Whitman-Hanson Express

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

Bylaw amendment is sought

By

HANSON — Town Meeting may be asked to vote on a zoning bylaw amendment to the current cannabis bylaw to permit two different delivery options for customers outside of town. A two-third vote would be required at Town Meeting, with no ballot question needed.

The move could double the revenue the town is already going to see from the community impact agreement with manufacturing business Impressed LLC.

The Board of Selectmen voted 4-1, with Selectman Jim Hickey dissenting, on Tuesday, March 16, to approve referring the matter to the Planning Board for a hearing to determine whether they could come up with a zoning bylaw amendment for the Town Meeting.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff briefed Selectmen about a proposal to permit retain cannabis delivery to residents outside Hanson.

“Delivery has two components,” she said. “There are two separate licensures, now, from the [Cannabis Control Commission] CCC — one is called the Courier License and one is called the Delivery Operator License,” Feodoroff said. “The difference between those is very significant.”

She stressed the service is different than a marijuana retailer as defined in the regulations, because it is not a storefront business. A facility will be required for the delivery operator service, however, because drivers will have to wear body cameras and be tracked by GPS, among other security measures that will have to be monitored, as well as storing it in the facility at times.

Delivery Operator licenses are going to be rolling out soon from the CCC as they begin to accept applications at the beginning of April, according to Feodoroff.

“If you want to react to that and try to capture some of that market, now’s the time to do it,” she said. The option would avoid the prospect of a lot of brick-and-mortar retail traffic at the Impressed LLC site, because much of the business would be done online with professional delivery companies delivering the product.

The financial benefit to the town would be “much more significant” than for the manufacturing business alone.

Couriers are services that pick up marijuana orders from retailers for delivery to consumers at their house — providing only the transportation. Delivery operators can pick up marijuana from any cannabis establishment – cultivators, manufacturers and retailers — in any form, and can re-label the product as their own.

“They buy the marijuana, make it their own product, and deliver it and sell it to the consumer,” she explained. “If you were to allow it in Hanson, you would get both local retail sales tax — 3 percent — and in addition to the 3 percent the town will see from community impact fee payments. The courier is less of a significant business.”

School Committee

Noting that Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak and “a good portion of the School Committee” was attending the virtual Board of Selectmen’s meeting over GoToMeeting, Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell welcomed them to provide an overview of the budget process.

Szymaniak noted that the committee would be voting to certify a budget for fiscal 2022 at the next evening’s meeting.

“I’m looking for an increase of $2,252,341 — or a 4 percent increase — in the school budget,” Szymaniak said. “That’s what I call a Level Service-plus Budget.”

Level services are augmented by returning a science teacher that was cut in 2018-19 and focusing on intervention from learning regression during COVID, three more special education programs and more funds for Chromebooks and technological support for the devices, which have been leaned on heavily during COVID.

South Shore Tech Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey also met with Selectmen to review a debt authorization article going before Town Meeting as well as the school’s fiscal 2022 budget, which is up by 1.89 percent, with Hanson’s share of $1,228,077 is going up $92,657 or by 8.167 percent. There are four more students attending the school this year, in addition to cost increases.

COVID relief ESSER II grant funding will allow towns to offset some of the minimum local contributions, and could reduce Hanson’s cost by about $24,000.

Memorial Day

Selectmen also voted to designate Hanson as a Purple Heart Community at the urging of Veterans’ Agent Timothy White, and heard his recommendation for another low-key Memorial Day observance this year due to the continued concern over COVID-19.

White said he has been working with the Halifax VFW commander to learn more about the Purple Heart Community designation.

Rockland, where White also serves as Veterans’ Agent is also a Purple Heart Community, recognizing Aug. 7 — the date in 1782 when the decoration was established as the nation’s first honor for soldiers by George Washington — as Purple Heart Day.

A draft proclamation would be signed off on by Selectmen and forwarded to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which would then present the town with an official proclamation.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett thanked White for his work and said the designation was “absolutely the right thing to do.”

White said he generally starts planning Memorial Day at least two months in advance.

“Last year was very difficult and this year is going to match last year in that difficult nature,” he said. “I’m not sure what the governor’s restrictions will be as we move forward … there’s information about variants and there’s still a lot of concern.”

Hanover has also announced they will not have a parade this year. Like Hanson did in 2020, Hanover will only conduct a simple ceremony for broadcast on Memorial Day.

Rockland’s Veterans’ Ally Council has also indicated that town will not have a parade, either.

“I was going to proceed with it in mind that, most likely, there’s not going to be a parade,” he said.

Mitchell said he would go along with whatever White decided.

“Whatever you think, and whatever you need from this board to support you, on anything you decide for Memorial Day is fine with me,” Mitchell said.

“You obviously don’t want to put a vulnerable population of veterans in harm’s way by trying to celebrate them,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting last year’s ceremony was “quite lovely.”

Budget trims, back to class plans

By

The School Committee, on Wednesday, March 10, conducted a line-by-line review of the proposed fiscal 2022 school budget.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said the $57,572,579 budget — down by about $300,000 after the spending plan was examined line by line.

Another meeting was set for Wednesday, March 17 to vote on the budget and assessments for the towns.

“That’s a different number than was presented two weeks ago,” Szymaniak said. “It’s lower. We made some adjustments, we found some errors in the line items. … This has been a really challenging year, especially in personnel, because we have people all over the district working remotely, we’ve hired a lot of folks and we had some double numbers.”

He said he feels very comfortable with the new number, which is more accurate.

Szymaniak also reported that the W-H Regional School District is set to reopen Monday, April 5, a reentry plan the School Committee voted to accept.

Wednesdays would be half-day instruction with the remainder of the day set aside for teachers’ professional development, which the committee approved 9-0-1, with Hayes abstaining because his daughter teaches in the district.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said the budget line items would be presented for discussion as they are at Town Meeting, with committee members asked to place holds on lines they wanted to question or discuss.

Holds for questions were placed on some costs and reviewed when the committee reconvened for a special meeting on Monday, March 15.

Those holds included: teacher salaries; elementary instructional materials; general supplies; photocopier supplies; SPED teacher, SPED paraprofessional and speech salaries; guidance salaries; library supplies; athletics salaries, supplies and equipment maintenance; graduation expenses; co-curricular acting salaries; central office business/finance clerical salary; tuition to other schools; school choice; tech services salaries; health insurance; SPED tuition to other schools; district liaisons and police detail expenses; transportation contracted services; facilities contracted services building maintenance, emergency repairs and supplies; and other supplies at various schools.

Member Dawn Byers sought explanation of per-pupil spending and how many teachers are funded by each school’s salary line, class sizes and whether the increase account for steps, lanes and any salary increases that might be agreed to during negotiations.

“We have a lot of money that we’re spending and we need to be sure we’re spending it wisely that we’re targeting these dollars where we should,” she said.

Szymaniak explained that teacher salaries could not be discussed in detail due to contract negotiations, but that School Committee members could discuss them in executive session. He did say that steps and lanes are calculated in as well as an earmark for contract negotiations.

He said that, while still low, per-pupil expenditures have increased in recent years.

“Any time I saw anything kind of change, just looking to understand the why behind it … [I’m] just looking to understand the reason for the bump,” Member Christopher Howard said of his questioning special education costs and salary lines.

Director of Student Services Lauren Mathieson said the TLC program, which reintegrates students to classes following any hospitalizations, as well as a speech program at Indian Head. The number of behavioral specialists, speech therapists and paraprofessionals has also fluctuated at schools.

Byer’s questions on numbers of children in the TLC program drew a caution about privacy from Szymaniak and Hayes.

“Students have a right to confidentiality,” Szymaniak said. “By saying how many, that could potentially put their names out there.”

“I believe that we hire the superintendent because he has a license and we have to have some sort of trust,” Hayes said. “We hired the SPED director and [Assistant Superintendent] George [Ferro] for the same reason. … We have to have some sort of faith in what goes on with our leaders.”

Member David Forth asked why salary lines were divided by school rather than grade level. Business manager John Tuffy said it was largely past practice.

Szymaniak said general supplies are building-specific and needs based.

Copy costs have decreased with technology use, but some of the funds in the line can be used for technology costs as well as paper copying.

School Committee members also asked for specifics about the “other expenses” line for WHRHS, which Principal Dr. Christopher Jones said includes Community Evening School and the Ingenuity program, association memberships for teachers.

Howard suggested that, in future any way of providing more detail than the heading “other expenses” would be better.

“We’ll probably ask the same questions in another year when we see other expenses,” Howard said.

An increase from the $17,000 budgeted for the 2019 graduation and $30,000 in the proposed budget is intended to cover added expenses, such as a sound system, for holding graduation outside.

Reopening

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said the district is going to be using student desk configurations that permit the proper social distancing for student safety. He said the purchase will use internal funds, but noted school officials are working with the towns to determine if there is more COVID relief funding available to reimburse the schools.

Szymaniak said the timing is more an issue than whether the funding would be available.

He also sought to clarify state information on reopening.

“The media is misquoting the Commissioner [of Education Jeff Riley] right now,” said Szymaniak, who described the result as a lot of phone calls from “really nervous parents.”

Commissioner Riley said on Tuesday, March 9 that he will not be accepting asynchronus learning time from hybrid models or remote models.

“People who are in our remote program automatically said, ‘Well, the commissioner said no remote is allowed,’” Szymaniak said. “We have a solid remote program, which is acceptable by DESE in our return. On April 5, as of today … all my parents who have wanted to stay remote, stay remote. All my parents who wanted to move from remote to in-person have notified their principals.  All my parents who wanted to move from hybrid to remote should have notified their principals.”

He said the K-12 remote program is in full swing. In K-8, is the classrooms they have had since September and nine through 12 is live-streaming.

“It’s OK, nobody has to worry about it — nobody needs to panic,” he said. “You can stay remote if you choose to stay remote.”

Student representative Anna Flynn noted that the prospect of returning to schools has “crossed the minds of everyone” in the W-H community.

“I have heard from many of my classmates that they’re nervous that people will not follow through with the respectful way to wear their face masks and [observe] the rules of social distancing,” the junior class member said. She reported that students have expressed to her that they want to see stronger consequences for improper mask wearing.

Flynn also noted concerns about how lunch periods will be conducted.

Ferro said lunches will be six feet apart, but will be using different areas.

“These questions have caused students I know to opt out of the full return and remain in full remote [instruction] online,” she said. “I believe that W-H has the knowledge and consideration for what the results will be when students return in April.”

School Committee member Christopher Howard said he appreciated Flynn’s sharing the student perspective with them.

“I think, for all of us, we’re a little disconnected — moreso that we’d like to be at this point — so I appreciate you coming to these meetings and sharing what’s going on,” he said.

School Committee member Dawn Byers, who is also the mother of two WHRHS students, also thanked Flynn.

“The students’ voice is important for us to hear, as well as [for] the students to hear you representing them,” Byers said.

Another challenge will be making sure the district gets all its ChromeBooks back to be used in classrooms, while students staying with remote learning able to retain the devices for at-home learning.

Whitman board hears SST debt proposal

By

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 9  were briefed on an $18.9 million capital article — of which, Whitman’s share would be 24.75 percent — being presented to the eight member towns of the South Shore Tech school district this spring.

W-H Superintendent Jeffrey Szymaniak plans to attend the Selectmen’s next meeting to discuss that school district’s budget.

Town Administrator Lincoln Heieneman is planning to have the annul Town Meeting on Saturday, May 3, possibly either outside at Memorial Field or at the high school, but also reported that Town Hall custodian Todd Decouto has volunteered to figure out, with six feet of social distancing, how many people could be accommodated inside Town Hall.

Acting Chairman Dan Salvucci returned the gavel to Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski to start the meeting. Kowalski had taken a leave from the post due to health concerns.

Salvucci returned to his role as vice chairman.

“Dan, I want to thank you a lot for taking care of me for that time when I felt like I couldn’t fulfill all the duties of chair because of  COVID and it’s relationship to my health,” Kowalski said.

“Well, welcome back,” Salvucci said.

A full slate of articles is expected to be voted on later this month.

“We’ve been talking for several years about the need to maintain the building that we have, and I know that starts with the support of our eight communities through the annual budgeting process,” said SST Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey and along with District Treasurer James Coughlin, who presented an overview of the debt authorization article sought at Town Meeting.

Coughlin said Hickey has applied for grants whenever they become available, bringing the district more than $3 million in vocational equipment over the past half-dozen years.

“We’ve got to continue to listen to our communities and see what the state of the union is, in terms of the local economy,” Hickey said. “If we’re not going to get a budget passed going into fiscal ’28, despite our great idea of having a five-year phase and because of an economic issue, we have to be mindful of that.”

Enrollment from Whitman is unchanged at SST from fiscal 2021, Hickey noted, and the budget presented this year has no debt in it.

“Nothing that I speak about tonight has any impact on the fiscal ’22 budget,” he said. “We’re looking at an assessment increase of about 1.7 percent — or a little over $27,000.”

Of that assessment of $1.65 million, $221,550 is set aside for capital projects, with some ESSER II [COVID relief grant] money available for some of that, according to Hickey. He said he thinks some of the assessment increase could be absorbed by ESSER II funds.

“We’ve been a very patient and annual applicant to the Mass. School Building Authority since 2015, telling a story about an aging building — a well-maintained, aging building — and the need for more space,” Hickey said.

The SST School Committee, meanwhile will delay a vote on the article until late March or early April, because their vote would “start the 60-day clock ticking” to take into consideration Scituate’s April Town Meeting through to early May when most district towns hold their meetings.

South Shore is awaiting to hear word, following the MSBA’s April board meeting about whether they would be invited to participate this go-round. In the meantime, he said, there are capital projects the district cannot justify or afford to bring to member towns in one budget cycle.

A window project of about $700,000 for fiscal 2022 is expected to be the last big capital project that could be absorbed within one annual budget cycle, according to Hickey.

Borrowing for bigger projects would be phased in over a six-year period using a combination of interest-only bond anticipation notes and bonding.

Recent capital requests have been largely about infrastructure, and while this proposal won’t be entirely that way, Hickey foresees that a good portion of future capital lines will be transferred over to debt service under this proposal.

“We have the responsibility of bringing a single number that includes capital and operating expenses [to town meetings],” Hickey said of the plan, which stemmed from a master facilities plan created by an engineering plan.

There will also be annual capital costs for materials supporting the vocational programs at the school.

“Unlike debt, capital is a rolling three-year average, so that 24.75 percent could certainly change,” Hickey said.

“I think Tom has presented a budget that is outstanding as far as a capital budget,” Salvucci said. “We’re looking at an entire building that is almost 60 years old, and now we’re looking to do the part that was built in 1992 that’s going on 30 years.”

Salvucci said the district may have maintained the buildings too well, as MSBA’s criteria is concerned.

Selectman Randy LaMattina asked about the scope of the SST application to MSBA.

“The scope of what has been submitted to MSBA is broader than what you’re seeing here,” Hickey said, noting expansion for future enrollment increases will be focused in trades with the strongest industry and student demand.

“Money’s going to be tight for sure, and to have such a good plan in place, the Whitman citizens are going to have their ability to make judgments based on this presentation,” Selectman Brian Bezanson said.

COVID update

Whitman has improved to the yellow, rather than the red zone for rate of positive cases, according to Heieneman.

The town has received some doses, with 21 people vaccinated at their homes who are elderly and/or homebound, and another 81 were vaccinated during a clinic at the K of C.

The town is also working with the Housing Authority to obtain vaccinations for elderly residents.

Carousel reopens doors

By

WHITMAN — The roller skating rink is not being sold.

Humorist Mark Twain asked by a reporter about a rumor that the great author had died, is said to have replied, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

For Charlene Conway, owner of Whitman’s Carousel Family Fun Center, it is a familiar feeling.

“We’re back open again and we’re very happy and we’re moving forward,” she said Monday, March 8. “We had a great weekend and we’re very happy to be open again an back at it. We’re here to stay for a while.”

Over the weekend, a post on real estate website Crexi.com which listed the rink property for sale with an asking price of $1.3 million, had tongues wagging in Whitman.

“I had a realtor reach out to us while we were closed because of COVID,” Conway said this week. “That started when we didn’t know what was going to be going on.”

She said a license fee waiver from the town for the period during which the rink was closed because of the state’s order concerning indoor gatherings, has helped the business tremendously. Selectmen had been hesitant, when Conway made her initial request in January, to approve the waiver over their concerns about opening opportunities for other businesses to make the same request and the wish to determine what kind of relief she may have already received. The waiver was, however approved last month.

“It’s kind of hard to pay for permits when you didn’t use them,” she said. “Every penny counts now.”

Conway is not letting dust gather in the corners, either, planning a St. Patrick’s Day Family Skate event from 2 to 4:30 p.m., Sunday, March 17 and a welcome back to roller skating Superhero Skate from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 20 “with special guests.”

Conway stressed that the facility follows the recommended COVID-19 guidelines, and provides details on the website carouselskate.com.

She is also planning the regular schedule of public skating hours: Family skates from 6 to 8 p.m., on Wednesdays; 7 to 10 p.m., on Fridays; 2 to 4:30 p.m., and 7 to 10 p.m., on Saturdays as well as 2 to 4:30 p.m., on Sundays. A Saturday skating class, from 8 to 10 a.m., is also continuing.

Hanson Fire honored for ice rescue

By

Hanson firefighters were among personnel in seven fire departments across the state receiving Governor’s Group Citations for Meritorius Conduct during the 31st annual Firefighter of the Year awards, conducted virtually on Monday, March 8 by the Mass. Department of Fire Services.

During the ceremony, Worcester Fire Lt. Jason Menard, who lost his life in a November 2019 blaze while aiding fellow firefighters to escape the flames, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

“Although this is a virtual ceremony, nothing replaces what the fire service does,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who with Gov. Charlie Baker gave remarks from the Worcester Fire Department. “Clearly a firefighter is someone who is born brave,” Polito said. “They are built in a very different way. … We are eternally grateful for the Jason Menards and for all those who choose the fire service — who get up without question,  put on the uniform, answer the call of duty and go do their jobs.”

“Across our commonwealth and across our country, we’ve asked a lot of our pubic safety professionals over the last year,” Baker said in remarks recorded for the ceremony. “Day after day, they showed up, time and time again, to do their jobs and keep us safe.”

Baker pointed to initiatives such as a five-year commitment to a fire equipment grant, investments in fire training, support for community education grants to prevent fires and the recently-signed flame-retardant bill as illustrative of his administration’s support for firefighters.

Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson, Jr., Lt. Keith Wilson and firefighters Gary Somers, Thomas White and Timothy Royer were honored for their work in an ice rescue of two people from Maquan Pond on New Year’s Eve, 2019.

The department had received calls after 10 p.m. that night about people in the water on an open section of the pond, which was partially covered in ice. When they arrived, they heard the victims shouting and learned that they had fallen out of a kayak and had been in the water for about 10 minutes.

The victims were clinging to an ice shelf about 100 yards from shore, unable to get out of the water and onto the ice. Firefighters Gary Somers and Thomas White donned rescue suits and tried to reach them over the ice, while Thompson and firefighter Timothy Royer launched a rescue boat.

The ice, too think for the rescue boat was too thin to hold the weight of Somers and White, who began to “aggressively break the ice with their elbows” when the victims made clear they couldn’t hold on much longer.

“With only seconds to spare,” the awards narrator stated, “they reached the victims, securing the first to the rescue sled and grabbing the second, who had just slipped below the water.”

Lt. Keith Wilson and four members of the Hanson Police Department pulled the rescuers and victims to shore.

During his remarks in Worcester on Monday, Gov. Baker became emotional in describing the sacrifices made by firefighters and their families.

“Firefighters are a special breed,” Baker said of the profession he said takes its oath to serve and protect seriously. “In the end, the greatest sacrifice of all is the one made by the family, who loses their loved one — not to an injury, and not for a week or a month, but forever.”

He said opportunities to express how the size and significance of their loss is understood, is the least we can do.

“I hope I never have to give out another one of these awards during my time in public service, because I can’t imagine how hard it is for all of you to deal with tihs,” Baker said.

WFD Lt. Jason Menard was a 10-year member of the Worcester Fire Department, sad state Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, who described Menard as a “firefighter’s firefighter — always there to help his brother and sister” firefighters.

Sharing through shearing

By

HANSON — When Massachusetts entered COVID lockdown last March, a great many people could not wait until barber shops and hair salons reopened to regain control of their messy mops.

Will McArthur of Cohasset had other plans for his longer locks.

He grew his hair long during the shutdown of Hanson’s Modern Barber Shop, according to employee Joan O’Brien.

“He then decided to see how long he could grow it,” she said.  “During this time he decided it would be a great idea to raffle off his haircut and donate the money to the Hanson Food Pantry. He was able to raise $850 for them.”

He returned to the shop last week to get a stylish cut to top off the effort.

— By Tracy F. Seelye

W-H unveils FY 2022 school budget

By

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak presented what he calls a “level services-plus” budget of $57,955,988 — an increase of $2,635,750 (or 4.76 percent) to the School Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Under the proposal, Whitman’s assessment would be $16,827,516 with non-mandated busing costing $422,595 and high school capital costs at $427,835. Hanson’s assessment would be $13,114,756 with non-mandated busing costing $103,572, high school capital costs at $140,269 and capital/technology/HVAC costs at $277,465.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II fund through the CARES Act is anticipated to deliver $1,001,000 to the district for the 2021-22 school year.

“We have not received it,” Szymaniak said. “There have been no checks sent.”

He noted that $10,000 of the ESSER money must be earmarked for social-emotional learning, but added there has been great discussion, but a lack of clarity over how the remaining money can be used.

“We have been told that 75 percent of the remaining funds will go back to the two towns in the form of helping them out with increases in their minimum local contributions,” he said.

About $350,000 could go to Hanson and $400,000-plus for Whitman, if the information bears out. More information is hoped for by the March 10 meeting.

That budget scenario depends on the district starting a traditional school year in September, and maintains current K-12 staffing levels and addresses anticipated student regression due to COVID-19, among other highlights.

“I believe what we’re asking for minimally supports our educational and operational needs,” he said.

The committee held its public hearing on the fiscal 2022 school budget remotely. School Committee member Dan Cullity was unable to attend due to what School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes described as an “emergency situation.”

Residents watching were able to submit questions, via the “raised hand” icon on the Zoom session, prior to or following Szymaniak’s budget presentation. No questions preceded the budget presentation.

Szymaniak also outlined the online budget process and timeline:

• March 10, line-by-line budget detail presentation;

• March 17, budget vote;

• April 14, budget session (tentative); and

• April 28, budget session (tentative).

An additional School Committee meeting, specifically about the process for reopening the schools is planned for Wednesday, March 3.

Szymaniak listed eight items of concern related to the budget, which are currently out of the district’s control right now: the fall school opening date, contracts of all bargaining units, retirements and contractual obligations, state Chapter 70 aid, transportation reimbursements, special education tuitions, health and building insurance, and the Whitman water bill.

“Our goal is to bring all of our students back and in-person, but (Education Commissioner Jeff Riley) also outlined an option for students who are remote — giving parents the option of remote learning — through the end of this school year,” Szymaniak said. “I don’t know next year if that is going to be an option for our students.”

He said if remote learning is an option for the 2021-22 school year, officials “have to think long and hard” about how it affects the FY ’22 school budget.

The budget Szymaniak presented did not include the option for any student.

“This budget includes additional special education programming [$570,000]  to try to retain our students from going out of district,” Szymaniak said. “It’s an initial cost in this budget, but as years go by — and even in this fiscal year — we will see monies coming back to the district and keeping our kids here.”

A high school science teaching position [$75,000], cut a couple of years ago will prevent the need to have a teacher instruct out of their license area, which the state does not allow.

Refreshing the district’s inventory of outdated Chromebooks [$150,000] is also included in the budget. Devices reaching end of life no longer support software for the MCAS exams.

Four staff positions, one of which would facilitate special education efforts, aimed at intervening in student regression at the elementary and middle school levels is forecast to cost about $375,000.

“I’m speaking of academic intervention,” said Assistant Superintendent George Ferro. “What we would like to do is have a district elementary intervention team.”

Regression is also a concern with special education, explained Director of Student Services Lauren Mathisen.

“Unfortunately a lot of our students in out-of-district programs have experienced COVID-related shut-downs,” she said. “Many students have missed five, six weeks or more of their education and these are students who really require structure and routine in their program to make progress.”

Interruptions mean added expenses to support services to the students, including home visits.

Since 2014, when the approved budget was $44,576,361, district budgets have been slowly increasing, with the fiscal 2020 budget at $55,320,238 representing a 5.5-percent increase over the 2014 budget.

“We are starting to get back on track from the losses of 2015 and 2016, Szymaniak said.

Whitman-Hanson received $24,776,700 in Chapter 70 state aid in 2020.

“We receive quite a bit of money from the state, compared with some other local districts, and we’re getting there, but we’re still spending less per-pupil than other districts,” he said.

Increases sought in the budget include $1,071,450 for salary lines to accommodate union negotiations, $100,000 for health insurance and $90,000 in transportation in addition to the science teacher, regression intervention, special ed and technology requests.

Of the $57,955,988 in the fiscal 2022 budget, salaries comprise $31,154,756 of the total and expenses $26,801,232.

The district also covers, within the budget, $9,455,513 in employee benefits and support expenses covered by towns in non-regional districts.

Revenues include $25,951,287 in state revenue, $31,314,008 from assessments, $600,000 in Circuit Breaker special education assistance, $90,693 in local receipts.

School Committee member Dawn Byers asked to see class size numbers at a future meeting swell as questions on special education and social-emotional support programs.

Szymaniak said enrollment studies for both towns should be completed by the March 10 meeting, although he said he was not certain if class size numbers would be available by then.

Hanson hazards grant is reviewed

By

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Feb. 23 heard a review of priority projects aimed at easing the effects of potential weather-related hazards.

A representative from the Old Colony Regional Planning Commission reviewed a vulnerability preparedness grant application process and is seeking feedback from residents. Top hazards already identified by community members are: floods and drought; extreme winds and storms, fire and extreme temperatures, which led to the creation of a risk matrix of facilities in town that could be impacted by the hazards and how they could be made more resilient.

Workshops on the process have been ongoing since October 2021.

The public is asked to call Laurie Muncy at 508-583-1883 Ext. 210 or email lmuncy@ocpcpa.org to offer comments on the presentation, which may be viewed on Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV’s YouTube site.

Priority projects identified were continued efforts to identify and address flood-prone areas; improve a warming/cooling center for seniors lacking a backup generator for power; pursuing alternative or supplemental water supplies; increasing the town’s water storage capacity; development of a culvert maintenance and repair plan and a new highway facility.

40B developments

The board also heard a review of ongoing 40B developments in town.

Hanson currently has 4.5 percent of its 10-percent affordable housing goal, to be consistent with local needs. The town needs 357 total units to meet that goal, and now has 160 affordable units.

“At our last meeting we talked about a 40B project extensively,” Town Administrator John Stanbrook said. “I just wanted to give an update on some of the other 40B projects that are in town.”

One of those facilities is Dunham Farm condominiums for people age 55 and over. Built in the 1990s as affordable units in perpetuity, the original plan called for 52 units, with 28 built aimed at a market rate of $321,000, 12 of which were affordable. There are now 24 more units being added (market rate $429,000), with only one intended as an affordable unit because enough were built in the original portion to cover the required ratio.

Another project, Depot Village on Phillips Street, will have 45 total units when completed — 12 affordable. The three-story building will have no age restriction.

“Hanson will be credited with all 45 units as affordable, because they are rental units,” Stanbrook said. It is expected to be move-in ready in January 2022.

Ridders’ development at 280 Liberty St., with 57 townhouse units planned to be built starting in about four weeks, includes 13 affordable units with a 55-and-older age restriction.

The three developments will bring Hanson to within half-way to it’s goal — 186 units of the 357 needed.

“We’re not close to the 10 percent yet,” Stanbrook said. “If we only put aside 25 percent of every 100, it will take another 1,000 units in order to get to the 10-percent goal.”

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said it seems there is a misconception that the board can stop 40B housing from coming to Hanson.

“I think it’s important that people recognize … that the town needs to basically demonstrate that it’s on track to have 10 percent affordable housing,” she said. “We’re far from that.”

What selectmen can do, FitzGerald-Kemmett said, is articulate their concerns and work with the land use boards, so the developments are in keeping with the character and nature of the town.

“What we can’t do is stop 40B,” she said. “There is no way to stop 40B.”

Selectmen also discussed the ongoing issue of under-billing for water services to the W-H Regional School District by the Whitman Water Department.

“This is kind of a long-standing matter that got on our radar screen close to a year ago,” said town general counsel Jay Talerman. “We’re kind of odd man out, so we don’t really have that much of a stake in it, although there is some money at stake.”

Talerman said Whitman, which forgot to bill the school district for water supplied to the high school, for whatever reason, now wants to collect. He became involved in the issue because Hanson would be obliged to pay some portion of that bill, and the school district’s counsel thought he could be helpful with bargaining.

He said that among the things he pointed out to Whitman officials is that the law only allows going back six years for payment — not the 15 that is owed.

“Second, we’re not going to pay it,” Talerman said, unless any payments are spread out over time in the operating budget. About a year ago the bill was negotiated down to the six years, or about $185,000.

“It appears that’s been accepted by Whitman … and they’ve also agreed to spread it out over three years,” Talerman said. “The remaining question is, how is it paid?”

He said the school district has the authority to pay it through the assessment and does not recommend taking it out of other funds. The town generally pays water bills from the assessment, which he recommended Hanson’s position should be as it is not a principal part of the discussion, but only a party to paying a portion of the bill.

Selectmen agreed with the approach — with FitzGerald Kemmett reminding the board Hanson would only be paying 40 percent of whatever the final bill is.

Timing a Town Hall opening

By

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen, on Tuesday, Feb. 23 supported a “three weeks in the Green” timeline for reopening town buildings, including Town Hall.

The state has established a guideline of reopening municipal buildings after a community has completed three straight weeks in the Green level.

Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman met with the Board of Health to discuss their recommendations Tuesday morning.

“The consensus among the Board of Health members was that the town be three weeks in the Green level and that would be the appropriate time for reopening,” Heineman said.

Red indicates greater that 10 average cases per 100,000 and greater than 5 percent positivity rate; Green indicates less than 10 average cases per 100,000 with a positivity rate. There is a Yellow level between the two.

The average daily incidence per 100,00 people was 30.8 between Feb. 4 and 18, with a 5.33 percent positivity rate. Whitman’s peak for the second wave was hitting at the end of 2020 when the town saw a 62.5 incidence rate with 10.8 percent positivity.

Selectmen Chairman Dan Salvucci said he has had conversations with residents who have asked him when Town Hall would be reopened.

He said there are residents who cannot pay bills online or do not have checking accounts and need to pay bills, such as excise tax, in person with cash.

“I look around Town Hall, and all the offices are protected by [Plexiglas] shields, and employees are protected behind those shields,” Salvucci said. “The same goes for the DPW office — I’ve seen that.”

He said he has not been in the Senior Center or Library to see what changes have been made at those facilities.

“I do have concerns about the Senior Center and Library, where people sit around tables and communicate with each other, whether they are at a meal or at a book club meeting at the Library,” he said. “If we ever consider opening up the town buildings — which I would like to — we need to talk to the department heads and they would have to take some kind of action to make sure that their building is taken care of during the day, and [a custodian] could spray the buildings down at night.”

Selectman Brian Bezanson said he has heard a news report about the state aiming to reopen schools in early April and suggested that could be a good target date for the town.

“That might get us to that Green area we need to be in anyway,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to put a hard date on it but my suggestion would be that maybe we look to that timeframe for reopen.”

Selectman Dr. Carl Kowalski expressed concern over the town’s current incidence level.

“The fact that we’re still in the Red would make me really pause about getting too excited about opening the town buildings,” Kowalski said. “We have been pretty good about listening to the Board of Health and where they get their information from.”

He said if the three weeks of Green the Health Board is talking about coincides with the early April date Bezanson mentioned it would be fine, but that the town needs to take the side of safety.

Salvucci agreed that it should be up to the Board of Health’s knowledge before a reopening date is set.

Selectman Randy LaMattina asked whether Heineman has looked into whether all town buildings and offices have plastic shields in place and a supply of disinfectant wipes on hand to ensure safety as a plan is formulated.

“I do think there’s a few other things that need to happen in Town Hall,” Heineman said. “I would say, if the consensus of the board is three weeks in the Green, the board could take a vote on that.”

He said there are still some CARES act funds remaining, and such preparations would be an appropriate use for that money.

Selectman Justin Evans said he sees no reason to stop listening to public health experts, but noticed there was a period when the town was in the Gray area, which meant that the town — because of its small size could have been Green, but there was not enough data to determine that.

“Would you just run that by our public health experts and say, ‘Do you consider Gray to be Green?’” he asked.

Heineman agreed to ask about that, noting that Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Timothy Grenno agrees with the three weeks in the Green rule of thumb.

COVID rate

In the meantime, Heineman said he would request that Town Hall offices post at the entrance the number of employees willing to go to the door to help people with bill paying, accepting voter registration cards or other simple transactions.

Salvucci said that, when a plan is devised, Heineman should meet with department heads to review proper sanitation procedures.

“We need to be safe,” he said. “We need to keep people safe.”

Heineman reported that all town first responders, who wished to be vaccinated, received their second dose last week.

On Monday, Feb. 22, Whitman received a small shipment of vaccine, focused on second doses for those who have already received their first, to get the new dose next week — after two weeks of requests had been denied.

The Fire Department and Board of Health have set up on a hotline to serve homebound residents (due to age or disability) eligible to receive the vaccine. These residents should call 781-618-9778. A small mobile clinic will be used to deliver the vaccine to the homebound. A reverse-911 call will be issued later this week to eligible residents to help spread word of the vaccine availability.

“The good news is that our incidence rate is going down,” Heineman said. “We are certainly still in the red in the color-coded system, but down from the previous week.”

Budget issues

Regarding the fiscal 2022 budget, resident Shawn Kain wrote a comment to the Selectmen that continuing the assessment compromise with Hanson for another year should be considered to ensure the schools have adequate funding.

“I sympathize with Shawn, but it was pretty clear last year, when we were able to get this compromise passed, that it was basically based upon using the statutory method this year in both towns,” Kowalski said. But he said he does believe the idea should be considered and thought about.

LaMattina, however, said that while he respects Kain he does not believe the town is in the position to subsidize the school budget this year.

“I would not vote for that this year, knowing that,” LaMattina said. “This is being played off [in some quarters] as we gave Hanson money. I don’t believe we gave Hanson money. I believe we gave our kids money.”

Salvucci also said upcoming capital needs such as a sewer main project among others, will also require Town Meeting actions.

The board was unanimous in their opinion that it is premature and counter to what was promised to voters who supported the compromise last year to support extending it another year.

Selectmen indicated they did not favor voting to eliminate non-mandated school busing for the sum of about $64,000 that could be saved, if it meant placing children at risk.

“The goal right now is obviously to get students back to school as safely as possible, not messing around with busing right now is a way of doing that,” LaMattina said.

SST sets town assessments

By

HANOVER — The South Shore Tech School Committee set assessments for member communities during it’s Thursday, Feb. 18 meeting.

Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey has met with finance committees in Hanson and Rockland in recent weeks, and Selectmen and the Advisory Committee in Scituate and Abington’s Finance Committee this week.

The fiscal 2022 budget of $14.6 million is being assessed to the towns as follows: Abington, $1,280,575; Cohasset,  $126,594; Hanover, $882,861; Hanson, $1,228,077; Norwell, $420,095; Rockland $1,824,264; Scituate, $574,126 and Whitman, $1,651,348. Total assessments make up $7,987,941 of the budget.

“Borrowing too much money too quickly is not something that is going to work in an annual budget,” said Hickey. “On the other hand, not taking on any debt will really restrict our schools’ ability to modernize.”

MSBA will also be asked for more funding. No action regarding borrowing would take place until fiscal 2023. Hickey plans a video presentation for posting on the district website on the issue.

“This allows us to go to our towns once for what we think are our priority items at this time, and then be able to plan accordingly,” Hickey said. No vote has been taken yet, because once a vote occurs, it starts a 60-day clock ticking as it is required to go before town meetings, which are strung between early April and late May. An official vote is not anticipated until late March.

Hickey also reported the district is coming closer to a debt authorization approval at the School Committee level. The amount is expected to be $18,960,537 – with almost $990,000 in electrical labor stripped out as work that SST students and instructors could undertake over a period of years to basically redo a lot of the wiring in the 1962 portion of the building, Hickey said.

“We have been in the process of negotiating with our sending communities and the feedback has been constructive, it has been clarifying what we are trying to do,” Hickey said, “We arrived at this number by looking at the projects that our engineering firms helped us develop and prioritize as part of the 2018 facilities master plan.”

Projects accomplished since 2018 have been removed and costs for remaining projects have been calculated with a 4-percent inflation factor going forward to fiscal 2023.

“In talking to our town administrator, he’s been saying that we take care of our schools too well and that’s been hurting us with MSBA,” said Whitman School Committee member Dan Salvucci. “If we saw an issue — which we don’t do — and let it go, they’ll approve [us], but that’s not the type of district we are.”

“One thing we can’t stop is age,” Hickey said.