Whitman-Hanson Express

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

State vaccine process raises concern

By

Fire chiefs and health officials in several Massachusetts communities have expressed frustration with the state’s program to vaccinate residents against COVID-19.

“As of right now, the state’s vaccination program is an epic failure, and everyone sees that except the governor and the Department of Public Health,” Whitman Chief Timothy Grenno said on Friday, Feb.12.

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it will increase the vaccine supply to states to 13.5 million doses per week, and send 2 million doses to local pharmacies this week.

A trio of health and EMS officials spoke to Channel 25’s investigative team Thursday, Feb. 11, citing the state’s prioritizing of mass vaccination sites costing local communities access to the vaccine for their clinics. Dr. Dan Muse, an emergency physician at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, has been a medical director for some local EMS departments’ COVID response efforts.

He said there is a “huge amount of frustration” among the personnel who are simply trying to help their communities.

Along with state lawmakers, the Channel 25 report said EMS teams do not oppose mass vaccination sites, but they want the ability to vaccinate residents for whom travel to a mass site is difficult — and they want enough doses to provide their residents.

“They haven’t listened to us from Day One, so I can’t imagine them listening to us now,” Grenno said, adding that the Mass DPH has issued an order not to schedule any first-shot clinics unless the vaccinations are in hand.

“Every time we put in an order we seem to get cut a little bit,” Rutland Health Board Chairman Scott Gilroy told Channel 25’s Investigation Team. “At some point, it’s going to run into a course where we either can’t take care of our townsfolk or we’re going to have to short some of our partnering towns.”

The state has required every town in the commonwealth to have an emergency dispensing site specifically for vaccinations during a pandemic.

Locally, Grenno agrees there is reason for alarm over the state’s plan to send vaccines to mass vaccination sites only, and not to local clinics. Vaccination clinics announced by Whitman Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman for next week, would likely have to be cancelled.

“I think it’s a total disgrace against our elderly population and it just shows the ignorance of the state government to not recognize the personal needs of our elderly people,” Grenno said. “There’s never been a more incompetent operation than what the state is doing, starting with PPE on Day One, straight through until today. The state has made this whole COVID thing a complete debacle.”

Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., whose department held a successful vaccination clinic for elders over age 75 on Feb. 5, said he has also seen information that first-dose requests for local vaccination clinics are going unfilled, but he said Hanson’s planned second-dose clinic should be able to go forward.

“I don’t think they’ve done anything official [about vaccine supply policy,” Thompson said. “You just have to put in for it every week and see what you get.”

He said he was fortunate that Hanson received the 300 doses for the Feb. 5 clinic.

Whitman Fire Department put in for a second dose of vaccine last week, but it was denied, Grenno said.

“We put in a request for this coming week, which we’ve yet to hear about,” he said, saying he expected to hear back by the end of that day. “I’m anticipating that request will be denied also. … If that’s the case, then we’re pretty much dead in the water.”

Grenno had anticipated earlier this winter that the vaccination site plan he had submitted to the state for a local vaccination site at Whitman Middle School would be used.

Even shifting to a mass-vaccination site in town hasn’t helped.

“We had a vaccination site ready to go in the town of Whitman that will vaccinate all the 75-and-older population either at a mass-vaccination site at the K of C or at the Housing Authority units and we have been unable to get the vaccines to do that,” Grenno said.

Instead, the state is vaccinating the 75-and-over people they are providing shots to at mass vaccination sites such as Fenway Park, Marshfield Fairgrounds and Gillette Stadium.

“Getting those folks up and out of their homes and into a car and drive them to Marshfield or Gillette and stand in the bitter cold just to get a vaccination,” he said, noting that shots have been offered to people who drive them.

That has raised the issue of non-relatives taking to the Internet to try and arrange to drive a senior in order to get a vaccination.

Grenno maintains that, had the vaccine been delivered to Whitman when it was requested the town’s 75-and-older population could have already been vaccinated.

“We spent a ton of time and resourced on developing our clinics to service our residents, to vaccinate our residents,” he said.

Criticism of Gov. Baker is coming from all over the state.

In Springfield, named the “asthma capital of the country” in 2019, residents with the disorder may be forced to wait longer for the vaccine, because it had not been included on the state’s list of high-risk medical conditions to qualify people for the COVID vaccine.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Boston, advocates it, arguing that the exclusion will have a significant impact on low-income communities.

Baker has indicated his administration is talking about it, according to media reports, but no action has yet been taken.

“A general profile of the people included in the priority group indicates that they are mostly white, mostly young, mostly middle class, mostly healthy and those most likely to have benefit of the best health care and protective health equipment,” a Fall River resident wrote in a letter to the editor published in the Boston Herald last week. “Who are missing from the priority list are the poor, the elderly, sick people, people of color, those living in the most congested neighborhoods and those who depend upon public transportation. The latter groups make up those who are suffering the highest rates of infection and death from the virus.”

Grenno said another part of the problem is that the federal government had been sending the vaccines to the mass-vaccine sites, where official have not been seeing the numbers of people they want to see.

More COVID clinics planned

By

WHITMAN — The town is planning a series of COVID vaccination clinics for elder residents at the Housing Authority’s Harvard Court site.

“As this board knows, there have already been several vaccination clinics that have occurred, primarily focused on first responders,” said new Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman, attending his inaugural Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9, noting those clinics are continuing. “There are also already plans [for] vaccination clinics at Harvard Court.”

Those are planned for Feb. 22 and 26, as well as March 22 and 26 for the second dose.

“There are also other vaccination clinics planned,” he said. “The key issue that many members on this board may know about is that, we have this plan in place to provide vaccinations to the community, based on the phases as identified by the state Department of Public Health, but the key is actually receiving the  vaccine to perform those, which is — obviously — outside of the town’s control.”

He said the past week, according to Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, is the first time when the state has not been able to fulfill a request for vaccine from the town.

“We don’t know when that is going forward and, obviously, we’re going to be requesting vaccines to fulfill the plan that we want to pursue,” he said. “The big unknown at this moment is how much vaccine we’re going to get and in what kind of time.”

Heineman also announced that cases are now at 1,003 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to figures calculated as of Feb. 2. There have been 115 new cases recorded over the past two weeks.

“Just as a comparison to the state as a whole, we’re slightly higher as daily average incidents rate per 100,000 residents,” Heineman said. During the same two-week period the state was at 48.9, while Whitman is at 52.9.

Grenno and the Board of Health have developed the plans for the vaccine clinics, Heineman said.

“There’s a lot of very detailed and organized work that’s been going on prior to me and, again, I want to give all the credit in the world to our emergency management director [Grenno], the Board of Health and everyone here in Town Hall and the Town Hall workers in general,” Heineman said.

In other business, Selectmen approved a request from Council on Aging Director Mary Holland to revise COVID-19 protocols for her department.

“She said there are certain issues that needed to be done, and we had to redo our town protocol because the COA does certain functions that are required under health issues only the senior center provides, and she’s asked us if that would be allowed,” Selectmen Chairman Daniel Salvucci said.

New town COVID protocols passed on Jan. 19 had closed all town buildings to the public until further notice.

“The services that we’ve been able to continue to offer — one of them being the podiatrist — it’s only once a month, but seniors need that service,” Holland said. “We’ve been doing it since September with no issues.”

Seniors enter at the back door and are seen one-on-one by the podiatrist in a private room, she said. Masks are worn during examinations.

Fuel assistance is another service for which seniors must go to the COA to obtain help with the first-time completion of complex paperwork. The center is still closed for social events.

Selectmen also voted — in recognition that Carousel Family Fun Center was the only business in town required to close [for 30 weeks] due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 order — to reduce the business’ licensing fee, applying a pro-rated amount to her feed owed in 2021.

Fire damages Whitman home

By

WHITMAN — One person was treated and released at the scene of a fire at a single-family home on Franklin Street, Saturday, Feb.6. Fire Chief Timothy Grenno said the person’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The home is temporarily uninhabitable due to the fire, smoke and water damage. The residents are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

At approximately 7:51 a.m., Whitman Fire received a report from a resident of a fire at their home at 44 Franklin St., Grenno said. Upon arrival, first responders saw smoke coming from the first and second floor of the two-and-a-half story home. The four residents who were home at the time were able to exit the house safely before first responders arrived.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, which was contained to the dining room on the first floor. Crews cleared the scene by 9:15 a.m.

The Hanson Fire Department provided mutual aid during the fire. Station coverage was provided by the Halifax and Abington fire departments. Members of the Halifax Fire Department provided medical aid at the scene. National Grid, Whitman Police, and the Whitman wiring and building inspectors assisted on scene as well.

While Whitman Fire responded to the fire, Abington firefighters responded to two additional emergency calls in Whitman.

The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental and related to an electrical issue.

‘Not the right spot’

By

HANSON — Location, location, location — it’s the phrase one often hears as the key consideration in real estate purchases. Residents of Spring Street in Hanson argue that location is the main problem with a 40-unit 40B housing development proposed by developer William Cushing, who is also chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Lawn signs protesting that Spring Street is “Not the right spot!” for a 40B development point to water and traffic concerns, among others, rather than the nature of a 40B development as reasons for the opposition. Residents have almost uniformly placed the signs along the roadway citing the busy street and its close proximity to the capped landfill as key concerns.

Another group of residents, however, calling themselves the Spring Association, however, points to Hanson’s “dire need” for affordable housing in expressing their support for the project.

“I certainly was not prepared for the public outcry,” Selectman Wes Blauss said at the Tuesday, Feb. 2 Selectmen’s meeting, noting he is unaware of the history of the proposal. “That surprised me. … I’m not against the concept, but I’m not really sure if Spring Street is the best place for all these units.”

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said Monday, Feb. 7, that residents’ concerns have not fallen on deaf ears.

“We have absolutely heard the concerns that have been expressed by all the abutters, neighbors and others, and we take those concerns extremely seriously,” she said. “We will do whatever we’re able to do — within the law — to make sure that, if that project moves forward, it moves forward in a way that is complimentary to that neighborhood, does not infringe upon abutters’ rights, and is consistent with the regulations. That’s really all we can do.”

Selectmen voted to authorize Town Administrator John Stanbrook to draft a letter to the Mass. Housing Finance Authority to outline the flaws seen in the project proposal, which Town Counsel Jay Talerman said is not out of the ordinary for such projects. Stanbrook’s letter, based on an outline he read during the meeting, was sent on Thursday, Feb. 4 describing the project and raising concerns about housing diversity; its proximity to Commuter Rail and impact on traffic; walkability and open space; proximity to a capped landfill and the former munitions area; water, septic and public safety issues; wetland and environmental impacts and compliance with town bylaws and payment of all owed fees and taxes.

“A lot of these things are going to be checked off during that [ZBA] phase,” Cushing told Selectmen Feb. 2. “Every unit is going to be consistently spread out and not close to the landfill.”

He also said he has water access through Glenwood Place and is planning to pay to get it to the site.

“It’s not a complete plan, but I would call it a really good concept,” Cushing said. “At this time, to talk about storm water and other issues, is preliminary.”

Many of the issues citied in Stanbrook’s letter were raised by Spring Street residents opposed to the development.

Residents Chad Tobias and Chris Costello walked the back yard of abutter Jane Downie’s 500 Spring St. backyard with this reporter on Saturday, Feb. 6 to discuss the issue. Downie did not join the meeting out of concern for COVID precautions.

“This is not a feasible location for that type of development,” Costello said. He and Tobias said they wanted to see the impact of two other 40B developments in the works at Phillips Street and Liberty Street impact the town before others are approved.

The capped landfill overlooks her backyard.

Like residents, FitzGerald-Kemmett said no one on the Board of Selectmen is against affordable housing.

“I think people need to understand the difference between affordable housing and low-income,” she said. “I’m not saying we’re against low-income, either, but there’s a huge difference.”

Residents are more concerned with how the 40-unit plan suddenly came before the Board of Selectmen after it had been approved for eight units with no 40B component.

“When this project first came up in 2017, neighbors had concerns, Tobias said. “This was all trees before. Now, you can see the landfill — you couldn’t before.”

He also said the Factory Pond supersite cleanup effort is also nearby, making groundwater pollution a concern, but high water table and runoff from the landfill, where fill has raised the landscape by about five feet is a bigger concern for many neighbors, according to Tobias and Costello.

Anyone in the neighborhood with a basement knows the problem.

“My pump may run two months straight,” Tobias said. “If I turn it off, I get water buildup in my basement. …When he was going to do this development in 2017, that was one of our concerns.”

“Water seepage into our basement isn’t as bad, but our neighbor are pumping 24/7,” Costello said. “Their pump is going nonstop.”

Tobias said he had to buy a second pump to keep up with wetter times.

He said Downie has had to replace doors and other parts of her home because a drainage culvert directs water onto her property.

Reached by phone on Monday, Downie said, aside from flooding in her backyard, two of her doors had been damaged when fill was being dumped on the site to raise the ground level.

“Every time they dropped truckloads of dirt, they dumped it, and my house shook,” she said. Six months ago she had to have her doors realigned and pipes below her mobile home had been shaken out of place and she has to have more work done to repair that problem.

The project initially called for 20-house development, but has since doubled to 40 houses, 10 set aside as affordable units under the state’s 40B provision. In 2017, it had first been reduced to 12 houses and then eight on the 12-acre parcel, for which it was approved.

Tobias said his house sits on three-quarters of an acre, which limits him to a two- to three-bedroom house under the town’s septic regulations.

“How does the math for 40 houses on 12 acres for septic systems add up?” he said.

Traffic congestion is also a concern, especially at the Spring Street/Route 50 intersection. The impact of additional students in Hanson schools is another concern the neighbors have, Tobias said.

“We’re not against 40B,” he said. “I’m concerned about the groundwater.” Most of the Spring Street residents are on Rockland’s municipal water for that reason — something that has been denied to the development.

“They told him they would feed one house,” Tobias said, noting that the development does not have the required 20-foot easement on Glennwood Place.

Water demand was also a concern.

Tobias looked up average Hanson water use on Archive Boston’s website — the average Hanson resident uses 50 gallons per day. With eight houses with 3.5 people, would require about 42,000 gallons of water which must go somewhere, and 210,000 gallons for 40 houses per month in addition to existing groundwater.

The residents also point to a conflict of interest. Cushing is chairman of the ZBA, an appointed rather than elected position.

“How can you develop in the same town you are on the board for?” Tobias said.

“A lot of the point of cluster housing is also to be near public transport,” he said. The MBTA station is five miles away. “Even if you are talking about proximity to public transportation, this is not a good location.”

Residents are also advocating “an immediate review of the Zoning Board of Appeals,” of which Cushing is chairman. They see the appointed board as one populated with developers who “all seem to have similar projects in the works that seem to only be benefitting themselves, not the town of Hanson.”

Cushing has not yet responded to a request for further comment.

“All appointed board members are special employees of the town of Hanson (special employees), they are allowed to submit an application in front of their board as long as they don’t participate,” a member of the Spring Association has said, declining to give their name.

$1.9M deficit looms in Hanson

By

HANSON — A budget shortfall of nearly $2 million is expected to have a “system-wide impact” on most services and departments in town without an override, according to Town Accountant Todd Hassett.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Jan. 26 heard a second-quarter budget update and previewed the fiscal 2022 budget with Hassett.

“We do have assumptions. Even if the assumptions come out better than where we are, it’s still a substantial amount that will be required in an override without a serious cut in services. That’s just where we are,” Town Administrator John Stanbrook agreed.

Stanbrook reported on Tuesday, Feb. 2 that the governor’s budget has increased Hanson’s anticipated state aid by $36,086, while state assessment savings came to $818 from what the town expected to be charged. The two amounts mean a $31,000 increase in state aid, and — coupled with assessment figures from South Shore Tech [see related story, this page] — the net effect is a $1,000 decrease to the town’s deficit, now at $1.985 million.

W-H Regional budget figures have not been officially released yet.

“At this time we’re anticipating, when all is said and done, we have a shortfall of just under $2 million, and a number of things are not formalized or finalized yet,” he said. “There are a lot of challenges and a lot of work ahead for us, but clearly, absent some level of tax relief via an override, we’re looking at some significant reductions that will likely involve staff and may involve less programming at the camp, it might involve having to close the transfer station a bit more.”

The largest question mark, at this point, are school budget requests.

“Many things are still in play,” he said in his budget forecast, which town bylaw requires by the end of January. The governor’s budget had not been released at the time Hassett presented the fiscal 2022 plan to Selectmen.

“We are faced with about a 7-percent increase in public safety expenses due to some of the demands for shift coverage and contractual obligations,” Hassett said. “The education budget is up, in our worksheets, over 12.5 percent.”

Formal budget requests have not been received as yet from either WHRSD or SST. Remaining budgets are up about 4 percent. The cost of state program costs is up about 2.5 percent.

Revenues are forecast at about $28 million.

Nearly 83 percent of Hanson’s budget is supported through property taxes, 5.5 percent by state revenues Hassett expects will be level-funded, and 7.5 percent through local revenues, also projected to be level-funded.

He said the maximum allowable levy limit short of an override had been calculated — $544,000 at the 2 ½ percent increase allowed under Proposition 2 ½. New growth revenues are expected to be about $100,000 higher than in fiscal ’21.

Debt exclusions on the police station and regional high school — about $600,000 in additional taxes — are also on the books, with the police station costs maturing in 2026 an the high school in 2028.

Ambulance receipts and septic funds will also be looked at to help balance the budget, Hassett said, as well as $231,000 from free cash.

With only 13 percent of the fiscal 2021 budget collected, Hassett said most revenues are tracking well, while on paper the excise tax receipts appear low by about $35,000 less than the same billing period last year.

“This was one of the indicators we were concerned about going into next year’s budget,” he said. “Data we get from the state shows a very aggressive depreciation schedule.”

Permits and departmental fees are holding steady. While this has been a financially difficult year for recreation programs across the state as programs and events had to be canceled because of COVID-19, Camp Kiwanee has a “strong spring” of wedding bookings at this point.

We’ll see how that plays out,” Hassett said. “The bookings are not what they enjoyed just a couple of years ago.”

The Kiwanee programs and capital improvements had to be subsidized from the general fund in the current fiscal year.

SST panel holds annual budget hearing

By

HANOVER — South Shore Tech Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey provided a budget update on Wednesday, Jan. 27, in light of the effect of the updated governor’s budget on the district’s fiscal 2022 spending plan.

The overall budget reflected a 1.89-percent increase from the current budget, according to Hickey, who said the governor’s package provides insight on how assessments to member towns will be affected.

The School Committee held its public hearing on the fiscal 2022 budget, with no comments received from the public.

“The ink is not even dry,” Hickey said of the governor’s budget package.

Assessments break down — with the assumption of nearly level-funded Chapter 70 funding, regional transportation and a stabilization transfer for the district’s bus lease as anticipated revenue — as: Abington lower by $3,552 to $1,286,561; Cohasset lower by $17,648 to $127,071; Hanover increased by $158,280 to $886,330; Hanson increased  $98,371 to $1,233,791; Norwell increased $49,569 to $521,660; Rockland increased $125 to $1,833,991; Scituate lower by $14,647 to $576,166 and Whitman increased by $36,855 to $1,660,531.

“Overall, we’re looking for $8,026,101 from our local towns,” Treasurer and Secretary James Coughlin said, explaining that the budget is based on towns’ minimum local contribution as calculated by the state. He explained that town assessments have been going down in previous years because of a large enrollment of non-resident students, while resident town enrollment was lower. Tuition for non-resident students is set by the state.

That trend is reversed this year.

“The towns that are getting the hardest hit, Hanover and Hanson, had the biggest increase in students,” he said.

Hickey said he has reached out to all member communities to set up budget meetings in mid-February or March.

Hickey also sought debt authorization for capital projects to address needs in the facilities master plan that are beyond what students can do, or can be fit into the fiscal 2022 budget, and smaller projects that can be phased into future capital budgets if the district does not receive MSBA funding.

“Window projects, which is the signature capital item in this year’s proposed budget — something that’s in the facilities master plan — we would expect to cover the costs for that as part of a fiscal ’22 expenditure,” he said. “The rationale that we will be bringing to our towns [is] … that we’re now at the point that there are capital projects we simply cannot sustain within the capital budget.”

The window project is $760,000 of an $895,000 capital budget.

“We all feel, on some level, the math just wouldn’t work if all of a sudden we tried to shoehorn in $2 million of capital in one year to do a roof or do something with fire suppression,” Hickey said. Funding for renovation and expansion could also be included in the debt authorization to meet needs for extra space for larger shops, and to do so whether or not the district received MSBA funds. The project list can be reevaluated if state funding is received.

Hickey also said SST is one of 30 schools, of 71 applying for MSBA funding for school building or renovation projects to be selected for review and to supply more information on their proposal.

He cautioned, however, that it does not necessarily signal that the district will receive funding this year.

“They go out of their way to make it clear that, the fact that they would like to talk to us in a little more depth, does not mean that we’re going to be getting a note in a few months saying, ‘You’re invited into the program,’” he said. Hickey had been invited to a meeting because SST had not been invited to provide the information for a few years.

Hickey also said SST’s admissions process is late this year, because area communities’ schools started a little late for eighth-graders considering a vocational education this year. Mid-year report cards, therefore are coming out later.

Hanson plans COVID shot for frail elders

By

HANSON — COVID-19 vaccination staging plans and a discussion with town counsel regarding a proposed 40B affordable housing development were the focus of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

The meeting was conducted by Vice Chairman Matt Dyer in the absence of Chairman Kenny Mitchell.

Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., outlined the town’s efforts to tackle the pandemic, including a recent testing site operation and meetings with the Board of Health and Senior Center Director Mary Collins to address the needs of the town’s vulnerable seniors.

“We started the process in mid-December to allow us to become a MIS account so we can obtain vaccines and administer them,” he said. “It took a while.”

The department received vaccine to provide the first round of shots to 50 first-responders on Jan.21. He said, however, that getting more information from the state has been difficult.

Vaccines were ordered for elders age 75 and older, but were advised the town would not receive those vaccines for a couple of weeks.

“We still went on with our plan and I put the order in anyway,” he said. “I’m happy to announce that we did receive some vaccines today and, working with Mary Collins and Kathy Clark from Meetinghouse Lane, we’ve identified our vulnerable population — over 75 and members of the community that would need some assistance in order to sign up for these vaccines.”

That process was anticipated to be complete by Feb. 3 so people could apply.

“We’re going to continue to order vaccines weekly and offer clinics, but we don’t know how much we’ll get,” Thompson said, adding that the added work in taking on the vaccination and clinic process is a lot of extra work for his department. “It’s best for us to wait until we get that vaccine in hand and then put that information out and have a clinic within two to three days.”

Dyer expressed concern that the 75-and-older age range is a group in which not everyone has a computer or knows how to navigate on one. He asked if there was a phone number to call.

Thompson suggested that the Senior Center would be the best place to call in that case, but that the Facebook link was “very simple” to use. He is also working on conducting a vaccine clinic at Hanson Middle School for residents over age 75, hoping it would be scheduled for Friday, Feb. 5.

A lot of people are also going through their primary care physicians or attending large-scale clinics at Gillette Stadium or Fenway Park.

On or about Feb. 15, Marshfield is also conducting a vaccination clinic at the Marshfield Fair

“I appreciate you going to bat for our elderly folks,” Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that it is a difficult task to take on for the fire chief. “I thank you and the rest of the team that helped make this happen.”

Thompson said the department is using CARES Act funds to pay for the expense of conducting clinics.

He said the workload and expense may make if difficult for the Fire Department to take on the responsibility of vaccinating the whole town.

“It’s going to be all about availability,” he said.

Chapter 40B

A contentious exchange sparked the discussion on the proposed 40B development by Cushing Trail Realty Trust off Spring Street. Town Counsel Jay Talerman attended the virtual meeting to provide legal advice during the discussion.

Selectmen voted to issue a letter of support if flaws in the plan can be adequately addressed, which Talerman said is not out of the ordinary for such projects.

Select board input is a regular feature of the 40B eligibility letter approval process before a project proceeds to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Talerman said.

He said feedback from land use boards has so far included issues of housing diversity, proximity to Commuter Rail, walkability and open space, proximity to a capped landfill, water supply, wetland and environmental impact, a few design concerns, and a placeholder on the developers’ credentials.

Water Commissioner Don Howard said no one has appeared before the Water Department to find out if water service is possible.

“Hanson doesn’t have any water main down Spring Street,” Howard said. “I don’t know where they’re going to get the water.”

Talerman said that concern has been raised.

“In this application, the applicant says they already have water on-site,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “But that is not the case.”

Town Administrator John Stanbrook read a letter from Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff, an associate of Talerman’s.

The development plans a mix of 40 two- and three-bedroom condominium units, with 10 of them made available under Chapter 40B a affordable units. The project contains no handicapped-accessible units.

“Though the application presented is in its preliminary stages, the board requests that the project comply with the housing production plan,” the letter Feodoroff drafted on behalf of the Board of Selectmen stated.

“Over the weekend, residents have reached out, voicing their concerns,” Dyer said. “Many have concerns … related to proximity to the landfill and the Factory Pond site.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett is also concerned about the absence of septic plans for a development in a town without sewers, as well as a lack of clarity on plans for “amenities” and location concerning affordable units.

“I certainly was not prepared for the public outcry,” Selectman Wes Blauss said, noting he is unaware of the history of the proposal. “That surprised me. … I’m not against the concept, but I’m not really sure if Spring Street is the best place for all these units.”

Developer William Cushing said he was not attending to talk about stormwater, but said the town’s regulations — more restrictive than the state’s — have been met.

“A lot of these things are going to be checked off during that [ZBA] phase,” Cushing said. “Every unit is going to be consistently spread out and not close to the landfill.”

Amenities for all units — affordable as well as market rate — will be the same. He also said that, unlike the bulk of condo projects in Hanson aimed at the over 55 market, these units are meant for families.

He also said he has water access through Glenwood Place and is planning to pay to get it to the site.

“It’s not a complete plan, but I would call it a really good concept,” Cushing said. “At this time, to talk about storm water and other issues, is preliminary.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the board is doing what they were elected to do.

“I will continue to be concerned about the things that I articulated,” she said. “I’m hopeful that you will address them. But I will tell you that you ought to take another look at your application.”

She indicated that the application indicates septic is in place.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also objected to what she characterized as a disrespectful tone to Cushing’s comments.

Hanson seeks COVID vaccine site volunteers

By

The town of Hanson is seeking volunteers who may be interested in volunteering at a COVID-19 vaccination site.

If you are a doctor, nurse or EMT and you are interested, please email the Hanson Board of Health at Tcocio@hanson-ma.gov with your name, telephone number and e-mail address. Your name will be added to a list of volunteers. If vaccine becomes available to be distributed to residents you will be contacted to verify licensing and provided additional information.

Communicating the budget challenges

By

The Hanson Board of Selectmen, on Tuesday, Jan. 26 discussed ways to bring information on specific budgetary needs before the public as they prepare for this spring’s annual Town Meeting.

Town officials are working on a budget with a $2 million deficit in its general fund for FY 2022.

“Obviously, we still only have limited information, but over the next month or more we’re going to have a lot more information,” said Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell. “How that number is going to impact each resident, if the override is to go through, how much should that be? But, more importantly, we’re going to have to educate the residents on what services would possibly be cut and what they would be in jeopardy of losing.”

Mitchell proposed a FY 2022 budget forum at the high school with all department heads attending to answer questions. He is looking at a March 5 or 16 date for such a forum.

“I’m also willing to go on a cable show,” he said. “I’m all ears.”

Selectman Matt Dyer agreed it was a good idea, suggesting mid-March would be better to give town officials time to get a clearer picture of the state budget or any other financial issues that may affect the town’s budget.

“Mid-March, I don’t think we’re going to be in any better position with COVID-19, so I think that we really need to consider an online venue,” Dyer said. While Zoom meeting security from invasive and abusive callers — so-called “Zoom bombing” — with larger groups, but it would be the most accessible option at this point.

He also suggested teaming up with the Whitman-Hanson Express to have Hanson budget updates on the front page. [Editor’s note: Call us to provide details of what you have in mind.]

“Each week, an update about what the budget entails, so people are informed that way,” Dyer said, adding the town’s Facebook account and website could also be used for disseminating such information.

Recording the forum Mitchell suggested and posting it on the town’s social media platforms could also be useful, Dyer suggested.

“With COVID-19, it’s going to be tough to get a bunch of people together, but if questions were submitted and you were to get on cable access to answer those questions that’s one way to do it,” Selectman Jim Hickey said of Mitchell’s suggestion. He also said a brief time delay managed by someone to control Zoom bombers would also be worthwhile.

“We do have to come up with ideas,” Hickey said, noting that while hard numbers were not yet available, the impact of cuts would be clear. “[Town Accountant] Todd [Hassett] said it. It’s going to be staff. The services we’re talking about … includes every department.”

That includes police and fire and the school system, he said.

“But without hard numbers, it’s a little bit hard to talk about that right now.”

Mitchell also expressed concern about the volume of questions that could result in a Zoom call, prompting Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett to point out that most large scale Zoom conferences ask participants to put their questions in the chat space, where a moderator is usually placed in charge of following the inquiries.

“You can mute everybody except for the speakers and take in questions through the chat,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Train, plane, automobile — whatever it takes to get the information out there.”

She also said it would be helpful for the public to hear directly from Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., and Police Chief Michael Miksch about what the budget will mean to their departments or services.

He suggested an April date might be better.

“We’re going to have to get the information out to people as a board, but then let the people make their decision at Town Meeting.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if town officials were ready to commit to a May Town Meeting, even with a COVID vaccine in the offing.

“I’m not ready to make a decision on cancelling something four months away,” Mitchell said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said her question was more intended to determine when such a decision might have to be made.

Hickey suggested starting to plan on holding the Town Meeting outside at the high school in any case, to be prepared for possible COVID-related planning problems.

Town Administrator John Stanbrook said, anytime he has been asked a question about the FY 2022 budget, he has made a record of it and suggested using them as the basis of an FAQ (frequently asked questions) feature on town social media.

“I think this is going to require all the tools in the shed and more,” Mitchell said.

“People just think that we’re crying wolf and then, somehow, it happens,” Dyer said, pointing to difficulties with past budgets. “All this hard work that happens behind closed doors … we all come together and they make sacrifices for each department.”

He noted that a lot of people didn’t notice that the Fire Department didn’t get the apparatus they wanted last year, or that the Police Department held off on buying cruisers to help get the school budget where it needed to be.

“I want to make sure that, any updates like those, we’re keeping track of so we can put them out front so people can read about it,” he said.

Dyer also noted that town employees are worrying about their future.

Safer sidewalks

Town Planner Deborah Pettey discussed the need for safety improvements to three intersections — at Liberty and Indian Head streets and Liberty Street and County Road and in front of Hanson Middle School — and install new crosswalks for pedestrian safety through the federal Shared Streets Winter Program grants under the CARES Act.

“It was really developed to direct money to towns with streets they might shut down, and put restaurant [tables] in the middle of the street and do temporary business in the street because of COVID [restrictions],” Pettey said. “This last winter round, they extended it a little bit more to improve walkability … because, with COVID, more people are walking outside.”

The crosswalks Pettey has in mind need repair and are not ADA-compliant now, especially since they are heavily used by middle school students on half days and by families using the ball field parking lot for events and Indian Head School.

The state permits towns to work with design consultants on such projects free of charge.

Selectmen voted to approve her moving forward with the grant application.

W-H school panel looks ahead to budget

By

The Whitman-Hanson School Committee will hear the district’s fiscal 2022 budget proposal at its Feb. 24 meeting.

“We’re going to be focused on regression and making sure we can implement services for kids next year so they can make sure that, if they have regressed, they can catch up,” Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said. “We are going to present a budget, and let you marinate on the budget.”

Follow up meetings will then focus on getting more and more information out to the community as to where those dollars have gone.

Implementation of major new programs will not be considered, rather the district is looking to determine a benchmark of where students are academically when they return to school.

Szymaniak reminded the committee that enrollment is down and 90 students are now being home-schooled. He wants to determine the thought process of how some of those students might return to school.

Director of Business and Finance John Tuffy reported to the School Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 13, that there is some good revenue news in the offing.

Finalized state figures indicate that accounts in Chapter 70 aid and transportation and interest earnings can be bolstered with money out of money out of the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant.

“The good news is we’re halfway through the year and we don’t have to cut budgets because of deficits in our original revenue projections,” Tuffy said. “The other good news has to do with the CARES Act.”

The funds were intended to run out Dec. 30 if delivery of items or beneficial use of services as well as an invoice, reimbursement would not be possible.

But, the original CARES Act running through Plymouth County is now running until next December, as it has been extended.

The committee also reviewed and accepted revisions to the strategic plan pertaining to outcomes for this year, which could change with a return to school on what can feasibly done in that time, returning to a calendar approach next year.

“This is an important document because it is the roadmap to where our district is going, and it’s certainly going to lead into our budget, which is important because … essentially our budget should align with our strategic plan,” said Committee member Dawn Byers.

She questioned the rationale for removing universal full-day kindergarten from the plan.

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said that change was largely due to COVID-19.

“What we’re trying to say is, ‘What is tangible, what is doable, what can we move forward on?’” Ferro said. “It’s still in the plan, it’s not in the outcome.”

Byers and member David Forth made a motion to table a vote until the kindergarten plan could be included, after Ferro explained it had simply been unintentionally omitted during document formatting. Byers’ motion was changed to one amending the strategic plan to include universal full-day kindergarten.

Szymaniak also said he felt the need to comment on the Capitol insurrection that was “all over the news” in the week between Jan. 6 and the School Committee meeting.

“I know some of my colleagues have made public statements about what happened in Washington,” he said. “What we did as a school community, is I messaged to [the committee] and administrators what the recommendations were from the National Association of School Psychologists.”

W-H School Phsychologist Wendy Price, on a sabbatical this year, is president of the association.

Teachers tried to remain apolitical, but to talk to students and answer those who had questions.

“Our teachers took this as an opportunity to have discussions with their kids, nonthreatening discussions, to really see where they were at,” Szymaniak said. “We try to provide parents with information to have discussions with their kids — politics aside.”

Vice Chairman Christopher Scriven read a prepared statement in which he argued the committee to address the situation, as it is a democratically elected group charged with overseeing public education in the community.

“As we are all aware, public education is one of the fundamental institutions of our democratic society which requires factual information to function effectively,” Scriven said. “Given that misinformation has been employed in a violent attempt to undermine our democratic process, I believe it is our responsibility to ensure our district’s response is, and has been, factual and clear.”

He said it was an opportunity to present a core aspect of the mission statement to educate students with facts and support teachers in doing so, and that the committee condemn anyone found to have participated in the “seditious and treasonous actions against our democracy, leading up to and on that fateful day.”

The committee unanimously approved of that motion.

Member Hillary Kniffen thanked Scriven for the statement as an educator who teaches sophomores and juniors in another school district.

“Thursday [Jan. 7] was a really challenging day for exactly points Chris spoke to,” she said. “I think that a lot of educators are walking on eggshells, for lack of a better term. … We’re not supposed to teach them how to think, we’re supposed to teach them to think.”

Member Fred Small replied he did not think anyone could have said that better, that teachers’ role is to teach critical thinking skills without telling students how to think about an issue.

“Violence in any way shape or form, such as what we all witnessed … I don’t think has any place in our democracy at this time,” he said. “It was horrible.”

Member Chris Howard addressed parents and others watching the meeting.

“I cringe when we’re leaving it up to educators to have some of these conversations,” he said. “So, if you are listening, I think when things like this happen, it’s an opportunity to grab your kids [and] have a conversation.”

Byers added that, because it may not be the last situation like it, asked if there were professional development programs to support teachers.

Ferro said a Simple K-12 professional development program scheduled Feb. 3 will help weave in inclusion and diversity.

Szymaniak said, in light of situations he has encountered, asked the committee to remember, they are a district-wide committee and not a school-based committee, so specific curriculum requests should be made through the chairman.

He also reminded members who wish to attend a PTO or School Council meeting do so as a parent and not a School Committee member so they do not end up intimidating people or leaving the impression they are speaking as a committee member.