Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express

You are here: Home / Archives for News

DiSesa named to HES School Committee

By

The Halifax Selectman and the Halifax School Committee held a joint meeting on Monday, November 16 to conduct interviews with several candidates for the open spot on the School Committee left by the resignation of Robert Johnson. Each candidate was allotted 10 minutes during which they were asked to provide some background on themselves and to field questions from members of both the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee. Candidate Karen Hart was scheduled for an interview but did not attend the meeting.

Ashley DiSesa

The first candidate to take the hot seat was Ashley DiSesa. DiSesa, a mother to a kindergartener and second grader, said she has been a resident of Halifax for the last seven years. She also said that she has attended most school committee meetings as well as some PTO and selectmen meetings. School Committee member Summer Schmaling asked DiSesa, as she would go on to ask all the candidates, if she considered herself fiscally conservative as well as what model (full remote, hybrid, full in-person) she believed should be the goal for this school year. DiSesa said she would consider herself fiscally conservative. Regarding the model of schooling, Disesa said, “That’s a tough one not knowing what’s going to happen; ideally I think all the kids should be back in school.” She went on to acknowledge the difficulties that a return to full in-person schooling would pose including busing and financial constraints. School Committee member Alison Vance asked DiSesa to speak to her favorite things about Halifax Elementary School. DiSesa, who called the Halifax teachers “amazing,” said that growing up in nearby Carver she always planned to move to Halifax and send her children through the Silver Lake district. Wearing two hats, Selectman and Chair of the School Committee Gordon Andrews asked all candidates if they were registered voters and if they had attended the last two town meetings. DiSesa said yes to both.

Marline Amedee

Marline Amedee described herself as a mother, social worker, community activist, and a small business owner. Amedee said she moved to Halifax a little over a year ago and said that while she has not had the opportunity to volunteer at Halifax Elementary School (HES), she was very involved in the schools in Brockton prior to her move. “For me serving children to young adults is not my passion, it is my life… I believe it is important to serve the community you live in,” Amedee told those assembled. In response to Schmaling’s question as to whether or not she considers herself fiscally conservative Amedee said that while she was very aware that the school budget is the taxpayers’ money, the budget still needs to serve the best interests of the students, staff, and the facility. In response to Andrews question, Amedee said that she was a registered voter and that she had attended one of the recent town meetings.

Michael Regnetta

Michael Regnetta, who moved to Halifax a year ago and referred to himself as a small business owner, told the Selectmen and School Committee members that he has spent most of his adult life working with children, mainly as a coach. While his own children are grown, he said that he has young grandchildren who will eventually be attending HES. In response to the first part of Schmaling’s question he responded that he is “pretty conservative [fiscally] but more fiscally responsible.” Regarding an ideal model for school this year, Regnetta responded, “Obviously I would like to see all the kids in school full time… as normal as we can get it sooner rather than later.” While Regnetta said that he hadn’t yet attended a school committee meeting, he has attended town meeting and is a registered voter. Regnetta said that negotiating would be a strength of his that he could bring to the Committee.

Karyn Townsend

Karyn Townsend, a mother of two HES students, brought to the table the most education related experience of all the candidates. A 20-year resident of Halifax and an educator for 23 years, Townsend was previously a teacher at Silver Lake Regional High School and is currently a science teacher in Pembroke. She also serves as the negotiations chair for the Pembroke Teacher’s Association where she has successfully negotiated 3 contracts with the school committee. While she said that the financial aspect of things would be a weakness of hers, she did intend to take the course offered by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) on the topic. Townsend said that while she is a registered voter, she has not attended town meeting recently. Committee member Alison Vance told the other members that Townsend is one of the only members of the community to regularly attend their meetings.

Asked whether she has volunteered within the school, Townsend said despite it being difficult with her work schedule she has done guest lessons for teachers, attended some PTO meetings, and coached both soccer and baseball. In response to Schmaling’s question about fiscal conservativism, Townsend said that she believed it to be too subjective of a question to provide an accurate answer. She also said that she felt unequipped to answer the question about the best model of schooling for this year without having all of the information.

James Keegan

Lifelong resident of Halifax and former Halifax police officer James Keegan was the second to last interview of the evening. Keegan, who is currently a Plymouth police officer, is the father to two daughters aged 9 and 11. He cited school safety as a major interest of his and said that he is currently a school resource officer at one of the Plymouth middle schools. He is a member of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) and is Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate (ALICE) trained. Keegan said he is a registered voter though he did not participate in the most recent town meetings.

Asked if he considers himself fiscally conservative, Keegan said, “fiscal responsibility is something my wife and I are extremely passionate about.” Regarding whether students should return to full, in-person learning Keegan said, “my wife and I believe, whether it’s good or bad, that the children should be back in the school. I’m looking at science… we’re just two parents who believe that the children should be back in school with parameters.”  He did go on to acknowledge that it wouldn’t be financially possible to do so in the very immediate future. Keegan ended his interview by saying that while he had always wanted to volunteer in town between his career, his wife’s career, and their family, he didn’t have the time until now.

Kathleen Deblois

The final interview of the night was with Kathleen DeBlois. DeBlois said she has lived in Halifax for the last 7 years after moving from the North Shore. DeBlois complimented the other candidates telling the Selectmen and School Committee that they had a multitude of good options. DeBlois, a mother to a third and fourth grader at HES, said she has a degree in public policy and previously worked in the office of the MA state senate president. She described herself as fiscally conservative but acknowledged that good schools result in good property values in town which is beneficial even to those who don’t have students in the school. Regarding her opinion on a model for the current school year, DeBlois said, “I would love to see… every kid back in school depending if it was done safely.”

A registered voter who has attended town meeting, DeBlois said she is heavily involved with HES, volunteering regularly in her children’s classes as well as at events such as book fairs and field trips. Asked if she has the time to dedicate to the Committee, DeBlois said that she has the fortunate ability to stay home with her children and that time constraints would not be an issue.

Discussion and Vote

Andrews addressed the candidates saying, “Thank you everyone for your commitment to our community.” He said that he was looking for someone who has the availability as well as has shown a commitment to the school and a knowledge of what the schools have gone through in the months since the pandemic began. Schmaling also thanked the candidates and said she was impressed to see so many people interested in the position. “Frankly, I think that all of these candidates bring something a little different to the table, it’s just up to us to decide what we’re looking for,” Schmaling said.

Before voting, Selectman Tom Millias asked each candidate if they would consider running for the same open position during the general election as the current position would only be an interim one until the next election. All candidates replied that they would.

The vote was based on the majority of all the Selectmen and School Committee members present. Andrews only had one vote despite being a member of both. The only candidates receiving nominations were Deblois, DiSesa, and Keegan. Deblois and Keegan received three votes a piece while DiSesa received four and was named as the newest member of the Halifax School Committee.

Around the Field

By

Here is a look at how the Silver Lake High varsity sports teams fared last week.

Cross Country

The Lakers competed in the Patriot League championship meet on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Samantha Faherty won the race on the girls side (19:53.3).

Field Hockey

The Lakers picked up a win in the Patriot Cup tournament last week. They beat Hingham 1-0 on Saturday, Nov. 14. In their win, Haley Beatrice scored the goal, and goalie Allison Dahlen had nine saves for the Lakers.

Boys Golf

The Lakers did not compete last week.

Boys Soccer

The Lakers picked up a pair of wins in the Patriot Cup tournament last week, improving their record to 5-3-5 on the season. They started the week off with a 2-0 win over Quincy on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and two days later, they beat Plymouth South 2-0.

Girls Soccer

The Lakers competed thrice last week in the Patriot Cup. They picked up a pair of wins, but also a loss that marked the end of their season. They started the week off with a 5-1 win over Quincy on Monday, Nov. 9. Two days later, they bested Marshfield with a 1-0 win. However, they fell to Pembroke 2-1 on Friday, Nov. 13. With the loss, the team finishes their season at 6-7-1.

Volleyball

The Lakers season came to a close in their first round Patriot Cup matchup. The Lakers fell 3-0 to Hanover on Tuesday, Nov. 10. They finish their season at 1-12. Previously, they beat Hanover 3-2 on November 5.

College Commitments

A pair of Silver Lake High students committed to schools to continue playing their respective sports at the next level. For field hockey, Caitrin Hazley-Collins committed to Franklin Pierce (NCAA Div. 2). And for equestrian, Laurel Smith committed to Texas Christian University (NCAA Div. 1). Silver Lake does not have an equestrian team, but there are equestrian facilities in Halifax.

Plympton plans for FY22 budget

By

The Monday, November 16 virtual Plympton Selectmen’s meeting was a popular place to be with much of the Dennett Elementary School staff present as well as members of the Finance Committee and a few other committees. As explained by Chair Mark Russo, the selectmen have begun a practice this year of inviting a representative(s) from various boards, commissions, and committees in town to come to a meeting and provide an update. He told those assembled, “This week, we have the opportunity to meet with the teachers and we are absolutely thrilled with that chance.”

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen was in attendance as was School Committee member Jason Fraser. Dennett staff present included Principal Peter Veneto, school psychologist Christine Marcolini, teachers Ann Walker, Jenna Ouellet, Bea Reynolds, Elizabeth Goodman, JaneMarie Sylvester, Kara Schofield, Meghan Conroy, Andrea Clawson, and Meghan Shaheen.

Ann Walker spoke on behalf of her fellow teachers saying, “We have had to rebuild our schools from the ground up… had to rethink any and all aspects of the school day.” She described teachers working to learn new technology over the summer as well as designing virtual classrooms and making videos for asynchronous learning. Unlike many districts, Plympton was able to devise a plan that allowed students to have live teaching even when remote.  She also acknowledged the extensive efforts of not just teachers but all staff including custodians. She also had high praise for Veneto who she said didn’t miss a video or phone call all summer. “All of this extraordinary effort has gone into ensuring that the children of Plympton continue to receive an effective and meaningful education that nurtures not only the mind but the spirit as well,” Walker explained. A video was then played that had been prepared in collaboration with the staff at Dennett to demonstrate what the new normal looks like in the school.

Russo thanked the teachers saying of their success this school year, “We are thrilled that you’re here and thrilled with your presentation… I will admit that I would have given very low odds that you or anyone could have pulled this off and the fact that you have is just stunning.” Selectman Christine Joy concurred saying, “It’s been amazing to watch and to hear about what you’re doing… this group of teachers and staff in the building are an amazing group.” Selectman John Traynor asked how they are dealing with the stress of the situation. Walker said that in 28 years of teaching this year has been the most difficult. “We have such a strong support group in our building. We really, I think, have bonded even more closely throughout this whole process… I think each one of us has had our moments,” Walker said.

Following the discussion with the teachers, the selectmen turned their attention to future priorities for the budget cycle. Russo said despite town meeting still being six months away, the budget process was beginning as it often takes that long to put the budget together. Russo said that the meeting would allow for the Town Properties Committee and the Board of Selectmen to present their expected needs for the next year to the Finance Committee. Russo also said it would allow them a chance to explain their priorities in terms of short, medium, and long-term goals as well as those that they deem essential versus those that are less essential.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy spoke first assuring those present that she was well aware of the financial situation of the town and was not advocating for spending on all of these priorities at one time. “We are managing expectations,” she explained.

Dennehy mostly addressed personnel management saying she would like to see the town establish an article for professional level searches such as department heads. She said the funds could be used toward professional advertisements and professional recruitment services. One possible suggestion Dennehy gave was to repurpose the funds leftover from the town administrator search. “It would ensure we continue to bring in the best and the brightest as far as those department head roles,” Dennehy explained.

Dennehy also shared concern over the razor thin budgets that don’t allow overlap between when an employee leaves a role, and another starts. She also spoke to what she called “the revolving door” with public safety officials in town. Plympton has been losing a lot of fire and police personnel to other towns. She said that retirements and employees leaving their positions can be quite costly as accrued, unused vacation time, etc. must be paid out resulting in reduced salary lines for new hires.

The Selectmen spoke next. Russo said that he echoed Dennehy’s points and said that he understands the need to keep the tax rate as moderate as possible. Speaking to the upcoming year, Russo said he understands the questions regarding revenues and what additional expenses may be accrued by the town. He noted that they are trying to run a 10-million-dollar operation mostly with part time help or volunteers. Russo said he would like to see better funding for consultants to assist in job searches as well as more hours for the building inspector, Council on Aging, and the zoning enforcement officer. Other needs according to Russo include more help with the website and new budgeting and accounting software.

Joy suggested performing an analysis to determine which is costlier – losing employees to other towns or paying a little bit more for insurance as she believes people are leaving Plympton for communities that offer better health insurance. Joy also said she would like to see a tightening up of the personnel bylaws that would stop allowing employees to accrue unused vacation time resulting in $20,000 payouts when leaving a position. “You need to lose your vacation time or lose it,” she said. Joy also said she would like to see more notice given prior to retirements.

Selectman John Traynor, who said he has lived in town for 50 years and volunteered for 30, said he was concerned about losing the volunteer spirit in the town. He said that of the roughly 130 volunteer positions available in town, only 60 or 70 people are doing that work. He noted the importance of utilizing volunteers saying, “that’s in a sense the beauty of the town is that people care about it.”

Wilhelmsen, who serves as Chair of the Town Properties Committee, began by saying, “Don’t freak out because we’re going to talk about a lot of things, and we understand that we have to pay for them and we have to put things in order.” Wilhelmsen said that when the decision was first made to build a new police station there were a lot of numbers thrown around regarding cost before a decision was made to stop and hire a professional to assess exactly what was needed. He referred to the hiring as slowing down in order to move faster and related it to the work of the Town Properties Committee. According to Wilhelmsen the goal of the Town Properties Committee is to “thoughtfully evaluate and document both current and future town property’s needs” and to “make recommendations for the town to act upon.” The Committee plans to take advantage of a grant that will allow them to look at the town campus and help guide in planning for the future.

Wilhelmsen said they are currently working with a consultant on septic and water use on the town campus. “We need to understand what we have before we can even understand what’s feasible,” he explained. He also said that the new roof for the town barn is going out to bid this week. There is currently $100,000 available for the project as approved at town meeting. Wilhelmsen said they are hopeful they will get a bid that will allow them to move forward with the project and get a new roof put on before it is too late in the winter.

Wilhelmsen also addressed what the Town Properties Committee is considering short term needs with limited costs. Those items include fixing lighting issues at the library, installing an accessibility ramp for the upper floor of the townhouse for which funds are available through the state, refurbishing or replacing the flagpole on the town green, and addressing problems with the cistern that the Fire Department has under the town green and for which a grant may be available. Other short-term needs include performing an assessment of the roof on the townhouse building and an assessment of waste lines and drainage issues at the townhouse.

Amongst the items Wilhelmsen categorized as potential items for town meeting were assessments to the roofs at the library, fire station, and the old townhouse. While it’s not expected that these roofs would be replaced in the near future, having the assessments done would allow the town to create a plan and have an idea of potential costs. Wilhelmsen advocated for establishing a fund to withdraw from when professional assessments are needed.

Wilhelmsen said that the new ambulance and brush truck that have been acquired by the Fire Department are larger than the outgoing models. This is creating a space issue within the station that will need to be solved. In the long-term, the town may need to start thinking about designs for a new fire station.

Medium to long term projects would include eventually fixing or replacing the roofs for which assessments will be done. Fixes will have to be done to deal with whatever comes of the investigation into the waste line issues. Townhouse drainage issues and basement water issues will eventually have to be resolved. The Dennett will likely need a new roof in 5-7 years, a cost that estimates have placed at $1.5 million dollars. The driveway and the parking lot at the Dennett will also eventually need fixing.

Chair of the Finance Committee Nate Sides joked that he will be holding weekly bake sales until some of the items can be funded. Sides said, “We certainly appreciate the effort that everyone has put into this meeting and I agree with what has been said by everyone previously as far as the need for the planning and the benefits that we realized from taking a moment to step back and take a look at the big picture.” Sides said it would be helpful to have an inventory from the various departments regarding the state of their equipment so the town could better plan for replacing the items when the time comes. Sides also said he agreed with Joy that vacation time for town employees should either be taken or forfeited.

Following the discussion on the Town Properties Committee, the selectmen moved on to two appointments. The first of which was for the much anticipated role of Director of Elder Affairs. Traynor had been acting as an interim director. Colleen Thompson, who has served in many roles in town, was named to the position. Traynor said, “I’ve talked to Nancy Butler, the Chair of the Committee, and she is delighted. I’m delighted.” There were many murmurs of agreement coming from those present at Monday’s meeting. Her term will run through June 30, 2020.

The second appointment was Carolyn DeCristofano as an alternate on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Her term will run through June 30, 2022. There is still an opening for another alternate.

Traynor gave a brief update on the Council on Aging (COA) saying that an outreach worker was still needed. “I think I feel good about what we’re offering our seniors,” Traynor said.

Dennehy provided an update on the COVID situation. The County will be dropping off two CARES Act reimbursement checks for a little over $5,000 apiece from expenses submitted in September. A larger reimbursement check for $170,000 is still pending. Two more submissions are going to be made from the town – one largely on behalf of the school and another for various town-related odds and ends. Dennehy also asked that residents remain vigilant as numbers in the town continue to rise.

Wilhelmsen provided a brief COVID update on the school saying that despite Governor Baker’s recent announcement that he would like to see students back in school full time where feasible, it is still the position of the School Committee that Dennett won’t be moving that way until the state has reached Level 4 which means an available vaccine and/or therapeutics. Despite there being approximately 20 cases in the entire Silver Lake district as of Monday’s meeting there had been no cases at the Dennett.

Dennehy told the Board that they are working on a hazard mitigation plan which is funded through a FEMA grant. As part of that plan, the general public will be surveyed regarding natural hazards. While there will be a link to that survey on the town website, hardcopy mailings will also be sent to seniors in town.

Dennehy said she has been working with the South Shore Community Action Council to find out about possibly securing a small number of turkeys for seniors in town for Thanksgiving. Jean Pacheco at the Council on Aging said that while the seniors are grateful for the premade meals received from the Fire Department, some are interested in cooking their own turkeys.

As customary, the selectmen ended their evening with their rants and raves. Traynor said his rave was for the Fire Department who intends to deliver Thanksgiving meals to any seniors that request one. Joy said her rant was for the divided state of the country. “We need to focus on what we have in common more so than what divides us,” Joy lamented. Her rave was for the great people of the Plympton community. For his rant Russo said, “This is my third three-year term as selectman and I increasingly find this sense of so much to do with limited human and financial resources.” His rave was for how well the town does in spite of the things they are up against.

Halifax BOS ponders COVID strategies

By

Much of the Thursday, Nov. 5, Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting was spent discussing measures to curb the spread of COVID both at the town level and within the Town Hall.

Board of Health agent Bob Valery told those assembled that there had been two new cases of COVID in town reported just that morning. Valery also mentioned Governor Baker’s new restrictions released on Nov. 2 and taking effect on Nov. 6. Baker’s guidelines include a 10 p.m. curfew as well as an order for restaurants and other establishments to stop serving by 9:30 p.m. Valery said he visited local establishments to make sure everyone would be adhering to the new guidelines.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig added, “That order comes with you shouldn’t be over a friend’s house after ten o’ clock. You should be back in your house by then.” Selectman Gordon Andrews clarified that he didn’t believe it was an order, but rather an advisory. Co-Chair of the Board of Health Alan Dias said he was under the impression it was an order rather than an advisory. He also said that he didn’t believe it to be enforceable by the town. Police Chief Joao Chaves said he believed the enforcement of mask wearing and limits on gatherings to be an order while the travel restrictions were an advisory. For his part, Chaves said he wouldn’t feel good about pulling people over after 10 pm if there were no other violations.

According to Valery, Plymouth has hired an outside security agency to monitor activity in the town. Selectman Troy Garron wondered aloud about what kind of authority would be granted to such an agency. Valery said, “We’re not at that point here in Halifax.”

Dias asked the Board if they would consider a policy requiring a sign-in and temperature check for all town employees upon the start of each day in order to better aid with contact tracing. The Fire Department is already following this procedure. Selectman Tom Millias said it was “certainly something we can think about.”

Seelig agreed that the proposed procedure may help with contact tracing but clarified that it would not help curb the spread of the virus. Referring to a recent case in a town employee, Seelig said, “the situation we had earlier was more … employees making decisions that they probably shouldn’t have made. Not, in fact, who was in and out of the building.” He continued, “… if people had, in fact, stayed the six feet away and kept their mask on and such we should have been able to say, ‘okay, you weren’t within this person for 15 minutes.’” Regarding the proposed policy, he said, “We can do this, but the big thing is the behavior. It’s not getting a list of people and getting them checked in by 8 a.m. – it’s what they do after 8 a.m.” A reminder of proper safety protocols was sent out to all town employees with the last paycheck. Andrews said, “Seems like the protocol wasn’t followed, not that we don’t have one in place.”

There was some additional discussion between Valery, Dias, Seelig, the chiefs, and the selectmen as to whether residents should also have to sign in before entering the Town Hall. Dias said that Plymouth residents are not allowed into the town hall without first leaving their name and phone number. Seelig pointed out that residents don’t typically spend 15 minutes or more inside the building and therefore their information wouldn’t be needed for contact tracing.

The selectmen voted unanimously to put a policy in place that all town employees must wear a mask at all times and in all areas of the buildings unless eating or drinking. The only exception would be for those providing a doctor’s note for a medical exemption. Chaves said that since a member of the Police Department tested positive, all members of the department have been wearing masks diligently. “The next ninety days are going to be very difficult the way the numbers are going,” Dias said.

COVID Testing

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros gave an update on a potential testing program in Halifax. Viveiros said that they certainly had the ability to do both the antibody testing as well as the nasal swab testing. He said that the big question would be determining the goal behind the testing. Of the antibody testing, Viveiros said, “There are plenty of communities that are doing the molecular level tests… how much money are we willing to invest into that?” The department is still working on a plan.

Annual Toy Drive

The selectmen also discussed the logistics behind the toy drive that is run annually by the Fire Department and the Girl Scouts usually on the first Saturday in December. In a normal year, Santa would ride through on one of the Fire Department vehicles. Viveiros said that typically about 6-8 people participate from the department with twice that many volunteering on behalf of the Girl Scouts.

While the majority of the event is outside, keeping people six feet from one another could prove difficult. It is an all-day event usually running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seelig said, “however they do it, we don’t want a large group of people intermingling.” Viveiros said that typically the back of the Fire Station is loaded with toys and said that it would be important to stress that large groups of people cannot gather there.

The selectmen agreed that those running the event would need to touch base with Valery and decide on what restrictions would need to be put in place in order to ensure it is a safe event. The selectmen will approve the event at a later meeting after hearing the final plan.

Recycling abatements

The selectmen then turned their attention to dealing with requests that were submitted late for recycling abatements. The selectmen voted unanimously to reject these requests. Millias said, “this is all uncomfortable… this isn’t something that anyone wants to do.”

Andrews, who has not always been aligned with the other selectmen regarding whether to issue abatements, said he agreed that it was necessary to have a building available and a recycling program. He went on to say, however, “we’re acting like this is a tax, so if it’s a tax to keep the building open then it should be coming out of tax… if people aren’t using the service, they shouldn’t be paying for it, the other people should be paying the amount necessary to run the service.”

Millias said that there were a myriad of options to consider when deciding the fate of the current recycling program. Millias suggested the possibility of eliminating the curbside pickup and asking, instead, to have residents bring it directly to the facility. Garron said he would just like to see people alert the town if planning to use a private recycling company. Millias said, “at some point, I think even the fees won’t sustain the program.” The plan is to schedule a dedicated time to explore and discuss the options.

HOPS to get help

Seelig said that they had received correspondence from a resident concerned with some maintenance issues at the HOPS Playground. According to Seelig a downed bench would be dealt with as would some broken equipment and overgrowth outside the fence.

Plympton School Committee

By

A wide-ranging number of topics were discussed during the Monday, November 2 Plympton School Committee meeting. Chair of the Committee Jon Wilhelmsen said that he had seen a lot of recent discussion on the Dennett Facebook page regarding a return to full, in-person schooling given the success thus far in keeping COVID out of the school. Wilhelmsen said that for his part, he didn’t feel that it should be considered until Massachusetts is at a Level 4, from the state perspective which would mean the development of either a vaccine or effective therapeutics. He said the only other way to allow for a full, in-person return would be to fit everyone into the building with 6 feet of social distancing – something that isn’t possible currently. Committee member Daniel Cadogan said, “If we didn’t do it a month ago when things were looking well, I think doing it now would be a really bad idea.”

CARES Act Funds

Wilhelmsen said of the CARES Act funds directed to the school, “the town of Plympton has been very gracious and very generous in trying to make sure that the Dennett has what it needs.” Thus far, $79,000 in invoices have been submitted. That funding went toward technology, PPE, HVAC repairs, air purifiers, hands-free paper towel dispensers, and a number of other COVID-related items. The Committee thanked the selectmen, the fire chief, and the town administrator for their support.

Building-Based Substitute

Speaking about a lack of available substitutes, Dennett Principal Peter Veneto said, “It’s been an incredible challenge…. Not just a Plympton/Silver Lake challenge.” He added that finding a funding source for a building-based substitute remains difficult. Despite putting feelers out into the community to see if those with availability and ability would volunteer time to substitute, there was no response. Wilhelmsen pointed out that without substitutes the Dennett will, at some point, be unable to hold classes.

While a portion of the funding could come from CARES Act funds, there are no assurances that that money will be available after the end of December. The money to pay for the substitute after December would likely have to come out of the Dennett budget which Director of Business Services Christine Healy described as “traditionally pretty tight.” Committee member Jason Fraser said that there is a small group in D.C. trying to make sure that CARES Act funds not spent in 2020 get carried over to 2021. The Committee voted to move forward with hiring a building-based substitute.

MASC Conference and MCAS Testing

The Massachusetts Association of School Committees MASC Delegate Conference will be held virtually this year on Saturday, November 7. A keynote speech will be available to all members of school committees and administration. The afternoon is the delegate assembly, which is open to all members of school committees, but only designated members have the right to vote on behalf of their school committees. Fraser was voted in as the delegate for the Plympton School Committee during Monday’s meeting. “The point we’re really trying to push is looking at the MCAS, especially for this year, not be held at all for any purpose considering what our kids have been through and what our teachers have been through,” Fraser explained. Fraser said that when he first made the proposal, he expected some pushback, but instead other delegates are now pushing for a four-year moratorium.

Curriculum Coordinator Presentation

Curriculum coordinator for Grades K-6 Melissa Farrell gave a presentation to the Committee regarding the FY 2021 budget. Farrell said that there has been a significant cut in Title I funds from 2018 to now. The impact to Plympton specifically, however, has been relatively insignificant. The main impact has taken the form of cuts to professional development. Savings in the Title 1 budget will be used to provide summer programming for students that could most benefit from it.

Farrell also provided a curriculum overview for the district. This year marks the second year of the new math curriculum. Farrell said that they are working backward by grade level to address the social studies curriculum. Sixth grade is officially teaching ancient civilization outside of the pilot program this year. Instructional technology is being implemented in 5th grade social studies. Third grade social studies has also been addressed since Farrell said the implementation of a new social studies textbook was an easy fix. The new textbook aligns with the changes to Plimoth-Patuxet.

Farrell also touched on Parent Academy, something she referred to as a resource for remote and hybrid learning. “The idea was that in the spring when we went remote, everything and anything was free. If we were going to go into the fall and still have a remote or hybrid model, I felt that it was my job as the curriculum coordinator to have a resource that would fit ELA, math, science, and social studies, and social emotional k-6. In essence, that website represents sort of a balanced approach to make sure that everything is covered under whatever circumstances we were,” Farrell explained. She also said that the website includes additional resources for parents to utilize that are high quality, don’t contain advertisements, and have been vetted.

Farrell told the Committee that the Reading Street ELA curriculum that has been used for the last 8 or 9 years is disappearing after next year. She said that many teachers have been wanting to switch to something new for years as they see a variety of different ways to teach students and would like different resources to support that. Farrell said that it could cost $500,000 to implement a district wide curriculum, a number that is up from just a few years ago. She said one possibility would be to split the cost between two fiscal years with purchases being made in June and July. The subscription to the science curriculum is set to end in fiscal year 2023 but Farrell said the staff feels that they can create their own using instructional technology resources.

Farrell spoke highly of Instructional technology saying that regardless of whether we are in a pandemic year or not, much of it including the use of IXL, should be sustained. She also lauded Newsela, an online platform made up of various articles and often used for social studies. Typing Club, Mystery Science, and Lexia were also mentioned. She did note, however, “our kids still need to have books… I feel like there’s a balance.”

Farrell also told the Committee that she is still trying to assess what the impact of the school closure in the spring was on student learning. “Still trying to be the best that we can be with data to understand our students,” she assured them.

Technology Director Presentation

Silver Lake Technology Director Steve Pellowe also gave a presentation to the Committee regarding budget needs. Pellowe said that there is a need to replace the current phone system. The department is also in need of another technician as requests for technology help was triple what it would be in a normal year. Pellowe said that by the end of the year, the department would be supporting over 10,000 devices across grades K-12. Fraser said that he would be in support of adding an additional 0.2 tech person to the Dennett budget.

Laptops were purchased for the teachers at Dennett using CARES Act funds. Pellowe said, “I do believe as much as I’m concerned about being able to support them [laptops], they really are a critical piece of equipment for our staff to have.” Teacher Ann Walker thanked the Committee on behalf of the staff saying, “it has made everything so much easier for us with our mobile classrooms… and just getting our work done at home… I really appreciate you listening to our needs.” A few docking stations were also purchased.

Pellowe also said that an additional 38 chromebooks were received by Dennett a few weeks ago with 1,450 more coming to the rest of the district that week. “I will sleep a little bit better knowing should we have to go full remote, we have what we need to support the students.”

Principal’s Report

Veneto began his update saying, “Considering that none of us have ever taught during a global pandemic, I think that all of us are doing absolutely terrific.”

The Committee learned that teacher Bea Reynolds will be retiring at the start of 2021 after more than twenty years at Dennett Elementary. Veneto spoke of the huge impact she had on not only the staff and students but the town as well. Fraser added, “Bea Reynolds is the best… she is a gem and she has made Plympton and Dennett a better place for having been there.” His sentiment was met with a chorus of agreement.

Veneto told the Committee that air movement testing had been done at the Dennett. There were several issues that were found that need to be addressed. Veneto said that as a result they have spent more on HVAC than what would typically be spent at this point in the year. Veneto commended Matt Durkee for his assistance with building related fixes.

Superintendent Update and Enrollment

Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update on enrollment at Dennett Elementary as of October 1. Total enrollment at the elementary level is 209 compared to 226 last year. Plympton students at the middle and high school levels total 190 this year compared to 196 last year.

The most jarring decrease was found at the kindergarten level where there are only 30 students enrolled compared to 54 in last year’s class. Proulx said that several parents are electing to “redshirt” their kindergarten age children in the hopes that next year will be a more normal year. Veneto said based on surveys, etc. he was expecting 42 rather than 30 students at that level this year. Proulx said it is a possibility that next year’s kindergarten class could be an extraordinarily large one.

Additionally, Proulx said that seven students are being homeschooled this year compared to 0 last year. Two students transferred out to private schools while six more transferred out to parochial schools.  Proulx said the data for those attending charter schools was still not available.

The Massachusetts Association of Superintendents is growing increasingly concerned with the number of students transferring out to either homeschool or attend private school. “It’s a concern that we have as our funding is often tied to our enrollment numbers,” Proulx explained.

Plympton’s assessment is down by two-tenths this year whereas Halifax and Kingston have both increased by one-tenth. Plympton is also down six-tenths of a point in shared costs.

Proulx also told those assembled that mid-November will be the deadline for parents electing to switch from either the full remote model or the hybrid one as the next trimester begins on December 9. There is concern that if too many people elect to change from full remote to hybrid, there won’t be enough space within the school (or buses) to maintain proper distancing.

As of the Nov. 2 meeting, Proulx said there had been no positive cases of COVID at the Dennett. She did, however, review the protocol should that change. The principal and the school nurse will notify close contacts. The nurse will notify the Board of Health and the nurse leader will contact the Department of Education.

Proulx also reminded the Committee that the CDC guidance on what qualifies as “close contact” was recently changed from 15 minutes to a cumulative 15 minutes of exposure. This could alter how many people would need to quarantine should there be a positive case in the school.

Should it be a snow day or remote day?

Regarding the possibility of potential school closures, Proulx said, “It’s important for the public to know… we rely on the expertise of health experts such as epidemiologists to help guide us in those decisions.” She also said that Cohort D, which consists of highest needs learners, will be prioritized for in-person learning to the greatest extent possible.

The Commissioner announced recently that school districts may elect to have remote schooling days in lieu of snow days.

Fraser said he was in favor of the idea as long as advanced notice could be given and curriculum materials sent home with students to be done asynchronously at home. Wilhelmsen wondered aloud if it would be easier for parents to deal with a snow day or a remote day and asked Veneto if he could get some input from parents before deciding one way or another.

Wilhelmsen wins MCAS Div.III award

Proulx also read some correspondence from the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) awarding Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen with the MASC’s Division III All State School Committee Award for 2020.

The award was in recognition of all of Wilhelmsen’s contributions to the district as well as his guidance as the district deals with the pandemic. Proulx said, “We appreciate your advocacy and your hard work.”

For his part, Wilhelmsen credited his fellow Committee members saying, “It is also a testament to all of the work everybody on this call does on a regular basis.”

It’s not just luck keeping numbers low

By

When you look at the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases, we in Plympton are lucky to have few compared to neighboring towns.  But it’s not just luck.

The smallest town by population in Plymouth County, Plympton was among the first to re-open its Town House on June 1, Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said, and prior to that date with all of the departments working from home, “we were still able to successfully serve everyone who contacted us, while we were fully remote.”

Plympton’s Emergency Management Director, Fire Chief Steven G. Silva leads a coalition of departments within the town to bring things back to some semblance of normal.  Team members include Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy, Board of Health Chairman Arthur Morin, Board of Health Assistant Cathy Ferguson, and Police Chief Matthew Clancy.  Silva said he is heartened to see how people have come together to work things out.   Peter Veneto, principal of the Dennett School, Debbie Batson, Library Director, Patricia Detterman, Town Clerk, and more – have all worked to document protocols for delivering services to the community in a safe manner.

Working in concert with the Board of Health Silva has introduced a new Community EMS Program that will takeover the duties performed by the Cape Cod Visiting Nurse Association.  In the midst of the pandemic, the Cape Cod Visiting Nurse Association, who had formerly served several South Shore towns including Plympton, stopped services to towns off Cape giving towns six months notice to find other sources.

Chief Silva, after a September presentation to the Board of Health, has announced that the plan for Community EMS program has been submitted to the Department of Public Health and is awaiting approval.

What will Community EMS do for Plympton?

It uses personnel we already have, Silva explained, and gives a plan for implementing public health nurse  services to the townspeople, working with Plympton’s Board of Health. Fire Captain Cheryl Davis, who has interacted with Plympton’s citizens on many occasions, will oversee the program.  Davis has been with the Plympton Fire Dept. for 14 years and was recently brought on full time.  Before accepting her position as a full time Captain and EMS coordinator, she was also a Lieutenant and shift commander with the Fall River Fire Dept. EMS division.

In addition, the Plympton Fire Department has also been trained in the use of MAVEN, a computer program that tracks cases of COVID and other infectious diseases, so up to date numbers of cases in the state as well as in the area are available to work out preventative measures.

Opening the Town House to Plympton residents was done safely June 1, according to Dennehy.   Now, a member of the Plympton Fire Department signs you in, records what office you are seeing, does a thermo scan of your forehead to make sure you are fever free, and calls ahead to see that the office is available so proper distancing can be observed.  Arthur Morin, Chairman of the Board of Health, says that to date, there have been no cases of COVID-19 attributed to the Plympton Town House.

Dennett Elementary copes with COVID

Peter Veneto, principal of the Dennett Elementary School, has been key in getting the school open safely this fall.

“We have made a number of changes here at Dennett to try to keep everyone as safe as can be.  We have installed touchless faucets in all of our learning spaces and rest rooms as well as touchless paper towel dispensers.  We have sanitizing stations outside of every space and by the recess doors.  Students “pump in” and “pump out” when entering the building or leaving a room.  We have had Plexiglas installed in the office, cafeteria and Nurse’s Office.  We also have Plexiglas shields for any students receiving one to one instruction or special education testing.  Our Director of Maintenance, Matt Durkee, assisted with getting the Plexiglas installed.  He also helped with signage in the building and floor decals to help students maintain a six- foot space when waiting in lines.”

Veneto continued, “Most of these items were paid for through CARES Act funding.”  In our classrooms, all students sit six feet apart from seat edge to seat edge.  Students eat lunch in the cafeteria six feet from one another.  It looks and sounds a lot different but the students are still able to talk and interact with one another.  Everyone has done a great job wearing masks.  Teachers try to get outside multiple times per day for mask breaks for our kids.

“From a procedural standpoint a lot has changed as well,” he said.  “The vast majority of our students are dropped off in our car line in the morning.  Using the Pick Up Patrol web based program, parents complete a health assessment every morning.  An aide will stand in the hallway and confirm that students have no Covid symptoms before they go down to class.  Once in the building, students have specific waiting areas and hallway directions to prevent a lot of face-to-face contacts.  Playground equipment is sanitized every morning and the students line up 6 ft. apart coming back into the building.  During lunchtime, students who have brought their lunch enter the cafeteria first and sit at the front of the room.  Students who are buying lunch wait in line, get their lunch and fill in the open seats.  Dismissal procedures are the same as drop off just in reverse.”

Those are the very general changes to our day.  Each classroom has some smaller details specific to their grade level.  The staff has done a nice job with these tweaks and our students have been phenomenal.”

“We’re well positioned now”

“Those of us in the Emergency Management Committee, I feel we’ve done a really good job getting things up and running,” Dennehy said.  “Not that we’re looking for credit,” she continued, “People in town should be proud.  We have made it reasonably safe for people to be more connected to the positive things going on here… We’re well positioned now.   Obviously we will react to any new circumstance needed to keep people safe.”  She continued that being a small town in this case seems to be an advantage in that we can change direction and implement new procedures more easily than a larger town might.  She also said that she appreciates all the helpful people who have stepped up to volunteer wherever needed. “The Board of Health has been very quick to react to help keep us up to date on the state level,” she continued, and Plympton has been able to develop protocols adapted from neighboring communities.  “Everyone is willing to accept new information,” she said.   “It’s been a good learning experience.”

Library continues to provide services

Debbie Batson, library director, admits that it has been a challenging time to bring library services to the community.   “We had to throw out all of our ideas for summer, and find other activities for kids.”  The pinwheels on the library lawn, indicating how many books people have read were one way to encourage reading for all age groups.

“Back in June we were able to continue our book clubs via ZOOM,” Batson said.  The adult book group meets on the second Tuesday of the month by Zoom.  Contact the library at PLPcirc@sailsinc.org to get sign-in information.   They are always looking for new members.

Story time for little ones continues through ZOOM, and each month there is a challenge.  October’s was making a paper tube creature; bring it in to the library and get some “library loot”, a gift bag of library-inspired goodies.  November’s challenge is creating or building something you’re thankful for.  Challenge items will be displayed at the library.

In September there was a story walk outside the library where young patrons walked around outside to read the story.  October saw a tiny “Jack be Little” pumpkin challenge,”I Spy … pumpkin search” where kids were given a printed list to search around outside to find each pumpkin with the required number, letter, or symbol on it.

Now through Dec. 17, join the Fall Book Harvest, a virtual reading challenge.  Sign up at plympton.beanstack.org, log your reading online to earn virtual badges and chances to win a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  This challenge is open to kids through grade 6.

“Adult activities, that were held in the library – pre COVID – aren’t coming back so far, like Genealogy and knitting groups.  We do offer ZOOM but they’re not interested right now.  Maybe as the fall and winter limit outdoor choices, these activities will come back.   We listen to our people and try to bring them what they want,” Batson said.

New Seniors Pantry and Freezer

Acting Council on Aging Director John Traynor has seen services to seniors continue without a hitch and there has been considerable progress made in the food pantry.

Due to the pandemic we made a decision to separate the joint use of the entranceway pantry by the Council on Aging (COA) and the townhouse staff. The townhouse staff now uses the pantry that was formerly used by the Police Department before they moved to their new headquarters. This has freed up the entranceway pantry to be solely used by the Council on Aging.

To abide by the Board of Health guidelines we put in place a new protocol for seniors wishing to access the pantry. When a person accesses the townhouse, they will be greeted by a Fire/EMS person who will perform a forehead thermal scan and ask what department they want. For the pantry they should ask for COA receptionist Jean who will then come to the entrance and escort them to the pantry to see the foods we stock. Only one senior at a time is allowed in with Jean. Then Jean selects the foods the senior  chooses, takes them from the shelf or freezer and packages them. At no time is the senior allowed to handle the food. This is both for the safety of the senior and Jean.

We are grateful that the COA has been the recipient of a grant through Old Colony Elder Services that has allowed the COA to purchase a commercial size freezer from North American Restaurant Equipment in Smithfield, RI. This has enabled us to significantly enlarge the amount of frozen foods that we carry for seniors. The frozen and canned foods, plus vegetables, are obtained through the South Shore Community Action Council in Plymouth. We value their service.

Many thanks to Fire Chief Steve Silva and his wife Debra, who along with Fire Captain Cheryl Davis and Fire/EMS Amira Kim came in over the weekend of the freezer delivery to move and reinstall all the shelving and product. A special thank you also to Assistant Treasurer/Collector Christine Kelly and her son Sean for volunteering to come in over the weekend and restock the pantry.

Chief Silva is enormously pleased with the success of the work his committee has done to bring services to Plympton during this pandemic.  It couldn’t be done without the help of volunteers.

Halifax honors veterans

By

Halifax honored its veterans Wednesday morning with a bagpipe solo by Nathan Campbell, 12, a champion piper and Silver Lake Middle School 7th grader.  Shown in the color guard was Bill Finn, left, and Stephanie Jones, Junior Vice-commander of the host Halifax VFW Post 6258.  Taps closed the ceremony played by bugler Cary Gearhart.

Silver Lake Pathways students learn the art of Film Production

By

The relatively new Pathways program at Silver Lake Regional High School is intended to support young adults with disabilities in learning life and vocational skills. The students, who range in age from 18 to 22 years old, have the opportunity to visit community-based work environments through the Pathways Supported Internship Program. Through that program, they are given the opportunity to engage in a variety of work-based activities related to the job site.

Special Education Director Marie Grable introduced the Transition Coordinator for the Pathways program Laura Courage during the Oct. 22 Silver Lake Regional School Committee Meeting. “We are just so fortunate to have the students and the staff members that we have; this program is so exceptional,” Grable said. She credited Courage’s public relations efforts for allowing the program to begin to tuition in students from neighboring communities. Recently, a new student has joined the program from Duxbury.

Courage and three of her eleven students appeared before the Committee virtually. The students were third year Pathways students Adam Brooks and Colin McSherry as well as Robert Silenzi, a second year Pathways student. Courage said that in a normal year there are 13 local job sites that participate in the program but said that only 8 of them are participating this year due to COVID restrictions.

Most recently, students had the opportunity to visit Harbor Media, a leading video services provider for the towns of Hingham and Norwell. In addition to touring the facility and shadowing the employees, the students produced, directed, and edited their own production. The final product was played for the School Committee. The video included student led interviews of their parents as well as a comprehensive overview of the Pathways program.

Speaking on his experience at Harbor Media, Silenzi said his goal was to “become a famous Hollywood screenwriter, mostly for Disney.” He added, “to the people at Pathways, I’m eternally grateful.” Brooks said, “I actually got to feel like a director, I got to lead by being an interviewer and a cameraman, I enjoyed the editing process really well.” McSherry noted, “editing was the most challenging part of the Harbor Media experience.”

After watching the production, Chair of the School Committee said, “That was a brilliant and heartwarming and very informative production. It was superbly done and the young adults that participated were wonderfully articulate… I literally sat here smiling the entire time at it.”

Superintendent Jill Proulx said, “It’s wonderful to see the quality of work that has been produced by your students and we are very proud of them… It’s nice to see them engaged in such relevant and meaningful activities.” She continued, “It is very clear from the video that they are learning and having fun at the same time.”

Courage thanked the Committee and administration for their support saying, “I feel very lucky to be a part of this community and to have such exceptional students and such exceptional support.”

Turnout sets new records

By

It was a late night counting votes in most polling places with voter turnout setting records in Plympton, Halifax, and Kingston – about 80 per-cent.  In Plympton, the 2016 presidential election broke all records for voter turnout, and 2020 topped those!

Kingston resident and incumbent Kathy LaNatra won her bid for a second term as Representative in General Court for the 12th Plymouth District, besting Halifax resident Summer Schmaling in a close contest.   LaNatra took 13, 150, or 53.7 per cent of the vote to Schmaling’s 11,348 votes, or 46.3 percent.

Here are the results as of Wednesday noon:

Plympton’s Town Clerk Patricia Detterman released the following unofficial results:

President

Biden and Harris 962

Hawkins and Walker  12

Jorgensen and Cohen  31

Trump and Pence 912

Blanks   16

Others     1

Senator in Congress

Edward J. Markey 960

Kevin J. O’Connor 932

Blanks   34

Dr. Shiva   7

Other   1

Representative in

Congress

Bill Keating 983

Helen Brady 826

Michael Manley   59

Blanks   66

Councillor

Christopher A. Ianella, Jr.   1253

Blanks   676

Others       5

Senator in General Court

Michael D. Brady 1266

Blanks   661

Others     7

Representative in

General Court

Kathleen R. LaNatra 963

Summer K. Schmaling 923

Blanks   48

Register of Probate

Matthew J. McDonough 1273

Blanks   657

Others     4

County Commissioner – Vote for two

Gregory M. Hanley   849

John Patrick Riordan   513

Jared L. Valanzola   826

Blanks 1680

County Treasurer

Thomas J. O’Brien 1081

Carina Leeza Mompelas   736

Blanks   117

Question 1 –

Right to Repair

Yes 1512

No   370

Blank   52

Question 2 –

Ranked Choice Voting

Yes 555

No 1298

Blank     81

Halifax

In Halifax, 79.1 percent of Halifax voters cast ballots on Tuesday.  Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor released the following unofficial results of the 4853 ballots cast:

President

Biden and Harris 2379

Hawkins and Walker    27

Jorgensen and Cohen   76

Trump and Pence 2385

Write-ins     18

Blanks     18

Senator in Congress

Edward J. Markey 2335

Kevin J. O’Connor 2363

Write-ins     35

Blanks     120

Representative

in Congress

Bill Keating   2431

Helen Brady   2132

Michael Manley     79

Write-ins       6

Blanks   205

Councillor

Christopher A. Iannella,

Jr.               3226

Write-ins     86

Blanks 1541

Senator in General Court

Michael D. Brady 3205

Write-ins 83

Blanks 1565

Representative in General

Court

Twelfth Plymouth District

Kathleen R. LaNatra 2215

Summer K. Schmaling 2460

Write-ins     4

Blanks   174

Register of Probate

Matthew J. McDonough 3164

Write-ins     69

Blanks 1620

County Commissioner –

Vote for two

Plymouth County

Gregory M. Hanley 2029

John Patrick Riordan 1226

Jared L. Valanzola 2069

Write-ins       9

Blanks   4373

County Treasurer

Thomas J. O’Brien   2585

Carina Leeza Mompelas 1847

Write-ins       4

Blanks   417

Question 1 –

Right to Repair

Yes 3560

No 1166

Blank   127

Question 2 –

Ranked Choice Voting

Yes 1419

No 3201

Blank   233

When asked if Halifax’s use of use Early Voting Advance Processing helped, Gaynor answered,  “It’s time consuming, however, since EV was only about 36 per cent.of the vote, I knew that we would be busy at the polls, so yes, it did help. “

Kingston

In Kingston, Town Clerk Paul Gallagher said Kingston had an 82 percent turnout of their 10,404 registered voters.   These are the unofficial results of their 8,529 ballots cast:

President

Biden and Harris 4498

Hawkins and Walker    28

Jorgensen and Cohen  163

Trump and Pence 3763

Write-ins     28

Blanks     49

Senator in Congress

Edward J. Markey   4435

Kevin J. O’Connor 3852

Write-ins     53

Blanks   189

Representative in

Congress

Bill Keating 4698

Helen Brady 3309

Michael Manley   177

Write-ins       6

Blanks   339

Councillor – First District

Joseph C. Ferreira     5764

Write-ins     112

Blanks 2653

Senator in General Court

Plymouth and Barnstable

District

Susan Lynn Moran 4307

James R. McMahon, III 3754

Write-ins       9

Blanks   459

Representative in

General Court

Twelfth Plymouth District

Kathleen R. LaNatra  4794

Summer K. Schmaling   3448

Write-ins       6

Blanks     281

Register of Probate

Matthew J. McDonough 5785

Write-ins     78

Blanks 2666

County Commissioner –

Vote for two

Plymouth County

Gregory M. Hanley 3854

John Patrick Riordan  2561

Jared L. Valanzola   3252

Write-ins     18

Blanks 7373

County Treasurer

Thomas J. O’Brien 5032

Carina Leeza Mompelas 2819

Write-ins       4

Blanks   674

Question 1 –

Right to Repair

Yes 6203

No 2100

Blank   226

Question 2 –

Ranked Choice Voting

Yes 2590

No 5605

Blank   334

Marijuana cultivators set sights on Halifax

By

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Oct.r 27, for their regular, non COVID specific weekly meeting. Selectman Troy Garron was absent.

The selectmen had an appointment with owner of High Hopes LLC Russell Bogartz, who hopes to open an indoor marijuana cultivation facility in Halifax. Bogartz, who said he spent 20 years as a business analyst, also introduced his CFO as well as the cultivator that would run the proposed facility.

“We are a small company. We don’t have a multi-state presence… we do have a decent investor pool to make it all happen and we do have big plans for the future and are hopeful that Halifax can be a part of that,” Bogartz explained. Currently, High Hopes has spent the last two years working on opening a cannabis dispensary in Hopedale, MA which is set to open in March of next year. Bogartz said that the hope would be to start with a cultivation site in Halifax and eventually open a retail store there as well. Bogartz confirmed with town administrator Charlie Seelig that Halifax does not have a limit on the number of retail marijuana stores that can take up residence in the town.

Selectman Gordon Andrews asked about location and was told they are looking at a few vacant lots near Dunkin Donuts on Route 106. Bogartz said the plan is to construct a building that is roughly 3500 – 5000 sq. ft. In addition to saying that there would be no pesticides or harmful chemicals used in the facility, Bogartz also ensured the selectmen that there wouldn’t be an odor. “You could literally have people be next door and not even be aware it’s there,” he said. “Our goal is to have the smallest footprint possible,” he added.

When asked what the benefit to the town would be, Bogartz answered property taxes. Andrews asked if the facility would even bring in the average amount in taxes as a typical residence in Halifax. Cities and towns can subject marijuana retailers up to a three percent tax on gross sales, but this does not extend to growing facilities.

Bogartz said he wouldn’t want to pay 3 percent to Halifax as he will already be paying it to the town of Hopedale for the retail establishment. Andrews pointed out, “We’ve had growers tell us they’re going to give us a percentage of what they’re grow business is.” “What we could do, there’s lots of flavors of compromise that would make it worthwhile but doesn’t make us get zinged twice for three percent,” Bogartz said.

Seelig told Bogartz that property taxes would likely not be enough of an incentive to abutters to make it worth whatever sacrifice they would have to endure. He said it was unlikely that the abutters would go to a hearing and support the idea if the additional property taxes were the only benefit to the town. “You’ll have to build political capital with the abutters,” Andrews said.

Selectman Tom Millias told Bogartz to come back when they have something more definitive. Bogartz agreed to nail down a location and a plan. Andrews also recommended that they watch the presentation Bud’s Goods and Provisions gave to the town and they agreed.

The selectmen also met with a representative of Area 58 Community Access Media to discuss a new contract. The current agreement between Area 58 and the towns of Carver, Halifax, and Plympton is set to expire soon.

Millias said that the only issue he has is the same one he has always had – a lack of transparency in what people are paying for the service. Millias said that Comcast subscribers are paying for the service on their cable bills and noted that the service is not coming from the town and therefore, they are not paying for it via taxes.

Millias also noted that the service is not clearly labeled on Comcast bills and said he believes it is referred to only as a franchise fee. According to Millias, there is no opt out clause. “I had less of a problem with it before it became available on Youtube… so now the subscribers are paying for everybody,” Millias explained.

Andrews said he would like to see Area 58 begin to provide the towns with a list of which meetings they plan to cover. The representative told the selectmen that if there are any specific meetings that they would like to see covered, they can put a request in through Seelig and Area 58 will do their best to cover it.

It was also said that Area 58 has the ability to host Zoom meetings in order to livestream it for viewers. This is something that has been done for many meetings in Carver. “We are always looking for additional ways of serving the community and are proud to do so and have enjoyed the relationship we’ve had with Halifax and Plympton over the years,” the representative said. Area 58 said they don’t anticipate any changes to the contract other than amending the dates.

The selectmen also engaged in a lengthy conversation about whether to grant recycling abatements for a number of different cases. They denied all those that missed the deadline but were less sure what to do in other situations.

Some claimed to never have received their first bill while others said they mistakenly believed an abatement was good indefinitely. Despite being “sympathetic,” Millias said, “I always think everybody knows this comes around once a year like your taxes.” The selectmen agreed to carry the recycling abatements conversation over to a later meeting.

Seelig told the selectmen that the option to sign up for a Webinar subscription is available for $450 per year. This would help in holding meetings virtually during the pandemic. Seelig noted that if they chose to go this route, if accepted by Plymouth County, CARES Act funds could only cover the cost for the next two months.

Seelig also told the selectmen that the Pope’s Tavern roof project is scheduled to being in the middle of November. The Council on Aging has already been moved over to the police station for the time being.