Plympton-Halifax Express

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Halifax ATM warrant takes shape

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, March 30 for the purpose of going over some budget items for town meeting as well as the warrant articles. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan was in attendance.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig led the discussion on the budget. Seelig said the Finance Committee had already been through most of the line items though he noted that there were several items that they had not provided final recommendations for the warrant.  The Finance Committee is still waiting to find out how much money will be available to account for increases in line items. Seelig said they must first see what happens with the Elementary School budget as well as the Silver Lake Regional assessment as they are such a significant portion of the town’s operating budget. “Things are very tight,” Seelig said, “…the Finance Committee cannot honor all of the requests that came in from all the departments.”

Seelig went over the various articles in the warrant. Article 1 is the report of town officials and committees and Article 2 is the wage and personnel amendments. Article 3 pertains to elected officials’ salaries. As of the meeting, the Finance Committee had yet to make a recommendation regarding wage and personnel or salaries. Article 5 is the operating budget and Article 6 is the traditional list of revolving funds. Articles 7 through 13 are articles for the contracts for both unions and personnel including the fire and police chiefs. “These articles will remain on the warrant even if an agreement hasn’t been made by next week,” Seelig explained.

Much of the meeting was spent going over the appropriation articles. The article for general highway maintenance has been funded at $150,000 for a number of years though the Highway Surveyor, Finance Committee, and Capital Planning Committee have agreed that there is a need to increase it to $300,000. Article A4 is a request from the Highway Surveyor for a bond for $4,000,000 for major roadwork. “Obviously, as most residents know, a number of roads in Halifax are substandard and it does unfortunately take a large amount of money to bring them up even without any engineering costs and such,” Seelig explained. Seelig said that Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward had yet to make a decision about whether or not to have this article on the warrant. A30 is for $135,000 for a new backhoe for the Highway Department. A31 is for $85,000 for a new forklift, also for the Highway Department. Several articles pertain to the Town Barn including an OSHA required mezzanine gate and new overhead doors.  Seelig said he is waiting for a quote on these items from Hayward.

A5 is for the possibility of the Building and Facility Needs Committee purchasing land for future building needs. A6 is for the Assessor’s recertification account. Other appropriation articles include money for new vehicles and a new copier machine for the Police Department. A14 is for resealing the parking lot at the Elementary School. Another article is for $32,000 for the document management system that will allow for e-permitting.

A32 is for $29,000 to replace windows at Pope’s Tavern and A33 is to upgrade the alarm systems at Town Hall, the Highway Barn, and the Recycling Center. Several articles are for work at Town Hall including A34 to appropriate additional money beyond $35,000 to repair or replace the handicap ramp at Town Hall. A35 is to crack seal and repave the parking lot at Town Hall. A37 is for $90,000 to replace the windows at the Town Hall. Seelig explained that replacing the windows at the Town Hall and Council on Aging are especially expensive as they are custom sized windows. Nolan said that there is a chance that that some of the money can be recuperated through Green Communities. An article for a new PA system for the Town Hall was also discussed.

A36 is to repair and replace the roof at the Holmes Public Library for $11,000. A45 is for $2,500 for three new computers for the library, two for the public and one for the staff. A40 is to hold a number of workshops for department heads. A48 is for a fraud risk assessment recommended by the auditors. A49 is a request from the treasurer/collector for $25,000 to be added to the unemployment compensation fund. Silver Lake Regional School requested $36,000 to support a part-time school resource officer at the Middle School. Selectman Gordon Andrews said he would be recusing himself as a selectman as he would likely be presenting the article. Article A53 is a carryover from last year when the Housing Authority was actually mistakenly paying a share of retirement for town employees.

There is also an article regarding a solar property on River St. where an agreement is still being negotiated with the town. The purpose of the article is to allow the possibility that the assessors and selectmen would bring a final agreement to town meeting for approval. Seelig explained that they are waiting for legislation pertaining to taxation of solar fields to go into effect in June before proceeding. The selectmen agreed to leave it on the warrant though they acknowledged it is unlikely that it will actually be ready for town meeting.

Seelig also addressed an article pertaining to an update to floodplain requirements per FEMA. The Planning Board held a hearing on Thursday, April 1 with someone from the state present to answer any questions residents had. It is a requirement for the town to maintain eligibility for the property owners for floodplain insurance. Selectman Chair Tom Millias said, “I would highly recommend to the residents, anybody who lives even close to any water or has had issues with floodplains in the past, to pay some attention to this because it doesn’t become a problem for them, until it’s a problem.”

There are a few petition articles as well including an article to eliminate the sale of nips.

Dennett to open fully at six feet distancing

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The Plympton School Committee held an interim meeting on Friday, March 12 for the purpose of reviewing the revised plan for more in-person learning time at the Dennett Elementary School. The revised plan was created using feedback from the meeting on February 22 as well as the parent survey which was distributed. Chair of the School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen thanked Dennett Principal Peter Veneto for his work creating the revised plan and the work still to be done to implement that plan. Veneto presented the plan prior to opening the meeting for discussion for both School Committee members as well as members of the public. Speakers were asked to hold their comments to three minutes.

“I completely understand that this is an emotional subject for all involved, for parents, teachers, administrators, and School Committee members and while I anticipate this will not be an issue, my expectation is that all comments, questions, and discussions this evening will be presented in a respectful and professional manner whether or not we agree with everything that is said by others,” Wilhelmsen told those remotely assembled.

Committee member Jason Fraser provided a brief legislative update pertinent to the night’s discussion prior to moving on to Veneto’s presentation. Fraser said he was happy to report that teachers were now eligible to receive their COVID vaccinations in Massachusetts. He said the development was in large part due to the work of Massachusetts’ Senate President Karen Spilka. President Biden also mandated that federally contracted pharmacies must open their vaccination programs to teachers as well. Fraser said they were still working on getting the Governor to allow local Boards of Health and Fire Departments to administer the vaccines directly to teachers themselves. Fraser said that they were also working with Representative Kathy LaNatra and Senator Michael Brady on suspending the MCAS for this year in order to prioritize a return to more in-person learning including social and emotional support. There is legislation in place at the State level to receive a waiver at the federal level for bypassing the MCAS.

Veneto then made his proposal for a full-time, in-person return to school with six feet of social distancing. The proposed start date is March 22. Veneto said that the most recent guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on March 9 stated that they expected a return to a full, in-person learning model by April 5 which includes 5 hours of structured learning time per day. Students can choose, however, to remain remote through the end of this school year though it is unlikely that option will be provided next year. As full-time learning is the default model mandated by the Commissioner, a School Committee vote was not necessary to change models. The School Committee did, however, take a vote to approve the plan as presented that night since the start date was earlier than the one proposed by the State. It was unanimously approved.

Veneto went over the parent survey results which indicated that 84.1 percent of respondents were requesting a full, in-person return at six feet of distance with 78 students requesting bus services. Nine students were requesting to remain in a remote model. Veneto said that the school will be following state guidance for remote students by live “streaming” into the classroom.

Veneto said that the schedule for the revised model will be nearly identical to the pre-pandemic one with school hours being from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Masks and six feet of social distancing will be maintained. Some of the changes that allowed the school to maintain six feet of distance include moving one fifth grade class to the library, another fifth grade class to the art room, and changing a reading teacher to a first grade teacher for the remainder of the school year. In order for music class to be held, it must be held at 10 feet of distance; something the administration was able to arrange. Wind instruments will not be allowed. Music teacher Carla Pecinovsky thanked parents that donated to allow the school to purchase ukuleles to be used instead.

Veneto said that one of his concerns with the changes is the number of students being dropped off and picked up and the length of the lines. Veneto said he is working with bus drivers to ensure safe protocols are followed. Regarding lunch, Veneto said, “In order to accommodate the kids in the cafeteria, we can’t do it with our current model of having three lunches, so we’re going to increase up to five lunches.” The first lunch will be served at 10:45 am and the last at 12:30 pm. Only 50 students can be accommodated in the cafeteria at once at six feet.

Veneto said that next steps will be securing a letter of commitment from families stating their preference for live or remote and whether they will need bus services for Term three. “One or two kids will make the difference if we can do this at six feet,” Veneto said. Based on survey results, he expects that it will work out. Wilhelmsen asked parents to turn that commitment around as quickly as possible.

School Committee members expressed their gratitude toward Veneto for coming up with a feasible plan that still allows students to remain six feet apart. “I don’t take sole credit for this; this was a lot of people working hard and collaborating and trying to think about what’s best for our kids,” Veneto said. Wilhelmsen said that he wanted those on the call to know that the plan that was proposed was largely the one that was pushed for by parents during the February 22 call. “I think this is right for us at this point,” he said. He also thanked the parents for participating and being part of the discussion.

A parent of a Cohort C student asked if there had been given any thought to allowing the previously fully remote students to gradually work their way into a full, in-person model beginning as hybrid. She called it “daunting” to go from full-remote to full, in-person. “I think the tricky part is that the hybrid model is basically not going to be in existence in about two and half weeks or so,” Veneto explained. He offered to have a conversation offline to see if something could be worked out. It was also confirmed that students on IEPs would still be getting all services necessary despite the model change. Several parents thanked Veneto and his staff for the new plan referring to it as “a relief.”

New act could mean loss of grant money

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The Feb. 18 Halifax Planning Board meeting began with Attorney Amy Kwesell present to discuss drafting a defendable decision with regard to site plans and special permits and answer any pertinent questions in order to better inform new Board members and refresh older ones. She also presented on the Housing Choice Act of 2020. Some of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) members were also on the call. Kwesell has been practicing law for 21 years with a special interest in land use and is a teacher for the Continuing Legal Education and Zoning Conference.

Kwesell explained the Housing Choice Act of 2020 as part of the legislation that included the budget. “What this does to municipalities is they have some mandatory definitions… but one of the most important things is that they require multi-family housing in MBTA communities and Halifax is a MBTA community,” Kwesell explained. “A MBTA community has to have a district of reasonable size for multi-family housing permitted as of right; there can be no age restrictions and it has to be suitable for families with children… it has to be within a half mile of a commuter rail station,” she further explained.

If a community fails to adopt multi-family housing then they will no longer be eligible for grants through the Commonwealth including but not limited to Mass Works, Local Capital Project Fund, and Housing Choice Initiatives.” The MassDOT Complete Streets Funding Program is one such grant. The program provides technical assistance and construction funding to eligible municipalities.

Later in the meeting, Chair Alan Dias said that the Complete Streets Program had been submitted by the Board to the Highway Surveyor. He said that once past that part of the process, he would expect to hear from a representative of the program regarding which projects would make the cut. Board member Amy Troup asked, “Won’t we have to enact the new bill to be eligible for it?” Dias responded saying, “If we do not have some zoning districts that we will not be eligible; we’re eligible for the Complete Streets as of now under this program. If we don’t do something whenever the legislature agrees to give us whatever time frame, then we won’t be eligible after that but right now I believe that those funds have been sort of set aside depending on what we pick.”

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and MBTA will be developing parameters for multi-family housing. Kwessell said she was advising that towns not make changes to zoning until the parameters are released. Kwessell called the Act “not well thought out.”

She said the Act also allows for certain bylaws to be enacted without the two-thirds vote at town meeting. Additionally, some special permits can be granted with a simple majority rather than the normally required four-fifths.

Kwessell began her presentation on site plans saying that when an application comes before the Board, it is important to understand which bylaw is at issue. She said that the Planning Board has special permits for which they are the Site Plan Granting Authority (SPGA) while other special permits are granted by the ZBA. An SPGA may be the Planning Board, the ZBA, or the Board of Selectmen. Regarding site plan approval, Kwessell said, “the purpose is not to regulate the use, it’s to regulate how that use is implemented… there’s been no land court decision that upholds the denial of a site plan for an as of right use… you can’t deny it, you can condition it.” She continued, “With the special permit process there is discretion so there is a difference between special permit and site plan approval.”

When a site plan review application comes in, the Board is required to circulate it to all of the various Boards that need to see it. Next steps would be conducting the public hearing where the Board has quorum, close the public hearing, deliberate, and then vote. During the public hearing, public participation is allowed though it may be limited by time constraints. “Best practices for just conducting these hearings, you want to be respectful to the applicants and the public; you want to keep an open mind, avoid conflict of interests. If there are any conflicts, any question of conflicts, you can always call the attorney of the day,” she said. She also said that an extension from the applicant must be in writing and must provide enough time for all necessary steps to be made. “You want to perfect the decision which is sending it to the Town Clerk’s office,” Kwessell explained. Kwessell said if a motion is made to approve the decision and it fails, the project is denied and it is not necessary to take a vote to deny the project. All decisions must be recorded and filed with the registry.

Once an application is filed with the Town Clerk, it is dispersed to the Planning Board, the Board of Health, the Building Inspector, the Highway Surveyor, the Water Commissioners, the Zoning Administration, the Board of Appeals, the Conservation Commission and the Board of Selectmen. The various Boards then have 30 days to submit feedback to the Planning Board. The Planning Board must explain any divergence from the other Boards’ recommendations in their decision. “The courts have held that for a use allowed as a right, a Board may deny site plan approval only in situations where a plan is seriously deficient in important elements or is ‘so intrusive on the interests of the public in one regulated aspect or another that rejection of the Board would be tenable,’” Kwessell read to the Board.

Kwessell described a special permit as serving to “regulate that special middle tier of uses.” She continued, “There’s uses that are so offensive they’re prohibited and then those that are you know very innocuous and they’re allowed, so then you have this middle section that’s what I consider special permits.” A special permit cannot be refused for reasons that are not in the bylaw and the statute is not more detrimental. Kwessell also added that you cannot base your decision on the applicant but rather on the project. If there are already special permits issued that impact the neighborhood, the Board is not allowed to deny what Kwessell referred to as “the last guy” if the impact is of the same caliber as previous ones.

For a special permit, a public hearing is required within 65 days of filing and a decision within 90 days. For a five-member Board as in Halifax, special permits require that four out of the five vote in favor. The public hearing must be published at least fourteen days out from the hearing.

Following Kwessell’s presentation, Board member Gordon Andrews asked what the role of the Planning Board was in site plan enforcement. “Under your bylaw the enforcement is by the Building Inspector or a designee designated by the Board of Selectmen,” Kwessell said. “So the Planning Board doesn’t go out and police it?,” Andrews reiterated. “No,” Kwessell said.

Michael Joyce with Joyce Consulting Group, who was representing Brookside Construction, met with the Board regarding 300 Plymouth St. Joyce showed the proposed site plan which included the intersection of Plymouth St. and Monponsett St. He said there were six commercial units in the building including Verizon and a bike shop. He said they were proposing a solution to correct a drainage issue that would entail collecting all the stormwater the same way, put new pvc but then bring it out below grade at the curb line to two infiltration areas. Stormwater had been going into the building during some larger storm events. Board member Rick Perry said, “It makes perfect sense to me what they are trying to do there.” Dias recommended that they go before the Conservation Commission as well. Andrews disagreed as wetlands weren’t involved saying it did fall under the purview of the Planning Board to take it under advisement. Dias wished to clarify who did have purview over stormwater management.

The Board also discussed 0 Monponsett St. “If you go down 58 toward Plympton on the left-hand side there’s some concrete blocks there and it’s listed as 0 Monponsett St. and it looks like there’s a stump dump going on in the back,” Andrews explained. He further said that there was a gravel operation and a loom operation with trucks going in and out. Andrews said he had received numerous calls questioning what was going on, what the hours are, and where the site plans are. “There’s a business operation there and it doesn’t look like there’s a site plan,” he explained. Dias asked Andrews for more information and Andrews said he would get a lot number and a map. Dias seemed to think it might better fall under the purview of the Zoning Enforcement Officer.

At the end of the meeting, there was significant disagreement over the meeting minutes from October 15 and whether or not Troup had approved the version that were sent to the town clerk. Planning Board secretary Jo-Anne Snow said that she didn’t make any edits to the minutes that were approved though Troup seemed to feel that a line had been deleted about using Chapter 90 money being spent on engineering to apply for grants. Troup asked that the removal be added back in and everyone on the Board re-sign the minutes. Dias recommended tabling the conversation as all the members that had previously approved the minutes were not present. Troup said, “We do not need a re-vote, what we need is for that to be put into the minutes and that is all that needs to happen.” “We’ll just move that off to our next meeting,” Dias finally concluded after quite a bit of back and forth.

Schmaling named to regional board

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen held a special meeting on Wednesday, March 3 to interview and select a candidate from the town to fill a vacancy on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee. The position would be a two-month position to fulfill a current term until the election in May. Selectmen Chair Tom Millias said he would encourage any candidates not awarded to the interim position to take papers out and run during the town election.

Representing the Silver Lake Regional School Committee was Chair Paula Hatch as well as Gordon Andrews who was acting in his role on the Regional School Committee rather than as a selectman. Millias and selectman Troy Garron were there to represent the Halifax Board of Selectmen.

The first candidate interviewed was Jessica DiBona, a teacher with over twenty years of experience. “I know that there is a lot of work that has to be undertaken by the School Committee in the coming months and I just want to give a hand helping out with that; I know many hands make light work of a big task so I just want to volunteer to help,” DiBona said. Garron asked DiBona if she felt that she would be biased as a teacher while negotiating contracts with other teachers. DiBona responded, “no, because I am a parent first.” Millias asked her how she felt about school returning full-time and DiBona replied, “It’s time to go back, I think there are proper safety precautions in place for the teachers and the staff.”

Hatch, who thanked all three candidates for expressing interest, asked DiBona about where her priorities would be when needing to reduce a budget during the drafting and reviewing process which is currently underway. “You have to try to make cuts that are going to affect the least amount of kids as possible… you need to find a way to work with the resources you have and maybe see how teachers can step up in other ways in more ways than one to maybe fulfill a need that two people were doing before,” DiBona said. DiBona also said she was on the School Council with Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Jim Dupille for two years during the budget process. “I saw the school view impact of how that plays out,” she explained, acknowledging how tough it can be when you may have to cut school personnel.

The next candidate interviewed was Summer Schmaling who has served for seven years on the Halifax School Committee; six of those as Chair. Schmaling said she has a daughter at the high school and a son who will soon be entering the Middle School. She told those assembled that she had already pulled papers and would be appearing for a position on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee during the election. Schamling alluded to the current budget crisis as well as the impending superintendent review and said she is on the Admin Review Committee as well as Union 31. “It’s kind of a tricky time of year for somebody to jump into and fill a vacancy on a board, so when I saw there was a vacancy and knew I was going to run for Silver Lake, I thought I would be a valuable asset to the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, bringing my expertise of dealing with the budget and the complexities of trying to return our children to school.”

Hatch asked Schmaling about balancing her responsibilities to both the Halifax Elementary School Committee and the Regional one should she be awarded the position. “It will be a very busy time as you know,” Hatch said. Schmaling, who said she is the kind of person who functions well under high stress, said, “I am aware of that and I am aware that I also serve on relatively busy subcommittees also, that’s part of the process. I feel that I have done a pretty good job over the years being a parent and being Chairman of the Halifax Elementary School Committee and working full-time and many other things I have done for myself and this community.” Schmaling also noted that she has been to every town meeting since moving into Halifax 11 years ago.

As he did with DiBona, Millias asked Schmaling what her thoughts were on the children returning to school full-time. “Oh I’ve been a very strong and vocal advocate of a full five day in-person return and in fact I made the motion on the floor for the elementary to return,” Schmaling said. Millias said, “You’ve volunteered for a lot of things for a lot of years and we’re grateful.”

The final candidate was Marline Amedee who said she is both a mother, a social worker, and a small business owner. Amedee said she has been interested in serving in some capacity since moving to Halifax noting that she had previously submitted applications including for the Halifax Elementary School Committee. Like Schmaling, Amedee noted that she intends to pull papers for the coming election. “I believe that the budget is an issue for all cities and towns in Massachusetts right now because we are having an unprecedented moment right now,” Amedee said. “I want to be part of that conversation to bring a fresh idea, a new opinion… and work with teachers and administrators to see how we can serve our community better,” she continued.

Amedee also spoke about challenges, including mental health struggles, facing students at home that may be affecting them at school as well. “We want to have people in school to help them, support them through those challenges especially during this unprecedented time.”  Hatch asked Amedee to elaborate on what kind of social and emotional issues she has seen children facing during the pandemic in her job. She also asked how Amedee felt that these issues should best be dealt with given budgetary constraints. “One thing that we can do, if we cannot do anymore hiring, is that we can train teachers in mental health first-aid; train them and give them the support that they need so that they can support the kids in school,” Amedee said. She further acknowledged that there would be no one thing that would fix it all saying that it would be a “process.”

Andrews asked Amedee how quickly she felt she could get up to speed on the budget process given the short duration of the open position. Amedee said she was a “fast learner” and said she has the time to learn at a fast-pace. Millias asked Amedee the same question regarding a return to full, in-person learning that he asked the previous two candidates. “We must do everything possible to have our children back in the classroom full-time and also following up with the state guidelines and prioritizing the safety of everyone.”

Following the interviews, Millias opened the meeting to any motions including those to appoint someone to the Committee. Hatch began by saying that the Silver Lake Regional School Committee has lost three members in the last ten months noting how challenging that has been. Speaking about the superintendent review and the budget process, Hatch said, “Given those two things being really the crucial two things that the School Committee needs to tackle in the next two months, I’m going to make a motion… to appoint Summer. I do so because of Summer’s background and experience already with the budgets and the overall School Committee experience.” Andrews seconded the motion. A roll call vote of the four voting members of the Selectmen and School Committee was then taken. It was unanimous in favor of appointing Schmaling to the interim term.

Plympton Selectmen seek OCPC traffic advice

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met remotely on Monday, March 8. Several representatives of the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) were invited to attend the meeting by Selectman Christine Joy to provide technical assistance regarding the safety zones that had been brought forth by the Selectmen and voted through at town meeting. The zones reduce speeds at certain problematic intersections in town.

Bill McNulty with the OCPC spoke about what they could do to provide assistance including advice regarding sign placement. He said that they can collect data to interpret what kind of effects the signs are having. Much of the technical assistance provided by OCPC has to do with speed limits. They can place tubes in the road that will record traffic volume, speed, and type of vehicle. McNulty also said that they could explore possible traffic calming techniques including narrowing travel lanes. He said that narrowing travel lanes has a “demonstrative effect on lowering speeds.”

Selectman Chair Mark Russo noted that the signs posted thus far alerting drivers to the reduced speed zones have not helped slow down traffic. “We’d like all the help we can get; the two areas where we established the safety zones are just hellaciously uncomfortable,” Russo told the OCPC representatives. Russo also said that he was interested in possibly reducing truck traffic or having a truck exclusion. McNulty said it was a possibility but that an alternate route would have to be available to trucks in order to gain approval from MassDOT. “We’ll look at the traffic pattern and identify the best alternate route for trucks,” he explained.

Joy said that any of the recommended work could eventually become a TIP project or a Transportation Improvement Program with federal funding. She noted that the data, etc. collected by OCPC would be helpful.

Next, the Selectmen looked at some possible town meeting articles. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen spoke to several related potential articles including the largest and priciest of which – a roof replacement at the Town House for an estimated $500,000. Wilhelmsen said that regardless of what decision is made about the work, some attention will likely need to be devoted to the project. Other potential articles related to the town campus include $7,500 for roof assessments at both the library and fire station and $7,000 for flagpole refurbishments at two locations in town. Other possible articles include a fund for general consultant and preliminary design services and the Center St. building refurbishment. The Town Properties Committee will prepare recommendations for the Selectmen to consider during their March 22 meeting.

Other potential articles include repurposing the leftover funds from the article that was created when hiring Town Administrator Liz Dennehy. The account still has $10,311 in it that could be put toward general search assistance for professional positions. Another possible article is for $5,000 toward hiring a hydrologist to perform analysis of reporting and consequences of Rocky Harvest water withdrawal. Joy explained that it would allow them to see trends.

The selectmen also discussed next steps with the proposal for a marijuana cultivation site in town from their previous meeting. Nick Rizzo had appeared before the Board during their previous meeting to inquire about their interest in his business which would include multiple greenhouses. The facility would not be public facing and the product would be sold to other establishments in the Commonwealth. Selectmen John Traynor said he had already received one message from a resident that was adamantly opposed to it as they were concerned about it being visible from Spring St.

There is a list of questions including potential revenue to the town that will be sent to Rizzo and his partner. The Selectmen can then decide what next steps to take based on the responses. Russo said that he sees the potential for revenue for the town without much disturbance. “I am kind of excited about this one for it being low impact and potentially in the exact right place,” Russo said. Rizzo had discussed a potential location with the Selectmen during the previous meeting though he doesn’t yet own any land in town.

The Selectmen also discussed how best to handle town owned land disposition, particularly lots of low value. Dennehy said the process is different if the lot is worth less than $35,000. She also noted that accepting a price that is much less than what it appraises for could raise issues with the State. Dennehy said that options include holding an auction or putting the land out to bid as was done recently for the Prospect Rd. lots. She said she would recommend an auction for low value land saying that she would reserve going out to bid for buildable lots or lots where fair market value could be attained.

Russo said he was strongly leaning toward not selling the Churchill property at this time. Traynor said he was not in favor of selling the land. Joy said she felt it imperative that the town get some of the land back on the tax roll by selling the lots. She suggested batching them and “having an auction and trying to get rid of them.” Joy ultimately suggested sending the list to the Town Properties Committee to make sure there were no lots that could potentially be suitable for a town project. The other selectmen agreed with those next steps.

Dennehy provided the Selectmen with her Town Administrator’s report. She said that herself and the Fire Chief are working on a grant opportunity to replace the cistern at the Town Green and possibly put one or two more elsewhere in the town. She said that she was unsure if the application would be successful as it is a large grant program and extremely competitive. She noted that it may work in their favor that they are a small town with a small ask.

The open town accountant position has been advertised in various places and will remain posted through March 17.  Dennehy said the open assistant treasurer/collector position was posted as well as of Monday.

Dennehy also said that the town had received correspondence from Habitat for Humanity who had previously presented to the Board during a meeting several weeks back. They were interested in looking at potential places where they could collaborate with the town on a possible project. The Selectmen expressed interest in doing a site visit with them to look at some potential lots. Russo said that while building a single-family home would be great for one family, what really interested him was the potential to offer affordable housing to elderly residents.

The Selectmen also voted unanimously on a Purple Hearts Community Proclamation. The vote would make August 7 a day to honor Purple Heart recipients in Plympton and encourage residents to do things such as fly the American flag.

As is customary for them, the Selectmen ended their meeting with their rants or raves of the last few weeks. Traynor said that his rave was for Mike Murphy, the manager of the Upland Club, for working with the Council on Aging to allow a Zumba class to be hosted in the pavilion for Plympton seniors. Joy said that her rave was for Jon Wilhelmsen, the School Committee, and the school staff who have been working so hard to get the kids back in school. Russo said his rave was for vaccines. “My rave is even more for the peace of mind that vaccines may offer in the near future; that sense of relief, that sense of being protected and maybe some sense of getting back to normalcy,” he explained.

Five days in-person classes at Dennett?

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The Plympton School Committee met virtually on Monday, Feb. 22, to discuss, among other things, their plan for increased in-person learning time. It was a well-attended meeting with many parents eager to hear the proposal.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto led the discussion on the new plan. Veneto began by explaining that capacity limitations and physical distancing requirements on buses were lifted on February 11. The physical distancing requirement at lunch remains at 6 ft. Veneto proposed a return to full, in-person learning five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. The current hybrid model includes 12 hours of in-person learning and the newly proposed plan would increase that to 20 hours. There would be no lunch or recess in school under Veneto’s plan but there would be an afternoon component of either asynchronous or synchronous remote learning depending on the grade level. The cafeteria staff would have to organize a sort of grab and go breakfast and lunch program.

Veneto explained that by not serving lunch during the day, it affords them space in the cafeteria to be utilized as classrooms. Gym class would also have to be held somewhere other than the gymnasium as that space would likely also be used as a classroom. Under the new plan, afternoons on Wednesdays would be reserved for professional development and planning for the staff. The hope would be to begin the new model at the beginning of Term 3 on March 22.

Next steps will include sending out a survey to parents to assess their level of interest and comfort in the new model. Veneto said they will also need to find out if the bus company, First Student, will be able to accommodate the newly proposed hours. Veneto said that he is not anticipating any budget implications for the new model at this time.

The fully remote Cohort C was also discussed with Veneto saying that they would have to take a hard look at the current staff and make determinations about whether new hires will have to be made. Parent Jessica Kinsman asked if the Cohort C students could potentially lose their current teachers. Veneto said, “To be truthful, that is a possible scenario.” Kinsman asked that the Cohort C students retain their current teachers to reduce the number of transitions they will need to be subjected to in an already difficult year. Veneto said that he understood noting that he was concerned with providing them the same level of effort and support as the other cohorts. The State has mandated 35 hours of synchronous learning over a 10-day school period this year for schools that are in a hybrid model. Committee member Jason Fraser said that regardless of the requirement, if 40 hours of synchronous learning time is provided for the in-person cohorts, the same 40 hours must be met for the fully remote students in the interest of equity.

Several parents on the call had questions regarding lunchtime and whether it might be feasible for students to eat in the classrooms if physical distancing requirements of six feet were already in place. Veneto said the greatest challenge would be having supervision on the children. Parent Nikki Mahoney asked if there was any consideration for parent volunteers to alleviate the stress of monitoring the kids at lunchtime. “I definitely would be open to people possibly coming in to help out,” Veneto said. Many parents on the call offered that they would be available for volunteering. School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen pointed out the importance of limiting the number of people coming into the school.

Some parents, including Committee members, expressed concern over how they would be able to make the new hours work with their work schedules. Several people said that it just would not be possible for them to pick their child up each day at 12:30, forcing them to have to use the bus or add to potential exposures by accepting rides with other families. Parent Angela Wilbur said, “This plan is a logistical nightmare for me.” “It is going to have to be a compromise; I wish that I could provide school from 2019,” Veneto said.

Wilbur asked if the intention was for this plan to be a short-term one with the goal to increase more in-person learning time later or if the plan would remain through the end of the year. Veneto called the proposal “a step in the right direction” and said that he would re-evaluate after the staff is able to be vaccinated and the new plan able to be tested.

Wilbur also expressed concern that she believes Plympton will soon be the only town of the three Silver Lake communities not to return to a full day in person five days a week. She said that she worried that the Plympton students will be at a disadvantage academically compared to their peers. Some parents became quite heated while expressing their dismay at the proposed plan and what they perceived to be a failure on the behalf of the administration and School Committee. Parent Stephani Teran came to the defense of the administration and School Committee attributing their cautious approach to the success of the school in mitigating the spread of the virus.

Several parents with children spread out among different schools in the district expressed concern with the conflicting dismissal times. According to those on the call, the middle school would be dismissed at 12:20 and the high school at 12:45. Veneto said that he would adjust the schedule as needed saying that the dismissal could be moved a half an hour earlier or later if necessary.

Parent Michelle Ruxton asked what the remote learning would look like were there to be a close contact exposure that forced a quarantine. Veneto said that one of the benefits of the current model is that should a student need to stay home, they can receive remote, synchronous learning. He said that it might not be possible to offer that under the new model.

Parents will have about a week to complete the survey regarding the plan for increased, in-person learning. Wilhelmsen said that depending on the results of the survey, the School Committee may need to have another brief meeting to address it.

The official public budget hearing for FY2022 for the Dennett was held during Monday’s meeting. There were no public comments made. Superintendent Jill Proulx gave a presentation on the budget. Veneto was asked to provide a level service budget. The budget assumes a full, in-person return to school.

The regular day budget reflects a 6.20 percent increase, and the total budget represents a 3.97 percent increase or $147,560 more than the previous year. Capital projects include driveway/parking lot improvements, a fire suppression upgrade at $5,000, and a full-time, building based substitute at $27,000.

Proulx said that the School Committee will need to meet with the Finance Committee to find out how they would like to handle budgeting for the unknowns. Those unknowns include any potential remote components next year as well as a potentially larger than usual kindergarten class.

Fraser told the Committee that the Governor came out with the State budget and Plympton’s Chapter 70 funding will be level funded. Fraser also said that the State is considering increasing funding to schools under the Student Opportunity Act though he noted that Governor Baker does not see a way to make that a reality at this time. There is, however, likely to be money coming to Massachusetts for K-12 education through a federal package.

Fraser also told the Committee that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) has joined many other entities in advocating to allow local administration of vaccines as previously planned.

He said they are also fighting to move teachers to the top of the list of employees receiving the vaccine. He noted that this was with the understanding that elders, first responders, healthcare workers, and those with two comorbidities be vaccinated first.

Back to school plan is explored

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Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen and Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto held a parent information session on Thursday, Feb. 11, regarding further in-person learning. Wilhelmsen noted that the evening’s virtual call was not a School Committee meeting. Wilhelmsen began the session with a lengthy statement, the bulk of which is presented below.

“The School Committee, administration, and teachers have always believed that more in-person learning is better for our students; we also have been actively thinking about this for many months… we must achieve additional in-person time in a way that is ultimately safe and successful. As some of our neighboring communities are unfortunately finding out, additional in-person time at the expense of certain safety protocols such as six-foot distancing without additional mitigation efforts can cause even greater disruptions to students’ in-person time… Mr. Veneto, administration, and staff are currently working on a plan for additional in-person learning this school year which will be presented to the School Committee for discussion, consideration, and a vote at our next meeting on Monday, February 22… At a high level, the plan will address increased in-person learning time this year, likely four to five days per week. It is also likely the plan will be dependent upon vaccination of staff to mitigate the six-foot distancing. We are additionally looking at Wednesdays for alternating cohorts to provide additional in-person learning time which is something we think could be done more quickly.”

Veneto added, “I think it’s fairly safe to say that every one of our staff members would like to see children back in the building five days a week. The trouble with that is that we need to make sure that we are doing it safely.”

Parent Katie Rondeau asked if the School Committee and Administration were set in their determination to stick with six feet of physical distancing as opposed to three. Wilhelmsen said they were committed to following the CDC guidance of six feet. He also said that as the staff that wants to be vaccinated are, it would put them in a better position to be able to relax that requirement. He also pointed out that reducing the distancing requirement would result in more close contacts having to quarantine for two weeks if they were exposed to someone who tests positive. Assuming the entire class does not have to quarantine, those that do would likely be doing asynchronous work. Noting the importance of consistency, Wilhelmsen said that Duxbury recently went back to more in-person learning and within a week two second-grade classes were in quarantine for two weeks.

Another parent asked what the administration considered the biggest challenges to a full return. Wilhelmsen said that while Veneto and others are working on a plan for lunchtime it remained a hurdle as the six feet of distancing required at lunch is non-negotiable. Veneto said that 48 students are able to fit on the floor of the cafeteria and another 2 to 4 on the stage while maintaining the DESE mandated six feet. Wilhelmsen said that, just that evening, new guidance had been released that relaxed the requirements for distancing on buses, making that less of an obstacle. “There’s a lot of other logistical issues that just need to be worked out and thought through,” Wilhelmsen responded.

Wilhelmsen answered a question regarding whether the school had a threshold in mind from a vaccination perspective. He said that the hope was the State can get things sorted out so that teachers and staff can be vaccinated as quickly as possible. “If folks want to make some calls, feel free to call DPH or your reps and ask them why they changed what they were doing these last couple of weeks,” he said. There had been a plan for both the Plympton and Halifax Fire Departments to host vaccine clinics in order to assist with a speedy administration of the Phase Two levels of vaccine distribution. “That all fell apart last week when the state took away the doses,” Wilhelmsen explained.

Parent Nikki Mahoney asked if there was a contingency plan for teachers that plan not to get vaccinated. Wilhelmsen said that he, personally, was not thinking that being vaccinated would be a requirement for being in the school.

Wilhelmsen said that he hoped that the school would return to full, in-person learning or close-to, by the end of the current school year so that they could better formulate a plan for the fall. He said that based on what he has heard from the CDC, etc. not much will change between now and the fall in terms of masking still being required and children likely not being vaccinated.

The issue of the large first and fifth grade classes were also discussed as another obstacle to a full return. Veneto noted that the numbers include those students who are currently electing to be fully remote. Currently the art room has been transformed into a fifth-grade classroom. Parent Heather Eddy said that she felt the focus should be placed on how to get those two grades back into the building at six feet of distance and asked about looking for alternative places to put classes. Wilhelmsen pointed out that using a room such as the gym for a classroom would mean that it couldn’t be used for other purposes including gym class and potentially basketball. “The space itself is extremely limited, we have looked at every square inch and we are using every square inch right now,” Veneto explained. Several first-grade parents on the call did note that they wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the other grades return to full, in-person learning even if the first-grade needed to stay hybrid.

Currently the gymnasium is divided with one half utilized for gym class and the other for a luncheon area for teachers. Rondeau asked, “If we were to move the first grade into the gymnasium and then use the empty first grade classrooms for the teachers’ luncheon, would that help with opening up space?” Despite saying that the acoustics wouldn’t be ideal for learning if half the gym was being used for gym class, Veneto called it “a good thought.” She also recommended either pausing gym classes or possibly moving gym classes outside even during the winter. “I don’t disagree, that’s something to think about,” Veneto said.

A question was asked as to whether the school had considered the use of portable classrooms. Veneto said the most common suggestion was whether or not tents could be used. He said that tents are a good option when the weather is nice but not during winter months. Veneto said that while portable classrooms are something they are looking into they are likely cost prohibitive. CARES Act funding has dried up as of December 31.

Wilhelmsen said that they were asked to hold to a 1.6 percent increase for the year during last year’s budget cycle. He said that normally they would present anywhere from a 3 percent to a 5 percent increased budget, noting that even that is quite lean. The Dennett took what Wilhelmsen called “significant advantage” of the CARES Act money, spending somewhere around $120,000. “We do not have a blank check to get students back to full, in-person learning at the snap of our fingers,” he explained. He also said that just because a need is identified and money found for that need, it doesn’t mean that the staff or other means to fulfill that need are available. “I’m down two staff members right now and I’m trying to fill those positions,” Veneto said of the shortage of available candidates. He also referred to the school as being one staff absence away from the building not being able to function. He called it “a challenge every single day” just to make sure there is an adult in front of children.

Parent Angela Wilbur said she would like to share her perspective as a licensed clinical psychologist. “I’m hearing a lot about busing and lunches and teachers’ health and welfare which are all extremely important but I have yet to hear anything about the children’s mental health,” she said. Wilbur said that since the beginning of the pandemic, mental health referrals have increased over 500 percent. “Wait lists are full, inpatient units have no beds, outpatient providers, which I am one of, are caring for patients who should be hospitalized, suicide rates have almost doubled, overdose rates are astronomical, kids report severe depression, debilitating anxiety, isolation, and self-harm. Pediatricians are treating rapid increase referrals in insomnia, sleep issues, headaches, and G.I. issues. Social anxiety has increased, behavioral issues have increased, those who were school phobic before have regressed, prescriptions for antidepressants and other psychotropic medications have risen over 30 percent. Many of these kids have never presented with mental health issues ever before.”

Wilbur said that just as there is a gross shortage of teachers, that same shortage exists for mental health providers for children. She called it a mental health crisis and said, “These children are resilient but they can’t continue like this, this has gone on for too long and it is unfair to ask them to continue on like this.” Wilbur said that due to her profession she has had countless families reach out for resources saying that the word most often uttered regarding their children is that they are “suffering.”

Veneto responded to Wilbur saying, “I know I’m speaking the truth when I say that the social and emotional component of this whole pandemic has been paramount in every one of our staff meetings. Your sentiments are well shared.” Wilbur stressed how much she knows the Dennett staff care for the kids but added, “I need the plans to reflect that priority of their mental health… I hear so many obstacles and barriers and I know that so many of those are real but there has to be solutions within this.” She said that she was worried about relying on mitigation from vaccinations that likely won’t occur for another month and won’t be fully effective for several weeks after that.

Fourth grade teacher Ann Walker, who has been at the Dennett since 2001, said, “I have been teaching for 28 years now and this is the hardest year I have ever had.” Walker said the first and foremost concern of all teachers following the closure in March was not academics but the social and emotional welfare of the children.

She said how proud she was of the people she works with including the School Committee who she said has been working countless hours to do what’s best for the children.

“If it were that easy, we would have done it, we would have had those children in the building,” Walker said. “Our town has had more in-person time whether it be in the building or interacting with an adult online than most schools in the area,” she continued. Many other districts have not offered learning time with teachers on remote days but rather asynchronous work only. Walker called the parents “heroes” and stressed that the School Committee, the teachers, Principal Veneto, and the parents all have the same goal.

One parent questioned the length of time in between regular School Committee meetings. Wilhelmsen pointed out the busy schedules of administration including the Superintendent who attends all School Committee meetings within the larger Silver Lake district. “If we need to meet to do something and to take action that we can’t deal with either by having a meeting like this where we’re updating parents or by not having to have a decision by the School Committee and meeting offline in separate sub committees, I mean we’re going to do that.”

Citing his six years on the Committee and his initial plan not to continue with the Committee, Wilhelmsen said, “I don’t not get it… I was going to be done… but then COVID hit and I felt it was really important to be able to help in any way that I can to shepherd us through this; it’s not just me, I’m only doing a little tiny piece of this.” He continued, “I spent more time in July on the School Committee than I spent in the six years prior.” He mentioned the additional time spent by Veneto and the teachers working full-time over the summer as well. “We’re committed to this and we’ll do what we need to do,” he said.

The next meeting of the Plympton Elementary School Committee will be on Monday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. where a plan for more in-person learning will be presented and discussed by the Committee.

Halifax focuses on vaccine rollout

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting on February 4 was nearly Zoom bombed before Town Administrator Charlie Seelig was able to recognize an absurd name and ended the Zoom portion of the meeting. A Zoom bombing occurs when an uninvited participant joins a Zoom call with the intention to disrupt it in some way. The practice, which is a federal offense, has become more common during the pandemic with so many people conducting business virtually.

Once resolved, the Board turned their attention to Halifax Board of Health agent Bob Valery for a COVID update. Valery noted that Seelig has been posting the town’s daily numbers and said that for him the focus has been on the two-week numbers of positive cases versus those that were tested. Valery said the week prior there were 763 people tested with 65 of those being positive. This is a positive test rate of 8.52 percent. “We’re not gaining but we’re not dropping as well as we could be,” Valery explained.

Holiday gatherings blamed for uptick

Valery noted that the State has seen a reduction in cases and said that the previous capacity limits of 25 percent for some close-contact businesses was to be increased to 40 percent capacity on February 8.  “The reason we did have a high run rate after the holidays was because of gatherings,” Valery said. He acknowledged that traditionally the Super Bowl is also a big day for gatherings.

Fire Chief Jason Viveiros said that the town has continued with testing for town employees every Wednesday at the school and the Town Hall. “We still get a decent turnout for that,” he said. Viveiros said that all first responders that wanted to be vaccinated in town have been and said that as of that day, roughly 125 seniors over the age of 75 had been vaccinated in town.

During the February 4 meeting Viveiros had provided the selectmen with a lengthy update on the town’s vaccination efforts including plans to open up a mass vaccination site for the towns of Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton at Silver Lake Regional High School. The plan was to secure doses of the Pfizer vaccine through their association with Dr. Muse of Signature Healthcare Brockton. The hospital was planning to store the doses as the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -94 Fahrenheit necessitating the use of special ultracold freezers. The Moderna vaccine can be shipped and stored using regular refrigerator freezers.

Since the February 4 meeting, however, the State shut down vaccination distribution through local entities such as Fire Departments. The Department of Public Health will no longer be supplying the previously expected doses. Instead, the vaccines will be distributed either through private companies such as CVS or Walgreens or through State run sites such as Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park.

Viveiros recognized the work that had been done up to that point on the vaccine rollout by administrative assistant Kendra Kelly, Fire Captain Matthew Cunningham, and the Council on Aging staff. “They’ve done such a great job,” Viveiros said. A robocall was placed to all seniors in town over the age of 75 and the Council on Aging worked with them to schedule appointments.

Vaccine differences

Viveiros and the Selectmen also discussed differences between the two approved vaccines as well as possible side effects. Both vaccines require two shots and the interval between doses is 28 days for Moderna and 21 days for Pfizer. Viveiros cited the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine at 95 percent and 94.5 percent for Moderna. He said that the one-shot vaccines that are yet to be approved, including both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, have effectiveness percentages somewhere in the high sixties.

Of the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, Viveiros said, “They say the body will react to it a little more aggressively,” he explained. It is common for people to experience a fever, chills, body aches, and other flu-like symptoms. “Overall, from people I’ve talked to, a lot of people in the healthcare profession have already got their second injection and I haven’t heard any horror stories about it,” Viveiros said. The Selectmen thanked the emergency team for their work on vaccine distribution. “Just the teamwork you guys have shown has put us and our residents in a really good position so I just want to say thank you,” Selectman Gordon Andrews said.

Wage and Personnel

Following the COVID update, the Board turned their attention to regular town business. Seelig said the Wage and Personnel Public Hearing was held with the Finance Committee. Amendments to be considered include a step increase for the Board of Health agent from a Step 2 to a Step 4, evaluation of pay scales and steps for Grades 6 and 7, discontinuities in Grades 11 through Grade 14, and changes to benefits for call firefighters. The need to address the minimum wage problem was also discussed. As the minimum wage rises, it puts pressure on the jobs on the lower end of the town’s pay scale to be increased as they are not intended as minimum wage positions due to required responsibilities. The selectmen plan to do research on comparative towns before making any final decisions.

Bud’s Goods Host Community pact

Seelig told the Selectmen that Bud’s Goods and Provisions had filed their special permit with the Planning Board. Bud’s has a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with the town for an outdoor marijuana growing facility. The hearing is on March 4 at 7:05 pm.

Fireworks 2021

Viveiros said the Fireworks Committee had reached out to him looking for some guidance on how and if they should proceed. The Committee currently doesn’t have the funds to put on the fireworks and is uncomfortable reaching out to local businesses given the economic climate due to COVID. Instead, if there is interest in still having fireworks this year, they would try to do some sort of online fundraising. Seelig said they currently have just over $8,000 but would need roughly $13,000. Millias pointed out that the event is only five months away and said that even if the gathering limits were raised from what they are now, a typical fireworks display in town would bring in thousands. “Doesn’t sound safe to me,” Valery said noting that he does, however, love fireworks. The selectmen agreed to advise them not to plan for 2021.

PEACE flag standout Saturday in Halifax

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Halifax has recently been embroiled in a controversy surrounding what kinds of signs and flags can be displayed in classrooms. Most recently, flags with vertical rainbow bars and PEACE emblazoned in big black bold letters across them were hung in the back of classrooms at Halifax Elementary School. The flags were removed after Principal Kayne Beaudry received complaints from parents who said they felt politically marginalized by the presence of the flags. Still, other parents wished to have different flags displayed in the classroom.

Silver Lake Superintendent Jill Proulx sent a letter home to caregivers stating, “Under equal access laws and regulations, we have to provide access to numerous points of view and cannot discriminate based on a particular viewpoint.” Moving forward, all flags and signs must be approved by the school administration prior to being displayed.

WBZ TV recently aired a piece on the controversy in town. Reporter Paul Burton interviewed Halifax Elementary School fifth grader Charlie Eldridge. Eldridge said that for him the flag represented “… that everyone should have peace and not be rude/mean.” He went on to say that the flag spoke to the need to just accept everyone for who they are. Parent Evan Smith told WBZ, “It’s simply encouraging love and kindness and I honestly don’t know why anyone would feel politically marginalized by that.”

A Change.org petition titled “Re-hang the Peace Flag at Halifax Elementary School” was started by Lana Eldridge and as of press time it has 5,727 signatures. The petition is aimed at Superintendent Proulx. The message on the petition says, “Please join me as I support my son, Charlie in his quest to get the Rainbow Peace flags re-hung at Halifax Elementary School. To encourage children to foster a community of love and acceptance is so important in today’s world. This flag represents us all on a human level. We should be celebrating each other, not fighting amongst ourselves!”

An event has been organized by Lori Costa-Cline and Jay Cline called Stand-Out PEACE for this Saturday in Halifax. A Facebook page has been started for the event. Organizers describe the event as, “a respectful public stand-out to promote peace and inclusion in our town and beyond.” The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with demonstrators lining up along the sidewalks at the intersection of Routes 106 and 58. While participants are asked to bring signs that promote peace and inclusivity, they have been asked not to bring signs that display broader political messages.

The flag in question was designed by artist Virginia Fitzgerald and features 10 vertical stripes of different colors and the word PEACE in black lettering. The red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple colors are representative of the rainbow flag originally designed by artist and activist Gilbert Baker in the late seventies for the LGBTQ community. The current iteration of the Pride flag actually features a few less stripes than Baker’s original.

The PEACE across the flag is reminiscent of the Italian peace flag first flown in 1961 in demonstrations against nuclear weapons. That flag has horizontal multi-colored bars and the word PACE, or peace in Italian, in white across it. In 2002, the flag was given new life as it was used in the campaign throughout Italy to protest the impending war in Iraq.

The current rainbow PEACE flag causing the controversy in Halifax has new colors added in skin tone shades to represent racial justice. The website commonstreet.org states, “The Rainbow Peace Flag Project seeks to extend kindness and caring across national borders, with love that includes people of all sexualities, genders, abilities, religions, races, and cultures, and to condemn acts of violence and hatred, embracing peaceful dialogue instead.”

Plympton accountant, treasurer, to retire

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It was announced during the Monday, Feb. 8 Plympton Board of Selectmen meeting that town accountant Barbara Gomez will resign effective May 27, 2021. Selectman Christine Joy said she accepted the resignation “with regret but tremendous appreciation of Barbara’s years of service to the town.” Joy continued saying, “she has been our financial rock that we’ve all leaned on; she will definitely leave a void.” Selectman Chair Mark Russo expressed gratitude to Gomez for “her patience along the way,” particularly in his early days on the Finance Committee and as a new selectman.

Town treasurer/collector Colleen Morin will retire effective June 3, 2021. Joy again expressed regret, this time at losing Morin who she called a “super source of information.”

“The nice thing is the foundation has been laid by Barbara and Colleen and it’s always great when we know that things are running well and we can take off from there,” Selectman John Traynor said. Of Morin, Russo said he was “very appreciative of her patience and sharing of wisdom along the way and a quite ready smile which was very much appreciated.” “Their expertise and kindness over the years has been very much appreciated and both of them will be well missed,” town administrator Liz Dennehy said.

Area 58 Director Richard Goulart attended Monday’s meeting to provide an overall update as well as discuss a renewal for the existing agreement which expired in September of 2020. The original agreement was signed in September of 2015. Goulart explained, “Substantively [we] don’t intend to change the agreement in any significant way.” He said that they would likely address COVID in the new agreement. Russo said, “cable access is just a constantly and rapidly evolving field… fully recognize this will probably look totally different in five years.”

Goulart said that currently Area 58 is operating out of 96 North Main St. in Carver but noted that they were hoping to move to a different location closer to both Plympton and Halifax. He said the hope is to cut down on their expenses associated with their location. Their current layout is around 3,000 square feet and their new location would need to be at least as large. Goulart said they were looking for feedback on possible locations.

Goulart said that both Carver and Halifax are occasionally holding live meetings but noted the extent to which COVID has changed their business. Traynor asked if it would be possible to live stream the selectmen meetings. Goulart said that it would be possible as long as Area 58 were the hosts of the Zoom meeting. “If you can do them live then that’s going to give us a lot more outreach,” Traynor said. Goulart said they are working on a plan for how to go live from the selectmen’s meeting room once in-person meetings are resumed. Joy spoke to a possible negative of having Area 58 host the virtual meetings as the selectmen or town administrator would lose their ability to mute a participant were things to get out of hand or inappropriate.

Traynor mentioned that he hasn’t seen the school committee meetings being posted to Area 58 regularly. Goulart said that he has had difficulty obtaining the recordings of the virtual school committee meetings. He noted that Area 58 has put out feelers to see if the committees would like them to record them or if they would be able to jump on and record the meetings while they are taking place. Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen was on the call and said that he should be the contact person for the Plympton School Committee meetings.

Dennehy provided a general update on town business. She said that to date, the town had not offered a dental plan for town employees. According to Dennehy the town carries some excess in that particular budget line. She said the cost to the town would be $120 a month for families or $60 a month for individuals. Russo called it “a nice benefit that people will really appreciate without a huge expense to the town.” Joy asked if it would apply to retirees as well and was told it likely would. All the selectmen voted in favor of offering the plan.

Dennehy also provided an update to the water emergency at the Highway Barn on 23 Palmer Road. A large water leak occurred following the recent snowstorm. As of Monday’s meeting, Dennehy said that the affected ceiling tiles had been removed. She said they were unable to tarp the roof due to it being a metal roof as well as some repairs that had taken place, so they used sealant instead. The barn will also have to be checked for damage to insulation in the walls. Dennehy thanked Administrative Assistant Briggette Martins, who she said has extensive experience in insurance, for her work in getting the claims processed.

Dennehy said that the town has been working on their hazard mitigation plan and noted that there will be a public workshop in the next month or so that will be recorded through Zoom. She said she hoped to televise it live as well. The town is looking into several grant opportunities including one that the Fire Chief is working on to increase manpower. Dennehy said that the town had unfortunately received word that one of their larger projects that they were hoping to run through Green Communities would need to go through the procurement process.

The COVID-19 update was brief with Dennehy saying that the numbers have come down a bit in town. Plympton is now designated in the yellow risk category.

Wilhelmsen provided an update on Dennett Elementary and recapped the School Committee meeting from a few weeks ago. During that meeting, which was well attended, there was a lot of public interest around getting more students back into the classroom for more in-person learning. Wilhelmsen said that despite everyone agreeing that more in-person time is better for the children, there are still many logistical issues that stand in the way including limited bus capacity, the physical distancing requirement of 6 ft at lunchtime, and shortages with staff and substitutes, in particular. “To date, we have not gone full remote at all during the school year… we think we’ve had some good successes there,” he explained.

Wilhelmsen mentioned that teachers and elementary school staff are part of the third tier of Phase Two for vaccine distribution. He said the School Committee is interested in looking at what other plans can be put into place in addition to that mitigating factor. “How can we do this in a safe and effective manner both for students but also for teachers and other staff at the Dennett?” Wilhelmsen said that he would be holding a Zoom information session for parents along with Principal Peter Veneto later that week. He said the hope was to keep the lines of communication open and provide parents an opportunity to ask additional questions. “if parents are watching here, we are looking at how we can do this and do it in the right way so that we are successful.”

“I’ll just acknowledge the incredible challenge of balancing the needs and the wishes of numerous variant and disparate stakeholders and groups; you’re surely in the midst of kind of the crossfire from a lot of different directions and we’re glad you’re still standing,” Russo told Wilhelmsen.

Before moving to their rants and raves for the last few weeks, the selectmen also approved a request for use of town property. A Daisy Girl Scout Troop out of Plympton requested to work on the garden beds at the library throughout the spring, summer, and fall. They plan to clean, plant, and maintain the garden beds. Correspondence said that they also plan to do the work entirely outdoors and will adhere to all required safety protocols.

Joy said that she had two raves for the week, the first of which was for Traynor, Russo, and Dennehy working with Senator Michael Brady and Representative Kathleen LaNatra to advocate for the town and to be proactive in looking at ways to meet the town’s needs. “I’m sure a lot of good is going to come out of that,” she said.

Her second rave was for all those that stepped up to deal with the water emergency at the Highway Department including Briggette Martins and Fire Chief Stephen Silva. She noted that without a facilities manager, other people really had to step up to the plate. Chair of the Board of Health Art Morin also spoke up sharing a rave for the same.

Traynor’s rant was for the problems seen in the rollout of Phase 2 of vaccine distribution for individuals aged 75 and over. “I’ve never seen a website problem like the State has created… unfortunately, it’s just a nightmare,” Traynor said. Traynor said that it wasn’t until after filling out all necessary forms that the website would tell you there were no spots available for the selected date. He said this would happen repeatedly. “I think the State and Governor Baker are going to lose a lot of marks over this… it should have been done better,” he said. Both the Council on Aging and Fire Captain Cheryl Davis were assisting those that needed it with filling out the forms and booking appointments. Morin agreed with Traynor saying, “from a Board of Health perspective… it’s appalling.”

Russo said that with both the town accountant and town treasurer leaving, it got him thinking about mentors as he said he has considered both of them mentors along the way. Russo said he has been spending a fair amount of time at Churchill Park where there is a bench dedicated to Gail Briggs. He said that had the town had the opportunity to name either Churchill Park or Cato’s Ridge after someone it would have been Briggs. He mentioned that Briggs passed away before all of her decades’ worth of work came to fruition. “That bench is a wonderful place to sit at the beginning of the Boardwalk to see what she created and remember how her foresight and energy brought forth something that is so beautiful; thinking of you Gail and really appreciative,” Russo said.