Whitman-Hanson Express

You are here: Home / Archives for Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

Whitman begins water meter replacement

By

Over the next few months, The Whitman Department of Public Works Water Division will begin its Water Meter Replacement Program. This is a mandatory replacement program for all residential and commercial business customers. There is no cost to the homeowner or business owner for the meter replacement. We ask all property owners to allow us to enter each property to replace the meter. The new meters will provide the Town with accurate water usage readings which will ensure accurate billing. Once the new meters are installed, the Town will be able to collect the usage readings electronically using a drive-by system.  Residents and business owners will no longer be responsible for manually reading and submitting their water usage to the Department of Public Works.   

What to expect:

Employees of the Whitman Department of Public Works Water Division, will visit your property to remove the old meter and install the new meter. The employees will have proper identification and will be driving clearly marked Town vehicles. We ask that the property owner allow us to enter the property to replace the meter. If you wish to confirm the identity of the employee, contact the Department of Public Works at 781-447-7630. An adult over the age of 18 must be present in your home during the meter change. If it is not a convenient time or if no one is home at the time, a notice will be left with information to schedule an appointment. You may also receive a call from the DPW to schedule an appointment. Most meter replacements will take about 30 minutes.   

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: When will my meter be replaced?

A: The water meter replacement project will commence in the next few months and continue until all water meters are replaced with the new Allegro Master meter. Water meter replacements will be done during regular DPW business hours. There are also some limited appointments for after normal hours and weekends. Please contact the DPW as soon as possible to reserve one of these appointments.

Q: How do I schedule an appointment?

A: Call the Whitman Department of Public Works at 781-447-7630 Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the event your call is not answered, please leave a message with your name, address, telephone number, and a time that is best to return your call.

Q: How will this affect my service?

A: Any interruption of water service will only occur during the meter changeover, it typically will be less than 30 minutes, in some cases it may take longer. The new meter will allow reading from outside your home and remove any need for a meter reader to enter your home to read the meter, or having to phone in the reading yourself. This will end estimated bills. The new meter system can enter readings electronically to billing resulting in complete accuracy and elimination of hand entries.

Q: What is expected of the homeowner?

A: Homeowners are obligated to provide clear and unobstructed access to the water meter. Any boxes or stored items should be cleared prior to the arrival of the meter installer. If for any reason, the water meter has been covered by drywall or paneling it is the homeowner’s responsibility to ensure that access be created. The water meter is the property of the Town of Whitman, Clear and free access to it must be provided.

Q: What might prevent the meter changeover to occur?

A: In some cases, plumbing repairs may be required prior to meter installation. If defective plumbing, inoperative shut off valves or deteriorated pipes prevent meter replacement, you will be required to hire a licensed plumber to make the necessary repairs. A fully functioning main shut off valve before the water meter, knowing the location and how to operate this valve is an absolute must for homeowners and household members. The main valve is the one to stop most plumbing catastrophes, such as a burst pipe. If your main shut off valve does not work you must replace it.

Q: Will the DPW replace or repair my plumbing to install the meter

A: NO, pipes and plumbing on your property are installed by private contractors and are the responsibility of the homeowner. The homeowner owns the pipes and plumbing from the curb stop shut off valve (usually located at the property line by the street) into and thru the entirety of their home. In order to connect to and continue to receive water from the Whitman Water Distribution System it is a condition of the Town of Whitman Department of Public Works Water Rules and Regulations that “Consumers shall keep their own water pipes and fixtures connected therewith in good repair and protected from freezing at their own expense”

Q: Why is my meter being replaced?

A: The new meters will have technology that permit faster and more accurate reading. This will also make billing processes faster and more efficient. The new meters eliminate any need to access the property for a reading.

Q: Will I be able to read my own meter?

A: Yes, the new meters have a digital display to be read manually.

Q: What if I don’t want my meter changed?

A: Water meter replacement is mandatory. All meters belonging to the Town of Whitman Water Distribution System will be changed. If you do not allow the Town to install the new water meter, you will no longer receive   service from the Whitman Water Distribution System or the Whitman Sanitary Sewer System. Your water service will be turned off.

For more information call the Whitman DPW at 1-781-447-7630.

McCue pact outlined

By

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen has emphasized to residents that a separation agreement with former Town Administrator Michael McCue was the result of “thoughtful and careful deliberation” as details of the agreement were made public last week.

In the agreement, made June 18 during an executive session and released seven days later, McCue voluntarily submitted his irrevocable resignation, effective, Monday, July 1.

The severance package includes two months’ pay, or $19,941 and four weeks; accrued vacation pay, or $11,044.22 for a total of $30,985.68.

McCue agreed to waive his contractual percentage payment increase for fiscal 2020 under his contract agreement, being paid instead based on the pay rate for fiscal 2019.

The town agreed to pay McCue’s health insurance premium under the COBRA program for three months between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, 2019. If McCue seeks unemployment benefits, the town would not oppose such claims. He could receive another $35,958 in unemployment if he opts to do so.

“The Board would like to make clear that the decision to enter into this agreement came only after the Board engaged in thoughtful and careful deliberation — weighing of the costs of a lengthy investigation, coupled with the continuing costs of paying Mr. McCue while on leave and the costs of the defense of any potential litigation — should the Town determine that a negative employment action against Mr. McCue was warranted against the cost of entering into a settlement agreement in an expeditious manner,” Selectmen stated Saturday, June 29 through labor counsel Maura Gallagher of Clifford & Kenny LLP in Pembroke. “The Board concluded that, on balance, the latter option (a settlement agreement) was in the best interests of the Town. An investigation could have taken numerous weeks, if not months to complete, at significant investigative and legal costs to the Town.

“During that time Mr. McCue would have been paid by the Town, but would not have performed services for the Town,” Gallagher stated. In addition, the Town would have had to pay an interim town administrator to perform his job functions in his absence. This agreement permits the Town to move forward immediately. In addition to the costs outlined above, the opportunity to begin a new chapter with an excellent interim town administrator in place and start the search for a permanent town administrator, has value to the Town and its personnel that is not easily quantified — but is, in the view of the Board, of tremendous importance nonetheless.”

Cannabis meetings continue

By

HANSON — Impressed LLC owners Ralph Greenberg and his daughter Alli held another community outreach meeting at the Hanson Library/Multi-Service Senior Center Thursday, June 27.

The cannabis grow facility planned for 15 Commercial Way in the town’s industrial park off Route 27 is co-owned by the Greenbergs and Dover dentist Shahram Moghaddam, who currently owns three practices on the South Shore — and plans to attend a Tuesday, July 2 community outreach session or a Tuesday, July 9 meeting with Selectmen. Both July meetings are planned for the Selectmen’s meeting room in Town Hall — at 6 p.m. July 2 and at 7 p.m., July 9.

The most recent meeting was less contentious than a previous session held on June 13, and this time focused more on resident’s questions about water and power consumption during draughts or heat waves as well as the ability of the HVAC system to prevent odors from escaping the facility, any plans for future expansion and how damaged plants might be disposed of.

Once again, Bob Hayes, who hosts WHCA-TV’s “Bring It On!” show moderated the discussion, this time presenting some questions of his own from research he has done into the issue.

The Greenbergs, originally from Randolph, have moved to Pembroke to be closer to the business location, saying they are happy to be so close to the facility.

“Our goal is to have a discreet, secure clean company and provide a revenue stream to the town,” Ralph Greenberg said. “We only have one investor, it’s not a holding company, it’s not some big corporation coming in.”

He said the three owners hoped to close on the building this week, once septic upgrades are completed and approved.

“We know you sometimes have water issues in the summer,” Ralph Greenberg said, pledging to have tanker trucks deliver water to the facility for the high-demand summer growing season if there are draught conditions. Wastewater discharge would be minimal, he said.

Hayes’ questions included how the town could track revenue owed.

Alli Greenberg said every plant is assigned a barcode and is “completely tracked” until it is sold and the owners have crop insurance based on expectations of how much would be produced in a given crop.

They stressed it is not intended to be a high-volume business, describing it as more akin to a “craft cultivator.”

“We’re only supplying two retail stores with our company,” Alli Greenberg said. They will price their product as a craft brand and retailers will have to be willing to pay it to do business with them.

They hope to be able to start a crop by Thanksgiving.

Hayes also noted some growing businesses expand through the use of pod trailers. But Ralph Greenberg said their growing would be done only in a clean grow-room inside the building and that they have no plans for expansion. A proper reverse-osmosis wastewater system will be used to control contamination of groundwater, they said.

The multi-million dollar renovation of the building includes an investment of about $1 million in lighting.

The Greenbergs also told residents living near the facility that they were welcome to come to them if odor became a problem.

“I would hope that you would come because we’re trying to explain to you that it’s not going to happen,” Alli Greenberg said. “It is the one concern I see in every town [that host grow facilities].”

Ralph Greenberg compared the smell of growing cannabis to a pine tree being run through a wood-chipper “times 80 percent.”

“It’s a fresh smell,” he said. “There is no smoky smell.”

Some residents compared it more to a skunky smell.

Regarding security plans, Alli Greenberg said a letter outlining them has been sent to Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch and they are waiting for his reply, but there is no need for traffic details anticipated.

Employees will be asked to sign non-disclosure agreements because of growing techniques the company wishes to protect. Alli Greenberg said she does not know at this point whether the company can commit to refusing to hire applicants with past minor drug convictions on their record, as is permitted under social equity laws, saying she does believe in second chances.

Plants being disposed of for any reason will be trucked off-site and treated with a chemical that renders them non-consumable before they are incinerated.

Skating club rolls to Nationals

By

WHITMAN — For the Urzuas, roller skating runs — er, rolls — in the family.

All three of Betty Urzua’s children are headed to national competition in Spokane, Wash., to compete for the All Star Skating Club at the U.S. Championships from July 17 to 30.

“My family has always roller skated,” she said. “My grandparents roller skated, my father — I competed myself. But when we moved to Massachusetts [from California], we didn’t know where there was a roller rink.”

That was, until her older son Jonathan became a rink manager at Carousel.

“He told me I could bring the kids in,” Betty said. “I wanted them to learn how to roller skate and they fell in love with it and they just continued on.”

Members of the Carousel team performed in an exhibition of their skating skills at their home rink, the Carousel Family Fun Center on Auburn Street, Sunday, June 30 as a fundraiser to help send the club’s National Roller Skating Team to Spokane to defend their titles and do their best.

“The best part [of going to Nationals] is the experience of it,” Joshua Urzua said before Sunday’s benefit show. He has done both solo and team skating.

He doesn’t see pre-competition nerves as a problem.

“I just go to do the best I could,” he said. They practice about 10 hours a week, but little sister Elsy said that goes up prior to Nationals.

Fellow skaters Laura and Christopher Miller, 10, of Brockton are also returning to Nationals.

“We’re a team,” Christopher said, noting that he likes the variety of roller skating. “I like how you can make up routines and be creative — I like the precision, how you have to work hard to make a performance. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid and I love it.”

“I like the coaches,” said Laura. “They’re strict, but they’re fun.”

For some skaters, the team combines a sport they love with an opportunity to be with their best friends.

Maddison, 6, and Kayleigh Donovan, 9, of Duxbury took a preschool class they loved and it led to lessons and joining the All-Star team. They have both competed at the 2019 regional competition, placing in the tiny tot (Maddison) and juvenile (Kayleigh) divisions.

Mia Antonelli of Pembroke is another skater who followed a friend into the sport.

“I like that I get to see my friends,” Mia said.

“I like how you can do a bunch of tricks and routines,” said Jocelyn Hartsgrove of East Bridgewater, who has been skating for just a year.

“I was roller skating one day and saw this girl named Lauren, now she’s my best friend,” said Emage Ogletree of Brockton. “She introduced me to everyone in the skate club and I asked my grandma about skating. She said yes and I signed up. I like the jumps and spins and everything.”

Club members performed their National routines Sunday, as the public was afforded an opportunity to put some skates on to join them on the floor. Raffles and a bake sale were also featured, and those who still wish to help support the team can send donations to the All Star Skating Club in care of the Carousel Family Fun Center, 1055 Auburn Street, Whitman, MA 02382.
The Urzuas skate from three to eight hours total, at least four days a week, according to mom Betty.

“It’s something they really enjoy doing,” she said. “My son and my daughter both want to go to worlds.” The World competiton is in Spain next week.

The youngest three Urzua children competing are Isaiah, 17; Joshua, 15; and Elsy, 11, and are in their fifth year of competitive skating. They have qualified for Nationals in 11 events — her daughter has qualified in figures, during which skaters must perform an accurate figure pattern on the rink; loops, solo, creative and team dance.

The figures are similar to the compulsory figures ice skaters one had to successfully perform to advance in competitions such as the Olympics. Loops involve a teardrop turn and solo performances are similar to the compulsory ice dance stage of completion where skaters must perform accurate edging and other skills. Creative is a free-style performance.

There is another brother-sister duo on the team who have won nearly every single event they have entered at National, Urzua said. Two other families also have members competing.

There are a total of seven children under age 18 competing, and six adults.

For Lisa Scarborough and Stephen Mills, who are also going to Nationals, that comes ddown to the camaraderie and competition.

“It’s like a family,” Scarborough said. “Both of us have been skating for most of our lives.”

Coaches at All-Star aim only for their young skaters to do their best through teaching the skills and letting fun take over as the skaters help each other improve.

“We brought our daughter to a Saturday lesson back in February to skate for her very first time,” the parents of a new club member said. “We wanted her to learn to skate in time for her birthday party.  … She absolutely loves all of her new friends and awesome coaches. Everyone is extremely kind, helpful, inclusive and polite week after week. We couldn’t be happier with the progress she’s made skating and also socially.”

Betty Urzua knows what that mom is talking about.

Seniors hear talk on tick prevention

By

HANSON — When Plymouth County Extension Entomologist Blake Dinius asked a group of Hanson seniors on Monday, June 24, how many had already encountered a tick this year, several hands went up.

Dinius was speaking at the Hanson Multi-Service Senior Center to review the biology of ticks and the diseases they are known to spread within Plymouth County as well as protection methods. The talk was hosted by state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, and state Sen. Mike Brady, D- Brockton.

The program, videoed by Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV is viewable on YouTube.

Seniors asked right off what symptoms they should be looking for if they do suffer a tick bite.

“They tend to mimic the flu-like symptoms — headache, nausea, sometimes memory loss, sometimes night sweats — but they vary depending on the person and severity of the illness,” Dinius said. “But if you start feeling like you might have the flu in the summer … that would be a good indication to see your primary care provider.”

Cutler thanked Dinius for his participation as well as his employer, Plymouth County Extension Service for their support of the event. Cutler and Brady also provided a lunch, catered by the Olde Hitching Post, for those attending the discussion. Brady was unable to attend.

“Unfortunately, here in Plymouth County, we have one of the highest incidents of Lyme disease, I think, in the nation,” Cutler said as Dinius nodded. “It’s a serious concern. Tick-borne illness is a significant issue for us.”

Dinius said the spraying that goes on in early spring into the fall is a different prevention project to control mosquitos and the viruses they can transmit — West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

“They usually spray in different areas and have a different method of spraying and treating,” he said.

Dinius, who has studied entomology for seven years and participated in about 200 studies, said he does not offer information he has not personally verified.

He pointed to stories published last year to the effect that a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had found that tick and mosquito-borne diseases have tripled in the U.S. since 2004. The reports misrepresented the scientific findings.

“There’s a lot of misinformation that gets spread around ticks and there’s also a lot of fear that gets spread about ticks, but if you have the right tools and you understand what’s going on, the worry and the fear regarding tick-borne diseases doesn’t have to exist,” he said. “I walk in the woods a lot … and I’ve never gotten a tick-borne disease in my entire life.”

The CDC report, in fact, included a spike in mosquito-spread Zika cases in U.S. territories such as the Virgin Islands, Dinius said. Pull out those cases and cases of other mosquito-borne diseases more likely to be found in this area have remained relatively stable.

“I bring this up because we shouldn’t be afraid to go outside,” he said, even though tick-borne illnesses outnumber those spread by mosquitoes.

The CDC has admitted, meanwhile, they may have underestimated the number of cases of Lyme each year. Those cases are concentrated in the northeast and upper Midwest.

Dinius said, however, unlike areas of the country where residents have to contend with earthquakes and tornadoes, Lyme is preventable. It is estimated that Lyme bacteria has been around for between 20,000 and 60,000 years with different species present around the world.

“This disease is ancient,” Dinius said. “It’s also dependent on the black-legged tick.”

There are nine other tick-borne illnesses around this region as well as other illnesses in other parts of the country.

He also spoke of the alpha-gal allergy that causes an allergic reaction to eating beef or beef by-products such as gelatins found in candies and marshmallows. That illness is spread by the Lone Star tick, a southern species found in the northeast.

“Why are there more ticks and more diseases?” Dinius said. “We think there are many things at play here. …Doctors may be becoming more aware of tick-borne diseases in the area. Lyme, when it was first discovered, was called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.”

It is also possible that there are more ticks carrying more diseases, he said. Risk also tends to be higher in suburban communities near the ocean. Fragmented habitat and fewer predators, therefore, maybe more at fault than the deer population for tick-borne illness rates, according to Dinius.

Educating oneself about prevention can lower infection rates, he said.

Spring, when the ticks are then in the tiny nymph stage two to three inches from the ground and fall, when the adults which can be found two to three feet from the ground present high risk for bites. Ticks also require humid conditions to stay alive.

Keeping well-groomed lawns and using a synthetic perimeter yard spray near tree lines can help control ticks.

To protect yourself outdoors, Dinius advises tucking pants into socks to limit tick access to your skin. Permethrin, sprayed on clothing and shoes only, also repels and kills ticks.

DEET, Picaridin or IR3535 (found in Avon’s Skin So Soft with bug guard) are repellants that can be used on the skin. Protecting pets with products recommended by your vet can also keep ticks out of your house.

Checking yourself and pets for ticks after outdoor activity is also recommended.

Saving ticks you find in a dated plastic bag for review by an entomologist can determine if you are at risk for illnesses it may have carried. Dinius said he does those checks free of charge. Taking a photo of the bite to show your doctor can help them diagnose illnesses.

“With the right information and tools, all tick-borne diseases are preventale,” Dinius said.

Budget work set to begin again

By

WHITMAN — Selectmen on Wednesday, June 19 voted 4-0 to approve a new contract with Town Administrator Frank Lynam. Selectman Randy LaMattina was absent.

In Lynam’s new contract, a three-year agreement running from July 1, 2019-2022, includes the 1-percent increase voted by Town Meeting. Future increases, however, will be negotiated with the Board of Selectmen.

“It should be noted that the contract that is presented tonight does not contain more benefits than the previous one, but rather has pulled back some of the benefits that are currently available to me,” Lynam said.

“It should be noted that our town administrator has taken the lead on reducing contractual burden to the town,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said. “Hopefully, this contract becomes a model for future contracts.”

The contract has been posted on the town website.

Selectmen also discussed the budget and timeline for the anticipated fall Town Meeting. Lynam said he has discussed with the Collins Center its assistance in preparing a capital plan. He sent a list of the fiscal 2019 appropriations to the Collins Center after the books were closed Monday, June 17 so those figures could be incorporated in the outline being prepared for budgeting capital projects and needs in fiscal 2021.

“The bigger task we will have for both the Selectmen and the Finance [Committee], and the town departments is zeroing in on a defining plan for the future,” Lynam said.

A Proposition 2 ½ to increase the financial baseline for funding operations and capital needs would require more precision, he argued.

Selectmen agreed that a committee, made up of one or two Selectmen, one or two members of the Finance Committee, and representatives of the larger departments including at least one School Committee member and School District personnel, need to come together to begin a plan for how appropriations would be presented in October.

“It’s one thing to say we need to raise money, but we need to show people what that means and how it’s going to be utilized,” Lynam said. “We need to do it now.”

The makeup of the budget committee will be voted on at the next meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, July 9.

Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green has been asked to develop an outline of current budget numbers and the need to increase the levy in preparation for those meetings.

“It can’t be a small group of people fashioning a plan without the public having an opportunity to be informed about what they’re doing,” said Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski. “That’s a lot to do in the summertime, but it has to be done.”

In other business, Lynam reported that the DPW Commissioners have engaged Environmental Partners Group to assess the condition of a sewer pipe — installed in 1984 and planned to last 30 to 40 years — which is the subject of major concerns.

Over the next month or two the commissioners will be researching the permitting process for repairing or replacing the pipe.

“This is going to be an expensive project,” Lynam said. “We don’t have numbers now.”

But Lynam said, at minimum, installing a parallel PVC pipe and abandoning the old pipe could cost more than $8 million. More information is coming, but Lynam said he expects it to be a part of any capital plan.

Selectmen voted 3-1, with Selectman Dan Salvucci voting against to change real estate and personal tax bills — changing to mailing two, double remittance personal property bills instead of four separate bills and to increase the demand fee from $10 to $15 for bills on outstanding debts issued by the Treasuer/Collector in the next fiscal year.

Payment deadlines do not change. The plan is expected to save the town about $5,200 in postage costs and most mortgages are escrowed and paid automatically.

Salvucci’s concern was that seniors might misplace the second bill and return envelope in the mailings.

Mourning Hanson’s king of the roads

By

HANSON — The town is mourning the death on Thursday, June 20 of Highway Surveyor Bob Brown following a brave battle with cancer.

After working for several years for the Hanson Highway Department in 2011, following in his father’s footsteps Brown was appointed Hanson Highway Surveyor. He served in many capacities, including countless committees, throughout his career.

Interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini, who posted an announcement of Brown’s death on the town website, extended sympathy to his family on behalf of the town.

“He was a great man who dedicated a good portion of his life to the town of Hanson and he’s going to be missed, both by the residents and by his co-workers,” said Tree Warden Dave Hanlon, for whom it is a double loss. He has worked with Brown for 18 years and considered him a friend.

“He was doing well,” Hanlon said of Brown’s recent prognosis. “It’s tough to deal with because not only was he my boss, he was my friend. He was my friend long before he was my boss.”

The Highway Surveyor’s pickup was parked in front of the Highway Department building and former police station on Liberty Street this week, the windshield draped in black crepe and Brown’s reflective safety vest draped over the brush rack on the front grille.

“He was a dedicated professional and worked tirelessly with other departments to achieve a common goal for the good of the Town, the Town which he loved,” stated Marini. “Rest in Peace, Bob. We will miss you.”

She added that it is always difficult for the town to lose an employee, but especially so of Brown.

“Bob was a great guy,” she said. “Everybody liked him.”

Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr. echoed that sentiment.

“He was instrumental in efforts to coordinate between the highway and fire department, along with the other departments. He will be greatly missed,” Thompson said, saying he was shocked at Brown’s passing. “He was an asset to our town and community.”

Police Chief Michael Miksch also found the news of Brown’s passing difficult to process.

“Bob was one of the first people I met when I came to Hanson,” Miksch said. “I quickly learned his gruff exterior was really hiding one of the nicest and funniest people I have had the pleasure to meet.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, said that when Brown became Highway Surveyor, she never feared driving on Hanson’s roads in the winter.

“I always knew when I was in Hanson, even if I didn’t look at the townline sign, because our roads were always eminently better than any other surrounding town and I felt safe driving on them,” she said.

But FitzGerald-Kemmett said she will also remember Brown’s dedication to helping community organizations in need of assistance on fundraising projects.

“Every single time I asked Bob if he could help in any way possible — before I became a Selectman — he would just say, ‘Yup, my guys will be there. Anything for the kids, anything for the community, whatever I can do,’ and I know there’s been a ton of people on Facebook sharing similar types of stories,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, specifically noting the Hanson PTO for Brown’s assistance with the February Polar Plunge. “He stepped up for them … He just really loved what he did. He was very involved in the town.”

Miksch agreed.

“Anytime I called looking for assistance there was no hesitation in meeting my request,” the police chief said. “His concern for the citizens of Hanson and their safety was evident with every approaching storm. He loved his job and he loved Hanson. I miss him.”

Hanlon also said he would most remember Brown’s love for the job.

“One of the big things with Bob was that he was very high on customer service, community service — do anything we can to help the residents, if it’s within our power,” he said.

Brown was also a devoted dad to his daughter Alyssa Brown Adams, said FitzGerald-Kemmett who performed the ceremony when Alyssa married Theodore R. Adams of East Bridgewater about five years ago.

“You’ve never seen a father more devoted to a kid in your life,” she said. “He was so proud of her and she was basically the light of his life.”

Selectman Kenny Mitchell also recalled Brown’s devotion to his daughter.

“He always talked about Alyssa, because he raised her,” Mitchell said.

He was also devoted to his job.

“Bob was a great man,” Mitchell said. He served on the Parks and Fields Commission with Brown for about seven years as well as the Highway Building Committee for four years.

“He was just dedicated to the town of Hanson,” he said. “That and his roads.”

Mitchell said Brown never missed a Highway Building meeting before becoming ill, and was frequently the first to arrive.

“He told me ‘I can’t wait to get back to my job, I love it, I really miss helping people,’” said FitzGerald-Kemmett about her frequent phone calls to touch base with Brown. “I think it was in his DNA because his dad was on Highway and it was just a family thing. He loved his job and it showed.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett also sent Brown notes of encouragement throughout his illness.

“I was shocked,” Mitchell said. “He really thought he could beat this.”

Mitchell, too, kept in contact with Brown as part of the town’s requirement that employees out on extended sick leave had to be contacted every 30 days and he was the Selectmen’s contact for Brown.

“It’s going to be hard shoes to fill,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I don’t know if we’re going to get anybody with Highway in their veins like that guy had.”

In accordance with Brown’s wishes, all services will be private.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a cancer or animal charity of one’s choice.

Looking to Kiwanee’s future

By

HANSON — Selectmen welcomed new Recreation Director William Boyle, who started work June 3, and the new business plan for Camp Kiwanee on Tuesday, June 18.

“I know the topic of Camp Kiwanee to be an emotional one,” said Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “Before we get into this discussion, I want to let you know that we will not be discussing the enterprise account in any depth tonight.”

She said the Finance Committee has proposed eliminating the account and discussions between that board, Selectmen and the Recreation Commission to address the future of the fund will happen soon.

“It would be premature and unproductive to discuss them tonight,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “This board is supportive of the work the Recreation Commission is doing and we recognize that there have been some obstacles along the way that have hindered them from making the kind of progress they would have liked to have made.”

She said it is time to come together for the greater good and put past issues behind them, to that end she asked Boyle to meet with Selectmen to focus on the future of Camp Kiwanee.

A Pembroke native, Boyle said he has volunteered on Pembroke Recreation, Community Preservation, and was elected to the housing authority and has some background in the public sector, although this is his first time working in the public sector. His father has been a longtime selectmen in that community.

Boyle also ran his own financial services business for six years and has worked as branch manager for an Irish whiskey company.

“I’m looking forward to the future — to everything that the camp has to offer,” he said. “In order for everything to work successfully, you need to work together.”

He said he looks forward to be “just another team member.”

Boyle also spoke on behalf of the commission about Camp Kiwanee goals.

He said the five-year capital plan would be revamped and have discussed that goal with the Collins Center at UMass, Boston. That project, estimated to cost $10,000 would not be looked to for a start date until next spring.

Coupling capital priorities with grant opportunities is another goal, as is increasing recreational programming.

The Dept. of Housing and Development (HUD) is changing the way the Hanson Housing Authority is supported, from a public housing funding program to one using tenant-based vouchers.

Hanson Housing CEO Thomas G. Thibeault briefed the board of Selectmen on how the change would be made and what it means for residents.

Consultation with local government and community is part of the process, Thibeault said.

“The [former] LZ Thomas School, back in 1995 became a public housing complex consisting of six units — two two-bedrooms, two three bedrooms and two four-bedrooms — it’s federally funded through HUD,” he said. The federal housing program works on an income-based scale to determine the amount of subsidies offered.

“I believe you taught there at one time,” Thibeault teased. Selectman Wes Blauss, a retired middle school teacher, about the school-turned-apartments building.

Most federal HUD authorities over see 50 to 100 apartments, with more being better to be able to take care of the capital needs.

“So we’ve been struggling to take care of LZ Thomas and now, in recognition of that, they’ve given us the opportunity to change the funding stream,” Thibeault said. “What it would basically do is double the amount of income that the Hanson Housing Authority would get.”

The funding would increase funding by about $54,000 per year to support the complex, but nothing changes for the town’s operations. Hanson Housing authority would be the owner with a deed restriction on affordability and residents would remain.

“[HUD] asks that you authorize the town administrator to approve supporting the change,” he said. “It’s not guaranteed. It is a real estate transaction, so the transaction would take off the declaration of trust that HUD has on the property now and would give complete ownership to the Hanson Housing Authority.”

The board voted to support authorizing interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini to approve the change.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if Hanson residents do, and would they continue to receive housing preference for the Thomas facility.

“They are and they will be,” Thibeault said. “This was going to be part of the state public housing program back in 1995, and something went wrong.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s office stepped in and they made it a federal public housing property, he explained.

“I’m sure it solved a short-term problem, but it created a long-term problem because of the scale,” Thibeault said. “But I believe this would get us a long way to solving the problem.”

The board also voted to award bids for the Wednesday, June 12 tax possession auction. Nine parcels, most were abutting the property of residents who bought them for $500, but a parcel on Monponsett Street sold for $63,000; another on Rollercoaster Road went for $61,000; a Baker Street parcel was sold for $3,500; and another on Monponsett Street brought in $1,000.

Two parcels, on Monponsett Street and Whitman Street were not sold.

Marini said closings on sold properties are expected to be complete by the end of July.

Whitman finishes TM work

By

WHITMAN — It was almost 8 p.m., Monday, June 17 before Whitman’s continuation of its Town Meeting — slated for 7:30 p.m. — could begin the work of completing the work started on Monday, May 6. A quorum of 150 voters was required for the tree special Town Meeting articles on the warrant.

By 8 p.m., 172 voters had signed in to complete work on the warrant.

The Town Meeting was adjourned to this week to allow residents to vote on a debt exclusion on Saturday, May 18 to remove the new police station and Town Hall/fire station renovations from the levy limit, freeing up funds for the articles voted on this week. The measure freed up free cash for other town needs.

That ballot question was narrowly approved.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said there were $668,799 in appropriations sought.

Some residents, however, questioned the wisdom of voting on the remaining articles at all.

“I’d like people take a moment to think about the process that we’ve evolved over time and the process that the policies suggest that we follow,” said Forest Street resident Shawn Kain. “Right now, we don’t have a capital plan. The policy in place says that there should be a capital plan.”

He said the town is not currently following the policy.

“I think, for us to go forward with a number of these articles is just — it undermines the process,” Kain said. “If we sacrifice in a small way in the short term — the next couple months — and hold off on funding these articles, with the exception of safety … I really think we should hold off on funding these articles until we have a five-year capital plan in place.”

Kain argued that such a plan would enable the town to forecast it’s finances to give definitive indication of whether the town should spend or save.

Lynam countered that he had said repeatedly in meetings before the Board of Selectmen that the Collins Center at UMass, Boston had been contracted last fall to work on just such a capital plan.

“The process for doing that involved analyzing our capital spending for the last 10 years, our current requests and the capital requests that have been submitted over the last year,” he said. “They total about 70 items and, not counting the DPW, around $15 million.”

Lynam said the capital plan the town is developing won’t be available for another couple of months, when the process is expected to be completed. He said the policy to which Kain referred, allows Town Meeting to act and that all the requests before Town Meeting Monday, “have been capital requests for a number of years and we are, to some degree, clearing the board with some of them.”

He also stressed that a number of articles were also being passed over in an effort to “put them in the queue for prioritization.”

“I don’t know what failing to act on these requests would accomplish,” Lynam said.

Retired educator Mary Fox of 565 Washington St., questioned several school-related articles, including one for a motorized physical education curtain for the Whitman Middle School gym.

She said that, when she taught on Long Island, N.Y., a neighboring district was sued when a child was fatally injured by such a device.

“It would allow us to run two classes concurrently in the gymnasium so we’d be able to separate them,” said School Committee member Fred Small, noting the mechanical curtain is the type now recommended. “If it wasn’t safe, we would not do it.”

Fox pressed for information on who would control the curtain and where the switch is located.

“Everything’s safe until it’s not,” she said.

Small said a switch like the one being sought would likely be key-operated and under the control of school personnel.

“I have the utmost confidence,” he said. “No one wants to see a child get hurt. We would be sure that it was safe.”

The article was approved.

Another question raised over school-related articles centered on why the Finance Committee recommended not to pass an article to repair the access road at WHRHS, when Hanson Town Meeting approved it.

“Speaking for the majority of the Finance Committee, the discussion centered on the condition of Whitman’s roads and although, this is a project that needs to be done, the Finance Committee feels this is something that can be re-addressed at a later date,” said FinCom Chairman Richard Anderson.

Toward the conclusion of the meeting, the remote voting devices did not all function properly and a standing count was taken on an article regarding the resurfacing of the track at WHRHS. The article was approved when 142 yes votes — with a two-thirds margin needed — were counted.

McCue separation pact OK’d

By

HANSON — In a meeting featuring several legal issues — and lawyers — Hanson Selectmen on Tuesday, June 18 announced a mutual agreement between the board and Town Administrator Michael McCue to dissolve his employment contract.

Selectmen also reviewed and approved licensure rules and regulations for marijuana cultivation firms as well as the board’s role in the process of permitting such facilities — and announced findings of an ethics complaint by former labor counsel Leo Peloquin against two selectmen during the process that led to the board hiring a new law firm.

Selectman Kenny Mitchell read from a prepared statement concerning McCue after an hour-long executive session opened the meeting, which began an hour early for that purpose. In that session, Selectmen also conducted contract negotiations with interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini as well as one regarding the Hanson Police Relief Association.

“The Town Administrator had a four-year employment agreement that was set to run until 2022,” said labor counsel Jamie Kenny of Clifford & Kenny in Pembroke. “Tonight, the board has approved a separation agreement, which allows those contractual obligations to fall away and the agreement now between us is a separation agreement, which will end [the] employment relationship on July 1.”

She explained that these types of agreements have a seven-day revocation agreement before it becomes completely binding and effective. It is not a public document until that time.

“My understanding is, at that time, the board will release that as a public document along with a town statement,” Kenny said.

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett made a statement on behalf of the board.

“This board is committed to complete transparency in all matters to the extent permitted by law, that being said, in compliance with state law, it is the policy of the town  not to comment on confidential personnel matters and/or ongoing investigations into personnel matters,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Because of these constrictions, we have not commented on any action with respect to the town administrator. Mr. McCue had an employment agreement with the town. There were three years left on the existing agreement. At this point, we have a tentative mutual agreement to separate Mr. McCue from employment, effective July 1, 2019.”

She said that once the seven-day revocation window expires, the board will release the agreement as a public document.

“The board looks forward to moving quickly to finding a new town administrator and to beginning the next chapter for the town,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

The board then voted to enter into an interim town administrator contract with Marini. Both votes were unanimous.

Marijuana facilities

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff then discussed with Selectmen the issues surrounding the board’s role in licensure of marijuana cultivation, manufacturing and testing facilities.

Questions about that role have surfaced during community meetings held by owners of a cannabis grow facility planned for the Hanson Industrial Park on Commercial Way in compliance with the process of in negotiating the host community agreement (HCA) required by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.

“I’ve asked out counsel to attend tonight’s meeting to clarify the Selectmen’s role and responsibilities with respect to the licensing of a proposed marijuana cultivation facility in Hanson,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “This discussion is the first discussion we have had as a board regarding the proposed cultivation facility since learning about their attempt to locate here.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett cautioned those attending the Selectmen’s meeting that, after the board’s questions were addressed that, while the audience would have the opportunity to ask questions, “We will only entertain questions that relate to the topics we have proposed in our meeting agenda.”

“While I realize that people may feel strongly for and against the legalization of marijuana and recreational use of marijuana, that falls outside the scope of our discussion tonight,” she said. “It is something that has been decided at a state level. … We will have future discussions, which we will open up to the public and that will be more detailed about things you may be interested in that we are not discussing tonight.”

Feodoroff outlined the licensing structure of the town’s general by-law, which has similar licensing authority as by-laws regulating alcohol licenses, which are renewable annually.

She also presented a draft application for the process, which Selectmen voted 5-0 to adopt.

The board also has the authority to negotiate HCAs with any marijuana establishment trying to site in Hanson.

“Because there is a [town] prohibition of retailers, this just applies to your cultivators, the manufacturers — the folks that convert the marijuana flower to products — and the testing facilities,” Feodoroff said.

The regulations also define types of facilities included in and allowed by the license procedure. Police inspection, prompted by resident complaints, would be permitted.

When a facility is licensed, the regulations must be kept on-site with employees required to read, understand and abide by the posted regulations as well as attesting they have done so. Admission to the facilities would be strictly limited for members of the public and the town can establish hours of operation, including closure for inventory or other reasons — which the Selectmen must be advised about for security concerns. Without an HCA, a marijuana facility is not permitted to open.

Changes to the premises — as well as any change of ownership or license transfer — would have to be approved by the Board of Selectmen.

“Violations of local or state law, violations of other [governing] bodies’ regulations — like the Board of Health — violations of the Host Community Agreement, fraud, all these kinds of things could bring an entity that’s operating in town back before the Board of Selectmen to have a discussion,” Feodoroff said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked about the steps and timeline involved.

Feodoroff said an application of intent must be filed with the CCC. A provisional license can be issued following a community outreach meeting and a signed certified document stating a HCA has been reached with the town.

“They haven’t gotten there, yet,” Feodoroff said of the current applicants Ralph Greenberg and his daughter Alli of Randolph, whose company is called Impressed LLC.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also asked if language requiring most efficient use of water or restricting use of agricultural chemicals can be included in the HCA. Feodoroff said some towns include those regulations in the special permit-granting process, but she said concerns about water use could be points of negotiations in an HCA. Odor control concerns can also be raised.

“For cultivators, odor control and smell are the big issues that special permit authorities tackle,” Feodoroff said. “That requires a whole host of documents which will have engineering relative to what their HVAC system’s going to look like.”

Selectman Matt Dyer asked what responsibilities the town had for the proper posting of the community outreach meetings.

Feodoroff said that is not the Selectmen’s responsibility at all.

“You can facilitate the process, because you obviously know this is an important issue to your constituents … but it’s not your obligation,” she said. “They [the applicants] won’t get through the CCC unless they properly host in accordance with the CCC regulations.”

“We’ve gotten potentially different feedback on that, so it’s good to know,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It’s not an approval process.”

She said the meetings were intended to offer residents an opportunity to make their concerns known. The Greenbergs will be hosting two more outreach meetings, at the Hanson Library on Thursday, June 27 and in the Selectmen’s meeting room at Town Hall Tuesday, July 2.

Two have been already held, but posting issues with the first have led the applicants to decide not to submit it to the CCC, according to Feodoroff.

A resident asked if, since retail facilities can be limited to 20 percent of the number of alcohol-sales establishments in a town, are there similar restrictions for cultivators, manufacturers or testing facilities.