By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com

[Correction]

HANSON — Both towns will be voting on contingency, or “lump sum” articles at town meetings to fund the fiscal 2017 school budget, which depends on a single override question passing at the ballot box should town meeting voters support such a move.

While Whitman Selectmen were voting to place a $1,726,588 ballot question for its share of the assessment increase in the $49,714,344 WHRSD operating budget on Tuesday, April 5, Hanson Selectmen were discussing their options with town counsel in a meeting attended by the School Committee, its attorney and an overflowing crowd of interested residents.

With a successful override, Whitman’s assessment would be $12,719,345.

The 20.15-percent local assessment increase includes 3.5-percent hike inside the levy limit with the balance contingent on a Proposition 2 ½ override in both communities. The total increase outside the levy is $3 million, apportioned based on student population.

In the end, the Hanson Board of Selectmen voted 3-2 to place a $1,241,141 article and ballot question for its share of the increased assessment, which would raise the town’s assessment to $8,956,207. Selectmen Don Howard, Kenny Mitchell and Bill Scott voted to place the contingency article while James McGahan joined Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young in preferring a tiered question. That option would have broken the override total into several layers of financial options for funding the school budget.

Town Counsel Jay Talerman and School Committee attorney James Toomey agreed last week via conference call that the tiered option is legal, but Talerman cautioned it could have “unintended consequences.”

“My experience with pyramid overrides — take it for what it’s worth — is it doesn’t usually work out the way you think it would,” he said. “There are a lot of unintended consequences. The no votes tend to pile up pretty quickly. There’s a lot of uncertainty.”

The state recommends an explanatory phrase that the highest amount voted yes to on a pyramid, or tiered, question will be the operative amount.

That was a main reason McGahan found a tiered question preferable.

“There’s a lot of pressure here tonight for us to vote it one way,” McGahan said of the contingency article and question. “You don’t understand that, with the pyramid approach, there’s a good chance you could get the $1.2 million. It’s something to think about.”

Young had framed some sample questions for Selectmen to discuss, including one that offered funding choices from between $1.2 million down to $1,000. He did not support the contingency question for that reason.

“I believe people should have a choice,” Young said. “I represent all the people in Hanson. I support education in the town of Hanson, but I like to go with a choice of what people are willing to give back to the school system.”

Resident John Barata asked if a tiered approach would become the “new norm” for overrides in town. Young replied the only reason it was being sought now is because this was the first time the option was explained to them. McGahan said it was unlikely to come up much in the future.

Selectman Don Howard, a Hanson resident since 1948, said he built his house in 1960, eight years after graduating high school from the Indian Head School — and has seen three children and six grandchildren attend W-H schools.

“I feel, as an adult, I’m responsible for the children in our town,” Howard said. “All the [tax] money I’ve spent, I’m glad I spent it. … There are a lot of people in town that don’t want to pay for the schools, and I understand that, because the tax burden in town is getting quite high. … I believe in doing everything for the children.”

Had Hanson Selectmen approved the pyramid question while Whitman’s voters were faced with a contingency question, it would send the question back to the School Committee — just as would happen if one town approves an override while the other defeats it. The School Committee would then recertify its budget and has the option of coming back with the same figures.

Should that occur and the towns split decisions a second time, the issue would go before a so-called Super Town Meeting.

Ironing out some of those wrinkles is why the two boards sought out legal opinions.

“We narrowed the scope of what you all can talk about and discuss, in terms of whether it’s a single number or a few different numbers,” Talerman said of the conference call.

He said the menu option discussed last week was ruled out as something better used for municipal overrides and Town Meeting votes only on the school budget’s bottom-line figure.

“The purpose of the ballot question isn’t to appropriate anything, it’s just to increase your levy limit,” Talerman said. “Attorney Toomey and I are in agreement that you can’t confine the schools’ line items in their budget.”

He said using the menu option, as explanatory material would be instructive for voters, but added the schools must be able to spend their bottom-line figure where it is most needed.

“There may be an opportunity below the ballot question to provide some explanatory material, subject to the restrictions of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, but I’m concerned — and I think Attorney Toomey is concerned as well — as to putting [the menu of Student Success budget elements] it in a ballot question itself,” Talerman said. “I think there’s plenty of opportunities to educate the public.”

A School Department breakdown of where new staff hired under the Student Success budget shows an equitable distribution between the two towns.

“I think that’s terrific,” McGahan said.

After reading into the record some social media posts critical of some of the selectmen, McGahan said he did agree with one post arguing that if the public is expected to trust the School Committee regarding the need for the Student Success budget, they should also trust selectmen on how to fund it.

“I don’t think those comments reflect every single person in this room,” School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said. “I don’t think there’s anybody on the School Committee … or any of the citizens of the town who don’t trust every single person in this room.

Hayes noted that, as an elected board, the School Committee’s job is to advocate for the education of children.

“The citizens of the town don’t know the system’s broke if we don’t come forward,” he said.

McGahan suggested selectmen are also elected to do the School Committee’s job as well as governing the town, which elicited a loud chorus of disagreement from the audience.

“I have the right to care about what goes [on there],” he responded. “I’ve got three kids going to the schools, too — just like anybody else — as a citizen, absolutely, but also as a selectman to make sure that our kids are taken care of in our schools.”

Hayes acknowledged that all public officials are doing the best they can to help schools but that the towns people should have the opportunity to vote on whether or not they want to fund that mission, as voters are the ultimate funding authority.

 

 

 

HANSON — Lawyers for the town and Whitman-Hanson Regional School District are expected to meet Thursday, March 31 — along with Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young and School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes — to review the legal options open to the town regarding the form and procedures for a Proposition 2½ override ballot question in a regional school district.

The meeting is aimed at providing the answers selectmen need to vote on placement of the override article on the Town Meeting warrant or directly to a ballot by the Tuesday, April 5 deadline.

Selectmen also voted 4-1, with Selectman Don Howard dissenting, to select Michael McCue as the new town administrator pending the completion of a background check and successful contract negotiation.

Young had consulted the Department of Revenue (DOR) website at mass.gov/dls to determine what options might be open to the town and suggested one of two multiple-question overrides might best suit Hanson as it approaches the WHRSD budget for fiscal 2017.

“Basically, [MGL Ch. 59 Section 21] for some reason, makes the Board of Selectmen the appropriating authority, not the Town Meeting, for the placement of ballot questions,” Young said. “It also gives the Board of Selectmen various options as to how those ballot questions may be placed.”

A “menu” override would break the Student Success budget’s 20 program segments, approved by the School Committee on March 16, into separate questions from which voters may choose the ones they are willing to support.

A “pyramid,” or “tiered” form breaks such issues down into two or more funding levels. The traditional contingency article would have Town Meeting vote on May 2 regarding placement of a single funding question on the ballot.

The question is would either option to a contingency article — written concerning local school districts — be legal for a regional district?

School district counsel James Toomey argues it is not legal and town counsel Jay Talerman had not yet offered an opinion, which Young has sought.

“We need a complete and accurate picture of what the selectmen can and can’t do in relationship to the proposed assessment and subsequent override,” Young said of his request to Talerman. Young indicated the tier, if not the menu option, may apply based on Talerman’s preliminary review.

“The second section … explicitly provides a Town Meeting must act on the total budget and is prohibited from allocating from among accounts or placing any restrictions on the appropriated money,” Hayes read from an email from Toomey. “I think the vote has to be up or down, whether we like it or not. It’s a budget that has been voted upon by an elected body,” Hayes said.

Selectmen were referring to voting options on a Town Election ballot.

Former Selectmen James Egan agreed with Toomey.

“I’ve had a little bit of experience in this area,” Egan said. “The School Committee determines how to spend the money, it’s the role of he Board of Selectmen to determine how to get the money. You can’t do what [Selectman James McGahan] is saying about tiering and making choices … that is not the role of a Proposition 2 ½ override. … You don’t have the right to determine how monies are spent.”

Young said he agreed with that, and it’s why he questions the menu option.

McGahan favors a menu option because he said he does not believe an “all-or-nothing” ballot question would pass in Hanson.

“I personally don’t like the override approach,” McGahan said. “It’s too risky.”

He said on Wednesday morning that voters need to know in which of the towns additional teachers and security cameras included in the budget request will go, especially in view of declining enrollment in Hanson schools.

“If we’re going to support this, this, this, but not this and not that — it’s defeated,” Interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera cautioned about voting in a different manner from Whitman, which would send the budget back to the School Committee. “A lot of those options that are in this 2½ ballot question only apply to local school districts. Most of the options having to do with the tier structure … doesn’t work in a regional school district, unless the School Committee accepts a lower amount.”

The W-H Regional School Committee unanimously voted on March 16 to transfer $750,000 from the excess and deficiency fund and to set a 20.15-percent increase to the towns’ assessments in support of a Student Success budget for fiscal 2017. With the assessment increase accompanying the Student Success budget, the total fiscal 2017 operating budget sought will be $49,714,344.

Hanson’s share of the operating assessment is $8,956,207 — with $1,241,141 subject to an override vote — based on student population and Whitman’s is $12,719,345 — with $1,762,588 subject to an override vote.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner stressed that the budget’s bottom line has increased only 1/10th of a percent and will actually fall short of level service without an override.

For Whitman voters, an override would mean an additional $1.24 per $1,000 in valuation [$336 per year on the average home value of  $270,940 to $558 on homes valued at $450,000], in Hanson, it would mean an additional $1.13 per $1,000 in valuation [$331 per year on the average home value of  $293,500 to $509 on homes valued at $450,000].

LaCamera said Hanson officials are proposing a 3.5-percent assessment increase, a figure, which would support the level-service school budget.

McCue chosen

Selectmen approved Michael McCue of Mansfield as its selection for the town’s next town administrator.

Young and McGahan reported they had each taken a finalist — Young checking McCue’s references and McGahan checking Sarah Smith of East Bridgewater — asking a dozen identical questions for each in conversations with all references.

Both said they received nothing but glowing responses for each candidate, but selectmen preferred McCue’s experience. He is currently town administrator Rochester, a post he has also held in Avon, and has served as an administrative assistant to selectmen in Mendon, as an Economic Development grants officer in Walpole and was a selectman in Mansfield for six years. McCue had been a finalist for Hanson’s former executive secretary position about 12 years ago when Michael Finglas was hired, and his parents have lived in town for about 20 years.

Young said he wanted “the best of the best” for the job.

“I lean, personally toward someone with more experience,” agreed Selectman Bill Scott.

McGahan said he struggled with his decision, and lauded Smith’s initiative in attending some selectmen’s meetings during the process.

“I liked her attitude, I like the way she conducted herself,” he said. “But I do think, if you’re looking at the résumé, if you’re looking at the experience, I would echo what Bill said.”

Selectman Kenny Mitchell concurred, but Howard voted for Smith.

“She’s new, she’s young and vibrant and I think she’d make a good candidate for the town of Hanson,” Howard said.

The board also voted to have a Norwell private investigation firm conduct a background check including a nationwide criminal,  civil and financial search; employment verification; academic degree confirmation and a nationwide media, news and public data search.

The W-H Regional School Committee has unanimously voted to transfer $750,000 from the excess and deficiency fund and to set a 20.15-percent increase to the towns’ assessments in support of a Student Success budget for fiscal 2017.

Assessments are apportioned based on student enrollment.

The 9-0 votes — member Steven Bois was absent — on Wednesday, March 16, came after a lengthy discussion on educational needs and financial challenges facing the regional school district.

“To recap where we are, we have a $1.4 million deficit for a level-service budget,” said School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes. “We also have a Student Success budget, which is a $3 million budget.”

With the assessment increase accompanying the Student Success budget, the total fiscal 2017 operating budget sought will be $49,714,324.

He stressed that the school committee could not put forth a Proposition 2 1/2 override, as that is a decision for the towns to make.   

For Whitman voters, an override would mean an additional $1.24 per $1,000 in valuation [$336 per year on the average home value of  $270,940 to $558 on homes valued at $450,000], in Hanson, it would mean an additional $1.13 per $1,000 in valuation [$331 per year on the average home value of  $293,500 to $509 on homes valued at $450,000].

A level-service budget means librarians, computer teachers, language classes and other programs and positions previously cut would not be returned. It does add some special education services mandated by law. School committee members estimated that a level-service budget would require at least a 3.5-percent to 5-percent assessment increase.

“Basically, it means we stand still,” said Superintendent of  Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “We do not move forward, but we don’t move back. Lately, we’ve been moving back. … We cannot move back — we can’t even stand still. We’ve got to move forward.”

The “three pillars” of the Student Success budget — healthy bodies/healthy minds, a cohesive pre-kindergarten to grade 12 system and safe/secure schools — include budgeting $500,000 toward reducing elementary class size, $400,000 to implement free all-day kindergarten, $320,000 to restore the library program, $240,000 to replace the grant funding the elementary science curriculum, $140,000 for two social workers, $70,000 for middle school foreign language programs and about $170,000 for music and art, among other line items.

“This wasn’t a pie-in-the-sky figure, it wasn’t a wish list,” Hayes said. “It was a well-thought-out list of what we need.”

budget online

The full list, as well as other budget information, is available online at whrsd.org. Hayes also said residents of both towns with budget concerns or questions may call him on his cell phone at 617-538-0189.

“Unanswered questions become problematic,” he said.

Whitman Finance Committee member Michael Minchello — a  former school committee member — rose to correct an incorrect statement made at the March 9 meeting about the tax impact of any override in Whitman.

A resident had said that, with the one-time computer virtualization debt exclusion going off the books this year, the average Whitman taxpayer would see a net reduction of $158 in taxes on a $250,000 house if an override passes.

“That’s how it was voted,” Minchello said. “Then we got some unexpected money from National Grid [being used for capital projects], and they ended up funding what would have been the override with National Grid money. So, our taxes didn’t increase, they actually decreased by I think a penny per $1,000.”

A few residents spoke at the meeting, supporting the Student Success budget before the vote, which received a standing ovation.

“We should reach for the stars,” said retired teacher Margaret Westfield of Hanson.

“The key is in the support,” Hayes said.

“There’s an ethical obligation to support education and to support the community,” agreed school committee member Fred Small.

“Support is definitely important, but I also think research is key,” said Whitman resident Shawn Kain. He noted average tax bills in both Whitman and Hanson are below average while median incomes are above average and cited economic statistics supporting increased investment in education.

Pre-kindergarten returns $3 for every $1 a community invests, Kain said quoting economic surveys pointing to a lower dropout rate and less need for remediation. Property values also benefit by $20 for every $1 invested, he argued. Adequate educational and support programs, such as social workers [see related story] increase the odds of equal opportunity for economic success as adults, Kain concluded.

“I think everyone’s basically on the same page and I feel energized,” Hayes said. “It’s the beginning of moving forward again if we get this voted in the positive. … This is not the end of this, this is the beginning.”

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen voted Tuesday, March 15 to unanimously recommend a renovation/addition to Hanson Middle School, adding on a pre-K and kindergarten early child education center, as their preferred secondary statement of interest (SOI) project as a solution to deteriorating conditions at Maquan School.

Known as “Option 6” on a list of 10 possible projects presented for consideration by school district officials March 8, the proposed early child education center would be separated from the middle school pupils with a separate entrance, if built. Grade five pupils would be moved to HMS from Indian Head, where grades one and two would be relocated from Maquan.

The School Committee was slated to vote on the two SOIs to be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) at its Wednesday, March 16 meeting. The district is permitted two SOIs, with the primary being a resubmission of a proposal for a new Maquan School.

“The MSBA already knows that the Maquan School should be replaced,” said Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young, prefacing his own recommendation for the second SOI. “My own personal pick would be the middle school because there would be less intervention into an old school, which would require more rehabs.”

He noted that he is not an educator, however, and that school officials have to make a decision that is both fiscally responsible and educationally sound.

Selectman James McGahan agreed with Young’s recommendation.

He had looked into the former school on East Washington Street and the old police station building on Indian Head Street as possible alternative sites for an early child education center. The former was “too badly in ruin” and the latter has a non-viable septic system.

“I agree with the grade moves they had done an analysis on,” McGahan said. “I think [Option 6] is probably the best option. I would like to see a cost analysis for either solution.”

Renovating Indian Head to include pre-K and kindergarten was another possible option the school district had listed.

Interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said MSBA would look at everything from the HMS gym, to the kitchen and other areas as well as a population forecasts for the next 20 years or more in its cost analysis.

“When they approve this project, whatever it is, it’s a 50-year project, so you’ve got to be careful as to what you’re going to look at and what the options are,” he said. “You don’t want to get stuck in a situation where you don’t have room for growth.”

Young and McGahan noted that is being taken into consideration.

Cable coverage

In other business, Selectmen are planning to meet with Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV to discuss expansion of the number of meetings broadcast on cable.

Former Board of Health member Richard Edgehille has volunteered as a videographer for cable broadcasts of Hanson board meetings for 15 years, slowing down recently to enjoy retirement.

But he expressed concern that many boards are no longer being recorded.

“If covered, number one, the public could see what’s going on in the town and, number two, it could back up any minutes or anything that you have,” Edgehille said. “I think it’s about time that we really did something about it.”

He noted that new technology doesn’t require a lot of expense or manpower to set up cameras, particularly for situations where more than one board meet at once.

ZBA vacancy

Selectmen also accepted, with regret, the resignation of Sean Joanis from the Zoning Board of appeals. While a ZBA alternate has expressed interest in appointment as a voting member to fill the vacany, selectmen have urged anyone interested in being considered  for appointment to apply online or at the Selectmen’s Office in the next few weeks.

HANSON — Selectmen have some homework to do as they weigh options for a second statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) by April 8.

The board will vote March 15 on their options, such as whether or not they support expansion at either Indian Head or Hanson Middle School, to replace the crumbling Maquan School. School Committee members will vote March 16.

The first SOI — the district is allowed two — would be a resubmission of the Maquan replacement core project proposal, which was not funded in the last round of MSBA grants. One SOI must be identified as the primary, or priority project and the other as a secondary.

School officials provided selectmen with 10 options to consider. Selectmen seemed to prefer an expansion of the middle school with the intent to weigh the options carefully. Hanson Middle School’s septic system is designed for 700 students, and currently serves 414. Indian Head School will need work in any case.

“This is a great start,” Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young said of the presentation. “This is exactly what we’re looking for. We appreciate all the work you’ve done on this.”                                                                                                                                              Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner said that, according to MSBA, Maquan has to be the primary as “it’s the one that needs the most work.” In 2012, a new Maquan was priced at $36.4 million with Hanson’s share put at $17.8 million.

An addition to Indian Head to create a pre-K to grade five school was estimated at $52.7 million in 2012 with Hanson’s share put at $26.3 million. The new pre-K to grade five school building option voted down was estimated at $53 million in 2012.

“Any option is possible,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “You need to let us know which you think is the option that will be best supported by your town, because I don’t think we want to go through what we went through again.”

MSBA does not support renovation of Maquan School, a decision made during the last school building process that voters rejected.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes and W-H Regional School District officials — Gilbert-Whitner, Facilities Director Ernest Sandland, Director of Business Services Christine Suckow and School Committee member Fred Small, who also chairs the board’s facilities subcommittee — met with selectmen on the matter Tuesday, March 8.

“Since we last met with you, we felt it was important that we do some data collection and come back to you with some information that may be helpful in trying to decide how we’re going to move forward,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “The first thing we did is we really looked at the spaces we currently have.”

She noted that some residents had asked if pupils could be moved out of Maquan into one or both of the other schools. A tour of both Indian Head and HMS, as well as conversations with both schools’ principals showed each building could absorb only one grade level.

“We tried to determine, if we did nothing, what would our spaces look like?” she said. “If we had to move students out of [Maquan], what kind of spaces would we need?”

While grade five could move to HMS, allowing grades one and two could be moved to Indian Head, it would still leave 160 kindergarten and integrated preschool pupils to be placed. The 52 Whitman preschoolers, attending the Maquan program either due to special needs or paid tuition, would have to be moved back to a school there. The pre-K program is currently at Maquan for space and cost-saving considerations.

Space leased at Maquan by the Pilgrim and North River special education collaboratives is on a year-to-year basis as space is available.

Any addition at HMS would have to be made on the side near the library. A separate entrance would be designed if an early learning center for kindergarten and preschool classrooms were moved to that building.

Among the 10 options selectmen are considering: build a pre-K/kindergarten school to replace Maquan; build a pre-K to grade five school (the project that failed; move grade five to HMS and build a pre-K to grade four school; renovate or add on to Indian Head as a pre-K to grade five school; renovate or add on to Indian Head as a pre-K to grade four school, which would require a retrofit Indian Head for little kids and some asbestos and lead paint abatement; renovate or add on to HMS; renovate Indian Head for pre-K/kindergarten; or add portable classrooms to Indian Head for pre-K/kindergarten.

“Cross that off,” said Selectman Kenny Mitchell about portables. “I was there in the mid-’80s.”

Suckow said portables are better now but more expensive, costing $250,000 for a 10-year solution.

The feasibility study done for the rejected school project gives the town a head start on a feasibility study for any option Hanson chooses this time.

WHITMAN —Approaching annual town meetings, school repairs are very much on the minds of town officials in both Whitman and Hanson, especially roof projects at Whitman’s Duval Elementary School and at Hanson’s Maquan Elementary School.

W-H Regional School District officials — Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner, Director of Business Services Christine Suckow, Facilities Director Ernest Sandland and School Committee member Fred Small, who also chairs the board’s facilities subcommittee — met with building committees in both towns on Thursday, March 3.

They presented Whitman’s Buildings, Facilities and Capital Expenditures Committee with a five-year plan of facilities needs at Whitman and region school buildings listed in order of need. The Duval roof topped that list. High school capital projects are apportioned based on student population.

“I don’t think we can vote on a single thing until we get this huge picture … this is overwhelming this year,” Finance Committee Chairman William Capocci said about a proposal to update Town Hall records storage after the school presentation. He said right now there are almost $900,000 in requests from the schools. The Fire Department has 17 articles totaling more than $800,000, the Police Department has six or eight articles and IT has close to 10 on the warrant, plus there is OPEB to deal with.

“The Duval roof is a serious concern,” Gilbert-Whitner said during the district’s presentation. “To go through something like that again would just be a terrible thing. … I think long-term concerns about Whitman Middle School and how best to spend money now, and then later, are big concerns.”

In Hanson officials are weighing options for the Maquan School and repairing the roof, where leaks have been a long-term problem. Selectmen approved a $7,500 engineering study for the project March 8, which now goes before Town Meeting.

“If you all recall last winter, we had horrendous ice dams and damage of well over $100,000 — which was covered by the insurance company,” Gilbert-Whitner said of the Duval roof at the Whitman meeting. “But the insurance did not cover any kind of a repair to the roof.”

The price tag on the Duval roof has yet to be determined. A full engineering study will be needed to determine a price tag.

“I think the money has to be set aside for [an] engineer to come in and figure out what the real cost is going to be,” Sandland said. The engineering of the much bigger Indian Head roof project was $90,000, but Sandland suggested a Duval study and design could cost $20,000 to $30,000. At Maquan, the investigation into the extent of the problem cost $7,500 with the engineering study running between $35,000 and $40,000 to design a replacement roof.

Gale Engineering, which worked on the Indian Head School roof, was asked to survey the Duval roof and “found some deficiencies that needed correction,” Sandland said. Gale estimated the full repair could cost between roughly $200,000 to $300,000 — with a required threshold of $200,000 before the district could even apply for accelerated repair funds from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

“If we’re going to do this, we need to plan it at this town meeting,” said Lynam of an estimated $335,000 to investigate, design and repair the roof.

Suckow said that, for an accelerated green repair, which could bring an estimated 50 to 60 percent reimbursement, the town would have to commit to the full $300,000 for a repair project.

The damaged portion of the Duval roof is on the addition, not the original building once known as the Regal Street School.

“This has been a construction design problem almost since the building opened,” Gilbert-Whitner said of the expanded Duval School. Information was supplied to the MSBA last fall. MSBA succeeded the former School Building Authority when the SBA was revamped around 2005.

An MSBA accelerated repair grant could, if received, reimburse some of the repair costs to the Duval roof. Whitman has approved a statement of interest for an accelerated repair grant and Hanson is moving to make repairs to the Maquan roof until a permanent solution to that school’s problems can be found.

Parameters of the accelerated repair grant require a project involving a building at least 20 years old. The failing portion of Duval’s roof was built in 1999.

“We recognize that this is going to be a significant expense,” said committee chairman, Town Administrator Frank Lynam. “We also, I believe, will be taking the position that if there’s no relief on clawback then we’re going to do, at minimum, the work we have to do to last the 20 years. I don’t see any other way.”

Gilbert-Whitner agreed, noting there was no guarantee of reimbursement.

The district, on advice from MSBA, wrote a cover letter to the statement of interest outlining how the original roof work in question came under SBA oversight.

A search of records on the 1999 project did not yield a lot of detailed information what had been done at that time, according to Sandland.

“That’s why we got to the point where we submitted the information to MSBA, asking them for help in uncovering what could be a very expensive fix,” he said. Contractors involved in the 1999 work have either retired, been unresponsive or gone out of business, he noted.

The Whitman schools projects list also include fire alarm/smoke detector replacement ($50,000 each) at all three, replacing rooftop units ($50,000) at Whitman Middle School, replacing aged kitchen equipment ($53,000) at and carpet replacement ($55,000) in areas of WMS and Conley, Univent replacement ($55,000) at WMS and installation of acoustical tile to soundproof the Conley gym ($20,000).

Sandland said replacing fire alarms/smoke detectors should reduce the number of false alarms, as was discovered when Hanson replaced them in two schools over the summer. Kitchen equipment in need of replacement present health issues if used much longer.

WHRHS projects sought for fiscal 2017 are bleacher chairlift replacement ($26,000 apportioned between the towns) at the turf field, tennis court refinishing and upgrading lights to LED ($165,000) and repairs to the concrete walkways at the entrances ($45,000).

The company that manufactured and installed the chairlift is no longer in business, Sandland said, adding that the state, which now inspects chairlifts every year, has shut the lift down as unsafe. A reinspection is slated for March 31 at which time Sandland aims to get in writing whether the chairlift can be fixed or must be replaced.

The tennis courts were expanded from four to the MIAA-required five by overlaying the surface in 1990. Severe cracks and heaves have now materialized and the playing surface must be ground down and replaced, Sandland said.

Suckow added the that tennis courts have been listed as a hazard by the insurance company for the past two years.

Weather damage has also taken a toll on the entrance sidewalks.

The Whitman building committee, however, wondered if Whitman DPW and Hanson Highway Dept. could work together on the repair to save money.

“We have streets in town that were built by the WPA that are in better shape than what you’ve got going on up there,” Lynam said.

“I’d rather throw the money at our people than give it out to somebody else,” said committee member Selectman Dan Salvucci.

With nearly half the registered voters in both towns turning out to vote Tuesday, Whitman and Hanson backed the outsiders in both the Democratic and Republican primaries in Massachusetts. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders garnered 1,414 votes to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 970 in Whitman, while he received 997 to Clinton’s 692 in Hanson. Statewide, Clinton carried the day by a slim margin of some 20,000 votes. Businessman Donald Trump received 1,242 votes in Whitman as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio got 292, Ohio Gov. John Kasich had 266, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had 186 and Dr. Ben Carson had 52. Other candidates who have withdrawn from the race split 60 votes in Whitman. Trump sailed to the front of the pack in Hanson with 1,000 votes, compared with 237 for Rubio, 205 for Kasich, 194 for Cruz, 50 for Carson and 46 for withdrawn candidates or no preference.

Of Whitman’s 9,909 registered voters, 4,582 — or 46 percent cast ballots. In Hanson 48 percent of the town’s 7,215 registered voters — 3,475 — cast ballots. “There was a line when polls opened this morning,” said Whitman Town Clerk Dawn Varley. “People were waiting.” She was hopeful, based on interest, phone calls and the number of people registering, that they might see a 50-percent turnout. In the first hour alone, 300 votes had been cast in Whitman. While voters lined up to vote, sign-holders supporting candidates were an unusually rare sight during the day on Tuesday. Two, supporting Sanders in Whitman and Cruz in Hanson, spoke of their support for their respective candidates. Anastasia Mykoniatos of Whitman, holding signs for Sanders in front of the post office next door to the Town Hall polling place, was counting on a high turnout to help her candidate, who she said needed five states to stay competitive. “I like the fact that he’s paying attention to the lesser-thought of issues such as student debt and the climate change that a lot of the other people aren’t paying attention to or supporting,” she said. “I like the fact that you can trace back his stance on issues for at least two decades.” Mykoniatos noted Sanders has supported LGBT rights since 1992, while Clinton voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Sanders took four states — Vermont, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Colorado — on Super Tuesday to Clinton’s  seven. Trump took seven — Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and Vermont —with Cruz winning Texas and Oklahoma and Rubio notching  his first primary win in Minnesota. “Trump scares me,” Mykoniatos said.

Leslie J. Molyneaux, also a candidate for GOP state committeeman said he was backing Cruz for similar reasons. “I’m working for Ted Cruz because he’s a constitutionalist,” Molyneaux said outside of Hanson’s Maquan School polling place. “He knows the Constitution front and back and he’s been fighting for it his whole life.” Molyneaux noted that Cruz, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, is also the most experienced candidate in terms of governance. “He successfully argued several cases regarding personal liberty before the Supreme Court,” he said. “Donald Trump, I don’t feel, is a conservative. Donald Trump is a populist and he has reached a nerve with the American people who truly are sick of government.” But, Molyneaux said, what happens down the road has yet to be determined. “Certainly the establishment Republicans are really unhappy because they don’t have a dog in the hunt,” he said. “I think the establishment is putting all their money behind Rubio, and he’s really not one of them, but he’s closer to being one of them than Trump or Cruz is.”One local official that has gone to work for Trump as the state co-chairman of that campaign is state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman.

“He’s clearly going to win, it’s just a question of how big,” Diehl said of Trump’s chances Tuesday morning. “Just like my run in 2010, I think Donald Trump brings that same business background to D.C. with the momentum of supporters who feel like D.C. is no longer listening to them.” Diehl compares Trump’s past business setbacks with the experimental failures Thomas Edison experienced while inventing the light bulb. He also noted that the economic climate of the past few years has made Trump realize that government has done a poor job of allowing businesses to grow. “I’m a  Cruz man, but Geoff is a good man,” Molyneaux said.

Whitman looking to grants: Funds could back dog park, trail improvements

WHITMAN — Grants are enabling the town to save money on energy costs and may help plan for a dog park and continue improvements to walking paths in Whitman Park.

Selectmen supported an application to the Stanton Foundation, an organization that helps finance dog parks through grants and which has expressed interest in assisting Whitman. Grants would cover 100 percent of design costs and 90 percent of construction costs.

“We would have to come up with a committee to review where we want it, make sure that it’s on town land and provide water and a maintenance plan,” said Assistant Town Administrator Gregory Enos.

Officials in West Bridgewater and Holbrook are also pursuing the non-competitive Stanton grants for dog parks.

The grants range from $100,000 to $250,000. Town Administrator Frank Lynam said his talks with foundation officials indicated Whitman could receive $120,000 and the town would have to fund $12,000.

Whitman officials are currently looking at the parcel between Memorial Field and the DPW facility of Essex Street as the location.

“We’re looking for a way to move dogs out of the park and off of the streets to an area where it would be more natural to take them,” Lynam said. “We will have an article on this year’s Town Meeting for it.”

Patrons would be assuming any risk in using the park, as would be outlined by signs at the entrance.

“We will be insured in the event a claim is filed against the town,” Lynam said. “It’s really not very different from recreational use [of town property].”

Funds received from a Green Communities Grant in the amount of $166,215 are planned for interior sand exterior lighting changes at municipal buildings and switching to variable speed motors at the town pumping station. The lights in Town Hall Auditorium —priced at $4,200 to replace 85 light bulbs — have been postponed for now. Future grants through the Green Communities program will likely focus on mechanicals and HVAC controls.

“Right now this gives us more bang for our buck,” Enos said of this year’s plan. “It will save the town $50,000 a year on energy costs alone.”

A $50,000 Trail Program Grant is being applied for in an effort to continue funding Whitman Park walking paths, Enos said. Selectmen voted to support the application due in February and sign a support letter.

The grant provides 80-percent funding for such projects and requires a 20-percent match of funds or in-kind gifts. Enos estimated the grant, if obtained at the end of a nine-month application review period, could finance another 2,000 feet of curbing and path work at the park in spring 2017.

Friends of Whitman Park and DPW may be approached for funds or in-kind services.

In other business, Selectmen agreed to a two-week extension for David Federico, the owner of Diesel Trucks, 575 Bedford St., to complete the cleanup of the premises ordered by the board on Jan. 5. The extension was recommended by Building Inspector Robert Curran.

“There’s been some changes, but not nearly enough as far as I’m concerned,” Curran said. Still, he suggested an extension until Feb. 9. “I will attend whatever meetings on-site that he needs for me to guide him on what I think is best for the town.”

Federico has reduced the number of vehicles from 65 down to between 48 and 50, and has created a handicapped parking space, but more issues — such as a car parked in the loading area — remain.

“I did see some effort there,” said Selectman Dan Salvucci. “But if you look at his lot and the lot next to it, it was night and day. One lot looked like it was open for business and the other one looked like it was there for salvage.”

Salvucci said he supported an extension, but would advocate further action if Curran was not satisfied by Feb. 9.

The board also voted to adopt the one-day suspension of O’Toole’s Pub’s All-Alcohol License as recommended by the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. The board had initially sought a five-day suspension last year after infractions at the pub were reported by Whitman Police. Selectmen selected Saturday, March 19 as the suspension date to give the pub owners time to inform patrons of the date it will not be open.

Selectmen also offered “friendly advice” to the Police Department to determine the suspension is heeded.