WHITMAN — Selectmen, on Tuesday, June 26, began the process through which they plan to survey residents on budgeting priorities — the first step in developing long-range budget plans.

The board heard Bridgewater State University political science professor Dr. Melinda Tarsi review survey methodology and strategies aimed at obtaining the most accurate information from the largest possible number of people in town.

Tarsi teaches survey methodology and public opinion research, and is chairman of the Halifax Finance Committee. She also recently helped the town of Millbury conduct a survey as part of its master plan research, achieving a participation rate of 20 percent in a town of about 5,100 people.

“It was quite good for a municipal survey with no incentives offered,” she said.

That short turn-around survey was in the field for two weeks, because of a scheduled public forum. Tarsi said results of a Whitman survey could be complete by October and that she could “reverse engineer” the process to meet a specific deadline.

“The point is to make it as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, to improve response rates,” she said. Adding other questions about health concerns and other issues of interest on the budget survey could help address other town government needs without creating survey burnout from too many questionnaires.

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski, Selectman Scott Lambiase and Town Administrator Frank Lynam will be working with Tarsi and discussing which stakeholders sould be included in futher meetings with her, including WHRSD and SSVT, and  to begin talking about questions.

“More importantly, we need to reach out to the public,” Lynam said. “We can easily collect the information internally, it’s the getting the public involved that is [crucial].”

Tarsi said identifying and sitting down with stakeholders prior to the survey as a way to begin the formulation of survey issues and questions.

“I am a big advocate of beta-testing a survey, getting a lot of eyes on it and making sure that we don’t just sort of pass things around in our little bubble and think it makes sense to us without making sure that it makes sense to other people, too,” she said.

Kowalski noted that it was a good thing that Finance Committee member Shawn Kain also attended the meeting.

“Shawn has had a burr under his saddle for a couple of years now about the need for our town to do more long-range planning than it has done — especially around the budget,” he said. “Budget cycles go from year-to-year. We need to take, not only the short-term look, but we need to take a long-term look, too.”

Kowalski said it can be daunting to determine how to even begin determining goals and objectives of a community, which includes a statement of its priorities for immediate budgeting as well as long-range planning. He mentioned once receiving a survey on his cell phone regarding health needs of the South Shore that the opioid coalition with which his wife works was conducting.

“She said why don’t you just do a survey?” Kowalski said. He then spoke to Lynam who mentioned Tarsi’s work.

Tarsi said she was excited to work with Whitman on the project, suggesting Whitman use both a paper and online survey. She has a license for Qualtrix, one of the premier survey platforms at Bridgewater State.

She cautioned that the wording and order of questions was an important consideration, and would work with the town on doing that as a way to obtain the best data possible.

“I tell my students I think that bad data is worse than no data at all and I want to make sure that we’re crafting questions — and even ordering questions — in a way that ensures we get reliable information on what your residents prioritize when it comes to the budget,” Tarsi said.

Kowalski said he noticed, on some surveys, that police services and public safety are often at the bottom of the list when surveys ask people to rate public services.

Selectman Dan Salvucci suggested an alphabetical listing of town departments for surveying could address that concern.

“Something as simple as how you order responses, or having one question appear below another question, might seem inconsequential, but actually, from a political psychology point of view, it can have major implications for how someone views a question,” Tarsi said. “Those are the things I’d be very much attuned to.”

She also offered the services of her fall public opinion class members to code paper surveys as part of their service learning requirement at Bridgewater State. Students could begin that coding process when they return to classes in September.

As an academic surveyor, Tarsi said she would have to submit it to an institutional review board to ensure it does not unethically harm participants, which takes about two weeks.

Lynam asked if it was a good idea to distribute paper surveys through town departments as a way to ensure the interests of all stakeholders were represented. Tarsi said direct mail is the most efficient method for distributing paper surveys, but encouraged departments to advertise the importance of completing the survey on any of their social media platforms.

Reminder postcards also help spur people to return completed surveys, Tarsi said.

Travel policy

In other business, the board gave a first reading to proposed changes to the town’s travel and expense policy to permit town departments an opportunity to provide feedback.

Police Chief Scott Benton asked if department heads could ask questions as he had not seen the proposal.

“We sit down and talk with the union,” Benton said. “I don’t know why there wouldn’t be a conversation with the people that are going to be affected.”

Lynam said the biggest change involves “identifying reasonable limits” to expenses charged for travel on town business based on market fluctuations in geographic areas.

Kowalski asked that the proposal be distributed for review and the board could then act on it at the next meeting, slated for 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 10.

“We need to put in some policies to control our spending, plain and simple,” Salvucci said, particularly in view of the fact that residents are being surveyed about budget priorities.

Kain also asked if other policies with a potential budget impact were being reviewed.

“You’re going to see policies coming [before the board] with some regularity,” Kowalski said. “We have a personnel policy book that we pretty much finished awhile ago — until we started adding things to it and we’re polishing it now.”

The School Committee has certified a fiscal 2019 budget at an 11 percent assessment increase to the towns — a $1,387,777 increase in Whitman and an $840,705 increase in Hanson over last year. Without that assessment, the school budget is in deficit by $2,228,482 after transferring $450,000 from excess and deficiency last week.

The fiscal 2019 a foundation budget of $50,706,972 is up 4.1 percent from fiscal 2018. The current fiscal 2018 budget is $48,688,029.

The 11 percent assessment increase would fund a level service-plus budget that adds two middle school special education teachers, an elementary-level family liaison, the first of a multi-year technology plan and adds curriculum materials for the elementary science program.

“At 11 percent, we’re not going backward, we’re going forward,” said Committee member Fred Small. “There are items that the leadership did recommend that are in the 11 percent. … It is moving forward.”

The 7-3 vote, with Chairman Bob Hayes joining members Steven Bois and Alexandra Taylor in opposition, came during a rare Tuesday session. The March 20 meeting was pushed up a day due to a pending fourth nor’easter this month.

A first vote, to seek a 13.65-percent increase to include free all-day kindergarten, failed to garner the two-thirds vote margin with only Bois, Taylor, Michael Jones and Robert Trotta voting in favor of that assessment level. That assessment would have meant a $1,654,229 increase in Whitman and a $1,111,115.09 increase in Hanson over last year.

All 10 members support full-day kindergarten as a vital addition to the W-H curriculum, but several members argued it was more responsible to bring the budget closer to the minimum local share sought by the state for its funding formulas. Several members favored placing an all-day kindergarten program as an override issue, but that can’t be done with a program that must be funded through the year-to-year operating budget.

“That’s what we do here at W-H, we’re ideas,” Bois said. “We’re moving forward, we’re innovative.”

“The only way to have full-day K is in the operating budget?” member Christopher Howard asked. “We’ve looked out there and there’s no other mechanism?”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner confirmed that, as salaries for the teachers involved in such a program are annual expenses, there is no other mechanism. She did add that, with recent budget increase, the district towns are much closer to target share.

“An increase of this magnitude could possibly put us at target share or very close, so down the road we could start to get the Chapter 70 [funds] we would need to get [to full-day kindergarten],” she said of the effort she has supported for 18 years. “The problem is revenue.”

She said the only way to obtain the funds outside of town budgets and state Chapter 70 funds is for state transportation and per-pupil costs, as well as the special education circuit-breaker to be fully funded.

“We get whacked on transportation,” she said. “We can meet with FinComs until we’re blue in the face and it’s not going to matter. … I do think we’re being ripped off on regional transportation and circuit-breaker, and the charges for Charter Schools are killing us.”

Small said he would “kick, scream and yell” for anything less than level services while taking small steps ahead.

“I don’t see what harm there is in asking for it,” Taylor said in view of the fact that the committee’s support of full-day kindergarten is well known.

“It’s our responsibility to do what’s best for our school district,” Trotta said in support of full-day kindergarten. “I think it’s about time we pushed ahead.”

“No one is against all-day K,” Howard said. “Everyone is for that. It’s just that what we have to do is build a sustainable budget.”

But member Kevin Lynam joined Dan Cullity, Robert O’Brien Jr., and Small in urging planning toward keeping the budget healthy year-to-year and keep kindergarten in mind for when the budget is healthier. O’Brien also said there is a critical need for social-emotional support for elementary students now.

“Last year we got 10 percent and we came back with an almost $2 million deficit,” Lynam said. “If you add just enough to close the gap and you add all-day K on top of it, next year is going to be another big deficit.”

Cullity was concerned that, if the committee shoots too high, the towns could counter with assessments lower than the 11 percent increase.

“There is absolutely no guarantee that you’re going to get 11,” Hayes said.

Duval Elementary School Principal Julie McKillop said full-day kindergarten is no longer a want, it is a need.

“We are dealing with haves and have-nots,” she said. “We are doing everything we can to catch these kids up, but no matter what, I can’t stand here and say half-day and full-day are exactly the same and they all get the same amount [of instruction]. They don’t.”

She also said full-day kindergarten improves property values.

The School Committee on Wednesday, March 7 reluctantly voted to transfer $450,000 from the excess and deficiency fund to help a bit in closing the $2.6 million gap in the fiscal 2019 budget.

A $450,000 transfer from E&D would mean an 11 percent assessment increase to the towns to fully fund the budget – a $1,387,777 increase in Whitman and an $840,705 increase in Hanson over last year’s assessments.

Every 1 percentage of assessment is worth about $200,000 from both towns with about a 60/40 percent split based on population.

The enrollment certified Oct. 1, 2017 shows 2,333 or 59.82 percent of district students live in Whitman and 1,567 or 40.18 percent live in Hanson. The dollar amount swing at a level (equal to last  year assessment) is an increase to Whitman of $ 54,699 and a decrease to Hanson of ( $ 54,699) before any potential assessment increase is voted by school committee.

School Committee members Fred Small and Dan Cullity voted against the transfer in the 6-2 vote. Members Kevin Lynam and Robert O’Brien Jr., were absent.

The committee was slated to vote on certifying the budget at its Wednesday, March 14 meeting. The committee also supported by consensus the drafting of a separate warrant article for full-day kindergarten for a possible vote March 14.

The proposed $43 million fiscal 2019 budget is level service-plus package.

“We have added some other items,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “One of those is a position we’re calling family liaison.”

A person with a social work or school adjustment counselor background would work with the three elementary schools as a liaison between the schools, the school community and with families to direct them to programs to provide help and to work with social work interns though North River Collaborative.

A $40,000 multi-year, one-to-one electronic device effort, the addition of a special education teacher to bolster the science curriculum at each of the middle schools and resources to fund the elementary science program, now funded by a grant, are also included in the spending plan.

“I’m not confident that we’ll see much more in terms of Chapter 70 state aid to schools unless we see it as an increase in per-pupil,” Gilbert-Whitner said. Right now, the formula adds $20 per pupil. There is, however some effort to increase that to perhaps an additional $75 to $100 at the State House level.

“Unfortunately, that’s not a number we’re going to have for you on March 14,” she said.

Regional transportation – which is supposed to be funded at 100 percent – comes in at around 60 to 70 percent at most, as do special education circuit-breaker funds. The last time the district was fully funded for regional transportation was 2007.

“We need to stay involved with our legislators,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “All of that will help with the deficit we’re trying to control.”

Special education costs have been a concern as well.

Small asked if the board was at a point where it would consider suing the commonwealth for full regional transportation reimbursement.

“The state auditor has issued a report saying that regional transportation should be funded at 100 percent,” he said. “There’s a lot of money at stake. … There is a bill that, I believe moved out of House Ways & Means [Monday], to take a look at how school regions are being funded.”

He also urged residents to write their state representatives to demand improvements in regional funding. Because of its status as a region, W-H cannot charge for busing, either.

“I get that that’s an aggressive move Mr. Small is proposing,” said School Committee member Christopher Howard. “But we’re again staring at a budget none of us like, so at some point we have to do something.”

In the past four years, the region has lost about $4 million in unfunded regional transportation reimbursements.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes suggested bringing in state legislators to ask for legislation to increase that funding, which the committee supported by consensus.

“Doing nothing is not an option,” he said.

The committee then turned its focus to the annual decision over tapping into E&D funds.

“Every year, in the last few years, we’ve been hitting excess and deficiency,” Hayes said. “Right now, there’s $936,000 in E&D.”

In June 2016 E&D was certified at $1.2 million with $750,000 taken to help balance the current budget with just over $400,000 returned. Over the past three years amounts put back into E&D have decreased with the use of more exacting budget software – $422,000 last year, $600,000 the year before and close to $800,000 the year before that.

“I want to be very cautious,” Small said.

“The trend we’re taking – E&D isn’t supposed to balance the budget, it’s supposed to be for emergencies,” Dan Cullity agreed. “We’re chipping away at what we’re supposed to have for reserves to pay for the budget. … This is dire. We can’t keep putting that E&D to pay for the budget.”

Hayes predicted that, at the current rate, there will be no E&D money within a year to two years.

Since the School Committee is able to budget only once a year, it is permitted to keep an excess and deficiency fund up to 5 percent of the budget, which would be $2.5 million if fully endowed, for emergencies during the year, including unforeseen special education costs.

A $500,000 transfer from E&D would mean a 10.75 assessment increase to the towns to fully fund the budget – a $1,302,781 increase in Whitman and an $875,054 increase in Hanson. A $400,000 transfer from E&D would mean an 11.25 assessment increase to the towns to fully fund the budget – a $1,363,375 increase in Whitman and a $915,754 increase in Hanson.

School Committee member Steven Bois, suggested the $450,000 transfer.

“I can’t see taking more than what we put back last year and we’ve been trending down, down, down with what we’re putting back,” Small said. “My comfort zone is $400,000.”

Bois said he would not consider a suggestion by Small to reduce the amount to $400,000.

“I’m not withdrawing [his motion for amendment],” Bois said. “Discuss the merits of the $450,000. … We’re ushering in a new superintendent, we’re ushering in a new assistant superintendent, we’re ushering in a new high school principal. I’m sorry, I’m not willing to [BS] around with this.”

He added he is ready to vote for an assessment equal to the balance of the budget.

“I just feel we’re playing with one-time money – and it’s supposed to be emergency money,” Small said.

If WHRHS students take part in a symbolic 17-minute national student walkout centering on the gun control issues on Wednesday, March 14 they will not face suspensions.

School officials have been discussing with students what form their action may take in efforts to support expression of First Amendment freedoms while keeping them safe and ensuring no instructional time is lost.

The walkout, organized by students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., is one of two upcoming national actions sponsored by the Never Again MSD group. The other is a series of March for Our Lives protests in Washington, D.C., and cities around the country – including Boston – on Saturday, March 24.

A previous student walkout observed nationally took place a week after the Feb. 14 Parkland mass shooting, and fell during school vacation week in the Bay State.

W-H Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak discussed his approach during an update on school safety and security at the Wednesday, Feb, 28 School Committee meeting.

“This really seems to be right now a high school issue,” he said. “Kids are buzzing around – ‘What are we going to do? Are we going to do anything? Are you going to take a stand against us if we walk out of school?’”

He invited students and faculty to a meeting Thursday, March 1 to talk about what the students may have in mind for the observation between 10 and 10:17 a.m., March 14, and has already designated a school-wide study period around that time to ensure no instructional time is lost.

“If they want to take the lead, I’m super-happy that we have some vocal kids in this school … we have some really good community members as well and they’re interested in what’s going on in this country,” Szymaniak said. “Right or wrong, left or right, I’d like to hear what they have to say.”

While he is not sure if the students plan to do a walkout, stay in class and write their congressmen, or go to theygym for a period of quiet reflection to honor the 17 lives lost on Feb. 14, Szymaniak said he has talked to teachers to make sure they are supervised and both police departments to make sure they are safe.

“If we’re going to do anything, there has to be some communication with our legislators about how we feel at Whitman-Hanson,” he said, noting the students are concerned about mental health and how the “system didn’t work this time, but it can in the future” and perhaps students can help lead that change.

If television crews show up, however, they will not be allowed to enter school grounds during school hours and students have been advised to avoid social media debates with adults on sites such as Whitman Pride or Hanson Connect. Community members who have questions should contact him directly, Szymaniak said, a position echoed by Committee Chairman Bob Hayes, who also welcomes questions from the community.

At South Shore Vo-Tech, Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said students are thoughtfully organizing a remembrance activity on March 14 during the 17-minute window in memory of the lives lost in Florida.

“They are coordinating ideas with administrators,” he said. “Students who do not wish to participate will not be required to.”

W-H School Committee member Robert Trotta applauded the students’ wish to express their opinions.

“I think there’s a lot of strength in what has been going on for the youth,” he said. “Hopefully that will be the root of a new generation taking care of this particular problem.”

The school district has made safety and security one of its three operational pillars in recent years.

“We were all horrified by the shootings on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Fla., just as we were horrified by Sandy Hook in December 2012, this also brought home to us two weeks ago how critically important the safety and security of our students, our staff, our schools, our communities is to all of us,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “In our response to this we communicated with families, our building principals have also communicated as well.”

The district’s Safety and Security Committee met Monday, Feb. 26 with chiefs and their deputies from both towns to review what is currently being done to ensure it.

“We would have had that meeting anyway, we meet with them regularly, but clearly the focus on this was what happens when there is an active intruder or active shooter,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “A big comfort to everyone is we do have very strong partnerships with our police and fire departments.” The district’s committee is also bolstered by representation of all grade levels by principals from Duval, Hanson Middle and the high school.

A meeting was also planned Thursday, March 1with teacher union representatives Kevin Kavka and Beth Stafford to discuss staff involvement in school safety and security as well as a parent information night on Tuesday, March 6.

There are things people can do, the meetings were intended to stress.

“If something doesn’t look right, doesn’t sound right, doesn’t seem right — report it,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “I think we’ve found that, since Sandy Hook, people are better at that. We’re finding that here at the high school if students hear something, they’ll report it.”

People have been instructed not to prop doors open, to go through security and to wear ID badges to help ensure student safety.

Teachers and administrators had also taken part in a tabletop emergency drill using a fire scenario as recently as Feb. 8.

HANSON — Selectmen have requested a facilities assessment at Camp Kiwanee be boiled down to a spreadsheet matrix ranking the urgency of work remaining to be done at the facility.

The Recreation Commission presented its facilities assessment and audit to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, Feb. 27. That report outlined work already done and a ranking of work remaining. Selectmen also voted to support a letter from the Recreation Commission to the Community Preservation Commission seeking funding to replace the dock at the Cranberry Cove beach.

“What I liked about the report itself in general was that you gave an indication of how long it would last and the timeframe in which it needed to be replaced or upgraded,” Selectmen Chairman James McGahan said of the projects reviewed.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett asked for an overview of how the assessment was conducted and what projects might need to be done immediately.

“We look for things that we consider need to be done right away,” said Lee Chizek of AEI, the independent contractor hired to conduct the assessment. “Then we look at what you would need to allocate for continuing to have [a] building function forever and ever.”

The quality of original materials factor into that consideration, he said. The projects are ranked one through five regarding urgency, with one a high priority, cost recommendations and a year suggesting when work should be done, McGahan said.

“What we found is that you have a number of buildings that have been reasonably well maintained,” Chizek said. “Some of the buildings … we thought you would really want to allocate money for routine maintenance. We didn’t find anything alarming.”

McGahan advocated for a more user-friendly, spreadsheet matrix organized by priority. FitzGerald-Kemmett said she would like such a matrix to be sorted by priority, price or length of life.

Selectmen Jim Hickey, meanwhile, argued that work should be completed at each building before a high-priority ranking moved attention to another building.

“I wouldn’t want to do the priority one items and … move on to work on something else,” he said. “Let’s [for example] finish the chalet first so we at least know something is done.”

“If you are fixing one thing, it can lead to another,” McGahan agreed. But he stressed some repairs would be separate and a spreadsheet could help identify the differeces.

“The point is, right now we can’t sort it by anything because it’s all these separate [priorities], which is helpful, but when you’re trying to look at it from a global, large-scale perspective you really need to have all that information in one place,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Chizek said he could get back to the board on the spreadsheet idea, but had not done such a plan before.

“We want to share these findings with the townspeople,” said Recreation Commission Chairman Annemarie Bouzan of the assessment paid for with funds approved at the October Town Meeting. “The reason the Rec Commission wants to present tonight is two-fold, one is for the townspeople to have an in-depth look at the facility and [to] understand the ongoing problems, but also to understand that — while it’s the desire of the entire commission to bring recreation back to this wonderful facility, based on our mission statement for our policies and procedures … recreational programs are organized to encourage participation and enjoyment and should be held at a safe and well-equipped facility.”

The Commission’s hiring of Joshua Wolfe as its new director, and the town’s planned hiring of a facilities manager are part of the plan to see to it that the work is done so those recreational programs can be offered again. Wolfe will be meeting with Selectmen at their March 6 meeting.

Bouzan also presented a list of projects already completed over the last 12 months as well as a list of permits for work done between 2003-2016, prior to the current commission’s involvement with the camp.

“These items were either an urgent repair or due to damages, or repair work that was needed in order to provide a safe environment for our renters,” she said.

Chizek produced “a number of reports” centering on Needles Lodge as “the most critical of the properties because it’s used for a number of functions” including the main income-generator — weddings.

Other facilities reviewed included the Frontier Cabin, the north and south end cabins, the caretaker’s building, the so-called electric cabins, the two bath houses and the bridal cottage.

Some electrical work has been redone at the lodge with some remaining that is original to the building constructed in the 1930s, Chizek said, adding that work on a water connection to the building was not done to code.

“That doesn’t pose a danger, but it’s something that should be addressed if you’re going to be using the facility,” he said of the old wiring. “When you go through the report, you’ll see other things. It will tell you that you have to replace your fire alarm system.”

Selectman Don Howard, who also serves as a Water Commissioner said he was under the impression that the water connection was done correctly. Town Administrator Michael McCue said the Water Department did what it needed to do, but a plumber was required to complete internal work.

“I applaud your effort,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the assessment. “As we go forward and [you’re] asking for funding … we don’t need to second-guess what needs to be done. We’ve got a report that has been professionally put together.”

She advocated doing such an assessment for all town buildings.

Bouzan said CPC funding is being sought for replacing the docks, not on the report, and will be before the CPC March 6. FitzGerald-Kemmett, a former CPC chairman, said water-based recreation is one of the areas for which the CPC grants funding.

“I’m not going to step into the shoes of the CPC, but think it’s an excellent and very creative way to use the funds and something a lot of people in town could benefit from,” she said.

Bouzan said she has discussed fundraising with McCue as an additional funding source the CPC likes to see being considered.

WHITMAN — For the first time in more than 50 years, the Whitman Fire Department has officially added personnel to its ranks with the swearing-in ceremony of firefighter-paramedics Zachary Baldwin, Russell Lucas and Jerry Thompson.

They now wear badge numbers 18, 19 and 20 respectively.

The Board of Selectmen convened in the Town Hall Auditorium to start the Tuesday, Feb. 20 meeting with the swearing-in ceremony, accommodating a large gathering of the new firefighters’ proud families and new colleagues.

Town Clerk Dawn Varley administered the oath of service for each of the three before a family member pinned on their new badge — Baldwin’s by his mother Cindy, Lucas’ by his grandmother, Mary, and Thompson’s by his father Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr.

Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, who presided over the ceremony, later presented each firefighter with a congratulatory General Court Citation sponsored by state Rep. Geoffrey Diehl, R-Whitman.

“We celebrate not only three new members to the ranks of our great profession, but are making history in our great community, Whitman,” Grenno said. “Tonight, we mark history by increasing our shift strength to six members per shift through the generosity of our citizens — after hearing our plea, understanding the department’s staffing needs, and voting in favor of a safer community — firefighters who were approved by our taxpayers [through] last year’s Proposition 2 ½ override and graduated Mass. Fire Academy are here tonight to be sworn in.”

Grenno said the hiring process was meticulous. All three were hired off the state Civil Service List and passed background and criminal offender record information (CORI) checks before interviews before a committee of shift officers, local union representatives and Grenno — rising to the top of a field of about 12 candidates.

“Those top three are here tonight,” he said. “What you’ll see about these three candidates is [that] their work ethic and their commitment is second to none.”

Baldwin, a 2012 graduate of WHRHS is also an entrepreneur, founding his own business while still in high school — Lawns by Zach — that now employs about a half-dozen people.

“This is a guy who, in high school, decided that he was going to start his own business and his work ethic brought him down that road,” Grenno said of the Whitman native. “His success shows us his determination and his commitment to getting the job done.”

He joined Whitman Fire as an EMT and was in the process of completing his paramedic license, when he applied for the firefighter job. He has since become a licensed paramedic.

Lucas, a 2011graduate of WHRHS, grew up in Whitman before moving to Hanson, where he served as a call firefighter and worked as a paramedic for South Shore Hospital. He participated in the high school’s internship program at Whitman Fire/Rescue.

“Russ graduated high school knowing what path he would take,” Grenno said. “[He] was employed by South Shore Hospital as a patient transporter and that’s what got him involved in EMS.”

Lucas went from there to attend EMT school and becoming a basic EMT before moving to the hospital’s ambulance division and putting himself through paramedic school.

“Then he came to us,” Grenno said.

Thompson, a 2013 graduate of WHRHS and native of Hanson, took part in the high school’s internship program with Hanson Fire Department.

“That internship solidified his desire to work in the fire service,” said Grenno who graduated W-H in the same class as Hanson Chief Thompson. “Jerry became a member of the Hanson Fire Department as a call firefighter and put himself through EMT school while he was working for the school district in the maintenance division.”

After attaining EMT certification, he enrolled in the paramedic program, during which he was hired by Whitman Fire/Rescue and, like Lucas, completed the paramedic course during his probationary year.

“That just shows they wanted to get the job done,” Grenno said.

The new firefighters and their families and friends then went to Venus III in Hanson for a celebratory reception.