance book editor, so my time is my own,” Mills explained. The Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Mills to the Council.
They also dealt with Council on Aging resignations from Jo Schofield and Ivy Matheny. Schofield previously served as the Chair of the Council on Aging and said she plans to continue volunteering and attending coffee hours. Colleen Fiumara resigned from the Conservation Commission. Finally, the Selectmen accepted the resignation of Dave Swanson from the Highway Department as he retires following 22 years with the Department.
Brigette Benoit was appointed Assistant Accountant. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “She’s been great, she’ll be a great asset to Town Hall.” They also approved the Animal Control Officer (ACO) contract with Precision Wildlife Services.
Veteran’s Agent Steve Littlefield met with the Selectmen regarding Robert Mullen and Shawn Goyette both filling out a talent bank form to serve as the Assistant Veteran’s Agent. Littlefield said that previously there was just one assistant but said that given the qualifications of both and the volunteer nature of the position, he was recommending that they both serve. After a brief interview with both the Selectmen unanimously approved their appointments.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Monday, Jan. 30. The primary purpose of the meeting was to address whether to create and submit an MBTA action plan. New Town Administrator Cody Haddad had told the Selectmen during their previous meeting that to remain in compliance for certain funding sources, including specific grants, the town would have to submit an action plan. The plan would identify at least one zoning district of reasonable size for multi-family housing. Haddad had said that they only needed to identify the zone and show that they were taking some actionable steps toward considering construction to remain in what was called interim compliance for a few years. He stressed that the town would not have to engage in construction of any sort. Several residents in attendance at last week’s meeting opposed even the creation and submission of the plan.
Dottie Fulginiti, a senior planner with the Old Colony Planning Council, attended the Jan. 30 meeting to address the concerns and offer a different perspective. Fulginiti said she also serves as the Chair of Easton’s Select Board so she understands the impact the plan will have on a community. She said that the law was developed by the State about a year ago and noted that the intention was to have the zoning within a half mile of an MBTA station. She said that exceptions could be made for communities that don’t have zoning available within a half mile of a station but noted that what they don’t want is for communities to zone an acre here and another there. She said once an action plan was submitted the zoning bylaw would need to be amended through a vote at town meeting, likely in the fall since the spring is so soon.
“I guess the overall concept of this is, right now, there are certain compliance pieces, for instance the action plan is due tomorrow, which is basically a questionnaire on what your town is doing about housing… kind of an informational sheet.” She continued, “You have to have that submitted to stay in interim compliance… if you’re not in interim compliance… the town won’t get granted any State grants… that includes Mass Works, which is a big infrastructure grant that are millions of dollars, it includes other smaller grants, but it also includes a little bucket of money that impacts your housing authority.”
Fulginiti told those assembled that the law came from a lack of diverse housing in Massachusetts saying that students are drawn here for our colleges and universities but leave after graduation due to the cost of living. She also noted that seniors also face difficulty finding affordable housing. Fulginiti defined multi-family housing as “a building with three or more residential dwelling units or two or more buildings on the same lot with more than one residential dwelling unit in each building.” She said that the buildings could be created to blend aesthetically with the town. She said that tools were available to help MBTA communities with compliance as well as technical assistance resources.
Selectmen Chair John Bruno asked Haddad what exactly they would be voting on that evening. Haddad said, “You would be allowing us to submit the action plan in which the action plan… is really us saying we’re going to investigate implementing this zoning, identify where to put it, and then bring something before Town Meeting; so, you’re not committing to anything other than investigating where you would do it and if you would do it, at this point.”
If Town Meeting passes the amended bylaw, it would put the town in compliance through the end of 2024. Haddad said they would employ technical assistance in identifying the zoning and envision getting public input regarding location, etc. “If you do file it [the action plan], it just means that you are in compliance and eligible for grant funding,” Fulginiti said.
A resident asked if this was a 40R project and was told that it was not. Haddad said this was called 3A zoning. The same resident asked if the 40B project that was on the table for the town right now could count toward compliance. Haddad said that it was possible that it would were it to be officially adopted.
A resident asked where the 750 units that were required of Halifax came from, and Haddad said the State was requiring a minimum of 50 acres and 15 units per acre of density (15 multiplied by 50). Another resident asked if they would be touching conservation land and was told if it was restricted, they would not be able to encroach upon it. Several residents expressed concern that they couldn’t imagine a 750-unit building fitting anywhere in Halifax. Bruno said, “I’m not sure that we’re going to get everyone to the point where we see a good idea of a five-story apartment building anywhere; I just don’t see that and I agree with you, I live in Halifax for a reason and that’s part of it.”
“This is something that the government is just telling us we have to do and I’m telling you it would be foolish on our part if we don’t at least investigate it,” he continued. Another resident of over 50 years said that in the past the town has expressed a desire to have “home rule” saying, “but since those 53 years, we don’t have home rule anymore, the State is dictating exactly what we can have and when we can have it and what we can do.”
Planning Board member Amy L. Troup spoke passionately against the town even submitting a plan. “We bought property and we’re taxpayers, we want to keep this town the way it is, don’t even look at the carrot; we’re not really going to miss anything because the grants that you’re looking at are not even enough to supply the schools,” Troup said. She likened it to having a $10 coupon, but you have to spend $75 to use it.
Another resident brought up running into water issues the previous year saying, “Is the State going to give us water when we can’t meet our water demands for the residents that live here in town… that’s a massive amount of people that we would be adding at once to the town.” Bruno pointed out that currently in Halifax, people can build multi-family residences. Yet another resident expressed frustration that the deadline to submit the plan was the very next day though he said it wasn’t the fault of the Board. Still another resident said, “You can’t have clean water, a clean environment and be pushing all this growth and urban squall; at some point, all these towns are going to get together and make the State defend it.”
Bruno said, “At this stage in the game, I don’t see that we’re committing to anything other than an investigation and I don’t see any real harm in an investigation.” A resident asked if it would be the State or the town that would look into which areas to consider rezoning for a multi-resident district. A few residents expressed concern that single-family homes within a half mile of the station could be claimed through eminent domain. Bruno said that a process like that is actually a very complicated one and that it would not be something to worry about.
Bruno said that he heard everyone but that he just couldn’t see not investigating it and moved that they submit the action plan. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “And I don’t think anyone here, either in this room or on this Board, would want to do anything to jeopardize our town and I don’t think that by being in compliance, at this stage, we are. We still have Town Meeting, we still have other steps that would need to be made.”
He went on to say that Halifax has previously not received a lot of grants and said that one of the reasons he wanted to hire Haddad was that he brought his previous municipality from $1,000,000 in grants to $3,000,000 in grant funding. Naja Nessralla said he agreed, and the Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the submission of the plan.