Whitman-Hanson Express

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Whitman Police, Fire share safety tips ahead sweltering forecast

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WHITMAN — The Whitman Police and Fire Departments are reminding residents to take safety precautions during activities in hot weather, as temperatures are expected to be in the 90s later this week.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Plymouth County, including the Town of Whitman, beginning at 11 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 4 to 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 5. High temperatures and high humidity could potentially lead to dangerous conditions for residents, especially on Thursday when temperatures could climb to the upper 90s.

For residents looking to find relief from the heat on Thursday, the Whitman Public Library and Senior Center will be open regular business hours.

To prevent illness and injuries, the Whitman Police and Fire Departments recommend the following safety tips from the American Red Cross and National Safety Council:

• Drink plenty of fluids, like water, even if you do not feel thirsty, and avoid alcoholic beverages, drinks with caffeine and large amounts of sugar — these actually cause you to lose more body fluid.

• Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays. Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out.

• If you’re outside, find shade and minimize direct exposure to the sun.

• Slow down, stay indoors and avoid strenuous exercise during the hottest part of the day, which is typically around 3 p.m.

• Avoid extreme temperature change and take frequent breaks if working outdoors.

• Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the heat.

• Hot cars can be deadly. Never leave children or pets in your vehicle. The inside temperature of the car can quickly reach over 100 degrees, even on a 70 degree day.

• Check on animals frequently to ensure that they are not suffering from the heat. Make sure they have plenty of cool water.

• For children, limit playtime at peak sun exposure time and familiarize yourself with the signs of heat illnesses. To avoid burns, if playground equipment is hot to the touch it is too hot for your child’s bare skin.

Heat safety tips for seniors

• Residents are encouraged to check on elderly family members and neighbors, especially those who live alone, those with medical conditions and those who may need additional assistance.

• Heatstroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration can be particularly dangerous for the elderly population.

For more information on how older residents can stay safe during extreme heat, helpful information is available from AARP.

Recognizing heat illnesses

Heat Cramps

Look for: heavy sweating during intense exercise; muscle pain or spasms. If you have heat cramps:

• Stop physical activity and move to a cool place

• Drink water or a sports drink

• Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity

• Get medical help if cramps last longer than 1 hour, you’re on a low-sodium diet or if you have heart problems.

Heat exhaustion

Look for: heavy sweating; cold, pale, and clammy skin; fast, weak pulse; nausea or vomiting; muscle cramps; tiredness or weakness; dizziness; headache; fainting If you expect heat exhaustion:

• Move to a cool place

• Loosen your clothes

• Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath

• Sip water

• Get medical help if you are throwing up, your symptoms get worse or symptoms last longer than one hour

Heat stroke

Look for: high body temperature (103°F or higher); hot, red, dry, or damp skin; fast, strong pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; passing out. f you expect a heat stroke:

• Call 911 right away – heat stroke is a medical emergency

• Move the person to a cooler place

• Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath

• Do not give the person anything to drink

Learn more about heat illnesses at https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/warning.html.

SST OKs assessment refunds

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HANOVER — It was a bit like Christmas in July for member towns of the South Shore Regional School Committee as the district finished fiscal 2022 with a surplus of about $1.1 million, according to Secretary/Treasurer James Coughlin at the committee’s virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 20.

Assessments for the 2023 fiscal year are being reduced — by $13,486 in Whitman and by $9,074 in Hanson — according to the $740,00 credited from surplus revenue, totaling $65,000 among all eight member communities.

“We haven’t given the towns back any money in a few years because of all these ongoing projects, [but] it was decided that we could give the towns back the $65,000 of our surplus,” Coughlin said.

The $65,000 was being returned proportionally based on each town’s current enrollment, where the motion is based on the three-year rolling numbers to calculate the debt service impact for member towns.

That budget had earmarked $70,000 for debt service and interest payments because it was not known at the time that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) was “coming into the picture.

“Bottom line is we spend about $13 million for the year,” Coughlin said, noting that it was based on debt service calculations using a three-year enrollment average. “The amount of the refunds might be off a little bit.” 

One of the nine budget transfers voted on July 20 encumbered $1,016,747.98 from the 2022 non-resident tuition to reduce the 2022-23 assessments to member towns. Hanson will get $9,555 back and Whitman will be refunded $17,328.

“Pretty much, this time of the year, we go through the process about what did the [fiscal] year look like?” Coughlin said. “As you can imagine, during the last month of the year, we’re moving money and spending money where we need it, knowing we have surpluses in various accounts.” 

Coughlin noting that the budget is 98-percent closed, with “just a couple of stragglers.” The district was able to place about $103,000 in it’s excess and deficiency account.

Superintendent/director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said he has been in touch with MSBA that day about when they would be discussing the renovation and expansion project that week. The authority is expected to be in touch in a few weeks to discuss the viability study concerning program and enrollment projections, as the MSBA is waiting for feedback from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) before they begin any bid process for an owner/project manager.

“There is no reasonable timeline to bring this before town meetings in the fall,” Hickey said, indicating that Marshfield is not likely to be joining the district before the fall town meetings. 

Hickey recommended lowering FY23 assessments because we would not be borrowing any money in FY23 while going through the MSBA process.

“There’s no reason to charge the towns money that we know we’re not going to spend.”

It was also the first year-end closure for a new payroll clerk, who did a fantastic job, he said. The school’s purchasing agent has also been handling more bids than is usual.

The committee voted unanimously to approve all the warrant transfers sought.

Coughlin reminded members that $14.6 million and brought in about $14.9 million — $319,000 over the budgeted amount. Anticipated expenses were underspent any more than $855,000. The district received $748,000 in regional transportation reimbursement.

The committee also voted to transfer funds to various functions and had $103,000 to invest in the excess and deficiency line item.

“Everything’s in good shape,” he said.

CARES funding for COVID expenses received through Plymouth County held in an enterprise account for the two years the district received still has a balance of $190,000, but as they go through the process of transferring the funds for items in the regular budget closes out the CARES Act funds, and invoiced all member towns for their share district’s costs, holding that in an enterprise account for the two years CARES Act funds were being received.

Teacher pay for the summer is part of the June expenditures — a little over $2 million, that reflects summer payroll, with a larger than normal number of people requesting lump-sum salaries in June. 

A couple of them are retiring, and not returning in the fall, he explained.

Among other transfers approved was the shifting of $740,000 never spent to surplus revenue because issues such as supply chain delays that affected long-range planning.

“We’re putting this money back in the pot,’ Coughlin said. Still another transfer involved $920,000 from surplus revenue for the purchase of property in order to expand the campus to allow the expansion and renovation process to continue easier. They also encumbered $387,000 from surplus revenue to begin that expansion work and $230,000 for building renovations and repairs — including expansion of the cafeteria, upgrading security doors and paving/sidewalk upgrades, among other work. Another transfer was for $114,000 to purchase equipment and supplies.

When minutes can take hours

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HANSON — The Select Board on Tuesday, July 19 revisited the workload facing their administrative staff, including how that issue will affect preparation for the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting.

The firm due date for articles will be Aug. 23.

“For annual Town Meeting, we were gracious and did accept warrant articles after the due date,” said Town Administrator Lisa Green, “This time, unfortunately, that cannot happen. We have one person in the Select Board office. We can’t accept any articles past Aug. 23.”

“We’re shutting it down,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed about the deadline.

Green also noted that a survey of area towns’ staffing numbers in the Select Board office involved communities with larger populations than Hanson. She said the current conditions, which serve to perpetuate the revolving door at the Select Board office does no one any favors.

“I did some additional research and looked at other towns,” she said. “It’s very hard to find towns with exactly the same population in the area.”

She researched Lakeville (pop. 11,523) has three people — a town administrator, assistant town administrator, and executive assistant to the select board and town administrator; Hanover (14,833), with a larger commercial base and budget has a town manager, assistant town manager,  an HR director, a director of public affairs and a communications specialist; Freetown (9.206) has an interim town administrator, an executive assistant and an administrative assistant; Kingston (13,708) has a town administrator, an assistant to the board of selectmen, and assistant to the TA and selectmen; Acushnet (10,559) has a town administrator, and executive assistant and adminstrative assistant; Holbrook (11,405) has a town administrator and assistant to the town administrator.

Holbrook recently approved a third position — a third, 19-hour per week position — at Town Meeting.

Neighboring Whitman (15,121) has a town administrator and an executive assistant. They have had an assistant town administrator position and are now looking to hire a Human Resources/grant writer/procurement officer. West Bridgewater (7,707) has a town administrator, assistant town administrator and an executive assistant.

“I got a lot of blowback from various and sundry people,” board member Ann Rain said. “I have to say they refuse to see the need, and I find that very interesting.”

She said the town does have the need for another person in the Select Board office.

“I’ve watched the need,” she said. “Just because we didn’t have it before, doesn’t mean we don’t need it now.”

She stressed that things have changed, especially with the number of Freedom of Information Act requests now being seen by the office.

“People have to realize [that] things move on,” she said. “I’m saying this very specifically, so it’s heard.”

She said an organizational study done about 2009 should be looked at with an eye toward how much change has taken place in the past 13 years.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also pointed to the work involved in processing online liquor licenses.

“You would think that going from paper to online would be easier, but it actually is way more [complicated],” she said. 

Rain said she is not advocating using town money frivolously.

“You can’t have this going on where we’re losing people because there’s too much work,” she said, “We can’t have that. We need to fix it and we need to fix it with another person.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett added that, if the board wants to add communication and updated website, the lack of adequate staff means they are barely able to get through the day-to-day,

“I see [Green’s] car here at all hours of the day, she’s working weekends … we’re not trying to spend anyone’s money unnecessarily,” she said.

Green said she had heard a comment that someone should take minutes during the meeting and tried doing that but said it was very tough to keep up with the conversation and type at the same time.

“Especially you, because you are an integral part of the meeting,” Rain said.

“There isn’t a board member here that isn’t trying to keep the fiscal responsibility and the fiduciary responsibility paramount as our responsibility as selectmen,” board member Joe Weeks said. “I think it’s financially irresponsible to try to do more with less.”

He said the current situation is paying someone too much to “sit there and take minutes.”

Weeks also cautioned about the potential liability for the town in the event of an error.

“It could cost us millions of dollars, when really what we need to do is just to fund a position,” he said. “That really is the risk that you run.”

Rain said she is seeking people to volunteer to serve with her on the refreshed Highway Building Committee.

The buzz about sand wasps

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HANSON — Call it, perhaps, Operation Sand Wasps 2.0 — the sand wasps are back at Cranberry Cove, but this year, the vibe is live and let live.

Camp Kiwanee Administrative Assistant Dori Jameson said at a Monday, July 18 Recreation Commission meeting that, while the wasps are there and are “ugly looking, they’re scary looking,” they were not seemingly attracted by people’s food and seemed “pretty tame.”

“They’re looking for bugs,” she said. “They’re looking for other insects. Nobody got stung, nobody was freaking out. I just wish there was some sort of organic solution that we could use to move them along.”

She said digging up the beach would be an end game, but asked if bringing in an insect expert would be advisable. An infestation of the wasps forced the closure of the beach in 2021.

“We’d done it last year and it didn’t work,”  Chair Frank Milisi said of the organic pesticide that was tried. “The problem is you can’t go down there with Off! … They said the best deterrent is tarps. I don’t agree with that, but we can’t spray anything down there because of Conservation would need to be involved.”

Milisi said if the wasps are not bothering people, “it is kind of what it is.”

He said the Board of Health could shut the beach down if they wanted to, but he would not pursue that, especially in view of the heat wave that sizzled the state last week.

“It’s ‘Swim at your own risk,’ people know that,” Milisi said.

Recreation Commission also continued its work on reconsidering fees for events and facilities at Camp Kiwanee.

Rates and fees

Jameson said the question of weekly camping rates had just come up this month. Two different parties camping in the north end of the campground both raised the question of weekly rates.

“Right now it’s a daily rate,” Jameson said. “It’s $60 a night for a cabin and $30 a night for a tent site.”

She suggested a weekly rate that trims $5 a night off tent sites and $10 off cabins. Milisi said he had no problem with that rate.

“Weekly rates are pretty much standard, and it’s usually about that [price point],” he said.

Vice Chair Melissa Scartissi suggested rounding the usual $420 rate for seven days to $400 for cabins and reducing tent sites from $210 to $200 on a weekly rate. That was the weekly rate approved.

The Recreation Commission also pared back its meeting schedule to once per month, instead of two and setting the time at 6 p.m.

“If we do need to meet [more often], we can just meet,” Milisi said.

Event fees were discussed as a way of covering caretaker fees, with re-elected Milisi using the example of a $50 fee per event charged to the theater group Drama Kids. Things like bar service should remain on an 80-20 contract, as they are because they operate on a cash-based system.

“I’m just floating around ideas about that,” he said. “But for things like Drama Kids, we don’t have an idea of how many kids are coming. I really want to get out of the practice of going into people’s finances when we don’t need to. I would prefer for it to be a fee-based use.”

With more input from actual vendors, he said the commission could discuss what works for a group such as Drama Kids vs. a paint night or other such events. Vendors will be invited to the August meeting to voice their opinions with an eye toward a decision in October.

Scartissi noted that, where Drama Kids is concerned, since they use the lodge every week, the commission should be covering caretaker costs.

“The issue has been, for the past year or two, we haven’t because of COVID [and] our operational expenses, like to turn the heat on was a real issue,” she said. “Now we’re in a little better place with the increased rates and all that kind of stuff.”

A position remains open on the Recreation Commission, and residents are urged to apply.

At a previous meeting on Monday, June 27, the commission discussed complaints about a “rambunctious group of teen-agers … causing all kinds of mayhem and chaos” at Cranberry Cove.

“I don’t know what we would do to remediate that,” Milisi said. “Obviously, we don’t have people down there to check every day.”

But he said he would like to have an on-staff caretaker who could go to the beach and check out the situation at the beach.

The teens had broken some electrical equipment and were throwing rocks in the water while younger children were swimming during the incident. The teens’ parents had picked them up that night, Milisi said.

If they keep causing problems, Milisi said he might have to look into trespassing charges. 

“That’s such a ridiculous thing to do to a bunch of middle schoolers who just want to come down here and have a good time,” he said.

He stressed that the problems that have taken place have not hindered people from attending the facility.

Regarding a complaint against a caretaker, Milisi emphasized that the Commission does not get involved in personnel issues – that is primarily the jurisdiction of the town administrator and Select Board.

In other business on June 27, Hanson Public Library’s Lizzie Borden event was approved for Oct. 20 at Needles Lodge, Camp Kiwanee.

Massasoit’s All-American catcher

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BROCKTON — First year student-athlete Bryce Evans racked up some more hardware following the conclusion of the 2022 Massasoit baseball season, earning NJCAA All-American Third Team honors recently announced by the national office. 

The Hull native became the first Massasoit baseball student-athlete to earn NJCAA All-American accolades since pitch Jake Stearns was selected back in 2016. He also becomes just the 31st Massasoit baseball student-athlete to earn the accolade in program history. 

For the season, Evans, a catcher, also earned NJCAA Region 21 First Team honors. 

In his first year with the Warriors, Evans hit an impressive .463, ranking 11th nationally in batting average and posted percentage of .511 on-base and .752 slugging, also among the NJCAA national leaders.  

In conference play, Evans was even better, posting an eye popping .641 batting average, .681 on-base percentage and 1.231 slugging percentage for the year. He led Massasoit in hits (56), runs (38), doubles (15), homers (4), extra-base hits (23), batting average, on-base percentage and slugging for the season. 

Hanson reviews town-owned property

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HANSON — Town Planner Tony DeFrias has completed a comprehensive inventory of town-owned property with an eye toward the potential for revenue development by the town.

“Historically, as a board — at least since Mr. [Jim] Hickey and I have been on — we’ve been pretty good about getting properties that were perhaps taken for back taxes, back onto the rolls … and get them sold,” said Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.

But, she added the town’s Economic Development Committee “really wanted to look at [whether there are] other properties that the town owns that we could leverage” back into private hands as a way to attract businesses to town. DeFrias then took on the task of reviewing the status of town-owned properties to start that process.

There are 72 properties owned or controlled by the town — 17 have public buildings or public spaces and 55 town-owned — he reported to the board on Tuesday, July 19.

“This is perfect,” Select Board member Ed Heal said after DeFrias’ presentation. “Even this is a lot of work.”

“Now that we have this information do we want to do anything with this?” Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed, noting more conversation is needed.

DeFrias recommended the board study the report and plan a future discussion on which properties may be sold and which should be passed along to Conservation or the Water Department.

Disposition of town property falls under MGL Ch. 3OB §16, he said, noting that Article 35 of the 1965 Hanson Town Meeting requires consultation with the Conservation Commission prior to disposition of land as a means of preserving waste land for conservation.

From 1994-2020, 36 of those properties were taken for taxes, with the total amount of taxes owed being $620,814.52 as of Jan. 12, 2021. One of the properties also carries a septic loan.

The properties come under three categories: 12 come under Conservation land, eight are recommended to be considered Water Department Credit land and 11 are buildable or potentially buildable land. Those remaining have specific uses such as drainage or easement, according to DeFrias.

Buildable properties would require further investigation to determine their true potential.

One such 3.30-acres parcel is at 212 Industrial Blvd., another is the 3.34 acres of property at 533 Main St., where the former L.Z. Thomas School Housing Authority apartments are located in a Residence A Zone. Yet another 1.21 acres is the property which includes the Historical Society building is now located at 565 Main St.

“There’s a potential here to create additional housing, and affordable housing for the town,” he said. It’s also part of a larger site because of nearby parcels also on the list.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the Economic Development Commission has been exploring the possibilities the area near the Bonney House as part of an historical “village,” but she agrees with DeFrias, who said it could also remain where it is. A lot of the plans depend on completed renovations at the Bonney House

“This is one of 100 steps,” DeFrias said. “We’re looking at alternatives.”

The 212 Industrial Blvd., property is at the industrial park within the commercial-industrial zone as well as the marijuana overlay district and falls within a Zone 2 Wellhead Protection District.

“This is a potential vacant piece of land that’s owned by the town that could be sold off for a business or an industrial building,” he said. Board of Health, Conservation Commission and, probably, ZBA approval for site plan would be required before development.

A 1.19 acre parcel at 0 Main St., has potential for several possible uses, including a possible second fire station if that were needed, DeFrias said.. At 0 West Washington St, a larger parcel of 7.17 acres nextdoor to the Water Department building is also in a commercial-industrial zone. But the fact that it is traversed by a 70- foot water main easement in a Zone 2 Water Protection District, means it may be better-suited to a business park with the proper engineering.

“If we’re looking for business and trying to increase our business, there isn’t a lot of room in Hanson,” he said, noting that the properties would all have to be further investigated. “There’s potential there.”

DeFrias also discussed some smaller parcels during his PowerPoint presentation, including two residential property sites at 69 Wood St., and 62 Ocean Ave.

“The board needs to go through the list and decide what we need to do with it,” DeFias said.

Grants aid police mental health  efforts

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HANSON — The Hanson Police Department will soon be obtaining a new “officer” – a golden retriever comfort dog, to be used primarily in the schools.

Chief Michael Miksch said he expects the dog to make frequent visits to the Senior Center, where School Resource Officer Derek Harrington is also a liaison officer.

During his regular report to the Select Board, Miksch briefed members about the comfort dog program, a mental health clinician he is pursuing to share with three other area departments and an accreditation process, the department is now undergoing, and that he expects certification to be completed within a year and full accreditation “before I go.”

The Select Board unanimously approved the comfort dog program and related memorandum of understanding concerning the animal.

The department has been awarded a $5,000 grant from DA Timothy Cruz’s office for a comfort dog, which the schools had asked for, but, while the dog will be largely used by the School District, the grant is designed for police departments.

Miksch admitted he was skeptical at first, but has since seen the value of the dogs.

“If you asked me a couple of years ago, I would have been like, ‘There’s no way I’m buying a pet for the cops,’” he said. “Having a little bit more of an open mind and actually researched it a little bit more, these things are unbelievable.”

It can’t be called a therapy dog because the department can’t provide a service, but it can be used as a comfort animal.

“The way part of this started was the schools had mentioned they would really like one for the guidance office, but I told them, ‘I’m not ready to do that,’” he said. He looked into grants, which were for law enforcement. Cruz’s grant – funded through drug seizure money – will pay for the dog itself, even while it will spend most of its time in the schools. 

A memorandum of understanding was negotiated with the union, where the main concerns were, how the dog would be used, who would care for it, and who would be responsible for any financial issues. They took no additional salary for it.

“My goal is for a $0 program for the taxpayers,” Miksch said, noting the training program receives a lot of public donations and officers are interested in doing side fundraisers. There will, however be liability and health insurance – perhaps about $2,000 a year – needed for the dog, but that can be covered through the regular police budget.

The department is working with Golden Opportunities for Independence (GOFI)  which trains therapy and service dogs as well as comfort dogs.

Seven police K-9 comfort dogs –mainly from Norfolk County – are already in the program, working with schools.

For any remaining costs, Miksch said a couple people have already offered to make donations directly to GOFI, a 501 (c) 3 organization.

Select Board member Joe Weeks, who has worked with Children and Family Services said it will be a great morale booster for the town.

 “There’s really no downside to what you’re doing,” he said.

Miksch said it would also be an asset for the senior center, where some people have expressed enthusiasm because, while they love dogs, they are unable to have a large dog anymore and would welcome a visit.

“I told officer Harrington he’s going to be the second-most popular person in town – after the dog,” Miksch said.

“Town Hall employees do need a little visit occasionally,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “When she’s ready, we’d love to have a little visit.”

Miksch said the dog could stop by as early as next week.

After the dog’s service, it may remain with officer’s family unless there are training lapses or other problems.

The dog, a 5-month-old female is already showing a talent for tracking and can be used for soft track searches for missing autistic or elderly persons.

“We’re not sending Cujo out there with a muzzle on to find them and scare them,” Miksch said. “Foofy dog’s going to sit down next to them and lick them and they’ll be happy and everything will be wonderful.”

Miksch said he is also working with the towns of Carver, Plympton and Halifax to get a grant through Children and Family Services in New Bedford and Plymouth for crisis intervention that would fund a clinician at one of the three area stations to reduce the need to transport people to the hospital on psychiatric calls and for follow up when there is a need for mental health services.

“We’re cops,” he said “We know [when someone’s] not right or we know [they’’re] OK, and sometimes there’s a really big gray area,” he said. “This is going to help a lot.”

Accreditation process involves a review of 179 standards that have to be met by the department.

“The good news is, we do those things either in practice or in writing,” Miksch said. “But it’s time to put it all together in writing.”

There has also been changes in police officer training standards as part of the state’s police reform law, mandating certain changes, which Hanson is also following.

He said department regulations are also being updated, which hadn’t been updated since he was hired in 2013.

New search for clues in Murray case

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The family of a Hanson woman, missing since 2004, asked people in Whitman and Hanson to light a candle for her Friday night, July 15.

Police personnel in two New Hampshire towns again searched areas of Landaff and Easton, N.H., for missing Hanson woman Maura Murray on Wednesday, July 13.

The ground search encompassed an area off Route 112 and “is not the result of new information in the case,” New Hampshire Attorney General John. M. Formella stated in a press release about the search. “It is part of an ongoing investigative process and will consist of a more extensive search of surrounding areas previously searched in a more limited fashion.”

Because the investigation is ongoing, Formella and State Police Col. Nathan Noyes said no more information would be released at this time and asked the public to respect the privacy of residents in the area and to stay off private property.

“My family is aware of the search efforts and are working closely with law enforcement at this time,” said Julie Murray, Maura’s sister. “We ask the public not to interfere with the investigation. We will share information as appropriate. We are encouraged by the active efforts to find Maura and remain hopeful for a resolution.”

Anyone with information about Maura Murray’s disappearance is asked to call the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648 or email Coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov. More information about Maura and ongoing efforts to find her and bring her home may be found at mauramurraymissing.org.

The FBI created a Violent Criminal Apprehension Profile in Maura Murray’s case in January 2022, which her sister has said in published reports is a way for multiple agencies and different jurisdictions to share information. Bone fragments had been found at the base of Loon Mountain in September 2021, but were not connected to Murray. The fragments may even date as far back as the 18th Century, officials announced at the time. 

The bone fragments were found in “existing soil,” according to New Hampshire State Police sand were not moved there with radio carbon dating placed a 95-percent certainty that the bones are from a person dead from sometime between 1774 and 1942.

Authorities had previously dug in the basement of a home along Route 112 in April 2019 – with the present owner’s permission – after ground-penetrating radar used by a private investigator indicated the ground under the basement had been disturbed, but no credible evidence was recovered.

Murray, a Umass, Amherst student at the time, went missing on Feb. 9, 2004 after her car crashed on Route 112 in Haverhill, N.H. The 21-year-old student – who was a graduate of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and had attended West Point for a time – has not been seen since.

Route 112 leads into a section of White Mountain National Forest.

Her family has not given up hope that an answer to the mystery surrounding her disappearance will be found.

Police had received two calls from residents  around 7:30 p.m., in the area of the crash reporting a car off the road, a local bus driver later told investigators that he saw a woman standing next to the black Saturn. He told police, according to a report on Boston Channel 10 news, that he asked the woman if she wanted him to call police, but said she told him she had already called police and AAA. 

When police arrived, according to reports, the car was locked and facing the opposite direction from where she was driving.

He called police anyway.

One resident told WMUR since the incident, that no tracks were seen going into the woods in the area, suggesting she had stayed on the road before she disappeared. Some believe “someone locally grabbed her who knows the area,” as Maura’s father Fred put it, and would know how to get around without being seen.

Other residents have told reporters they doubt it was a local person that may have been involved.

Murray, described as 5-foot 7-inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She has brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing a dark jacket and jeans. Her case status is that of a missing person, whose disappearance is considered suspicious.

She was a nursing student at Umass at the time of her disappearance, and had  damaged her car (estimated at about $8,000) in a collision with a guardrail.

The day before she left the Umass campus, she sent an email to instructors the there was a death in her family and that she had to be away. Her computer showed a search for directions in Burlington, Vermont and she made a call to Stowe, Vermont, but no reservations were made.

Launched on Maura Murray’s 38th birthday, the website offers the public never before seen photos of Maura, a repository of news reports dating back to 2004, and an opportunity for people interested in the case to get to know Maura up close and personal.

Another feature is a blog post that is regularly updated, as a way for the family to put out information to keep the community informed. A contact tab will allow site visitors to communicate with the family, as well as a contact tab that provides email updates on important case developments when and if they come out.

A tip area provides a place for people to provide new information.

988 is the new national suicide prevention line

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HANSON — Police Chief Michael Miksch and the Hanson Police Department remind residents that the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 988, which took effect on Saturday, July 16.

The 988 dialing code will become the new national number routing callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline across the U.S. on July 16. The new phone line will be accessible 24/7/365 by call or text.

The number was designated by Congress in 2020. Similar to calling 911 for emergency response, the three-digit number is easy to remember for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or struggling with emotional distress, or for those worried about a friend or loved one.

As of July 16, when individuals call or text 988 they will be connected with trained counselors from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. Counselors will listen, understand how the caller’s problems are affecting them, provide support and connect them to resources if necessary. The Lifeline can also be reached through online chat suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat.

Language translation services are also available to all callers, including the Spanish Language Line, which can be accessed by pressing 2 after dialing.

Military service members, veterans and their families may reach the Veterans Crisis Line by pressing 1 after dialing 9-8-8, as well as by chatting online at veteranscrisisline.net or texting 838255.

LGBTQ youth may also use the Trevor Lifeline by calling 1-866-488-7386 or texting 678-678 to access information and support for LGBTQ youth.

The current Lifeline hotline number, 1-800-273-8255, will remain in service even after the launch of 988. Dialing either number will route callers to the same services, no matter which number they use.

According to the Lifeline, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people, and, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the tenth-leading cause of death in the nation. The Lifeline has received over 20 million calls from people in distress looking for support from its inception in 2005 to 2020. The Hanson Police Department encourages anyone who may be struggling or knows someone who is struggling to call the Lifeline for help and to get the necessary resources.

Burnout claims another Hanson staffer

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HANSON – The Select Board discussed the workload in the Selectmen’s office – and whether there is, or has been adequate staffing to keep up with it – during the Tuesday, June 28 meeting.

The topic came up as the board was voting to recognize with regret the resignation of Administrative Assistant Lucia Silveira. She is the second assistant to resign over the workload. Administrative Assistant Greet Getzen resigned following the Oct. 4, 2021 special Town Meeting, during which disparaging remarks about her performance in the job during a discussion about a request for $9,179 to hire a recording secretary to help with the backlog if meeting minutes. The separation process between Getzen and the board was finalized on Nov. 2 2021. Silveria was hired in Jan. 10 2022.

The board is looking to a Town Meeting warrant article and need to discuss affordability and sustainability with Town Accountant Todd Hassett, further documentation and a task breakdown over who would do what in the Select Board office.

“One of the things we’ve been discussing with Lucia and Town Adminstrator Lisa Green is, quite honestly … with the prior town administrator and executive assistant … is the volume of work that the office does is leading to burnout – rapid burnout,” said Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “I got thinking about why is that happening.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett questioned whether too much is expected of too-small a staff, whether they are not paid enough, a matter of prioritizing – or a bit of all those things.

“I did ask Ms. Green to take a look at the towns around us and see how they are staffing this office and what are the jobs that are being required of this office in this current time that weren’t necessarily required, say, five or 10 years ago,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I want to be clear that Lisa is not complaining. That’s not why it’s on the agenda. This was my observation, saying, ‘Holy [self-censored]. This is a lot of work.’”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the Select Board has a lot to do and needs the staff to get it done, especially when they meet every week.

“It’s probably two days’ worth of work [preparing] for every meeting that we have,” she said. Volunteers, however, such as seniors volunteering for tax abatement, can’t do quite a bit of the work – which is privileged and confidential.

Green reported that of the towns close to Hanson – all of which are close to the same population – all have three staff members in the Select Board office. Abington has a town manager and two administrative assistants, one of which concentrates on media coordination and other activities; Rockland has a town administrator, and assistant town administrator and an executive assistant; Pembroke has a town manager, an assistant town manager and an executive assistant; Easton has a town administrator, and assistant town administrator, a human resources coordinator and an executive assistant; Halifax has a town administrator, a select board assistant and a select board secretary and Plympton – with a population of 3,000 – is the only nearby town with only two staffing the Select Board office: an administrator and an administrative assistant; and East Bridgewater has a town administrator, an assistant to the town administrator and a principal clerk,

“We’re the only town around, other than Plympton … that has only two people in the Select Board office,” Green said. “It’s not shifting papers around. Our office requires reading, learning, writing, creating documents.”

At the last Select Board meeting, the list of 110 annual appointments triggered the need for the office to generate 87 letters the next day so those folks could come in and get sworn in, she said.

“We are bombarded with records requests,” Green added, much of it requires research, redacting where required and compiling information. “We answer the phones, we answer complaints – open meeting law complaints. Private roads have been a big issue lately. For two people trying to do all this work – it is exrtemely overwhelming.”

Minutes requests are the most time-consuming.

“Minutes don’t take minutes,” she said. “It takes hours to generate meeting minutes.”

Two or three-hour Select Board meetings can mean six to eight hours to generate accurate and can include executive session information, all done while people drop in for other business.

“That’s in addition to preparing the Annual Town Report … to the two Town Meetings which, as you can see … half of the year is spent talking and planning for Town Meeting,”  FitzGerald-Kemmett. “And then, I think most importantly, all the personnel issues.”

The board has also been urging Green to obtain grant money and town-owned properties sold and onto the rolls.

“The previous board spent a lot of time advocating for not just another administrative assistant and/or assistant town administrator, but we were also talking about an HR person that we can bring in to take some of that burden off of [Green] as well,” said Select Board member Joe Weeks. “We should continue on with that.”

But the need to continually “put out fires” gets in the way.

“It’s a perfect opportunity for us to sit back and take it seriously,” he said. “No municipal government run off of a revolving door of staff.”

Select Board member Jim Hickey expressed concern about how the town would be able to afford the salary of another staff member.

“I just feel sorry that we’re losing someone that I barely know, but I know she’s been effective and there is nobody in the wings to come and take her place,” said Select Board member Ann Rein. “It doesn’t sound like that is a good plan in the long run.”

Rein said the best plan would have been to find help before Silveira reached the point “where you needed to walk.”

Select Board member Ed Heal said that every time he goes into the office, “both these two are working as three people.”

Ethics disclosures

The board also discussed the disclosure of potential conflict of interest from Conservation Committee Chairman Phil Clemens. The routine form in which town officials outline upcoming issues before their board or committee that could potentially cause a conflict of interest for them.

“Historically, it was not always the practice of this board to receive disclosures and to discuss them in an open meeting, which to me always seemed contrary to the very principal of disclosing things – particularly if you are an appointing authority,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. 

Clemens indicated he had no comments to make other than his wish to understand the process, as he was uncertain if his was a typical situation.

“But, as an abutter to a potential project we can see coming, I just thought I’d try to get out ahead of it,” he said. Clemens said his main question was whether he should leave the room when Conservation discusses the project, should it come up in the future.

“We can’t opine on what you should be doing,”  FitzGerald-Kemmet said. She advised Clemens that he could call the attorney of the day at the state Ethics Commission with specific questions. “The lens that we’re looking through, primarily, is, ‘Is there something you’ve disclosed here that would give us pause [concerning] you being appointed to a position [by] this board.”

Clemens said that whenever a project of any significant size is proposed to a town board, abutters are notified, in this specific situation the abutters potenitally affected by an upcoming project is the First Congregational Church, where he is a moderator at the church’s business meeting as well as a member of the congregation.

“Who knows what the discussions might lead to?” he said. “I would be concerned about appearances as things get further down the road.”

He indicated he would consult the Ethics Commission.

“You’re on the right track and disclosing … and being aware,”  FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That’s like half the battle.”

She asked that Clemens update the board on what the Ethics Commission’s ruling is.

Strategic plan

In other business, the board heard a presentation from Anne Donner about the town’s strategic, for which Town Meeting voted funding. Donner recently worked with the town of Whitman on their strategic plan.

“As unbelievable as it might seem, the town of Hanson has actually never had a strategic plan, which would be a vision … that is put together by collecting the thoughts of various department heads and stakeholders and gives us a point in time [as to] what we think the priorities for the town should be,”  FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We’re not flipping and flopping on our objectives in terms of where our money’s going to be spent, where our resources are going to be spent. We have a vision.”

While priorities may change, this would provide a starting point, she indicated.

Donner, a management consultant since 2004, has worked in both the public and private as well as nonprofit sectors, and described a strategic plan as an organzational management activity to focus energy and resources, set priorities, strengthen operations of an organization and provide agreement around the intended outcomes.

She has already begun gathering data and interviewing department heads and Select Board members to learn their perspectives on what the town’s priorities should be. A citizens’ survey will be conducted in August. A workshop with stakes is being planned for after Labor Day.