The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Dec. 14. The new interim town administrator Edwin Thorne sat with the Selectmen.
Selectmen discussed the proposed agreement with the Lakeville Animal Shelter. They had previously been looking into a possible agreement with Kingston but had not heard back. Selectman Troy Garron said of the agreement with Lakeville, “We’ve had a pretty good relationship.” The Selectmen voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with Lakeville.
Inventory lists, budgets, etc. were requested of all town departments. Thorne said, “As part of looking at a budget, we’re also reviewing the current year’s budget to see what our problem area is and what are areas where we are probably going to need to transfer funds to and from… that will be an ongoing process between now and the May town meeting.”
Thorne also said he was asked to look into the solar farm on the capped landfill. Thorne said there was some email correspondence between former town administrator Charlie Seelig and Seth Pickering of MassDEP. Thorne said he knows Pickering from his days working for Green Communities for Southeastern Massachusetts. Thorne said they discussed plans to possibly own the farm as opposed to entering into a 20-year agreement with the company; he further said this is what was done during his time in Pembroke when they faced a similar predicament. He described the plan in Pembroke as, “a payment in lieu of taxes, a lease… and a net savings over 20 years.”
Thorne also told the Selectmen that he sent an email to the Center for Living and Working regarding the ADA plan. He also addressed the Complete Streets Program which he called, “a great program.” He said those were some of the things that he has been working on in his first few days in office.
Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews said they had received an email from Joan Pierce, the Southeast Land Agent for the Department of Fish and Game regarding the parcel of land on Aldana Rd. that was part of a larger transaction between the town and the state. Andrews said the transaction was completed. Ownership of the land is necessary to pave the street.
Talent bank forms were submitted by Steve Littlefield and John Sullivan to be appointed to the Traffic Safety Committee. There was some confusion as to whether there were one or two seats available on the Committee. Selectman Ashley DiSesa said she would like to have the candidates come and speak with the Selectmen before officially appointing anyone.
The Selectmen appointed Thorne as the ADA Coordinator for non-school departments. They also voted to give Thorne authority to submit the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) application on behalf of the town.
There was a discussion regarding use of ARPA funds to upgrade the Police Department’s network and related equipment. Chief Joao Chaves joined remotely for this portion of the meeting. The current wireless equipment at the Police Department is over 10 years old and was described as awful. The firewall and network security points are also outdated. Andrews asked how much of the funding was being requested and was told that $30,000 would cover replacing and installing all related equipment.
Andrews asked the Chief to speak to the benefits of doing the upgrade now versus waiting for town meeting. Chaves said it would be more of a burden for taxpayers if funds were acquired through town meeting. DiSesa asked if the Board had access to the breakdown of what ARPA funds have been used versus what was still available. She was told they did not immediately have access to that information. Garron expressed some concern about funding the maintenance of the equipment in the future. The Selectmen voted that overall, they are in favor of using the funds for the purpose but said they first want to see the breakdown of funds used thus far from the town accountant.
There was also a discussion on the rate of pay for the Building Commissioner/Inspector of Buildings Steve Solari. The Selectmen voted to approve a rate of $50 per inspection.
An appointment was held with cannabis dispensary company Elevated Roots to discuss the proposed Host Community Agreement (HCA) with them. Elevated Roots first appeared before the Board in late September to introduce the project to the Selectmen and the community. The community forum was held in early November. “We’re ready to move forward with building and begin construction,” the representative told the Board during Tuesday’s meeting. “The residents and the town officials have the ability to go and evaluate how we are actually operating,” he said of their store in Kingston that has been operational since April. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the HCA.
Andrews told those assembled, “We did lose a retired employee this week – Cathy Drinan – a long time Board of Health agent.” DiSesa said, “She put a lot of work into the town.” Drinan was the long-time Docent Art Program Director for the Halifax Elementary School. “She was a very nice person; she worked really hard for our community; she will definitely be missed,” Andrews said.
Amy L. Troup appeared before the Board on behalf of the Beautification Committee. She requested that a donate button be added to the Facebook page. Andrews said it would be a question for the Treasurer/Collector’s office. Troup also said that they were interested in running a vendor fair in the spring, potentially in the gym at Halifax Elementary School. Andrews recommended coordinating with Youth and Rec to find out what days they are not using the gym.