Whitman-Hanson Express

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Hanson police probe roadway incidents

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HANSON – Chief Michael Miksch updated a reported hit-and-run incident that occurred last week involving a bicyclist.

On Thursday, May 12 at approximately 5:50 p.m. Hanson Police responded to a reported hit-and-run involving a bicyclist. The male cyclist had suffered serious injuries and was taken by medical helicopter to a Burlington trauma center. 

He remained in the hospital as of, Saturday, May 14. Hanson Police were provided with limited footage at the time of the incident that showed a small white crossover SUV striking a mailbox and child’s playset on the side of the road. With the assistance of the local media and citizens the vehicle was located. The operator of the vehicle, having seen their car on the local news, came to the Hanson Police Station early Friday morning.

The operator was cooperative with police. After interviewing the operator and examining the vehicle, it was determined that the vehicle was not involved with the crash of the bicyclist. The vehicle had damage that was consistent with striking the mailbox, but no other damage.

Further investigation allowed police to obtain more video evidence from other sources, which showed the mailbox hit-and-run occurred between 10 and 13 minutes prior to the cyclist being injured. 

The cyclist was seen on video passing the mailbox area on video after the white SUV had left the scene and a neighbor had removed the debris from the roadway.

Additional dashcam footage from a private citizen also shows the cyclist passing the area approximately 10 minutes after the SUV had struck the mailbox. 

The bicycle is an electric bicycle, capable of speeds up to 30 mph. The bicycle appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the crash. At this time, it appears the cyclist may have lost control and crashed.

“Law enforcement’s job is to seek the truth in all instances. In this case it is an important reminder that it is just as important to clear the innocent as it is to charge the guilty,” Chief Miksch said. “We thank everyone who came forward and offered assistance as we investigated the details of this incident, as well as the Massachusetts State Police Troopers from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit and Troopers assigned to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz’s Office for their assistance during the investigation.”

The operator of the SUV will be summoned to Plymouth District Court at a later date for leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage. Their name is not being released at this time. The incident remains under investigation by the Hanson Police Department.

Miksch also said Hanson Police areinvestigating a report that a suspicious man approached children Saturday and asked them to get inside his vehicle.

At approximately 9:50 a.m. Saturday, Hanson Police units were dispatched to the area of 500 Whitman St., where a caller reported that his son and friend (under the age of 12) were approached by a white man with a short buzz-cut haircut and glasses believed to be between the age of 35-40 years old.

The man allegedly asked the children if they wanted any toys. The children stated no, and then the man told one of the kids to “just get in” to his van. Both children fled the area and returned to their residences to inform a parent.

Hanson units checked the area and found video feed from a neighboring resident. The video feed shows a white work van, possibly a Ford E-Series E-250 cargo van with roof racks and running boards. The children involved stated the van had rust and writing on the back, but were unable to recall what the writing was. The van made two passes by the children and on the second pass the man interacted with them.

The video feed shows that the van remained in the area for a minute or two before interacting with the children and then left the area heading towards East Washington Street.

Hanson units checked the area and a BOLO was sent out.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to call the Hanson Police at 781-293-4625.

Rhynd seeks Whitman Health Board seat

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By Jamie Rhynd
Old High Street, Whitman

My name is Jamie Rhynd. I grew up in Whitman and moved back 14 years ago to raise my family and rejoin the community I loved as a child. I attended Whitman-Hanson and Regis College in Weston. For the past seven years I have been a practicing Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at a local primary care practice. Prior to that I worked several years in both Boston and community hospitals. I’ve also served as a college professor, substitute school nurse in Whitman, and mentor to students entering the field of nursing. As a healthcare professional I am passionate and committed to the important work of the Board of Health to safeguard the town’s health and environment. If elected I will advocate for services to promote health and well-being for all residents, particularly the most vulnerable members of our community, including children and seniors.

As a pediatric nurse practitioner and parent, I have seen first-hand the impact social isolation and societal disruption secondary to the Covid-19 pandemic has had on children and teens. The

Board of Health has a responsibility to work with the health department and other town leaders to advocate for expanded mental health resources and services. As we move into the next phase of this pandemic, communication with our residents will be even more important and the Board of Health will need to be proactive in its strategies. Effective communication is a fundamental skill for public servants and one I have the chance to utilize on  a daily basis when explaining complicated medical information and transmitting advice in a manner that can be easily understood and adhered to.

I believe my qualifications as a Nurse Practitioner and my first-hand knowledge of disease transmission and infection control makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the Board of Health. I am passionate about leveraging my skills to help others, and if fortunate enough to become a member of the Board of Health, I will be able to expand my ability to make a positive impact in our great community. I humbly ask for your vote and support on May 21.

[Editor’s note: Jamie Rhynd submitted this announcement several days ago, but it was lost somewhere in email bulk mail filters, so we post it online now.]

Stafford seeks full School Committee term

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By Beth Stafford

Harvard Street, Whitman

My name is Beth Stafford. I was appointed to school committee last summer to fill a seat after a resignation. Now I am running for a full term on the committee.

Education is very important to me. I taught at Maquan Elementary School 1973-1977, School Committee 1993-1995 and a full time teacher at Whitman Middle School, retiring in 2019.  I was also on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Teachers Association for eight years.

There are always new advancements in education and we will need to keep up with them to insure that all our students have the best education.  We finally were able to pass full day kindergarten in the district, so now we need to look at other deficiencies in the system such as middle school foreign language, improvements and expansion of the arts, expanded pre-school among others. We need to start finding ways to accomplish these while being fiscally responsible.

As a former selectman, I know how important it is to work with the town on all budgetary concerns to do what is best for all involved. Cooperation and transparency are extremely essential to keep education moving forward.

My husband and I are graduates of Whitman-Hanson as are our three sons.  We now have three grandchildren in the district, a Senior, a seventh grader with special needs and a first grader.

I will work with administration to continue to make sure that all students become independent thinkers and to prepare them for life after their school years.

Please vote for me at the town election on May 21.  Thank you.

Another go at Whitman DPW building

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WHITMAN – The town has again received a green light to design a new DPW building.

During the special Town Meeting on Monday, May 2, Whitman voters unanimously approved the expenditure of $1,098,100 for creating shovel-ready architectural plans for a new DPW building at 100 Essex St.

The funds, to be spent under the oversight of the Building Committe and Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman will also be used to hire an owner’s project manager.

The funds would come from three sources  – $713,765 from water and sewer retained earnings, $234,335 from free cash and $150,000 from the capital stabilization fund.

Engineer Ziad Kary from Environmental Partners Group, who worked with the DPW on the conceptual design, gave a brief PowerPoint presentation on his work.

“The existing facility is dated, it is beyond repair, and the driver behind this is a new facility to replace the old one,” he said. The 170-foot by 100-foot – or 17,500-square-foot – plan replaces the 200-by-100 plan the town had previously rejected. The old building would be razed and utilities would be relocated into the new facility.

“This would bring in all water, sewer and highway [equipment] under one roof,” he said. “This is a basic, basic building, comprised of structural steel and insulated panels.”

There will be vehicle wash bays, storage and maintenance space as well. The next step is to appoint an owner’s project manager, who would bring in a design engineer to see it through construction – anticipated to be a two-year project. 

Harvard Street resident Cindy Landeville asked if the town has looked into any grants for the building.

Heineman said the project is still in the early stages.

“Certainly, if there are any grants that may be available, we [the town] will agressively seek them,” he said. “At this time, there’s no grants that we’re aware of, that would assist us in building the Department of Public Works building. … These monies, if approved by Town Meeting, would allow for the project to move forward.”

He said the two DPW superintendents are always looking for grants and the town is working to fill a position, part of which would entail writing grant applications.

Elm Place resident Jerry Blumenthal asked if the building plan includes the DPW administrative offices and where equipment will be maintained and stored while the new building is being constructed after the old one is torn down.

The administrative offices will remain in the current building and equipment will be maintained and stored where they in other buildings on the property.

Highway and parks Superintendent Bruce Martin said the maintenance operation will stay in the back garage, where it is currently run, and costs have been calculated for temporary buildings so employees can work and equipment that must be inside can be stored. Some equipment would be outside during construction.

Another resident asked whether the funds for the actual construction work would come out of a debt exclusion or free cash.

Beyond seeking grants, Heineman said that since 60 percent of the building would be used by the Water and Sewer Department, they would seek funds from the retained earnings balance in the water/sewer enterprise fund.

“After all those pieces are drawn down, I think it’s likely to assume that there will be some portion that will be in a debt exclusion,” he said.

If the Town Meeting does not approve the funds for a debt exclusion, the building would not be built, according to Heineman. 

“The overall expectation of the project includes these monies this evening, and if these monies are appropriates by Town Meeting this evening, it would reduce the overall projected cost of the project,” he said.

Two residents asked why the design and OPM costs would be sought when the funds had not been secured to build the building.

Building Committee member Fred Small said the Whitman Middle School funding process, governed by the state’s MSBA, operates in a similar way. It provides an accurate barometer as to what a building is going to cost.

“This is the right way to do this, it’s proper and lord knows, it’s overdue,” he said,

Former Town Adminstrator and member of the DPW Building Committee Frank Lynam noted that he has been through a number of projects with the town.

“In order to appreciate what’s being presented to you today, you need to understand the ground rules,” he said. The Public Works Law requires that any building project exceeding $2 million done by any municipality to hire an OPM and a designer or architect can’t be selected until an OPM is hired.

“In order to start this process – and we have been looking at this since 2008 – we first have to get enough money to hire an OPM and to seek an architect to design the building,” he said.

With the final designs and cost estimates are done, it can be brought back to Town Meeting for ultimate approval and funding.

In other business, the Town Meeting approved a raise in the minimum wage paid to seniors taking part in the tax abatement program.

Article 47 on the annual warrant sought to set the maximum seniors can work off their property taxes to 125 service hours each year. In response to a resident’s question, Heineman said if the article passed the Select Board would discuss the amount each participant could receive in exemption per hour. Right now the maximum amount a single person could work off is $800, roughly coming out to $8 per hour, working a total of 100 hours.

“If this passes … I want to suggest that $8 an hour is not enough and that is should be higher,” he said, noting that the board had recently adopted a policy to pay all municipal hourly employees at least the minimum wage.

While the minimum wage is not necessarily what will be decided on, he said, it would be higher than $8 per hour.

Municipalities are exempt from minimum wage regulations, but may choose to raise salaries.

An article to lower the number of people required to achieve a quorum at town meetings – to 50 for an annual town meeting and 100 for a special town meeting – was also adopted, without discussion.

Hanson to see some articles again

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HANSON – Some of the business before Hanson Town Meeting will be coming back again.

Passed over items receiving some focused debate, such as salary to enable the hiring of a full-time conservation agent and funds to purchase generators for the library/senior center and to install security cameras on Town Hall property will likely be seen on the October special Town Meeting warrant.

Moderator Sean Kealy’s motion to pass over funding a strategic plan, was amended by Frank Milisi as too important to wait. 

“I think the citizens should have a chance to vote on whether they want a strategic plan now or in October,” he said.

A funding source had been lacking at the time the article was voted on by the Select Board.

“Now that were further along in this meeting, it’s clear that it looks as though it’s clear there will be the $15,000 to do the strategic plan,” Select Board member Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Perhaps we would have a different outlook.”

Voters then voted in support of funding the plan as was printed in the warrant.

Ann Rein of State Street asked why the generators would be passed over.

FitzGerald-Kemmett, who had proposed the article, said the basic reason the board passed over its own article was the uncertainty over how much free cash would be available.

“It is going to be reimbursed by ARPA (the American Recovery Plan Act), but you have to fund it upfront to get the reimbursement,” she said. “We really weren’t certain how some of these articles were going to go. We were cautioned by the Finance Committee, and rightly so, we’d be playing “Russian roulette” if we decided to include this in a budget when we didn’t know how the other articles were going to pass.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the article is definitely worthwhile and intends to bring it back no later than October.

Also passed over were a transfer of $25,000 in free cash to replenish the Conservation fund and to raise and appropriate funds to fund the Conservation agent as a full-time position, rather than a part-time one.

While Conservation Commissions Chairman Phil Clements said he was not opposed to passing over the article, he sought to point out that the conservation agent position is the only part-time department head in Hanson town government. 

“It used to be a full-time position until the big recession hit about 10 or 12 years ago,” he said. “All the other departments seemed to have recovered from that. We have not — we’ve been hopping on one leg for the last decade.”

He said people call the office and sometimes can’t get answers because the agent is out of hours for the week, and is a position that supports the economic development of the town.

“Every development, for business, industry and so forth, has to come before the commission and we look forward to revisiting this so we can fully support those activities in town,” he said.

Joseph O’Sullivan of West Washington Street, an abutter to a proposed project— 0 County Road — where the developer wants to put in 10 four-bedroom houses in a wetland surrounded by water on three sides, opposed passing over the funding of a full-time agent.

“Only the Conservation Commission has the authority to evaluate and use their judgment about the future impact of putting this proposed subdivision in,” he said. “Only the conservation agent can deal with the state on reviewing the Wetlands Act.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said it was another difficult decision made with the budget in mind, especially since it was not clear how transfer station funding was going to go. The salary was also not the only financial consideration, she said, noting benefits were also involved.

Clemens said it was his hope that it could be revisited in October.

Funding an event coordinator and facilities manager at Camp Kiwanee was also passed over.

A mom goes back to school

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WHITMAN — Amanda Peterson says becoming a teenaged mom forced her to “grow up and become an adult very quickly,” as it forced her to leave high school to raise her kids.

The Whitman resident does not regret doing so, save for the sacrifice of her incomplete education — a temporary one, as it turned out.

“I am not ashamed or unhappy with my decision to have my children young — they are the most beautiful part of my life,” she said. “But, I put my life on hold for the sake of my babies. I left high school to raise them and support them.”

As she celebrated Mother’s Day with her children, enjoying the homemade gifts they gave her as they had breakfast in bed together, she reflected on how far she has come since making that difficult decision.

To pay the bills at 19, she looked to a job in the fast-food industry, working the front counter at McDonald’s.  She was a knowledge sponge, soaking up whatever information she could to move forward in her career and support herself and her daughter. Fast-forward 16 years, and she’s a department manager, with the career she had envisioned as a teen.

So, how did she translate asking customers the expected phrase “would you like fries with that?” to a management career in a business some dismiss as “flipping burgers?”

Turns out her employer could, and did help.

Peterson obtained her GED through the McDonald’s Archways for Opportunity program.

“I made the tough decision of putting my education on hold to raise my children,” she said. “I always wanted to go back to finish what I started, and do what I thought was best for my children. McDonald’s presented me with the opportunity and I jumped at it.”

Getting her GED had always been a goal she wanted to accomplish.

“I always felt like a piece of me was missing,” she said. “Now that I graduated, I feel like I found that piece and I am whole again.”

She enrolled in Archways for Opportunity in May 2019 and graduated in June 2020, working trough the pandemic as she and her family did their best to stay safe and healthy. The company continued to support Peterson by allowing her to study during breaks while offering her a flexible schedule so she could attend classes, take tests, work, and take care of her family.

“While it was not easy, McDonald’s helped me get it done,” she said.

That her employer supported her in her taking care of her family gave her a feeling of family on its own. Her General Manager Roberta Pratt also encouraged her to take part in the Archways for Opportunity program.

“They are some of my biggest cheerleaders. Everyone was so excited to find out I was pregnant each time,” Peterson said. “Work-life balance and supporting families is one of the best parts of management here. I am so appreciative of the time I am given to bond with my baby and heal after giving birth last month to my third child.”

Pratt seems to be, indeed, a cheerleader for her employee.

“Amanda’s goal has always been to show her children they can do anything they set their mind to,” she said. “It was her dream to finish high school, and I am so amazed by how hard she worked every day to achieve this goal for her family and to further her career. I am so proud of her!” 

Richard Hogan, the owner/operator of the North Weymouth McDonald’s where Peterson works called her an incredible role model for the program and the organization.

“We are grateful to have Amanda as one of our teammates. She’s hardworking, passionate and embodies the best of our brand values,” Hogan said. “The sky is the limit for her.”

While she doesn’t have an actual vision board for her future, Peterson said she is incredibly happy with where she’s at in her personal and professional life. But she does plan to one day own a McDonald’s restaurant.

“I am putting that out into the universe,” she said. “I set my mind to something and I achieve my goals. Down the line, it will happen.”

In the meantime, her kids are probably happy they can enjoy their favorite menu option — chicken McNuggets and cheeseburger Happy Meals. But, then, when mom is happy in her life, isn’t every meal a happy one?

The roosters crowed at (nearly) midnight 

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WHITMAN – The backyard chickens – or, more specifically, the roosters – came home to roost at Whitman Town Meeting, Monday, May 2 when voters defeated a citizen’s petition that would have sent the cockrels packing in the interest of peace and quiet.

The last article of the night – Article 50 – proposed that “there shall be no raising or ownership of roosters in the town of Whitman,” complaining that the birds’ “loudly crowing throughout the day, from early morning to evening,” creates a disturbance of the peace. It proposed that the town would be responsible for removal of the birds.

“I’m proposing this bylaw because I live next to a rooster – a couple of them – and this has been [going on] for the last six months,” petitioner George Mager said. “If you try to get rid of the rooster, which is a very obnoxious noise that’s planted right next to your property, there’s no way to escape from it.”

He said the birds start in at 4 a.m., and the town has no way of stopping it. Wild birds also sing loudly at about the same hour.

But the rooster’s crowing was found to be more objectionable and he approached town officials to ask if they could or would do anything to control what poultry would be permissible in town.

The lack of a bylaw was cited as the reason the town couldn’t rectify the rooster ruckus.

Another resident, who lives down the street from a rooster owner, said she never hears the crowing, suggesting the town-wide ban proposal was seeking a remedy for the problem with one particular bird.

“What if we did the same thing with dogs or cats?” she asked. “Is there another solution?”

Chuck Slavin of Commercial Street, asked what the follow-up would be, for example, would the bird(s) be dealt with humanely.

“Unfortunately, this will fall on my department,” said Health Board Chair Danielle Clancy. “We will do whatever you vote, that is our task. … I will tell you people have roosters as pets and people also have roosters to protect their chickens.”

Roosters’ crowing alerts owners to the presence of snakes, coyotes and other predators.

Clancy said her problem with the proposed bylaw came down to how it was written. Residents are already required to obtain a permit from the Board of Health to keep poultry, which does annual inspections of backyard coops. If health officials hear about non-permitted coops, she said it is dealt with.

“If you don’t have a permit, you better be calling us in the next week or so, because your neighbors will be calling us,” she said.

She said she also has a problem with putting the responsibility of rogue rooster wrangling on the Board of Health, proposing instead that the onus should be on the owner to place problem poultry in a shelter.

“We are not equipped for that and the Board of Health doesn’t have the budget for that,” Clancy said.

Animal Control Officer Laura Howe said she is Mager’s School Street neighbor and charged he has wanted her dogs removed for 28 years.

“My lawyer has spent 28 years giving Mr. Mager nice messages because I believe in Jesus, and I happen to believe in my town,” she said adding that she wished she could have brought the rooster to Town Meeting. “But there happens to be bird flu going around, and it would be against the law,” she said.

The state has also prohibited animal control officers from removing any birds until after July, when they make another decision, Howe said, adding that like the Board of Health, she does not have the facilities nor the budget to be responsible for rooster removal or to euthanize them, if necessary.

Plymouth County Agricultural Extension Agent Meg Riley of Belmont Street also urged a no vote on the article. She said there were no parameters written into the proposed bylaw and also referred to the “pretty epic outbreak of the avian influenza” which prevents moving the birds and has resulted in high prices for chicken meat and eggs.

To avoid having to kill birds at this time, they cannot be moved.

“If there was still a push for this, and I definitely understand the point of the gentleman – some people have really loud roosters, they can be really annoying – but … even in our suburban community, it would be in our best interests to establish an agricultural commission that could work through some of these issues on a case by case basis,” Riley said.

Howe indicated the bird in question was something of a trans chicken, which, it turns out is possible.

“I did not go out and try to get a rooster,” she said. “He showed up as a girl, and turned into a boy very late after my 12-year-old daughter fell in love with him.”

She dared anyone to remove the bird from her property.

“My animal, rooster or not, comes in at 6 a.m. every night and goes out at 7:30-8:00 every morning, because he goes for coffee and to the barn with me.”

According to Live Science, “certain medical conditions—such as an ovarian cyst, tumor or diseased adrenal gland—can cause a chicken’s left ovary to regress. In the absence of a functional left ovary, the dormant right sex organ may begin to grow, according to Mike Hulet, an associate professor at Penn State University’s department of poultry science.

“If the activated right gonad is an ovotestis or testes, it will begin secreting androgens,” Hulet told Life’s Little Mysteries. Androgens are the class of hormones that are largely responsible for male characteristics and are normally secreted by the testes. “The production of androgen would cause the hen to undergo behavioral changes and make it act more like a rooster.”

Then there was the noise accusation.

Howe said rooster crows reach 90 decibels, while dog barks can reach 100 and lawnmowers reach 108 decibels.

“I have roosters in my neighborhood,” Select Board member Dan Salvucci said. “They don’t bother me.”

He said the bylaw only opens the possibility that neighbors could report each other for mowing the lawn after 7:30 p.m., or that dogs could be singled out for barking.

“Let’s not have neighbor against neighbor,” he said. “Let’s just work it out.”

Full-day kindergarten OK’d

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In Hanson, the school budget vote came with no questions or comments from Town Meeting, while in Whitman, voters approved the town’s $16,104,903 assessment to the regional school district unanimously. Whitman voters also voted to approve a marijuana facilities bylaw and to approve playground equipment at Duval and Conley schools, among 50 warrants before the annual Town Meeting.

Resident John Galvin, who with fellow resident Sean Kain, has been working with the School Committee’s budget subcommittee on a new funding formula for non-mandated busing costs, among other things, took the opportunity to sound a caution about the overall fiscal health of the school district.

“The services covered in this budget are services that are needed,” he said. “They are things that our students should be having and that our teachers should all have. … The problem that I have is the way that it’s getting paid for.”

He credited the strategic planning points the town has followed from the Madden Report — recommended to the town three years ago by consultant John Madden.

One of those recommendations was that the school’s increases equal no more than 5 percent of what the town is assessed, he said.

“Technically, this budget does that, but what we don’t see in this budget are all the items that are being funded outside of the budget,” Galvin said. Grants, federal funds and state funding makes up the rest. Several positions are also being funded by one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

“The problem is that, next year, that money is gone,” he said, noting that the district is already forecasting it will start next budget cycle with a $600,000 deficit. “I’m not asking you not to vote for this, I just wanted it to be known and on record.”

“At some time it’s going to come to a head,” said budget subcommittee member Chris George, adding that good planning has likely staved that off for now.

He also ticked off the things the schools lack including full-time librarians, adequate computers and tech education and foreign languages in middle school. It is also one of the last districts to offer full-day kindergarten.

The article providing non-mandated school busing for Whitman students was also approved unanimously.

The three school playground articles totaling about $500,000, raised a question from Select Board member Dan Salvucci as to why the cost is so high.

“I know the playgrounds are around 20 years old,” he said asking how old the Whitman Park playground is. DPW Parks and Highways Superintendent Bruce Martin said it is about the same vintage.

“Over the years, as something breaks, are the schools repairing what’s breaking?” Salvucci asked. “If it’s yes, then why do we need three new ones when we don’t need a new one in the park? We repair on a regular basis.”

School Committee member Fred Small said the playgrounds are repaired, but there are different materials in question. Small is chairman of the committee’s facilities subcommittee.

“The wrought iron that’s underneath out playground that’s in need of replacement is rotting away,” he said. “It makes it a simple choice — it’s no good.”

He said the playgrounds are regularly inspected because we want to make sure they are safe for the children.

“These aren’t safe any longer,” he said. “They’re not safe, they need to be replaced.”

Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly asked Martin how much the DPW has spent over the past 20 years to maintain the park playground by comparison to how much is being asked to replace the schools’ equipment. Martin said it would be hard to put a number on it off the cuff.

Resident Thomas Evans, who was a school principal for 20 years in Whitman, said that every month he inspected playground equipment, along with the rest of his school building.

“If you think for a minute that the people you put in charge of your children are going to let them go on unsafe equipment, you’re mistaken,” he said. “The evaluation that has been done by the subcommittee … is very, very thorough.”

He said the Duval footprint is small and without a playground for children to vent their energy, “it would be chaos,” adding that equitable and safe places equipment for children to play on are a right.

Parent Heather Clough of Beaulah Street also noted that none of the elementary school playgrounds are accessible to students who use a wheelchair or who have other mobility issues.

“These playgrounds will allow them to play with their typical peers, which is so important,” she said. 

The Conley playground articles passed unanimously. Marshall Ottina of Lazel Street, who is president of the Duval PTO, proposed an amendment to appropriate $235,000 from Article 11 of the 2017 special Town Meeting (Duval School Roof)  and $226,318 from free cash in order to fully fund the new playground project there. The article had proposed an appropriation of $235,000 from Article 11 of the 2017 special Town Meeting (Duval School Roof) and $165,000 from free cash.

The new total represents what Ottina termed a “significant savings” from the $500,000 estimate made by Playground Inspections of New England after an October 2021 inspection. That inspection had noted several hazards including hazards that listed “potential loss of life and permanent injury” as risks to children using it.

Town Counsel ruled that the amendment exceeded the scope of the warrant, because it excceds the dollar figure.

Small said the DPW will be able to do the excavation on the project — listed out at $60,000 — which covers the difference in dollar amount between the article wording an Ottina’s amendment. The article was unanimously approved.

On the cannabis front, Article 41, a proposed marijuana bylaw to allow up to a maximum of five marijuana establishments — either medical or recreational — in town, no more than three of which can be retail facilities was approved by a vote of 107-44. An article calling for a 3-percent excise tax on marijuana and related products was also approved.

These facilities would only be allowed in the highway business district [most of the area on both sides of Route 18 and a small section of Route 27 centered along Caliper Road] or in the industrial area [only above South Avenue between Hobart and the MBTA tracks].

Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman outlined the rigorous process potential businesses must follow for approval and noted the potential revenue from such facilities could help the town.

“Recreational marijuana establishments have opened in several municipalities in the state,” he said of the years since the Massachusetts voters approved legalizing marijuana. There are now 91, each on track to generate more than $400,000 in excise tax revenue as well as community host agreement fees.

“The perceived morality of marijuana use, that’s been decided by the voters,” Heineman said. “In an attempt to moderate the effect of residential property tax increases, this is a real revenue option and it’s something the bylaw study committee thought made sense to bring back to the town.”

Residents opposed cited the close proximity of shops in surrounding towns, traffic increases, stress on public safety, the ability of younger children to access marijuana from older siblings, potential vandalism in the park and that there is no need for it because of other available revenue sources.

Select Board member Brian Bezanson, also a member of the Bylaw Study Committee said he had “not been thrilled with the idea at first.” But he came to see a need for it and voted to bring it to voters because it is their decision.

“In this town, you’re voting to put that near somebody’s home,” resident Kevin Lynam said of the town’s dense population over a small area.

Clough said her sister works in the industry at a full-time job with an incredible benefits package, which is difficult thing to find in town. Some speakers, in agreement with Clough, also cited the purity of product and security of buildings — including one who is a pharmacist.

“The town lines are not what’s keeping it in and out of the town, we’re just keeping the business revenue from coming here,” Select Board member Justin Evans said. 

Hanson shuts the door on cannabis retailers

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HANSON — Voters at Town Meeting on Monday, May 2 supported a marijuana bylaw amendment to clarify language now on the books, but followed that vote by rejecting articles seeking retail, currier/operators and use of property on Hawks Avenue for possible cannabis businesses.

Debate also focused on articles that proposed a senior outreach position at the Council on Aging and that sought to remove recent controls to the recall provision. The town’s $15,069,795 share of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School budget was approved without question or comment. A $32,346,578 municipal budget was also approved.

As expected, the five cannabis-related articles were the subject of most discussion during the meeting.

Moderator Sean Kealy and Town Counsel Kate Feodroff admonished voters that the issue of marijuana was not the tricky part, and that the articles one issue at a time, because “amending these bylaws is a very complicated thing,” Kealy said. “The problem is each article depends on the article before it.”

Still, much of the debate, indeed, focused on marijuana and its attractiveness to youth, its stronger potency than in the past — especially where edibles are concerned — and their concern of children being exposed to it.

All four votes required a count.

The first, Article 25, re-codifies and updates existing language and combined bylaws governing medical cannabis facilities and cannabis establishments in their current forms. They required two-thirds margins for passage. Article 25 was passed by a 144-67 vote.

Attorney General Maura Healy’s statement that medical marijuana cannot be barred from a town was a focus of debate on the article, making one resident express the wish that Article 26 — seeking to permit cannabis retailers for adult use by special permit — was up for a vote first. Article 26 was later rejected by a vote of 95-83.

“If medical can’t be barred from a town, then potentially, someone could come in and do medical and eventually switch that to retail,” one resident said.

Feodoroff said that would not be possible under the combined bylaw because, while oversight for medical and adult recreational use both fall under the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) they are still separate entities requiring entirely different host community agreements and zoning bylaws.

“They’re all chipping away, they’re all looking for a chink in the armor, from what I can tell, to get marijuana in this town,” resident Dan McDonough of Carriage Road said, noting he appreciates the work the Select Board has been doing. “Any money we save in taxes, we’re going to pay for down the road in rehab.”

Bob Huston of West Washington Street said all the articles relate to a map for the overlay district plan.

“You’re taking out the restrictions on the placement of [retailers] in church zones, in school zones and other places where youth congregate,” he said.  “Our issue is to protect our families and our children.”

Kealy said he wanted to avoid arguing all the articles at once in order to have clear idea of what each article entailed.

Retired teacher Peter Travaline of Pleasant Street said it upsets him that the language “… and other places where children congregate…” would be removed from the bylaw [Article 25]. “If you’re not going to help the kids,” he said gesturing with his hand flicking outward from his chin.

Kealy, who stressed he does not vote at town meetings, said the intent of the bylaws was to place the town in compliance with the latest state legislation. 

Frank Milisi, who sponsored, and worked with town officials to develop the cannabis articles as revenue sources, said there was no intention to place a retail establishment on Hawks Avenue near Burrage Wildlife Management Area.

“Marijuana is already here in Massachusetts,” Milisi said, noting that it brought in more revenue for the state than liquor excise taxes. “This is a tax source that is not on the backs of people in this town.”

He said a bad idea for his kids would be failure to have fully funded schools and a recreation department.

Annette Benenato of Brookside Drive gave a lengthy, impassioned statement about the dangers of allowing cannabis retailers in town, touching on the risk to younger teens, the THC potency in cannabis today, the experience of other states and the relatively low amount of funds the impact fees would raise.

“Adding more drugs to our community does not add value to our community,” she said.

Article 27, which would add Hawks Avenue to the list of eligible locations for marijuana retail establishments was also rejected by a voice vote. Article 28, to permit cannabis delivery operators and couriers in the town’s industrial zone was also defeated by a vote of 67-26 and Article 29 aimed at authorizing the Select Board to enter into a 20-year lease of 3.8 acres of town-owned property at 100 Hawks Ave. for commercial and/or industrial use was also rejected.

Voters also voted against an initiative petition article seeking to again amend the town’s recall law and make it easier to seek a recall — in the interest of forging a less toxic political climate in Hanson. 

Recall change
rejected

The article brought by Kevin Cohen argued for reinstating the previous recall law, allowing residents to establish their own grounds for recalling elected officials, rather than the seven listed in the new recall under Chapter 93 of the Acts of 2019.

“The toxic political arena in this town is causing good people not to run for those seats up front,” said resident Joseph O’Sullivan of West Washington Street, gesturing to the Select Board and Finance Committee. “People should be recalled for malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance, not because the took votes, in doing their jobs, that some of you didn’t like.” 

Three present or former town officials, ex-Select Board Chair Jim McGahan, former School Committee Chair Bob Hayes and current Finance Committee member Patrick Powers outlined how they had been threatened with recall for casting unpopular votes on their respective boards.

McGahan, who ran for office during a recall effort in the past, said he had since his election been subjected to threats of recall if he voted opposite to the position of others in town.

He said the board, during his tenure, changed the rules to provide guidance for proper use of recall by listing seven reasons for a recall: conviction of a felony, admissions of misdemeanors by Mass. law, admissions to facts while in office that would lead to a conviction of felony misdemeanors, violation of any of the 29 sections of conflict of interest law, attendance of less than 50 percent of posted meetings, lack of fitness and sobriety while performing official functions, involuntary commitment to a mental health facility and/or corruption convictions.

“We modeled the town of Norwood,” he said. “We used it to protect our official to [allow them] to have ideas and present them without feeling they are under duress or influence,” McGahan said.

Hayes, who was a six-time elected member of the School Committee, serving as chair for 15 years, and had experienced threats of recall, too.

“Every time we went to build a school, or talked about it, I was getting threatening phone calls,” he said. “Changing this recall law [would be] a disaster. It’s tough enough to get five people that are up there [the Select Board] … but I ran six times unopposed. If I didn’t run, that seat would have gone vacant. … It’s not democracy. It’s pressure that is undue elected officials.”

Powers said he did not disagree with the purpose of the article, but said it was a little too wide open.

“There are folks in this room who have threatened me, threatened my family, made accusations on social media… posting disgusting things, both personal and private,” he said, noting some officials’ employers have been called, as well. “I don’t think this is the language to do it if we want to see people get up there.”

Senior outreach position OK’d in Hanson

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HANSON — Residents in Town Meeting Monday, May 2 voted to fund an outreach director for the Senior Center as well as approving a meals tax. A portion of those proceeds, it was argued could be used to fund the Senior Center position.

The Finance Committee voted against recommending it. FinCom Chairman Kevin Sullivan noted they had not recommended any article that was aimed at adding personnel due to the town’s tenuous fiscal position.

But Select Board liaison to the Senior Center Jim Hickey and Council on Aging Director Mary Collins both argued it is a labor-intensive process that robs her of time to do other important work.

Select Board member Jim Hickey reiterated that 41 percent of Hanson residents are over age 55, with 40 percent of those over age 60. He said the SHINE program that helps people with Medicare paperwork takes about an hour per person. Collins helped 100 people with the paperwork last year.

Overall, Collins said the SHINE program saved Hanson residents more than $33,000 last year during the open enrollment period for Medicare.

“There are services that are available to people to help them remain in their homes successfully as they age,” she said. “Many people are unaware of those services. If I don’t have someone to help with that outreach, the outreach relies solely on me. This is a need that is going unmet.”

Residents Joseph O’Sullivan, Judy Caldas and Janine Foster offered their personal examples of the need for services the Senior Center offered.

Caldas, is the outreach worker, social services coordinator and SHINE counselor at the Marshfield COA, said she is a full-time employee in her role and has the help of a part-time assistant. Collins sought a 19-hoour per week part-time position with no benefits.

“I don’t know how [Collins] could do this,” Caldas said. “I saw over 300 people in that seven weeks of open enrollment. I have four other SHINE counselors working with me that saw another 300 people.” She said they also assist younger people with fuel assistance, housing for the disabled or food stamp programs.

Veterans Agent Timothy White added that Collins’ position is vital to helping the town’s older veterans and surviving spouses, as well.

“We’re talking about $21,736, that’s at the top-end of the scale of 19 hours times $22/hour for a 52-week year,” resident Lance Benjamino said. “If you look down at the next article, you’re talking about a .75-percent meals tax.” He asked what that would bring in.

“That would be about sixty grand ($60,000), sir,” Hickey said.

A second attempt in as many years to adopt a meals tax was successful without discussion, as opposed to the vigorous debate that preceded it’s defeat last year.