The School Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 18 supported the school district’s hybrid learning format in the face of what Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak termed confusion over Gov. Baker’s change of school reopening policy.

The committee agreed to wait until after the December break to make any decision about remote learning based on what data Szymaniak can amass on the potential impact of the proposed changes in that time.

The district will be reactivating its COVID team, as well, to look at the realistic feasibility of bringing students back to school full-time.

Baker urged a move to all in-person education “if feasible” for districts in lower-risk communities moved Szymaniak to ask the Committee to support the hybrid model. He noted some parents have already been abusive over the phone with district staff.

“We want to get our kids back in, but I also want to make sure they’re safe when they’re here and our teachers are safe,” Szymaniak said, noting Baker must determine if remote instruction will be offered at all next year.

“The biggest thing that we’re talking about is feasibility,” Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said. “That’s the question that’s out there in society right now.”

To meet the governor’s urging, evidence is needed that social distancing of less than six feet in school and on buses, is needed, according to Szymaniak.

Ferro noted that the district bus capacity is now 24 students on a 72-passenger bus.

“Their seat is still theirs,” Ferro said in response to Committee member Michael Jones’ question of what to do about families who sign a child up for bus transportation at the start of the school year, but don’t use it. “Whether they take it or not, as a regional school district, we really don’t have a say.”

Ferro said the district may also anticipate a shortage of drivers if COVID causes more illness and assigned seating makes contact tracing easier if a student falls ill.

Committee member Christopher Howard agreed with Szymaniak and Ferro’s approach, but said parents who have changed their mind about sending their child to school on the bus should advise the school district as soon as possible so their child’s seat can be reassigned.

Committee member Dan Cullity said the governor is “way off on this.” While Cullity favors full-time in-person school it is not feasible nor is it logisitically or financially possible right now.

“The governor’s own words were: Every district is going to be different,” Committee member Fred Small agreed. Small pointed to New York City’s announcement that all schools went to remote Nov. 18 this week after a 3 percent positivity rate in COVID tests. Hanson’s is 2.78 percent and Whitman is at 4.71 percent.

There are things at school — like hand-washing reinforcement and easier contact tracing — that is keeping kids safe, said Committee member Hillary Kniffen, who is a teacher, but students are also in the groove of a routine with hybrid instruction right now.

Placing desks at closer than six feet would require the purchase and daily cleaning of Plexiglas dividers and safety must be taken into account, placing accurate contact tracing at risk.

“I like Gov. Baker and I’ve agreed with a lot of what he’s done, but to give a blanket statement that’s going to direct what we do is a challenge for me,” Szymaniak said. “The safety piece for me is huge. The mixed message around three and six feet, educationally … that doesn’t sync when you’re trying to teach a child safety protocols.”

Logistics also present a problem for a district with 13 trailers stuffed with furniture cleared from rooms to accommodate Baker’s six-feet guideline. Facilities Director Ernest Sandland has estimated it would take 1,000 man hours to switch back.

Thanksgiving

Szymaniak also outlined the school district’s holiday travel policy.

Students and staff who planned travel over Thanksgiving to non-low-risk states “and I don’t know if there are any anymore in the country,” must quarantine for 14 days or provide a negative COVIS-19 test administered 72 hours before arrival back in Massachusetts before being allowed to return to school, Szymaniak reported. School Committee member Fred Small participated in the meeting remotely via telephone.

The test must be an FDA/EU-approved molecular PCR test, rather than a rapid test. The alternative is to obtain the test after returning to Massachusetts and quarantining until after obtaining a negative result.

One staff member recently ran into a complication with travel when New York was removed from the low-risk state list over the Nov. 14-15 weekend.

“I anticipate some people traveling,” Szymaniak said. “I anticipate some issues after Thanksgiving.”

He said that, while some districts are mandating quarantines, W-H is not doing so, but rather is hoping people respect the guidelines.

“I hope people are smart,” he said, noting a discussion with students on the issue led to his being asked to remind the public that little kids must still wear masks for dance or karate classes and other activities outside school.

“The second [message] was there are parties going on in Whitman and Hanson,” Szymaniak said. “There are large social gatherings at people’s homes with parents that they are allowed to have. ‘Can you please tell them to knock it off.’”

Students asked him to remind people to be smart about COVID because they want to come to school.

Large social gatherings in Scituate and Cohasset have led to schools returning to all-remote learning for two weeks.

Szymaniak reported there are three students now quarantining in the district and four had tested positive between Nov. 4 and 18.

There were 65 students in “various stages of quarantine” during those two weeks. And two staff members were positive during that period, with one still under quarantine.

Since the start of the school year, 22 students and three staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, Szymaniak said. There were a total of 122 students and 36 staff who had to be quarantined at some point, due to close contact with others testing positive or awaiting test results. Staff quarantines included pre-travel quarantines and those awaiting test results.

“Kids want to be in school,” Szymaniak. “I’m just asking people to do the right thing.”

There are already 521 students in remote learning by parental choice throughout the district, which averages between $2,500 and $5,000 per pupil if the district had to pay for the program.

“My concern is more parents are going to choose to move to remote, if we move to an in-person model, and we won’t be able to afford that,” Szymaniak said. There are 3,583 students who attend classes on in-person days within school buildings now, along with 38 out-of-district students.

Last year there were 33 home school students in Whitman and Hanson. In 2021 there are 96 signed up.

“I’m hoping some parents see, as we turn the corner, if we’ve contained [COVID] in our hybrid model,” he said. “There’s no student-to-student contact in terms of positive cases in the school yet.”

Szymaniak said he is hopeful the hybrid model has helped with that. Cases in the district have centered on a youth hockey cluster and a birthday party involving remote students or parents had tested positive.

HANSON — The Hanson De-Regionalization Feasibility Committee has voted to disband because its mission to investigate the possibility of dissolving the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District is beyond its capacity.

The Board of Selectmen heard the decision as part of an update on the committee’s work during its Tuesday, Nov. 17 meeting at which they authorized Town Administrator John Stanbrook to explore the cost of hiring a consulting firm to take over the work.

“While we have very skilled, passionate and dedicated people on this committee that have been working tirelessly, the intricacies of a valid feasibility study are beyond our varied skill set, especially when acquiring the necessary data has become difficult and, at times, impossible,” committee member Kim McCoy read from a letter from the panel, which has been meeting since Sept. 23.

The committee has recommended that Selectmen hire an unbiased consulting firm that would have more authority to obtain the information needed to make a legally, fiscally and educationally informed decision.

“After facing multiple roadblocks in obtaining the necessary documents to prepare financial reports and other analysis, and after analyzing the level of detail in the East Brookfield feasibility study — which is a 27-page document — it’s become apparent that our volunteer, part-time, citizen group is not equipped for a task of this complexity,” McCoy read from the letter. “There are too many components that have to be considered in order to make an informed recommendation about de-regionalization for a group such as ours.”

The committee has “reviewed various documents and brainstormed ideas of what information and documents we would need” to fulfill its mission of making a data-driven decision on whether it makes sense for Hanson to split from the district.

They acquired some documents from the district, but the information was not complete enough to form a “full picture,” of the cost of educating Hanson students within the district according to McCoy.

The committee was also unable to obtain Pembroke’s feasibility study involved in successful de-regionalization efforts. It was able to obtain that paperwork from East Brookfield, however.

“Please know the committee is not making this recommendation lightly and without a heavy heart,” McCoy read.

The committee also pointed to the audit of the school district Hanson and Whitman have funded as a source of important information, but Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett questioned how much information from it would be useful and how much a consulting firm would cost the town.

Selectmen Jim Hickey said he would approach Stanbrook to issue either an RFP or obtain at lease three bids. Hickey was the Selectmen’s representative on the De-Regionalization Feasibility Committee.

“These people [on the committee] are dedicated and we’re trying, but the last two times that it actually worked was in East Brookfield and in Pembroke, and they both had [consulting] firms that did this,” Hickey said, estimating the cost of the entire process would run in the millions of dollars. “For seven people, no matter how dedicated they are and how much time they put in, we just can’t give it what it deserves.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the decision makes sense because the volunteers have full-time jobs and lives, suggesting the consulting firm could work with the de-regionalization committee.­­­­

“Know we know what we don’t know,” she said.

McCoy reported that the Pembroke consulting firm is no longer in business, but the firm East Brookfield used is and the committee has reviewed its website.

“You guys still may be needed if we’re ever able to hire a firm,” Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell said.

Hickey said the approval process is too far away after that to venture any guesses.

“We just want to get a price on what it’s going to cost,” he said. “These guys are champing at the bit just to get answers.”

WHITMAN — COVID restrictions on public gatherings have motivated Whitman officials to consider lowering town meeting quorum during their Tuesday, Nov. 10 meeting.

Hanson had done the same for its special Town Meeting in October, lowering their quorum to 25 voters who met physically distanced in the gymnasium.

“Due to COVID, we would like to follow what other towns have done,” said interim Town Administrator Lisa Green. “We were hoping to pull something together and have this for December, however, [according to Chapter 92 of the Special Act of 2020 centering on COVID] in order to consider adjusting the special Town Meeting quorum … Selectmen need to publish seven days before the vote or when the discussion takes place, of adjusting the quorum.”

The Town Clerk must also report the adjusted quorum vote to the Attorney General, who must approve it.

Selectmen will be discussing an adjustment to the special Town Meeting quorum at the Dec. 1, meeting. Town Moderator, Michael Seele will be consulted and with his approval will prescribe the number of voters necessary to constitute a quorum for the special Town Meeting to be held in January 2021 regarding the DPW force main project, according to Green.

Under its by-law, Whitman requires 150 voters for a Special Town Meeting.  The Governor’s March 10 declaration of a state emergency allows a town to act “by a vote of its Board of Selectmen to lower a quorum that is less than the number that would be required by law, town by-law or town charter. The number of voters necessary to constitute a quorum shall not be less than 10 percent of the number that would otherwise be required,” Green stated.

“Where the governor just lowered the COVID restrictions and the number of people you want in a room, I don’t think we should move forward with 150 people for a special Town Meeting,” said Selectman Justin Evans. “I don’t think there’s much more to discuss than that.”

That guideline is currently no more than 10 people within a space and the town is not certain that includes town meetings, according to Green. No motions by Selectmen were required.

During her COVID update, Green noted that as of Nov. 10 there were 15 new positive cases in Whitman. The week before there were 39.

“We are still designated as high-risk, still in the red,” she said. She also reported hearing at a regional meeting that Brockton has 463 new cases as of Nov. 10 with a total of 5,615 and 306 deaths.

“Right now, the virus is running rampant in Brockton,” Green said. “The positive tests are now in the 20-to-40-year-old age groups … the deaths are in the 76 to 90 range.”

The spike among younger people is attributed to parties and a failure to take it seriously.

“Fortunately, it’s not spilling over to Whitman,” she said.

In other business, power outages related to traffic lights at routes 14 and 18 were discussed during a joint meeting between Selectmen and the DPW commissioners.

Parks and Highways Superintendent Bruce Martin said outages have been frequent and, on occasion, of long duration and asked for a letter from Selectmen and/or the DPW commissioners to MassDOT requesting some kind of back up system at that intersection.

Salvucci asked, and Green agreed, for a letter from the town to that effect, which Selectmen and the commissioners can all sign onto.

“The last outage, I believe, was approximately 12 hours,” he said.

MassDOT was contacted in the middle of the night for assistance and could offer none, he added. All the DPW could do was place stop signs on traffic barrels and illuminate the intersection with a light tower in an adjacent parking lot.

“[It was] very unsafe with high speeds going north and southbound on Route 18,” Martin said. “It’s just not a very good situation.”

The DPW reached out to MassDOT engineer currently working on the project the next day to ask if battery backups were available to automatically make the lights flash red.

“We were told there currently wasn’t anything like that in service in the state and that was pretty much the end of it,” Martin said of the state highway intersection that is not maintained or controlled by the town DPW. “We plan on continuing on doing what we have to do to make it a safe as possible during these frequent power outages up there.”

There are systems powered by either batteries or solar, available, according to Commissioner Kevin Cleary.

There are currently 31 students and staff in quarantine for COVID-19 by either Whitman, Hanson health boards, or the boards of health where teachers live, but no decision is being made right now on the future of hybrid learning.

There have been 12 positive student cases and one positive in the district so far, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak reported to the School Committee at the Wednesday, Oct. 21 meeting.

“As of this week, we have 35 students coming out of quarantine and they all — or a large majority — were in a hockey cluster,” he said. “We’ve had zero transmission within the district. Our kids are abiding by the rules that we’ve set forward with the boards of health, with the Mass. Department of Public Health. We’re doing the right things.”

Szymaniak stressed there have been zero transmissions within the school district, and voiced frustration about color-coded risk assessments for communities issued by the (DPH).

He said he would look to the boards of health to make recommendations on whether or not students should stay in school if both towns in the district end up in the red zone.

“It’s not going to be a lone decision on my part,” Szymaniak said. “If they close us, it’s their decision.
He stressed he does not think a decision will be made without input from the regional school district. He is also concerned about the impact of surrounding districts — where some of W-H’s teachers reside — going to remote learning and their own children have no place to go while they are teaching here.

Szymaniak said he has conferred with area superintendents and all are now of the mind that schools are not affected as they are cleaner and safer than they have ever been.

There is a remote plan set to go if it is needed, however, he said.

“The concern I have is the state map,” he said. “We know Hanson went into the red last week, Whitman was in yellow last week.” Based on numbers reported after Columbus Day weekend, Szymaniak anticipates Whitman will also soon be in the red.

“What does that mean?” Szymaniak said, noting he issued a letter to parents and staff last week saying that just because the towns are in the red, doesn’t mean school will be interrupted.

Gov. Baker’s guidance of going to remote after three weeks in the red, has been followed by a contradictory message from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that decisions should be based on internal data — not just on whether a town is in the red area.

“Right now, we have one week in the red in Hanson and we are a district,” he said, explaining that, if Hanson stays in the red it is almost like Whitman students are also in the red. “We’re not going to say to the Whitman kids, ‘Come to school,’ and the Hanson kids stay home.”

Szymaniak said lead nurse Lisa Tobin is practically working around the clock, even taking calls from parents at home during weekends.

“I’ve got to give praise to both boards of health,” Szymaniak said. “They are working their tails off with us.” Health officials have been calling the school, if necessary, in terms of contact tracing.

“If you’re six feet apart and you’re wearing a mask it is safe and parents and families need to know that,” said School Committee member Hillary Kniffen, who is also a teacher. She said 12 cases in a district student population of 3,800 students,  the risk is minimal.

In other business before the School Committee, school principals were afforded the opportunity to update the committee on what students are doing and what education looks like in a “COVID world” at their respective buildings.

“The most important part of our opening really has been that the kids are so excited, so happy to be there and we are, as well,” Conley Elementary Principal Karen Downey said, noting the special distancing and cleaning efforts under way to keep students and staff safe. “Kids are having individual supplies, as opposed to shared supplies, we’re cleaning the seats and the work areas in between [classroom changes] during travel time between classes.”

There are seating charts in all classrooms and special areas such as the lunchroom, and Chromebooks are cleaned and inspected by an industrial hygienist twice a week.

Indian Head interim Principal Gary Pelletier added that students are provided scheduled mask breaks and there are assigned seats on the bus and cafeteria.

Eucationally, he lauded the alignment of curriculum in all elementary buildings. New software, technology glitches and Chromebook capacity are among the challenges teachers are seeing.

Hanson Middle School Principal William Tranter notes that teachers rotate and students stay in classrooms all day — including lunch.

“None of us ever took the class, ‘How to Teach in a Pandemic,’” Tranter said. “Every day, we get a little bit better. We learn something, we figure it out, we make changes, and it gets a little bit better every day.”

Szymaniak said there have been no detentions or disciplinary issues at the middle schools.

“I think kids want to be here,” he said.

High School Principal Dr. Christopher Jones credited teachers, staff and students for making a flexible educational approach that is more focused on relationships with maximized learning with teachers, and constant communication a success.

Students at home are paired with students in the classroom to improve cohesion. All floors, except the main floor have one-way foot traffic.

They are struggling in terms of teacher workload and school culture, however.

Remote schooling principal Michael Grable reported that, “It’s been an interesting ride, so far.”

There are 316 students in kindergarten through grade eight in the remote program, learning at home full time, taught by nine teachers and five paraprofessionals.

HANSON — Two new officers were appointed, and Lt. Michael Casey was appointed deputy police chief effective immediately on the Hanson Police Department during the Tuesday, Oct. 13 meeting of the Board of Selectmen.

Police Chief Michael Miksch said the department had been functioning with a lieutenant as second in command for several years.

“What’s been happening in the area … is departments are renaming their number two officer,” Miksch said. “Their executive officer is the deputy chief.”

Besides the history of that position having been a lieutenant, Miksch said he hadn’t had the right person in the position to necessarily fill the title.

“I’m impressed with the amount [of knowledge] he has picked up, I’m impressed with his enthusiasm, he has a great way of dealing with the officers … he’s just been doing an outstanding job,” Miksch said.

He also noted that Casey has been doing the job, including working on policies and procedures in the department.

“If he’s doing the job, I think he deserves the title,” Miksch said. “That’s all it is right now, is a title. No one is asking for more money.”

The move is a title change to better reflect the job Casey is doing and the responsibility of the job. It also allows better interaction with other police agencies.

“I’m not going to put another person in the lieutenant’s position,” Miksch said in anticipation of that question from Selectmen. “There’s no funding for that. Those badges and the name plate will go on a shelf somewhere.”

But, it would be a good placeholder for future discussion if the right person became evident, he said.

“One of goals, if I leave, is to make sure that you have some choices as to whose going to be the next chief,” Miksch said. “I think it’s the sign of a very successful organization if they can promote from within.”

Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell said a succession plan is a good idea, and Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed, but expressed concern about potential issues the town’s labor counsel should advise them about.

“Not being a Civil Service community, we’re not bound by any of those laws,” Miksch said, but added he does not have a problem with selectmen consulting labor counsel, if that makes them more comfortable.

FitzGerald-Kemmett argued for either postponing a vote for two weeks for an opinion, or approve it on condition of approval by labor counsel. Selectmen voted to approve it subject to labor counsel OK.

Regarding the new officers Miksch said that, when the 911 communications — which encompassed five civilian positions —were transferred to the regional communications center in Duxbury, he sought an additional four officers to keep the station open.

“[It] still brought me in with less of a budget than I had before [the dispatchers] left,” he said.

One candidate, who was supposed to attend the academy in January, did not meet the requirements and left another position open. He decided to seek a trained officer in another department willing to make a lateral move to Hanson.

“As you know from the news, there aren’t a lot of people banging down the door to become cops anymore, but we got about 30 applicants,” Miksch said. Out of those, only five or six met the requirement of having completed a full-time academy.

They also brought in 10 part-time officers for interviews. One of those, Robert Mansfield, stood out, according to Miksch.

“He grew up in Whitman, he’s a W-H graduate, he worked on the Yarmouth Police Department,” Miksch said. After a short time, he transferred to Oak Bluffs when his wife started a job on Martha’s Vineyard. He attended the Randolph full-time academy and as five years’ experience on the job and can be appointed Nov. 1.

Mansfield is a graduate of UMass, Boston and attended the Mass. Maritime Academy where he majored in emergency management.

Appointed to begin service on completion of police academy were: part-time officers Nick Kanarski and Kyle Barsani.

Kanarski has been a part-time officer in Hanson for more than 10 years, Miksch said.

“He’s another local kid,” he said. “He worked in IT for WHRSD when the previous police chief appointed him as a part-time officer.”

Kanarski has done details, “hanging around to do the training he needs to do every year to keep up” and has been willing to work emergency night details despite also holding down a full-time job, the chief said.

“Nick would be a great full-time and he wants a career change,” Miksch said, noting he would begin the Plymouth Academy Feb. 1. Kanarski has worked for the Secret Service is also a personal trainer and his IT background will be helpful.

“My guys’ idea of fixing the printer is smacking it with something and hoping the paper fits,” Miksch said.

Barsani became a part-time officer in Hanson about six months ago, has been an auxiliary officer in Whitman for the past year and is finishing college, working on a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He is also a personal trainer and fitness instructor, at the Old Colony YMCA. He is expected to start the Cape Cod academy Jan. 4.

In other business, Selectmen voted Halloween activities in town.

Mitchell said it should go on as usual, with safety guidelines such as putting candy in bags to hand out.

“I really don’t see cancelling Halloween as a positive,” he said.

“It’s huge,” FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed. “I think people know that they need to be safe. … We’ve got little people who have had a pretty abysmal year, which is the understatement of the year, and this is some little amount of joy they can get before we’re all shut in for the winter.”

“Cancelling Halloween is out of the question,” said Selectman Jim Hickey, who has spoken with younger parents in town, who plan to accompanying their children to ensure social distancing.

“My house is going to be ready,” he said. “So, if somebody comes at 2 in the afternoon, I’m going to be ready. If somebody comes at 8 o’clock, my light’s out.”

Hickey and FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested touching base with the school district to reinforce safety issues with middle school students.

“If you’re at home handing out candy, wear a mask,” Selectman Matt Dyer said. “If you’re out trick-or-treating, wear a mask.”

WHITMAN – In a frequently tense discussion, the Board of Selectmen voted to again table discussion on the fee agreement for environmental site work during its Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting. The delay allows time to invite state DEP officials to schedule a visit to the board to discuss the issue.

“The issue at hand is whether the town should be looking at and assessing the conditions for the property at 602 Bedford St., which we know to be contaminated, and we know has a substantial file at the DEP,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

The town sought a grant from MOBD to fund a Phase 2 assessment of the property in order to identify and ascertain the level of contamination, what the contaminants are and what would be involved in moving to the next step — estimating the cost of returning the property to useful condition.

“It would help us to put the property back on the tax rolls,” Lynam said, making it clear that, unless Selectmen decide otherwise, the town has no intention of taking ownership of the property. “The tax title action, which was advertised a few weeks ago, is a lien mechanism that has to be employed by the town in order to ensure its right to collect the taxes that are unpaid on the property.”

Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green prepared a proposal to represent the town in that request through the courts. Green noted that the fee agreement covers the Regal property on South Avenue as well. A previous court action allowed access to Regal for only 180 days and a refilling is necessary to continue a Phase 3 site assessment there.

Tracey Costa, a licensed site professional with Ransom Properties and who has worked with the town before, but is not currently under contract with Whitman.

“The timing is really something to consider because we really don’t know next year what the Mass. Development funding mechanism will look like,” Costa said, noting there is also an opportunity to apply for an EPA Brownfields Communitywide Assessment Fund. “You really want to be able to attract developers to the site.”

The assessment would not only determine the level of contamination, but also would outline cleanup options, according to Costa. But in conducting an assessment, the town is obligated to cleanup the site if imminent hazards are found.

While that is not likely, she said, it is built into the language of the fund.

Finance and Building committees member David Codero, who has an environmental background, has brought up concern that the town may by moving forward in a manner that flies in the face of state and EPA guidance in terms of future cleanups.

“What they are proposing is to do an investigation on a property we don’t own, and my concern is that is opening the town up for liabilities if they don’t put mechanisms in place through the attorney general’s office and through DEP in order to protect themselves from any liability,” Codero said. “What type of liability does a non-owner have when going onto somebody else’s property?”

Costa said that access would have to be acquired through an administrative warrant. Codero said that must be done upfront to avoid full liability.

“What we are voting on is a fee agreement with a law firm that will take are of the issues that David is concerned about, am I misunderstanding that?” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

Green agreed that was the issue at hand.

“It is to motion the land court to allow the town access to the property to conduct the site assessment,” Green said.

Selectman Randy LaMattina disagreed.

“There are some people trying to get something passed that clearly don’t have an idea of what they are doing,” he said. “I’m not speaking of Ransom, but I’m speaking about liability issues on this town — the property — we’ve been given misinformation as a board and I’m going to take an opportunity to clear it up.”

LaMattina noted there are two purposes for cleaning brownfields — reuse and redevelopment — and a team should be in place to handle it as the projects are started rather than “randomly start poking holes in property you don’t even own.”

He countered Green’s response to an email from Codero that brownfields grants cover legal fees. They are, instead, a specialized area of contaminated site cleanup that are highly litigious and involve a tremendous amount of legal work, LaMattina said.

“Those will not be covered under any brownfields grants,” he said. “That’s a cost that this town better be prepared to absorb. …We have no plans for reuse and redevelopment.”

He also said that, while heirs to the property have not taken title to the property, they have never renounced ownership of it. It also has a handful of liens and judgments against it totaling more than $5 million.

“Before this town saw any money, that’s where the money would go,” he said. “There are liability issues. We can’t overlook them for the fact that this sounds good, and unfortunately I think that’s what we are doing.”

He moved that the issue be tabled until the DEP can come meet with town officials about it.

Green countered that she has done a lot of research and did not go forward with her response to Codero’s email without doing so, granting that she is not a brownfields expert.

“She’s doing it wrong,” LaMattina said, occasionally cutting off others. “Plain and simple, she’s doing it wrong. … This is not the way brownfields are supposed to be handled.”

Green said Mass Development has never told her she was pursuing the grant incorrectly.

Selectmen voted to allow Green to pursue the grant a couple of months ago and are now looking at a fee agreement to complete that.

Lynam said the EPA spent $1 million on the Regal property to make it accessible for development before running out of money, noting LaMattina made some points well.

“You can’t have a development plan unless you know what it’s going to take to develop that property,” Lynam said. “One of the things that comes into play is, what is it going to cost to clean it?”

He said this was the first he had heard that DEP is willing to come talk to the board.

“I think we ought to say, ‘Thank you, and come on out,’” Lynam said.

COVID update

In other business, Lynam discussed Gov. Charlie Baker’s new guidelines for the continued reopening of state businesses.

“The only concern I have is that, as we start opening up, we’re seeing the numbers climb pretty much every day,” he said. “Today was low with 340-something, but I’m just hoping that people hold it together and do what they need to to keep it under control, because it would be a shame to move backwards.”

He said he met with the VFW and Board of Health during which an agreement was reached to halt meat raffles and motorcycle poker runs until further notice in the interest of public health.

Bezanson asked whether Selectmen or the Board of Health would be taking a position about Halloween activities.

Lynam said that would be up to the Board of Health, which will be issuing an advisory on it.

“The [state Department of Public Health] DPH has been emphatic in recommending that there be no door-to-door trick-or-treating and, while we technically can’t restrict that activity, we can certainly issue an advisory that we don’t think it’s in the best interests of the town to conduct that activity,” Lynam said.

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 29 continued discussion on a request by the Old Colony YMCA to lease of Needles Lodge at Camp Kiwanee for use as a learning pod for children whose parents have to work during remote learning days. [See related story below.]

“I’m supportive of this, but the devil’s in the details on the agreement we enter into with them,” said Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said she adjusted language in the request to refer to it as a license rather than a lease.

“The interesting part about it is that what they are intending to do is set up a place for remote learning,” she said. “This is allowed by executive order of the governor.”

Towns must appoint someone to inspect proposals, including running CORI checks on all employees, as well as certification that health requirements are being met among other responsibilities.

FitzGerald-Kemmett questioned whether the town should be responsible for such employee background checks.

“I don’t want to minimize the burden on the town, but there’s a burden that’s been placed on the town by this executive order,” Feodoroff said. She noted that the town would have the same inspection responsibilities for private organizations offering the service on public property.

“We do have a private business in town that just got approved for the same exact thing,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, referring to the Boss Academy learning pod. “I don’t know if we fully appreciated that there was a liability that flowed to the town.”

Boss Academy worked with town inspection boards to ensure that all necessary documentation was in place, she said. It also received approval from the state’s Department Of Early Education and Care (DEEC).

“I don’t think it’s a liability, I think it’s just an obligation — an additional task,” Feodoroff said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said Boss Academy already does CORI checks on its staff, but Feodoroff said the town is supposed to fill that role for learning pod approval.

“I thought it was a strange, strange thing myself,” Feodoroff said Selectmen could approve the lease request contingent on her speaking to the DEEC about potentially outsourcing CORI checks as was done with the other business.

Selectman Chairman Kenny Mitchell said he was not comfortable voting on the request until more information is available.

“We could do it as quick as Saturday morning if we get all our ducks in a row by then,” Mitchell said.

Selectman Matt Dyer also voiced concerns about the dependability of the internet connectivity at Camp Kiwanee and whether Hanson students would get preference in enrollment.

“We have other vendors up there that are there throughout the week,” Dyer also noted. “Are we pushing current vendors out? Are we displacing them?”

Mitchell said the yoga program is looking into using space at the library.

Dyer also said compensation concerned him — $2,500 per month plus 25 percent of the enrollment fee, while the town charges $5,000 for a wedding, which only uses the space for four hours. He also urged calculation of utilities costs to determine if the Y program will enable the town to break even.

“They’re going to be there in the winter, when we typically don’t have the heat going full-blast five days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That’s going to be a significant cost. … I’d be surprised if $2,500 per month is even going to cover our heating costs during the winter.”

She said she wasn’t against the proposal so long as the YMCA covers the cost of the additional fiber optics installation and winter heating expenses and the $2,500.

Selectman Jim Hickey said the $50 per child cost could bring the YMCA as much as $50,000 a month.

“They’re going to pay us a drop in the bucket,” he said. “There’s a lot of questions.”

In other business, Selectmen discussed the Finance Committee’s vote against recommending an article to change the tree warden from an elected to an appointed position could lead to more costs down the road in view of the need to hire an experienced certified arborist.

Mitchell said that was a concern he shared and suggested more research on the issue was needed.

The position can remain elected until the next election and can also be raised again at the May Town Meeting, Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan said.

Selectman Matt Dyer suggested placing the duties under the purview of the Highway Director.

“I really like that,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It addresses FinCom’s concerns … we have a unique opportunity, right now, to modify what that job description is.”

For that reason, the board let the article stand.

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen voted to back Board of Health decisions about COVID-19 regulations concerning food service and public gatherings as well as authorizing the purchase of ionizing devices to clean air circulating through HVAC systems in town buildings.

At the same time, Town Administrator Frank Lynam offered to discuss meat raffles with health officials and VFW representatives, and the board tabled the issue of motorcycle poker runs vs. rolling “political rallies” to its next meeting.

Selectmen also voted unanimously to extend temporary alcohol licenses under which bars may operate during the pandemic within the governor’s limitations. The licenses expire at the end of the month.

Health regulations

“The problems we have been facing recently have been compounded by a couple of events that have occurred,” Lynam said. “It has been a difficult time for every business that’s operating today under COVID. Most everybody is working with us — although they’re very frustrated about it. …  But, at the same time, the Board of Health is really the deciding factor on what can and can’t be done under COVID.”

VFW Manager Al Rainey had sought permission from the Board of Health to hold a meat raffle, as has been allowed in Abington. Whitman health officials ruled against the request and Rainey brought the request before the Board of Selectmen.

“We’re following the guidelines,” Rainey said. “It’s an entertainment piece that were giving for outside and inside dining.”

He said the VFW is allotted 99 spaces for dining, arguing it is not an “outside event.”

Staff walks among diners showing the packages of meat up for raffle.

He accepted the health board’s ruling against his request until he noticed that Abington was allowing meat raffles, and asked again to determine if state rules had changed.

“The town has a vested interest in not seeing COVID blow up here,” Lynam said. “Wherever they’re getting crowds, wherever they’re getting a lot of people moving around and doing things, they’re getting infections.”

He argued having people walk around, selling tickets and taking money is a “high-risk operation.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” Rainey said. “Money is one of the dirtiest things around.”

“The why would you want to do it?” Lynam said.

He said they are a business that follows the guidelines, but does not have the capability to accept credit cards.

“Where is the level playing field between the two towns?” Rainey said.

“I don’t care what Abington does, Al,” Lynam said. But he did offer to set up a meeting with the health board and VFW to discuss the matter further. The VFW agreed to aide by any decision the Board of Health makes.

Selectman Randy LaMattina said Abington and Whitman are two different fields and the board has to support the Board of Health. He also said the cross-contamination posed by handling money between tables was a concern.

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski agreed with LaMattina.

“I don’t question the Board of Health,” Kowalski said. “They know what’s going on in town and they take this seriously.”

Selectman Dan Salvucci said he trusts that the Board of Health does take things seriously, “but it’s not six months ago.”

Kowalski took issue with that characterization.

“It’s not six months ago, no,” he said. “We’re about to hit into late fall/early winter, and if you think things are going to get better — magically — then, you’re dreaming.”

“I’m hoping so,” Salvucci said.

Lynam noted a motorcycle event held over the weekend at the VFW, which drew estimates of about 600 motorcylists, in no way permitted social distancing when the maximum outdoor crowd limit if 50 people, or eight per 1,000 square feet.

“That stuff can’t continue and, I think if they heard it from the board rather than me or [Fire Chief Timothy] Grenno, or [Health Agent] Alexis Andrews, they might have a better understanding of it’s the direction we have to go in,” Lynam said.

Police Chief Timothy Hanlon also attended the virtual meeting to discuss events that require police presence and traffic control, that discussion was later tabled for further consideration.

A request for an upcoming poker run prompted the discussion.

Sunday’s America Backs the Blue run had started as a fundraiser for the Michael Chesna family but then turned into a political statement, Hanlon said.

“Our problems are two-fold,” he said. “The gathering that occurred Sunday was way over the [social distancing] limits, so you have to balance the right to assemble against any COVID-related issues such as not wearing masks, not social distancing and having a gathering over a certain number of people,” he said. The Police Department likes to be able to help charities with traffic control free of charge, but he noted it adds to the budget burden.

Hanlon said he would like to see a permitting process to help the department know what to expect, as some of the motorcycle runs sometimes come with no advance notice.

Grenno said the Board of Health had taken a strong line of no motorcycle runs because of the social distancing guidelines and concerns.

Air filters

Lynam said he and Grenno met with WHRSD officials last week to discuss the systems, which generate ion waves that attach to the coronavirus in the air and kills it, as well as airborne bacteria.

“These things have been going gangbusters for the last 90 days,” Lynam said, noting W-H spent $160,000 installing the devices in the schools.

Grenno has received a proposal to install the devices in all town buildings for about $40,000, reimbursable through the Plymouth County COVID funds. They would be placed in HVAC vents — three or four would be required in some buildings — to help create a healthier environment and monitoring the air quality.

“It kills strep, it kills TB, it kills COVID,” Grenno said. “It kills all kinds of common, known viruses and bacteria out there.”

He advocated installation in all town buildings not only for better air quality, but for peace of mind, as well.

The manufacturer also sells the devices for home use, saying the only negative feedback they had received was from a man who could no longer smell his bacon and eggs cooking in the morning.

“It works that good,” Grenno said, adding that the schools also report a noticeable difference in air quality. “It’s just a freshness throughout the building.”

The devices have a 20-year life expectancy and reduce the frequency in which air filters need to be changed. Some filter grades are so thick, they also tend to burn out HVAC system motors.