Make it two straight for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders. 

A week after capturing the Duxbury Invitational — their first live completion in two years — the Panthers took first place at Bridgewater-Raynham last Saturday, Oct. 30. 

“Another great day with these Panthers,” tweeted the team. “After a week of sicknesses and weather cancellations these athletes pulled it off. Now begins the journey to leagues.” 

And the Panthers will host that Patriot League championship this Saturday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m.

HANOVER — Supply chain issues are delaying the replacement of exterior windows in the 1992 wing of South Shore Tech until spring, its School Committee was told at the Wednesday, Oct. 20 meeting.

“We are not immune to these issues,” Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said, adding that the delay would not involve any additional cost to the school. “The contractor will continue to work on the premise that they’ll do the work on the second shift or it won’t involve the displacement of students, but they can’t install what they don’t have.”

Hickey also reported that the school is beginning to work with engineering firm DRA and the district’s project manager regarding two projects that would lead to some construction being done next summer, if they stay on SST’s desired schedule.

Those projects are replacement of the roof on the 1992 wing and a the use of a portion of funds from the recent debt authorization approval to add some square footage.

The Capital Projects Subcommittee will hopefully begin meeting with a DRA representative by the end of October, but certainly before the committee’s mid-November meeting to hear a report on some “potential ideas,” Hickey said.

“We’ve talked for years about a lot of ‘what-ifs’ and we have operated under the premise that we’ve got to move some things around in order to make certain footprints better,” he said. He said the project would not only add space, but would also reorganize some existing space at the school.

One example would be the consolidation of automotive programs in order to allow them to share one space instead of two. The HVAC program could be moved to a slightly larger space and horticulture could be moved closer to a bay where it could access the use of some heavy equipment.

“We would expand the space of our electrical program, which consistently, we are unable to satisfy the annual needs of the students who want it,” he said.

The engineers would be assessing what the cost of the expansion project would be.

The construction, seen as the first step in the project, would likely be done in summer 2022, with students “to the greatest extent possible,” do the interior work during the 2022-23 school year, according to Hickey. 

He said that an estimate within the debt service portion of the budget, should be ready for examination in December.

The MSBA recommendation process has also been delayed because of COVID.

“We already have the funds available to engage feasibility … just give us the [MSBA] invitation and we’ll jump into the HOV lane for the MSBA and move this forward,” he said. “Hopefully, the seventh time’s the charm.”

In other business, three parents spoke during the Public Comment period regarding questions and concern about mask and potential vaccine mandates regarding COVID-19. The questions included whether the school could or would challenge state mandates and how students were disciplined for improper mask wearing. The Committee does not respond to issues raised during public comment because they may not be reflected in the posted agenda.

Hickey did say the school is reporting to parents about the status of active COVID cases on a weekly basis. As of, Oct. 20, there were no active cases among the school population.

Hickey reported that the entire school population — including students, staff, and coaches, both on and outside of faculty — vaccination rate is at 60.5 percent. Students are vaccinated at a rate of 55 percent and faculty and staff is about 80 percent, when calculated separately.

The current state guideline for concluding a mask requirement is 80 percent of school population, but local communities could decide to retain the mask back to the optional/strongly recommended level even at that point.

“We have to see what the guidance is,” Hickey said. “If [DESE] removes the mask mandate, then it becomes a local matter.”

The school’s MCAS results reflected the reduced number on in-school instruction days, Principal Mark Aubrey said in his report to the School Committee.

“They also reflect the year before, when they were not in school for three months,” he said. “Overall the students and staff did an incredible job. Do we have places we need to work on? Of course we do, we would never say we don’t.”

Just under 80 percent of students received a score of advanced or proficient in science, which is what the state requires, 17 percent need improvement and a small percentage (six students total) did not make the grade yet, according to Aubrey. There were 163 freshmen, 162 sophomores and 23 juniors taking the exams (for Adams scholarships).

In English, 15 percent of sophomores and juniors exceeded and 60 percent met state goals, with 2 percent not passing. Math scores showed the need for teacher/student interaction, Aubrey said.

Teachers are made available to help students who need remediation on the subjects they did not pass.

Assistant Principal Sandra Baldner reported that the Allied Health program has received a $2506,000 skills capital grant, which will fund a doctor’s office, industry standard oil immersion microscopes, AEDs and CPR mannequins. A $100,000 Mass Life Sciences grant will allow construction of a biotech lab inside a classroom space.

HANOVER — South Shore Tech school administrators reported a “little bit complicated, but normal” start to the school year during the region’s School Committee on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Principal Mark Aubrey said there are challenges to be handled, but officials are working through them, including trying to handle traffic layouts to improve the time involved at the start and end of school days.

“We’re also working inside to keep the children as safe in learning as possible,” he said.

Some traditions are also returning, including the annual Ken Thayer Classic Car Show, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 3. The Parent’s Association will host its fundraising craft fair from 9 a.m. To 3 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 16. Open House for grade eight students interested in possibly attending SST is being planned for Saturday, Nov. 6.

“School spirit has taken a hit during COVID,” Aubrey said. “We haven’t had fans at games, there hasn’t been a lot going on, so I’m going to focus this year on school culture and making sure that people are happy to be here and excited to be here.”

From a welcoming façade to ensuring that the school works in a way that makes both students and staff feel they belong and are valued.

Banners, a small business alumni Hall of Fame, a showcase of achievement – both sports and SkillsUSA trophies and awards — student-created murals in hallways are planned, as well as an outdoor fall dance with a harvest theme so that masks will not be an issue.

“We are forming an Equity Committee … having an equitable school culture for everybody involved,” Aubrey said. “This is an organization that’s going to talk about reality and education and promotion of equality throughout the school to make sure everybody’s voice is being heard.”

A recent day when the football and soccer teams joined the crowd to cheer on the volleyball team, was an example of that, said Aubrey, noting he has lauded the students for supporting each other.

Assistant Principal Sandra Baldner thanked the committee for a “school year that feels mostly normal.”

She reported that students and teachers alike are settling in well.

“It’s great to see students back in the building,” said Superintendent/Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey. “We were in school a lot last year, but it’s great to be back every single day — and under these very challenging circumstances, people are doing their best every day.”

The school’s window replacement project has been interrupted by supply chain delays, but any work to be done once materials are delivered will be done after school to avoid interfering with instruction at no added cost.

The estimate is that the project will take about 24 workdays to complete, Hickey noted, saying he is hopeful that work would begin by Sept. 30.

A walk-through of the building for the next slate of projects was expected to take place soon — that work includes roof replacement on the 1992 side of the building as well as beginning conversations about a targeted building addition, Hickey added.

“I would like to be in a position that, as we prepare the fiscal 2023 budget, we will have an educated estimate of costs for both of those projects so as to make estimates on the debt service,” he said. The district has a debt service approval behind them and now must begin the process of planning out the projects.

“Between now and December, there will be a lot of work to be done,” Hickey said. That includes going out to bid and hiring contractors in the spring for work to be done next summer.

In other business, the committee approved an interim public comment policy, being worked on by the policy subcommittee since 2020, provides the committee chairman with some guidelines on the public comment process, including time limits, according to Hickey.

Frank Molla was welcomed as Hanson’s new representative to the committee.

HANSON — Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding’s effect on the town’s assessment change was involved  in a heated discussion about school assments at the Monday, Sept. 13 meeting of the Hanson Board of Selectmen.

Former Selectman Bruce Young challenged the way a $1.85 million override was voted at the annual Town Meeting this spring — $1.55 million for general government and about $305,000 for the school district whether the override passed or failed. He also questioned how the $304,885 was dropped from the Hanson assessment.

“You need to consider going back to Town Meeting and changing line 54 of Article 5 of Town Meeting to read $12,646,000,” Young said in urging support of his article requesting that change. “If you don’t do that, before Sept. 20, what you’re going to end up with is that $305,000 that everybody knows is never going back to the School District in fiscal ’22.”

Like Whitman resident John Galvin at the Sept. 15 School Committee meeting, Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green noted that the committee voted to lower the assessment by the amount of the grant on April 14.

“That had been in the original budget all along, so it’s not like he added it to the budget, but what he did was say, OK, I’m no longer going to charge this to Whitman and Hanson, I’m going to pay for it out of our ESSER III funds,” Galvin said of his question about school interventionists funded by the Whitman assessment this week.

Green explained this Monday that, when the budget lines were called out at this year’s Town Meeting, Young held that several line items for question and explained his concern to voters and proposed a motion to lower the lines he questioned in an attempt to lower the budget. He also challenged the override in an effort to change the assessment. The Town Meeting voted to accept the line items anyway.

“You cannot go back and undo a Town Meeting vote unless you follow the right procedure,” Green said. “Mr. Young did not do that.”

The $305,000 may still be used by the schools for capital needs during FY ’22, Green said.

“The money is there for the schools if they need it,” Green said. “At the end of the year [the unused portion] goes back to the Dept. of Revenue and it’s certified as free cash.”

Young has challenged the Town Meeting vote with several state agencies, Green noted.

She said there has not been a single state agency, including senior managers for education and municipal associations alike, that has come to the district to say the budgeting process has been invalid.

“Believe me if the [attorney general’s office] catches an error on procedure or anything, they are the first to reach out to you,” Green told Seletmen, Thursday, Sept. 16. They then provide the procedures and steps to correct it.

“We have not done anything wrong,” she said, adding that the impact on taxpayers would be “pennies on a tax bill … but that’s beyond the point,” Green said emphasizing there is no wrongdoing involved.”

One Selectman saw Young’s point during the Town Meeting debate.

“I was a constituent at the time, and I had some issues with this and brought it up to a couple of people, but it’s all said and done at this point,” Selectman Joe Weeks said of his Town Meeting vote. “We were trying to save jobs, quite frankly, and were trying to fund schools. … But I definitely, as a concerned citizen brought up the same issue [as Young].”

“When I became aware after Town Meeting, that there was that discrepancy, we definitely reached out to town counsel,” Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We did not take these accusations and allegations with a grain of salt. …This was a matter or timing of when the vote came down and the ballot had to be printed.”

She explained it was not the original intent to put the $305,000 into free cash. Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer said the money might still be used for a schools capital need, if not, it would go to free cash.

FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the whole board be involved in strategizing on how the matter would be handled.

“We all should have been made aware that there was a $305,000 difference and we all should have been part of a conversation about how that was going to be handled,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I would hope we’ve learned from this.”

At a special Sept. 16 Selectmen’s meeting, she indicated an understanding of where the concern is coming from — “It doesn’t feel like that was really transparent,” she said. “But to question the credibility or the integrity of the process…”

But the problem really stemmed from poor timing.

The School Committee originally had an assessment of $12,251,003. On April 14, the committee learned that the district had received a grant for the school’s food services department, according to Green.

“At that committee meeting, they lowered the assessment by that amount,” she said. The annual Town Meeting was two weeks later.

An article submitted by Young to reduce the amount approved at the annual Town Meeting to $12,646,118 — which had been rejected at the Town Meeting — failed to attain a second.

“You made an appropriation to the schools,” Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said. “I think the reality is it’s acceptable at this point.”

The assessment in question was to the schools and the town did not find out until it was too late to react.

“It’s not uncommon to overbudget,” she said.

HANSON — The town’s Economic Development Committee on Monday, Sept. 13, presented its latest work in the efforts to revitalize the Main Street corridor.

The EDC gave its second presentation during a joint session with the board. Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, who also serves on the EDC, along with fellow members Ken Sweezy and Jim Geronaitis attended the session.

Geronaitis and Stantec representative Phil Schaeffing and, at times, former Town Planner Deb Pettey, past and present town administrators have worked on a grant to fund and plan for the Main Street efforts, according to FitzGerald-Kemmett.

The local rapid recovery plan, as it is known, includes actionable plans tailored to the unique economic challenges and COVID-19 impacts of downtown areas through a planning grant funded by the Mass. Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Hanson is one of 120 communities — mostly medium or small in size — across the commonwealth to participate in the grant program.

The area between Elm and High Streets is being referred to as South Hanson Village, Schaeffing said.

A business survey was conducted in the spring and the EDC has been reviewing project recommendations during the summer toward drafting a plan and public presentation, which is due to DHCD by Oct. 8.

Those project recommendations include building and façade improvements — which is one of the primary recommendations — maintenance and repair and general improvements such as signage. Projects fall into one or more of six categories: public realm, private realm, revenue & sales, administrative capacity, tenant mix and cultural/arts.

Improvements to the pedestrian environment, to improve access to businesses and the MBTA station are looked to in an effort to aid safety to cyclists or pedestrian, which are also safety priorities of the federal Department of Transportation.

Infrastructure improvements to accommodate present and future development and connection to the Burrage Pond trails are being explored, Schaeffing said, as is the encouragement of more housing.

“From a business perspective, having more residents that are living nearby, especially for retail or service-oriented businesses, is helpful for that business,” he said.

“There’s more to talk about on this,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It’s not our place to be unilaterally saying that we’re knocking on people’s doors and saying, ‘Please come to Hanson and develop this type of housing.’ We’re talking about is there a way for us to develop a zone and work with it so we can effectuate the outcome more than we have the existing 40B.”

Schaeffing said any housing development depends on having regulations in place that permit the development.

Engaging local business owners is also being looked at to help increase sales and encouraging a “buy local” atmosphere as well as facilitating third-party technical support to help increase online sales and marketing.

Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer said a town-wide visioning process might be the best step to take next.

“We had some really good outcomes with the Plymouth County Hospital property where that was quite the turnout for a committee,” Dyer said.

Sweezy suggested a good approach would be to look at the area in terms of what image Hanson wants to project as a community.

Selectman Jim Hickey endorsed that approach, but had a question about the funding, especially for sidewalk extension.

Sweezy said the main focus is what funding is available now and then

“What do we want it to look like?” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the zoning and visioning considerations. “Do we want it to be modern … or are we looking for it to resemble a quaint New England town with lighting so people feel safe?”

She noted that the EDC has received feedback that people do not feel safe walking to the MBTA.

“This is really a pivotal time for the town of Hanson,” Dyer said, while agreeing with FitzGerald-Kemmett that none of it will happen overnight.

“A quick-hit that may make some of us feel a lot better … is the façade piece,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I really hate to use the analogy about slapping lipstick on a pig, but I’m willing to do that if it makes people not cringe when they drive through that area.”

Green elevated

Selectmen voted to change Town Administrator Lisa Green’s title from interim to permanent, pending a good performance evaluation.

“I think that Lisa’s been doing a great job,” said Dyer. “One of the things I keep on hearing, as I make my way through Town Hall is, ‘Well, we’ll see how long Lisa is with us,’ ‘She’s interim,’ and I think, at this point, … I personally would like to keep her and I would like to see her become the town administrator and drop the ‘interim.’”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she has done an outstanding job after having to hit the ground running.

“Boy, did she get handed a lot of ticking little time bombs, not getting into details, but you guys all know,” she said, but expressed concern that the board take extra pains to ensure proper procedure.

“She goes constantly above and beyond,” Dyer said. “She’s here for the best interests of the town of Hanson.”

Selectmen Joe Weeks said he did not feel he had enough information to make that decision and preferred to wait until after seeing how Green works Town Meeting on her own. Selectman Kenny Mitchell’s absence also concerned him, as Weeks felt the full board should be able to weigh in.

Selectman Jim Hickey said the issue is simple.

“All it does is take off the interim,” he said. “Her contract runs out next August anyway.”

Hickey noted that, if she misses Town Meeting for a training program, it’s because she wants to be a better town administrator.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said that, while the move might be unprecedented for Hanson, it is not unprecedented for other communities.

“There are certainly many, many examples of interims that morph into a permanent without doing an exhaustive search because its like a probationary period,” she said. “You have the benefit of seeing people in action as opposed to on paper or how the interview. In that sense, it can be quite positive.”

She said that takes place routinely across the commonwealth.

Dyer also argued that former Town Planner Deb Pettey was hired the same way.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also noted that Green was among the top four applicants of an “exhaustive” search that yielded a hire that lasted 16 months.

Selectmen approved the change 3-0-1, with Weeks abstaining.

HANSON — The Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday, Aug. 31 continued it’s public hearing on the Cushing Trails LLC application for a 44-unit comprehensive Chapter 40B permit off Spring Street.

With a year-end deadline to complete this phase of the process, the board voted to continue the hearing to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 9.

The hearing, broadcast as a self-service production submitted to Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV for playback on the Hanson government access channel and WHCA’s YouTube channel, was held in the Selectmen’s meeting room at Town Hall.

“There’s numerous topics that we discussed last hearing, traffic, sidewalks, landscaping, septic systems, culverts, parking, environmental concerns and water,” Cushing Trails attorney Michael O’Shaughnessy said. “I believe we’ve presented to the board information on all these points and I think we’ll be able to satisfactorily address all these comments tonight.”

Joe Pignola, attending through a grant to the town of Hanson from the Mass. Housing Partnership, said his role was as an adviser to the board. “My role is to assist … and help you stay within the lines,” Pignola said. He has been an engineer for 30 years who has served on a ZBA as well as a project engineer for nonprofits as well as privately-owned projects. He has worked on 40B projects for 20 years.

“There’s a presumption that the need for affordable housing outweighs local concerns,” Pignola said. “You start with that presumption.”

Local concerns, he indicated are local bylaws, but Pignola said the ZBA must process the data and listen to concerns and understand what’s going on in the community, watching for issues that overcome the need for local concerns to prevail.

He explained that the applicants must demonstrate there are requirements for project eligibility, site control — they have a purchase and sale agreement — and they must commit to control profits and be monitored in doing so.

Pignola said input from the Board of Health would be advised because of the proximity to groundwater, and that there have been concerns voiced about the nearby landfill, as well.

Overall, at the second meeting stage, Pignola said the process for Cushing Trails is ahead of schedule because they had a peer review done right away.

“It all starts with engaging your other boards and your staff to help you in this complex process,” he said. With a window of 180 days from opening the hearing process to competition, he said the ZBA is looking at the end of the year as a deadline, with an extra 40 days after the hearing closes in which to render a decision. Both processes can be extended on request.

A denial or conditioned approval the applicant does not like, gives them recourse to appeal to housing appeals court, which would decide if a conditioned approval was uneconomic.

Town Counsel Jay Talerman added that while peer reviews identify technical issues that require changes, after that it’s not all technical.

“The next part of it … you get to review what is good for the neighborhood,” Talerman said. “Is density causing an issue that reflects or causes issues that are negative for the neighborhood? … things that cost the developers money.”

Developers then can negotiate with the town to address those issues.

“I’m not saying that discussion will happen here, but when we’re done with all the technical stuff, that is the discussion,” Talerman said. “Nothing in this project jumps out as being so egregious as to warrant a denial, but as an attorney … I’m not here to tell you [that] you shouldn’t say no, I’m here to tell you what the risks and benefits of saying no are. It’s your town.”

While Pignola said the aim is to identify issues that would impact or stop the project, he said nothing he has seen so far that is in that mind-set. Every 40B is more dense than local zoning typically permit, he said, making it necessary to answer whether that density is too much for local infrastructure, including Title V septic regulations.

“The bottom line is, I’m here to help you,” he said. “The applicant wants a good project, the neighbors want a good project, and that should be everybody’s goal.”

A project engineer, landscape architect and an environmental consultant also appeared with O’Shaughnessy to speak about the project. They had worked with the applicant on a 350-page report addressing the concerns of people who live in the area, O’Shaughnessy said.

Civil Engineer Joseph Webby said a guardrail has been added to the plan and a vinyl fence has been relocated and the entire site has been wrapped with a 18-inch silt sock to protect groundwater in the area. No parking signs have also been added to ease traffic flow in the area and assist fire apparatus in accessing the development, if necessary. Post-development calculations have also been revised on utilities and storm water engineering, Webby said.

“We’ve had some incomplete details on a drainage basin,” that’s been completed,” Webby said. More frequent mowing of drainage basins has also been added to the maintenance plan.

Perkins asked what material the guardrail would be made of, which Webby answered that a wood guardrail would be made of pressure-treated material.

“I was just envisioning a metal guardrail [like on] the side of I-93,” Perkins said. He also indicated he would expect the entrance of the property be closed off with the 18-inch silt sock at the end of each work day, which Webby confirmed.

Sidewalks would be separated from the roadway by concrete curbing and a four-foot grass strip, O’Shaughnessy said. Visitor parking has also been added to the front of the site and the houses were pushed back on the site plan as much as possible to add an additional parking space at each unit as well as a garage.

“We tried to pull them away from the property line as well,” O’Shaughnessy said.

Evergreen and deciduous trees have been added to the landscape plan to separate the development from the street and other properties and a walking trail has been added around the property. The condominium association would have responsibility for maintaining the landscape of the common areas.

Bill Kenny of River Hawk Environmental reported on citizen concerns about wells located on the Rockland side of the property, including what he described as an important hydro-geological factor — that water at the site flows toward north, away from the site.

Kenny said the DEP tracks, according to state landscaping regulations, the site number it assigns to each project area after a comprehensive assessment to determine where waste and other issues are located in relation to the nearby landfill, followed by the owner’s long-term maintenance and monitoring plan, this case by B Street Landfill run be CDM Smith of Cambridge.

He said groundwater monitoring reports that water quality and flow standard concerns are “not really relevant” because of the northward flow of water [26:00 to 31:00].

“It is my opinion that this development won’t impact anything associated with the landfill,” Kenny said. He added that a swale should carry water away from the property.

One area resident said the report on drainage addressed his biggest concerns about the project — drainage and sidewalks.

“With the latest that they’ve submitted, they’ve shown there won’t be any increase in the rate for volume runoff off site … not at the existing conditions now,” he said of drainage, which had been his biggest concern.

A traffic expert who conducted a peer review of the initial traffic study for the project said, the conservative side the study of the site was satisfactory or above average. He did endorse that some pruning should be done at the site entrance.

“I don’t think you’re wrong moving forward without doing anything down there,” he said.

O’Shaughnessy echoed his contention that, with 61 percent of traffic headed north and about 39 percent headed to the south at the Route 58/Spring Street intersection, during the morning the development would add 13 vehicles and 16 in the evening. The review concluded, according to O’Shaughnessy that it would “not result in a material increase in motorist delays or vehicle queuing.”

HANSON — The process for handling citizen complaints, adopted in 1993 and revised in 2008 and 2016, was discussed by Selectmen at their Tuesday, Aug. 24 meeting.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett had asked for the item to be placed on the agenda to ensure that there was “full transparency among the entire board about complaints that we may be getting and that there aren’t situations where, although well-intended, it would be the town administrator and the chair who were deciding how to respond.”

Interim Town Administrator Lisa Green said the process includes a timeline for responding to citizen complaints, which are first submitted to the committee or department they concern in writing. The committee or department then has two weeks to respond and, if the complainant is not satisfied, they can go to the town administrator for a review and response. If that is not found satisfactory to the person raising the issue, it can be brought before the Board of Selectmen.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said there may be instances where responses need to be quicker and, if a response could be made faster than the 14-day window, it would be done.

She wanted to address, specifically complaints about appointed boards and committees. As an example, she asked how a complaint about how someone was addressed at a meeting might be handled.

“I’ll be frank with you, there were times in the last year and a half when our board got complaints and we didn’t even respond to citizens filing the complaint,” she said. “We were aware of the complaints and we just didn’t respond, and that’s completely unacceptable to me.”

She also asked if information about the process was available on the website.

Green said she would look into the website question and where the best place for it would be.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also wanted to make clear the town’s complaint process was not the same as the state’s open meeting law complaint process.

“I’m not saying, ‘Oh, please, file all these complaints,’” she said. “But I do want to make sure if people have got concerns that we are being responsible about having the procedure and form so that people have the feeling that we’re being responsive to their concerns.”

Green said that when she receives a complaint she researches all the information she can about the complaint, including state laws and regulations, and includes information directing people to the appropriate authorities.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also asked how Selectmen would know if any complaints were filed against a person seeking reappointment to a board or committee.

“The policy doesn’t speak to that,” said Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff, suggesting that Selectmen could create a policy on dealing confidentially with complaints and responses.

While she expressed confidence in Green’s ability to handle complaints, FitzGerald-Kemmett said she would like to see a way for the board to proceed with “eyes wide open” on information they would need to keep in mind when reappointments come up.

Green also said she would make sure Selectmen received emails on the situation, which prompted Selectman Joe Weeks to ask why he has had trouble receiving emails so far since his election this spring.

Dyer said the notification process would be a good idea.

“So we’re in agreement right now that we’re following this complaint policy, but we’re choosing to amend it to make it clearer?” Weeks said. “Because, there are complaints and I don’t feel I’m involved at all.”

“We’re not saying we’re following that, and my concern predates Ms. Green,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett, who said she was stating her concerns carefully out of legal considerations.

Dyer reprhrased Week’s concern as one of being informed of business before the board as a whole.

“I like the idea of the collective body being the decision-maker and the jury and the decision-maker through the town administrator,” Weeks said. “I don’t feel connected to it, personally.”

He said that whatever language would be required to make the

board collectively the town’s CEO, that is the standard he is seeking. Green said she is willing to look into why Weeks is not receiving emails.

WHITMAN — Fire Lt. Bryan Smith was sworn in during the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 24 as the board discussed mask guidelines and procedure for the town administrator’s evaluation.

Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman also indicated a mask mandate for schools may be coming soon from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Fire Chief Timothy Clancy said Smith began his career as one of Whitman Fire’s first high school interns. The program has produced a lot of firefighters for the department over the years.

A 2001 W-H graduate, Smith earned his EMT and paramedic certifications, joining the Kingston Fire Department in 2004. He joined Whitman Fire-Rescue in 2008 as a full-time firefighter/paramedic. He earned an associates degree from Columbia Southern University and recently completed Fire Officer I training.

His wife Jessica and children Annabelle and Colin shared the badge pinning honors with Smith’s father Gary Smith, a retired Hanson firefighter. Smith’s brother is a Holbrook firefighter.

“It’s either in their blood, or there’s something in the water in Hanson,” Clancy said.

After the promotion ceremony, Selectmen began hearing program updates on the Whitman Cultural Council and Dollars for Scholars, but took a brief sidetrack into mask policies, which was revisited later in the meeting.

Dawn Byers and William Haran, of the Whitman Cultural Council had attended the meeting to report on the Council’s new members and recent Community Input Survey as well as upcoming events.

“I’d like you to think about and how we set up our meetings going forward,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said to the board and Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman about the mask Byers was wearing, in view of the fact that a sign on the Town Hall door recommends CDC mask and social distancing guidelines.

Kowalski said he felt terrible that he was not wearing a mask.

“I’d like us to be distanced more than we are today, and set up the room to show we’re thinking about the right thing to do,” he said.

Byers thanked the board for appointing five new members to the Cultural Council over the past two months, bringing it to a full panel of seven. She then introduced Haran, whose report included an overview of the outdoor concert series that begins Thursday, Sept. 9 with a performance by Uncommon Soul from 5:30 to 7 p.m. [See announcement, page 5]. An open house at the Library Community Room will be held from 7 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 16.

Later in the meeting, Heineman briefed the board on COVID numbers and procedures — reporting that the COVID positivity rate has been rising in Whitman, the state and region, largely due to the Delta and Lambda variants, to which people are more susceptible when they are unvaccinated.

“What we do know is the vast majority of the folks hospitalized or very sick are unvaccinated,” he said.

A plan is being formulated between Fire Chief Clancy and the Board of Health for a booster shot program, after meeting last week. A return to first and second-dose clinics were also discussed but the “feeling was that wouldn’t be a good use of resources at the moment because anyone who wants to be vaccinated now has access through other means,” Heineman said, noting that most pharmacies offer them.

“Schools are primary interest for most folks,” Heineman said and reporting the DESE gave permission to Commissioner Riley to mandate masks. “That seems pretty clear [that] while he hasn’t officially done that yet … in the coming days that mandate will be in place for schools.”

The town’s buildings have been following the recommendations of public health officials, including the CDC, he noted. The Whitman Board of Health has issued a “strong recommendation” for masks for indoor locations, but not a mandate at this point.

“It’s not enough to recommend,” Kowalski adding that only four people in a crowded room for Lt. Smith’s promotion ceremony — two adults and two children — were wearing masks. “It just strikes me a so logical that there are two ways to combat this virus — one of them is to mask up … the other is to get vaccinated.”

Where vaccine mandates are concerned, Heineman said that, while the state’s executive branch and many employers are mandating vaccines, the Whitman Board of Health is still recommending, but not requiring vaccinations.

Selectman Brian Bezanson, who had COVID in January despite following mask guidelines, urged people to get vaccinated as he has since, and said he would recommend, but not mandate, masks.

Selectman Randy LaMattina agreed that it is a personal decision to have a health option.

“My family has been vaccinated … we did that because we trust the science,” he said. “Now people have skepticism. I think this, unfortunately is because a vaccine got politicized and we’re paying the price for that right now.”

He said zero deaths have occurred in breakthrough cases of people who have been vaccinates.

“I think people have to get vaccinated,” he said, suggesting that mandating a mask could give skeptics a reason to doubt the vaccine.

“If there’s something that’s more effective right now, it’s the vaccine,” Selectman Justin Evans said.

Town administrator goals

Heineman has submitted a list of goals and objectives to the board as requested at a previous meeting, and Kowalski said they have been working with counsel to refine the evaluation form.

“Not all the goals can be accomplished in a year,” Kowalski said, asking which Heineman thought could be handled in the first year or are most important to him.

Of the 14 goals and objectives he listed, Heineman pointed to improved communication with representatives of the W-H Regional School District concerning strategic planning and the budget process; identifying and pursuing a clear path forward for the Park Avenue School property; bringing a final DPW building plan to Town Meeting and possible regionalization of animal control services.

“Right off the bat, I think getting an assistant town administrator in here before the year is over, or as soon as possible would be one that we should want to handle for this year,” Kowalski said.

“I absolutely agree with Lincoln’s recommendation of trying to develop a better relationship with the school district,” Selectman Randy LaMattina said. He also agreed with the Park Avenue School item.

“There’s nothing on this list that I could say we could take off, it’s developing a timeline after that,” he said. “I think he made it hard for us, because  this list of goals alone is almost a strategic plan.”

Kowalski suggested ranking the items he wanted to complete in the coming year for the Sept. 28 meeting.

DFS event

Michelle LaMattina of Dollars For Scholars provided an overview of the second annual Decorating for Scholars event.

“We want to make it a little bigger this year,” she said, indicating that more trees would be available for sponsoring, as well as event sponsorships that provide funds for lights, trees and signs. They are also looking into arranging food trucks and craft vendors as well as local performers and a visitor from the North Pole this year and are changing the time frame to one weekend. The event is planned for from 4 to 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 10; from 2 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11 and from 4 to 8, Sunday, Dec. 12.

The Board voted to congratulate her and the DFS leadership for the success of last year’s inaugural event during a tough time. Michelle LaMattina said last year’s event was one of the group’s largest fundraisers over the past few years.

Randy LaMattina said a lot of people in town made last year’s event come together.

“It was great, and to pull it off in a year that people really needed something, I think it was a boost for the town,” he said.

Whitman Middle School

Heineman and Randy LaMattina serve on the building committee, which had issued a call for a request for services for Owner Project Manager. When the request response came back a subcommittee was to decide on a finalist to recommend to the full committee for MSBA approval. That has since been canceled and is being reissued, according to Heineman.

The committee met Tuesday afternoon and made the requested changes with an expected project price range of $50 million to $85 million. Applications would be due back by Oct.

“The process was put off for a few months, but it is moving forward,” he said.

“I think this whole process is going to be a little bit of a wrestling match, a little bit of a tug of war,” Randy LaMattina said. “There’s clearly a need for a new building. … We’re moving forward in a positive direction.”