Whitman-Hanson Express

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Whitman Oks new ambulance

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 8 voted to proceed with the purchase of a new ambulance to be submitted as a COVID-related expense to the Plymouth County Commissioners for reimbursement.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said the Commissioners have told towns that they wish to finalize distribution of federal COVID grant funds in October and transfer funds from communities that have not spent all the money they received to financially overburdened cities and towns.

Whitman already has two reimbursement claims pending, and Lynam said, the purchase of an ambulance — the sole use of which for the duration of the pandemic is for the transport of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 — is potentially a good move for the town. After the pandemic ends, the ambulance would become a fleet vehicle.

The cost of about $334,000 which may still leave the town with additional funds, depending on the claim from the school district to cover its COVID costs.

“We are slated to purchase an ambulance in two years,” Lynam said. “In fact, we put aside $150,000 in this year’s appropriations toward the purchase of the ambulance, so it seems to me that it would be advantageous to do that.”

The town must buy the ambulance before the county would reimburse for it. Two other county communities have purchased emergency response vehicles and received reimbursement, Lynam said.

“While we know there is some risk associated with this, we know that if we don’t do this, in FY ’22 we’re going to be looking at putting up more money for that same ambulance that we would then be purchasing,” Lynam said.

Joining the Zoom meeting, Fire Chief Timothy Grenno said the federal guidelines for the funds spell out that the money is intended to support purchase of equipment for medical or emergency transport.

“That’s what these departments are hanging their hats on,” Grenno said.

“I see no problem in it,” said Selectmen Vice Chairman Dan Salvucci, who conducted the meeting in Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski’s absence. “Where there’s a number of towns that are doing it, why wouldn’t we?”

Grenno described how the Fire Department operated in the spring during the first wave of COVID cases, noting that a second wave is forecast by some health experts for this fall.

“We have two primary ambulances,” he said. “One … which has the powerload stretcher, which is a stretcher that keeps the attendant away from the patient, and that is the recommended [ambulance] for COVID.”

One ambulance was designated as the “COVID truck,” Grenno said.

“It was draped in plastic and parked out back, and that truck only went out on COVID responses,” he said. “That forced us to put the reserve truck into service.”

That ambulance, a 2008 or 2010 model has an old stretcher and HVAC system — and is the one the department had already planned to replace next year.

“We actually ran three ambulances, but one was designated as the COVID truck,” Grenno said.

“I don’t question the purchase, I think I was the one actually advocating the purchase of one this year,” said Selectman Randy LaMattina. “I know these take months to spec out … do you know what’s the order time, the lag time to get it? When do we actually pay for it?”

Grenno said the dealer he works with has a demo that fits the department’s needs and specifications that can be delivered to the town as early as next week.

As a COVID-related expense spent from a COVID account from which the town expects to be reimbursed, no town meeting is required to authorize the expenditure, Lynam said.

“This is great planning,” Selectman Justin Evans said. “I think it’s a great use of the funds to get ourselves a couple of years ahead in our ambulance replacement plan.”

He wanted to make sure the schools or other department did not have unaddressed COVID needs.

Lynam said there is currently more than $1 million available in the COVID fund right now, and while he expects to see a significant figure from the school district, “They’re so wrapped up in scheduling, I can’t get a number out of them.”

The chairman of the Plymouth County Commissioners has informed towns that he wants all reimbursement requests in by Oct. 1, in order to begin reallocation to other communities by Oct. 2.

“There are so many resources out there for federal funds and federal resources out there right now, that it’s actually pretty crazy,” Grenno said. “When this money dries up, there are grant opportunities out there for PPE and stuff like that.”

Grenno said he now has enough PPE right now if things do get bad this fall.

If the ambulance reimbursement is denied a town meeting would be required to authorize the balance of what is needed to pay for it, Lynam said.

Library trustee

In other business, meeting jointly with the Library Board of Trustees, the two boards elected Margaret McEwan to fill a vacancy until the next Town Election. It took two ballots as the boards’ votes were tied between McEwan and Katherine Getchell.

“I feel as though I’d like to give back to the community,” said McEwan, who has lived in Whitman for more than 40 years. “Both my family and I have used the library extensively, and at this time in my life I thought it’s an opportunity to give back to a community service that’s meant a lot to me.”

Getchell also pointed to a desire to contribute to the community as a lifelong Whitman resident who recently retired from WHRHS.

“I read all the time and am a huge patron of the Whitman Public Library,” Getchell said, noting she has joined a couple of groups at the library. “I like to participate in what the library has to offer.”

Getchell has also been active in the Arts Council and Whitman Youth Football.

Hanson sets its fall TM date

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen has set a tentative date of 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 3 for the special Town Meeting — at the W-H football field bleachers, so long as it could be arranged with the school district.

Selectman Matt Dyer has suggested moving the Town Meeting to a Saturday, according to Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell who said it was a good idea since the fall session’s warrant is usually shorter and that location is also a concern.

He said Hanson Middle School is not an ideal option and that they should explore options of having it outside or on a Saturday.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff and Town Moderator Sean Kealy said logistics for that session will involve weather and lighting conditions and quorum size.

“I’ve been apprised that there are one or two items that are really essential to get done,” Kealy said. “If it’s the opinion of Selectmen that we really need to have a meeting in October, then we should go forward with it.”

He urged that the warrant be kept very manageable, if not kind of short to move people in and out, Kealy said his preference would be to hold Town Meeting outside.

“Obviously, there are weather issues that we didn’t face in July,” he said. The ability to attract a quorum is probably a bigger concern, according to Kealy.

He noted the state is allowing towns to go below their quorum requirement — Hanson’s is 100 and can go as low as 20-25 under special legislation passed to address the coronavirus pandemic. Kealy suggested 50.

“A lot of people might appreciate a Saturday,” Kealy said.

Town athletic fields are also closed to activity until after a killing frost from dusk to dawn due to the elevated risk of EEE and West Nile Virus in the area.

Feodoroff said the emergency public gathering guidelines exempt Town Meetings as a town’s legislative body for indoor meetings, but if the town preferred an outdoor meeting, a Saturday is permissible.

Mitchell advocated meeting outside on a Saturday. With Oct. 10 being a likely date.

Selectman Jim Hickey suggested using high school fields would permit use of the field stands so chairs would not be needed. A consent agenda of grouped, non-controversial items — as had been done in July — was suggested.

Dyer agreed, based on the high school facilities and the mosquito concerns an outdoor meeting on a Saturday was preferable.

Senior centers restart program offerings

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As they serve some of the most vulnerable members of the community during COVID-19, senior centers in Whitman and Hanson are trying to also address the sense of isolation some of their clients are beginning to feel as the pandemic enters its sixth month.

Health experts’ predictions of a second wave of the virus is also raising concern.

Massachusetts Councils on Aging have been stressing all spring and summer that, while the senior center doors have been closed, service have still been provided.

Only activities at which clients congregate have been curtailed.

“A lot of the seniors I have spoken with are starting to feel that sense of isolation, and these include many people who have been really active and are continuing to go to the supermarket and do the basic things that they need,” said Hanson Multi-Service Center Director Mary Collins. “The socialization is a huge part of what we do during our activities and we have to figure out a safe way to socialize.”

Moving the programs they do offer outdoors has been seen as a solution for the Hanson center. All the tables and chairs are being removed from the center and placed into storage. Computer terminals, where some clients used to while away free time playing solitaire, have been removed.

But activities like chair yoga and the women’s group are returning in late September with the hope that the chorus can start up again in October, Collins said.

In order to attend these events, note that there is a cap on attendance. Call 781-293-2683 in Hanson and 781-447-7619 in Whitman to make reservations. Masks must be worn at all times and social distancing will be maintained at all times. A COVID-19 screening along with temperature check will be performed prior to each senior center program attended. Hanson attendees are required to sign a waiver of liability prior to attend programs. Do not arrive any sooner than 10 minutes prior to the start of the activity and leave the grounds when the activity is complete.

“The safer, the better, and outside is the place to do that,” Collins said. “We’re starting slow. It’s one step at a time.”

Whitman Selectmen have voted to delay any return to in-person programs until at least the first of the year, said new Council on Aging Director Mary Holland.

“We can’t even have outdoor events,” Holland said, noting some communities, such as Hanson are allowing that. “I totally understand, the elderly are among the most vulnerable populations.”

But she had hoped to be able to place a tent in the parking lot where regular programs such as the knitting group, might meet while observing social distancing requirements.

The Whitman Senior Center is allowing hairdressing and podiatry appointments, with seniors required to wait outside until their appointment time, when they must go directly to the room where the service is being provided, and leave the building as soon as they are done.

“You have to do what’s best for your community,” Collins said. “We have to follow the letter of the law. It has to be small groups with a lot of space.”

She said that, before the decision is made to return to events inside Hanson’s building, the Board of Health will have to inspect and approve it.

“I want to make sure everything is in place and we have enough space before we go back to allowing anybody to go in there,” Collins said.

Facilities are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between patrons.

Transportation to the Family Dollar store, local banks and pharmacies is still provided, but ridership on the 14-seat senior van is limited to four people at a time. As with the hair and podiatry appointments, the van is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between trips.

Hanson is not offering van transportation at this point.

“We are all facing challenges during this pandemic,” Holland wrote in the September Seen Your News? Newsletter from the Council on Aging, which is produced remotely by senior volunteers. “It’s OK to have your feelings, but you know you are not alone. We are here for you! Just phone call away if you need assistance or a friendly voice.”

For more information on current programs and pandemic limitations call the Hanson Multi-Service Senior Center at 781-293-2683 or the Whitman Council on Aging at 781-447-7619.

High school sports in a time of COVID

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With football looking at a so-called “sandwich season” in late February, the rest of the W-H athletic season is planned to begin Friday, Sept. 18, Athletic Director Bob Rodgers said in briefing the School Committee, on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Competitive cheerleading has also been rescheduled, according to MIAA safety guidelines.

“We are very fortunate at Whitman-Hanson to be part of the Patriot League,” Rodgers said. “We’re like-minded schools, putting the safety of the kids first, but we also recognize that this is a very stressful time for students.”

He said that, whether a student’s outlets are drama, music, art or athletics, they need “some semblance of normalcy.”

The Patriot League’s athletic directors have been meeting on a nearly weekly basis, creating what they are calling a “Patriot League bubble” — which sees each team play only other schools within their division of the league. Two exceptions will be in girls’ sports, playing a single game vs Notre Dame of Hingham in soccer, volleyball and field hockey because that school does not have enough other opponents. To maintain Title IX balance, the boys’ soccer team will play North Quincy.

Safety measures governing crowd size and the requirement for face masks for players on volleyball and soccer teams, could evolve later on. The end date for spring sports — which starts on April 26 would be July 3.

“If we were to have some outbreak of coronavirus, we would be able to do some really good contact tracing because we will know who we’ve played,” Rodgers said.

He acknowledge that some people are unhappy that there will not be a state tournament in the fall, adding there might be one in the winter or spring if conditions improve.

“This really isn’t about championships,” Rodgers said. “It’s not about banners in the gym. It’s about giving kids participation, allowing them to be a part of something.”

He said the 11-12 game season will be about being able to play their sport, not about winning. When that shortened season is over, teams will play for what is being called the Patriot League Cup with play concluding no later than Nov. 20.

Rodgers estimated that teams would play two games a week with, perhaps more Saturday games in the past because transportation is going to be a “major issue.”

He also indicated that between the budget situation and ongoing cost of PPE and other coronavirus-related expenses, that he would return to the School Committee Sept. 9 to speak in-depth about user fees.

“We don’t pay much for athletics in W-H,” he said. “Our athletics are funded by the fundraising we do, through our user fees and through our gate receipts.”

Well-attended games and the resulting gate receipts pay for — among other things — ice time for boys’ and girls’ hockey, but with crowd limitations due to social distancing regulations, gate receipts will be reduced this year.

While the number of games are reduced, some schools are increasing user fees.

“I’m not going to ask this committee to raise the user fee, but I do want to keep it exactly where it is,” Rodgers said. He does, however, want to adopt a sliding scale refund policy in the event of games or season cancellations.

Coaches have also been offered the opportunity to take a leave of absence without the fear of losing their position if they are concerned about teaching job responsibilities or health issues.

Dotting the i’s of a school year

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Cohort assignments for the coming school year were expected to be released on Friday, Aug. 28, according to Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, as administrators continue to work toward the Sept. 15 first day of school’s hybrid instruction model.

“Depending on what happens tomorrow with the staff coming back and the fires we’re putting out,” an FAQ will be posted as soon as possible, Szymaniak said during the Wednesday, Aug. 26 School Committee meeting.

One issue still up in the air is how hot days, that could still occur in early September, would affect the school schedule as not all school buildings have adequate air-conditioning. Szymaniak said snow days will not be called this winter — instead instruction will simply pivot to remote learning — but he had not yet heard guidance on “heat days” from the commissioner of education. A blizzard that knocks out power for all or large parts of the school district would be the exception to that plan.

School Committee member Fred Small said Comcast is continuing its essentials program at $9.95 per month. Originally offered to new customers for two weeks of high-speed internet at home during the pandemic, the program is aimed at assisting low-income households.

Internet need

Assistant Superintendent of Schools George Ferro said families can be sponsored within the essentials program, if needed. Families should contact building principals if they need that assistance.

“If your WiFi fails because there is a power outage in a snowstorm, or if someone hits a tree and you lose your power, there will be compassion on the part of teachers K-12 to say, ‘Hey, look, don’t worry about that,’” Szymaniak said.

Szymaniak also sought guidance from the School Committee on a recommendation from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that would have local school districts accommodate children of teachers who reside in town, but teach in other districts, to attend schools four days a week. The children would be placed in a supervised setting in a library or other setting.

The committee authorized a survey of resident teachers and district staff on the matter before making a decision on participation.

Szymaniak said complying is based on the capacity of a school district, and not all have the space.

“Everything is throwing the decisions back to the local level, which I appreciate at times,” he said. “But, also, it’s been a challenge and I don’t want to divide our community.”

School Committee member Hillary Kniffen, who is a teacher, said she was concerned about the optics of teachers appearing to receive special privileges.

“It’s shame on the commissioner for putting districts in this position,” she said. “Child care is hard for everyone. It’s a hybrid model and nothing, nothing is good for anybody in this.”

Small suggested residents might wonder why similar arrangements were not made for public safety workers. Federal policy includes teachers as essential workers, but the state does not right now, according to Szymaniak.

Since the school district is looking at school reopening from a compassionate, humane aspect, perhaps some of the emails the district has been receiving are OK, Ferro said.

“Maybe some of the problems we’re experiencing are OK because everybody’s experiencing them differently now,” Ferro said before going over the district’s schedule for a hybrid remote learning program for elementary, middle and high school students.

The Ingenuity program includes concept coaching that connects with a virtual tutor immediately.

“It’s different, but it’s exciting — it could be very cool,” he said. “Now, there are people out there saying I’m all wet, which is fine because that’s what everybody gets to do, they get to have their own opinion.”

Szymaniak reported that more than 100 teachers received reduction in force (RIF) letters in May. The district also no longer has a human resources department, which had been cut in a previous budget year and the work distributed between about a half-dozen people on the Central Office staff. Adding to that issue are people who can’t come back to school for medical reasons because of the coronavirus.

Szymaniak said he has 14 teachers, five paraprofessionals and one duty aide who can’t return because of a valid medical issue.

“Luckily, we were able to find roles for them in district and keep them off extended [Family Medical Leave Act] leaves, keeping them working,” he said.

“Teachers have gone above and beyond this summer to prepare for virtual learning,” Szymaniak said, noting that building principals have also worked long hours over the summer to accommodate social distancing into school routines. Google will be the instructional platform, not Zoom or another option.

getting ready

While buildings aren’t school-ready yet, he lauded the facilities department for the work they have been doing over the summer to see that buildings were cleaned and will be ready for the first day of school.

Szymaniak also thanked the public for supporting the schools both financially and in spirit. There are 396 students who will be going to fully-remote learning, which took some time to verify and adjust cohort assignments and transportation issues.

Virtual open houses for schools are being planned.

“The reason we can’t have a live open house is I can’t really control the community at this point,” Szymaniak said.

At lunchtime, there will be no special orders at the lunch line — it will all be grab-and-go with a cell phone application being made available for parents or high school students to use for ordering lunch.

Before and after school care will also be available at the elementary schools provided by the YMCA, including remote assistance for parents who require it.

There are about 30 more families opting for home schooling, bringing the number to around 70, Ferro reported. Szymaniak added that those families can change their mind, but should notify the district by mid-October in order to give time for their children to be added to a cohort in time for the second quarter to begin in early November.

The committee voted to accept a state policy requiring face masks in schools.

Incumbents roll in state primary vote

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While he carried the towns of Whitman and Hanson, U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III lost the Massachusetts state primary to U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Election officials in both towns said early and mail-in ballot activity was heavier than ususal, as was in-person voting on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

“We had almost 2,000 mail-in ballots,” said Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan. “Everything is going very smoothly today.”

Whitman saw 31 percent of the town’s 10,800 registered voters cast ballots in the primary. There were 68 absentee ballots and 1,772 early voting ballots cast. In Hanson, where election workers had been counting votes until after midnight, there had not yet been information on the percentage of the town’s 7,769 registered voters who cast ballots.

Kennedy garnered 1,385 votes to Markey’s 1,133 in Whitman and eaked out a narrow margin 909 to Markey’s 899 in Hanson.

“We may have lost the final vote count tonight, but we built a coalition that will endure,” Kennedy told supporters.

In other races on the primary ballot, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch won his Whitman primary vs. challenger Robbie H. Goldstein 1,783 to 679.  He took the 8th Congressional district with 66 percent of the vote over Goldstein’s 34 percent with 76.5 percent of the votes counted Tuesday night.

The other contested race on the ballot, state Sen. Mike Brady topped Brockton City Councilor Moises Rodrigues 1,581 to 793 in Whitman and 1,173 to 510 in Hanson on the way to a district-wide win in the 2nd Plymouth & Bristol.

“The age of incrementalism is over. Now is our moment to think big,” Markey told supporters Tuesday night. “This election is an undeniable mandate for action, and it is our young people who will lead the way,” Markey said.

He noted that progressive issues such as universal health care, an end to systematic racism and passage of the Green New Deal are among the urgent issues requiring bold action.

“The time to be timid is past,” he said.

Congratulating Markey after conceding Tuesday night, Kennedy pledged his support for Markey in the months ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. For his part, Markey committed to “talking with and working with Kennedy to make the lasting, meaningful change that I know that we are both committed to.”

“The senator is a good man, you have never heard me say otherwise,” Kennedy said of the contentious primary contest. “It was difficult at times between us … elections often get heated.”

Local Markey supporters — W-H School Committee member David Forth and Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly — spoke about the Senate race while sign-holding for Markey in Whitman Tuesday morning.

“I’m feeling good right now,” Forth said. “I think we have the momentum on our side — hopefully, things turn out well.”

Forth said he thought recent online negativity between supporters of the two candidates would motivate people to vote no matter who they support.

“The polls have shifted to Markey right now, but before it was pretty close,” he said. “I do think, whether it’s negativity going to Kennedy or going to Markey, I feel their voter base is going to feel motivated to come out because the want to prove the other side wrong.

Forth, 19, spoke about political veteran Markey’s appeal to younger voters.

“He has been there for awhile, and I think that’s one of the things that’s discouraged some people that have a progressive outlook … but, for the most part, I think he’s supported young people, he’s supported what’s best for the community, he’s supported older people.”

Forth said the bottom line is that Kennedy has never given a reason why he should be supported over Markey other than the latter not being visible in Massachusetts, but Markey’s legislative record speaks to progressives.

“If you’re a Sanders supporter or something like that, you would align yourself with Markey,” Forth said. While both candidates accept super PAC money, but the sources of Markey’s funds are not connected with oil companies or other other sources that “go against progressive ideals.”

Connolly said, as a town official as well as a constituent, she finds Markey’s accessibility a plus.

“When I have an issue with things, I can call up Markey,” she said. “[He] picks up the phone and listens.”

Hanson looks potential ’22 override

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HANSON — While fiscal 2020 was a “favorable year, financially” with revenues nearly 3 percent over budget, an override is seen as likely to be necessary for fiscal 2022, Selectmen were advised during their Tuesday, Aug. 25 meeting.

Town Accountant Todd Hassett met for his quarterly report via telephone with the Selectmen who gathered in a socially-distanced manner at Town Hall.

“Fiscal ’22, even despite what may go on with state revenues, will be extremely challenging for us absent an override or some sort of major change going forward,” he said. “We need to start some preliminary planning so we get the message out to the community. … It’s important to get ahead of this early.”

The fiscal 2021 budget is balanced, “despite some moving pieces” on the revenue side, Hassett stressed.

“The actions that Town Meeting approved [did not produce] a shortfall,” he said. “We have a balanced budget.”

While there have been about $90,000 in unused reserve funds this year, Hassett said that is unusual and traceable to the COVID shutdown this spring. Town Meeting had also used $450,000 in free cash to support the operating budget.

Fiscal 2021 revenue estimates at Camp Kiwnanee are down to $142,000 — compared to $218,000 in fiscal 2020 — as event cancellations continue to require refunds.

“Although the sign-ups for future events at the lodge seem to be rebounding, a lot of them are pushed into the next fiscal year,” Hassett said, advising the $142,000 be held in case the camp’s operations need to be shored up. “We’ll cautiously watch how this year progresses.”

The transfer station, meanwhile, exceeded revenue forecasts by about $30,000, mostly from the three-year sticker sales, meaning a decline will be seen in fiscal ’21 as disposal costs continue to rise.

Selectmen also heard an update on the former Maquan School.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett noted that the reuse committee has been investigating the possibility of using it for senior housing despite hurdles ranging from town administrator turnover to COVID.

“I just wanted to get a sanity check, because we are definitely in very different economic times than we were when we originally talked about this,” she said.

The “backup plan,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, was the $1 million approved at a recent Town Meeting for demolition of the building.

A formal request for proposal to contractors for possible reuse — to be able to say all avenues were explored — have produced early returns indicating people were looking for the town to invest in a sewer system first, among other services.

“We’re not spending any money for somebody else to make money off of that property,” she said. “Everybody said [in a town survey] wanted to retain the property.”

Both the library and senior center have spoken about the need for expansion.

A consulting firm had also advised the reuse committee that lease of the property would bring in only between an estimated $800,000 and $1 million because of the site work and engineering planning needed.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked for a vote from the board on whether they wanted to sell the property.

“I say definitely don’t sell it,” said Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell.

Selectman Matt Dyer said whether the property is used for a library or senior center project, a comprehensive plan is needed on how to best use the space.

FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the Maquan property dovetails well with proposals for the reuse of the Plymouth County Hospital site.

The board also heard a quarterly report from Fire Chief Jerome Thompson who noted the department is answering multiple calls 15 percent of the time, arguing that supports the need for a full staff of four firefighters at all times.

Aggressive maintenance programs keep buildings and equipment in good shape, he said.

Thompson credited his department for its response to COVID-19 despite guidance from state officials that sometimes changed daily. Since March 1, the department transported 68 cases of suspected COVID and 14 confirmed cases.

“I want to point out that there could have been more confirmed [cases] that we don’t know about,” he said. Even suspected cases required the use of full protective equipment and a 30-minute cleaning of the ambulance on return to the station.

“It changed everything we did,” Thompson said. “It pretty much affected all aspects of out operation. … And it will for the foreseeable future.”

PPE supplies from the state are in good shape so far, he noted, but cleaning supplies are hard to come by.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also lauded the fire and police departments for the — sometimes controversial — rolling birthday parades in which they participated this spring.

“It helped people mentally at a very bad time,” she said.

SST outlines school year

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HANOVER — South Shore Tech will be returning to the 2020-21 school year under a hybrid instruction model on Monday, Sept 14, according to Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey, who reviewed the plan during a Thursday Aug. 13 meeting of the SST School Committee.

The committee approved the proposed plan.

All students will be supplied with either a ChromeBook or a laptop to start the year, with the laptops switched out for ChromeBooks when a new shipment arrives later in the school year. A tech help desk will also be established.

Instruction will begin on Sept. 16 after two days of student orientation. The calendar reflecting the new start date was also approved.

Frequent hand-washing requirements and building cleaning, mandatory mask regulations and bathroom monitors to keep students from hanging out in lavatories are being set up. A separate COVID nurse’s room is being designated and LPN hired to assist the school nurse. Ventillation systems are also being monitored.

“The key element of a hybrid model is that it’s going to allow us [the] flexibility to respond to circumstances, should they change,” Hickey said. “This is something to start with and, as things evolve in one way or another, we will adapt.”

Right now, students will be in academic settings for two days out of five in all grades and learning remotely the other three days, Hickey said. The two days will vary for freshmen and sophomores, depending on students’ assigned cohort. Remote learning days will be more accountable than it was in the spring. It will be in real time with a set schedule and attendance will be taken.

Remote strategies are also being designed in case the need arises to quarantine a group of students if one is exposed to COVID-19 or if the state requires another shutdown.

“All of the protocols and structures that we would employ in a face-to-face regular school year, we’ll employ here in the hopes of providing some structure for students,” he said.

For most students, the shop weeks will be a full week of in-person instruction, recognizing that while student safety in important, there must be a hands-on component, which is not easily replicated remotely.

Freshmen and sophomores will be in the school building all week for shop instruction, while juniors and seniors — except for allied health, computer tech, graphics and MET II — will go to school on an alternating day method, half being in the building and half being on remote learning at anyone time.

“We looked at our pressure points,” Hickey said about how the plan was developed. “We all know the building is too small and you layer in a public heath crisis like this and it really exacerbates some of the issues with size.”

Transportation was also examined on the state guidelines of 25 students on a bus.

The school day will be slightly shorter with morning and afternoon bus runs. Freshmen and sophomores will be on the same schedule each week with a 9:05 a.m. start time and 2:25 p.m. dismissal.

“If you’re a junior or a senior, your world is going to be split a little bit,” Hickey said, with instruction beginning at 7:40 a.m. and dismissed on shop weeks and at 1 p.m. The school day, shortened by 75 minutes to allow for the second run of buses, with buses cleaned between runs.

Hickey said it also provides better control of the flow of students into the building and on shop day.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has permitted the timing modification to allow the safe transportation of students.

With a three-foot spacing between students, PPE will be depended on to ensure safety, while for lunches 70 desks have been placed six feet apart in the gym and another 35 in the cafeteria during five lunch periods.

Hickey said if a minimum of six feet distancing were used for classroom instruction, SST would have been going to a completely remote learning model, Hickey said.

Each cohort of about 60 students will be located in classrooms grouped together with students staying in assigned rooms and teachers will switch rooms.

Shop teachers are being asked to separate students as well.

Seniors will be able to continue with coop jobs with the expectation that employers will continue to comply with OSHA guidelines.

Whitman board eyes property issues

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Aug. 11 voted to authorize a grant application to fund the next level of site assessments on the Regal Property, a vacant lot next to the commuter rail on South Avenue.

The town contracted with Ransom Consulting in 2017 to perform Phase 1 and 2 site assessments of the property, according to Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green. Grants from Mass. Development funded the assessments.

“We’ve got some ideas of the nature and level of the ground contamination and … there is still an amount of work to be done, a Phase 3 type of assessment to determine what it’s done to the soil and groundwater,” she said, noting a comprehensive settlement and surface water settling study remains to be done. “They need to assess the ecological characterizations of the land and also do a human health assessment and what impact it might have to future site occupants.”

The third assessment is in the cost area of $63,900 and a lack of funding had halted its progress. Green noted, however that there has been a lot of progress in the realm of brownfields redevelopment over the last three years, with more state and federal funds being made available. She still has to reach out to Ransom to obtain an updated grant proposal and cost analysis.

Grants for such work are now up to $100,000 she said.

“We would get enough money to finish the site assessment an know exactly what we’re dealing with,” she said.

Protection from municipal liability in proceeding with projects on such sites is now available by statute through the Attorney General’s office, Green advised.

While the town would have to pay the grants back if the property was sold at a large profit, Green said that is not likely because the land has been under tax title for so long.

“A huge selling point for the Regal property is it’s right next to the commuter rail station,” she said. “There will be lots of eyes on that property once we know what we’re dealing with in terms of redevelopment.”

A wetlands survey has determined that just over four acres of the property is developable. A similar brownfields property of 3.36 acres in Jamaica Plain was developed to include 132 housing units and retail/office space and self-storage building, which created 90 jobs.

Green also spoke about the Community Preservation Act ballot question on the state ballot, now that the act has been passed at the July 27 Town Meeting. Selectmen voted to place the question on the ballot.

Selectman also heard an update from Green on a housing production plan, which also must be approved by the Planning Board, but it did not recommend doing so.

Green had asked for waiver of that approval from the Old Colony Planning Board, which declined to do so.

“It’s very disappointing in that adopting this housing production plan and having it recognized by that department, would have opened up some grant opportunities for us,” she said.

In other business, Selectmen approved a farmers’ series pouring permit on the premises at 599 Washington St. — the block where Supreme Pizza is located. A common victualler’s license was also granted for the location.

Old Colony Brewing co-owner Dennis Nash said the plan for the site at 605 Bedford St., foregoing the pouring license there. They will instead brew the beer at the Bedford Street location and operate a taproom on Washington Street. No outdoor dining is planned like is currently offered at Bedford Street and only 25 seats are planned at the Washington Street site under current COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Owners of other businesses in the town center — including John and Craig Duval, whose family has owned Duval’s pharmacy for 74 years, along with another area businessman, expressed concern over parking. A concern shared by Health Board Chairman Eric Joubert.

Building Inspector Bob Curran said a bar or business in that area are permitted by right an have never had to go before the board of Appeals. He also said most of the taproom’s parking needs would occur on nights or weekends when there is not typically a lot of traffic downtown.

The board also recommended revisiting the parking issue if a problem crops up.

What’s new in the stacks?

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Greetings! I hope you all are well. It’s been such a strange time for all of us, and I don’t want to minimize that, but I am happy to say that there are things to be grateful for. After a long period of not being able to see our patrons or even talk to them, we are back in business again, although at a distance.

Most libraries, including ours, are still closed. A few are partially open, but practicing great care in terms of contact. In the most meaningful way, though, we can serve you again, we can talk to you and we can even see you!

On that subject, we are now able to resume ordering new materials. During most of our shutdown, we have not been ordering books, CDs, DVDs or audiobooks. Some of the vendors were completely closed and some delivery providers were not delivering. All that is successfully over, and, clutching our money in our fists, we are tearing through catalogs to catch up.

There can still be a few wrinkles – our vendors are short-staffed in many cases, as some of the libraries in the network are. But, as I write this, there are six huge boxes of new fiction in our Community Room waiting to be cataloged, and an enormous nonfiction order on the way. We also have new films, CDs and audiobooks, and our network is available to order holds from as well.

So here is some of the good news: John Grisham, “Camino Winds;” John Sandford, “Masked Prey;” Lucy Foley, “The Guest List;” James Patterson, “The 1st Case” (and many more); Jennifer Weiner, “Big Summer;” Emma Straub, “All Adults Here;” Linda Castillo, “Outsider;” Kevin Kwan, “Sex and Vanity;” Danielle Steel, “The Wedding Dress;” Elin Hilderbrand, “28 Summers;” Louise Penny, “All the Devils are Here;” Jim Butcher, “Peace Talks;” and David Baldacci, “Walk the Wire” Many of these will be available in large print and audiobooks as well.

Our Hallmark movies have been such a success, we now have a selection of Hallmark books that are based on the movies. Just search Hallmark under All Fields in the catalog and there they are! Their bright covers are an antidote to the news of the day; just get onto the couch and dive in.

In nonfiction, a selection includes “Across That Bridge,” by John Lewis; “The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook” by Elisa Bildner; “The Kidnap Years,” by David Stout; and “Too Much and Never Enough,” by Mary L. Trump.

The movies in the lineup include “Mr. Robot, Season 4;” “Midsommer Murders, Series 21;” “The Way Back;” “Uncut Gems;” “The Hunt;” “Burnt Orange Heresy;” “The Wretched;” ‘Yes, God, Yes and I Still Believe.”

I wish I could list them all, but be assured that there is much more to come. Our director, Marcie, can be found on the floor of the Community Room, licking her chops as she puts the shiny new volumes on carts. It’s pretty rare that we buy this much at one time, but we have a lot of time to make up. Meanwhile, our curbside pickup is doing big business, and even with the new books just starting to come in, our patrons are catching up on books they otherwise would have read in the past three or four months.

Central Site is working on the last few bugs, but it is wonderful to talk to so many of you and get some news of your doings.

We follow what I laughingly call the scientific approach, but we do keep abreast of the spread of the virus through official sites and by checking Governor Baker’s press conferences. By necessity, we err on the side of caution. We are also given updates by our own town government and board of health, the two bodies who will make decisions on opening. Be assured that we quarantine everything that comes in—this may show up as overdue books, but don’t worry.

As for our Summer Reading, the new missions ended officially on Aug. 5, but the program continued through Aug. 26. Prizes can be picked up (one at a time per person at curbside) through Sept. 9. Stephanie encourages families to repeat activities for fun.

One reminder: if you place a hold from home, that does not mean it is instantly available at the library. We get reports during the day of holds that have been placed—we have to wait for the reports to be generated.

If you get an email notice of a hold being available, call to make an appointment to pick it up. Otherwise, please wait for us to call and let you know that it is ready. But certainly, call anytime with questions. We are glad we have some good news for you.  Cheers!