Whitman-Hanson Express

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Teaching the great outdoors: Conley PAC donation creates outside classroom

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WHITMAN — Going outside will no longer be reserved for recess alone at Conley Elementary School.

Thanks to $20,000 raised by the school’s Parent Advisory Council at an annual basket raffle fundraiser, a school courtyard has been transformed into an outdoor classroom.

“This we see as making science come alive for kids,” said Principal Karen Downey as she hosted a reception Monday, Aug. 29 for PAC members, school officials and representatives from businesses who worked on the project. On Tuesday, Aug. 30, the Board of Selectmen voted to officially approve the renovation project.

“Principal Downey is thrilled with the design and is looking forward to putting it in place before weather prevents the kids from using it,” Town Administrator Frank Lynam told selectmen. “They do plan to use it all year long. They will also use it in winter. It looks like a pretty interesting way to present some information to classes in kind of a fun way.”

Lynam thanked the Conley PAC parents for taking the step toward developing the space.

An easel inside the doorway to the enclosed courtyard displayed photos outlining the project’s success — and work yet to be done on it — during the reception.

“We can bring a class out [and] have quiet reading or writing. We can have snack over there,” Downey said, gesturing to picnic tables in a corner covered with shading material, as guests arrived.

Raised planters are also included along one wall for science projects, with a table in one corner for students to use in writing their observations. Another area offers space for quiet reflection in an alcove where a water feature is still to be added. It has already been recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

“It’s such a joy to be able to do something really special for the kids,” she said.

Carin Gosselin, a Landscape Architect from Norwell, donated her time and services to design and create a space where students can learn and explore, according to Downey.

“Carin met with me and Steve Mucci several times to hear our vision for the space and see or ideas,” Downey said. “She then drew up professional plans and enlisted the help of Curtis Farm Landscaping.”

John and Jared Curtis led their team to transform the space in three days following Carin’s plans, according to Downey. Jeff Palaza from Palaza and McDonough Tree Service donated 25 tree stumps to be used as student seating in the story circle. Marc Frisoli of Frisoli Electric donated  spools that will be used for work tables.  Mucci, and parent Matt Carew, “spent hours on a very hot, very humid Saturday afternoon building raised beds for planting and a bridge for our reflective garden path,” she said. “Steve Mucci also designed and created a teacher chair that is absolutely a piece of art for our story circle.”

She stressed that none of the work would be possible without the help of the Conley School community, led by the PAC.

“Our annual basket auction, chaired by Lynne Walton and Pam Codero, brought in $20,000 which was used to create this space for our students,” Downey said. Teachers and staff members made baskets and volunteered the night of the auction, kids and families donated items, services and baskets, and families took time to attend.

“For every raffle ticket purchased and every auction bid, families contributed to our new Outdoor Classroom,” she said. “This was truly a labor of love.”

Kiwanee article changed: Hanson board amends article on Rec Director

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HANSON — Selectmen have voted 5-0 to amend language in a warrant article on the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting warrant to fund a recreation director position for January through June 2017.

Selectman Bruce Young said a professional recreation director should be hired, as Town Meeting voted to do in 2015, under the Recreation Commission as it stands.

The original wording of the article sought to authorize selectmen to issue a request for proposals for Camp Kiwanee management.

“This other Recreation Commission is down the line if it happens, that’s a whole other ball game,” he said. “Don’t get confused by the words ‘goals and objectives.’ … We agreed to consider it. We never agreed to adopt it.”

Young said that was the cause of his reaction to seeing the article in the warrant at the Aug. 23 meeting, and he apologized for his behavior when he walked out of that meeting.

“The timing of that article could not have been worse,” Young said. “We’re addressing that concern right now.”

Young’s amendment changed the article to request that Town Meeting transfer $35,000 from Recreation retained earnings to fund the recreation director position for the remainder of fiscal 2017 under the control of the Recreation Commission.

Town Administrator Michael McCue noted the change only provides funding unless or until Selectmen or a reconstituted Recreation Commission chooses to go forward. McCue would interview applicants, forwarding a list of recommendations to a Recreation Commission for a vote on hiring.

“It puts it on the table,” said Wes Blauss, noting Kiwanee is already fully booked for weddings in 2017. “We could at least start looking to 2018, restoring some balance.”

The Tuesday, Sept. 6 vote, greeted with loud applause, was among a handful of adjustments to the warrant — including the incorporation of two groups of articles and the deletion of two school repair projects — that Selectmen Chairman James McGahan stressed is normal practice for the warrant review process.

“I get a sense that most people think these articles, as they are written, are what they are,” McGahan said. “That’s not the case. The language of these articles changes … what they are, are place-holders that hold a spot so we can modify the language as we get closer to Town Meeting.”

The Selectmen’s vote on the recreation director position followed McGahan’s PowerPoint presentation on what the Open Space and Recreation Plan’s goals might accomplish. After his presentation, questions and comments from the overflow crowd in the Selectmen’s meeting room were then taken.

“There has been much said about this and it’s taken on a life of its own,” McGahan said. “There might be some confusion toward this article with the ongoing investigation that’s going on at Camp Kiwanee. Essentially, I’ve been told that the timing is bad. That’s on me.”

McGahan initially suggested the article should be pulled. But he later agreed with Young’s suggested language change.

A former Recreation Commission member, Kevin Cameron, expressed concern that, even as a half-year salary, $35,000 might be too low.

“I come from the hospitality industry, so I know of what I speak,” he said.

During his presentation, McGahan stressed that he was assigned to work with the Open Space Committee on a plan for the town, which would allow Hanson officials to apply for grants, once that plan is filed with the state. Meetings on the goal to review the current recreational and parks committees set by a previous Board of Selectmen in 2008 were held, including public visioning sessions on June 22 and Aug. 1.

“We had a goal here and the goal has been lingering for seven years,” McGahan said. “It made sense to me.”

Beach Director Margaret Hickey said she did not understand the consideration of the new goals, as the Recreation Commission has been doing its job.

“Why add another couple of groups to the mix? I just think it would make it more complicated,” she said.

McGahan said a new director would still be hired because Town Meeting voted for it last year.

Each “town department and stakeholder organization” was invited to the visioning sessions, he said, but the Recreation Commission members said they never received that invitation. McGahan noted that the June and August visioning sessions were also advertised to the public in the Express.

Communication
error

Former Recreation Chairman James Hickey said he never received an invitation despite holding regular meetings with McCue.

McGahan said the invitation had gone to previous Recreation Chairman, David Blauss, adding that the Recreation Commission was responsible, as all town boards are, to inform all other departments of changes in their officer organization.

“When you went to the June meeting and didn’t see Dave Blauss or any other member of the Recreation Commission members, a simple text — you knew I would be there,” Hickey said of the selectmen and McCue he has been in contact with by phone.

Former Recreation Commission member Susan Longergan also noted that in 416 meetings she attended, Selectmen never attended one until December 2015.

“You couldn’t pick me out of a crowd and I’ve been on the board for 16 years,” she said. “I’ve never seen this plan. … We have never written a letter [about reorganizations], we have never known to write a letter, so maybe this board could have come to one of our meetings and said, ‘Hey, we’re looking for a letter from you, where is it?’”

Many residents speaking at the meeting expressed concern over the suggestion that a vendor be hired — as one of three possibilities, including a town hire or a contractor — to manage Camp Kiwanee.

“I think that is what makes it a scare — that it would lose its identity,” Diane Cohen of Pleasant Street said of an outside vendor’s ability to hire its own staff.

“I don’t think the people who volunteer their time are as concerned with the risk as they are with the reward,” another resident said. “You give it to an outside person, they have no connection to it. … It becomes a money-making venture no one has any ties to and then all it is, is functions.”

Questions were also asked about how a recreation director would be overseen.

“Who would do the hiring of this person and how would we be sure it would be someone who would advocate for recreation?” a resident asked.

McGahan said the Recreation Commission would do that, saying at that point he supported withdrawing the article.

“I think the timing is bad, and I didn’t see that coming,” he said.

McGahan assured residents the current Recreation Commission would be invited to be part of the new panel, but that the commission’s mass resignation of the current commission is a problem.

“We’re not talking about doing away with the Recreation Commission,” McGahan   said. “We’re basically better managing cabins, functions, weddings, security and business. It changes the way we do things, but still puts control with the Recreation Commission.”

The Board of Selectmen would appoint the new commission, as in the past.

The board also approved Young’s request to change the Memorial Field Commission article to request a change, by the legislature, from elected to appointed membership in order to preserve that board instead of incorporating it into any expanded Recreation Commission.

“The Veterans’ Agent assures me that, if it moves in this direction, that there will be people willing to step forward to be appointed by the Board of Selectmen to oversee this,” McCue said. “It’s probably the best solution for this issue.”

Selectmen’s Administrative Assistant Meredith Marini explained the other article changes came at the suggestion of the town accountant in an effort to streamline the Town Meeting process. School repair articles formerly numbered 20-28 were merged into a matrix under Article 18 and two articles regarding the Middle School univents and a rooftop unit at Indian Head School were deleted until May, as they were not yet on the district’s capital improvement plan. Funding sources were also changed for articles regarding the Water Department and a septic project at Camp Kiwanee.

State Primary’s on Thursday

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While there’s been plenty of news about the Nov. 8 presidential election, there’s a warm-up vote taking place here in Massachusetts exactly two months ahead of it — a state primary election on Thursday, Sept. 8 to be precise — that has quietly approached.

Since Monday was Labor Day, a Tuesday election would have required overtime and opening schools, where some polling places are located, on a holiday to set up, Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan said.

Polls are open in both Whitman and Hanson from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sept. 8, customary hours for a state or federal election.

Maquan School, where Hanson’s polling place is located, is open on Sept. 8, so voters in that community are urged to take extra precautions during hours when school buses and parent vehicles are dropping off and picking up pupils.

Whitman votes at the Town Hall Auditorium for all precincts.

While there is little in the way of contested races on the state primary ballot, town clerks remind voters this is a good opportunity to verify one’s registration status — or to register to vote — before the presidential election.

Sloan said Hanson residents may report to the Maquan School polling place or the town clerk’s office in Town Hall, where registrars will be available from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., during polling hours to assist voters. The town clerk’s office will be closed to other business.

Whitman Town Clerk Dawn Varley said her office will be open to assist voters with registration or questions about their voting status.

Every day is a good day to register,” Varley said, adding that voters can also check registration status, register to vote, apply for absentee ballots and receive other voting information at sec.state.ma.us/ele.

Appearing on the party ballots for the state primary in Hanson are:

  • For representative in Congress — incumbent U.S. Rep. William R. Keating (Democratic ballot); Mark C. Alliegro of Falmouth or Thomas J. O’Malley Jr., of Marshfield (Republican ballot).
  • For governor’s council — incumbent Christopher A. Iannella Jr., of Boston or Steven F. Flynn of Hull (Democratic ballot); no candidates listed on the Republican ballot.
  • For state senator — incumbent state Sen. Michael D. Brady (Democratic ballot); no candidates listed on the Republican ballot.
  • For state representative — incumbent state Rep. Josh S. Cutler (Democratic ballot); Vince Cogliano of Pembroke (Republican ballot).
  • For sheriff — Scott M. Vecchi of Plymouth (Democratic ballot); incumbent Joseph D. McDonald Jr., (Republican ballot).
  • For county commissioner (vote for two) — Greg Hanley of Pembroke and Lincoln D. Heineman of Scituate (Democratic ballot); incumbent Daniel A. Pallotta and Anthony T. O’Brien Sr., of Pembroke (Republican ballot).

Appearing on the party ballots for the state primary in Whitman are:

  • For representative in Congress — incumbent U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (Democratic ballot); no candidates listed on the Republican ballot.
  • For governor’s council — incumbent Christopher A. Iannella Jr., of Boston or Steven F. Flynn of Hull (Democratic ballot); no candidates listed on the Republican ballot.
  • For state senator — incumbent state Sen. Michael D. Brady (Democratic ballot); no candidates listed on the Republican ballot.
  • For state representative — no candidates listed on the Democratic ballot; incumbent state Rep. Geoff Diehl (Republican ballot).
  • For sheriff — Scott M. Vecchi of Plymouth (Democratic ballot); incumbent Joseph D. McDonald Jr., (Republican ballot).
  • For county commissioner (vote for two) — Greg Hanley of Pembroke and Lincoln D. Heineman of Scituate (Democratic ballot); incumbent Daniel A. Pallotta and Anthony T. O’Brien Sr., of Pembroke (Republican ballot).

There are no candidates listed on ballots in either town for the Green-Rainbow or United Independent parties.

15 years of ‘triple threats’: Boss Academy celebrates its crystal anniversary

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HANSON — They say if you love what you do, you’ll never “work” a day in your life. For Whitman native KathyJo Boss, that is true — to a point.

She’ll also tell you it takes work and dedication to make dreams in the performing arts come true, especially when one of those dreams is helping the next generation of dreamers achieve success in dance, voice and acting.

“I love doing what I do,” she said. “I love inspiring people. This is what’s most important. I want to leave a positive impact on as many people as I can.”

This year marks Boss Academy of Performing Arts’ 15th anniversary, and third year at its current location of 782 Main St. in Hanson. Founding a studio has always been her “end goal.”

The New York University graduate has more than 40 years of experience on Broadway, in national touring theater, television and film. When her eldest daughter Kaylee was born Boss and her husband, now-state Rep. Geoff Diehl decided to move back to her hometown.

“We felt Hanson was a great town in which to open up a business,” she said of the studio, which used to be in a storefront at the 1280 Main St. plaza in Hanson. “My landlord was awesome, but we just outgrew our space.”

Still, she said it doesn’t seem possible that those 15 years have come and gone.

“When you’re in business for 15 years — and I’m sure it will only get greater — you go through great times,” Boss said. “It is truly a family here.”

Like any parent, she has watched her students grow and move on after graduation — whether or not they seek a performing career.

“I see a lot of awesome memories with kids that started when they were little [and] I just went to one of their weddings,” she said. “Both my  children were in the wedding.”

A lot of her students who want to pursue a stage or film career are doing that, holding Actors’ Equity and/or SAG-AFTRA cards. Others have celebrated marriage and family or are dealing with the loss of a parent.

“To me, the biggest thing is making the connection with the kids and seeing them grow into young people doing great things,” she said. “Whether that’s in the performing arts, which a lot of them are doing, or just in other things. … The common thing is that they take the structure and the discipline — just to have the courage to get up and speak in front of someone — and use them.”

Some of her students have gone on to do well in the military, and another is going for her doctorate. Hanson students Melissa Ford and Darren Bunch are among her alumni now working in film and theater in New York. Former student Hillary Keefe is now working in production.

The accomplishments of her students are her proudest achievements, but when her students cheer on not only each other, but other participants at competitions, she really enjoys seeing the growth in which she’s had a hand.

“To see my alumni come to my shows is the greatest gift for me that day,” she said. “I’m proud of the family that has been created here.”

Boss herself has come a long way from the shy 2 1/2-year-old whose mother brought her to dance class to help bring her out of her shell. Her teacher didn’t think KathyJo would want to go on stage for the year-end recital.

“I did go on stage and, obviously, I never came off,” she said.

She was later selected as a company member of the Boston Ballet. After graduating from NYU, she has continued to stay in contact with several of her teachers. She has performed on Broadway in a revival of “Cabaret” and as Lambchop in “Shari Lewis’ Lambchop.” Some TV and film work as well as commercials that have aired in Japan, eventually moving to California where she ended up doing production work, including live shows — and met Diehl who was then a writer.

Diehl still writes productions for Boss Academy, and her mom, who is a professional artist, does the scenery.

“I can give [students] the real story,” she said. “I can let them try it all … it only gives them more opportunity when they go to New York or LA.”

While there are several dance studios in the area, Boss said there is room for all of them in a state known for dance — it all depends on the kind of instruction a student is seeking.

She also sees a lot of change in the arts over the past 15 years. Dance, for example, involves more gymnastic moves than before, leading to the studio’s offering tumbling for the past four or five years. But there is always a need for the basics.

“I truly believe in the roots of the discipline,” she said. “With voice, they need to train in a classical way in terms of the technique.”

When students come in demanding to sing like the hottest pop artist on the radio, however, instructors have to help them take a realistic assessment of their vocal chords. Are they strong enough to sing a song like the over-produced recorded performances they hear?

Hip-hop has also made a difference in what students want to learn, affected by the success of the Broadway smash “Hamilton” and the reality show “So, You Think You Can Dance?” Boss pointed out.

“It does go with the trends,” she said. “It used to be the boy band style and then that swung around to what we see now. You stay on top of the trends, but you also stay true to the training.”

That is her aim for the future. She is also planning to give back to the community in a big way this year, the details of which she is not yet ready to disclose.

Heading back to class: Sixth, ninth graders attend orientations

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Buses officially rolled for the first day of school Wednesday, but about 340 sixth-graders in the Class of 2023 and some 270 high school freshmen in the Class of 2020, have already had one foot in the schoolhouse door for the past week.

Freshmen attended an orientation session at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School on Wednesday, Aug. 24, with about 200 grade six students learning their way around Whitman Middle School and another 140 or so attending orientation at Hanson Middle School on Aug. 25.

High school athletes attended an information night Sunday, Aug. 22.

Orientations at the middle schools and WHRHS featured upperclassmen on hand to give school tours, demonstrate lockers, answer questions and otherwise ease the transition for incoming students. Parents’ questions were answered by administrators as their children learned about their new schools.

W-H Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak introduced faculty and administration members attending the high school session before explaining the purpose of the evening, organized by English teacher and student mentor coordinator Ellen Galambos.

The 80-plus student mentors had to apply for the position, Assistant Principal David Floeck said.

“They had to put down reasons why they wanted to be a mentor and, pretty much to a person, they talked about understanding how important it is to get off to a good start, remembering how it was to be a freshman coming into the high school,” Floeck said. “A lot of them wrote, ‘I remember how important my mentor was to me when I started … They helped me navigate to a good start and I want to give back.’”

Szymaniak also praised the mentors, while explaining the change to a semester-based schedule at the high school this year.

“These student leaders are from all over the walks of W-H halls,” Szymaniak said. “You have athletes, people that perform in drama, you have musicians, you have artists, you have scholars … you have the students who started the Harry Potter Society here … they all sat in your seats as freshmen.”

He said opening the door and stepping into an opportunity is sometimes the hardest thing to do, but stressed the students in school activities want freshmen to join them. Every student is welcome to attend Student Council, a non-elected body, for exaample.

“The more you get involved as a student, the more you can balance your academic, social life and extra-curricular life, the better off you are — the more successful you are,” he said.

Szymaniak cautioned, however, that academics will always come first as students build a high school transcript that will determine a lot about the direction they take in the future. He also urged students to communicate with teachers when they need extra help.

“It counts,” he said. “What people look for after you graduate is your record. Your record here is your transcript — your grades and your attendance.”

The balance of academic excellence and extra-curricular activities were also stressed at the middle schools.

At WMS, eighth-grade student leaders, wearing long-sleeve gray T-shirts with the school’s motto for the year — “Work Hard and Be Kind” — were on hand to assist new sixth-graders with the transition to what principal George Ferro termed 580 days of personal and educational growth before high school.

“This is going to be the quickest three years of schooling that you will have,” Ferro told students and parents, noting only law schools are also based on a three-year program. “If we can achieve students who know how to study, if we can achieve students who know how to communicate effectively with their peers and adults, if we can achieve students who can think for themselves, if we can achieve students who respect themselves … [who] can respect others, then we’ve given them as many skills as they need to be successful in life.”

At the same time he said students will be expected to Work Hard and Be Kind every day they come to school.

“It’s not a joke,” he said. “If you work hard and be kind you’ll be successful, your parents will be successful, your community will be sucessful.”

School rules were also reviewed.

There will be no gum-chewing. Cell phones are not allowed in classrooms at WMS, sixth-grade social studies teacher and event coordinator Beth Stafford told the students. They are to be turned off and left in lockers or placed in classroom bins. Boys are expected to remove their hats in school and girls’ tank top straps are to be at least an inch wide.

“Remember this is not the beach — this is school,” Stafford said.

Students should walk to the right in halls and use the center stairs for “up” and the side stairs for “down.”

Students also must bring a silent reading book to peruse on occasions when they finish a classroom assignment early. Some teachers give pop quizzes to check for them, she cautioned.

Rewards were also featured to add to the fun.

At WMS, it was a grab-bag of school supplies for the first team of 10 students to finish a get-to-know-your-school scavenger hunt — without losing anyone. Stafford donated the prizes. At the high school, student mentors held raffles throughout the evening.

“This group of people dedicated time this summer to go through mentor training and they also donated some of their very hard-earned cash … to put together some raffle prizes,” said Floeck, noting about $300 in gift cards and other raffle prizes were drawn during the evening.

At HMS, Principal William Tranter said his incoming sixth-graders were divided into groups for tours of the building, meeting their teachers, activities such as tug-of-   war, in which he participated and basketball — followed by ice cream.

Both middle schools will hold an open house in which parents can follow their children’s class schedules and meet teachers at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 8.

Elementary Schools held open house at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 30. Families of students at all schools have been urged to follow the schools through Twitter for news and updates.

Voter safety plans made

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WHITMAN — Expecting a 75-percent turnout for the Tuesday, Nov. 8 presidential election, Town Clerk DawnVarley has asked for, and received, Selectmen’s support for safety procedures she plans to institute at Town Hall on that date.

The measures have been used before in high-turnout elections and center on restricting parking and charitable solicitations.

Varley said she had already discussed the moves with Town Administrator Frank Lynam, Police Chief Scott Benton and Council on Aging Director Barbara Garvey.

The deadline for registering to vote in the presidential election is Wednesday, Oct. 19.

“I urged everyone to register to vote,” Varley said.

With final details concerning use of the Council on Aging bus still to be finalized, Town Hall employees and election workers will be required to park at the police station on Election Day to free up Town Hall parking for voters. Employees and election workers will be shuttled to Town Hall.

Parking along South Avenue from Day Street to the center of town will be limited to a half-hour on a temporary basis.

“We have 10,000 voters now,” Varley said. “The only thing that could cut [traffic] down is something new that’s going on — early voting.”

The 150-foot “no electioneering” rule around Town Hall will be enforced, including fundraising efforts by Dollars for Scholars and other groups.

“I usually let people inside for other elections — like the Mothers Club and things like that — but this time I’m not going to allow any solicitation,” she said. “I think it’s too much traffic.”

She stressed there will also likely be exit pollsters and poll watchers present, over neither of which she has any control.

Benton said he agreed with the parking restrictions and noted he will add a “floating” officer to the detail usually assigned to the polling place on election days.

Early voting is also in place for the first time this year and Varley has asked the Finance Committee for $2,000 to cover those costs, as she is asking some of her election workers to help with that process between Monday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Nov. 4. She said the state has not yet released the needed forms, envelopes or details of what the process will entail as yet.

Early voting will be conducted in the Town Hall Auditorium and Varlet plans to provide locked ballot boxes to keep ballots secure. While the law only requires early voting to be conducted during Town Hall hours, Varley plans to be open Fridays as well as from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The state is providing incentive grants to encourage towns to provide extra early voting hours.

Municipalities with between 5,000 and 10,000 voters can get $500 to be open at least four weekend hours, with a $50 bonus for each additional two-hour increment they stay open during the weekend, according to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office.

Absentee voting will also be conducted as usual.

Varley also reminded residents that 16-year-olds may register to vote, even though they cannot cast a ballot until they turn 18.

“They’re trying to get the voter numbers up, but it just adds pressure to my office because we have to keep track of them for two years,” she said. “Who knows if they’re going to be in the same location in two years?”

Anyone with questions on their registration status, order absentee ballots or other election concerns may visit sec.state.ma.us.ele.

The town has received 34 applications for the assistant town administrator’s position, all based on an online posting before the position is advertised in print.

“We have a lot of interest in it,” said Selectmen Chairman Carl Kowalski. “We have a lot of qualified people that have showed some interest.”

The application deadline is Sept. 22.

Selectmen opted not to fill Selectman Lisa Green’s open seat based on the time constraints for a special election. The board members felt the could continue with the vacancy, created when Green resigned to apply for the position of assistant town administrator.

Senior centers, they are a-changin’

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They’re still trying to bridge the original Generation Gap.

What started as a “Don’t trust anyone over 30” outlook among Baby Boomers in their youth, has turned into a different approach to aging — with senior centers working to provide programs and services to two generations of elders.

“It’s a huge problem,” said Barbara Garvey, Whitman’s Council on Aging Director. “We’re trying to capture the Baby Boomers, the young seniors.”

Both Garvey and Hanson Multi-Service Senior Center Director Mary Collins noted the difference in the way Boomers approach aging — and, according to statistics, 10,000 of them have been turning 65 every day since 2011.

“They’re working, they’re caring for their grandchildren, they’re playing golf,” Garvey said. “It’s a different lifestyle than their parents led.”

She said it appears that Boomers view senior centers as a place “for very old people, and that’s not them.”

Collins said her Friends of the Senior Center group is taking a step to help bridge that gap, planning a 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27 “Mocktails and Music” event with Laura James, a former member of The Platters.

“The Friends decided to reach out to the Baby Boomers … those folks who grew up in the ’50s and ’60s,” Collins said. “She performs music from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s with a little bit of disco at the end.”

The performance is also a fundraiser for the Friends with tickets priced at $10.

Garvey sees the need to keep pace with generational change as well.

“We’re trying to change our programming so that it will interest younger people,” Garvey said, noting that a recent evening program on Medicare aimed at people approaching retirement was very well attended, including  those who had not been at the center before.

Evening hours?

“We haven’t been open in the evening, but I’m thinking about maybe rearranging hours so that folks that aren’t available during the day would be able to participate and benefit,” Garvey said.

Aside from a social outlet, senior centers connect older adults to services that can help them stay healthy and independent, and according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), more than 60 percent of centers are focal points for services through the Older Americans Act. Those services include health, fitness and wellness programs; public benefits counseling; information and nutrition programs among others.

“We are a referral source for elders in the town, but also for families that are looking for different assistance,” Collins said, noting it may be time to stress the multi-service portion of her facility’s title.

“The age spans a wide variety from those who are able to retire at 65 to those who are continuing to work — whether it be full time or part time — and at some point we have to look at the fact that our programs need to reflect what someone in their late 60s or 70s needs,” she said.

At the same time, the needs of those in their 80s and 90s cannot be ignored. And, in Hanson, the Adult Day Program sees to the needs of those with elders with health problems, including various forms of dementia.

“That’s the line that we walk,” Collins said. “It’s very individualized.”

While the standards by singers such as Tony Bennett are always heard on the center’s stereo, the Boomer favorites featured in the Aug. 27 program are symbolic of “where we’re heading,” Collins noted.

Garvey said events such as paint nights and the possible development of a bocce court are being considered at her center, and Whitman is one of the first towns in the area to offer pickleball, which lost some of its participants when the Abington Senior Center built three new pickleball courts. An Eagle Scout candidate, however, is continuing a project to improve the Whitman pickleball courts adjacent to the Police Station.

I see bingo attendance declining,” she said, but new games being offered have begun to draw interest. “Craft classes are well attended, I’m just trying to hone in on what’s successful and what’s not.”

Suggestions sought

A questionnaire about programs people would like to see is in the works. Every resident 60 and over also receives the Whitman Council on Aging newsletter.

Collins said she is fortunate to have a group, who have either attended programs or volunteer at the center, and are in the beginning of their retirement.

“I spend a lot of time looking for feedback from them as to what their interests might be,” she said.

According to the NCA, 70 percent of senior center participants are women, half of those live alone. They also have higher levels of health, social interaction and life satisfaction, but have lower levels of income. Their average age is 75 and they visit their center one to three times per week for an average of 3.3 hours per visit.

“I have ladies who say, ‘I’m glad to come here, but you’ll never see my husband because he doesn’t consider himself a senior,’” Collins said. “We don’t change that much as we age.”

Hanson has long featured a Cracker Barrel Men’s Club, the members of which gather Thursday mornings to talk about sports or the events of the day, whether or not they go to the center on other days.

“Ultimately, it’s not about them attending programs, it’s about them knowing people are here to help them,” Collins said.

Maquan roof fixed

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HANSON — The initial repair to the Maquan School roof over the gym and cafeteria has been completed — but a few more problems were discovered in the process.

Selectmen approved use of $77,208 in unused funds for the project to address the problems, with the work to be continued by the contractor Gibson Roofs Inc., of Hanover.

“In the process of making this repair, we had Gibson look at the complete roof at Maquan,” said School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes. “There are other issues on the rest of the roof.”

The School Committee was scheduled to take a vote on those repairs at its Wednesday, Aug. 24 meeting. the quick votes could allow Gibson to complete the work before school starts Wednesday, Aug. 31.

The needed repairs include a new walkway pads, fixing loose flashing, re-flashing vent pipes, re-pointing and replacing bricks and the concrete cap of a chimney, snaking a roof drain, re-caulking among other repairs.

“It’s all within the scope of the roof project, the way it was voted,” Hayes said. “Some of the savings by going with Gibson — they did a fabulous job — can be put toward this.”

The votes come under the inter-municipal agreement, which Hayes said has worked very well on the recent Hanson school repair projects.

Setting the scene for movie thrills: ‘Altar Rock’ action shot in Hanson

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HANSON — A multi-use building at 1000 Main St., which houses offices, retail, manufacturing and warehouse businesses — as well as the Express offices — was also being used as a movie set Sunday, Aug. 21.

Filming at the Hanson was for a scene in, “Altar Rock,” an indie-film project described in media reports as a thriller inspired by the Boston Marathon bombing, but executive producer Kristin Kuhns Alexandre said this week that is not the case.

“The Boston event is not connected to ‘Altar Rock’ at all, except that there are brothers in the story,” Alexandre said Sunday. “I wanted to do a story about a young man torn between love of family and love of a young woman and America.”

The fictional story is said to revolve around Nantucket teenager Tillie Gardner, who is mourning her parents’ deaths in an airplane crash when she meets a young Albanian cab driver named Niko. She later learns Niko and his troubled older brother may have been involved in her parents’ plane crash, and are planning to blow up a beach full of people on the Fourth of July.

Amazon.com has indicated that Alexandre, of Delray Beach, Fla., planned to release the story as a novel after the film is completed, but she said there is no book planned right now. She is also a novelist (“Gem City Gypsy”) and author of how-to books (“Find a Great Guy: Now and Forever”).

“We’ll see,” she said. “Screenwriting is a whole different world of story arcs and scenes, and that’s why I worked closely with a veteran screenwriter — my writing partner A. Wayne Carter.”

Beach scenes for the movie were recently filmed in Duxbury.   

“It worked out really well, because Altar Rock on Nantucket is, honestly, not as beautiful as Bay Farm [Beach in Duxbury],” Alexandre’s daughter Cynthia said Friday that the Duxbury beach has an “absolutely gorgeous overview of the beautiful Duxbury oceanfront.”

Cynthia Alexandre is working as an assistant to director of photography Vern Nobles on the project. She said when filming wrapped there they moved to the Hanson location.

“Our locations department found an easily accessible space to build a movie set in at a great budget while taking into consideration how far base camp can be from the actual set, as well as town rules and regulations,” Cynthia Alexandre said.

Duxbury, Plymouth and surrounding South Shore communities were scouted for film locations, Kristin Alexandre said, noting that obtaining permits during summer months was challenging.

“We shot a very important beach scene in Duxbury, important body shots in Plymouth Harbor and other important shots all over the area,” she said.

Building owners at 1000 Main St., as well as Hanson town officials were pleased to have the cinematic attention.

“We’re really exited about the opportunity to have a movie filmed in our building,” said building co-owner Kelly Ryan Holmes. “But not just for us, it’s also exciting for the town of Hanson … to promote the town.”

She said location scouts  loved the space being used in the building — a loft-style office area and adjacent warehouse space — and how it looks in relation to other nearby buildings. The area is being meant to represent a warehouse area of Brooklyn she said producers told her.

Town Administrator Michael McCue said he’d like to see more projects film in town, even if this week’s footage should end up on the cutting room floor.

“Hanson as a setting for this upcoming movie, whether identified in the script or not, is a fun and boastful thing for the town,” McCue said. “I have in other communities spoken to the Massachusetts State Film Office about the availability for similar projects and will look to do the same in Hanson as appropriate.”

A Hanson firefighter on set to ensure safety while the film crew had the fire alarm system turned off during filming, said the scenes shot Sunday morning were rather exciting.

“They were ‘fighting’ and then ‘shot’ someone,” he said of the morning scenes.

Tenants of the commercial building had been group-texted Friday by the building owners about the scenes so no one would be alarmed if they heard shots fired.

Moody Independent is a film company headquartered in Boston and has produced many small and medium-sized movies, Alexandre said.

Andrzej Bartkowiak, cinematographer on “Speed” and director on “Romeo Must Die,” is directing “Altar Rock.” Bartkowiak’s cinematography credits include “The Verdict,” “Prizzi’s Honor” and “Terms of Endearment.” He also directed “Exit Wounds” and was the director of photography on “Grey Lady,” starring Eric Dane and Natalie Zea, which was also filmed on Nantucket and partially financed by Alexandre, according to Variety.

Recreation panel in limbo: Resignations not accepted or rescinded, leaving confusion

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HANSON — No one seemed to walk away satisfied with the outcome of the Board of Selectmen’s Tuesday, Aug. 23 discussions on the Recreation Commission’s recent mass resignation and conveyance of Camp Kiwanee oversight to Town Administrator Michael McCue.

Selectmen did not vote on accepting the resignations and, while at least three members indicated a willingness to wait for Labor Counsel Leo Peloquin to complete his investigation, or audit review, none offered to rescind their resignations.

“You can accept my resignation or not accept it, but I will not serve on the Recreation Commission any longer,” said former Recreation Chairman James Hickey.

Selectman Bruce Young angrily walked out of the meeting about an hour later — before business had been concluded.

His action came during a discussion before the special Town Meeting warrant was closed, changing his vote on placing an article seeking a request for proposals (RFP) on management of Camp Kiwanee.

“I don’t like what’s going on here,” Young said before he walked out. [See related story, opposite page]

The evening started with a large group of former Recreation Commission members, ex-caretakers and their supporters — holding signs and small red Solo cups — seeking public support outside Town Hall. The cups were in reference to the heated exchange in April between Young and then-interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera over alleged improper drinking going on at the camp. LaCamera walked out of that meeting, leaving his resignation on his desk.

Signs for support

The sign-holders filled the Selectmen’s Meeting Room for the vote on the Recreation Commission’s resignations, asking questions about the process, status of the review and how McCue would oversee the camp.

“Typically, we don’t speak about resignations, we have not in the past,” said Selectmen Chairman James McGahan. Resignations are usually voted on with no comment other than an occasional expression of regret.

When the vote to accept resignations came up, there was no second made to the motion, so no vote was taken.

“I want to make it clear that, consistent with this board’s prior position, the board is not going to entertain discussion about the substance of the ongoing investigation into Camp Kiwanee,” McGahan said. “It’s not posted on the agenda. I can’t talk about that because we’d be in open meeting violation.”

He noted some town departments have run into problems doing that in the past, and pledged to hold an open meeting to fully discuss Peloquin’s report when it is complete. McGahan said he wanted to see that review completed by the end of September.

“I have asked Leo to make damn sure its done by the end of September,” he said.

The report will also be made public as is required by state law, according to Young, including all minutes of executive session discussions.

“The goal of the board and the town has been and continues to be to ensure that Camp Kiwanee is operated appropriately,” McGahan said. “Notwithstanding the recent developments, we intend to see to it that the scheduled events and programs take place.”

He said the town would appreciate the help of staff and volunteers in meeting that goal.

McGahan cautioned the audience would be gaveled down if “things got out of hand,” and did so on a few occasions, including prior to Young’s later walkout.

One resident asked if the resignations were accepted before the investigation concluded, it wouldn’t be doing a disservice to “our good citizens” on the Recreation Commission. Another wondered how McCue would run Camp Kiwanee. It was also asked if a vote on the resignations could be postponed.

McGahan countered that the board should move ahead with a vote and, when the positions came open again, members who resigned could reapply. He also declined to comment on what would be done if the investigation bore out a single person’s improper actions.

The lack of a vote left that situation a bit confused.

“How can we expect people to fill these positions if we allow the current Commission to resign?” asked Whitman resident Lillian Dignan, a former longtime Hanson resident.

“I don’t know,” McGahan said. “To me, that’s not germane to accepting the resignations.”

Young added that Selectmen are obligated by town bylaws to appoint a Recreation Commission, noting that the town administrator would step in to manage Camp Kiwanee on a temporary basis.

“That’s a stopgap measure,” Young cautioned. He did not second the motion to accept the resignations, and said he would not vote for it in hopes that the members — other than Hickey — would withdraw their resignations. The statement was met with loud applause.

At least four of the seven-member commission would have to return to resume oversight of the camp functions.

“I think this an unfortunate hot mess,” said Hanson resident Kimberly King, who has experience serving with an appointed authority, the Plymouth County Mosquito Control Board. “I think both sides have legitimate concerns, but I find it extremely upsetting that the Recreation Commission would just throw in their resignations before asking to go on the agenda in a public meeting to have this discussed.  … Good people make mistakes and I think that’s where a lot of this comes from.”

Former commission member Susan Lonergan said that couldn’t be done because Selectmen are not part of the investigation and they were instructed by an attorney not to talk about it with them.

McCue’s role

For his part, McCue was not particularly eager to oversee Camp Kiwanee, but said remaining staff members had indicated they will stay on and he would only be signing contracts or invoices and dealing with any personnel issues that might arise.

Teresa Santalucia asked if McCue would consult with the Recreation Commission on any problems that might crop up.

“We’ve run into a kind of gray area,” McCue said. “The board still has a letter of resignation from all these people in front of them. Until a majority of those people — if they so choose — rescind those resignations, I don’t have a board with whom to speak. … If there was a board to speak with, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

That prompted School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes, attending the meeting on another matter, to suggest asking if any Recreation Commission members wished to stay on until a report comes back.

“You’re putting them on the spot right now,” Hickey said.

McGahan said that was not the intention of asking who might wish to stay on.

“It’s your choice,” he said.

After a brief recess of discussion among the commission, three — Lonergan, Janet Agius and Sheila Morse — said they would wait until the investigation was completed before going ahead with their resignations.

“We have to work together on this,” Lonergan said. “We have to be heard and we haven’t been heard.”

Resident, and former Recreation Commission member, chairman and longtime Camp Kiwanee volunteer Joseph Baker asked how McCue would be able to manage the facility.

“Do you know how to pump the toilets? … How are you possibly going to manage the camp?” Baker asked. “This is a great asset to the town and now what we’re doing is causing this big [crap] storm. … How is this guy going to run the camp? He doesn’t know a thing about the camp.”

“We’re going to do the best we can on this,” McGahan said.

“What is the alternative?” Young said. “We don’t have four members who are willing to rescind their resignations.” Selectmen voted 5-0 to convey the oversight of operations to McCue.