HANSON — New Bedford Waste Services will extend its recycling contract with the town for two weeks — sending a truck to empty full containers at the transfer station Wednesday, Dec. 4 — while lawyers for the company and the town iron out a contractual dispute.

That impasse, which led to unpaid bills by the town, had been halted. At issue was whether emails advising the town of increased fees under the “uncontrollable circumstances” clause of the contract were sent by the company or received by the town.

NBWS President Michael Camara met in a joint session with Selectmen and the Board of Health on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

He said the uncontrollable circumstance was the solid waste disposal crisis in the state since China stopped accepting recyclable waste in 2017 — a time when they were handling 55 percent of global recyclables, including 4,400 containers a day from the United States.

“If we could absorb the losses, I wouldn’t be here tonight,” Camara said.

Selectman Jim Hickey suggested it was improper to discuss whether the town would be shopping around for a better rate from another company in Camara’s presence as some members of the two boards had begun discussing.

“I think its rude to talk about other companies in front of this gentleman when he just said, in good faith, he’ll pick us up for the next two weeks,” Hickey said. “I would rather have a quick contract signed to get us through Christmas … at the new rate and let the lawyers go through [the issue].”

The Board of Selectmen agreed that it was an idea worth running by Town Counsel for an opinion.

Without at least the two week agreement, Hanson residents would be unable to recycle.

Health Board Chairman Arlene Dias said they did receive an email the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 27 saying that, because the town had underpaid the bill, NBWS was not going to pick up Hanson’s recycling.

“What they were billing was not the contract price,” Dias said. “Each month we paid the contract price, and that’s been going on for two years.”

Camara countered that the “uncontrollable circumstances” clause permitted the increase, to which Dias said Town Counsel Jay Talerman disagreed with Camara, and said the suspension of service is in violation of the contract with Hanson.

The contract originally charged the town nothing, unilaterally opting to charge $65.98 per ton in October 2017.

“Such increase was done without reasonable or proper notice and is, itself, a questionable practice under the contract,” Talerman wrote in a letter read by Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “While the town reserves the right to challenge such [an] increase, it nevertheless made ensuing payments in good faith so as to ensure the provision of complying in recycling services.”

Talerman said at no point since October 2017 did the company advise the town of increases in recycling costs, but bills received have been in excess of $65.98 per ton. Talerman concluded that the town was paying the proper amount of $65.98 per ton, rather than the $93.75 per ton — including a surcharge — demanded by NBWS.

“So we’re at a standoff,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett.

Camara said another family member — MBWS is a family-owned business — sent emails explaining the increase.

“I find it astounding that you would believe that somebody would be sending an email to our town telling us that you are going to suspend services if we don’t increase, and if we want to have a conversation — and that nobody here at Town Hall responded,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

“We’re billing you market rates, we’re not making a dime on it,” Camara said.

“I appreciate the situation you’re in,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “But to unilaterally, without discussing … According to our attorney, we don’t owe you anything.”

Hickey asked why the board was discussing the issue when it was between the lawyers.
Camara had explained to the board that China’s decision came after that nation’s president saw a video of Chinese workers — men, women and children — burning plastic, “people choking in factories, because they couldn’t breathe … things they couldn’t recycle being dumped in streams and rivers or put outside and burned and the nasty materials were going into their crops and fields where their animals were grazing,” Camara said. In the effort to recycle since then, other nations such as Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam at risk of similar contamination.

Massachusetts banned waste-to-energy facilities 20 years ago, Camara added, adding that his industry is advocating for the lifting of that ban as well as expanding landfills.

Camara’s firm founded Zero Waste in 2013 with the goal of handling recycling and municipal solid waste (MSW).

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if the company had considered a redundancy plan in case things ever changed with China.

“China was it,” Camara said. Disposal issues have also become an issue as state landfills close and companies have to look out of state to dispose of solid waste.

“There’s no more safety valves,” he said. “Currently, we’re exporting trash to New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.”

Trash is baled, wrapped in leak-proof, water-tight bags and trucked out to stack it in those states.

“So they’re literally building mountains out there in other states,” observed Selectman Wes Blauss.

“Yes, we are,” Camara said. “It’s sad that the state of Massachusetts doesn’t have a backup plan.”

“Honestly, it seems like you’re getting it from all sides,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It’s not our intention to add to that, but you know where we’re coming from.”

WHITMAN — A 29-yea-old Whitman man has died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash Monday, Nov. 11.

The man’s name had not been released as of press time — pending notification of the family, according to Whitman Police Chief Timothy Hanlon.

Whitman police and fire responded to a scene of the crash that turned fatal on Monday night. The accident occurred after 9:30 in the area of 360 High Street.

A 29-year-old Whitman man was transported to an area hospital and later succumbed to his injuries.

Any further questions would be handled by Cruz’ office, Hanlon said.

The initial investigation indicates that the motorcycle operator struck two parked cars on High Street. The man was riding a 2012 Yamaha FZ1, according to the press release.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Plymouth County DA Timothy J. Cruz’ office and the State Police Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS) and Crime Prevention and Control CPAC units who responded to assist with the investigation.

HALIFAX — Local writer and holistic healer Isabella Rose has a lot on her plate these days, as she works to help people gain connections to the region’s past as well as with healing in the midst of the opioid crisis.

The inspirational book contributor is not only continuing her education in holistic healing, she is also serving as an ambassador for the Plymouth 400 celebration next year.

“They’re such a wonderful organization,” she said of the Plymouth 400 organization. The ambassador program involves a course at Curry College to help visitors gain the best possible experience from the year-long celebration.

She has also become an advocate for overdose awareness since her partner’s death, joining the Moms and Dads of Team Sharing, a support group for parents who have lost children to overdoses, Plymouth County Outreach and East Bridgewater Hope — and she continues writing, with two new books coming out this year that feature her work.

“It’s unfortunate that his relapse cost him his life and his future,” Rose said of her loss. “But I firmly believe there’s a blessing in everything. Sometimes we have to look a little harder for it.”

She had not known her late partner during his addiction to heroin, and did not realize, at the time, how much a part of his recovery she had been before his relapse following a serious car accident.

The MDTS has supported Mass. Attorney General Maura Healy in her case against Perdue Pharma and the Sackler family.

“There is hope,” she said of the work the three groups are doing to combat opioid abuse. “I want to help everybody heal and live life to their fullest potential.”

Rose has since earned a bachelor’s degree in holistic health science and is pursuing a master’s degree in natural medicine with an eye toward pursuing a doctorate in opioid recovery.

She has contributed to another in the “365” book series — similar in format to the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series — which includes the work of devotional writers. Her latest participation is in “365 Soulful Messages,” as well as with the upcoming “Calling Earth Angels and Healers.”

“Soulful Messages” is the fifth, and final, volume in the best-selling “365” inspirational series. A reader of that series, who had attended one of Rose’s workshops recommended her to “Earth Angels” co-author Geri Magee, Ph.D., who invited her to “write about my journey as an earth angel and healer.”

She said she was aware of her gift as a child, but as she grew older she “started to forget who I was” through life experiences.

“I’m just rediscovering who I am, and I share [in the book] about the car accident and the divine intervention,” she said.

Rose’s car accident in December 2017, which caused a collapsed aorta that was not immediately diagnosed, was one of the transformative events in her life, which have helped her follow her urge to write.

Her partner had saved her life in the crash, Rose said.

“It’s by the grace of God and the bravery of my late significant other, who physically saved me from the car that day, that I’m here,” she said. Two months later, he had died from an unrelated incident and her world “Completely came crashing down around me.”

She wrote about him in one of her essays.

“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank him for loving me and loving me enough to want to risk his life to get me out of that vehicle,” she says now. “He’ll always be a part of me and my story.”

Her work has been featured in three devotional books from Goodness Abounds, an independent publishing house based in Oregon publishes collaborative books focused on the soul and life-changing moments.  She also writes with the Women Unleashed program online and teaches warrior goddess training workshops geared toward women’s empowerment, although some men attend, and focuses on self-care.

Rose is holding a book signing from noon to 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 15 at Storybook Cove’s new location, behind Delaney’s Columbia Car Care Center on Washington Street in Hanover as the Hanover Mall closes it’s current facility. And another with two other “Soulful Moments” contributors at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough Dec. 8.

She also will cohost on the Angelic Realms Radio Show [mariagmaas.com/angelicrealmsradio] and the podcast series How to Connect with Angels [theglitchmovie.com/about-our-podcast].

HANSON  — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 22, voted to reopen athletic fields at the high school for high school-age students only.

Use of the fields was restricted in late August due to positive tests for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in mosquito test samples within Whitman. Fields were closed for use from dusk to dawn.

W-H Athletic Director Bob Rodgers recently requested that the board revisit the issue.

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett noted the request would ordinarily go before the School Committee first, but noted they have not met recently “for a variety of reasons.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett also said there were reports of EEE-positive mosquitos in Hanson and some residents had expressed concerns. Dias said the DPH would have reported it to her if the risk was high.

Rodgers said he was aware people were not happy with the Selectmen’s vote to close the fields, but he supported it at the time.

“This board was making a decision based on a lot of cases of EEE across the state,” he said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she heard from Selectmen Kenny Mitchell that people weren’t happy, as well, but she has heard different reactions.

“I have had an overwhelming number of mothers coming up to me, saying ‘Thank God you did this,’ and I think it may be the age differences,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “For younger children, parents were very happy not to be the bad guy.”

Rodgers said people 12 and over and age 50 and over are most susceptible to EEE, so he understood the vote. But he said mosquito physiology makes them less likely to fly and to seek out sugars instead of blood when temperatures go below 50 degrees.

FitzGerald-Kemmett met with Interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini, Health Board Chairman Arlene Dias and School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes on Friday, Oct. 18 to discuss a path toward permitting unrestricted use of the fields with both the Health Board and Selectmen.

“[Mass. Department of Public Health’s] rule is still the same, which is what my recommendation was — not closing the fields,” Dias said of her most recent discussions with the MassDPH. “Because Hanson is moderate risk, people should only do personal protection, long sleeves, long pants and repellent.”

She said the mosquito population is slowed down when the temperature dips below 50 degrees, but a hard frost of two hours of 28 degrees or lower, is required to kill them off.

Dias said the DPH did not require the curtailing of outdoor activities.

“If we have 60-degree days and won’t have a hard frost until November, the concern is still there, for me at least,” Selectman Matt Dyer said. He said he would feel horrible if someone became infected with EEE or West Nile after the board voted to lift the ban at the high school.

“I wouldn’t be sitting here, advocating for this, if I thought I was putting our students at risk,” Rodgers said. He said not one high school parent called him to demand the fields be closed.

In other business, Community Preservation Commission Chairman Thomas Hickey said they have had some interest from sports in town about potentially applying for some CPC funds for field renovation.

“A lot of attention has been given to the middle school field and we’ve welcomed the opportunity to learn a lot from these leagues,” Thomas Hickey said, noting that much of that conversation has centered on the fact that the soccer league can’t use it. They have deemed the field unsuitable for play.

Thomas Hickey said any CPC funding would likely require a conversation about an overall plan for how the town will maintain its fields would be necessary if a funding application came before selectmen and Town Meeting.

“I think it would be helpful to get a perspective on how everybody views the roles and responsibilities with respect to that piece of property,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Where do the soccer parents begin and the schools end and who is responsible for what? I really am asking.”

Selectman Kenny Mitchell, who also serves on the Parks and Fields Commission said that body has never been responsible for school fields. Jurisdiction over the middle school fields has always been a question, he said, with Parks and Fields viewing it as a responsibility of the School District.

Hayes said it is a school field, but the district has no responsibility for scheduling use.

“We have no idea who uses it when or whose responsible for cleanup or any of the above,” Hayes said. “It’s been a problem since that school was built.”

The district’s Facilities Department mows the field, but that is all.

Hayes said the field was also done improperly.

“Nobody’s blaming anyone,” Hayes said. “Those fields have been a problem with drainage, with water, with everything.”

He said broken glass has been working its way to the surface of what should have been “virgin loam” since the fields were built.

Thomas Hickey said the CPC is using some administrative funds to have a firm look at a couple options — restore it to the original condition or possible redesign and construction based on current needs. The plans may become “dead on arrival” if the maintenance plan question is not answered, however, he said.

Selectmen agreed that issues of field ownership and responsibility needs to be determined.

Hayes indicated he and Rodgers would love to see an artificial field constructed at the middle school, with CPC funds paying for the foundation materials and funds for the playing surface would have to be raised.

Rodgers said the high school is working on a long-term plan to convert baseball and softball fields to artificial turf multi-use fields so community groups can use them, without damaging the surface, when high school teams are not.

In other business, Selectmen held the annual tax classification hearing, with Assessor Lee Gamache introduced new Board of Assessors member Emer McDonough before giving the tax rate presentation.

The tax rate is estimated at $15.27 per $1,000 valuation for fiscal 2020 as a single rate, down 27 cents from fiscal 2019.

Hanson has historically used a uniform tax rate between residential and commercial properties because it is primarily a residential community.

“I don’t think we want to give any disincentive to any businesses locating here,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Selectmen voted to adopt a uniform tax rate for fiscal 2020. They agreed with the Board of Assessors’ recommendation not to adopt a residential tax exemption and small commercial exemption.

HANOVER — With MCAS test results out, South Shore Tech students scored 10th in the state on student growth in English language arts — at an average of 65.5 percent.

Students who passed the ELA MCAS, but fell short of the score required for an Adams scholarship have the right to retake it, and nine SST juniors have opted to do that, according to Principal Mark Aubrey.

In math, SST was sixth out of 35 vocational school districts in student growth with 56.9 percent improvement and five students will be required to retake the math exam in November.

Attendance is also improved by 23 percent so far this school year.

Aubrey also introduced the school’s resource officer, Adam Hill of the Hanover Police Department. Hill serves at the school 16 hours per week, which usually boils down to two eight-hour shifts per week.

Hill also works during special events such as the Homecoming dance.

“He’s in the classrooms, he’s in the shops, he’s communicating with the kids,” Aubrey said. “He eats lunch with the kids, he sits at their tables. He’s doing a fabulous job and we are appreciative of every moment that he can give us.”

For his part, officer Hill said everyone at the school has been very welcoming.

“I had no idea [of] the capabilities of this facility, I’m truly impressed with it,” he said. “The kids are unbelievable.” He said the students are capable of confidently teaching an adult about their shops.

“You should be proud of the work that goes on here,” he said. “I’m very impressed.”

Hill’s comments came on the heels of Whitman resident Paul Varley’s continued charges of bullying and abuse at the school, to which he said his brother has been subjected. Varley addressed the committee during the public comment period, as his state Rep. Allyson Sullivan, R-Abington, “directed me to come to this committee for your help to take care of all my issues.”

He had appeared before the committee in recent months to address a bullying complaint.

“Now, either Allyson Sullivan or this very committee has no idea what it’s function is, as this committee sent a very brief summation, in a letter stating nothing will be done on the committee’s end, then pretty much dismissing my very lengthy email — time-lining everything,” Varley read from a prepared statement.

He said the committee had suggested he talk to Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey, about the matter, which Varley said he has tried to do.

“The district takes all concerns very seriously and reviews such matters thoroughly; it goes without saying that student safety and student success are critically important priorities,” Hickey said in a statement Tuesday, Oct. 22. “While we cannot comment publicly on specific student matters, the school administration will always seek dialogue in the appropriate venue with any parties who have concerns and questions.”

The public comment is designed to give people a chance to address an issue not on the agenda, and no one on the committee commented during the meeting for that reason.

“My hope here is trying to use this public forum to find someone who cares and can help,” he said. “As I’ve heard from current and former students over the last few years, these are the things going on that the school is also aware of.”

He listed allegations of threats to kill or harm others or blow up the school, sexual assaults and destruction of a motor vehicle as examples.

“This school is, by definition, the model school for a bullying culture,” Varley stated. He described the video-recording and editing of fights for entertainment purposes as well as taking inappropriate photos of each other, and charged that teachers and staff join in on bullying, lying and stealing from students while he accused the administration of not caring.

“I’ve given the school far too many chances to do something tangible, and I live by the motto ‘see something, say something,’ so here I am,” he said. “Here’s your wake-up call South Shore, before catastrophe is at our doorstep.”

HANSON — Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 15 voted 5-0 to approve Impressed LLC’s 55-page license application, with supporting documentation, to open a marijuana grow facility at 15 Commercial Way.

The business has submitted its application for approval to the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and is now in the queue for state review. But once an engineering plan is complete, they can come back to the town at any time to apply for a special permit, which is necessary for the CCC to issue its approval of a provisional license.

That license is required before Impressed LLC can begin renovations on the building, but the company has already begun cleaning out the building in preparation for that.

The vote came after a 14-minute hearing, during which Impressed LLC co-managers Alli and Ralph Greenberg indicated the waiting list for a ruling by the CCC is about eight months, and that it could be up to two years before they are up and running.

“I guess that was going to be my question,” said Selectman Jim Hickey. “You guys knew going into this. … We’ve already been talking to you guys, it seems like forever, but it’s been about six months anyway, so by the time the whole thing comes all the way to the end, it is pretty close to three years.”

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff said that to some extent the business is fortunate to own the property.

“As soon as you mention marijuana, apparently, the rents go up by four times the amount of the going rate [in many communities],” she said. “It’s proving to be a difficult process.”

Feodoroff said the license, akin to a liquor license, is renewable annually and is based on rules and regulations adopted two or three months ago.

“This is distinct and apart from the special permit, which would have to be applied for by Impressed — more of a land use kind of approval,” said Feodoroff, indicating that engineering plans for odor control and other physical components of the building, including security, water demands and waste remediation, would be discussed at that time. “This is more of an opportunity to talk about the business.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett sought confirmation, which Feodoroff provided, that business owner Shahram E. Moghaddam, a dentist who lives in Dover, purchased the property at 15 Commercial Way and is leasing it to the Greenbergs.

“That was a good question,” said Selectman Wes Blauss. “Am I clear on who owns, who’s leasing, who’s the sub-landlord. As I read through it, I thought I had it.”

Interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini said the application was well put-together with accompanying exhibits following the related portion they were intended to support.

“We’re happy to be here and are receptive to answering any questions you have for us,” Ralph Greenberg said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett indicated that environmental impact and odor control would likely be the main concern of residents.

“This plan is what we’re committing to,” Alli Greenberg said.

Feodoroff said the license is more of a prophylactic measure, to require a compliance meeting if any problems occur.

“The special permit process is really where you drill down and dig into the technical aspects, but it’s just so much more difficult to bring someone in on a compliance issue if it’s based on a condition of a special permit,” she said.

Marini asked where the process goes after the board signs off on the license application.

“It doesn’t go anywhere,” Feodoroff said. “This is a creature purely of local creation. Unlike an ABCC, which has a statutory authority to issue licenses, this is something we created through our bylaws and does not exist in 94G.”

She said that, in her mind, Hanson is more protective of its residents than many other communities across the state.

“I shouldn’t say that — you’re fine, other communities,” Feodoroff said with a laugh.

In other business, Selectmen asked Marini and Assessor Lee Gamache to outline possible solutions to an easement issue passed over at the Monday, Oct. 14 Town Meeting.

An 30-foot septic system easement had been sought for a septic system installed and owned at 51 Ocean Ave., by a homeowner across the street at 62 Ocean Ave.

The Board of Health had allowed the two septic systems with the caveat that the owner issued himself an easement for 62 Ocean Ave., in 2004, and for 51 Ocean Ave., in 2007.

“We’ve got the town owning one of these lots right now [No. 62],” FitzGerald-Kemmett.

The small lots have been merged for tax purposes, and Gamache said a lot of people are interested in 62 Ocean Ave., for parking space. She added that it is not unusual for a house to appear on such small lots after a sale.

Marini suggested separating the lots.

The board has asked Foedoroff to consider the issue and find the best way to solve the issue while protecting the septic system’s owner and the town.

HANSON — Voters at Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 7 approved bans of single-use plastic check-out bags and polystyrene food and beverage containers, while passing over a pair of articles aimed at limiting the number of marijuana establishments in town.

The cannabis articles, brought via citizens’ petition will be renewed for the May Town Meeting in order to permit the proposed bylaw amendments to be placed on the Town Election ballot, as was the case with previous marijuana articles.

An article to rescind an October 2018 Town Meeting vote in favor of a revised W-H Regional agreement was unanimously passed without comment.

The plastic and polystyrene articles were passed nearly unanimously by the approximately 165 voters, many of whom brought green-colored re-useable bags distributed to shoppers by Green Hanson at Shaw’s last month. The bags were printed with a checklist reading: “Paper,” “Plastic” and a checkmark next to the word “Neither” and Green Hanson’s logo.

A group of WHRHS students commented in favor of the plastic bag ban and only one resident, who said he depended on the bags to carry his notebook and pens to the library, spoke and voted against it.

The amendment to town general bylaws is aimed at reducing the number of single-use bags in the waste stream and environment.

“It is not banning plastic bags all-out throughout town,” said Selectman Matt Dyer. “It’s banning plastic bags at the point of checkout. This does not remove the option of getting a bag at the point of check-out, and it’s not going to add a tax or anything like that for bags.”

Instead of plastic, paper bags will be available at the point of check-out.

“It’s not just because of the environmental crisis … but also because of our solid waste workers and improving their safety at the plant,” Dyer said of his reason for making the proposal. He said the bags get tangled in the gears at sorting centers in Massachusetts and nationwide, shutting down the machines every half hour. Workers have to climb into confined spaces to clear the bags, armed with a pocket knife.

“This is to keep the cost of recycling down, keep American manufacturing competitive, because otherwise it all gets shipped out to China and other nations,” he said.

Resident John Zucco of Glenwood Place asked if plastic bags used to keep food safe and fresh in the meat and produce departments would be included in the ban. Dyer said bags used at the grocery meat and produce departments, the dry cleaner and the like, will not be affected by the ban.

Students speak

Green Hanson member Marianne DiMascio of Indian Head Street, said she favored the ban an introduced W-H Environmental Awareness Club students Allysa Small, Sarah Reagan, Nicolette Heath, Riley Getchell, Carly Balfe and Jenna Lacey.

“I’m always happy to hear from our students,” said Moderator Sean Kealy. “You’re always welcome at Town Meeting and I hope that, when you are 18 and you register to vote, that you participate  in your town meetings, as well.”

The students spoke of the environmental impact of plastics and the effect of such waste on public health.

“I always think how none of those plastic bags are ever going to decompose in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime, or even very possibly my grandchildren’s lifetime,” said Regan who lives in Whitman, but is concerned about the issue. She noted that plastic bags have only been in existence for about 100 years. “Every single plastic bag that’s been made hasn’t left this planet and hasn’t decomposed.”

Lacey, who lives on Lakeside Road in Hanson, said she used to enjoy walking near the lake in nice weather, but now she does so less and less.

“It’s not because I don’t appreciate the plant life and fresh air, but because other people didn’t,” she said. “Now when I walk through these woods or along that lake, all I see is plastic bags, styrofoam cups and other pieces of trash that don’t belong in my town’s forests.”

Small noted that plastics only break down into microplastics which we eat and breathe in everyday.

But resident George Craig or East Washington Street, noted he depends on the bags to carry his belongings or to clear litter from the roadside.

ZBA member Don Ellis of High Street asked about the penalties for violations, suggesting the article’s wording was not clear.  Initial violations bring a written warning. The next subsequent violation described as “the first violation following issuance of a written warning” carries a $50 fine, a second violation would bring a $100 fine. Fines are cumulative and each day in which a violation occurs is considered a separate offense.

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff relayed, through Keating, that the language was clear.

The polystyrene container bylaw, passed unanimously, does not include plastic straws, cutlery or anything not listed in the bylaw — foam plates, cups, bowls, trays and hinged or lidded containers are the only items listed.

“I know a lot of people care about their Dunkin’ Donuts [polystyrene] cup,” Dyer said. “If you have not heard, Dunkin’ Donuts is moving away from the [polystyrene] cups by the end of 2020 throughout the nation. Regardless of whether this passes or not, the [polystyrene] cups are going to disappear.”

He said polystyrene, like the plastic grocery bags does not break down.

Elm Street resident Gilbert Allen said his only concern was about Meals on Wheels containers and the ability of seniors to obtain to-go containers at restaurants.

“What are we going to replace them with?” he asked.

Dyer explained his research showed the only concern he found was about thermal protection for people with sensitive fingers. Paper and other products that are more degradeable or recycleable are an answer he indicated.

Cannabis limits

The night’s final two articles, centering on the citizens’ petition to limit the number of marijuana establishments to one, under both general and zoning bylaws, generated discussion on potential environmental impacts of the business as well as whether the issue should go to the ballot.

“Hanson voters voted to prohibit marijuana retailers,” said co-petitioners Annette Benenato of Brookside Drive. “But there is currently no limit on the number of other types of marijuana businesses in town.”

She argued that the amount of electricity required — from lighting an HVAC needs — to grow the plants, and the impact on water consumption make the business and environmentally unfriendly business model.

She charged a portion of liquid waste could pollute groundwater and aquifers and said extraction of THC is a dangerous process and that impact fees of 3 percent to help mitigate the business effect on town services would only last five years.

Asked why the Finance Committee voted not to recommend the article, Chairman Kevin Sullivan said, “These are legitimate businesses.”

“They will continue to provide revenue to the town,” Sullivan said. “That can fluctuate, but they will continue to provide revenue. … They will not be exempt from taxes.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said that language in the community host agreement does not allow the company, Impressed LLC, to “flip and request an agricultural exemption.” The Selectmen also voted not to recommend.

Paul Benenato pointed to tobacco, lottery and alcohol retailers “never turn out very well for the taxpayers.”

When asked about the claims of impact on town aquifer and waste water plans, Water Commissioner Don Howard said he was not fully aware of the issue, saying he had questions about it himself.

“This is a highly regulated industry like nothing I’ve ever seen,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that Impressed LLC will be collecting agricultural discharge water out and trucking in water they need. She also stressed that Impressed LLC is not the issue.

Another resident asked if any other industry in town was limited to a single business.

“Are there businesses pounding down our door to take up residence here, and if the marijuana industry thinks this could be a potential match, then I think its worth considering on an individual basis going forward and not putting out a blanket rule in advance that limits us,” asked a Squantum Avenue resident opposed to the article. She noted that, without new business, and a continued reluctance to raise taxes, Hanson would not be able to fund schools or other budget needs.

Conservation Commissioner Phil Clemons pointed out that, the trucked in water comes from another aquifer in town.

South Street resident Richard Edgehille asked how the article could legally limit the number of businesses in town.

Feodoroff said limitations can be set on the marijuana industry, but the petition before the Town Meeting was not one that triggers a ballot vote.

She also stressed the wastewater is handled in a closed system to protect groundwater, and the discharge of water into any system is something that is “very highly regulated by the Cannabis Control Commission.”

Patrick Powers of Holmes Street suggested passing over the article for May to enable a town-wide ballot.

“We should stay consistent with that, as opposed to try to sneak something through,” Powers said.