HANSON – The Select Board, on Tuesday, Sept. 27 approved closure of the public comment period and submission of the town’s energy aggregation plan to the state Department of Public Utilities for final approval.

That process is expected to take at least a year, with an eye toward an official launch by next winter, according to consultant Patrick Roche of Good Energy.

“Only after we’re approved by DPU would we be allowed to go out to bid for electricity,” he said. “Once we have done that, then we would do a big education and outreach period before the program starts, so people will know they can choose not to participate [if that is what] they want.”

Roche stressed that the aggregation does not become the town’s electric company. The only portion of a customer’s electricity bill the plan can change is the electricity generation costs.

The aggregate would buy electricity on behalf of Hanson residents as a group, with those who prefer other plans given the right to opt out.

“A lot of towns have been doing this and, in the process of doing it, we mitigate the risk,” said Energy Committee Vice Chair James Armstrong, noting that utility companies buy energy every four to six months in that way, depending on the tariff they are under. “They buy it at the same time every year. We have a little more flexibility in how we do ours — that’s why we have a consultant.”

The vote followed a public hearing with the board, which closed out a public comment period on the plan, with Roche, who attended remotely. The firm helps the town know when to buy energy, what to look at and whether they should shorten or lengthen purchase contracts — currently done by the year — if it makes sense in the market to do so.

“We can play the market, whereas the utilities cannot,” Armstrong said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about trying to save money for the citizens of Hanson, and it’s also about giving options to the citizens of Hanson to buy more green power.”

He explained this was the second hearing conducted on the proposed energy aggregate plan for Hanson.

“We actually submitted [it] to the DPU,” Armstrong said. “They made some modifications and sent it back. We had to modify our plan, that’s why we needed to have another hearing.”

The current public comment period on the DPU’s revisions had been open since Aug. 10. The proposal was approved at Town Meeting last year, Armstrong reminded the board, so it is not something new.

Only two comments had been received, both asking if the program was live yet and how they could sign on.

“Ironically, National Grid has actually announced a 40-percent increase in our electric bills, starting next month,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is mitigate that risk, and that was always our intention.”

Roche said that increase is already “baked in,” but the aggregation could help protect the town from similar price spikes in the future.

With no public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Select Board members made their comments and/or asked questions.

“I’m very new to all this,” Select Board member Ann Rein said, asking if an incident similar to last winter’s electrical grid failure in Texas could happen here.

“I suppose it’s possible that could happen here,” Roche said. “[But] your program would not change, whether or not that could happen.”

He explained the Texas crisis was rooted in the failure to adequately assess how much transmission on the grid was possible on the part of the state’s regional grid operator as well as regulatory shortcomings.

Armstrong added that, despite growth in use over the last 10 years, because of energy efficiency programs, the amount of electricity used has not changed. There are no more coal-fueled energy plants left in New England, he said, noting those that are left, are fueled by natural gas. The state is also encouraging battery storage to more easily handle demand spikes.

The state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requires utilities to purchase a certain percentage of green energy. Hanson is now at about 25 percent and is seeing that ratio go up by 2 percent every year, according to Armstrong.

“We’re trying to buy 5-percent more than we’re required to,” he said. “That’s it — just a little bit more to be a little bit greener as we do things, and at the same time, save ourselves some green, too.”

Select Board member Ed Heal, while he likes the program, expressed skepticism at the effectiveness of renewable energy sources and was concerned that people had to request to opt out.

“I don’t like forcing people into something where they need to opt out,” he said. “I would rather it be you opt into this program.”

Armstrong said that residents who already have such a third-party source will not automatically be added to the aggregation. But urged vigilance. He said he has a third-party energy source at home already, but wasn’t following it and there was a price spike. 

“I’m an energy engineer … but I wasn’t watching myself,” he said. “What this does, is allow someone else to watch out for you on that issue.”

Heal’s objections stem from a lack of choice, he said, and expressed concern that the program would not prevent electricity costs to go through the roof.

“Eventually, we’re not going to have a choice, it’s going to be whatever these people say we’re going to have,” he said. “It’s going to be green, and that’s it — for better or worse.”

Roche said the aggregation will also govern its purchase of renewable energy in a way to be more cost-effective than National Grid.

Among other business, the Select Board conducted its final review of warrant articles ahead of the Monday, Oct. 3 special Town Meeting.

The Finance Committee, which met at the same time as the Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 13, had already expressed concern to that their final recommendations would not be ready until the Tuesday, Sept. 27 meeting.

By Tuesday’s meeting the Finance Committee had recommended all articles except those with salary implications out of sustainability concerns.

The Capital Improvement Committee Chair Frank Milisi, Vice Chair Kurt Travis II and members Ken Sweezey and Pat Wheeler met with the Select Board, of which two members also serve on the Capital Committee – Ed Heal and Joe Weeks on Sept. 13.

Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said at that meeting that she has spoken with both Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., and Library Director Karen Stolfer, both of whom indicated their capital request articles presented for the October special Town Meeting Warrant “were not dire” and they were not concerned if the articles were deferred to the May 2023 annual Town Meeting. 

The articles dealt with a Fire Station feasibility study and an HVAC study for the library.

“There were also some concerns about adding positions,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that the part-time position for the Select Board office was, indeed necessary. 

“I guess the biggest question is how much money are they willing to let us spend on capital expenses?” Milisi asked, noting that longer waits for some projects would translate to higher costs.

HANSON – Ralph and Alli Greenberg, co-owners of Impressed LLC returned to the Select Board, Tuesday, Sept. 13 to provide an update on their plan to expand their cannabis business at 15 Commercial Way to include a delivery component as well as the grow facility already approved by the town.

Joining Ralph Greenberg in meeting virtually with the board were their equity partner Shanel Lindsay and consultant Ezra Parzybok. 

Select Board members had asked last month that the Greenbergs provide: projected financials for the grow facility; projected financials for the delivery service; and the framework of the delivery service, its rules of engagement and any other information that would be important for the board to know.

The proposal is on the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting.

Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said Impressed and its partner firm La Flora LLC have provided a great deal of in-depth documentation on paper to town officials.

“I’m hoping that you guys are thinking about having somebody at Town Meeting in case there are questions that come up,” she said after the presentation. “As much as we tried to own everything you just said, we’re not going to do it as much justice as you folks would.”

“The one thing I wanted to get out of this tonight and going into Town Meeting, is we really need those [financial] numbers,” said Select Board member Ann Rein said. “I’m telling you right now that townspeople are going to want to see that there’s a real benefit to this. You’ve got a tough fight on your hands if you don’t have some concrete numbers to give to them.”

She also said residents would have to understand the difference between the cultivation business already approved, and the delivery license they now seek.

FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed, noting that it cannot be stressed enough that it is not going to be a brick-and-mortar store.

“What was an eye-opener to me is medical deliveries have been happening all along and we didn’t even know it because it’s very discreet,” she said.

Select Board member Jim Hickey asked questions about town revenue vs the company’s net income growth projections. The figures are based on retail figures, FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested.

Hickey also said questions would also include what drivers would be paid, hours of operation and some other details, which  FitzGerald-Kemmett said appear to be included in the documentation supplied to the board.

Changing government regulations and a possible federal legalization could also have an effect, Parzybok said. Lindsay said they also envision higher set-up expenses in the first year.

Select Board member Joe Weeks said that, while some at Town Meeting will oppose a cannabis business no matter what, and some will urge approval of marijuana in all it’s forms, the vast majority will have to be convinced.

“The town wants to make sure from seed-to-sale that it is not going to fall into the wrong hands,” he said, noting that they want to see that the regulatory documents are Impressed’s policies and procedures to keep the town’s kids safe.

“One of the things I have experience in is not only running a very organically grown, sustainable business, but also a very compliant business and that is what we intend to bring as a partner to Impressed and to the town, a business that is sustainable, that in one that helps the town that helps Impress realize their dream of sustainabilty and also brings needed revenue to the town,” Lindsay said.

Ralph Greenberg said he thought the board should first know a little bit more about the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and how they work. The commission conducts a post-final license inspection, which gives businesses the ability to sell product. Some of the product already grown has been inspected and is ready for sale.

The test results provide the business; pricing structure that users and wholesalers will pay.

“I don’t think it’s really prudent to give you a projection [for that reason],” he said. “It will really be a novelty number and it would be fraudulent for me to say anything to you and give you a number as a projection. The market has changed dramatically in the last couple of months.”

Greenberg said that adding a delivery component to the wholesale business could provide them with the profitability from which it would profit.

“I think the big question is, How do we create this delivery component to the Impressed Group and make this the opportunity that we’re all looking for?” Greenburg said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the board understands what he is saying but that they are being asked to support adding the delivery component, which they are feeling “quite favorably about,” but stressed that an important consideration for voters is how much money it would bring to the town.

“If we’re not getting any kind of projection on the financials, that’s a very difficult position that we’re being put in, as the elected representatives for our constituents, where we literally don’t have any information to give them,” she said. “We’re being asked to take a leap of faith that we’re going to make some money, but we can’t really tell you how much money.” 

FitzGerald-Kemmett said Select Board members will be expecting at least a low-ball figure that can be presented to Town Meeting within the next couple of years because opponents will attend Town Meeting with made-up numbers in an effort to argue that the town won’t receive enough revenue from the project to make it worthwhile.

 “We have nothing to say whether those numbers are correct or not,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Those numbers would have to come from you.”

Lindsay, a lawyer as well as equity partner with Impressed LLC, has also been involved in the cannabis business for about 10 years, including a patent for a device that allows medical patients and seniors to make cannabis products for their medical needs. She was also asked to help write the law legalizing cannabis for adults over 21. She has been a member of the CCC advisory board during its initial work and was reappointed for a second term during its crafting of the second set of regulations, including those governing delivery. She is also one of the few female owners of a cannabis business, Lindsay said.

“I am also very excited to help and join [a] partnership with one of the very few female growers in the industry, and also a family business,” Lindsay said, noting that hers is a family business, as well.

Parzybok is a licensing and security expert in the field, Lindsay said.

Delivery businesses are only open to people who meet a number of standards regarding their past, the communities they come from and equity in hiring and participation in the industry.

Lindsay’s business, La Flora LLC, is a partner with Impressed LLC.

“It makes a ton of sense for both of us to work hand-in-hand to make sure that all of the product being grown by Impressed makes it out into the marketplace in Massachusetts,” she said. “It’s important to understand that this is a very, very, heavily regulated product that has many layers of tracking and many different layers of technology to make sure that the product does not end up in the wrong hands.”

Parzybok, who is also a cannabis education consultant, outlined the procedures and protocols to ensure product safety in Hanson.

“I’ve made it my mission to see these businesses open in the most compliant way,” he said, while making sure communities understand what that means.

Delivery operator’s licenses are separate from courier licenses, which cover those who deliver product to homes from a retail outlet.

“Delivery operator is a warehouse model, and is a perfect scenario for a partnership with Impressed,” he said. “Medical marijuana is a different legal category, which has the exact same product level.”

The main difference is medical marijuana has a much stronger and has been permitted for home delivery from the start in Massachusetts, for both customer privacy and convenience.

He said 32 percent of adults 21 and older in states where cannabis is fully legal have consumed it in the last six months. Alcohol consumption is at 70 percent, but he said cannabis is closing that gap as a replacement for alcohol.

State regulations govern vehicles — which are unmarked generic-looking passenger vehicles — product storage, facility vaults, driver training, GPS tracking software, manifests, ID checks and state-seed-to-sale tracking. Delivery vehicles must pull into an enclosed facility for loading directly from a vault, to which only specific employees have access.

“I’ve made it my mission to help these businesses get opened in the most compliant way, and also to educate the community — to make sure they understand what that means,” Parzybok said. Medical marijuana, for example, is much stronger than recreational cannabis.

As for hard numbers on local impact revenue the town can expect, he said the market is quite volatile, he said, but estimated net income for the town based on  Impressed’s first year is put at $408,297. For the second year it is estimated at $990,848 – $1,091,126 for year three, $1,124,100 in year four and $1,198,195 in year five.

The figures were based on an output of 1,000 of quality product for the first year and the goal of 3,000 pounds of yearly output with a current annual wholesale price of $1,500 to $2,000 per pound. But more producer businesses are coming on board, which is a reason Impressed is seeking a delivery license as well.

“With these figures, we really tried to be conservative,” Lindsay said.

Security cameras and hardwired GPS systems are features of the delivery vehicles, and regulations require licensed agents, who are trained in security practices, to staff the vehicles.

All areas of the business property, inside and out, are also covered by security cameras. Body cameras are also worn by delivery agents, who advise clients, at their doors, that their transactions are being recorded. Little to no cash is used in transactions.

“It’s important to understand that this is a very, very regulated product that has many, many different layers of tracking, many, many, many different layers of technology to make sure the product does not end up in the wrong hands,” Lindsay said.

WHITMAN — The Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 13 appointed the six members to a search committee for a new town administrator and discussed the process of appointing an interim treasurer-collector, effective Nov. 1.

“I take pleasure in announcing that Beth Stafford, a former selectman and a School Committee member, has reached out and volunteered to serve on that group,” Interim Town Administrator Frank Lynam said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to bring new and old experiences together to focus on hopefully moving quickly to identify candidates.”

“That’s a constant theme, isn’t it,” Select Board member Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

Chair Randy LaMattina said Stafford is “definitely more than qualified to serve in that capacity

“We’ve always tried to have a diverse selection of [people] on our hiring groups, and I think that keeps in line with that,” he said.

Members of the group will be Stafford, Lynam, Kowalski, Fire Chief Timothy Clancy, Finance Committee Chair Rick Anderson and resident John Galvin.

Lynam said the board had explored engaging other persons to assist as treasurer/collector on a temporary basis, but that did not work out for various reasons. MaryBeth Carter had worked as Whitman’s treasurer/collector since 2006.

“What I failed to notice in the process was we have a home-grown candidate, who has worked for us for close to five years in the capacity of town accountant and he is prepared to take on that new responsibility,” Lynam said of Town Accountant Kenneth Lytle. “As you know, the position is an elected one. We can appoint a treasurer/collector until the next election.”

He reminded the board they have spoken about his recommendation to bring the proposal to change the treasurer/collector position to an appointed one and argued for doing so at a November Town Meeting.

“I’m asking that the board consider appointing Ken as of Nov. 1 to the position of acting treasurer/collector, to be paid at the base rate of the former treasurer/collector,” Lynam said. He noted that Carter has offered to provide some assistance during the transition and he has spoken with the auditors to clarify the process — Lytle will stay in his current role until the end of October to close out work on the fiscal year.

“It is a specific legal requirement that a town accountant not be a treasurer/collector of the community as well, because those are checks and balances,” Lynam said.

“I think we knew when we hired Ken, he’s world-class,” LaMattina said, saying it was a logical choice. “His work performance is fantastic.”

Lynam said the treasurer/collector is one of the most responsible positions the town has, entrusted with the handling and investing of more than $43 million in taxpayer money.

“It requires a skill set that not just anybody can do,” he said. “Ken has a background as an accountant … and has demonstrated his knowledge.”

In other business, the board reviewed its marijuana business host agreement and related social equity policies and procedures with town counsel attorney Peter Sumners and voted to approve the social equity policy, while postponing a vote in the host agreement itself. 

The May Town Meeting approved a bylaw allowing cannabis business zoning in the town.

“That bylaw is still currently at the attorney general’s office Municipal Law Unit awaiting approval,” Sumners said. “They sought an extension from town counsel’s office [and] Michelle McNulty granted the extension through Oct. 5, so we should know [by then] whether that’s approved or not.”

Sumners said he has spoken with the attorney general’s office and reported “no major issues” to be worried about, and forecast that it should largely be approved.

“There’s just a couple of unique provisions that they’re taking a look at, but that won’t have an effect on the rest of the bylaw if they have any issues,” he said. 

In the meantime, the state has also passed new legislation that “pretty drastically” changes some provisions of the cannabis statutes — especially concerning community impact fees.

“That required a substantial revision to a form of host community agreement that we were working with,” Sumners said. A team from the town counsel’s office has reached out to some interested applicants over the summer, identifying locations and trying to move forward with licensing, but they have to enter into a host community agreement first. 

“While the town can’t enter into one of those until you have your zoning bylaw in place, we have been able to speak with them and keep things moving forward to get things ready in anticipation of that bylaw being approved,” he said. 

The legislation change also requires a town to adopt social equity policies and procedures to address impact on people “disparately impacted by marijuana prohibition in the past,” before a host community agreement can be entered into. The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) is charged with issuing model policies and procedures, but has not done so yet.

He provided a policy to the board that he expects would meet any minimum standards the CCC might issue.

“We anticipate that whatever we come up with, in terms of a host community agreement, is going to be used for every marijuana business,” Sumners said, noting his office has received a lot of positive feedback from potential businesses.

Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci noted that business would be responsible for financial impact of any need for increased public safety activity or wear and tear on town infrastructure. He asked if it could be increased if a cost, such as the number of police officers, increased.

“If the impact on the town is more than 3 percent of a business’ gross sales, it is still capped at 3 percent,” Sumners said. “The big change over the summer, is we now have to send them documentation of what the impacts on the town are first … and they can last eight years.”

Select Board member Justin Evans said he and Select Board member Shawn Kain have been working with Sumners on the issue and noted that Kain had a suggestion to include the cost of substance use and abuse prevention and education programs in the impact fee.

“It’s something that I think is a responsibility on us as a community to do,” Kain said.

Kain also suggested the formation of a small budget working group to plan for the fiscal 2024 town budget.

“It’s just something to keep in the forefront of where we want to get to when budget season starts, so that we can use it then,” he said. “I think it’s a really important tool that will really help us with some big decisions.”

WHITMAN —Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman has resigned from that position, effective Monday, Aug. 15 Select Board Chair Randy LaMattina announced following an executive session of the board during a special meeting on Thursday, Aug. 25.

The board had also voted, during that executive session on the topic, to appoint Frank Lynam as interim town administrator, a post he has been working in an acting capacity since Aug. 9.

Lynam suggested that a search committee be appointed to hire a new administrator, which the board approved. Serving on the committee will be Select Board member Dr. Carl Kowalski, Finance Committee Chair Richard Anderson, a public safety chief and Lynam and resident John Galvin as citizens at-large.

“I would suggest we start it fairly quickly,” he said of the selection. “If, for no other reason, that I would love to see someone come here and I will go back to my previous most recent occupation, which is playing with my grandchildren and relaxing at home.” 

When the town conducted its last administrator search, the firm of Community Paradigm was hired to do that work, Lynam noted.

“My concern with that process is, it seems — particularly with all the activity occurring now among different towns with administrators and managers retiring or otherwise leaving for other positions — that a list develops of available people,” he said. “It’s the same type of list that’s continually recycling.”

He said that, with the collective talent among the Select Board, and with the assistance of some citizens, they could do “as good or better” a job than the consultant firm did.

Kowalski volunteered his services on the search committee as did Galvin, who was attending the meeting. Lynam offered his services based on his experience on the Finance and Select boards as well as 18 years as town administrator.

“I think I have some value to offer the board in serving on that search committee,” he told the board. “My only vested interest is seeing someone who can lead the community with your direction in a more productive and positive way.”

Galvin has been very active on town committees in recent years and has a skill for research, Lynam said indicating he was “reasonably sure” Galvin would accept. He did.

Kowalski said all members of the Select Board would have the opportunity to review résumés and ask questions of applicants.

Select Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci asked if they would be looking at hiring an assistant administrator at the same time.

“I think it would be very difficult for a committee to try to fill both positions at the same time,” Lynam said, but he said the responses for the administrator post may point to some applicants who, while they might not be prepared to be a town administrator, could have something to offer on that track.

He said the board’s focus on someone to work primarily on grants and personnel management as an assistant town administrator.

Select Board member Shawn Kain suggested that town employees be asked for their feedback to give them a voice in the process, which Lynam thought would be helpful.

The town is also working to replace departing Treasurer/Collector Mary Beth Carter.

“I had hoped to bring some encouraging news here,” Lynam said about that position. “We had reached out, with the help of our current TC, who, we hoped would be able to step in for us.”

Unfortunately, the person spent 4.5 hours on Wednesday, Aug. 24 and left “with a migraine, and said ‘this is way too much work,’” he said. “It kind of sheds a little light on the sophistication and level of what’s required in Whitman for a treasurer/collector.”

While the person had more than 18 years of experience, she had not done utility or trash billing, which are routine for the office in Whitman.

Lynam recommended that he reach out to another candidate he has in mind who is currently serving in a municipal treasurer role as well as the Select Board’s consideration of the practicality of an elected treasurer and give thought to reaching out to the citizens of Whitman with the aim of changing it to an appointed one.

“The majority of such positions around the state are appointed, and for good reason,” he said. “While an election does allow the voters to say, ‘This is the person I want,’ an appointment allows the town to evaluate the qualifications and the skillset of the person who would be handling the investment of town money and working to collect taxes and discharge all the duties that a treasurer and collector are required to do under Mass. law.”

He encouraged the board to place the issue on it’s next agenda.

HANSON — How, and how much does it cost, to get a private way accepted as a public street in order to keep it in good repair?

A group of frustrated residents of three unaccepted roadways — Alden Way, Gray Lane and Stringer Lane — attended the Tuesday, Aug. 23 Select Board meeting to ask about the legal status of their streets. The session’s agenda had been amended at 10:50 a.m. that day to include the discussion.

Aware that the issue is often an understandably emotional one, Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett set ground rules that speakers remove emotion and “talk about facts” and what the town can and cannot do.

“This board’s job is to look out for the interests of the entire town — not just one group of people vs. another,” she said. 

“At the very least, I think [residents] need to think about having a homeowners’ association at this point,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “You’ve got to think about organizing together and getting an HOA because what we’re hearing is there’s no one point of contact to deal with from the town.”

If they would prefer, they could also continue addressing the issue as a concerned group of neighbors.

One neighbor suggested the discussion leads her to believe another meeting is in order.

“I don’t know how it’s fallen apart this bad that we have to go looking at an HOA or coming up with hundreds of thousands of dollars to correct this ‘terrible neighborhood,’ which in my eyes is one of the nicest neighborhoods that people want to move into,” said Carol Jensen, a 25-year resident of Gray Lane.

Alden Way resident Sandra Crawford, who wrote the letter to Town Administrator Lisa Green asking to be included on the agenda, because residents of the area “have grave concerns about our streets and inaction” surrounding them over the years. Town Counsel land use expert Brian Winner and Planning Board Chair Joseph Campbell also attended the meeting virtually.

Campbell said there are “tons” of unaccepted private ways in Hanson.

Winner stressed the need for a clear point of contact for residents as well as the possible need for a workshop meeting with that town liaison regarding road conditions and infrastructure and potential costs in order to have something to focus on.

“We need for you guys to organize,” FitzGerald-Kemmett told area residents. We won’t use that dreaded three-letter [HOA] acronym, but it allows us to have one point of contact.”

She said the board would decide on one or two members willing to have workshops with them and continue the conversation.

“I was not aware that we purchased [a home] on a private way or private street,” she said. “All my documentation said that it was a public road.”

She and her husband have lived on Alden Way for about two and a half years, discovering last month that it was not an accepted public roadway. All three streets are considered private ways on the town’s list of unaccepted streets.

Crawford has since spent “quite a bit of time at Town Hall” asking questions of Green and the Planning Board as well as reviewing the minutes of Planning Board meetings covering the 11 years.

“We’ve come to realize quite a few things,” she said. “The town had to send a bond back [following one developer’s lawsuit], but I’m still a little confused about how we jumped from what I think everybody in that neighborhood thought — they lived on public roads.”

While that is the past, Crawford said the past affects now and will affect the future. In reviewing the minutes, she found that her home’s previous owners frequently attended Planning Board meetings to ask similar questions.

“It seemed nobody was listening and nobody cared,” she said. “There’s been a lot of talk about the developer not doing what he was supposed to, what the town did not do correctly, how it wasn’t rectified way back in 2011 — but I can tell you this, it is not the fault of the residents that live on that street.”

Residents are not responsible for making road repairs or fixing what was not done correctly, she said. They want to know where Select Board stands on the issue and they want some maintenance attention given to the roads.

“We don’t want to live on one of those roads that is not safe to travel on,” Crawford said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said that, while she understands the concerns and demand for road repair and maintenance, she said there are “a number of unintended consequences as a result” of any decision to do so on the town’s part.

“We’re setting a precedent,” she said. “There are a lot of private ways in Hanson and we are a town that’s struggling financially. … I think we have to figure out what is the town’s responsibility and then what is the right thing to do here.”

Select Board member Jim Hickey said that, as a board, they have to do better, and volunteered to get together with residents in an effort to find out what is needed to be done.

“Somebody dropped the ball somewhere,” he said. “So, now who’s going to pick it up?”

The town’s Highway Department does plow unaccepted streets, and grades the unaccepted dirt roads, but state Chapter 90 funds used by towns to repair public ways are not available to fund work on unaccepted streets, FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Town Planner Antonio DeFrias, who said he only had history to go by, said the development in question was approved in 1997 and the developer withdrew and completed the road, but deficiencies in that road were discovered when the developer sought road acceptance. The town hired an outside consultant to review the road.

“That company did a less than stellar job, I guess,” he said, noting that the Planning Board had refused to return the bond money because of continued deficiencies in the road, leading to the lawsuit to which Crawford referred.

“At this point, there is no bond money for this project,” he said.

Campbell said the Planning Board, over the past 10-12 years, has had changes take place over the years either through elections or resignations, leaving open the question as to whether private roads are a priority.

“This, as well as a few other projects have come up almost quarterly,” he said, explaining it was meant to keep track of deficiencies. “For everybody who lives on a private way in Hanson, or that lives on a subdivision – streets are not public ways.”

Gaining acceptance as a public way is a fairly lengthy process, Campbell added, including the need for a Town Meeting vote.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked what the deficiencies are and how they can be fixed.

A survey needs to be conducted to determine that as well as how doing the work would impact the town before the situation can be corrected, Campbell said. Problems with costs, from prevailing wage costs to actual work needed make the final cost difficult to afford.

“There’s very little that we could do without trespass or something of that nature,” he added.

There will also be hidden problems that are not visible during an assessment, officials said.

“It’s like buying used car,” DiFrias said. “You’re going to do your due diligence to see, ‘Do I want this car as is, or are there things I need to fix before I take it on?’”

He said the town could go back to Environmental Partners and use the 2019 report, paid for with $3,500 from the original bond, or ask them to do another, in-depth report now. The cost is tough to predict, but he said it would cost a couple of thousand dollars.

“I don’t see [it costing] $20,000, but I see it costing between $5,000 and $10,000,” he said.

“We’ve always used Alden Way as the exact reason for how not to build a development [road],” said Select Board member Joe Weeks, who once served on the Planning Board. “I really want to be able to help.”

But he said, the previous court decision forcing the town to return a developer’s bond, causes a concern because once the town accepts such a street, the town owns it.

“What’s clear is improvements need to be made … before the town accepts it as a public way,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett. “In order to do that, you have to look at the funding. Who’s going to fund it, the town or the people who live there?”

She expressed doubt that Town Meeting would be willing to spend the money to make acceptance possible. 

WHITMAN – Voters may be asked, at a Town Meeting this fall, to change the way the town’s treasurer-collector is chosen for that job. The position is currently an elected one, but recent developments at Town Hall have convinced acting Town Administrator Frank Lynam that it is time to consider making it an appointed office.

Treasurer-Collector MaryBeth Carter has accepted a position as a treasurer-collector in Norwell, leaving her position in Whitman on Aug. 26.

“It is going to be difficult to replace her mid-year,” said acting Town Administrator Frank Lynam, noting that it is an elected position. “I had discussed with her in the past, and most recently two days ago, in the event that she agreed to stay on, that I believe the town needs to revisit that [elected] status and go to Town Meeting and the ballot with a request to reclassify the treasurer-collector as an appointed official … so the town is able to select best-qualified candidates.”

Carter’s departure was among the staffing needs and vacancies discussed by Lynam the board at it’s Tuesday, Aug. 16 meeting.

“The treasurer’s responsibility is very significant,” Lynam said. “It invests, at various times an aggregate of $30 million and it’s important that we know the person doing that work has the proper qualifications and credentials.”

While, he wasn’t presenting it as an item to be voted this week, Lynam said Carter has recommended that former Abington treasuer-collector Thomas Connolly be appointed on an interim basis and said he and at least one member of the board should meet with Connolly to discuss the responsibilities and working conditions of the position. Board member Shawn Kain agreed to attend that meeting.

“There shouldn’t be a learning curve in this type of position – just getting to know the town,” Lynam said.

Select Board member Dr. Carl Kowalski said the board was under the understanding that she would be able to do that in time for a vote Tuesday night. Lynam said he and Kain could solidify the details of Connolly’s appointment.

“[Connolly] is an Abington resident,” Lynam said. “None of the candidates were Whitman residents, which is what would be required for an election.”

Select Board Chair Randy LaMattina noted that the board does have the power to appoint a non-resident in an interim capacity.

“He’s also worked in Duxbury and a couple other municipalities since his retirement,” LaMattina said.

Connolly had been an elected treasurer-collector in Abington, but lost his race after that town held a financial reorganization which changed that post as an appointed one, Lynam said. He has since done work in Mashpee, Hull, Duxbury and Bridgewater, as well.

Other vacancies causing concern are that of an assistant IT director, a clerk in the assessor’s office, which will be posted, a recording secretary for the Conservation Commission, a recording secretary with the Finance Committee and a custodian.

There are also two positions on the Conservation Commission also need to be filled, as well as one vacancy on the Bylaw Study Committee, two on the Capital Committee and likely another on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

“We really have an issue with getting an assistant IT director in place,” Lynam said, noting an opportunity has come up in the last couple of weeks.”

Director of Technology Steve Burke at WHRSD as left that position and Lynam is interested in talking to him.

“The challenge, of course, is going to be salary,” he said. The median salary for the position is between $80,000 and $90,000 for a systems engineer-qualified person. He and IT Director Josh MacNeil have discussed engaging Burke as a contract employee until Oct. 1, when the salary can be met within the town’s appropriation.

“This is another issue that makes me really recommend that we have a fall Town Meeting so that we can address all of these needs in a public forum,” Lynam said.

Select Board member Justin Evans agreed, noting the board had recommended a $50,000 salary and Town Meeting approved $65,000.

Kain said that Burke is very qualified and “worth the risk” of contracting with him now, even if Town Meeting doesn’t support the change. The board voted to offer the contracted post.

WHITMAN – Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman has taken a leave of absence, Select Board Chair Randy LaMattina announced after an executive session of the board on Wednesday, Aug.3.

“The town administrator is out on a leave of absence,” LaMattina confirmed Monday. “Unfortunately, I can’t say much more than that.”

He said the situation would eventually develop into less of a mystery, but for now he stressed that he was unable to say more.

The executive session, in accordance with MGL Ch. 30A sec 21A subsection 2 to conduct strategy sessions for negotiations with nonunion personnel – the town administrator – because an open session could have a detrimental effect on the town’s bargaining position.

“We need to announce the town administrator is on a leave of absence,” LaMattina said when the executive session was over. “What the board needs to do now is discuss an interim replacement in the meantime,” and entertained suggestions.

Select Board member Dr. Carl Kowalski recommended asking former Town Administrator Frank Lynam “if he could come in and help out as an acting town administrator.”

“Makes sense to me,” Select Board member Justin Evans said.

The board unanimously agreed to the suggestion, and Kowalski volunteered to make the call to Lynam.

LaMattina said Lynam started working Monday and will serve as the acting administrator on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“As far as any interruptions, we don’t foresee any,” LaMattina said. “Luckily, Frank has kept up enough, he was on the DPW Building Committee. He’s kind of kept in the know.”

The board will met in another executive session meeting Tuesday, Aug. 9.

“We will probably come out and announce we’ve come to an agreement with Frank as the acting TA,” he said. “I can’t imagine it’s going to be a very long meeting, but there’s a lot of formalities right now.”

The next regular meeting is set for Tuesday, Aug. 16.

HANSON — The owners of Hanson’s marijuana growing facility, met with the Select Board on progress toward approval of the delivery/operator license on Tuesday, July 26.

A public hearing will be scheduled on that license after the board votes to permit it.

The business currently has only a cultivation license and, while they have gone through the licensing process for manufacturing, they have not yet received that license, said co-owner Ally Greenberg.

“We’re 90 days into operation, we’re growing, and that’s really all I can say about it,” she said.

Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said that people are anxious to see revenue for the town, asking when they expect to start sending the product out.

“It is in your community agreement that the terms don’t start until we actually produce some revenue,” Ally Greenberg said. “I haven’t seen any revenue [yet], I’m just growing, still.”

Ally Greenberg said the first harvest should be in early September.

“We’ll [then] go through the testing, make sure it’s clean and hopefully get some money back to the town,” she said. “I can’t grow it fast enough.”

Ralph Greenberg said they were excited about the opportunity to be before the Select Board again as they look to create some value for both the town and their business.

“It’s a long road that we’ve started on together, and we’re at a point that cannabis is growing in our building,” he said, cautioning that the market has dropped a minimum of 50 percent since they started the permitting process.

“By the request of this delivery license that we’re looking for today, is a real opportunity for us to make money at this point,” he said. “Without that delivery license, we’ll be brokering our product to the wholesalers and that market is a very, very tough market.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said residents have been nervous about what a delivery permit would allow, noting that some townspeople were wary about the prospect of a brick-and-mortar outlet in town.

“It is clear they are passionate about this community and their operation,” Impressed LLC attorney Nicholas Gomes, with offices in New Bedford/Fall River and Boston, said. “Cultivation is the core of their business. … What they are, essentially, seeking to do is to add the delivery operator license type.”

He explained that the cultivating means the company would be allowed to warehouse and stores what they produce under their cultivation license in a safe, secure vault. The delivery/operating license would permit the business to make direct sales to consumers through delivery to their house.

Buyers are required to show proof that they are over age 21 and proper delivery procedures are in place before Impressed LLC makes a delivery to a customer’s home.

“By the numbers, the reason why this is a beneficial license for Impressed LLC and the town, is because it is allowing Impressed LLC to not just let it grow its flower and sell it to wholesale purchasers across Massachusetts,” Gomes said. 

According to Gomes, the average price for a pound of marijuana is about $2,500, while at the consumer end of the business, an ounce of marijuana is between $250 and $300 on the retail level, as opposed to about $150 wholesale. 

“The commodity is sold, of course, for a higher value [at] retail,” Gomes said. “The difference between what Impressed LLC can sell its flower for on the wholesale market, compared to what they can do on the retail market … retail is going to be at least a 50-percent markup from that wholesale value.”

The request for a delivery/operator license will permit the company to avoid a rush by consumers and the accompanying traffic concerns, mainly because they are aware of the town’s concerns about the problems by not operating a store font retail business.

“It has the bonus of allowing the town to share in the higher retail prices, while eliminating those concerns,” Gomes said. “No individuals from the public would ever come to the property of Impressed LLC — they wouldn’t be allowed in if they tried — and no walk-in purchase is available.”

He said all transactions would be via online or phone applications.

“This is a logistical business,” Gomes said. 

Gomes said it was possible that so many articles on the same Town Meeting warrant might have been confusing, and advocated placing the delivery license alone before Town Meeting again if it would clarify the issue. If the town wants to restrict deliveries to customers outside of Hanson, they can do so.

He said he does not know of any area towns that restrict deliveries within their towns, but that there are delivery companies in the Bridgewaters, the North Shore, Plymouth and areas to the west of town.

“Because we voted no on retail, that puts almost a firewall around us for anybody to deliver because that would be considered retail in Hanson,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Town Administrator Lisa Green asked if medical-use cannabis would be allowed for delivery — for homebound clients, for example. Gomes said medical use was permitted to be delivered by courier system, which is a purely delivery service that is not a manufacturer or involved in pricing.

Select Board member Ann Rein asked how the company would be able to ensure that those ordering online were of legal age.

“The benefit of the delivery process the state has come up with is numerous contact points for verification,” Gomes said. A person placing an order would be required to personally show an ID at one of the retail cannabis businesses in the state. There are also teams of two making deliveries – with one remaining in the vehicle for security – and GPS tracking as well as in-vehicle and body camera camera surveillance of delivery personnel in use.

No cash transactions would be made.

Deliveries in completely unmarked vehicles – aiming for the use of EVs and no matching vehicle fleet – would be planned logistically so delivery crews would be out most if not all of the day and not constantly be driving in and out.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if there was a cap on the amount of marijuana that could be delivered to any one location.

Gomes said a limit of a flower/ounce or 5 ounces of concentrate would be the individual limit per day.

“When it comes to this issue, you’re going to find that there’s three separate camps of folks,” Select Board Vice Chair Joe Weeks said. “You have people who don’t want marijuana in this town, you have people that absolutely want every form of it and then you have a bunch of people in the middle that want to make sure if it’s here, it’s done responsibly.”

Weeks said it was the people in the middle range of attitude that need to be communicated with in the clearest manner. He asked if there was anything that was clearly written to provide that level of security, predictability and accountability.

“Words are words until they actually become facts,” he said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed that too much was attempted at Town Meeting.

“Fiasco is the word that comes to mind,” she said. “It was just not handled well. We have learned from that and we will not make that mistake again.”

She underscored that what Weeks was looking for was facts.

Gomes said he would confer on the matter with his clients, but suggested sending a formal request to the board requesting its support, having a warrant article placed before Town Meeting and providing specific details in a memorandum format with citation to Massachusetts law and/or regulation. He said he would also provide the steps in the process in writing, too.