The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, April 11.
Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen recalled to the Selectmen a dog biting incident in February at the Dennett Elementary School. Wilhelmsen said that in addition to the incident, there have been issues with residents not picking up after their dogs on the school’s grounds. Efforts were made to assist with cleaning up after dogs including bags being made available. There have been issues with students bringing dog waste into the school on their shoes. “Long story short…the School Committee took the vote to no longer allow dogs on the Dennett grounds,” he told the Selectmen. Selectman John Traynor said that he had heard from residents who were against the ban and noted that in the long run, the town will likely need to have a dog park. Selectman Mark Russo said that of all the issues that come before the Board the ones he fears the most are dog issues. “I think there is this balancing of privilege and need; it’s one more example of abuse of privilege takes away a lot of freedom for everyone… I’m sorry it was necessary,” Russo said. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she was in agreement that the privilege had been abused. “I think we need to look at addressing a safe place for people to walk their dogs,” she said, noting that that place was not the Dennett.
Board of Health member Art Morin spoke out against the ban saying that his wife and himself enjoy taking their Golden Retriever to their granddaughter’s soccer games at the Dennett. He said that they pay their share of taxes and that poor behavior by some should not result in penalties for all. He also suggested that it could be coyote or other wildlife excrement. Wilhelmsen said that he went so far as to research coyote waste, and it was most definitely not. “We did not jump to this decision… we took an incremental approach,” Wilhelmsen explained. He again stressed that they gave people many opportunities to correct the issue.
Regarding the Dennett budget, Wilhelmsen said that Plympton has experienced a 20 percent increase in enrollment up from 200 to 242 students. He noted that the current kindergarten and first grade classes are quite large at 40 students each and said they anticipated another large class coming in next year. He said the increases affect their shared costs and as a result, there would be some increases there. Wilhelmsen said that also included in the budget is a new position called coordinator of student support. The position would provide additional staffing from a counseling perspective as currently only the school principal and school psychologist are available for those purposes. He said that there are a myriad of issues resulting from COVID including social engagement as well as behavior and adjustment issues. “There is an enormous shortage right now with counselors… there can be an 8-10 month wait,” Wilhelmsen said. He said that they hoped that early intervention would reduce bigger issues down the line.
“On the plus side, we have increased savings in the special education line and also from the enrollment perspective, we have in the Governor’s budget, an increase in Chapter 70 funding…we should have a zero increase in the budget,” Wilhelmsen told the Selectmen of the overall Dennett budget. Silver Lake Regional School Committee and Plympton Elementary School Committee member Jason Fraser said that Plympton just enrolled their smallest class ever in the seventh grade. As a result, Plympton’s share of the Silver Lake Regional budget will be level.
The Selectmen discussed a request for use of the Old Townhouse by a mediation group. They had discussed the pros and cons during previous meetings. The town did reach out to the Cultural Council to see if they would be interested in sponsoring the event and they said that they would like to do that. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that they were still waiting to hear from town counsel regarding any potential insurance issues. Russo said he would like to see the use approved on a trial basis while a process is worked out for use of the Old Townhouse. The Selectmen voted to allow the mediation group to use the Old Townhouse on a provisional basis over the next two months.
The Selectmen also discussed the contract with the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCC). Dennehy said that herself and the Fire Chief planned to meet with them later that week in the hope of reducing the town’s share of $200,000. “It is absolutely insane that the citizens of this town should be paying three times as much as citizens of other towns,” Russo said. “A town of 3,000 [Plympton] is being asked to pay the same $200,000 as a town of 8,000 and a town of 14,000,” he continued.
Dennehy said the drafts of both the annual and special town meeting warrants are with town counsel for review. The Board’s votes for recommendations will occur on April 28. Wilhelmsen said that he would be at the library on Saturday giving a very high-level overview of the articles that would be appearing at Town Meeting for the Town Properties Committee. He said that he would go further in depth at the Townhouse the following Saturday. He also said that on the first Wednesday of May, there would be a Zoom session at 6 p.m. to go over much of the same for those that cannot attend the earlier in-person events.
The Selectmen briefly discussed the increases requested in the Police and Fire budgets. Regarding the Police Department budget, the Selectmen were in agreement that a bare bones budget with a new Police Chief was not ideal. In the interest of safety, etc. the Selectmen were united that they would like to support the budget as presented. They spoke out against having officers running overnight patrols alone, particularly in today’s climate. They voted to support the Police Department and Fire Department salaries’ lines as requested. Dennehy also said that they had received correspondence in support of acting Police Chief Daniel Hoffman to fill the permanent position.
21st annual Egg Hunt