The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Monday evening, July 12. Chair Christine Joy said that a vote would need to be taken to appoint Suzanne Jafferian to a three-year term on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Chair of the ZBA Ken Thompson was on the call and said that fellow ZBA member Colleen Thompson plans to hold an open house to introduce future prospective members to the Board on July 20. The vote to appoint Jafferian through June of 2024 was unanimous.

Rescinding of State of Emergency

The next order to business was to ratify the rescinding of the town declared state of emergency which came at the suggestion of Fire Chief Steve Silva who also serves as Director of Emergency Services. The vote to ratify the rescinding was unanimous.

Corrections to Reappointments

The Board then had to rescind their votes to reappoint a number of individuals from their previous meeting with the exception of the appointments for Dave Alberti and Ethan Stiles to the ZBA. On June 21, the Selectmen approved the reappointments of several individuals to several Boards and Committees through 2022 when they should have been through 2024. The Selectmen corrected their errors. Before continuing, Selectman Mark Russo spoke to the appointment process saying, “It’s been kind of a challenge for years and continues to be kind of a struggle… so it’s something that I think we need to keep working on and absolutely aiming at a new protocol next year.” Joy agreed saying, “It definitely needs an overhaul – long overdue.”

Amendment to ADA Ramp Project

The Town Properties Committee brought forth the need for an amendment to the ADA ramp project consultant agreement. The amendment was to change the compensation for the engineer from $12,500 to $16,000. “Is the project still going to come in at $50,000 total?” Joy asked. Selectman John Traynor said it would not. “This is the ramp that would run from the old police station entrance to the main entrance now,” Traynor explained. He continued, “We received a grant of $95,000 from the State… originally the assignment of the money was for a lift or an elevator but after talking to the State more we suggested that we would be better off with a ramp; we all agreed on the Town Properties Committee.”

Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen joined the call and spoke to the amendment. Wilhelmsen said, “We hoped we could get it under $50,000 but that’s not possible given the amount of materials and work and cost and everything like that,” he explained. Joy asked if the project would still come in under the grant amount of $95,000. Wilhelmsen said that while he anticipated that, it couldn’t be guaranteed at this time. Wilhelmsen also explained that they have as an alternate project, getting rid of the two steps at the entryway. “The ones everyone falls over,” he said. “Should the first bid come in and we get the alternate, we might be able to do it all; my guess is that given the way that costs are and we are going out to bid in the next couple of weeks, we might only be able to – with the money we got from the State, the earmark – we’ll probably only be able to get the main ramp in but if the alternates come in at a reasonable amount… we might be able to look at other sources of funding to be able to do it as part of the project too,” Wilhelmsen told the Board. He said the alternate project is estimated at roughly $12,000 to $18,000. The Selectmen voted to approve the amendment.

Carver Urban Renewal Project

Town Administrator Liz Dennehy told the Selectmen that she had received an update from the Carver Town Administrator regarding the Carver Urban Renewal Project. He told Dennehy that there may be a public meeting in August with the Carver Redevelopment Authority. She said they are looking to hire a direct consultant for the project that people could contact. Carver is considering having a special town meeting in October to consider a zoning amendment that would increase the height allowance for the buildings. “I think it’s something that we should stay on top of particularly if we have Plympton residents located near the project especially if the building height somehow gets allowed to be up to 65 ft,” Dennehy told the Selectmen. She said the Board might want to consider going on record formally at some point regarding their thoughts on the project. Traynor said that when they talked to them, they had agreed to take out the zoning piece that abutted Plympton. He said the acreage from the Plympton line was significant.

Board of Selectmen Liaisons

The Selectmen also reviewed the Board’s liaisons assignments. The Historic Society was reassigned from Russo to Traynor per Traynor’s request. “I don’t want to get in the way of enthusiasm so it’s all yours,” Russo said with a smile. Traynor also asked to be made the liaison to the Recreation Commission. “I think the Town Properties Committee is going to be very involved with the Recreation Committee as we lay out the campus plan,” Traynor said. The Town Clerk was also transferred from Russo to Joy. Wage and Personnel was transferred from Russo to Traynor.

Town Administrator’s Update

Dennehy said the town had received another $32,000 in CARES Act reimbursements from the County. “So far so good; we’ve largely been made whole,” Dennehy said of the reimbursements. Regarding the Green Communities, Dennehy said that they have begun the weatherization project at the Dennett Elementary School. Dennehy also said that they will be doing Wi-Fi thermostats at the historical building (the Old Townhouse). In another update, she said the bylaws regarding kennel inspections have been requested to be reviewed. They will have to look into how partnering with Carver for animal control will affect such things. Dennehy told the Selectmen that Police Chief Matt Clancy has been working on the new phone system. She said that they are not quite up and running as there have been some technical difficulties. “Hopefully, in relatively short order, we will all be functioning on the new phone system and then we can terminate the old one,” Dennehy explained.

Habitat for Humanity

There was also an extension of previous conversations regarding Habitat for Humanity building affordable housing in the town. Dennehy said that she and Traynor met with the representatives from Habitat the previous week. Sites being considered include the old portion of Brook St. as well as another on Main St. Habitat plans to send their engineer out to look at the lots. Dennehy said they would have to go through an RFP process because of the value of the land. She further said that in working with Habitat and the State, Plympton would be able to select the population for the housing. The town would most be interested in working with either age 55 plus or 62 plus. There are specific requirements for each including how many people living in the home must be that age. Dennehy said she wasn’t sure if they could do a combination such as 4 units with two being designated for 55 plus and two for 62 plus. She also noted that they could request a local preference though she wasn’t sure if they could stack preferences. “Regardless of how it shakes out, I think we have an ability here to do a very nice project… there was talk of possibly four units on the site,” Dennehy explained. Joy brought up the possibility of someone in town wanting to donate an unused lot in order to get a tax write off for the donation. “To me the opportunity here is huge,” Wilhelmsen said.

Rants and Raves

As is customary, the Selectmen concluded their meeting with their rants and raves. Russo went first saying that he was glad that the end of year budgeting and administrative issues were through. “Glad to have new people and talented people getting involved,” Russo said speaking to Jafferian who had joined the call to say hello. Traynor went next saying, “If you live on the north end of Crescent St. we have a lot of excitement this week. If you’ve been following Plympton helping Plympton, we have an owl that has decided to make it’s residence between the three houses on the street down this end.” He went on to say that the owl was lethargic and that he was brought to the Cape Wildlife Center. It was found there that the owl had a broken wing and couldn’t fly. “It’s going to be a three-week recovery,” he explained.

Joy said her rave was for someone she doesn’t even know. She said she recently had a dead battery in Plymouth and a kind man helped her jump her car. “Thank you to the kindness of strangers that are there to help each other out,” Joy said.

New Town Counsel Brooks & DeRensis got its first assignment from the town of Halifax at the same meeting at which they were appointed.  The new firm will look into what action, if any, will be needed regarding the number of complaints that have been issued by and against several residents.

A number of people had filed complaints against Amy L. Troup including Margaret Selter, Theresa Renaud, Gerry Fitzgerald, and Holly Merry. Troup had also filed one against Theresa Renaud. Finally, a complaint was filed by David Mascio against Margaret Selter. Renaud currently serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Building Department as well as Secretary to the Conservation Commission. Selter serves as Administrative Assistant for the Board of Health. Fitzgerald is a member of the Conservation Commission and Troup is a member of the Planning Board. Mascio does not currently serve for the town though he has recently submitted several talent bank forms and interviewed for some vacant positions. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig recommended to the Board that they forward the complaints to Brooks & DeRensis for advice. The Board agreed.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, June 29. Early in the meeting they turned their attention to the appointment of Town Counsel. They had interviewed several firms during their previous meeting including Lawrence P. Mayo PC who had served as Halifax’s Town Counsel for the last several years. Longtime Selectman Troy Garron made a motion to reappoint Mayo saying, “He’s aware of our situation and he’s done a good job for all the years I’ve been here.” Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews asked if there was a second but there was not so he then asked if there was a motion for another firm. Ashley DiSesa made a motion to approve Brooks & DeRensis. It was seconded and the vote passed two to one.

The Selectmen met with Town Historian Susan Basile to discuss her reappointment. Basile also serves as Chair of the Historical Commission. Andrews asked Basile if she could explain a bit about what the Town Historian does. Basile, who has served in the role for thirty years, replied that she tries to protect the history of the town including pictures, newspaper clippings, and other related items. She said she also researches the town’s history. “I think you’ve done an excellent job,” Garron said. “I think the perspective that I had was to come and tell everybody what it is that you do so the town and community is more aware of what all the Boards and volunteers are doing for our town,” Andrews explained. Vice Chair of the Historical Commission John Shea also came before the Board. The Selectmen voted unanimously to reappoint Basile.

The Board also held interviews for the Zoning Board of Appeals. First to interview was Marline Amedee who has interviewed for a number of vacancies across multiple Boards and Committees as well as running during the town election for certain open positions. Asked by Andrews why she wanted to serve on the ZBA Amedee said, “It’s been my agenda all along to serve the community that I’m in and I’m trying wherever I can because I do believe that I have the capacity to serve in any of the Boards that are available here.” Amedee said that she does not have any background in zoning but believes she would bring other assets that would be beneficial.

Next to interview was Robert Gaynor. Gaynor, who has served as a Halifax Police Officer for 28 years, said he has sat on the ZBA for 32 years. “I’ve worked with a fantastic group of people who each have their own unique contributions that they bring to the Board and I think that we certainly work very well together,” he told the Selectmen. He acknowledged that things can get “complicated” and “involved.” Gaynor said that he has taken a number of courses on zoning laws, etc. “I enjoy it. I wouldn’t stay on the Board if I didn’t and I would like to continue with giving my time and efforts to the town; I think it’s made a difference,” he explained.

Next to interview was David Mascio. Mascio, who has been a resident of the town for six years, said he has closely followed town news the last several years and has attended several ZBA meetings. “I feel I could play a decent role and learn some stuff along the way; I know quite a bit about the bylaws,” Mascio told the Selectmen.

Elizabeth McEwan took the hot seat next. McEwan, who has been a resident for 7 years, said, “So this year I decided that I wanted to get more involved in the community.” McEwan said that in addition to attending town meeting and participating in the election she has also been reading meeting minutes of various Boards. “What was enticing to me is that the Zoning Board of Appeals already has written bylaws, so from my background, I’m all about documentation; I like understanding rules so it was just an easier fit for me,” she explained. McEwan said that while she didn’t think there would be a conflict of interest, she wanted to state for the record that the company that employs her underwrites bid bonds and contract bonds. “I just want to make sure that it wouldn’t be perceived that I was trying to steer anyone wanting to work in the town to my company,” she explained. She further emphasized that she isn’t even licensed to sell insurance.

Thomas Pratt was next. He said that he has been a resident for 8 years and is the father to two young children. He said he spent 13 years in banking but has recently transitioned to insurance. Pratt said he owns a property and casualty firm in Hanson. “We do have some overlap with customers, both builders and buyers in Halifax,” he explained. He said that his father instilled in him a sense of wanting to volunteer in the town in which you are raising your family. “I have no preconceived notions or ideas in sitting here other than to serve,” he told the Selectmen. Like several of the other candidates, he said he doesn’t have any direct experience with zoning but said, “that doesn’t scare me away from the opportunity to learn.”

The final interview for the ZBA was with Tina Kenyon. Kenyon, who has lived in Halifax for 14 years, said she is currently a real estate agent but was in construction for 25 years prior and has two degrees in architectural engineering. “I’m very familiar with codes and enforcement and everything else that goes along with building,” she told the Selectmen. She said she wanted to run for the ZBA as she saw a lot of things trying to change in the town, some that she felt could be changed for the better.

Following the conclusion of the interviews, Garron made a motion to reappoint Gaynor to the ZBA. “He’s done well in the position over the years and even though there may be some agitated individuals, that comes along with the job,” Garron said. DiSesa said that she felt that despite Gaynor’s experience she would like to see another individual appointed as Gaynor already serves in other positions in town. Andrews recused himself from the vote. “We’re at a standstill,” Garron said. Seelig said that if Garron wouldn’t second a different motion from DiSesa, that would, in fact, be the case and they would have to deal with it at a future meeting while having a vacancy on the ZBA in the meanwhile. “I motion to move it to another meeting,” DiSesa said. The Board agreed to move it to the July 13 meeting.

A candidate was also interviewed for the Youth & Recreation Commission. Sarah Nobles, who joined by phone, said she has lived in town for 16 years and is the Vice President of HOPS. She said she was also behind an adult volleyball program that unfortunately was cancelled due to COVID. She spoke about hoping to improve existing facilities. The Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint her.

Amedee appeared before the Board for a second time that night, this time to interview for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Garron asked Amedee how she was acquainted with the law. “I am, as I mentioned before, a social worker… I work mostly with kids with disabilities,” she replied. She said she has been working in the field for the past 20 plus years. Garron moved to appoint Amedee to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The vote was unanimous.

In between their myriad of interviews, the Board also voted unanimously to approve the contract with Police Chief Joao Chaves. The Board, with Andrews recusing, voted to make Robert Piccirilli the temporary Building Inspector for several weeks. Garron agreed but noted that he believes Piccirilli should be made the permanent Building Inspector and continue to serve in the role as he was previously. Piccirilli currently has a case in federal court against the town regarding his lack of reappointment.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually via Zoom on Monday, June 21. The first order of business according to Chair Christine Joy was to appoint Jason Fraser to the Silver Lake Regional School Committee to fulfill the remainder of Mike Antoine’s term through May of 2022. The Board voted unanimously to do so with Joy saying, “Thank you Jason, it is awfully good of you to serve.” Fraser previously served as Chair of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee and currently also serves as Vice Chair of the Plympton School Committee.

There was some discussion on a topic that had been brought up at a previous meeting regarding the recording and posting of what is known as “working meetings.” Selectman John Traynor felt that all meetings of the Board should be recorded and wanted a change made to the policy. Both Joy and Selectman Mark Russo disagreed, however, maintaining their belief that some meetings should still be deemed “working” and not recorded. Joy stressed that these meetings were rare. The Board agreed to adopt Russo’s amended definition of a working meeting with the sole nay vote coming from Traynor.

The Board then discussed the tax title land that had been identified and reviewed by the Open Space Committee, the Conservation Commission, and the Town Properties Committee. The Selectmen needed to make recommendations regarding the individual properties. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen said they were not in favor of selling any of the properties. Former Selectman Rick Springer asked why they were not in favor of selling any of the properties. Wilhelmsen said, “One, these are not particularly high value properties as far as increasing the tax rolls… two, there are benefits to the town that go beyond the tax rolls in small properties even where we have open space… and I think the third piece is I’m not sure we’re particularly in favor of selling properties whereby we’re necessarily increasing the number of houses that we’re adding in the town because the resulting tax benefits to the tax rolls is generally outweighed by the costs of that to the town.” Springer said he disagreed with the last statement. He had further issue with one of the properties that Joy suggested they discuss separately.

There were multiple properties that Open Space and Conservation recommended keeping in order to protect. The Board voted on those six properties as a group. They voted unanimously not to sell those particular properties.

The Board then looked at the properties that Open Space and Conservation did not have comments on, voting collectively on those. Traynor moved that they keep the properties as town owned land. Again, the Selectmen voted unanimously.

The parcel Springer wanted to be sold at auction was lot 18-4-12 on Churchill Road. This lot was discussed separately. Springer explained his argument saying, “The abutting lot to the town owned piece on Churchill Rd. was given a building permit in the seventies, the owners of that lot have been paying taxes to the town of Plympton for almost fifty years, they cannot use that lot; don’t you think you have some moral obligation to make it right for them?”

Joy confirmed that the abutters never built a home on the lot. Springer said the son owns the lot but lives in New Jersey and has no interest in anything except getting some of his money back on the land. Joy asked if the person had ever gone before the ZBA to get a variance. “ZBA might be an option but I was told it wouldn’t hold water if we put a house on it,” Springer said. Joy said that the lot in question is pretty wet and you really can’t build on the property in question. Springer said the owner of the abutting lot in New Jersey would like to sell the lot to his company (Springer’s) and they would sell it to someone to put up a house.  Russo said, “Rick, I hear you and I think you’ve done a really good job presenting the best argument you can.” He went on to say, however, that he was still against selling the lot. The Selectmen voted unanimously not to sell the lot in question.

Bill McNulty of the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) was there to discuss ways in which the town might be able to restrict heavy truck traffic on non-state roads. McNulty said they did traffic counts on several roads in the town including Main St., Ring Rd, Prospect St., and Pleasant. McNulty said that east of Rt. 58 there were more options for restricting heavy commercial truck traffic. “The town does have the option… on roadways that are under their local jurisdiction… to request a heavy commercial vehicle exclusion from MassDOT assuming that it meets certain criteria,” McNulty explained.  He said that in looking at the roadway network in Plympton as well as the data they collected, the town could request heavy vehicle exclusion on Main St. between Rt. 58 and Rt. 106. He said the difficulty would be that Ring Rd. connects into that and since it runs into Kingston, they would have to sign off as well. McNulty said, however, that he believes it would benefit Kingston to do that. He said that in addition to the data already collected, the State would look for mapping as well. If a trucking company does have business on that roadway, they can still use that roadway.

Town Administrator Liz Dennehy asked what their option would be if Kingston did not want to participate. McNulty said they could probably still proceed with the other roadways. Dennehy also asked about enforcement. McNulty said that the local Police Department could enforce such exclusions. Russo confirmed that west of Rt. 58 the problem was a lack of alternate routes. The Board voted unanimously to allow OCPC to do whatever necessary to take steps toward a heavy vehicle exclusion wherever possible.

After some discussion the Board voted unanimously to adopt the State’s remote participation provision 940 Mass. Reg. 29.10. It states that remote participation of some Board and Committee members may be allowed subject to certain procedures and restrictions. The hope is that the greater flexibility would allow for more widespread participation in government.

The Board also discussed a three-year agreement with the Plympton Police Union. She said the main point in the agreement is the cost of living saying that they agreed to an increase of 2.5 percent, 3 percent, and 2.5 percent over the three years. “That seems to be very reasonable and kind of in line with increases given to other municipal employees,” Dennehy explained. She said they also came to an agreement on an incentive tool for retention that would allow people after five years of continuous service to cash out up to two weeks of sick time. She also noted that they would be adding the Juneteenth holiday. Dennehy said there was also something in the agreement per the Chief regarding personal grooming. Before voting, Joy said, “I should probably say that we are coming off of several years of them taking a zero percent increase because they wanted to work with the town and knew what our situation was so they have been more than willing to work with us to make our budget work for the town.” The vote to accept the three-year agreement was unanimous.

Dennehy provided a Town Administrator’s update. She told the Board that the town had signed an agreement with Carver for Animal Control Officer services for the next three years. Dennehy said it will save the town $4,500 annually. Dennehy said they also signed a contract for dispatch with the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCC) for this coming fiscal year. The amount is for $150,000 as voted at town meeting. Dennehy said that the rate could reduce in future years as more towns come on board. Dennehy told the Board that the town had received more than $145,000 in CARES Act reimbursements.

The Board also appointed a number of people to various Boards and Committees. They included Dave Alberti to the Zoning Board of Appeals alternate through 2022, Vicki Alberti to the Open Space Committee through 2024, Joan Burke to the Council on Aging through 2021, Nancy Butler to the Community Preservation Committee through 2022, Rick Burnett to the Conservation Commission and Community Preservation Committee both through 2022, Jason Shepard to the Community Preservation Committee through 2024, Stuart Chase to the Historic District Commission through 2022, Robert Doucette to the Jason Park Study and Development Committee through 2022, Jeffrey Haas to the Recreation Commission through 2022, Linda Leddy to the Conservation Commission through 2022, Gavin Murphy to the Open Space Committee through 2022, Charles Nickerson to the Historic District Commission through 2022, Erik and Katrina Player to the Recreation Commission through 2022, Jane Schultz to the Historical Commission and Community Preservation Committee both through 2022, Ethan Stiles to the Zoning Board of Appeals through 2022, and Alan Wheelock to the Wage and Personnel Board and Open Space Committee through 2022 and 2023 respectively. The Board voted unanimously on all.

The Selectmen ended their meeting with their raves for the week.

Traynor said that his rave was for the Council on Aging ice cream social that was happening that week as more and more things are returning to normal. “I’m looking forward to it, it should be a great time,” Traynor said. Russo said his rave was “for this meeting tonight; I think we got a lot done.”

Joy said that her rave was for selling stickers at the dump. “So glad that the Highway Superintendent is going to be offering that service,” she said.