The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, May 9. The first order of business was appointing Matt Ahl as the new Chief of Police effective through May 2025. Dan Hoffman was also appointed as Lieutenant for that same time frame. “I truly appreciate the opportunity; I’m really excited to get going tomorrow,” Ahl told the Selectmen. Regarding the promotions within the Department, Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she was “looking forward to what the future holds for us.”

Ahl also spoke briefly regarding the Police Department budget which will be presented at town meeting next week. At an earlier Selectmen’s meeting, there had been some back and forth between the Selectmen and Finance Committee Chair Nathaniel Sides regarding the requested versus recommended amount. “The budget that we are looking at is to help sort of compensate for any staffing needs that we are going to have moving forward,” Ahl told the Selectmen. A ninth officer was approved during the previous fiscal year though the position remains unfilled. Ahl said that in recent months, they have had fifty and sixty something single officer shifts. Even with the addition of a ninth officer, Ahl said they would still have twenty something shifts to be covered. Ahl said that he was “truly hoping the Board would consider letting us move forward with that tenth officer.” He said that doing so would result in “complete stability within the Department.” He also noted, “it truly would offset a lot of the overtime.”

Ahl also told the Selectmen that he had an officer in the Academy and another four interviews that week. He also clarified that the amount he was seeking was actually the amount being recommended by the Finance Committee at town meeting. The Selectmen and Ahl agreed that should the funds be necessary for a tenth officer, that money could be appropriated during a special town meeting in the fall. Town Moderator Barry DeCristofano questioned if the additional amount could be requested at next week’s town meeting but the consensus amongst the Selectmen and Ahl was that they were not ready to make that case just yet. “We haven’t done the full analysis to back up the requested number,” Joy said. Selectman John Traynor agreed saying that they should take the necessary time first to map out all the shifts and identify remaining needs.

The Selectmen, DeCristofano, and Town Administrator Liz Dennehy went through the remaining articles and identified who would speak to each article. They also discussed the articles that would need holds placed on them during town meeting. Town Accountant Lisa Hart was present for the discussion as well as she would be putting the hold on many of the articles to clarify the amount recommended and the funding source for each. The Fire and EMS salaries are one of the articles in question. Traynor said that there was some extra money in ambulance compared to prior years which allow for less money to need to be raised and appropriated. Fire Chief Stephen Silva plans to speak to the requests.

Other changes include a $197 increase to the public works budget line 303 for the Highway Department. Dennehy said that there would be a request for budget line 310 for general highway needs to be amended back to $96,970. The Police Station debt is also going to be amended but reduced rather than increased. There will be an additional $20,000 carrying over from this year in the account. Dennehy noted that the funding for that budget line is coming from the Capital Stabilization Fund.

Sides remarked that the Finance Committee felt comfortable with their process and asked that that be taken into consideration. “These aren’t a given, they are just requests that we will give to the town and see how they want to vote,” Joy said.

A conversation ensued regarding the procedure for the storage of contracts and response to public records requests though what sparked the agenda item was unclear. Joy said that if a department or office wants a record from another town office, they must make a public records request. Town Clerk Patricia Detterman repeatedly inferred that the current way of handling and storing public record’s requests was not in line with the law as she said they needed to be provided to the town clerk as the town’s official records officer. “The contracts are certainly available it’s just they are under the control of the town accountant and appointing authority,” Joy said. The appointing authority is the Board of Selectmen as they are the keepers of the contracts. Joy interjected that they would have to agree to having different opinions to which Detterman insisted that it was not a matter of opinion but the law. Joy said that town counsel had assured the Selectmen that their way of dealing with such requests was “perfectly proper.”

The Selectmen voted to reappoint several town employees through June 30, 2023. Amongst those reappointed were Zoning Enforcement Officers Kathy Cannizzo and Tom Millias, the latter of whom was also reappointed as the Building Commissioner. Director of Elder Services Colleen Thompson and Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte were also reappointed in addition to several others.

The Selectmen voted to award the Townhouse roof project to JD&D Construction out of Webster, MA for $162,000. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen said that they had received five bids in total. “One was out of whack on the high end, and one was out of whack on the low end.” He said that JD&D were on the low end of the appropriate-looking bids. Regarding the project, Dennehy said, “we have a great architect on board, and they have served us very, very well over the last few months.”

During her Town Administrator’s update, Dennehy said that there have been some recent opportunities for extra funding in town. She said that $25,000 has been earmarked for conservation/recreation uses. Another $115,000 is available for MassDOT related spending. Additionally, Dennehy said that there may be more American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds coming from the State. Regarding school funding, Wilhelmsen, who also chairs the Plympton School Committee, said, “we keep getting additional good news from our state rep.” He said that some of that funding could potentially be used for the Dennett roof project which would free up some ARPA funds.

Wilhelmsen also provided an update on the Dennett playground project. He said that additional Chapter 70 funds have become available due to enrollment increases. That funding in addition to a few other funding sources, including a donation from a resident, will likely make it possible to put rubberized surfacing under the entirety of the playground. According to Wilhelmsen doing so would create “maximum safety and maximum accessibility.” Wilhelmsen also explained that it would put the playground in a better spot in terms of changing regulations.

As is customary, the Selectmen ended the meeting with their rants and raves. Raves were given for Dennehy’s work on police contracts, mothers in general following Mother’s Day, and the centuries old town meeting process.

The Plympton School Committee met Monday, April 25. Chair of the Committee Jon Wilhelmsen went over the school’s transfer requests that will be included in a single article during the town meeting. Included among those requests is $13,000 for paving including a pad that will be placed next to the garage building where the dumpsters and the clothing donation bin will sit. A ramp will also be built leading up to the garage. Other items include $38,000 for a new intercom system, $40,000 for new classroom floors, and $27,000 for security upgrades. Even after all the transfers, the school will still be returning approximately $20,000 back to the town.

There was a school choice hearing to determine whether any positions would be opened at the Dennett for school choice. No one opted to speak during the hearing and the Committee voted not to allow school choice. Committee member Jason Fraser cited the historically high enrollment at the Dennett as a reason not to opt into the program. This decision has no bearing on students already enrolled in school choice at the Dennett during previous years. There was, however, some question as to whether students enrolled in school choice that are graduating from the Dennett would be able to continue within Silver Lake at the middle school.

Nutrition Director Megan Ahrenholz said that Kingston resident Ron McAndrews offered to pay off any remaining school lunch debt at the Dennett as well as the other schools in the district. The Committee voted to approve the request.

An update was provided on the new playground at the Dennett. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said she was scheduling a meeting for later in the week with the designer to schedule the rubberized surfacing. “The goal is to have as much of the rubberized surface as possible,” Healy said. She said that several funding sources have become available recently including $83,000 in Chapter 70 funds for enrollment increases. Healy said that they have accounted for everything that they have committed to thus far including the contractor and equipment and still have a remaining $135,000 available, including the Chapter 70 funds, for the surfacing.

Wilhelmsen provided an update on the solar project at the school. He asked for a motion from the Committee to give up their authority over the portion of the Dennett roof that will have solar panels and give it back to the Selectmen during the duration that the panels are on it. The Selectmen have authority over solar in the town. The motion also included the following wording as said by Wilhelmsen, “to vote that the potential lease of portion of said rooftop and the installation of a solar facility on a portion of said rooftop to supply energy needs to the Dennett Elementary School will not interfere with the educational programs being conducted in said building.” The Committee voted to approve the motion.

Fraser provided the legislative update saying, “the House Ways and Means budget came out…they did increase the amount of money that Plympton and Dennett are most likely to see by about another $20,000 mostly as it relates to some charter school mitigation and just how they are addressing the drain on us from charter schools locally.” Fraser also said that the House Ways and Means were including $110 million to go toward a free meal program for students that would begin in September. Currently, the federal program is set to expire though there is a bill at the federal level proposing extending the program through September 2023. Fraser said that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) believes it should be a federally subsidized program though he noted they appreciated the State providing the funding.

Dennett Principal Peter Veneto provided an update. He said that CASA sponsored a program called, “traditions of Chinese acrobatics” that he described as “absolutely amazing.” CASA is also donating four new soccer nets to the playground. He also said that high school students came to the Dennett to help the elementary school-aged kids create a tape art mural that Veneto said, “takes up the entire main hallway.” Veneto also said that he spent some time with the Plympton Police Department going over ALICE training. He also said that a new music teacher, Kimberly Crawford is set to begin this week.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided an update on the Plympton Student Opportunity Act Amendment. Lynch described the intent of the legislation as “helping districts in closing achievement gaps… and adjusting Chapter 70 money to aid in that.” He said that the Student Opportunity Act increases did not happen in 2020-2021 but were available for 2021-2022. The goal is to close gaps as seen in MCAS math and ELA achievement with a focus on low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, and high needs students. One of the ways this will be achieved is through the addition of a coordinator for student support in fy22. This will be in addition to the special education teacher that was added in fy21.

Superintendent Jill Proulx asked the Committee to consider changing the way in which they pay long-term substitutes beginning next school year. “This year it is becoming more and more difficult to find long-term subs,” Proulx said. She also said that long-term substitutes must have a bachelor’s degree and if they are teaching for longer than 90 days they must also be licensed in that subject area. Currently long-term substitutes are paid $95 per day. Proulx said she was hopeful that increasing the pay would make them more competitive in acquiring long term subs. Fraser said that the projections right now indicate a teacher shortage for the next 5 to 10 years. He said he was in favor of the step increase and made a motion to that effect. The Committee voted to approve the increase.

Special Education Director Marie Grable spoke on the Tiered Focus Monitoring Review that focuses on special education as it relates to civil rights. Grable said that 35 of the 36 areas reviewed were found to fall into the implemented category. The only category to fall into the partially implemented category is procedures used to provide services to eligible students enrolled in private school at private expense. Grable said as a result they are required to provide an action plan for correction. An amount of special education funds must be set aside to provide equitable services to these students. There are 4 students from the Silver Lake area attending Sacred Heart and 6 students that are homeschooled. The district must consult with those students’ families and create written and signed affirmation of that consultation.

Wilhelmsen took a moment to formally recognize and thank Amy Hempel for her service on the School Committee as it was the last meeting before elections in May.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Monday, April 25. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy told the Selectmen that she has been plugging away at town meeting preparations. A walk through is scheduled at the Dennett Elementary School on the morning of May 9 with the moderator.

Chair of the Finance Committee Nathaniel Sides reviewed the budget as voted by them. Several of the departments were not approved at the requested amounts. The Finance Committee did not approve the full requested amount in the town clerk line. The difference was roughly $1,000 and came from the Finance Committee not approving a longevity increase in the salary line. Sides said they could not find a precedent to support it and did not want to set one.

The Board of Health asked for a substantial increase for their administrative assistant. Sides said, “The Finance Committee felt it was out of character for what had been done in the past in other departments.” Similarly, the Public Works Department was asking for a 5.9 percent salary increase. In both cases, the increases were reduced to 5 percent.

Reductions were also made to the salary lines for both the Fire and Police budgets. Regarding the Fire Department reductions, Selectman John Traynor said he was uncomfortable with them as Fire Chief Stephen Silva had met with Dennehy and expressed what he needed. Sides replied, “yes, but it was including extra administrative hours that we feel are not necessarily employed correctly.” The salary line was voted by Finance Committee at a 10 percent increase over the current year’s budget. Sides said they looked at “minimum staffing that is needed to keep the doors open.” Sides did note that they had created a separate line for fire vehicle maintenance as Silva had expressed concern over the ability to maintain the fleet.

There was also a $75,000 reduction in the salary line for Police. Sides said that the Finance Committee had voted to approve an extra position last year on the recommendation of former Police Chief Matt Clancy. He said that he was assured at the time that it would solve the staffing issues. Sides said they voted to approve a three percent increase in the salary line.

Traynor expressed concern saying, “Right now we had 63 shifts in March that were single shifts… we are still down an officer for sure and this is going to become more of an issue as we bring on female candidates and how we work with them.” Town Accountant Lisa Hart asked if there was still a position on the force that had already been budgeted for but not yet filled. Traynor said while that was his understanding, he still believed more staffing was needed.

Emergency dispatch was reluctantly budgeted for $200,000. Previously, the Selectmen and Fire Chief Silva had taken issue with the Regional Old Colony Communications Center’s (ROCC) steep increase for the town. They felt that they were paying more than their share based on the town’s small population. Dennehy said that the ROCC is planning to move toward a model where they would base service costs on population with the lowest fee being $200,000. She did say they were amenable to continue to look for eligible grant funding for Plympton. Additionally, they offered to let the town pay $125,000 up front and the remaining $25,000 later in the fiscal year.

The schools were budgeted at the full requested amount of $6,349,000. The total town budget as approved by the Finance Committee is $12,267,390.

The Selectmen also went over the articles for the annual and special town meetings. The Selectmen voted to recommend the budget article though Traynor noted he was doing so “reluctantly” due to the reductions in the Fire and Police budgets.

There was some discussion regarding Article 28 for $300,000 for a feasibility study and planning services for the future construction of a new Fire Station. Sides said that while the Finance Committee was in favor of the intention, they had concern over the number. He said that a few years ago a similar study was done on the Police Station and the cost was $150,000. “Why is a similar type of study double the price this time around?” he asked. Silva said that the types of buildings were vastly different and said it was like comparing apples to oranges. After some discussion, both the Finance Committee and the Selectmen voted to recommend the article.

There was also discussion around Article 40 which seeks to establish a stabilization fund for Silver Lake. “My concern here is that there was such strong opposition last year,” Russo said. “My concern is to give up town control to tri-town control,” Traynor added. The Selectmen decided to wait to give a recommendation until town meeting to see how the other towns vote on it.

Both the Selectmen and the Finance Committee voted to recommend Article 39 which seeks $14,000 for the town’s contribution to the part-time school resource officer for the Silver Lake Regional Middle School. Sides noted that he still disapproved of using a warrant article to fund the position but approved the request, nonetheless.

The Selectmen finished their recommendations and moved onto raves. “My rave is to have Liz back,” Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said. “Thank you so much for all of your hard work; you were greatly missed,” she told Dennehy.  “My rave is for the wonderful work of Christine and Bri during the time Liz was away,” Russo said of Joy and administrative assistant Bri Martins. He also said he is looking forward to the quieter time after town meeting. Traynor said that his rave was for the daffodils on 106. “It was just wonderful, and I agree with all the other raves,” Traynor said.