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Panthers are ready for Thanksgiving

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Turkey and football. 

Name two things that are more synonymous. 

Good luck, especially if you’re from the towns of Whitman, Hanson or Abington. 

That’s right. Those three towns are set to see their local high schools clash for the 111th time this Thursday at 10 a.m. at Abington. 

The Panthers are 5-5 on the season. 

They’re coming off of a 21-14 non-playoff victory over Westwood in which senior Ben Pace racked up three interceptions from his safety position.

W-H also owns wins against Pembroke, Foxboro, Silver Lake and Plymouth North. 

Abington sits at 4-6, fresh off a 28-0 loss to Rockland in the state quarterfinals. 

W-H leads the all-time series 60-47-3. 

Elsewhere around W-H: 

The Massachusetts All-State Championships were held on Saturday, Mov. 19, at Devens, Massachusetts. Whitman-Hanson had one runner entered in the meet.  Junior Sky Bucci-Anderson finished 101st among 189 of the state Div. 1 cross country runners, covering the 5K course in a time of 20:30. 

On the mat, W-H cheer placed fourth at states on Sunday, Nov. 20. 

— Nathan Rollins

Panthers are Back

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Thanks in large part to Ben Pace, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High football team is back on track. 

The senior captain hauled down three interceptions from his safety position in a 21-14 victory over Westwood in a non-playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 12. 

The Panthers’ defense was stout all contest. Fellow senior Nick Beauregard also came down with a pick of his own. 

Also on defense, classmate Collin Murphy added two sacks, bringing his season total to 10. 

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers were balanced all night with seniors Trevor Googins, Evan Casey, and Will Frazier all scoring on the ground. 

The win leveled W-H’s record at 5-5. 

The Panthers are back 

— Nathan Rollins

Tournament heartbreaker

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On the heels of a shutout  win in their tournament opener, the Lady Panthers soccer team fell to Notre Dame Academy 4-0.

 “It’s amazing how much adversity our tea, has faced this season with injuries, but the girls and coaches never gave up,” Athletic Director Bob Rodgers Tweeted after the Monday, Nov. 7 game. “They made us all proud.”

After a scoreless first half, Notre Dame poured on the offense, scoring their first goal five minutes into the second half. There was only 15 minutes to play when they capped off the scoring with their fourth goal.

The girls’ soccer team defeated Amherst-Pelham, 6-0, in their opening game of the MIAA tournament on Sunday, Nov. 6.

Makenna Marshall opened the scoring for W-H with a blast from 20 yards out, according to AD Bob Rodgers, and Kennedy Frazier doubled the goal with a put back off a Savannah Kamperides cross. The score remained 2-0 until the half.

The Panthers came out flying in the second half with goals from Anna Schnabel, Elizabeth Kowlski, Olivia Godwin and Ella Nagle. The defense of Brooke McAloney, Lexi Cole, Hayley Gillis and Kamperides were strong all night, helping goalkeeper Aylla Dernier earn the shutout. Ayla Dernier was outstandind in the midfield.

Holiday trees benefits DFS scholarship program

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Dollars for Scholars is kicking off the holiday season with the third annual “Decorate for Scholars” in the historic Whitman Park Dec. 9 to 11. 

Residents, businesses and community organizations can sponsor a tree for $100 and decorate the tree in a creative and festive manner. The tree sponsors will receive a five-to-six-foot tree, lights, a stand, and a sponsorship sign. There are a limited number of trees available. If interested, please contact Michelle LaMattina at mlamattina1974@gmail.com or 781-589-3151.

Additionally, there will be a vendor fair indoors at Town Hall and outdoors in the Park from 2 to 8 p.m.Saturday, Dec. 10. Please contact Dollars for Scholars if you are a craft vendor and interested in participating. Food trucks, performers and event sponsors are also needed. For more info, please contact Michelle at mlamattina1974@gmail.com or 781-589-3151.

Dollars for Scholars is an all-volunteer nonprofit which raises and awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Whitman and Hanson.  

Smoke forces evacuation at Hanson school

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WHITMAN — Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak and Principal Dr. Joel Jocelyn report that a school within the district was evacuated today after smoke was found in the school library.

At 12:06 p.m., students and staff at the Indian Head Elementary School in Hanson saw smoke in the school library accompanied by an odor in the hallway. The school was evacuated immediately and Hanson Police and Fire were notified.

After their initial investigation, Hanson Fire deemed the school gymnasium safe, and students were moved into the gymnasium while the situation was investigated further. The school also remained in constant contact with Whitman-Hanson central administration during the entire incident.

Hanson Fire has determined that the smoke and odor stemmed from a piece of rubber from a motor in one of the school’s boilers, which had pushed light smoke through the library and a residual odor into the hallway. The fire department ventilated the entire building to eliminate the residual odor, and also checked all classrooms, bathrooms, the cafeteria and gymnasium to confirm the environment was safe for students to return.

Principal Jocelyn and Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson addressed all students as they gathered in the gymnasium and explained the situation. Lunch and recess proceeded, and school was dismissed at the regularly-scheduled time.

“There is nothing more important than the health and safety of our students, and we are extremely grateful for the support and guidance we received today from the Hanson Fire and Police Departments,” Principal Jocelyn said. “We are happy to report that all students are safe and we were able to conclude the day as usual.”

Whitman eyes complete streets project

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WHITMAN – The Select Board on Tuesday, Oct. 11, heard a program proposal aimed at making South Avenue a “more vibrant, welcoming location.”

That balance would be ironed out through dialog with the community, town officials and MassDOT. 

Jim Fitzgerald and Benny Hung of Environmental Partners, as well as members of the DPW Commissioners, appeared before the board to provide an overview of the Connecting Communities proposal and the MassDOT Transportation Investment Program (TIP) and a potential project on South Avenue.

“What could the vision be?” Fitzgerald asked. “That depends on the town and where things balance out.” But, he stressed, the program allows communities to use existing opportunities to achieve continuous complete strees improvements while improving safety and green space making and promoting economic vitality.

Fitzgerald is the director of transportation at Environmental Partners, in Quincy.

The TIP program funds larger-scale roadway projects, which would be manages by MassDOT. The only cost incurred by a town is for project design, according to Commission Chair Kevin Cleary.

He said the commissioners could get Environmental Partners going on the MassDOT application process and the commission would keep the Select Board updates as the approval process starts.

“Over the last few years, the DPW Commissioners and Highway Superintendent Bruce Martin have been working with Environmental Partners trying to find as many open sources for roadway/sidewalk work,”  Cleary said. There has been some success in obtaining a couple of Complete Streets grants.

Select Board Chair Randy LaMattina asked how much the design costs might be, which Fitzgerald put at, on average, it could be about 14 percent of the total cost, warning that the figure was a “very rough mumber.”

Interim Town Administrator Frank Lynam asked what a total cost estimate for the plan illustration Environmental Partners presented might be.

“With construction costs right now a little all over the place, it’s a tough one,” Fitzgerald said, putting it at possibly $10 million.

The first step for any community would be an online application at which time the state DOT investigates to see it a proposal passes the “smell test” for viability.

“Based on the merits of this project, we would anticipate it would,” Fitzgerald said. “It ticks off a lot of boxes – and the fact that Whitman has not requested a lot of funds in the past, also.”

He suggested the town tackle the 25 percent of it – the design phase – first, and having MassDOT involved early in the process is also important to make sure they are aligned with their expectations.

The width of South Avenue could also work in the town’s favor, as it offers room to address the design aims.

The lengthy application process means any project – encompassing an approximately one-mile stretch of South Avenue from Commercial to Plymouth streets, would take four to five years to complete.

“We took a look at the corridor and identified a series of opportunities that really lends itself nicely for something like a TIP project,” Fitzgerald said, noting that the Commuter Rail station on South Avenue is an asset to the community. “We also looked at connectivity to things like bike and pedestrian [traffic], with Colebrook Boulevard connecting northerly to Essex [Street] and Memorial Field.”

The entire South Avenue corridor, and its current width, were also examined regarding multimodal transportation and how it could be “more comfortable” for bikes and pedestrians as well as safer for motorists in key locations, according to Fitzgerald. Residential neighborhoods along the roadway and their proximity to things like the Commuter Rail station were also studied within both a seven-minute and three-minute walk to the station. Similar radii were studied around Duval Elementary School. The redevelopment or revitalization of businesses now located on South Avenue has also been done and the opportunites within complete streets.

“Studies have proven that complete streets have many benefits, including safety and promoting bike and pedestrian use, but also for the economic vitality of locations,” he said.

Traffic safety studies have also shown that the area nearest the Commuter Rail tracks have seen the highest number of crashes – and rates within the top 5 percent of all crashes statewide. The intersection of South Avenue with Franklin and Pleasant streets is ranked within the top 10 among crashes causing injury statewide.

“It’s [also] a very odd configuration,” Fitzgerald said. “Given the development in the area, the configuration of the roads have morphed over the years. Instead of one intersection, it’s really three, which can make it pretty challenging or confusing when it comes to motorists traveling through it, especially if they’re not familiar with the location.”

It also has long pedestrian crossings – ranging from 60 to 100 feet – and have ADA compliance issues. Crossings in the Raynor Avenue area also have the same problem for pedestrians with movement issues.

Work to narrow pedestrian crossings would also provide greenscapes and ease drainage in the areas.

Traffic speeds would also be addressed to establish a well-balanced design.

The TIP program of federal funds, which Whitman has not proposed in recent years, would “address a lot of the issues we’re looking at along South Avenue.

Select Board member Justin Evans noted his board had recently asked the DPW to look into a Section 40R overlay in the Commuter Rail area, asking if this project would impact that. Fitzgerald said he does not believe it would.

“But it does make it more attractive,” LaMattina said, to Fitzgerald’s agreement.

“There are so many things going for this project,” he said. “It can only be a feather in the cap to have this sort of redevelopment.”

LaMattina said he grew up in the area and was told by an older resident at the time, “Oh, you live on that side of the tracks.”

“I think any development down there would be fantastic,” he said. “It opens up the other things we’re trying to do.”

WHRHS inducts 10 to Hall of Fame

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HINGHAM — Ten Whitman-Hanson alumni scholar athletes were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame during a dinner ceremony at the South Shore Country Club on Sunday, Oct. 9.

From a champion wrestler who returned to coach his sport, to a three-sport athlete who went on to lead cross country and track teams — as well as fellow soldiers after graduating West Point, to a member of the women’s soccer U.S. National Team, to an NFL career, these are among embodiments of excellence representing the high school in the world.

According to the program for the event, there were more than 50 nominations for induction.

“We know there are many more student-atlethes and coaches who are also deserving,” the program stated. With the next induction planned for October 2024, Athletic Director Bob Rodgers hopes to identify and welcome another group of worthy candidates.

To nominate an athlete or coach, visit whathletics.com, where the criteria for nominations is also included.

All the Hall of Fame members inducted this year, and all future inductees will be prominently displayed on banners in the athletics foyer and in the stadium as on the digital video board in the gym.

This years inductees are:

Student atletes

Tom Lynch, Class of 1973

Kevin Broderick, Class of 1988

Tim O’Brien, Class of 1991

Liz Hassan, Class of 2001

Kristie Mewis, Class of 2009

Samantha Coletti, Class of 2016

Coaches

Bob Teahan, Football/Athletic Director

Bob Gay, Wrestling/Principal

Teams

2001 Super Bowl Champion Football Team

2011 State Champion Girls Crosss Country 

Whitman sets aside TM date

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WHITMAN — The Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 27 voted to call for a special Town Meeting at some time in November, and discussed the salary issues that could affect hiring of a new Town Administrator.

“We have appointed, effective Oct. 1, our town accountant to the position of acting treasurer/collector,” interim Town Administrator Frank Lynam said. “In order to make a permanent appointment, we would need to change the status of the position from that of elected to that of appointed.”

He recommended a special Town Meeting be scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14, which, he said, seems to be the most popular choice for a meeting night to address that and “other financial issues that may need to be addressed.”

The meeting is not officially scheduled until Select Board members sign a warrant.

Lynam said there are also a “number of budgets” that need to be adjusted, which would more appropriately be addressed in a special Town Meeting than to wait until May.

 “It takes off some of the concern departments may have about possibly running out of money before that event occurs,” he said, noting he expects the session to be minimal in scope.

The new quorum requirements approved at last year’s annual Town Meeting calls for only 100 registered voters, rather than the 150 that used to be needed to convene a special Town Meeting.

If the question is held off for the May Town Meeting, the board will effectively have already placed a question on the ballot before the Town Meeting has voted to take that action.

Thirty-five days are required to vote on a ballot issue before it head to the ballot, and there is only two weeks separating Town Meeting and Town Election.

“I think it’s cleaner,” Lynam said. “It’s not essential, but it’s a good idea, in my mind.”

Select Board member Shawn Kain expressed a concern about scheduling a Town Meeting unnecessarily, saying that while he does have concern about the budget, he also feels confident about the work town officials are doing.

“Once we update the public I think those kinds of budgetary concerns will be alleviated,” he said, noting that he had no objection to holding a special Town Meeting if the board agreed it was necessary.

Lynam informed the board that Plymouth County, which oversees COVID funds, issued the town a final disposition declining Whitman the use of $160,000 some three weeks ago.

“That doesn’t mean we’re out of money,” he said. “It means we have to go to the ARPA fund to seek funding for those.”

He added that he did challenge some of the decisions and last week the town received a check for $42,559. That leaves $120,000 that must be appealed through ARPA.

In other business, Lynam updated the board on the work of the Town Administrator search committee, which met for the first time as a committee the week before.

He said an important observation had been made by one member that Whitman will be conducting its search with a combined budget for the position of $150,000 — more than $140,000 plus vacation buy-back time that was included in the actual budget.

“I am waiting for survey results, but I believe $150,000 is an absolute minimum that would enable us to recruit for this position,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy, given what the numbers were over the years, but town managers and administrators are now being hired and several towns broke the $200,000 mark this year, and they’re not heavily experienced people.”

Lynam sought permission to prepare an ad and advertise [a salary of up to ] $150,000, but cautioned the board the salary might have to be revisited.

“It’s going to be difficult to fill the position,” he said.

The board approved the ad for a salary ranging to about $150, depending on experience.

Lynam also addressed a communication gap with some granted use of the Town Hall.

A battle of the bands, for which use of the Town Hall Auditorim was sought by the Cultural Council, approved by the board, and the hall had been set up for it — only to find out via Facebook that the event had been canceled.

“I think it bodes well for us to ask for more communication when people request use of the Town Hall, because it involves other people and other efforts,” he said.

Hanson’s moments in time

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Hanson’s 2020 bicentennial plans underwent a deal of improvisation over the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the time capsule had to go in the ground eventually. Above, Marcus Linn vice chairman of the 200th Year anniversary committee, seals the capsule, with an assist from Lee Gamache, holding her grandson Jack (left). In a nod to bipartisanship, after the time capsule was lowered into the ground,  incumbent state representatives Dave DeCoste, R-Norwell, (who now represents part of Hanson) and Josh Cutler, D-Pembroke, were joined by Republican candidate Kenneth Sweezey ceremoniously bury it.  See more  photos, page 6.

Photos by Carol Livingstone

DFS holiday trees weather changes

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WHITMAN — Past experiences with storms during the annual DFS Decorating for Scholars event at Whitman Park have led organizers to ask the Select Board to approve a change this year.

Organizer Michelle LaMattina sought permission from the board to use Town Hall Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 10 for an afternoon vendor affair to coincide with events surrounding the tree lighting ceremony in the evening.

Select Board voted to approve both the event itself and use of the auditorium, with interim Town Administrator Frank Lynam pledging to get back to LaMattina the next day to confirm the facility’s availability.

Food trucks and performers will also be included in the event. LaMattina said any performers with links to WHRHS are especially welcome. A “special guest” is also slated to make an appearance. This year’s dates are Friday through Sunday, Dec. 9 to 11.

“We try to make it bigger every year to try to raise a little bit more money every year,” she said. “It’s just a good thing for the community.”

Last year, more than $10,000 was raised at the event. LaMattina has also spoken with the Boy Scouts, who want to help out a little more this year, as well as a few other groups.

Weather postponed last year’s vendor event on the Saturday of the three-day festival.

“The year before we had issues with the weather, also,” she said. “Obviously, one of these years were going to get hit with a blizzard.”

Feedback to DFS indicated a lot more people wanted to be vendors and participate in the event the Saturday last year’s storm hit, but they didn’t want to be outside in the cold all day.

Use of the auditorium would permit the organization to have some vendors inside and others outside. Student volunteers work the event as part of the volunteer hours requirement for the scholarship program.

There will also be adult volunteers on duty.

LaMattina was also asking that no charge be asked for use of the auditorium because all the money raised goes directly to scholarships.

DFS has held a tree lighting event in the park for the last two years.

“It’s one of our larger fundraisers of the year,” she said. “The only issue we’ve had is last year somebody stole a tree on us, but, other than that, people love it.”