WHITMAN – If not for the controversies and the 2018 Academy Award for Best Picture, won by “Green Book,” many white Americans might not have heard of the annual guide (1936 to 1967) by that name, offering travel advice, lists of safe and welcoming hotels for African-American travelers across the United States and ads for businesses – especially car sales.
Dr. Gloria Greis, the executive director of the Needham History Center and Museum, spoke at the Whitman Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 14 to add some informational meat on that skeletal knowledge in her talk, “Driving While Black.”
And area towns like Hanson and Kingston have earned listings in the guide over the years – for South Hanson, 1948, to be precise. More on that in a bit.
The Green Book got its name, in part, from the color featured in its cover designs, but also for its founder, Victor Hugo Green, who founded the guide in 1936, aided by his wife Alma, who took over briefly after his 1960 death.
A postal employee and travel agent in Harlem, Green was perfectly situated to make his guidebook the one people immediately thought of – despite the existence of at east six others – he could depend on a national network of postal employees to bolster the word-of-mouth campaign and, more importantly advertising, by his fellow postal employees.
While she admitted her presentation is “a little Needham-centric,” Greis, said that a few years ago, a local resident send her a note asking is she knew Needham had an entry in the Green Book, sending her on a seearch for information on several other South Shore communities, as well.
But, initially, Greis, herself, hadn’t known what the Green Book was.
“I daresay, I was not alone in my ignorance and I daresay that my ignorance says something about the way we approach local history,” she told her audience at Whitman Public Library. “Despite general sense that modern history is comprehensive and everything is known, the historical record is surprisingly incomplete. Records get lost, or not recorded in the first place.”
She added that even towns like Needham, where today an ABC-affiliate television network is located, and has a well-regarded educational system today, was in Colonial times, considered literate, but not literary.
People could read and write, “but they didn’t spend a lot of time putting their thoughts down on paper.”
Therefore, recorded history is usually found in official documents – tax rolls. Town clerks’ records, church registers, town reports and the like.
“This is the history of the town’s leaders,” she said. “While this information is incredibly important, it’s very incomplete as a town history. It leaves out large segments of community experience.”
That is largely the experience of the working class, Greis said – “the routine rhythms of work and leisure, the accommodations of neighborhood, the attitudes, opinions and relationships that governed everybody’s everyday life.”
Often who gets to tell that history adds another layer of controversy, which is why the dramatic film “Green Book,” ran into trouble by literally putting a white character in the driver’s seat, not only of a car, but also of a Black character’s story.
“Piecing together historical information about the non-establishment groups in a town takes a number of different strategies,” Greis said. The Green Book is one of those.
In Hanson, for example was among the 36 communities in Massachusetts with a listing – a small house at 26 Reed St., once owned by a woman named Mary Pina, was listed in the 1948 Green Book as an accommodation for African-American travelers and tourists both in a guest room in her home, and for campers in her spacious back yard.
“The [accommodations] tend to follow the highways and areas we still think of as vacation spots,” Greis said. “But not all. Some of them are on byways, like Needham.” And Hanson.
Hanson Health Board Chair Arlene Dias was amazed at that bit of historical news.
“There were a lot of Pinas on South Street, but I don’t remember somebody living that far up on Reed Street,” Dias said in a phone interview Friday, Dec. 20. “I’ve never heard of [the Green Book listing]. It is interesting.”
She said she would be calling family members who were more knowledgeable of the Cape Verdean population’s history in Hanson for more information.
“I had relatives that were Pinas, but they were on Pleasant Street,” Dias said.
Greis said that, as much as the Green Book offered guidance for the safety of travelers, it also offered economic safety for small businesses.
“It is a compendium of some of the most important people, successful businesses and important political milestones of the 20th Century,” she said. “It’s a who’s who of a rising class of African-American middle-class entrepreneurs.”
Before the advent of the Green Book and similar travel guide, Black travelers had to prepare ahead, packing food and enough gasoline for the journey, because there was no certainty that they’d find a safe place to eat, lodge, fuel their cars or even use the bathrooms, Greis said.
Green had written in the forward to the Green Book that it served as a way to ensure safety and dignity in travel until African-Americans were afforded equal opportunities and privileges in the United States.
“It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication,” he wrote.
The Jim Crow South was not the only area where travel problems might be encountered.
“These limits were imposed on African-Americans all over the country – even in the North,” Greis said. “We might not have had the actual signs, but we certainly had the signals.”
Even in Harlem during it’s “Harlem Renaissance” of the 1920s and ’30s, the more famous nightclubs like The Cotton Club, did not allow Black customers in the audience for performances of the biggest African-Americas entertainers of the day.
As Black workers found job opportunities in the North, especially in Detroit, their economic condition improved, but that was only one reason car ownership by Black Americans grew.
“Sometimes, it was the only way of getting easily from place to place,” she said The Green Book and other guides also advised Black people to buy a car as soon as they were able to for that reason. “The Green Book guided them to services where they were welcome, reducing what Green kindly called ‘aggravation.’”
That aggravation could range from out-and-out violence to Sundown Towns, where the threat was thinly veiled.
Getting one’s kicks on Route 66, was evidently meant for whites only as there were no welcoming business along the route musically extolled from Chicago as one “motors West.”
The first Green Book in 1936 covered only New York and Westchester County in 16 pages, but shortly grew to more than 9,500 businesses in 100 pages covering the entire United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.
“Esso Oil, which was notable for its progressive hiring, including African-American executives, scientists and franchisees, distributed the book throughout its station network,” Greis said.
It was also aimed at the African-American Middle Class and was relatively unknown among people of color in lower economic strata.
Once the Interstate Highway system helped spell the end of the Green Book, both by presenting a more homogeneous appearance for travel – and bypassing many of the businesses that advertised in it.
Absentee ballots ready in Hanson for January SST district vote
Absentee ballots are now available at the Hanson Town Clerk’s office for the Jan. 25 Special District Election for the South Shore Regional Vocational School District. Absentee voting is done at the Town Clerk’s office and can be done up until 12 Noon on Friday, Jan. 24.
For more information call the Town Clerk’s office at 781-293-2772.
Whitman Board hears override need
WHITMAN – In it’s last meeting of 2024 on Tuesday, Dec. 17 the Select Board heard a sobering assessment of what lies ahead for the town next year as officials calculate the fiscal 2026 budget.
Bottom-line, according to board member Shawn Kain, is that preliminary budget numbers indicate that an override is necessary to maintain level services. He had based his preliminary budget on 2.5-percent salary increases plus contractual step increases, final terms of union contract negotiations and the level-funding of expenses except for major known increases.
“We’re trying to get some things out there in the public view as early as we possibly could,” Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski said, noting that such an update was most likely what the Finance Committee wanted to do anyway.
“Our goal here is a level-service simulation – roughly a level- service simulation,” Kain said, noting that all five municipal union contracts are up for negotiation and the schools are negotiating their contracts. “You need to keep that present on your mind, but we’re looking for a simulation that’s roughly level-service.”
Total revenues are forecasted to be $45,784,975, with expenses calculated at $47,914,340, putting the current deficit at $1,729,385.
“[This is] basically announcing that, this year, we can’t avoid doing an override in order to pay for the services that we want to have,” Kowalski said.
“That’s right,” Kain said. “We thought it would be best to get these numbers out now, let people marinate and think about them, and then we can think about – over the next month or so – what the scope of the override would be … the details.”
Kowalski said he hoped the Finance Committee has seen and been discussing the numbers to help decide how much of an override will be needed. And it would need to include all departments.
“It’s the kind of advice I’ve been looking for from the Finance Committee for a long time,” he said. “[We] haven’t really received it. … It’s been pretty clear to us for a long time that, in order to have these things that we say that we value as a town … that we’ve needed an override for a while.”
He said there’s never been an inclination to pay for what the town says it values.
A joint meeting the Select Board had planned to have with the Finance Committee, didn’t happen because the Finance Committee, hadn’t officially posted it, with their agenda, Kowalski had said earlier in the meeting.
Vice Chair Dan Salvucci said departments need to understand that an override is not “an open wallet.”
Member Justin Evans said the town has already made all the cuts that can be made.
“I don’t know where else we can cut looking forward,” he said, echoing Kain’s assessment that they are down to the bone now.
Kain had noted noted that the budget process represents a community’s primary policy statement and establishes government priorities, beginning in the fall with a financial forecast.
“That is what this is tonight,” he said. A joint meeting with the Finance Committee and involving the schools will be held in order to coordinate concerning Whitman’s financial projections ans decide how to move forward on the same page.
The current levy is at $31,919,007. Adding $797,975 under the Proposition 2.5 and $200,000 in projected new growth brings that figure to an anticipated $32,916,982.
Kain said the new growth projection is low, as Whitman’s average is over $400,000.
“But the thing is, in a couple of those [previous] years the new growth was obvious,” he said. “We had a couple of projects that were over $600,000 and it made sense, but this year, we don’t have any new projects on the books, and based on the feedback we get from the assessor’s office, it really does make sense for that number to be as low as it is at $200,000.”
Adding excluded debt of $2,990,347 does just that – it goes to excluded debt and can’t be used for any part of the operating budget.
The maximum allowable levy for the town in $35,907,329.
Local receipts brought in $10,599,540 for a total revenue of $46,506,779. Subtracting charges and offsets of $721,804 brings the total available funds to $45,764,975
“We’ve been getting better and better at projecting our local receipts,” he said. “It’s guided by financial policy, and Mary Beth has been working closely with a really high-level financial consultant, which has allowed us to do be able to do this in a way that is reasonable, but also conservative.”
In January and February, as the first commitment comes out for excise tax, the town will have some more realistic evidence to know where those numbers are going to come in. The final calculation of $45,784,975 in available funds if $819,689 above where the town was last year in terms of new revenue that can be put toward the operating budget.
Carter has also put out a message to department heads to include a 2.5-percent increase for all non-unions employees without contracts; include that increase to employees who are contracted; and include step raises due for union employees; and all departments should be level-funding all of their expenses.
“That’s a hard ask, because every year, expenses go up,” Kain said.
All five contracts are under negotiation this year, as well.
Key budgetary lines will continue to be Plymouth County retirement, medical and health insurance, the W-H Regional School budget, level funding SST because enrollment is down, fire department retirements, solid waste disposal and free cash used last year.
“Plymouth County Retirement is killing us,” he said. “That’s up 11 percent this year. … That one line item is very difficult for us to account for in our budget.”
Hanson’s financial ‘Santa Claus’
HANSON – Everyone loves an ARPA check, almost as much as Christmas celebrations.
The Hanson Select Board, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, were able to extend their verbal thank-you notes to those who made both possible for Hanson this year.
The Board issued its thanks and recognition to the Hanson Holiday Committee and the Plymouth County Commissioners for their hard work in creating Hanson’s Holiday Fest, and efficiently overseeing the distribution of ARPA funds, respectively.
“If you are fortunate enough to go to [the Holiday Fest] every year, then you might think that it just magically happens,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That is not true. There is a committee of people who meet, really at the start of summer, which seems quite shocking, but it’s true, talking about how to fund raise, what organizations are going to take part, etc.”
While she said the Hanson Highway and Police departments who always support the event, she said she thought it would be nice to
FitzGerald-Kemmett had also offered some recognition during the event which was also attended by Board members Ed Heal and Joe Weeks, but she didn’t think sufficient thanks had been offered.
“I wanted to make sure that it was, because I see how hard you guys work and I really think it’s important,” she said. “It’s such a beloved tradition in Hanson.”
The family-oriented event does not charge admission, and is a low-key time to gather with family, friends and community, enjoy the bonfires, sample the wares of local eateries and watch the fireworks.
“It’s a beautiful event,” she said. “We need more of those events.”
Receiving certificates of appreciation were: Hanson Police Sgt. Michael Bearce for organizing the police detail and crowd safety; Amanda Hauk, for social media and organizational work on the event; Highway Department employee Kevin Dykes, who plays a critical role in the event; Bob Hayes, for serving as the official ambassador for the committee and assisting with fundraising, ensuring the event’s sustainability; Fire Department Deputy Chief Charlie Barends, who is non-stop working on fundraising and ideas for connecting with people and getting the word out; Fire Chief Robert O’Brien for his work in organizing the fireworks display; and Committee Chair Steve Amico, for “quietly leading the charge for many years.
“You have had a part in it the last few years, as well,” Amico said to FitzGerald-Kemmett. “So, we thank you for all of your help.”
“That is unscripted, Mr. Amico, and not fitting” she joked.
There may not have been any certificates of appreciation for the county commissioners, but FitzGerald-Kemmett was equally as vocal in her thanks for the work they have done to help Hanson.
“You know how we love it,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said as she opened the meeting. “Show us the money, Jared!”
Plymouth County Commissioners Chair Jared Valanzola and Sen. Mike Brady aide Jimmy J. Valentin.
“This is the cap for me for Hanson, if we are able to get some more money, we’ll work on it, [but] every community is committed to using their full allocation, there very well may be,” Valanzola said.
“Thank you for coming, and thank you for bringing the money,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
Valanzola attended the meeting to present a $977,095.18 check to the town in ARPA funds to pay for improvements and expansion of the food pantry, Prat Place culvert construction, highway catch basin repair/construction and a Class V ambulance.
“It’s kind of hard to believe,” he said. “It is the season for giving.”
Valanzola noted the Commissioners have pretty much come to the end of the ARPA program, which is scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31.
“The county needs to have all its fun allocated by then,” Valanzola said. “It can still write checks after that day, but all applications need to be in.”
None of the other commissioners were able to attend the meeting and Treasurer Thomas J. O’Brien has been “more or less tethered to his desk to make sure we get these applications out,” according to Valanzola. “When the ball drops, so does the hammer on getting these things out the door on Dec. 31.” Three Commissioners’ meetings are planned before that date too get things out the door.
He said Hanson has been on the forefront of securing these funds among the 27 cities and towns the Commissioners work with, and lauded some of the things the town has obtained with the ARPA funds – purchasing an ambulance, replacing culverts and needs of the food pantry.
“This money is going to do great work for the town of Hanson as well as for our public servants, who dedicate their lives and work hours every day to the town of Hanson,” Valentin, said, urging the town to reach out to Sen. Brady’s office if they need anything.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said both offices were an example of responsive public
service, noting that Brady “is always on it, or he knows somebody who somebody who can help. … he gets the job done.”
But she also sang the praises of the county commissioners.
“You guys have been amazing partners in this ARPA [program],” she said. “You showed everybody how this should be done, and you did it efficiently with very low overhead cost. We are lucky to have Ms. Green advocating for us, but without that partnership on the other side it wouldn’t have been as amazing as it has been, so we thank you.”
Valanzola said the commissioners pride themselves on that, noting Massachusetts is a big state and state officials have to deal with big cities – Boston, Worcester and Springfield.
“Little towns like Hanson sometimes get left behind in that fray,” he said. “But for us at the County level, Hanson is not going to get left behind.”
The commissioners have been proud of demonstrating what good regional government can do, Valanzola said.
“We’re elected by the same people and are accountable to the same people,” he said of the neighbors they are helping. Rockland native, who now lives in Plymouth said he also knows Hanson well.
“These are communities that we’re really entrenched in, and I think that demonstrates [our] commitment to these towns” he said.
As they have kept their low overhead, the final number they have been tracking, 1.25 percent administrative costs. Keeping those administrative costs low has meant more money for Hanson and the other communities they’ve been working with, Valanzola said.
Jingles the cat vs the Christmas tree
By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
H ANSON — Our dad was very particular about Christmas trees and the right way to put them up.
Every December, when it was time to get our tree, the four of us kids would bundle up and follow him through the snow across our back yard and field, past the brook and blueberry patch and up into the pine grove to pick one out.
We all had a say in which tree we liked the best. Dad always seemed more patient, relaxed and happy in the woods, taking his time and even smiling. When we all agreed on which tree we wanted, he’d chop it down.
He pulled it behind him as we plowed back through the snow, following the path we had made on the way to the woods to make the going easier. When we got back home, dad propped the tree up beside a bucket of dirt near the kitchen door as it was closer to the living room. He told us to go in through the back door shed and take off our boots and hang up our coats.
Once inside, Jingles our cat would meow and walk in front of us as if to tell us to follow her. Mom called to my younger brother and sister from the living room, saying she needed help laying an old sheet on the hardwood living room floor, then asking my sister, Penny, and I to carry the big box of ornaments in from the storage shed.
We could hear dad outside moving the dirt in the bucket around with his shovel. He opened the kitchen door and stuck his head in, asking mom if she was ready yet. When she was, Mom, Davey and Barb stepped off the sheet and Penny and I put the big box down on the hearth in front of the fireplace while dad wiped his feet on the mat and brought in the bucket of dirt. He placed it in the middle of the sheet and told us all to stand back while he brought the tree in. Jingles was perched on the arm of the couch and as the tree came in the door, she dove under the coffee table, her eyes as big as saucers.
When dad would step down the two steps into the living room with the tree, Jingles usually took off like a shot, running into the other room. It made us laugh and we figured she was hiding under the dining room table or one of the beds. Every year it was ceremonious occasion as dad carefully carried the tree across the room, placing it snugly into the bucket of dirt he so carefully prepared. He watered it and packed it in some more until he was satisfied. He told mom to let it set while we had supper and then we could decorate it.
Our favorie Saturday night and our favorite supper was hotdogs and beans. While mom was getting it ready and after Penny and I set the table, the four of us watched our favorite program, “Roy Rogers,” with dad. While we watched, Penny and I finished stringing popcorn and cranberries to put on the tree and trying not to eat it. Jingles quietly came out to have some of her supper and disappeared again.
When supper was over, all of us were excited about trimming the tree.
Dad always went first, placing the star at the top and then adding the tree lights. The garlands of popcorn and cranberries were next and then came the ornaments. Each of us had a favorite one and some survived the test of time; I still have several. Mom and dad would lift Barbie and Davey up so they could hang their ornaments on the branches they chose. Mom preferred to string the tinsel herself as she used it sparingly which always made a beautiful final touch.
We were almost finished decorating the tree when Jingles generally showed up on the two steps that came down into the living room, perched on the top one, her tail switching wildly. Dad stamped his foot and clapped his hands and away she ran.
Mom reached for the box of tinsel and dad plugged in the tree lights. I heard something and looked up. One year, before any of us could do anything, Jingles leaped off the step and was flying through the air like a crazed jet at top speed landing head first high into the tree. Dad let loose with a stream of expletives that were more colorful than the Christmas decorations. Jingles got her bearings and soared back into the air, landing on the kitchen floor, clawing the linoleum as she raced to get away and almost crashing into the wall turning the corner to get into the dining room. Mom and us kids were laughing so hard we couldn’t stop. Dad disappeared down into the cellar, slamming the door behind him. We went with mom to find Jingles to see if she was okay, which she was. She sat washing herself as if she was very proud.
When dad came back he had a hammer and screw driver in one hand and a metal object in the other. He went into the living room behind the tree where there were two windows. He screwed the metal piece into one of the window frames behind the curtains. He informed us that from now on there would be a rope tied to the inside of the tree attached to the metal holder that would keep it in place and withstand any mishap. It may still be there to this day. Like Jingles, dad seemed very proud of his solution. We helped mom and dad fix the tree and interestingly enough, had no more problems with Jingles.
WHSL hockey finds the upside of loss
If there was ever a promising loss in the annals of sports, the Whitman Hanson Silver Lake Girls varsity ice hockey team had one on Dec. 14, as they lost to Duxbury 3-1.
Eighth-grader Jenna Henley from Whitman made her Varsity debut a good one by scoring her first career goal to give WHSL the lead in the first period.
Senior Captain Chloe Duff and Sophomore Grace Keshishian assisted on the goal. WHSL held the lead during the 2nd period thanks to Junior goalie Sadie Watchorn turning back the strong Duxbury onslaught. Duxbury was able to break through in the third to tie the game and got the game winner with seven minutes left in the third period. Duxbury ended the game with an empty netter with .7 seconds remaining. The final score does not show the heart the WHSL girls played with as they battled the State Champs in a hard-fought game.
Whitman Hanson girls basketball team (0-1; 0-1) dropped the home opener on Tuesday night to North Quincy by the final score 49-44. Sophomore Maliah Pierre led the Panthers with 12 points and junior guard Leah Daley added 10 points. Freshman Madeline Moore gave the Panthers a great effort off the bench and chipped in 7 points in her first varsity action. The team is back in action on Friday night when they travel to Plymouth North.
The Panther Wrestling team traveled to Oliver Ames High School Dec. 14, and placed seventh at the Devin Ness Memorial Tournament. The Panthers produced three champions. Junior Lawson Giove and Captain PJ Katz both secured gold medals with first round pins in the 106 and 126 pound divisions, respectively. Captain Tristan Forest fought his way to a gold medal in the 138 pound weight class with a decisive 10-4 decision. Senior Christian Grimaldi battled his way to a 4th place victory in the 132 pound division. Senior Eric Sidlauskus continued his streak of tournament placements with a 5th place finish in the 215 pound division.
Whitman Hanson Silver Lake swim team had their first meet tonight against Quincy/ North Quincy. Both Girls and Boys teams lost, girls 85-59 boys 63-29, creating the league Record 0-1, however WHSL had some outstanding performances from the Boys team with Sam Fernandez placing first in the 50 freestyle with a 23.51, and first in the 100 Breastroke with a 1.04.01. Connor O’Brien placed second in the 100 Yard Freestyle and Nathan Piper also placed third in the 50 yard freestyle. WHSL also had some great performances from the girls team. Brielle Shelly placed first in the 500 Freestyle and in the 100 Breastroke. Liv Berte Placed First in the 200 IM and placed second in the 100 backstroke. Emilia Cooke placed second in the 100 Freestyle and also assisted in a second place win for the 200 yard Medley Relay. Hanna Simpson placed second in the 200 yard Freestyle and also assisted in a second place win for the 400 Freestyle relay. Also Sarah Anderso assisted in the 200 yard Medley Relay, 200 yard Free relay.
Hanson staffing looking up
HANSON – The Select Board took a virtual tour of employment ups and downs on Tuesday, Dec. 3 as they heard a report of public safety staffing concerns, welcomed a new master mechanic and celebrated the silver jubilee years of two Town Hall employees.
Police Chief Michael Miksch outlined his department’s staffing picture – which struck a somber tone, but pointed to a potential silver lining.
Hanson’s department is down two officers and is “kind of struggling” to rehire, but he added, that is nothing new to any police department, pretty much, in the northeast, he said.
The department has advertised and received a lot of applications from “brand new officers” that would have to be sent to the police academy.
“We anticipate two more openings going into the next fiscal year,” he said. “That’s a great pool to start with, because it will take us six months just to get somebody into an academy. So, we’re in a good spot on that side.”
To try filling the vacancies in the meantime, and maintain proper staffing levels, he said the department has put out an ad seeking people interested in lateral transfers.
“We had, I think it was, five total that had come in at that point,” he said, indicating that Thomas Malloy was one of them. “Three of the five did not meet the requirements that we held out there for a lateral.”
The chief asked the board to vote favorably on hiring Malloy with a start date of Monday, Dec. 23.
Miksch said Malloy was interviewed and proved to be a “very strong candidate.” They had another potential candidate slated for an interview on Thursday, Dec. 5.
“You might see me again in two to three weeks, or maybe after Christmas,” he said. “We’ll see how that goes.”
Currently a Plymouth Police officer, Malloy graduated from the academy in 2023. He is also a graduate of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and attended Massasoit Community College for a year, studying fire science, before entering the Marine Corps, serving for 11 years.
“He seems like a very good candidate,” Miksch said. “He was his class president in the academy [and] has been very well-regarded and is coming to us with high recommendations.”
Longevity lauded
The board honored two of the Town Hall’s administrative staff members of town departments for their longevity and dedication to serving residents during the meeting.
“We know you’re behind the scenes making it all happen,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett, noting that most people think in terms of a conservation agent or building inspector running departments, but they don’t realize there is a cast of people supporting them and getting the day-to-day work done.
“We are fortunate to have two such people,” she said. “And I think it’s pretty monumental to have people that have been in a job as long as you ladies have.”
Ann Merlin, who works in the assessor’s office, and Virginia Costley received citations from the board “expressing [their] sincere appreciation in recognition of 25 years of service and commitment to the residents of Hanson.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett also lauded Merlin for everything she did to help organize the town’s 200th Anniversary party in 2020. The party was one of the few events not canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If you were fortunate enough to have been there, then you saw Ann Merlin’s decorating skills … amazing,” she said. “The details that this woman put in. It looked like it was otherworldly, it was just amazing.”
She also performed the Patsy Cline classic “Walking After Midnight.”
“She’s a very, very talented lady in many ways,” Green said. “I’m very privileged to work with her.”
“Virginia is just unparalleled in her knowledge,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “[She] has overseen all types of personalities and abilities and kept us on track.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett termed the Appeals Board one of the most important boards in town.
“People don’t realize that a lot of the exceptions that are made there are what defines what our town looks like,” she said. “You’ve been a huge, critical part of that, and I thank you.”
An emotional Costley thanked the board.
Master mechanic
The Select Board also voted to welcome it’s newest employee – hiring Kevin Simms of Bridgewater as the Highway Department’s master mechanic, contingent upon a successful background check and physical when he is recovered from planned surgery. His start date is anticipated to be Dec. 30.
“We conducted quite a search,” said Town Administrator Lisa Green, noting the position had been posted a few times. “Finally, we did get three candidates. Unfortunately, two withdrew, but the final candidate we did interview, turns out was a top person.”
Simms has at least 30 years of experience in automotive repair, ranging from diesel mechanics to aerial hydraulics and he has been a fleet supervisor with additional experience in welding and meal fabrication. He has also been a maintenance supervisor and shop foreman. He has schooling in air brakes and is a certified ASE master technician, which promotes excellence in vehicle repair. He has also worked on tires and is familiar with HVAC.
While he did have a Class B CDL license, he had let it lapse because his prior employer didn’t require it, he is looking into whether he can get it reinstated as well as pursing his 2A Hoisting license as well.
Simms was not able to attend the meeting because he was having surgery the next day, and his doctor advised him against going out and risking becoming ill.
“As you know, we’ve been short a mechanic for little bit of time,” Highway Director Richard Jasmin said. “Kevin comes with a wealth of experience that I think is going to help us get a fleet maintenance program up and running.”
He said Simms is not looking to “bounce around” any more as a lot of mechanics do in the course of their careers.
“He just wants a home, now, and he’s more than happy to make it Hanson.” Jamison said. “On top of that, we’re going to save a lot of money, because now we send everything out – from oil changes to minor weld jobs [and] it’s getting pretty pricey.”
While highway equipment will be Simms’ priority, the plan is to expand the job description to include other municipal vehicles.
“When he gets here, he’s going to have a little bit of list to get through, especially going into the winter,” Jamison said. “But I don’t see there being a terrible issue helping out. … I’d love to be able to lend a helping hand it [we] could.”
Simms’ will have the normal probationary period for the Highway Department of 90 days, with the town negotiating with the union to give him up to a year to obtain the CDL and Hoisting licenses, Green said.
“We don’t believe it will take that long, but they are willing to go that long,” she said, adding that, within six months he needs to at least show progress towards obtaining those licenses. Once he does obtain them, he will have another 90-day probationary period.
“We have spoken to him [and] he is agreeable to that,” she said. It will not impact vacation time, personal days or holidays. She said he is also taking quite a large pay cut to come work for the town.
Hearing set on state zoning change
WHITMAN – The Select Board on Monday, Dec. 2 voted to refer a proposed amendment of a town bylaw governing accessory apartments in town (Sec. 240-616 accessory apartments) to town counsel and the Planning Board.
The bylaw change would, according to ZBA Chair John Goldrosen, would allow town counsel to review it and refer the issue back to the Planning Board so it can schedule a hearing on the amendment, Goldrosen said.
Planners are moving quickly on the issue because the state law’s provision takes effect on Feb. 2, but the Planning Board can place an advertisement in the newspaper by the end of January, making everyone subject to the bylaw, even though it cannot be acted on until the May Town Meeting.
“That’s why we moved quickly on this,” Goldrosen said.
The reason behind it is to encourage more housing units, Goldrosen pointed out in response to a question by Select Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci. He added that the measure covers not only such housing space within a structure, but also free-standing structures on a property.
He said his concern about that centers on the fact that the present zoning bylaw allows accessory buildings – such as storage sheds – to be within 10 feet of a property line because it was written without consideration that they might be occupied.
“Well, now they might be occupied,” he said, noting they want to ensure proper setback requirements are placed on such uses.
While the amendment is still subject to some changes after public hearings and as the state is supposed to issue regulations and guidelines to clear up some ambiguities in the state law, which has not been done that yet, according to Goldrosen.
“They haven’t done that yet, but they will in the next couple of months,” he said “The town already has an accessory apartment bylaw, which allows, by special permit, apartments within a house to be used by members of the family – you could call it an in-law apartment.”
However, the state recently passed a new statute, which requires towns to accessory dwelling units, not limited to members of a homeowner’s family and not requiring a special permit.
“Unlike the MBTA Communities Act, where there was town action required, this simply overrides any local laws and doesn’t require town action, but the state does allow certain, limited regulation and the purpose of this proposed bylaw is to take advantage of that,” Goldrosen said.
Pedestrian dies after crash in Hanson
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a motor vehicle in Hanson, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch have announced.
At approximately 6:08 p.m. Tuesday, Dec, 3, Hanson Police received a 911 call for a report of a car versus pedestrian crash in the area of 22 Main St. Hanson Police and emergency personnel responded and located the female victim lying on the roadway with obvious trauma to her lower extremities. Hanson EMS was in the process of transporting the victim to a designated landing zone to meet a Medflight helicopter when the victim’s condition changed. She was then taken by ambulance to South Shore Hospital where she was pronounced deceased. She has been identified as 76-year-old Donna Mark of Pembroke.
Hanson Police contacted the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and an investigation commenced.
Preliminarily, it appears that Mark was attempting to cross the roadway, when a motorist driving east stopped to allow her to pass.
Mark traveled north across the eastbound lane and walked in front of a white Honda CRV which then struck Mark. The female operator of the white Honda CRV stopped at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing at this time.
Hanson Police officials said the State Police are the investigative lead agency. A call for an update to DA Cruz’s office had not been returned as of press time.
Hanson Middle wins literacy, learning grant
Broadlands, Va. —Oct. 31, 2024 — Hanson Middle School has received a grant from the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning (FILL) and Albertsons Companies Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Program to help combat hunger due to food insecurity in the community. Hanson Middle School is proud to be selected as one of the grant recipients of this year’s Explore.Act.Tell Program.
The Explore.Act.Tell. Program helps students in grades 6 to 12 recognize food insecurity issues in their neighborhoods. The students learn skills needed to be responsible citizens and advocate for community service. This initiative is funded by Nourishing Neighbors, a charitable program of Albertsons Companies Foundation, which seeks to ensure at-risk children, adults, seniors and families have access to the food they need to thrive. Since 2020, FILL has been partnering with Nourishing Neighbors to recognize students’ efforts as they work to end hunger in their communities throughout the United States.
The students partnered with the Hanson Food Pantry and the Hanson Fire Department. Their efforts helped the Hanson Food Pantry provide food for those in need.
More than 210,000 students and nearly 2,500 teachers and educators nationwide participated in this year’s program, which engages young people in service learning by practicing leadership and civic engagement. Through four interactive lessons, students define food insecurity issues facing their communities and then create and implement a hunger solution project. Finally, the students share their stories and results by developing promotional PSA videos.
“The success of the Explore.Act.Tell. Program is a direct testament to the incredible passion with which students and educators have embraced our curriculum and message,” said Diane Barrett, Executive Director of the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning. “As another school year begins, we are excited to observe how students learn to collaborate, plan actions and research hunger and food insecurity in their communities.”
Christy Duncan Anderson, President and Executive Director of Albertsons Companies Foundation Nourishing Neighbors said, “We are incredibly proud to partner with Hanson Middle School in our shared mission to end hunger in our neighborhoods. Together, we are committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of those in need, ensuring that no one goes to bed hungry. This partnership is a testament to our dedication to building stronger, healthier communities.”
This fall, Explore.Act.Tell. will be launching the fifth year of the program. Designed for students in middle and high school, Explore.Act.Tell. works in all settings and subject areas such as class, clubs, homeschoolers and youth groups. Interested teachers can visit exploreacttell.org for registration updates, additional details and information.
About the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning
The Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning is an IRS tax-exempt 501c3 organization that has developed and executed cross curricular educational programs and resources for schools since 2003. Our resolve is to bring important resources to educators and students with the help of our generous donors. www.fill.foundation.
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