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Halifax investigates possible COVID-19 vaccination center

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Thursday, Jan. 21, for one of the weekly meetings they have been holding since the onset of the pandemic. Board of Health agent Bob Valery told the selectmen that every Thursday he receives a two-week run rate of tests from the Department of Public Health (DPH). The most recent numbers indicate that 848 tests were performed with a total of 69 of those coming back positive. “So that would put us at a two-week run rate of 8.13,” Valery explained. “We are running a lower rate, a slightly lower rate than every town that surrounds us,” he continued.

Valery also said that effective Jan. 25 the stay-at-home advisory for the hours of 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. was rescinded. The limited capacity of 25 percent and gathering limits remain in place until Monday, Feb. 8.

Valery said he was working in conjunction with Fire Chief Jason Viveiros on the logistics of having an in-town vaccination site. He said that should they move forward, vaccinations will likely be by appointment. They are working through their eight-page checklist for hosting a vaccination site. Viveiros said that Our Lady of the Lake Church had offered their hall as a possible site for a vaccination clinic. “It will be a decent space for us, we will have a good flow path for people,” Viveiros said. He said he spoke with Police Chief Joao Chaves about having a police presence for traffic control purposes.

Viveiros said that in speaking with Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, it appears that there would be roughly 500 people in the 75 plus age group. Also, in Phase 2 will be those with co-morbidities, 65 plus, and schoolteachers. Valery pointed out the priority rankings within each of the phases. Viveiros said they were hopeful they would have enough to vaccinate at least those that are 75 plus as well as the teachers. Selectman Gordon Andrews, who also serves as Chair of the Halifax School Committee and as a member of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, asked about the possibility of coordinating the vaccinations of teachers with Kingston, Plympton, and Silver Lake.

Selectmen Chair Tom Millias asked about acquiring the vaccine doses to be administered. Viveiros said that to date they were only given the doses that were administered to the first responders, noting that all first responders in town had been vaccinated. “As far as availability… we really don’t know what’s going to be available to us. The only thing we’ve been guaranteed is we’ll get the second doses for everyone that’s already been vaccinated,” Viveiros said.

Millias asked Andrews about a cluster of cases that had occurred within the school district. “We had a cluster of sports teams,” Andrews explained. “There were eight positive cases, I believe, and they shut down contact sports meaning ice hockey and basketball for two weeks,” he continued.

Seelig said that he and Valery had reviewed the COVID protocols for town employees with the aim of simplifying the process for those that have been sick or have been exposed with the goal to err on the side of caution. Seelig said that there weren’t any plans to roll out any further large-scale testing programs in town as the focus has now shifted to vaccine administration. He said the plan would be to work with the Council on Aging (COA) on sign ups for the vaccine as well as possibly transportation. “These folks are our most vulnerable individuals, the elderly especially, we want to make sure that they have an opportunity to participate,” Seelig said.

Millias asked if the antigen test was the most commonly run. Chief Chaves said it was. “Now if you were to get a negative result, that’s not necessarily 100 percent accurate,” Millias asked. Chief Viveiros said, “They’re roughly 85 percent accurate. If we test someone and we get a positive result, then it’s just considered positive. If someone’s symptomatic and they have a negative test they still need to get the PCR test,” Viveiros said.

At this point in the meeting, the Selectmen and Seelig turned their attention to non-COVID related issues in town. Seelig provided an update on an ongoing transaction between the town and the state.

Back in July of 2019 DFG land agent from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Joan Pierce came to speak to the Board about the possibility of acquiring an area of Peterson’s Swamp from the town. At the time both Millias and selectman Troy Garron expressed frustration with always coming up with the short end of the stick when dealing with Fisheries and Wildlife. Selectman Gordon Andrews suggested that in addition to the sale of the parcel, Fisheries and Wildlife transfer a sliver of land behind Aldana Road that they own to Halifax. That land would be necessary to possess in order to be able to pave the road eventually. All parties agreed to the transaction.

Seelig said during Thursday’s meeting that the state legislature had passed the necessary legislation to transfer the land from the Commonwealth to the town. Seelig asked the Board to take an official vote to approve the sale of the parcels of land to the Commonwealth. Once done, it will go to Pierce and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM). “Troy and I have been through this thing for about twenty years so I would love to get this off our plate,” Millias said.

Chief Chaves said that several weeks ago the Board approved Michael Boncariewski as an intermittent police officer. He said he was hoping the Board would now approve a conditional offer of employment so that he might replace an outgoing officer who left the department for Weymouth. Chaves said a full background check had been performed on Boncariewski and noted that nothing had changed since their previous approval. The Board voted to approve and Boncariewski will begin the Academy in Plymouth on March 1.

Seelig asked the Board if they were interested in creating an article to eliminate the exclusion zone for marijuana establishments as he was fielding multiple inquiries about the issue.

Millias said he would be more comfortable to have the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee or Planning Board handle it. Seelig also pointed out that applicants unhappy with the zone could get the necessary voter signatures to create a petition article themselves. Andrews agreed with the petition article idea saying, “I would request that if they want to make a petition article, to do the petition article and they can be the champion of the article and say what the value is to the town.”

Seelig also mentioned that there was a vacancy for a Halifax member on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee. The appointment will be a combined vote of the selectmen and the members of the regional school committee.

Curry College Fall 2020 Dean’s List

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MILTON– Curry College congratulates roughly 1,000 students who were named to the Fall 2020 Dean’s List. To earn a place on the list, full-time undergraduate students – those who carry 12 or more graded credits per semester – must earn a 3.3 grade-point-average (GPA) or higher.

From Halifax:  Kayla Knudsen, Melanie Stoltz, and Makenzie Hughes.

From Kingston: Rachele Bouchard, Sarah Busby, Hannah Gillis, Trevor King, and

Valerie Willette.

From Plympton: Zachary McCarthy and Mark Martin.

Founded in 1879, Curry College is a private, four-year, liberal arts-based institution located on 131 acres in Milton, Mass. Curry extends its educational programs to a continuing education branch campus in Plymouth, Mass. Curry offers 28 undergraduate majors, as well as graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, criminal justice, and nursing, with a combined enrollment of over 3,700 students. The student body consists of approximately 2,000 traditional undergraduate students, and 1,700 continuing education and graduate students. Approximately 1,575 of its students reside on the Curry campus. The largest majors are business management, communication, nursing, criminal justice, and education, and the college is also internationally known for its Program for the Advancement of Learning (PAL). The College offers a wide array of extra-curricular activities ranging from 15 NCAA Division III athletic teams to an outstanding theatre program. Visit us on the web at www.curry.edu.

Teeka Lynn’s Day Spa celebrates 15 years

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Teeka Lynne’s Salon and Day Spa on Plymouth St. in Halifax is celebrating 15 years in business this month. A difficult feat in today’s day and age, especially given the current environment. The Express spoke with owner Teeka Isakson about both the struggles and joys of owning her own business.

Isakson said her interest in hair began as a young girl highlighting, coloring, and perming her sister, mother, and grandmother’s hair. At the age of 19, while pregnant with her first daughter and attending hair school, Isakson said she dreamed of owning her own salon by the time she was 30. “At the age of 29 after working for other salons and realizing a lot of the things I believed in were not coming to fruition, I knew it was time to make my dreams come true,” Isakson said.

After working for years in the towns of Hingham and Norwell and getting to know many of the residents and their families, Isakson decided that she wanted that same familiarity with the people in her own community. “I chose Halifax because I was raised in Halifax and wanted to share my passion with the community that raised me and get to know the children in which my children were growing up with,” Isakson explained.

Another impetus for choosing Halifax for her business was that back in 2006 when she opened Teeka Lynne’s Salon and Day Spa there were no day spas in the community. Isakson said she wanted to bring services to the town that had previously not been there. “I implemented the spa atmosphere which includes not only hair services but manicures, pedicures, skincare and massage all under one roof,” Isakson said.

Community engagement has been important to Isakson over the years. The salon has supported local sports organizations, school events, and other local fundraising efforts in both Halifax and other surrounding towns. The salon has been involved with pre-prom fashion shows, sponsored local youth sports teams, helped with HOPS Playground fundraising, and donated many gift certificates to various school and other fundraising events. Most recently, they have partnered with South Shore Foster Closet to help raise funds and awareness for foster children of Plymouth County.

The last year has posed previously unseen challenges for Teeka Lynne’s and all small businesses. Isakson said that the biggest struggles have been maintaining a safe environment for her staff and clients as well as accommodating all clients in accordance with the constantly changing regulations and scheduling/capacity limitations.

“I have built my salon based on state board guidelines,” Isakson said. In light of the pandemic, the salon has enhanced safety protocols even further regularly disinfecting high touch surfaces like chairs, door handles, and high traffic areas. Only one client is allowed with a given stylist or therapist at a time. The waiting area has also been extended into the vestibule and outside under the awning weather permitting.

Asked what she believes to be the key to her longevity, Isakson cited both customer service and education. Isakson said that the salon works hard to keep abreast of current trends in order to guide clients toward something that will suit both their sense of fashion and lifestyle. “We have always paid attention to our clients wants and ideas,” Isakson said. Employees at Teeka Lynne’s keep up with their education through attendance at in-house classes, outside classes, and trade shows. “I would want any potential client to know that our number one service is customer service,” Isakson said. She continued, “We do our best to keep everyone happy by listening to what their thoughts and goals are with any and all services we provide. We give feedback where and when necessary.”

Isakson said that she looks forward to growing not only as a salon but as a woman-run business. She also emphasized the importance of community support over the last decade and a half. “I would like the community to know that we would not be in business for the last 15 years as a local, small business without their continued support,” she explained.

Seelig says dim outlook for FY22 budget

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The Halifax selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig provided a brief budget status for fiscal year 2022 saying most department budgets were turned in with the exception of the schools. Regional dispatch costs will be increased by approximately $50,000. “The outlook is dim at this point given what I know we have for revenues and expenditures,” Seelig told the selectmen. “State revenues on the other hand continue to be good, fairly stable,” he added.

Seelig told the selectmen during his COVID update that the 14-day count continues to climb. Seelig said the count was at 52 for the previous 14 days where it had previously been hovering around the low forties. Seelig said there had been a cluster of cases resulting from athletics at Silver Lake. Actions were taken to mitigate the spread further.

Seelig provided updates on a number of other ongoing projects in town. He told the selectmen that the legislation pertaining to the Aldana Road land transfer was signed by the Governor. The next step will be for the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) to write up the deed.

Seelig said that the initial submissions for the wage and personnel bylaw amendments were submitted by the Finance Committee and selectmen in time for the January 11 deadline. The amendments will be read during the Finance Committee’s January 25 meeting as part of a public hearing. Proposed changes include regrading the police administrative assistant and fire administrative assistant from a Grade 6 to a Grade 8. Seelig said that he believes that given the inclusion of those two proposed changes, there should be a reevaluation of all positions considered either Grade 6 or 7 for possible changes in grades or pay rates. The Fire Chief proposed changes for non-wage compensation benefits for call firefighters. “I did also ask for review of the pay scales in connection with the ongoing changes in Massachusetts’ minimum wage laws and then also review the scales for positions in Grades 11 through Grade 14 to eliminate some discontinuities.” As an example, Seelig said that currently the Fire Chief is considered a Grade 12 while a Fire Lieutenant (which Halifax doesn’t currently have) is considered Grade 14.

Regarding the Complete Streets Program, Seelig said that Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward and Courtney Beckwith met with the consulting firm Green Seal Environmental. They would like to meet with the Board of Selectmen later in the month to obtain input about possible future projects. This will likely be part of the Board’s meeting on January 26. Seelig said that many of the suggestions sent in by the Planning Board were in regard to new sidewalks. A few traffic intersections including Oak Street were also mentioned. The final list will eventually be submitted to the state.

Seelig also told the Board that he had had a couple of people call or write to him inquiring about the town eliminating the 500 ft exclusionary zone around the pouring licenses and marijuana establishments. Seelig pointed out that the 500 ft zone is from property line to property line. He asked the Board if they had any interest in proposing an article. Selectmen Chair Tom Millias said, “That would be my recommendation, I don’t have a problem with putting it on a ballot no matter what and let the folks decide. Maybe we can talk about it at a future time and get a little more input.” He also pointed out that nothing would happen with it anyway until the annual town meeting in May.

The Board had an appointment with Anthony Curtin of Plymouth St. to amend his license for fuel storage from underground to above ground. Selectman Troy Garron confirmed that the area in question was not behind the buildings but behind Curtin’s house and he confirmed. Millias said that there weren’t many abutters who would be affected but said that a public hearing would still be necessary. It was decided to add it to the selectmen’s meeting on January 26. It was agreed that an above ground tank is preferable.

More in-person learning is SL goal

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The possibility to add more in-person learning time to the current hybrid model was discussed during the remotely held Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting on Thursday, Jan. 14. Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Jim Dupille and Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill both weighed in on possible configurations for an altered hybrid plan. Currently, Cohort A attends in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays and Cohort B attends in-person on Thursdays and Fridays. Cohort C consists of those students who have elected to be fully remote and Cohort D consists of the highest needs learners who are prioritized for the most in-person learning days; some of which already attend school in-person on Wednesdays. Up to this point, Wednesdays have largely been used for professional development and planning. The new plan being proposed would have students in Cohorts A and B alternating Wednesdays in-person.

School Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee confirmed that this would not be a change to the learning model but rather a change in the way that the district is executing the hybrid model. Gordon Andrews, who serves as Chair of the Halifax Elementary School Committee and as a Halifax selectman in addition to his role on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, asked how they plan to coordinate the change with the elementary schools in the district. Superintendent Jill Proulx said that once a timeline and proposal were established, she would address it with each of the other school committees either at a meeting or in an email.

School Committee member Chris Eklund brought up the stress that changing the look of the hybrid model at the middle and high schools but not at the elementary level could have for families with students spread out across the district. Two of the three elementary school committee chairs were at the regional meeting with Andrews and Kingston Elementary School Chair Eric Crone both on the regional committee. Only Plympton Elementary School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen wasn’t present. While Crone said that Kingston had previously discussed the possibility of adding in-person learning on Wednesdays for Cohorts A and B, Andrews and Proulx confirmed that neither Halifax nor Plympton had.

The possibility of holding a joint meeting between Silver Lake Regional and the three elementary school committees was discussed. Crone pointed out the need to move quickly as it took several weeks from the time a vote was taken in Kingston to implement certain members of Cohort D attending school in-person on Wednesdays.

There was some debate back and forth regarding the practicality of adding the additional in-person learning time. At her first meeting since being appointed to the Regional School Committee, Emily Davis, concerned for posing more of a hardship for teachers, asked if Wednesdays were the only planning time available for them. Gill confirmed that it was. Gill also said that some teachers had proposed the possibility of a half day return to in-person learning on Wednesdays.

The hope would be to make the change as early as possible in Semester 3. McGee made a motion to accept the new proposal and it was voted through unanimously. Andrews asked that the administration focus their attention on implementing the plan saying, “we accept that other things won’t be at our normal timeline… I just want to give them the flexibility to get what we’re telling them is the number one priority done.”

Proulx provided an overall district update saying that despite the towns of Halifax and Kingston remaining in the red risk zone, there has not been evidence of classroom spread so the schools continue to remain open. She did say that there had been evidence of team spread which necessitated the canceling of team practices for close contact sports for two weeks.

Both Dupille and Gill also provided updates on their schools. Dupille said that drama has been reinstated albeit virtually. They held their first remote meeting on Jan. 13 at 9 a.m. The students are preparing a virtual variety show which will consist of each student’s performance being pieced together for the audience to view. Speaking of the staff responsible, Dupille said, “What they’re doing to connect and engage our students during this difficult time is really wonderful.” Dupille also said that the virtual robotics club will be restarting for the spring session on February 8. As of Thursday’s meeting, 20 of the 30 spots had already been filled.

Gill told the Committee about a number of new elective offerings, most of which fell under the ELA umbrella. Courses include “the podcast studio,” “the happiness class: rhetoric and the good life,” “grammar for modern readers and writers,” “race, society, and Identity,” “film studies,” and “soapbox to social media: analyzing media through the times.” The Committee voted to approve the new course offerings for the 2021-2022 program of studies.

Gill also asked the Committee to waive some of the graduation requirements as they had done the previous year in light of the pandemic. The waivers would include the 40 hours of community service needed to graduate as well as flexibility on the 96-credit requirement. Gill said the credit waiver wouldn’t include core content classes but rather an elective here and there. The Committee voted to approve Gill’s request.

Gill also introduced School Resource Officer Richard Allen to present his proposal for a criminal justice internship program at the high school. Allen, who is a patrolman with the Kingston Police Department, said the internship would be designed for 12th grade students with an interest in entering a criminal justice field. The goal would be to obtain an overview of a number of careers in the field and distinguish differences between roles such as police officer, parole officer, social worker, corrections officer, probation officer, and case manager.

The internship would include 8 hours of classroom time as well as 4-8 hours of field trips to places such as the Plymouth County Courthouse, Plymouth County Correctional Facility, Plymouth DCF, and the Kingston Police Department. Topics covered would include constitutional law, motor vehicle law, and the US court system. Allen said that the allied health program at the high school was his inspiration. Allen told the Committee, “My hope is that by them partaking in this internship program, they be able to make a more informed decision.”

Director of Business Services Christine Healy provided an update on the current year’s budget saying, “we’re still doing pretty well.” She said there were a few deficits including in the superintendent category due to conferences and travel that is mandated by her contract. There is also a deficit in homeless transportation at the middle school level though Healy said that will be balanced out by the surplus at the high school level. There is a deficit of about $1,100 for athletics as they haven’t been able to raise any revenues due to COVID restrictions. Finally, a deficit of $36,000 exists for unemployment as Healy said it was a difficult summer with many people collecting.

Proulx presented on the preliminary budget process for the coming year. She said that principals were asked to prepare a level service budget that would encapsulate only what it would take to maintain current staffing and programs. Proulx said that the preliminary budget does not include the costs for staffing the current hybrid model because it is assuming a return to full, in-person learning next year. It does reflect shared costs though it has not been adjusted for potential retirements. The increase in the preliminary budget from the current year is $714,168 or 2.67 percent. “Right out the gate, to see something under a three percent increase is surprising,” Chair Paula Hatch commented on the lower than usual percentage increase.

Proulx also gave an update on overall enrollment. At the secondary level, the total enrollment is down 21 students from last year. Homeschool enrollment has increased by 10 students in Grades 7-12 and students leaving the district through school choice has increased by 2 students. Proulx said she was waiting to hear if the state would hold the decrease in enrollment against the district given the circumstances surrounding the current school year.

President of the Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) Jon Lay spoke briefly saying he was “very pleased that we were able to settle the teacher’s contract… I’m hoping that we can settle those things more expeditiously in the future.” He also spoke to what he called the “light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic” saying that he would like to see the staff vaccinated quickly. The staff will be eligible during Phase 2 which is scheduled for February to March. Lay also said that he spoke with Proulx about having Silver Lake handle the vaccinations directly as employers with more than 200 employees are eligible to administer them directly.

Kingston native shines in College basketball opening weekend

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At least one Kingston native had a strong opening weekend to start off his team’s college basketball season. Jordan Minor, who is 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, is a Kingston, Massachusetts native and a member of the NCAA Div. 1 Merrimack College men’s basketball team in North Andover, Massachusetts. In their opening game of the season, he was the team’s standout player. Merrimack hosted the Connecticut-based Sacred Heart University in their opener on Thursday, Jan. 7. It was a competitive bout, but Merrimack pulled away in overtime and won the contest 97-90. In that contest, Minor was the team’s leading scorer. He dropped a team-high 20 points, hitting nine of the 16 field goals he attempted. He also led the way with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots in the victory. He was on the floor for 43 minutes in the game. The next day, the team lost 68-62 at home to Sacred Heart. Minor also contributed in the game, putting up nine points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. He also played a team-high 37 minutes in the game, indicating that he will be a key contributor for the team this season. As a freshman, Minor was a bench player, but saw significant action. He averaged 6.1 points per game and 4.3 rebounds and had a team-high 32 blocks while averaging 16.3 minutes of play per contest. Before college, Minor never attended Silver Lake. Rather, he started out his high school career at Boston College High School in Dorchester before transferring over to Brimmer and May in Chestnut Hill. The school is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.

First responders began Halifax vaccination program Tuesday

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Tuesday, Jan. 12, the Halifax fire station became a  Public Safety Vaccination Clinic with first responders receiving their first shots.

“This has been several months in the works.  Our staff has worked very hard to get our Community Paramedic Program licensed by the state and obtain the proper approvals to administer the vaccines.”

Viveiros furthered, “By the beginning of next week we hope to have all of our first responders done and are already working on plans to expand this to our elderly populations.”

Halifax COVID cases continue to rise

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Thursday, Jan. 7, for one of their emergency meetings being held regularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. While participants were in-person, the public was able to attend the meeting virtually via Zoom.

Board of Health Agent Bob Valery led things off with an update on COVID-19 infections in Halifax. Valery told the selectmen that during the two-week period from Christmas Eve to January 6 there were 41 new cases reported in town. He pointed out that multiple cases were occurring in single family homes. He said that as of January 7 there were no hospitalizations and no deaths from the active cases. Reporting as of January 10 show that there have been a total of 270 coronavirus cases in Halifax, 220 of which have recovered, 44 of which are in isolation, and a total of 6 deaths.

Selectmen Chair Tom Millias pointed out that while the numbers have increased significantly, so has the testing. “This was the highest two-week total since the start of reporting,” Valery told the Express. “Yes, variables like increased testing come into play, but I believe the number shows that the Governor’s decision to keep the gathering limitations in place for an additional two weeks is statistically supported,” he continued.

Valery was referencing Governor Baker’s announcement of a two-week extension of his previous COVID restrictions. The restrictions, which were first announced December 22, were set to expire on January 10 but were extended to January 24. The restrictions include a maximum of 10 people indoors and

25 outdoors. Many businesses are limited to just 25 percent of their capacity.

Valery touched upon the various phases for vaccine distribution and who qualified for each. Phase One includes, in order of priority, healthcare workers doing direct COVID-facing care, those in various care facilities, first responders, those in congregate care settings, home-based healthcare workers, and healthcare workers doing non COVID-facing care. Top priority in Phase Two will be those with two or more comorbidities and those that are age 75 or older. Next to receive the vaccine in Phase Two will be a variety of workers including those working in early education, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works, and public health workers. Finally, adults that are age 65 plus and those with one comorbidity will also be eligible at the end of Phase Two. In Phase Three the vaccine will be available to the general public.

Millias asked Valery what kind of timeline is expected for the various stages. Phase One is already underway and according to Valery, Phase Two is likely to happen from February to April and Phase Three from April to June.

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros said that the rollout of the vaccine to first responders would be starting the following week. Vaccinations were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 12 and Friday, January 15 and continue the following Tuesday. Viveiros said the first week would be a good indication of how smoothly the process will go.

Viveiros said that Halifax first responders are part of the Brockton Hospital group and will receive the Moderna vaccine. He said the plan was to pickup the vaccines on Tuesday morning for use later that day. The vaccines will need to defrost for two hours before being refrigerated. It can be refrigerated for up to 30 days though Viveiros said they plan to distribute the vaccines the same day they receive them. According to Viveiros, once punctured, a vial is only good for 6 hours. Individuals receiving the vaccine will be monitored for 15 minutes afterward for any adverse reaction. There will be 28 days between the first and second dose of the Moderna vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine requires 21 days between doses.

Valery said that a shortage of doses isn’t expected as the various phases rollout. Viveiros said that while his department is well setup for administration of the vaccine, he wasn’t sure if there would be a plan to utilize the Fire Department in wider distribution. Valery said that the school could potentially be used. He also said that large venues such as UMass Amherst and Gillette Stadium could be used for later phases. Stores/Pharmacies such as Shaws and Stop and Shop have already signed on to receive doses.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that there have recently been issues arising regarding town employees and COVID protocols. Now that there have been a few recovered cases of COVID in town employees, the question is being asked as to whether they still need to quarantine following out of state travel. Seelig said he was assuming that the restrictions would still apply as there is still uncertainty about the extent of immunity in recovered individuals.

He also pointed out that even if an individual didn’t get sick themselves following an exposure, they could potentially spread the virus while asymptomatic. Valery verified Seelig’s assumptions saying, “absolutely.”

Plympton selectmen’s first meeting in ‘21

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Chair of the Plympton Board of Health Art Morin reported to selectmen at their first meeting of the new year to speak to the COVID situation in town. Morin said that the numbers that the Board of Health have been supplying to Dennehy come directly from MAVEN, the secure web-based surveillance and case management system for infectious diseases in Massachusetts. Morin told the selectmen Plympton saw its highest monthly total of 11 positive cases in December. He went on to say that as of that day there were 8 total cases for Plympton in MAVEN in January with another two not yet listed in the system reported. “That brings us to 10 and it’s only the eleventh of January,” Morin said. Morin also told the selectmen that he has “gone old school” using a hardcopy calendar to track cases per day as it is “foolproof.”

Morin also made a point of stating that he believes that most of the spikes in cases are coming from people gathering over the holidays rather than from establishments like grocery stores and even restaurants. Regarding spread of the virus, Morin said, “…that’s the fastest way to do it, groups in small spaces.”

Wilhelmsen, who serves as Chair of the Plympton School Committee, provided an update on COVID in the school district. The number of total cases throughout Silver Lake Regional District was 28 leading into the week of Christmas. According to Wilhelmsen, as of Monday’s meeting that number had climbed to 109.  While Dennett has been fortunate to have only a small number of cases, Wilhelmsen said, “but if the numbers keep climbing everywhere else, they’re going to climb there too.”

Chair of the Dennett C.A.S.A. (Community and School Association) Sarah Prario joined the Plympton selectmen during their Monday, Jan. 11 virtual meeting. The selectmen have recently started a new tradition of inviting a representative from a different town organization to each meeting to provide an update. Prario spoke about the challenges posed by the pandemic saying, “We haven’t been able to do pretty much anything that was on our usual schedule, but we are adapting as necessary.” Prario said that that they have been able to continue with their luncheons for staff which they have been attempting to hold every month. Prario said that some local businesses have been providing the funding as C.A.S.A. doesn’t feel it is an appropriate time to fundraise from families.

Currently, the C.A.S.A. meetings are being held virtually over ZOOM and attended by only five or so people. Prario said that once in-person meetings resume, she would like to maintain the ZOOM option for those who may be unable to attend in-person. Prario also told the selectmen that C.A.S.A. has recently been granted 501c3 status designating them as a nonprofit organization which enables them to receive contributions including grants. Prario said that the organization was eager to do fundraising for other areas within the community. “You guys do great work and you do really tangible work,” Selectmen Chair Mark Russo said. “We’re grateful to have such a great community,” Prario replied.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy provided an update on the town’s newest project – “What Makes Plympton Unique.” She said they kicked off the project that day on the town Facebook page highlighting the Plympton Kindness Tree. Several years ago, resident Stephani Teran and her son thought up the idea to have a tree on their property during the holiday season where community members could stop by and place kind sentiments about people or things in the town within a glass ornament and hang it from the tree. Writing utensils, paper, and ornaments are supplied as well as sanitizer this year. At the end of the holiday season, Teran would give a nice accounting of the things that were written. Dennehy will continue to highlight the things that make Plympton unique on the town Facebook page.

The selectmen then turned their attention to various priorities in town with Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen leading off the discussion. Wilhelmsen said that the Committee has been working with their consultant Beta Group to begin conceptualizing how best to use the space. They are working together to validate what can and cannot realistically be done. “Septic and water are always the things that limit us in town,” Wilhelmsen told the selectmen. The Committee is also working toward prioritizing what needs to be fixed right now versus what needs help in a year. Wilhelmsen said that by 2022 he expects tangible results from the work being done now.

Wilhelmsen delved into specific potential projects. He said that the Committee has removed the consideration for a municipal garage due to space constraints. The Committee plans to go to town meeting to ask for funds to replace the flagpole on the town green. The cistern on the town green is no longer holding water and is also on the Committee’s radar. Wilhelmsen also said that a roof assessment will eventually be done for both the Townhouse and the library. An inexpensive fix has been established for lighting concerns at the library though Wilhelmsen noted that a lighting consultant may want to be brought in at some point for a better solution.

Several items pertaining to the Highway Department were also discussed. Dennehy said she and Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte had met earlier that day with the selected contractor for the highway barn roof and insulation project. Materials are being ordered for the work soon.

Russo said that the signs indicating the safety zones that were established by the selectmen per town meeting’s approval have been placed. Road painting indicating such will have to wait until the spring.

Finally, there was a brief discussion regarding procedures for removing brush and chips from trees that have been taken down. Firlotte feels that it doesn’t fall under the purview of the department.

Technology upgrades in town were also discussed. Dennehy said the fiber optic upgrade is in progress and that local government offices should expect to be updated in the next week. Dennehy said the only setback was a minor one locating the wiring in the library.

Selectman John Traynor said he had an agreement with the Fire Chief that street number signs would be installed on municipal buildings in town. He said that given the magnitude of the work currently on the Chief’s agenda, he assumes it will be done once COVID is over.

Russo spoke to another possible priority saying he would like to seek funds at town meeting to have a hydrologist come in to analyze Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reporting as well as compliance from Rocky Harvest LLC. Russo said, “it wouldn’t be a lot of money and there is a really good guy around who has done some work for us in the past.”

Dennehy gave an update on emergency management in town saying the hazard mitigation planning grant is still in process. The project meeting is set for the end of February. The end goal will be a stand-alone plan rather than a plan that was embedded in a larger regional one. This project was funded through grant money. Dennehy also gave a brief financial update saying that the budget process is well underway and that the Finance committee has been looking at the capital plan.

An update on elder affairs was also provided. Until recently, a volunteer was coming in two days per week to manage the pantry as paid for by Citizens for Citizens. The organization, however, made the decision that it was too risky to have volunteers going into the building due to the state of the pandemic. As a result, the Director of Elder Affairs will be managing the pantry on Thursdays from 10 am to noon.

Dennehy said that they are looking for a volunteer for Mondays. She said the hours are flexible but noted that the original hours were from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Dennehy also said that with the Townhouse closed, volunteers would not be near others. Prario offered to help secure a volunteer and assured the selectmen that she would find someone for this coming Monday.

It was also noted during Monday’s meeting that there would be a mailing going out to residents shortly to detail various volunteer opportunities in the community.

As always, the selectmen ended their meeting with their rants and raves. Selectwoman Christine Joy was quick to say that hers was a rant rather than a rave.

She began by saying how troubled she was by the deep divide in our country. She also said that while she doesn’t condone violence, she does understand the pain of many Americans whether it be based in racial injustice, the pandemic, or frustration at the government.

Joy said, “For me, Wednesday and the summer protests have really served as a wake-up call and the need for us to stop talking at one another and start talking to one another. Instead of pushing further apart, we should be working to find common ground; this will only be accomplished through freedom of speech, the sharing of ideas, and spirited debate through open dialogue – talking and listening with tolerance and compassion. We are all Americans and as such are capable of working together to make our union stronger than before.

We need to stop the rhetoric and name calling, stop the vilifying of those that don’t agree with us – start seeing each other as individuals, as fellow Americans not defined by our political ideals. It is the diversity of our people and ideals that give us strength. Through true collaboration we can rise above this and work together to rebuild our United States of America.”

“Amen, amen,” Russo said before adjourning the meeting.

Halifax honored for water system excellence

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HALIFAX – Keith Swanson, Halifax Water Superintendent, was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Drinking Water Program for outstanding performance in 2019.

The Halifax water system achieved one of the top compliance scores in the Medium and Large Community System category of the 2020 Public Water System Awards Program.

“MassDEP realizes that it is no easy task to keep up with the ever-evolving federal and state drinking water regulations.  Your compliance efforts have not gone unnoticed,” the letter accompanying the certificate stated.

Swanson, who has been Halifax’s Water Superintendent for the past seven years, told The Express that his job has many facets, with a major portion of his time devoted to testing and communicating those results to the state and federal government by monthly and annual reports to ensure that Halifax’s water is safe and healthy to drink.

“We check for asbestos, chlorine, haloacetic acids, inorganics, lead and copper, nitrate, nitrite, manganese, perchlorate, radium 226-228, plus much more,” Swanson said.

Halifax water is pumped from four wells, Swanson told us, and what is not used in the system on its way to the tank is stored in the tall blue tank behind the Town Hall.

Swanson also takes care of the filtration plant on Plymouth Street where the water is filtered, the Ph adjusted, and disinfected, before going on to the faucet or water tank.

He has been a member of the Water Department for 26 years, serving as its superintendent for the past seven years.