The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Monday, Feb. 13. The warrants for the Annual and Special Town Meetings were approved during the meeting. “Three months to Town Meeting!” Selectman Mark Russo said. Selectmen also voted to accept the election calendar for the 2023 town elections. Town Clerk Patricia Detterman told the Selectmen that if they wanted to opt out of early mail by voting for local elections, they would need to hold a hearing. Detterman said that for the local elections, many of the mailed-out ballots were not returned. “My initial reaction is, I’m not interested in opting out,” Selectman John Traynor said citing concerns about seniors and disabled people being able to vote. Traynor asked if they could put it on their next meeting’s agenda and gather additional information in the meanwhile. Detterman also told Selectmen that a new Registrar would need to be appointed as their terms begin at a different time than other elected officials. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that they would add it to their next meeting’s agenda.
Selectmen were ready to vote on the Dennett Elementary School solar power purchase and sales agreement and lease documents for the rooftop project that’s been ongoing since 2020. “It’s the culmination of a lot of work between myself, Jon Wilhelmsen on behalf of the Dennett School Committee, and respective Counsel for us and for Selectmen, and also a lot of work put into this by Wendy Jones in the Assessor’s office,” Dennehy said. “Really nice teaching tool as well as the cost savings along the way,” Russo said of the project. The project was voted on and approved by the town during Town Meeting. The Selectmen voted to take control of a portion of the roof at the school to make the project possible and voted to approve all necessary documents.
They also took up the Turkey Swamp purchase and sales. Regarding voting on the documents at that night’s meeting, Russo said, “We came really close but we ran into a couple of snags along the way… apparently this is going to have to go to the Planning Board of both Plympton and Halifax so it’s going to take a little bit more time; we have long known how slow and convoluted these processes could be and they’re living up to it.” Russo also said that Counsel had recommended that the Board authorize Russo to accept the documents assuming any necessary edits are minimal. The other Selectmen voted unanimously to accept that proposal.
The Selectmen also nominated Russo to serve as point person for the RFP process for Power Supply. Russo said that they actually have a year left on a three-year contract which he said, “turned out pretty well; we’ve certainly saved citizens along the way.” Russo said that rates are going down so it would be best for one of the Selectmen to move forward with an RFP should the rates become ideal.
Traynor brought up to the other Selectmen that many other Boards and Committees hold their meetings on Monday evenings making it difficult for them to attend other meetings. He also said that many Monday holidays force the Selectmen’s meetings out further than he would like. He proposed moving the Selectmen’s meetings to Tuesdays. Russo said that given how long they have been meeting on Mondays “it would be a real challenge for me to switch.” Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said the same. Traynor said in light of their feelings, it might be best to “table it for a while.”
Dennehy provided a few updates saying, “We have been working through some issues at some of our town buildings. The heating system that replacement took place at the Old Townhouse and the Council on Aging… have been informed that the building is back open and ready for use… the library we had a little issue over the weekend, so we had our heating vendor out there today… so hopefully that’s settled for the short-term.” She said that longer term, they’ve asked the vendor to finish off the library’s heating system. She noted that they would hopefully be using funding from the next round of the Green Communities grant. Dennehy said that they would also be looking at the overhead heating units in the garage of the Highway Department. “We had a lot of success with that same type of project at the Fire Department.”
Traynor led off the Selectmen’s raves saying, “I had a resident reach out for help moving a large object in order to make room for a hospital bed.” He said that he reached out to the Fire Department who were able to move the object within a matter of hours. “Kudos to the Fire Department, as always they stepped up and did a nice job, especially on short notice,” he continued. Russo said that over the last few weeks, they have had several emergencies come up during weekends. He said his rave was for Dennehy, Bri Martins, and all town employees who mobilize and get things done even during off-hours. Joy said her rave was for the clear nights making star gazing possible.
HES pleas for .4 music post
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.
ARSL grant funds IT purchases
Plympton Public Library Director Mike Slawson introduced the latest additions to the library –including a Flash Forge Adventurer 4 light 3-D printer, that will soon be available for public use. The purchase was made possible by a grant for more than $7,000 from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries organization, ARSL, a non-profit organization in the United States promoting libraries, especially those serving small and rural communities. The grant also funded new computers for the research area, a Cricut die-cutting machine used in crafts, and an art tablet, all for use by the public. Slawson expects the items to be up and running in a couple of weeks, after full setup and testing has been done.
TRIAD explains NARCAN use
Linda Redding
Special to the Express
The Halifax TRIAD met on Tuesday, Feb.7, at the Halifax Town Hall.
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz opened the meeting by discussing the initiatives in Plymouth County to help in the fight against drug overdoses and addiction. One successful program recognized nationally for innovation is Plymouth County Outreach (PCO). A collaborative effort made up of the 27 municipalities in Plymouth County along with the Bridgewater State University police department, PCO provides free tools and support to individuals and families living with substance abuse.
Hannah Panteleos. Program Manager, reviewed the many programs and resources offered through Plymouth County Outreach. A sampling of their programs include community outreach, Harm Reduction Kits, and support to families.
Recovery Coach Supervisor Haley Kennedy explained how Narcan can save lives when administered to an overdose victim. The Harm Reduction Kits that PCO provides on the streets include Narcan. She demonstrated how to properly administer Narcan. TRIAD members were encouraged to take the free Narcan provided by PCO. Visit plymouthcountyoutreach.org for more information or call (508) 830-4218 X261.
TRIAD is a partnership between local and regional groups to help inform and educate seniors. Halifax TRIAD meetings take place the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall. The much-anticipated speaker for March is Halifax resident Dave Thurston Dave will be talking about his experience walking all 2198.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
BOS votes training for boards
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.
Celtics honor young Kingston Hero
Kingston resident Bendeshe Bonner was honored as a Celtics Hero Among Us for his efforts helping his village in Ethiopia by providing basic essential items and building a school. The ceremony was held during the. Boston Celtics’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 28.
Sixteen-year-old Bendeshe Bonner is living proof that “it takes a village” to raise a child.
The young man was adopted in 2007, and returned to his native Ethiopia in 2020 to reunite with his birth family. During his visit he recognized that the residents’ needs weren’t being met. When he returned to the United States, he created Bendeshe’s Village, a nonprofit that built a school and now provides school uniforms and covers tuition for more than 200 students. He hopes to expand the school’s programs and build community centers.
For building a bridge betwen his Massachusetts and Ethiopian villages and providing essential items and building a school with future plans to expand, Bonner was honored as a Hero Among Us.
SLRSC budget has more than $200k in staff cuts
Budget Presentation
The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 9. Superintendent Jill Proulx gave a budget presentation for the second round of the budget process. The preliminary budget that was presented at the previous meeting represented a total increase of 3.78 percent. She noted that the School Committee had requested that the Administration provide tiered cuts that show what would need to happen to bring the total increase down to 3 percent and another set of cuts that would be necessary to bring it to 2.75 percent.
Proulx said that technology was reduced by $25,000 and that there was potential to make that up with rural aid. Some equipment including a touch screen for health class, a lifting cage, and copy machines were cut though Proulx noted there was some grant potential there. Cuts were also made to the Middle School/High School maintenance line.
“We had been asked some questions about student-teacher ratios and declining enrollment,” Proulx said of a concern that was raised during the previous meeting. She then turned it over to the Principals. Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Becky Couet said that over the last several years, Silver Lake Regional has been within six-tenths of the State average. She said that currently they are right at the State average. Committee member Gordon Laws pointed out that there appears to be consistent growth at the Middle School level but decline at the High School level. Couet also said that current enrollment stands at 532 and next year’s projected enrollment is 562.
At the previous School Committee meeting, there were concerns voiced by members about the lack of access to foreign languages at the Middle School level. According to Couet, 17 students that wished to take a language, did not get the opportunity to take one. “Next fall, it would be closer to 132 students that either wouldn’t have the opportunity to take a language or would not have a choice.” She said that Mass Core says that language should be treated as a core subject. “We used to have three languages in seventh and eighth grade – we were very strong as far as Middle School language programs and now we’re down to two languages and only offered in eighth grade,” the World Language coordinator explained. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill said that it is typically a requirement at most four-year colleges, that students take two consecutive years of a foreign language.
Principal Michaela Gill told the Committee, “We’ve cut a lot of programs, Tech Ed, Family and Consumer Science, Marketing Management, then on the other side we’ve expanded CTE offerings… but we have cut some core subject areas – Latin, Wellness, ELA, Music and we haven’t really restored those since 2005, 2006 when those cuts started to begin.” She explained the impact that staff cuts would have explaining that science teachers, for example, are only licensed in their area of science and cannot just cover for other science courses were cuts to be made. Regarding staffing cuts Proulx said, “we would be looking at reducing our budget by $235,886. She noted that they didn’t get into specifics for those cuts.
There was discussion about using the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant money. Committee member Jason Fraser said that he wanted to be sure the schools were spending all of those funds that are available for them. “The one thing that gets me a little queasy, is using it for something that is not a one-time budget item such as staff,” Committee Chair Paula Hatch said. Fraser acknowledged that he was also cautious regarding the fiscal cliff but said, “It just makes me sick that tier one has two full-time equivalents and I came to the table tonight to propose adding a world language teacher at the Middle School, so I’m just having difficulty squaring that knowing that we have hundreds of thousands of Federal funds that we need to spend in the next 18 months or so.”
The Committee requested that as many items as possible be removed from the budget for the next round, in the hopes that they could free up as much money as possible for staffing lines. Proulx said, “I just want everyone to be clear, I want the directive to the Principals to be very clear that they are being asked to pull everything out of the budget that could possibly be funded by ESSER… and to pull out even things that are required with the hope that they will be approved by ESSER.”
SLEA Update
President of the Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) Jon Lay spoke thanking the Committee for the robust conversation around the budget and agreeing that he would like to see ESSER funds used aggressively. Lay also addressed negotiations with the paraprofessionals. “I’ll just take a moment to publicly say what our offer on the table is now, so the Committee had offered an additional two steps, two percent higher… we’re asking to make those four percent higher… that increase is very reasonable and the other thing we’re asking for is three paid vacation days,” he said. He pointed out that paraprofessionals are the only school staff that do not get paid over school vacations. He said that they were looking forward to “hashing it out with a mediator.”
Policy Update
Fraser laid out a few policies including one pertaining to who has access to the security cameras on school grounds and for what purposes the footage can be used. He said that one change allowed access to emergency responders during an emergency as designated by the school. He noted that they do not have access to those cameras for general surveillance. He said that Police can only access the footage during an active Police investigation. Fraser said that parents can come into the school to view footage, but he noted that students’ faces will be blurred, and no one can take a copy home.
Fraser said that the majority of the last Policy Subcommittee meeting was centered around educational surveys. He said that they tried to make the language more pro-parent, putting the obligation, instead, on the District. He said that the District must, to the fullest extent, share out the survey questions, etc. before administering to students. He said that per the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), they did not offer an opt-in option for parents, rather than opt-out. Committee member Summer Schmaling pressed a bit as to why DESE would recommend against an opt-in process. Proulx said that there could be grant funding tied to certain types of questionnaires. Poor participation in the surveys could result in a loss of those funds. Schmaling insisted that she felt that the District should not be chasing all grant money available and insisted that surveys should be opt-in only. Committee Chair Paula Hatch asked how many surveys are sent out in an academic year. Proulx said, “maybe one or two.”
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said, “people found it hard to learn about the opt-out process… typically you want to… give parents the opportunity by sharing all the survey questions, and the information how to opt-out, the timeline, the reminders.” He continued, “I just think logistically with a higher percentage choosing to participate, that it’s sort of easier to manage.”
Principals’ Reports
Couet provided an update on the exploratory curriculum of studies. She said, “I did remove things like Latin, Twenty-first Century Literacy, Literacy in the Digital Age, Language Lab, and Healthology – things that haven’t been run in years, to my knowledge.” She said that some new art and music exploratory courses were added. The Committee voted to accept the updated program of studies.
Gill said she had just one item which was the potential to sponsor an international exchange student during an upcoming school year. “The opportunity for our students to meet someone from somewhere else is fantastic,” Fraser said. The Committee voted to approve it.
SAFER Update
Fraser provided the SAFER update. He said that the administrative building they currently have is not ADA compliant and cannot house all of the administrators currently employed by the District. He further said that renovations to the existing building would be nearly $1,000,000 more than new construction. He said that total cost for new construction would be “somewhere around $6 million.”
Capital Plan
Regarding the Capital Plan, Fraser said that they managed to get it down to $550,000 down from $1.5 million. “That would include $200,000 for the envelope to continue to work on the water mitigation for the buildings and roofs, this would also include the five doors for the CTE program for the safety issues they are causing… putting in an updated and to-code electrical panel for our metal fab students, and also it would put in the sound system for the theatre here at the High School, we had $60,000 for one of the J.V. baseball fields as well,” Fraser said. He noted that the guidelines for what to include versus what to cut were “safety and equity.”
Local author speaks Tuesday, Feb. 22
Kingston – – Nautical researcher Arthur Milmore will discuss his book, “And the Sea Shall Have Them All,” on Tuesday, February 22 at 6 p.m., at the Adams Center, 33 Summer St., Kingston.
The novel discusses the loss of the steamer ship Portland, a palatial side-wheel which left Boston in November of 1898 for Portland, Maine and never arrived. It was caught in 100 MPH winds and all 192 passengers along with the crew of 65 perished. The wreck would not be found for 91 years and over 30 miles from where it was thought to have sunk.
Milmore will show a 45-minute video detailing the voyage and showing a National Oceanographic and Atmosphere Administration dive to the ship, which views the wreckage up close. The research is a combined 80-year effort between noted local author Edward Rowe Snow and Milmore to tell the story of the Portland.
Following a brief question and answer period, the presentation will conclude with a book signing.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at [email protected].
MBTA Action Plan for Halifax
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.
South Shore Health to hold Falls Prevention Session at Adams Center in Kingston
Kingston — Experts from South Shore Health will be hosting an informative falls prevention session on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Adams Center, 33 Summer St., Kingston.It is estimated that one in three older adults will fall each year and household falls account for more than half of injuries among seniors, which result in an average of 6.3 days in the hospital.
Most falls are completely preventable. Patrons will learn who is most at risk for falls, how to prevent them, and create a safer environment.
This hour-long event is part of a collaboration between South Shore Health and the Kingston Public Library.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at [email protected].
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