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Panel tables land buy

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The School Committee on Tuesday, May 29 voted to indefinitely table the purchase of land to the rear of the WHRHS property now being sold by an abutter.

Committee members had indicated at a previous meeting they would like to negotiate a donation of the acreage — which includes some wetlands — but the owner has since advised them she would prefer to sell it. The asking price is currently $50,000.

“I’ve said before, we’re pretty strapped from a financial standpoint so I question that,” said member Christopher Howard, who also indicated he wanted to see more information on how the district could possibly use the land.

Chairman Bob Hayes said the real estate broker contacted the district when the land went on the market to suggest it might be something the district could use. The property is land-locked, he noted.

“I think the idea of a donation is probably not something that the sellers are interested in,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “If this is something you want to pursue more, things are always subject to negotiations, but that’s the cost of the land that we talked about at the last meeting.”

Member Fred Small made the motion to indefinitely table the issue.

“If there’s any interest in going after it [and negotiate] the price tag, at least that allows us to say we put it on the burner,” Small said, noting the only possible usefulness for it would be to swap the wetlands somewhere else.

Member Michael Jones said he walked the property about a week after the issue first came before the committee and found it was not all wetlands.

He wondered if a counter-offer of $20,000 might be acceptable to the seller. Member Dan Cullity suggested the issue was more suitable work for the facilities subcommittee to pursue. Gilbert-Whitner said she would place it on that subcommittee’s agenda.

Member Robert O’Brien asked if the land was useful to the district.

“I don’t think we’ve even looked at that,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “My understanding is that someone said it could maybe be used for parking or something, but these are wetlands around us so you really have to be careful.”

The Committee voted to ratify the unit A collective bargaining contract by a 6-0-4 vote.

Members Howard, Christopher Scriven, Robert Trotta and Chairman Bob Hayes abstained because they have family members who teach in the school district. Hanson Town Administrator Michael McCue, represented the two towns’ boards of selectmen. Member Michael Jones was able to vote because his wife is a substitute school nurse and not covered by Unit A. Alexandra Taylor was not present.

The committee was advised that Hanson’s 200th anniversary celebration committee is seeking the district’s support and involvement in events being planned for 2020.

In other business, the committee reorganized following the May 19 annual town elections in which incumbents Hayes and Small were re-elected and Whitman resident Scriven was elected to fill the vacancy left when Kevin Lynam opted not to run again.

Gilbert-Whitner opened the meeting, presiding until a chairman was selected and leading a moment of silence on the day after Memorial Day to “remember those who have given up their lives so that we may live as we do in this country.”

Hayes was then unanimously voted to return to the post of chairman in his 16th year on the committee. Trotta was elected vice chairman, by a 5-4 vote over Small, who was the vice chair last year. Trotta, Scriven, Howard, Jones and Robert O’Brien Jr., supported Trotta while Small, Hayes, Dan Cullity and Steven Bois voted for Small. Small was unanimously voted in as secretary/clerk.

Cullity was elected treasurer with Howard selected as assistant treasurer.

Subcommittee assignments are:

• Negotiations — for unit B, C and D contracts: Hayes, Small, Cullity, Trotta and Scriven;

• Facilities — Small, O’Brien, Jones, Scriven and Cullity;

• Policy — Trotta, Howard, Small and Scriven;

• Warrants — Cullity, O’Brien, Trotta, Howard and Jones;

• Pilgrim Area Collaborative — Bois; and

• Legislative — Small and Jones.

Incoming Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, who starts July 1, was appointed to the North River Collaborative and PCC boards of directors.

Bois was named the MASC/MASS Joint Conference delegate with Trotta named an alternate.

Voters opt for some new faces

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Newcomers were the big winners in the annual town elections on Saturday, May 19.

Political novices Wes Blauss and Matt Dyer will join the Hanson Board of Selectmen and Chris Scriven will join incumbent Fred Small in representing Whitman on the W-H Regional School Committee.

Seven percent of Whitman’s 10,589 registered voters cast ballots and in Hanson, 14 percent, or 1,013 of 7,473 registered voters cast ballots.

Blauss was the top vote-getter in Hanson with 545. Dyer received 492, Joseph Weeks III garnered 471 and incumbent Don Howard received 301 votes with 214 ballots left blank for the Hanson selectmen’s race.

In Whitman, Scriven received 516 votes to 331 for Small and 301 for Heidi Hosmer, with another 321 ballots left blank for the school committee race.

Dyer and Blauss said they were eager to go to work for Hanson as a way of giving back to the community.

“I’m blown away and very thankful for all the support and the love from all my supporters, the voters in Hanson, my family and friends who’ve all come out to support me,” Dyer said after Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan announced results in the Hanson Middle School gym. “I think what the voters were looking for was a younger voice to come and speak and bring new ideas and come at [government] from a different angle.”

He said he thought the difference for him was getting out to talk to voters and town officials to demonstrate he is not a one-issue candidate. He hopes to make a difference and bring in business, but recognizes that will be a tough job.

“My first goal with the board is to make sure we have a good working relationship with everyone on it,” he said.

Blauss was also gracious in victory.

“I think all four of us were good candidates,” Blauss said at his victory party at the Thomas Mill. “It’s a pleasure to have won, but no matter which way the vote went, I would have thought Hanson won.”

He said he has no immediate goals because he entered the race with no agenda, but wants to see the marijuana sales issue resolved sooner rather than later so the town knows where it’s going, pro or con.

“I’m 67 years old, I’ve never run for elective office and it was one thing I felt I probably should do to give back to the town — Hanson’s been a great place to live,” he said.

They were the only contested races on the respective town ballots.

Weeks congratulated Blauss and Dyer, while pledging he would be back to run again, while Howard expressed bitter disappointment in the results.

“I’m going to miss you,” Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said to Howard. “I liked working with you.”

“I’ve been devoted to the town of Hanson for the last 10 years,” Howard said when asked for his reaction to the result. “They aren’t going to be able to do what they said they were going to do.”

Howard said he would particularly miss representing Hanson on the Old Colony Regional Planning Council, but is still a member of the Water Commissioners.

Weeks lost by 21 votes and said he would “try to jump on some other committees” to continue serving his hometown. This was Week’s second campaign for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. He just completed a term on the Planning Board and sits on the Hanson Housing Authority board.

“It’s a matter of who the folks feel should be representing them and I think the town has spoken about that,” he said. “To lose by a handful of votes is tough.”

In other uncontested Hanson results: Sean Kealy received 845 votes for another term as town moderator; Kathleen Keefe had 821 votes for re-election as assessor; Arlene Dias garnered 804 votes to return to the Board of Health; Benjamin Fletcher got 782 votes for re-election to the Housing Authority; Steve Lyons with 740 votes and August Silva with 770 votes were re-elected constables; Corrine Cafardo with 768 votes and Linda Wall with 814 votes were returned to as Trustees of the Public Library; Bob Hayes received 790 votes for re-election to the School Committee and returning to the Water Commissioners will be William Garvey with 770 votes and Denis O’Connell with 713.

In Whitman; Town Clerk Dawn Varley received 587 votes for another term; Daniel Salvucci was re-elected as Selectman with 560 votes; Priscilla Waugh had 571 votes for re-election as assessor; Wayne Carroll garnered 547 to return to the Department of Public Works Commission; Michael Ganshirt with 547 votes and Kathryn Youngman with 468 votes were returned to as Trustees of the Public Library; Sheila Salvucci was elected to a three-year post on the Planning Board with 546 votes and Barbara White garnered 581 votes to return to the Board of Health.

Towns head to polls May 19

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HANSON — When voters go to the polls in Whitman and Hanson on Saturday, May 19, they will see only one contested race in each town — three candidates vying for two school committee seats in Whitman — incumbent Fred Small, Heidi Hosmer and Christopher Scriven — and four candidates running for two selectmen seats in Hanson.

Polls in both towns are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with all Whitman precincts voting at Town Hall and all Hanson precincts voting in Hanson Middle School.

Hanson voters had the chance on Sunday, May 6 to hear the candidates’ position on the issues and to ask questions during an annual forum jointly sponsored by the town’s Democratic and Republican town committees. Town Moderator Sean Kealy, himself a candidate for re-election, moderated the event.

“This is an opportunity to get to know who’s on the ballot and where they stand,” Kealy said.

Going through the ballot in reverse order, Kealy noted that some candidates were unable to, or opted not to, attend the session.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes took the opportunity to talk about his candidacy and ask for voter support at the forum, as did constable August P. Silva.

“I’m about education — I think that education is everything,” said Hayes, a Whitman native who has lived in Hanson for 30 years. “I know it costs a lot, and we get a lot of complaints about taxes, but education is a proven fact and without it, you have issues.”

He has served on the school committee for 15 years and has been chairman for 11. Both of his children are W-H graduates who bought homes in Hanson.

“When I accept a duty or responsibility, I do my utmost to fulfill all that is required of me and then some,” said Silva, a 49-year veteran constable, an Army veteran and retired teacher who has also served on more than a half-dozen other elected and appointed offices in town. “My experience and knowledge are what helps to make doing the job right and in a timely manner.”

The other uncontested candidate for re-election is Steven W. Lyons.

But the bulk of the afternoon was focused on the four selectmen candidates: incumbent Donald H. Howard, Wesley Blauss, Matthew J. Dyer and Joseph R. Weeks III.

Howard noted his residence in the home he built in town in 1960 and his 10 years’ service on the Board of Selectmen in his opening statement as well as his concern over the need for expansion of the town’s commercial tax base. Dyer, who grew up in Hanson, is a political newcomer who noted his wish to give back to the community as well as the need to diversify the tax revenue to attract new business in town. Weeks, too, is a Hanson native — who briefly lived in nearby Rockland — strives to give back to the community and stressed the need for business development and long-term sustainable planning, especially in the Main Street corridor. Weeks is now ending his service as a member of the Planning Board. Blauss, retired after a 40-year teaching career and 30-year member of the Recreation Commission, stressed education and environmental concerns in his opening statement, saying he believes strongly in the affect of global climate change on the lives of today’s children and is a proponent of the pay-as-you-throw trash program. He is also a member of the Hanson Historical Society.

The candidates were asked the following questions, starting with what can be done to attract new business to town:

Howard said Conservation regulations regarding wetland areas along Main Street and a drainage problem from Phillips Street create a particular challenge to development there.

“I’d love to see something done down there,” he said. He said the people’s voice should rule what is ultimately done to develop the former Plymouth County Hospital site.

“Right now we are a drive-through community and we need to [develop] some sort of destination,” Dyer said. He advocated development of a project like a boardwalk trail along the wetlands to entice visitors to come to town and develop a multi-use project at the old Ocean Spray building as well as bringing high-speed internet and sewage service to town to help business development.

“We would be the only community on the Old Colony line to have a walkable downtown — Plymouth doesn’t have it, Kingston doesn’t have it and neither does any of the other communities.”

For the PCH site, an indoor soccer facility could be a way to meet the growing demand for such a field in the area, Dyer said.

Weeks advocates continuation of the complete streets project to make Hanson a more walkable town and, along with tax provisions, can bring more business to town as part of a long-term plan. He agrees with Howard, however, that drainage issues have to be dealt with first.

“I feel like I can’t add much to that, although I would like to give a shout-out to Dunkin’ Donuts,” Blauss said, agreeing with the ideas other candidates were floating. “They have done a great landscaping job — it’s attractive, you can get off the train and the area right around there is a draw.”

For parts of that stretch of Main Street that is not a draw, he said he is not certain how much town-owned land there is in the area with which the town can work.

GREEN COMMUNITY
STATUS

Dyer, who is a member of Green Hanson, said he has worked on green technology and sustainability, noting that Green Community status is “that next step” for Hanson.

Weeks has also been a member of Green Hanson before getting involved in other town committees, said the Planning Board has already taken up the Green Community process.

“It opens us up to all kinds of grants,” he said. “We have a fantastic town planner who is looking at the overall maintenance of the town within both a short-term and long-term plan and she’s in agreement that this is something we hadn’t had the resources to pursue.”

Bluass, noting that so many other communities are working toward plastic grocery bag bans, said he doesn’t know why Hanson hasn’t followed suit.

“I think that there are plenty of avenues that we can start talking about [that in],” he said.

RECALL REVISION
ARTICLE

“I think the recall law, in general, is incredibly important because it’s a great opportunity for democracy and a town can correct itself when it feels it needs to,” Weeks said during the forum that took place the day before Town Meeting. “I do want to take away my personal opinion vs. being a person in a selectman’s seat.”

He said it was worth allowing the public to discuss and vote on it.

Blauss said the stipulations for admission to sufficient facts for conviction or outright conviction of a crime as required by the revision, could take too much time.

“There’s no way to remove that person from the position [before a vote could be held],” he said. “It seems to me the people should have the opportunity to decide in a recall election.”

Howard agreed that the public has a right to debate and vote on an issue at Town Meeting, which is why he voted to place it on the warrant.

Dyer said he opposed the article.

“I believe it will take away the rights of our voters,” he said. “It should be up to the voters to take that [person petitioned for recall] out of office.”

RECREATIONAL
MARIJUANA

“Although I do not smoke pot myself, I think absolutely the town should vote,” Blauss said of why a referendum question is not being put forth. “There are several of us who don’t even understand why it isn’t on this month’s ballot.”

Howard said he was surprised that Hanson voters voted in favor of the 2016 state ballot question.

“I was really disappointed,” he said, arguing that it makes the Police Department’s job harder. “It proved to me that there’s more people smoking pot than voted no.”

Dyer also said it should be on a town ballot.

“I don’t believe a small group should be changing the culture of our town,” he said. “It’s a community decision.”

Weeks said, while there is a referendum option, the moratorium article that the Planning Board drafted last year to provide time to explore that option was voted down at Town Meeting last year.

“We deferred it to Town Meeting because we felt it wasn’t the job of a Planning Board member to say that they are for or against anything.”

He said he would support a referendum question.

RECREATION PRIVATE VENDOR

Howard said that, to be honest, he didn’t really have much involvement with the issue and didn’t have an answer for why a private vendor arrangement was approved.

“This is a really close issue to me,” said Dyer, who has recreation and park ranger experience. “I truly believe in public recreation. I should not be privatized because that’s what sets America apart from every other country — we decided to preserve our land but also [to] make sure we had that balance between conservation and recreation.”

Weeks agreed, arguing privatizing Camp Kiwanee is not in the best interests of the town.

“Would it be good to have it be sustainable? That’s a great idea, businesswise, but we want to make sure we don’t lose the essence of what Camp Kiwanee is, because it is the heart of Hanson.”

Blauss, said he was involved in the purchase of Kiwanee by the town in 1979 as a community recreational center. The weddings and rentals have been used to subsidize its operation.

“As long as we keep Camp Kiwanee on that footing, I think we’ll do well,” he said. “That’s my hope for the future.”

Library Trustee Linda A. Wall, one of two trustees running unopposed for re-election, sent an email to be read at the forum asking for voter support for her continuing collaborative efforts to bring quality programs to the library.

Kealy closed out the afternoon by asking for voters to support his re-election effort.

“No one was foolish enough, other than me, to take out papers,” he joked. “But I would appreciate your vote. I hope I’ve earned it over the past year.”

Override averted – this year

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WHITMAN — The use of capital stabilization funds enabled the town to avoid an override ballot question — this year, Town Administrator Frank Lynam announced to the nearly 200 voters present at the start of the Monday, May 7 annual Town Meeting.

Capital stabilization was used to pay capital debt for the police station and Town Hall renovations as well as on a bond taken out in 2000 for limited repairs to Town Hall.

“The simple fact is that we can no longer raise enough money to fund the services that the residents of Whitman have become accustomed to receiving,” Lynam said of the $36,814,122 budget resulting from collaboration with all town departments, the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee. “We are presenting this budget with the realization that the town will need to increase its levy in future years in order to continue funding town services at our present level, and to meet the current and future capital needs of the Town.”

Lynam estimated there is only about $180,000 left in capital stabilization.

The fiscal 2019 budget is up $1,898,402 from last year.

Lynam warned residents that increases in fixed costs such as technology, public safety, education, solid waste, veterans’ services, health life and liability insurance, County retirement and other post-employment benefits are outstripping the town’s ability to fund the budget within the confines of Proposition 2 ½. Work on the fiscal 2020 budget will have to begin next month, beginning with a comprehensive review of our revenue, expenditures and capital assets toward developing that budget.

“The alternative to this would be to significantly reduce services and the quality of education we offer our youth and permit our capital assets to deteriorate over time,” he said.

Finance Committee Chairman Richard Anderson presented the “road map” for town spending in the coming year.

“This is in response to the extremely difficult budget we face this year,” Anderson said. “While we do not agree with each other, we all recognize the benefit of strategic planning and fiscal restraint.”

He offered the analogy that the Selectmen drive the fiscal car while the Finance Committee plans the route, but voters at town meeting decide whether to make the trip at all. Anderson also argued that the town’s position is due as much to unfunded or under-funded state and federal mandates as from spending and limited revenue.

“We have a long road — a long haul,” Lynam said after the Town Meeting, which he said went very well. “I can tell you right now there’s no way we can fund next year’s budget. We can’t continue down the road we’re going down an that’s why I wanted to make that clear tonight.”

There was an initial question, once the meeting got under way, from resident Elaine Williams on how the electronic voting devices would be used. Selectman Daniel Salvucci agreed with Williams’ suggestion that the devices be used in all questions.

“We’re paying the money to use these devices,” Salvucci said. “It seems to be working. Does Town Meeting want to use it for every single vote — and I agree, I think we should — I think that was the main reason we brought these forward.”

Moderator Michael Seele had recommended voice votes unless a voice vote supported using the handsets. Town Counsel Michelle McNulty’s interpretation of state statute agreed with Seele’s recommendation, which was the approach used, specifically on questioned items on Article 2 — which was decided by the devices when a voice vote proved inconclusive.

“The towns that use them on every question had lengthier town meetings,” said Seele, who chaired the committee that studied using the devices. “It’s up to the meeting.”

A special warrant article for $280,000 to purchase streetlights from National Grid was amended to authorize the borrowing of the funds and issue bonds or notes of the town for them. Lynam also indicated the town has applied for two grants, which if received, will pay for the borrowing in two years while the town saves on energy costs by switching to LED lights.

A line item within budget Article 2 later centered on $143,000 sought for street lighting. Lynam explained it was for electricity costs, which is expected to be reduced by the LED lighting in coming years.

BUDGET QUERIES

There were 25 line items questioned within budget Article 2, all of which were ultimately approved. Some of the questioned lines dealt with $1,000 certification stipend earned by some town employees as the town is obligated to meet as a result of approving state laws permitting the stipends several years ago.

A 4-percent increase for Lynam — the third year of an attempt to bring his salary closer to the minimum compensation for a town administrator — and a 2-percent increase for Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green after Green received a 1.5-percent increase last year — were also approved.

The question was prompted by the fact that the salary for the position was increased prior to hiring Green to a level that will still be the lowest among 15 people in equivalent positions through the region.

A question about Fire Department expenses triggered a question about why a brush fire off Indian Trail last year was left to burn overnight while fire personnel were sent home.

“Do you want me to comment on the expense or why we don’t go in the woods at night?” Fire Chief Timothy Grenno asked, then answered both, noting the expense line funds firefighter salaries, contractual obligations and benefits.

Fires in extremely dry weather burn deep underground along root systems and can take as long as two weeks to extinguish, Grenno added.

“If the ground is burned out and you have a firefighter walking across that ground drawing a hoseline and they fall into a pit, that fire can immediately flare up,” he said. “There’s too many obstacles in the woods, there’s too many obstructions, there’s dangers so when we confine a fire … so it doesn’t spread overnight in the darkness and then you go back first thing in the morning and you start up again.”

A Board of Health request for an additional $22,979 — bringing the inspector’s line from $43,148 to $66,127 — was also questioned. Lynam explained it was due to the board’s assumption of responsibilities for animal control services, placing the inspector at the department head level. Both the fire and health board expenses were approved.

A $6,000 expenditure to Whitman WILL was also questioned, with Lynam explaining it was a division of the $12,000 traditionally budgeted for the Whitman Counseling Center, which also was budgeted $6,000 this year.

“It’s no secret to anybody in this room that we’ve had an explosive growth in opioid addiction,” he said, noting the Whitman-Hanson WILL coalition is providing “serious effort to provide assistance and education to people in handling and combatting addiction to drugs.”

Two residents, who suggested the money go into the general fund, questioned a Police Department revolving fund financed through fines assessed by the department. The revolving fund is intended for training and education of officers.

“That fund offsets what this town spends in the police budget,” Police Chief Scott Benton said, comparing it to the Fire Department’s ambulance receipts account. “As the police chief, I want the money to go to the Police Department. I can appreciate where you’re coming from, but I object to [funneling the money into the general fund].”

Lynam agreed that the funds are used to finance the unique needs of the Police Department.

O’Brien sworn in as Hanson deputy fire chief: Selectmen delay regional agreement vote

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HANSON — Fire Department Deputy Chief Robert O’Brien Jr., was officially sworn in at the Tuesday, May 1 meeting of the Board of Selectmen — a session in which the board postponed a vote on the revised W-H regional school agreement.

Selectmen opted to wait for town counsel to weigh in on the pact, and plan to vote on it prior to the Monday, May 7 Town Meeting. Whitman Selectmen already approved it as has the School Committee on the legal thumbs-up from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and school district legal counsel.

It was O’Brien’s swearing-in ceremony, however that most of the overflow crowd at the meeting came to see.

Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., noted that former Chief Peter Huska, who gave both he and O’Brien their start on the department, was in attendance.

The deputy chief position has been vacant for several years, Thompson said, adding that call volume has increased in recent years.

O’Brien has been working as deputy chief since March 5.

“As we get to 2,000 a year, we also have had the percentage of multiple calls [at one time] increase,” he said of the need to again appoint a deputy chief. “As this went on we’ve also seen our code enforcement and administrative duties of our department increase. These factors were making it more difficult for our shift commanders to balance the administrative duties and the daily operations of the department.”

Thompson thanked Town Administrator Michael McCue, Selectmen, the town accountant, Finance Committee and residents at Town Meeting for supporting the position. He said the process of selecting O’Brien also provides the opportunity to promote a firefighter to the lieutenant and the hiring of another firefighter.

O’Brien and Lt. Charles Barends applied for the deputy chief position. The selection process included a January assessment center, which evaluated leadership, administrative and management skills. O’Brien was the top-scoring candidate.

A lifelong Hanson resident, he lives in town with his wife Deb, son Christopher — both of whom took part in pinning on his new badge — and three children the O’Briens are in the process of adopting — Armando, Nathan and Chloe. A 1991 graduate of Cardinal Spellman High School, O’Brien went to EMT and paramedic school, working at Fallon Ambulance for many years before becoming a call firefighter in Hanson in 1997, becoming full time in 2000.

O’Brien attained the rank of lieutenant in 2012. He has also been SAFE and training coordinator, a member of the Plymouth County Rescue Training Association and is the deputy director for the technical rescue team. He had been a lifeguard at Cranberry Cove while in high school and served on the Recreation Commission for many years. O’Brien is currently a member of the School Committee, Parks and Fields Commission, CPC and is the town’s harbormaster.

“I don’t know how he’s going to be able to do any Fire Department work,” Thompson joked before Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan administered O’Brien’s oath of office.

After the swearing-in ceremony, O’Brien’s School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes updated the Selectmen on the revised regional agreement.

REGIONAL AGREEMENT

Hayes outlined the process the Regional Agreement Amendment Committee’s work over the past year in revising a 1956 contract that had not been changed since 1992.

“The goal was to update the document to reflect legislative changes, financial agreements and current facilities,” Hayes said, thanking the committee members from both communities who worked on the revision.

Hanson Middle School was not listed in the original agreement, but schools long-since closed, such as the Park Avenue School in Whitman, were.

Hayes said a conversation he had with Mass. Association of Regional Schools (MARS) Executive Director Stephen Hemmond Tuesday assured the towns that either community would be able to petition the DESE to amend the agreement, pending the DESE’s approval.

“By law, the town is required to teach students,” Hayes said. “You would have to come up with a plan on what to do [in the event a town wanted to leave the district], and it would have to be approved. … It’s the vote of the people at all times.”

Other stipulations for leaving a district would require a town to assume financial responsibility for other post-employment benefits (OPEB) of school employees — about $15 million to $20 million in Hanson’s case, according to Hayes.

“There’s a lot of advantage to being in a regional school district, and it saves money,” he said.

Hayes also addressed Whitman’s concerns over the 60-40 split in financial responsibility, based on most of the students in the district’s enrollment being Whitman residents. He said he looked into the private school enrollment from Whitman and Hanson — 150 total students — and found 60 percent were from Whitman and 40 percent were from Hanson.

“I never figured it would be that exact split,” he said. “It was an interesting thing to see.”

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the delay, not to “second-guess what people have done,” but to provide more time to review the agreement.

“It was very enlightening,” Selectman Jim Hickey said of his appointment to the regional agreement committee.

TOWN MEETING

In other business, during discussion of Town Meeting preview, Finance Committee Chairman Michael Dugan indicated two capital proposals — for a Town Hall generator and Highway Department utility truck were not recommended because the FinCom deemed that clear-cut arguments for them were not made.

Selectmen Chairman James McGahan also spoke of two amendments to the proposed revision of the recall bylaw he plans to present at Town Meeting.

One amendment from the floor would shorten the period in which a recall can be scheduled from 170 days after petitions are certified by the Town Clerk — to 45 days. The other would also shorten the time required for a special election in the event an elected official does not resign within five business days of the date of notice, with a minimum of 45 days.

Building priority plan is mulled

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WHITMAN — The Buildings, Facilities and Capital Expenditures Committee is considering the appropriate role for the board toward the ultimate goal of creating an operating plan to identify and prioritize capital needs.

The committee plans to meet again at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 26 to discuss their impressions of a planning guide and manual from the state’s Department of Revenue Division of Local Services as a blueprint for a town capital planning bylaw proposed by Finance Committee member Shawn Kain.

“I don’t disagree,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam, who chairs the Buildings Committee. “What I do disagree with in his recommendation is the immediate implementation, because until we have a sense of organization and how we’re going to approach it, putting a bylaw on the books is not going to accomplish much.”

He said it would be up to him, the Finance Committee and department heads to work through the numbers in department requests, instead of bringing them back before the Buildings Committee.

“I would rather devote our efforts to building a plan, creating a process — a matrix — and then begin to follow it,” he said. The aim is to accomplish that over the next few months and “really start in August” to begin meeting with people. “I’m going to ask in July that all these proposals come in so that they can be footed into the matrix so that we can then look at them and start setting priorities.”

Lynam said that, given the town’s financial condition, which as of March 29 has Whitman $1.3 million short of balanced, if all warrant items are funded — with a number of articles still to be reviewed and vetted.

“I should have better prepared this group for the changing assignment of capital expenditures,” Lynam said. “It’s something we can’t do right now because we simply don’t have a revenue plan. … Our process for capital spending has been a reactionary one.”

Finance Committee member Vice Chairman David Codero, who also serves on the Buildings Committee, said the FinCom has similar concerns and questions about goals.

While Lynam credits Kain with being relentless, “one size doesn’t fit all,” he said, noting any capital committee and plan must fit Whitman’s specific needs.

A separate capital investment account, for example, would require long-term planning.

“It’s a great idea, but the money isn’t there [right now],” Lynam said. “It may even take a little pain on the part of the town to find where those funds are going to come from.”

Since the pie can’t be increased in size, it would have to be redistributed, according to Lynam. Codero suggested it could mean asking department heads to take a step toward presenting a plan before the “end goal” of specific warrant articles.

Lynam said that would mean, should the Buildings Committee take on that charge, to start the planning process as early as July for a next fiscal year to review plans with department heads and develop a matrix of long-term needs.

That would entail creating a database of the town’s capital assets, the condition they are in and short-term vs. long-term needs, coupling that with purchases the town makes, including large-scale purchases such as vehicles.

“These expenses can add up quickly and, periodically, you have to upgrade them and that’s when it becomes a capital expense,” Lynam said.

The DPW, for example, has withdrawn requests to buy two of three vehicles sought in warrant articles for the May 7 Town Meetings after discussions about the town’s financial outlook. The one item they are now putting through is a plow truck with dump body.

As a capital planning entity, the Buildings Committee would meet with department heads in that way, confirm early requests already made, identify new requests and analyze those needs in light of other departments.

“I do credit the schools with an analysis process that they use for the town buildings and the regional buildings,” Lynam said. “They have a matrix. It goes on the matrix and stays on the matrix until it either gets done or the building goes away.”

Another concern for the town is the change in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) coming in February 2019 that will make towns subject to OSHA regulations. That would require changes — especially at the DPW — that are not now required.

Buildings Committee member Donald Esson, who is an electrical enginer, asked if the town has a risk manager, which Lynam said yes — through the Mass. Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), a self-insured group that constantly runs risk-management scenarios for member towns. MIIA also helps with grants, training, inspections and recommendations for improvements.

“As a group we need to prioritize, but we need to go back to the requestors and get their feedback on why [certain requests are made], Lynam said.

“I think that is step one — we need to understand the budget, understand the funding of what we have,” Esson said. “We have to be realistic, we can only spend what we have and get them on board [about] how do we do it?”

Lynam said the Buildings Committee can go a long way toward outlining needs, what is being done and why because it could identify and get into the details involved in requested projects.

Three arrested in break-in

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HANSON — Three Braintree men are being charged in connection with the armed break-in of a Hanson house Saturday night, March 24.

A Hanson resident was able to call 911 with help from neighbors after he fled his home Saturday night on Adams Circle while two masked men smashed their way in.

Christian Paiva, 19, and Christopher Paiva, 22, were taken into custody in the immediate area of the home. Giovanni Rodrigues, 23, fled on foot and was taken into custody on State Street. All three are from Braintree, said Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch in a press release.

The three have been charged with breaking and entering while armed, malicious destruction of property over $250, and larceny over $250.   Hanson Police later recovered property taken from the home on Sunday.

The homeowner, who was not identified by police,  was not physically harmed. Police were seen photographing the lower level entry of a ranch style home Saturday at around 8 p.m. A K9 handler and State Police were also seen combing the wooded area by the dwelling.

Hanover Police Officers and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department BCI Unit also assisted in apprehending the three. Rodrigues was found to be carrying a knife when he was taken into custody on State Street by Hanover Police and Sheriff’s Department officials.

“Hanson Police Department would like to thank the many witnesses who called in to assist us in locating the third individual,” said Miksch. “We would also like to thank the Hanover Police and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance.”

Hanson Officers investigating the case were Officers Billy Frazier, Jared Meegan, Christopher Dominguez, and Ben Ford. Detective Paul O’Brien, Sgt. Gene Andrews, and Lt. Michael Casey also assisted.

The three suspects were slated to be arraigned in district court today [March 26].

According to police, the break-in is not a random incident as the victim apparently knew one of the suspects.

Pot sales ban is passed

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WHITMAN — Voters in the town’s Saturday, March 17 special Town Meeting voted nearly two-to-one in favor of a protective zoning bylaw banning all forms of recreational marijuana sales in Whitman.

The vote was 543 supporting the bylaw and 307 against the ban with 850 registered voters casting ballots. Town Clerk Dawn Varley said the light turnout was not entirely surprising for a one-issue special election and that quite a few voters had questions about the wording in a situation where a “yes” vote was against recreational sales while a “no” vote would support it.

“I think it was pretty much the average for a special election and a special interest,” she said. “I think people knew what they were voting for … they weren’t undecided.”

The wording of the question was “the worst part about it,” Varley noted.

“Some people were unsure of what ‘yes’ meant and what ‘no’ meant,” she said. “My election workers were told that, if there were any questions to send them to our office so it couldn’t be misconstrued that they were directing someone to vote a certain way.”

Two town officials — Selectmen Vice Chairman Dan Salvucci and School Committee member Fred Small — attending the results reading following the 5 p.m., polls closing expressed satisfaction at the result.

“No pot shops in Whitman,” Salvucci said. “Although the people want marijuana [legalized] in the state of Massachusetts and in Whitman, but the town of Whitman does not want it sold here.”

Voters had supported the 2016 state ballot question that legalized recreational marijuana in the Bay State.

“I voted yes,” Salvucci said of the ban. “I did not want the sale of marijuana in Whitman.”

Small described himself as a “happy School Committee member” in view of the result during an interview with WHCA-TV at Town Hall.

“I’m very glad, personally, that this didn’t pass,” Small said. “Although I do understand it is legal, it’s just not the image that I want to see projected for our hometown.”

Salvucci said marijuana could be a gateway drug to more addictive narcotics.

“I can understand the medical [use],” Salvucci said.

March 15 WH Express Delay

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Due to the power outage at out Newspaper’s print production location in Hanover, mailed copies of the Whitman Hanson issue will be delayed this week. We apologize for any inconvenience this leaves our readers.

~ The Express Newspapers

Funds voted for Pre-K transfer

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WHITMAN — After a 45-minute start delay in an effort to meet the 150-voter quorum requirement, Whitman’s special Town Meeting took only 10 minutes or so to pass the three warrant articles by wide margins.

A transfer of $256,752.62 from capital stabilization was passed by an 83 percent to 17 percent margin to fund costs involved in structural changes at WHRHS to accommodate moving the district’s pre-kindergarten program from Maquan School.

Voters also authorized the town — through the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator — to enter into contracts for energy purchases or net metering contracts for terms of up to 20 years. The measure passed by an 87 percent to 13-percent margin.

Both articles passed with no discussion.

Voters also moved forward a protective zoning bylaw prohibiting all types of non-medical marijuana establishments in town by an 81 percent to 19-percent margin.

The issue must now pass a special Town Election from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 17 for the ban to go on the books. All precincts vote in the Town Hall Auditorium.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner expressed gratitude for the passage of pre-K transfer costs, noting the passage allows work at the high school to begin over April vacation week.

Quorum scramble

Officials were, however, dismayed by the time taken to reach a quorum.  At the 7:30 p.m. start time there were only about 105 voters in the Town Hall auditorium, prompting a flurry of texting friends, family and neighbors to attract more voters. Town Administrator Frank Lynam also broadcast about a half-dozen appeals over the live cable access feed, urging viewers to drive over to the meeting and guaranteeing they would be done in less than a half hour.

He was right, as even with the pre-vote refresher on using electronic voting devices and reading of the meeting call took less than 15 minutes.

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski chalked up the sparse attendance to the upcoming storm and the fact that people were likely at the store stocking up on milk and bread or gassing up generators.

“It’s tough to get people out sometimes,” Town Moderator Michael Seele agreed. “There’s a storm coming and everything else. It was great that we got the quorum, we got the business done that we needed to get done.”

When quorum was achieved it was greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause.

Lynam, however, said the struggle for a quorum was more likely a symptom of apathy.

“People are becoming very apathetic,” Lynam said. “Governing is work.”

He said that makes it hard for the Town Meeting system to remain viable.

“Certainly in the last few meetings [it would] indicate that there is not a lot of enthusiasm for Town Meeting,” Lynam said.

MariJuana bylaw

The only questions asked during the session involved the exact result of a yes vs. a no vote on the marijuana prohibition bylaw and why a special election is also required.

“If this sounds familiar, it’s because we already voted in a general bylaw,” Lynam told voters. “The Canabis Control Commission is also seeking towns vote to establish a protective zoning bylaw. A yes vote will prohibit the sale of recreational marijuana for the town of Whitman.”

He also explained that the March 17 special Town Election is necessary due to state requirements. That ballot, containing only the marijuana question, has exactly the same language as the warrant article.

After the meeting, Kowalski noted that Whitman voters had voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016 and might repeat that vote. But Lynam said he wasn’t so sure that the vote would be reprised.

“I think the majority will support the prohibition question,” Lynam said. “The question is why. What did they vote for [in 2016]? Did they vote to have marijuana in Whitman or did they vote to decriminalize it so that young people being arrested for having marijuana would not have their lives ruined by a conviction?”

He said people he has talked to about the issue have indicated that, while they voted for the legalization ballot question, they only wanted to prevent making people criminals for possession of marijuana alone.