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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 40B

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

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

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

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

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

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

Talerman said that concern has been raised.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She indicated that the application indicates septic is in place.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He suggested an April date might be better.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Safer sidewalks

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

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

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

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

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

WHITMAN — Interim Town Administrator Lisa Green has resigned from that position as well as from her role as assistant town administrator, effective Feb. 5.

“It’s become apparent to me that there’s no growth opportunity for me here in this town,” Green said, adding she was pursuing a new opportunity. “The town has determined to go in a different direction, and I’ve determined it’s time for me to go in a different direction, as well.”

She thanked residents for giving her the honor of representing them over the past four years.

“It’s been a trip and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.

New Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman starts on Monday, Feb. 8.

“I thought that we had a lot of good work done while you were here,” said Selectman Brian Bezanson thanked her for her work. “I know that you’re going to go places and do good things.”

He was joined by Selectman Chairman Dan Salvucci, who expressed his disappointment but that it was her decision.

“I would like to [express] my feeling of regret that she is leaving, but that’s her choice. She wants to further her career and that’s her choice the way she does it,” said Salvucci.

Green had applied for the town administrator position, for which Lincoln Heineman was hired on Dec. 22.

An update to the COVID policy for town employees means new guidelines for employees pertaining to extended sick leave and travel procedures.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Jan. 19 voted to replace current protocols with the existing policy, after several procedures and state and local health regulations were incorporated. Bezanson, whose wife is a town employee, abstained.

“The policy is really a compiled policy,” said Counsel Peter Summers. “You had several different policies addressing travel, addressing workplace procedures. This was an attempt to compile everything into one policy, along with some updates based on recent guidance from the state — DPH requirements — as well as review from your emergency personnel and your health personnel in town.”

Salvucci said Police Chief Tim Hanlon had some questions pertaining to emergency situations, as well as when an employee could be released from quarantine, that have been ironed out.

Another question from Union Steward Joanne Wing of OPEIU Local 6 regarding paid administrative leave or extension of leave allowed employees in other towns. The board can address a situation where an employee might run out of sick time on a case-by-case basis, said Selectman Justin Evans. The board had considered postponing action on late adjustments, until Selectmen could take more time to review the changes.

“Nothing here seems earthshattering or that different from what we’re already doing, it’s just codified and written down,” said Evans. “I think it’s prudent to vote this and get it in the hands of our employees.”

Summers said one part does involve procedure following workplace exposure to people who have recently traveled. Close contacts required to quarantine will either be asked to work remotely by their department head or be entitled to additional paid time off.

“I think there’s a difference between someone who is quarantining after close contact vs. someone who is really sick,” Summers said.

Whitman’s COVID-19 numbers are at 148 cases in various stages of quarantine and no new cases among town employees.

“I have not had any reports of any cluster of COVID cases,” Green said.

WHITMAN — Faced with difficult choice, the Board of Selectmen in a Monday, Jan. 11 meeting, voted to indefinitely pass over closing the warrant and setting the date for a special Town Meeting this month, backing the Board of Health.

Selectman Brian Bezanson was absent.

The decision came after an angry Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, who also serves as the town’s emergency management director, criticized town employees who failed to take COVID-19 seriously and reported to work despite testing positive — and forcing the closure of two town offices.

Interim Town Administrator Lisa Green had prefaced Grenno’s report on the most recent COVID cases in town by saying, “some of them are kind of disturbing.”

“It’s very aggravating right now,” Grenno said in following up an email he had sent the board earlier in the day. “Numbers are on the rise, we’re seeing anywhere from 10 to 20 new cases a day in this community. It is not a hoax, as some people may think it is — it’s real.”

He said that, for a second time in as many weeks a town office had to be shut down, “because an employee went to work sick.” Last week, the collector’s office had to be closed and the DPW office is now closed because of a single employee in each office.

“This board has instructed town employees several times, as far as I know, that if you’re sick — if you don’t feel good, if you have a headache, if you have a sore throat — stay home,” he said. “But for some reason, ignorance plays out, and people just go to work.”

Grenno said he is passionate about the pandemic and asked Selectmen to consider the need to discipline employees who knowingly go to work ill and create a cluster of COVID infections.

“We’re a year into this, it’s not rocket science,” he said.

Grenno spoke of a conversation he had Monday with a DPW superintendent who has been doing everything right — staying away from friends, going on hikes with his wife away from other people and avoiding all other social interactions — yet he now has to quarantine for seven days because a coworker reported to work despite being ill.

“It’s pretty tiring and pretty aggravating, and it’s very irresponsible of the town employees who are doing this,” Grenno said. “They need to be held accountable.”

While Selectman Randy LaMattina said the town’s out-of-state travel policy for town employees needs to be updated, for the time-being that type of travel should not be allowed. He also firmly stands by a 10-day quarantine, mirroring the state’s policy.

Massachusetts has reached the “severe outbreak” status for the first time during the pandemic on Monday, Jan. 11,  according to data tracking nonprofit COVID Act Now.

“At this point, this is about minimizing risk, minimizing exposure,” LaMattina said. “There’s acceptable risk, and then there’s some that we don’t have to put ourselves out there for. … The increase we’re seeing is tremendous.”

In fire and law enforcement services, there is now about triple the number of cases than in the spring.

“We can help this problem,” LaMattina said. “Helping the problem is getting strong on the problem, and that’s what we need to do.”

A policy update is expected to be ready for a vote at the next meeting.

COVID vaccinations will begin to be administered to fire crews on Wednesday. Vaccinations for the town’s at-risk population will be set up at Housing Authority and some other sites during the winter and spring, with residents asked to consult their primary care physicians, pharmacies or other sources offerint the vaccine, until the general population is scheduled for a drive-through vaccination effort.

“Even if you’re vaccinated, you may still spread it,” Selectman Dr. Carl Kowalski and Grenno stressed.

Town meeting

COVID considerations were also behind the postponement of the special Town Meeting planned for later this month.

“I do not want to take away from anything on the Town Meeting warrant,” LaMattina said. “I think it’s all necessary. … I oppose having this strictly out of safety concerns.”

But, he noted, the Board of Health does not recommend holding the Town Meeting at this time, stating it is too dangerous for public health.

Selectmen Chairman Daniel Salvucci suggested that, if the DPW thinks to force main issues will not lead to a sewer main break this winter, the issue could go before the May Town Meeting.

“My fear is that we have a major break and we put contaminated material in neighborhoods,” Salvucci said, adding that Brockton may also fine the town.

“We’re talking about a sewer leak as opposed to gathering a group of people together, starting an event that gets several people sick and you have somebody die,” LaMattina said. “There is no life that you can equate to me in dollars.”

DPW Commissioner Kevin Cleary said he would have no issue with a postponement outside the fear of the unknown, and suggested reaching out to state and local conservation officials if there were questions.

“It’s not dealing with the unknown, it’s the risk of the known that I’m worried about,” Kowalski said.

TA contract

The meeting opened with an executive session during which the board conducted a strategy session regard to a three-year contract offered to new Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman. They returned to open session to approve the contract and announce he would begin work on Monday, Feb. 8.

“The salary is consistent with market values,” Kowalski said. “We have gone over all the terms of the contract and voted positively for it in executive session.”

The public vote formalized the approval.

WHITMAN – The Board of Selectmen made a groundbreaking hire and heard a sobering update on COVID-19 in town during its first meeting of the New Year on Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Veteran Sara Lansing, who served nine years in the National Guard out of Hingham, was named as Whitman’s new Veterans’ Services Officer following interviews with her and applicants James Murphy and Brian Richards. East Bridegwater Veteran’s Agent Chris Buckley, who has been helping Whitman veterans during the absence of a VSO, conducted the interviews for the board.

The interviews and vote followed a sobering COVID update from Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Timothy Grenno.

He reported 110 new cases of coronavirus over the past 14 days, bringing the number of positive cases — and contact tracing cases likely to become positive — in town to “well over 300.”

“We’re pretty much at a critical standpoint,” Grenno said. The 10.24 percent positivity rating from two weeks ago is now up to 10.5 percent and is expected to climb higher this week as town health officials await post-New Year’s Eve numbers.

“I can tell you that our local hospitals are all at surge capacity,” he said. “They’re transferring patients out every day, just to try to make room for new patients coming in.”

The patients his department is seeing are “very sick patients” as they are transferring more COVID-positive patients now than they were in the first wave.

“There’s no light at the end of the tunnel right now until we get past this next surge,” Grenno said. “In the fire service, we say that a smoke detector is your first line of defense for a house fire, well, in COVID your first line of defense is a facial covering.”

Grenno also addressed those who may believe the pandemic is a hoax.

“There’s a lot of non-believers out there,” he said. “I would suggest … they should go visit an ICU or CCU right now, because more and more people are dying every day. … It’s not good out there.”

The 22-year-old nephew of one of Grenno’s firefighters is in critical condition with COVID in an area ICU right now.

Grenno also asked Selectmen for four specific actions to better handle the pandemic, which the board approved:

• Authorization to hire a temporary, part-time administrative assistant to help with documentation, scheduling and reporting of all vaccination programs, funded by federal CARES funds;

• Appoint one Selectmen to serve as fiduciary authority, working with the treasurer/collector and Grenno for future CARES expenditures and any further stimulus funding. Selectman Randy LaMattina volunteered to serve in that capacity;

• Bring candidates on board to assist the Board of Health with procedures and Chairman Dan Salvucci suggested the Recreation office be used for now; and

• Return to the spring policy of no in-person inspections, outside training, extensive modifications of response policies, and closing the fire station to public access during this phase of the pandemic.

Grenno also said other town department heads should review their operations and ensure buildings are basically locked down and staff wear masks at all times.

Selectman Justin Evans also suggested that unused meeting rooms could be used for Town Hall staff to space out for safety during the pandemic.

“COVID is everywhere in town right now,” Grenno said. “The biggest thing is facial coverings. … We’re our own worst enemies. Quite frankly, if anyone gets up from their desk and leaves their workspace they should have a face covering on.”

Veterans’ Agent

Candidates were asked to outline their understanding of the veterans’ benefits provided under MGL Ch. 115, and their personal experience which would assist them in serving as VSO.

Lansing had been deployed with her National Guard transportation unit in 2002-03 and has since been very active in the Duxbury American Legion. She is a past commander of the post and still an active member for the past 10 years.

Under her leadership the post went from struggling to among the top 20 in the state.

“I love working with veterans,” Lansing said. “I’m not currently working and I go visit veterans in Duxbury that are alone at home and just want somebody to talk to.”

She stressed that she would explain the appeal process if veterans are turned down for Ch. 115 assistance, as well as options through other avenues. She demonstrated her familiarity with the disability claims process and how she would manage the office budget.

When asked about how she would organize her day, Lansing said much of it would involve reaching out to veterans and organizing people who like to work together with the Legion and VFW to take care of veterans that need help.

“Once you’re in the military, you become part of a family,” she said.

Lansing is proficient in all Microsoft applications as well as QuikBooks, a level of comfort with technology neither Murphy or Richards claimed.

“I can learn almost any program on a computer,” she said. “If allowed, I would probably start a Facebook page for Veterans’ Services and I would do mailings [about events].”

She expressed a willingness to put in extra time, if needed, to catch up with back any paperwork.

In discussing their vote, Selectmen asked Buckley, Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green and Selectman Brian Bezanson, who formed the search panel, for their input.

Green said Lansing would be a good choice for Whitman.

“All three candidates are outstanding,” Buckley said. “If you’re asking me, as far as a full spectrum, I believe Sara would be a good candidate.”

Bezanson agreed, noting any of the three would be a good choice.

“I’ve always thought someone who works in town and lives in town gives them some skin in the game, however, I think Sara would be a good choice here,” he said.

Selectmen Justin Evans and LaMattina agreed.

“She impressed me,” LaMattina said. “But I also thought Mr. Murphy was good, too.

Selectman Dr. Carl Kowalski said it was a tough choice.

“I don’t think we could go wrong with any of the three candidates,” he said. “Sara is a breath of fresh air.”

An accountant for more than 30 years, Murphy has been the finance officer for the Legion and Sons of the American Legion in Whitman. He stressed his activity on parade committees and toll booth fundraisers as well as with the Marine Corps League. He also noted the photos of veterans events he has had published in the Express.

Richards has worked as a heating contractor and has experience with the VA claims process and has done budgeting as president of the Massasoit Veterans’ Club and a radio club he has belonged to.

As surrounding towns of Abington, Rockland and Bridgewater-Raynham have had to return to fully remote learning due to COVID-19 spikes in their communities, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak is working to keep W-H on it’s hybrid plan

“Honestly and truly we’re kind of hanging on by our fingertips and toes right now to try and stay in school,” Szymaniak reported to the School Committee during its Wednesday, Dec. 16 meeting. “Last week, the numbers were pretty high, we’ve leveled off a little bit.”

Members Christopher Scriven and Fred Small attended the meeting via phone. Small has been doing so for a few months and Scriven was ill.

Another member David Forth was absent, and quarantining after a possible exposure to the coronavirus.

There were 29 positive students from Dec. 9 to 16, according to Szymaniak — 20 of those became positive while in quarantine as many of the positive cases are among siblings. Seven staff members tested positive during that same period.

There were 142 students and 21 staff were in various stages of illness between Dec. 1 and 16. Many of those have tested out and completed quarantine.

Lead Nurse Lisa Tobin is required to report the number of student in a building the past seven days, but the district tracks the students who have already been in quarantine. There have been no teacher-to-student transmissions, Szymaniak said.

The district was shut down for snow removal during the Thursday, Dec. 17 storm so students in the Friday cohort could be at school before the planned switch to all-remote on Dec. 21 and 22 as a dry-run to see how it will work if needed later.

Szymaniak said he has spoken with both boards of health and reported that officials in Whitman and Hanson are concerned with social interactions over Christmas break.

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro reported W-H is among the 68 percent of Massachusetts schools meeting 35-hour time-on-learning standards during hybrid learning.

“We are fine for all the models we are using,” he said.

Athletic Director Bob Rodgers said there has not been a single transmission of COVID through sports participation so far this year. Parents will be allowed to attend home games, but because of crowd restrictions all Patriot League games will be streamed online.

Szymaniak said he has met with the Whitman Finance Committee and that the fiscal 2022 budget picture is still unclear.

“We don’t have direction from the Commonwealth yet, from the governor’s office to the Board of Education to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,” he said. “We’re all hanging out there in limbo.”

He said he is not the only superintendent with that frustration.

Szymaniak also told the FinCom the district does not plan to complicate things financially by adding, or adding back, programs.

“I don’t feel it’s the time,” he said. “We still don’t know what school is going to look like next year.”

Neither a new no-cost all-day kindergarten program or a return of middle school foreign language is planned for the coming year.

Transportation issues are also unclear.

Giving back

WHRHS Principal Dr. Christopher Jones presented the proceeds of the National Honor Society’s 11th annual Miles for Meals 5K and one-mile walk. The event, held virtually on Oct. 31 this year, raised $2,190 through Go Fund Me as participants were encouraged to walk/run the event in costume and share photos on social media.

“This is another wonderful thing that happens here at Whitman-Hanson,” Hayes said, suggesting that more advance publicity of such and event could help raise more donations.

“That’s a teacher and a group, during COVID, coming together and thinking outside the box to make sure we’re still taking care of our community. You’re seeing that in every school. They’re doing things differently.”

The WHRHS Key Club has also just completed a toy drive.

“There’s a lot of giving going on, a lot of charity,” Jones said. “The creativity that’s going on for people to get around the traditional face-to-face type of things is fantastic to see, and shows the spirit of giving that these kids have — and the type of community service that they’re displaying — isn’t just something for show.”

Committee member Dawn Byers also commended the WHRHS Panther’s Den store, which has converted its holiday sales to online shopping.

She and Jones stressed the effort is led by the Visual Merchandising students.

“The class set that up and set up a website to do virtual merchandising instead of out of the store and now they have curbside pickup,” he said.

WHITMAN — Fire Chief Timothy Grenno expressed concern to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Dec. 15 about “the perfect storm brewing” around the impact of a firefighter’s job-related injury and the overall impact of COVID-19 on the department’s budget.

Grenno asked for the board’s discretion and advice on how they wished him to proceed with the budgeting issue, as he forecast that he is looking at another $40,000 to $50,000 in costs if the injured firefighter is out as long as doctors have suggested.

“It’s only going to get worse,” he predicted. “Over the last several years, we’ve trimmed our budgets, and trimmed our budgets to maintain what we can maintain.”

The firefighter may require surgery and will be out three to four months, Grenno said. One of the budget lines cut has been on the Injured on Duty (IOD) line.

Typically funded at $50,000 per year, it was funded at $20,000 for the current fiscal year and is now at -$1,534.

“I don’t have the budget money to continue to cover that person, which would result in me running short,” Grenno said. “We’re in the middle of a major pandemic — my guys are seeing COVID cases and suspected COVID cases everyday.”

The COVID ambulance has made 59 runs already, he said, noting the department runs six-person shifts generally because of the demand for service.

Board Chairman Dan Salvucci if there was any way funds could be transferred into the IOD account at the Wednesday, Jan. 27 special Town Meeting.

Interim Town Administrator Lisa Green said she has passed the issue to the town accountant so he could look at some different line items where money could be transferred. She expected a report by Wednesday, Dec. 16 and that he had already suggested the streetlights and non-mandated busing lines as possible sources. Articles will be added to the special Town Meeting warrant, Green said.

Grenno also expressed concern that the CARES Act funding source dries up Dec. 30 unless it is extended. The department has spent $48,000 in COVID-related overtime to date.

“If, on Dec. 31, I have a shift exposed and I have to quarantine guys for seven days or whatever, one shift is a little over $7,100, two shifts is $15,000, and that’s me,” he said, adding he was not sure about the Police Department’s overtime numbers. “If I start to lose people I don’t have the money to back-fill those shifts.”

He added that the fall COVID issues are “magnified by 300” over levels seen in the spring.

“My big concern is, next week is Christmas, and then we have New Years, and no one is sure what is going to go on after that, and if I lose a shift, we’re facing big problems,” Grenno said. “We don’t know what COVID is going to do to us this winter.”

He said the Board of Health also asked him to speak about their budget problems. One of the board’s temps is paid with CARES Act money and, if they don’t receive continued funding after Dec. 30, it will be “extremely difficult” to perform COVID recording and contact tracing.

Green said, unfortunately she sees no change coming in federal financial policy until the new administration takes office.

Selectman Randy LaMattina advocated developing a COVID line at the special Town Meeting to prevent continuing needs for transferring funds.

“I would hate to make a decision right now, that we’re going to decide that our Fire Department is going to ride short-shift during a pandemic,” LaMattina said. “That’s a Town Meeting decision.”

Salvucci agreed, saying left-over funds after the pandemic can be used to back-fill other accounts.

Green was asked to discuss such a line item on the special Town Meeting.

Vaccine update

Grenno also offered more details about the town’s drive-through vaccination plans for Whitman Middle School, starting with the Phase 3 round of vaccines. The vaccinations would be for Whitman residents only, he said explaining that the Mass Dept. of Public Health as said each community will receive its own supply of vaccine.

He said the state reached out about an updated plan about a month ago because they do not want indoor vaccine operations.

“The plan has been updated and we’re good to go,” Grenno said. “We’re about to sign off on an agreement with Brockton Hospital, which is going to store the vaccine for us. … Everything is still up in the air on the vaccination program.”

He noted that DPH has not yet firmed up its dispersal plans outside of health care providers.

Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored at -86 F and can only be out of the freezer for two hours, limiting the number of doses available at a time and slowing the process, according to Grenno.

Johnson & Johnson is nearing the release of a vaccine that does not require storage at freezing temperatures.

“There’s a lot up in the air,” Grenno said. “Logistically, we’re set — we’re ready to go — if they came out tomorrow and said, ‘We want you to vaccinate your senior population in town, then we could do that, but I don’t expect to see that until probably late April or early May.”

Whitman already has 34 nurse volunteers signed up to administer the vaccine and firefighters are now in talks about their role. Whitman Fire has purchased 400 rapid tests and has contracted with Professional Ambulance in Cambridge to help with testing procedures and testing of town employees could begin next week, should any become exposed to COVID-19 and develop signs and symptoms.

Faster test results could reduce quarantine times and lower overtime costs, according to Grenno.

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Dec. 8 voted to approve revised language in the solicitation of quotes for a de-regionalization feasibility study.

The board asked Town Administrator John Stanbrook to obtain three quotes for the work.

“I’m trying to get some feedback on what you think,” Stanbrook said. “Do you want me to include more [specifications], do you want me to take things out? It’s pretty much discussion time.”

Selectman Wes Blauss said the proposal looked good to him, but said he was curious about how three bids could be found.

Requirements that bidders demonstrate proof of work on prior school de-regionalization studies — including work on five in the last five years, and a list of three districts served in the Commonwealth — were also questioned by Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.

“I’m just not really sure that many people have done de-regionalization studies,” she said. “I just didn’t want to hamstring ourselves. Clearly, we want somebody to demonstrate that they’ve done this before … but I would ask maybe asking the board to maybe put a little bit of flexible language in there so we don’t hamstring ourselves and don’t end up with nobody applying.”

Selectman Matt Dyer suggested amending the wording to reflect that preference would be given to firms demonstrating such a track record, rather than requiring it of all applicants. The board agreed.

Bids would be opened with the aim of awarding a contract on Jan. 8, 2021. A preliminary report for any contracted firm would be due by May 1, which raised questions about whether that provides sufficient time for a final report by June 30.

“We don’t want to extend the date and then have someone say, ‘Great, we’ve got seven months, we can take our time with this,” Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell said. “We want to create a sense of urgency with this.”

Mitchell said any need for deadline extensions could involve an application process of its own.

Selectman Jim Hickey reminded the board that voters would have to be fully informed of the results by Town Meeting.

Selectmen also approved an Eagle Scout project proposed by Troop 68 Scout T.J. Woodward to improve parking and develop a trail at Poor Brook Meadow nature trail, property the town acquired through Community Preservation fund and has not done much with, according to FitzGerald-Kemmett.

“It’s pretty much an undeveloped area,” Woodward agreed.

The land, near Hanson Grain, has a partially developed trail. Woodward proposed to square up the parking area, clean everything up, placing a trail kiosk in a designated location, and develop a one to 1.5-mile trail for the area, pinpointing nature and historic features along the loop trail.

Woodward, a carpentry student at South Shore Tech, plans to build the kiosk there.

“People really haven’t been able to enjoy the property, so this is fabulous,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, asking about how the trail will traverse wet areas.

Woodward said it was very dry during walk-throughs, but said it is apparent there are potentially wet areas.

“We’re trying to go around most of them, but if I have to — based on where the trail is routed — we’ll put up to three land bridges to go over those areas,” he said.

Fundraising will center on bottle and can drives and monetary donations.

WHITMAN — Whitman-Hanson Middle School will be set up as a COVID-19 vaccination center, according to a report on WBZ-TV Channel 4 Wednesday, Dec. 2. Volunteers are being sought to help staff the station and people will be receiving robocalls notifying them of when it is their turn to get the shot.

Fire Chief Timothy Grenno said the desigation was made during the H1N1 epidemic several years ago under a request from the Department of Public Health. About a month ago the DPH asked for modifications to the plans to make them drive-through.

“The Middle School has always been our spot,” he said. “They want us to be ready and be prepared, so that’s what we did and we sent out a press release for nurse volunters to help us staff it, and we’re getting a pretty good response.”

Access and traffic flow as well as remote learning days work well with the state’s requirements, according to Grenno.

Whitman is currently back in the red zone with 62 positives out of 1,228 tests (a 5.5 positivity rate) and Hanson has 33 positives out of 789 (a 4.18 positivity rate) for the week of Nov. 19-26.

Whitman cleared one of it’s three clusters last week, with two remaining, including one at Christo’s, which will remain closed until Dec. 11.

“We’re looking for volunteers right now who want to step up and be a big help,” Interim Town Administrator Lisa Green told the station. The centers will operate in the same manner as drive-through testing sites do now.

Gov. Charlie Baker said, in accordance with CDC guidelines, the focus will first be on high-risk individuals such as health care workers, nursing home staffs and first responders. Those shots could be available as early as next week and it could take until March to inoculate health care workers, according to the report, with the general population not able to receive it until spring.

COVID is also causing some changes to the upcoming special Town Meeting in January.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Dec. 1, voted to change the special Town Meeting quorum from the usual 150 to 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and hold it in the Performing Arts Center at WHRHS.

“Under the new regulations that the governor announced back in early November, there was a question of whether public settings fell under the new ‘no more than 10 indoors’ [regulation],” said Green. She said it appeared that public government meetings appeared to still cap off at 25 people.

Gov. Baker’s COVID regulations allow towns to reduce town meeting quorums to as low as 10 percent of what town bylaws otherwise require.  Green, however, expressed concern about the effect such a drastic cut would have on important business such as the sewer force main replacement, especially in view of the fact that the Selectmen, Finance Committee and DPW Commissioners would also have to attend.

She advocated placing any reduction at no lower than 25, although she noted that East Bridgewater has eliminated their quorum requirement.

Town Clerk Dawn Varley would have to submit any reduction request to the Attorney General’s office for approval within 10 days.

Town Moderator Michael Seele said he had no objection to the reduction request, but asked what the procedure would be if more than 100 showed up.

“It doesn’t seem likely that we’d get 100 people, but you never know,” Seele said.

Chairman Dan Salvucci said the gymnasium is not likely to be available due to school activities, but Green said it would be free for an early evening session on a Saturday.

Selectman Justin Evans said technical link-ups to other rooms could help if a larger turnout occurred. Right now, Wednesday evenings, Jan. 6, 13, 20 or 27 are now being considered for scheduling. The town has until Dec. 23 to schedule a specific Town Meeting date.

Selectman Randy LaMattina favored pushing it to Jan. 27 out of concern over the recent up-tick in COVID-19 cases in town.

“Sixty days seems like an eternity considering what’s going on with COVID,” he said.

Salvucci questioned whether a four-article Town Meeting warrant required the presence of town counsel, since besides the force main, there are only unpaid bills to be voted. Town counsel is only available on Wednesday evenings during the week, but can also attend a Saturday session. Both he and Evans expressed concern about giving the DPW enough time to bid out the project in the spring.

Selectmen also discussed the burgeoning problem towns and school districts are seeing in fraudulent unemployment claims related to COVID-19. The board approved Green’s request to contract with Unemployment Tax Management Corp., to help keep up with the work.

“We’ve been inundated,” Green said. “They’re coming in in droves, and I was finding that trying to keep up with the numerous requests and paperwork required … I couldn’t keep up with it.”

The state can levy fines if paperwork is processed late. Towns have three days to deal with the notices. Green reached out to East Bridgewater for advice and was told they used UTM, which is also working with Abington and the W-H School District, among other entities being similarly victimized by the fraud. The corporation handles all paperwork (online), appeals, protests, other legal activity and auditing involved in the process. The service would cost Whitman $695 per quarter, Green said.

“For everything that they’re going to provide, it’s really something I strongly recommend that we do,” she said.