Athletic Director Bob Rogers is looking for an athletic trainer — and he is not alone. There are eight schools south of Boston that don’t have a trainer, he said.

Help, however, might be close at hand.

Rogers told the School Committee on Wednesday, Sept. 14 that the district’s trainer told him at athletics first night she and her boyfriend were relocating to California.

Since that time, and even all summer, Signature Healthcare was advertising while Rogers was not, because he thought they were “good to go.”

“As soon as I found out, I contacted every single college in the state of Massachusetts,” Rogers said, noting he contacted each trainer, and a lot of colleges have as many as five. “I sent out over 100 emails I have it on SchoolSpring, I have it on the MIAA site, I’ve been networking all over the place, and we have not been able to find anyone.”

All that networking did produce a highly qualified candidate who has her masters, and passed the program, but still has to take the test in October, with results due back in November.

“My hope is that she could become our trainer for the winter season,” Rogers said. “She has already interviewed with Signature, they like her, they tested her credentials and they feel confident with her.”

Another contributing factor to the current crunch is that the state and national board have changed the rules for credentials, now requiring a master’s degree. Rogers has also contacted the state about a waiver for those rules for the short term and have been working with an EMT to staff athletic events — she is also a W-H graduate, a former Hanson call firefighter and Air Force veteran as well as being at the end of her athletic training program.

“I feel very confident having her, but there are some limitations on what she’s allowed to do, legally,” Rogers said. “We’re doing what we can with that.”

He has also contracted with Peak Therapy, which has worked out very well. A physical therapist comes to the school three days a week when a local doctor — and another local person, Dr. Joel White — comes in three days a week to help students with rehabilitation.

With Signature not subsidizing the school, for the service at the moment, it is the responsibility of W-H, and Rogers has been working to raise funds, including selling Peak Therapy the last $5,000 ad spot on the scoreboard. 

“Funding might end up being a problem because Signature has always helped us with funding,” Rogers said. “We don’t budget for an athletic trainer.”

He said the superintendent, principal and School Committee may have to decide moving forward as the crunch continues and affects the financial sponsorship arrangement.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said a $5,000 signing bonus being offered by Signature caused some confusion in the community.

“That wasn’t us,” Szymaniak said. “We have a contract with Signature who, as a private company, was putting an incentive out there. … And still nobody bit.”

HANSON — Board of Health Chair Arlene Dias fielded some tough questions on the state of the department’s budget during a meeting of the Select Board on Tuesday, Aug. 30 ahead of the special Town Meeting next month.

“We’re trying to really urge transparency in the budget process, and the only way we do that is if we’re consistent across the board,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Just prior to the May Town Meeting, the Select Board had asked that the Health agent provide them with a budget plan similar to one provided by the Recreation Commission, outlining any austerity measures the Board of Health might be able to implement to narrow the town’s revenue investment required to keep it solvent.

FtizGerald-Kemmett said Dias had indicated to her that the whole Health Board had not discussed it yet, but some members had a conversation about the issue at their last meeting.

“They wanted to take a look at it before I presented it to the [Select Board],” Dias said, noting that the Board of Health’s next meeting is not scheduled until Sept. 28.

“Well, that’s not going to be sufficient because we’re shutting the warrant tonight,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that the Select Board would next meet Sept. 13 and strongly suggesting that the Board of Health schedule a “one-off meeting” to “have a conversation about this and make it a priority.”

She said that otherwise a stalemate would loom at the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting.

Dias said she submitted the Health Board’s article as a placeholder. FitzGerald-Kemmett said a placeholder could be put in, but it could not be included in the warrant when the board closes it without having a conversation about the Health Board’s budget.

The warrant closes on Tuesday, Sept. 20 with the “drop-dead date” for submitting information supporting a warrant article would be this week’s [Sept. 13] meeting.

“I certainly think [a one-off meeting] is justified, given the alternative,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. 

Diaz said that, in going over the warrant articles earlier that day, the Heath Board realized it would probably see a budget shortfall.

“We thought we had enough to cover everything through program revenues, and we may be short a little,” she said, noting she would have to talk with Town Accountant Todd Hassett, but she anticipated it being less than $50,000. “We have to shore that up.”

Quasi-revenue sources, such as for cardboard recycling, comes in as a credit so it doesn’t appear as revenue, were one example of areas where Dias said could show “what we truly get for revenue.”

“This will be an ongoing request for you guys,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said about the budget reviews.

Select Board member Jim Hickey stressed that the situation is not Dias’ fault, and FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed. He said the Health agent and board should have held meetings with Hassett right after the spring Town Meeting, instead of the Select Board’s waiting all summer for the information.

“She picked up the ball here, and I want to be careful how I say this, which is not a strong suit  so this should be good,” she said. “Typically, it would be a department head that would be presenting the budget, and I think Ms. Dias is trying to be responsive to what this board has asked, knowing that we were not satisfied with what was presented to us the prior two times that we heard from them.” She acknowledged there is a lot of ground to be made up.

FitzGerald Kemmett put it another way, asking Dias what steps the Health Board or agent have taken since the May Town Meeting, taken to address the Select Boards information requests. 

Dias said she could not speak for Health Agent Gilbert Amado, but said that she met with the Health agent three weeks ago when Hassett provided help with the article and his office was closed Aug. 30.

FitzGerald-Kemmett thanked Town Hall personnel for helping get the warrant squared away during Town Administrator Lisa. Green’s medical leave.

“I want to extend a huge thanks to Beth Sloan and Jean Kelly [in the Town Clerk’s office] and Jeanne Sullivan [in the Collector’s offie] and Todd Hassett, all who have stepped up in Lisa’s absence … to work with us on the warrant.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett also thanked Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff for prioritizing the town’s town meeting warrant needs.

“The warrant is actually in much better shape than one would have expected given the circumstances,” she said. “They’ve all worked together as a team to get it … where we’re at.”

The board was asked to discuss and approve a new rental agreement for the Nathaniel Thomas Mill, but FitzGerald-Kemmett expressed some confusion about the context of the request, but tabled the matter.

“We’ve got a revised Thomas Mill application here, but I don’t really have a comparison of what it was before and what precipitated the change,” she said. “So I think it’s probably not the most urgent of matters at this moment, and I would therefore suggest that we not discuss it.”

The boards of health in Whitman and Hanson have been notified of what has become a late summer tradition — a positive West Nile Virus positive mosquito sample in Hanson and Whitman. While the risk of human infections is low, certain steps should be taken to protect yourself, the boards have joined with the state Department of Public Health in recommending.

Chief among them is to be prepared: Repair screens, clean up to get rid of mosquito breeding sites, be aware of stagnant water on private property (e.g. unused swimming pools).
Residents should also wear mosquito repellent between dusk and dawn; wear long sleeves and long pants from dusk to dawn and to se mosquito netting on baby carriages and playpens.

Chief Timothy Clancy and the Whitman Fire Department also wish to remind Whitman residents of the important safety tips to avoid mosquito and tick bites.

Serious viruses including West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) can be spread by mosquitos in rare instances. Residents are also reminded to take care to prevent tick bites, as some ticks may carry diseases including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi and Powassan virus.

The Whitman Fire Department wishes to share the following tips from the CDC, which can be used to prevent both mosquito and tick bites:

• Use insect repellents that are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and have one of the following active ingredients: DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone. 

— Reapply insect repellent as directed and follow instructions on the label of the product.

— Apply sunscreen first and insect repellant second.

— Do not apply insect repellent on the skin beneath clothing. 

— Parents, guardians and caregivers of babies and children are advised: 

• Dress children in long layers to cover their arms and legs.

• Use mosquito netting to cover strollers and baby carriers outdoors.

Remember, when using insect repellent on a child: 

• Follow the instructions on the label.

• Never use products that contain oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol on children under 3 years old. 

• Never apply insect repellent on a child’s hands, eyes, mouth, cuts or irritated skin. 

• To apply insect repellant to a child’s face, carefully spray it onto your hands and apply it to the skin.

• Consider buying permethrin-treated clothing and gear, or using permethrin to treat your clothing and gear.

• When temperatures allow, wear breathable long sleeve shirts and pants when hiking or participating in outdoor activities. 

Residents are advised to prepare their homes and properties to avoid mosquitos from laying their eggs in the area, and to prevent insects from getting indoors. This can be done by maintaining screens and doors properly and repairing any holes, utilizing air conditioning where possible, and regularly checking your property for standing water and clearing it out. Mosquitos are known to lay their eggs in and around water.

Whitman Fire also stressed CDC tips for tick bite prevention.Remember that ticks live in grassy, bushy, or wooded areas and can also be found on animals. You can get a tick walking your dog, camping, gardening, hunting, in your neighborhood or in your backyard.

• Walk in the center of trails and avoid wooded areas with high grass and litter.

• Check your clothing and skin for ticks after being outside. When checking your body, be sure to look for ticks in the following areas: 

— Under the arms

— In and around the ears

— Inside the belly button

— Back of the knees

— In and around hair

— Between the legs

— Around the waist

• To kill ticks that may be on clothing, tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes. If the clothes need to be washed first, use hot water.

• After being outdoors, examine gear and pets for ticks.

• Shower within two hours of being outdoors.

WHITMAN — The Select Board, on Tuesday, Aug. 16 again began discussions about a possible Community Choice Aggregations plan in town.

“This is something the board has discussed before my time here, and I don’t know if it went anywhere,” Select Board member Justin Evans said, saying he was bringing it before the board because he felt it is worth bringing before the annual Town Meeting in May. “I think it’s worth revisiting.”

Such aggregations give municipalities the option of sourcing another electricity provider on behalf of its residents. Hanson is also currently working on such an aggregation. 

“These are often using more renewable energy and are cheaper than the current provider,” Evans said of the community aggregation plans in communities that have already adopted the program.

“We looked at this shortly before I retired,” said acting Town Administrator Frank Lynam, noting then-assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green had been researching it. “The idea behind it is, if we’re going to purchase aggregate energy, we’re going to save some money.”

Lynam said that some people might be resistant to change or may feel that a cent or two per kilowatt hour (KWH) makes it necessary to ensure the benefits are clearly explained to people before the Town Meeting even votes on it.

He said he believes there is still funds left in an appropriation voted two years ago for an energy consultant on a solar study before the town ended up entering a purchase agreement with NexAMP, which has saved the town a significant amount of money.

“This process takes several years,” Evans added. 

Rockland’s community aggregation base rate is about 11 cents/per KWH, in Pembroke it is 10 cents/KWH and in Halifax, it is 10.7 cents/KWH. National Grid’s base rate is 14 cents/KWH for National Grid.

While the town signs a contract, individuals are not required to and may opt in and out. For 100-percent renewable sources, Rockland charges 14 cents/KWH – the same as Whitman’s present rate.

“Right now, any resident can either buy their electricity through a utility, or they can sign a contract with a third party to provide that electricity, although the distribution would still come from their local utility,” he said. “This opens up a third option where the municipality sources electricity from another provider so those individuals could have two base rates or they could find their own third party electricity provider.”

A Town Meeting vote would be required to initiate such a program, followed by development of a plan with the Department of Energy Resources — often done with a consultant — and a citizen review of the municipal aggregation plan before it is submitted to the Department of Public Utilities for review and approval.

Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci said he is paying less for third-party electricity.

“Anyone can go online and buy electricity from whoever they want and National Grid just bills you,” he said. “Why do we need this?”

Evans said that aspect of buying electricity would remain, but under a community aggregation, the town would change the default provider for residents, giving them the option of going with that new price, going back to National Grid or choosing their own third party provider.

“The towns that do this usually run separate website for residents to select [an energy provider],” Evans said. There are also tiered options for renewable energy sources, from the base rate to others ranging from 100 percent renewable to combined sources. A renewable energy certificate is issued.

“It creates a market for more wind and solar,” he said.

Select Board Chair Randy LaMattina said it was a good “preliminary discussion” that can be picked up for further talks during the year.

“Anything we can do to save money, whether it be one cent at a time, is still saving money,” he said.

HANSON — At this time, de-regionalization — either fully or partially — is not advisable, according to members of the Hanson 

De-Regionalization Feasibility Study Committee member Kim McCoy reported to the Select Board on Tuesday, Aug. 9.

“The educational and financial impacts are too great to recommend de-regionalization at this time,” she said. “Hanson wanted to explore de-regionalization in response to the changes in the W-H regional agreement and the statutory method that’s used to calculate the budgetary contributions. While the committee does feel that de-regionalization isn’t advisable, what else does Hanson have? What are our other options?”

Select Board members agreed, but have suggested the committee stay in place to examine ways the town could affect the direction of the WHRSD in the future to “affect some positive change” for the future.

The possible renegotiation of the regional agreement — which Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett noted was already voted renegotiation of the regional agreement as an avenue the town will pursue — leaving W-H to join another district, how school committee memberships are assigned or trying to start a dialog with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on how calculations for budget formulas are impacting small towns like Hanson.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said that while no stone had been left unturned before, maybe joining with other similar towns to approach DESE again might be an idea worth pursuing. She also suggested the de-regionalization committee could be repurposed to work on different aspects of how the regional agreement can address Hanson’s concerns.

“It could change DESE’s thinking,” Select Board member Jim Hickey said.

“We are not the only one impacted by this,” McCoy agreed.

McCoy of 71 Cushman St., and the other members — Christopher Ernest, Catherine Coakley and Wendy Linn — worked with Hickey to determine the educational effects, financial impacts, legal considerations of separation and what other considerations exist surrounding separation from the district.

“I think it was worse than we all thought,” Select Board member Jim Hickey said.

“I didn’t come with my mind set when I started,” McCoy said. “But, after seeing the numbers, it’s pretty clear … the direction that we had to choose.”

Consultant firm TMS of Auburn, which produced a 180-page report on de-regionalization, which will be made available online. The firm outlined three choices — full separation, partial separation or maintain the status quo.

A full withdrawal, entailing individual school districts with their own superintendent, school committee and staffing would bring the most autonomy for each town, but would also cost the most — an estimated $24,936,000 per year in addition to the need for a new Hanson high school at about $72 million, McCoy said.

A partial separation of kindergarten through grade eight would cost an estimated $25,970,000, to fund a separate administration and staff governed by a separate school committee as well as the regional grade nine to 12 school committee. A second version of partial separation would cost about $23 million per year.

Hanson’s portion of the W-H fiscal 2023 budget is $13,373,000.

Additional state funding, including but not limited to, Chapter 71 regional transportation funds and will affect curriculum, particularly special education.

“This was not an easy thing to do,” said Hickey about the work of the committee, whose members were chosen by FitzGerald-Kemmett and former board member Wes Blauss. “We only had to do it a couple of times, but for me, working with these people … I felt like I was working with some of the most intelligent people that we have in Hanson.”

Hickey noted that he had requested that he have no input on the formation of the committee.

“When we had our meetings … I would just listen to these people for the most part, because it wouldn’t really be anything else that I could add that they hadn’t already said,” he reported to the Select Board.

“We were blown away by the quality of people that applied,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the committee.

McCoy noted that, while not perfect, TMS’ report “did the best they could with what they had.”

“I don’t think the committee’s work is though,” Select Board member Joe Weeks said, noting the quality of life in town is an important issue to keep sight of. “I’d like to see what you think the next steps are.”

HANSON — Job-sharing has been used in the private sector to fill the needs of an employer while being flexible to how they fill jobs with workers who have time constraints, as two workers divide the hours of a single position.

Hanson is taking a different tack — looking to hire a single person to fill the administrative assistant needs of two departments.

The Select Board reviewed a job description and approved on Tuesday, July 26 a temporary part-time administrative position in their office  combined with another part-time position at the Planning Department.

Town Administrator Lisa Green said that Town Accountant Todd Hassett had suggested that, since the town’s Planning Department is also in need of an administrative assistant, that — to fill the needs of both offices and make the positions more enticing to prospective applicants — a combined position be created.

The candidate would be eligible for benefits as a full-time employee.

“It really helps fulfill the need in both offices,” Green said. “Looking at the numbers, it’s a much more reasonable approach to getting a third person in the Select Board’s office without breaking the bank, so to speak.”

Green has been ironing out the details of the proposal with town counsel, but she indicated there is support from the planner’s office, too.

“I think this is great,” said Select Board member Joe Weeks, “At the end of the day, I’d like to fund it for the needs of the town. … I just wish we could say, ‘Hey, listen, we need two full-time people.’ We need this.”

He argued that cutting corners in such a way opens the town to liability because oversight is being lost. 

Select Board member Ed Heal agreed with Weeks that two full-time positions are needed — but would go down in flames at Town meeting.

While the Select Board members were in agreement both offices need a full-time employee, both Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett and member Ann Rein agreed they needed to take action in steps.

“I know how hard it’s going to be to get a full-time position funded, nevermind two, right now,” she said. “I think we need two, but let’s baby walk before we take that leap.”

“One issue that was voiced by the town planner is that, as a 19-hour a week position, his office would always be a revolving door for the first full-time position that came up or they may leave for another full-time position with benefits,” Green said. She has been working town counsel on the proposal to develop a title and job description for the position.

But Green indicated at the time that a person who already interviewed for the Planning Department position, and is under serious consideration, has already said they would be interested in the combined full-time job — as have most others interviewed so far.

“It breaks down the job description for each department,” Green said, explaining it would entail 20 hours in the Planning Board office and 15 hours in the Select Board office. It would be a union position, because both positions being combined were already union positions.

“Initially, there were some ethical issues that town counsel was trying to help us work through,” Green said. “It was possible the position was not going to work.”

The ethics of having an employee working for two different offices was an issue, agreed FitzGerald-Kemmett.

“There were concerns over whether we could comply and have somebody work in those two offices,” she said, thanking the town accountant for coming up with it.

“I like that idea of cross-pollination between the Planner’s office and the Selectmen’s office, she said. “I’m not saying some of that doesn’t already happen, but it’s definitely going to happen if you have somebody that’s in [both offices] and you have that connectivity.”

While Select Board member Ann Rein said she thought the combined position was a great idea, she had questions about how the hours added up. Weeks was concerned that the question of who the person hired will report to needs to be clarified.

Green said the position in the Select Board office would be temporary until Oct. 1, and she said the hope is they can put an article in for the special Town Meeting warrant to make the position a permanent part-time funded one. The planning administrative assistant is already a funded position.

“We have to put this wording in here: ‘If the Select Board part-time position fails, the position will then revert to a 22-hour position in the Planning Board office, which would make that person eligible for benefits,” Green said. “Again, we’re trying to work to keep people here.”

“We’re making sure that the Town Planner’s office is not going to be adversely affected by what we’re trying to do with the other position,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Green said is also drains money from town finances when positions need to be continually advertised, and interviewed for, as well as training people only to have them leave, starting the process over again.

The work she and town counsel are doing will outline the job descriptions and tasks in each position.

Heal asked whether full-or part-time employee costs more. Green noted that it would carry benefits as a full-time position, but departments generally budget funds for added expenses, such as the position’s benefit package.

HANSON — By the end of the month, Whitman and Hanson officials and School Committee officials are expected to be named to a new Regional Agreement subcommittee charged with updating that document, regardless of the path Hanson decides to follow regarding de-regionalization.

The Hanson Select Board met on Tuesday, July 26 with School Committee Chair Christopher Howard and Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, who noted that no matter what is decided, the towns will have to operate within a regional agreement that needs revising.

Howard noted that, as both boards are aware, the agreement is more than 30 years old.

“We looked at it several years ago — Hanson had actually voted it and then rescinded it — and there’s a lot of feedback from the School Committee that it is a 30-year-old agreement and there are areas we’re concerned about that are on the fringes of compliant or not compliant,” Howard said.

The last time a Regional Agreement Committee was formed, the School Committee just created it as a rather large committee, Howard said. In the spirit of better communication, he said he and Szymaniak wanted to talk with Selectmen in both towns to get their thoughts before another committee is seated.

It comes down to two questions: 

• What is the appetite to consider negotiating a revised regional agreement, a process to which all three boards must accept; and

• What the composition of such a committee should look like.

Szymaniak offered to walk the new members of the Select Board through all the DESE and other state regulations.

“Some of the general feedback we’ve looked at and heard is, maybe smaller,” Howard said. “Whatever is drafted should be done in public and it has to go back to the full School Committee, it has to go back to the selectmen and it has to go to each town meeting.”

Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said that, while the board hasn’t discussed the proposal, a strong and consistent concern they’ve heard involves representation and use of the statutory method of calculating town assessments.

She said her first preference was to keep any committee small.

Select Board member Jim Hickey, who served on a previous Regional Agreement committee, said there were 24 people on that board.

“There are still wounds over that,” she said. “The feedback we get is, ‘We’ve still got the same number of seats, but we’re paying more money.”

That said, FitzGerald-Kemmett recognized the state regulations that require it.

“Even if we were to get another seat, it would be a weighted seat,” she said. “In essence, out votes would total up to the same number of people.”

She asked her board if they wanted to open up that conversation and enter negotiations on the agreement.

“I would love to know how we got there,” said Select Board member Ann Rein. “I have a serious problem with the way that thing was negotiated, I’m sorry. … I don’t understand how a town could have more students and pay less money.”

Select Board member Ed Heal also said he neeed that information.

FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed, saying she fought bitterly on that point.

“Even if [School Committee representation] was five/five with weighted votes, a School Committee vote is never going to end in a tie,” Hickey said. “If the School Committee is doing the right things for the students, it’s going to be 9-1 or 8-2 one way or the other.”

Hickey also said it had been a mistake to hold monthly meetings of the previous committee, arguing that meetings should be held weekly until the work is done.

He was to meet July 27 with Hanson’s De-Regionalization Committee and will relay those recommendations in view of the estimated cost to the rest of Hanson’s Select Board Aug. 9. 

Howard said that process works with the School Committee’s scheduled project work, with their next meeting slated for late August.

Regardless of that committee’s recommendation, FitzGerald-Kemmett said it would be beneficial to renegotiate the Regional Agreement as a way of improving communication and relations.

“Something has severely jumped the tracks and we have got to get back to a place where we are having ongoing conversations,” she said.

Howard also touched on state regulations.

“There is a Mass. General Law that clearly articulates — not my personal opinion, but articulated the state’s law — the composition of school committee representation,” Howard said.

The Select Board expressed interest in obtaining the pertinent background information.

“I want everyone brought up to speed,” she agreed. “I think it’s very important, moving forward, that we’ve all got this baseline established.”

An open session on that background is important to moving forward.

Select Board Vice Chair Joe Weeks also said the previous Select Board as well as Hanson School Committee members fought it, too.

“There’s a lot of unsung, humble people that weren’t … banging the bells, saying ‘I’m doing this really, really hard work,’” he said. “There were a lot of people trying to get that representation that were on that committee that have either moved on or are still there. They were working hard on getting us what we wanted.” 

He agreed it was worthwhile to proceed with revisiting the Regional Agreement with a smaller number of committee members — and better direction.

“There was no guidance or organization to that meeting,” he said. “We didn’t have an entire leg of the stool.”

Rein and Heal agreed that a conversation has to be conducted.

HANSON — Call it, perhaps, Operation Sand Wasps 2.0 — the sand wasps are back at Cranberry Cove, but this year, the vibe is live and let live.

Camp Kiwanee Administrative Assistant Dori Jameson said at a Monday, July 18 Recreation Commission meeting that, while the wasps are there and are “ugly looking, they’re scary looking,” they were not seemingly attracted by people’s food and seemed “pretty tame.”

“They’re looking for bugs,” she said. “They’re looking for other insects. Nobody got stung, nobody was freaking out. I just wish there was some sort of organic solution that we could use to move them along.”

She said digging up the beach would be an end game, but asked if bringing in an insect expert would be advisable. An infestation of the wasps forced the closure of the beach in 2021.

“We’d done it last year and it didn’t work,”  Chair Frank Milisi said of the organic pesticide that was tried. “The problem is you can’t go down there with Off! … They said the best deterrent is tarps. I don’t agree with that, but we can’t spray anything down there because of Conservation would need to be involved.”

Milisi said if the wasps are not bothering people, “it is kind of what it is.”

He said the Board of Health could shut the beach down if they wanted to, but he would not pursue that, especially in view of the heat wave that sizzled the state last week.

“It’s ‘Swim at your own risk,’ people know that,” Milisi said.

Recreation Commission also continued its work on reconsidering fees for events and facilities at Camp Kiwanee.

Rates and fees

Jameson said the question of weekly camping rates had just come up this month. Two different parties camping in the north end of the campground both raised the question of weekly rates.

“Right now it’s a daily rate,” Jameson said. “It’s $60 a night for a cabin and $30 a night for a tent site.”

She suggested a weekly rate that trims $5 a night off tent sites and $10 off cabins. Milisi said he had no problem with that rate.

“Weekly rates are pretty much standard, and it’s usually about that [price point],” he said.

Vice Chair Melissa Scartissi suggested rounding the usual $420 rate for seven days to $400 for cabins and reducing tent sites from $210 to $200 on a weekly rate. That was the weekly rate approved.

The Recreation Commission also pared back its meeting schedule to once per month, instead of two and setting the time at 6 p.m.

“If we do need to meet [more often], we can just meet,” Milisi said.

Event fees were discussed as a way of covering caretaker fees, with re-elected Milisi using the example of a $50 fee per event charged to the theater group Drama Kids. Things like bar service should remain on an 80-20 contract, as they are because they operate on a cash-based system.

“I’m just floating around ideas about that,” he said. “But for things like Drama Kids, we don’t have an idea of how many kids are coming. I really want to get out of the practice of going into people’s finances when we don’t need to. I would prefer for it to be a fee-based use.”

With more input from actual vendors, he said the commission could discuss what works for a group such as Drama Kids vs. a paint night or other such events. Vendors will be invited to the August meeting to voice their opinions with an eye toward a decision in October.

Scartissi noted that, where Drama Kids is concerned, since they use the lodge every week, the commission should be covering caretaker costs.

“The issue has been, for the past year or two, we haven’t because of COVID [and] our operational expenses, like to turn the heat on was a real issue,” she said. “Now we’re in a little better place with the increased rates and all that kind of stuff.”

A position remains open on the Recreation Commission, and residents are urged to apply.

At a previous meeting on Monday, June 27, the commission discussed complaints about a “rambunctious group of teen-agers … causing all kinds of mayhem and chaos” at Cranberry Cove.

“I don’t know what we would do to remediate that,” Milisi said. “Obviously, we don’t have people down there to check every day.”

But he said he would like to have an on-staff caretaker who could go to the beach and check out the situation at the beach.

The teens had broken some electrical equipment and were throwing rocks in the water while younger children were swimming during the incident. The teens’ parents had picked them up that night, Milisi said.

If they keep causing problems, Milisi said he might have to look into trespassing charges. 

“That’s such a ridiculous thing to do to a bunch of middle schoolers who just want to come down here and have a good time,” he said.

He stressed that the problems that have taken place have not hindered people from attending the facility.

Regarding a complaint against a caretaker, Milisi emphasized that the Commission does not get involved in personnel issues – that is primarily the jurisdiction of the town administrator and Select Board.

In other business on June 27, Hanson Public Library’s Lizzie Borden event was approved for Oct. 20 at Needles Lodge, Camp Kiwanee.