HANSON — Town Administrator John Stanbrook and Hanson town officials would like to inform residents that the town has declared a state of emergency in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronvirus (COVID-19).

At this time, there are no known positive or presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Hanson.

The Town has declared a local state of emergency and has activated its Emergency Management Team to follow to this situation closely and provide any necessary updates.

The Town’s Emergency Management Team and the Board of Health will continue to work closely and meet regularly to discuss the latest guidance and determine the actions needed to keep the Town prepared as this situation continues to evolve.

Effective immediately, the following steps will be taken in the Town of Hanson:

•  Town buildings, including Town Hall, Council on Aging Senior Center, Town Library and schools are closed to the public until further notice.

•  All public meetings, except the next Board of Selectmen meeting on March 17, will be cancelled or postponed to a later date and likely for the foreseeable future.

•  All Town parks and fields will be closed to organized groups until further notice.

•  All functions at Camp Kiwanee or Thomas Mill will be postponed indefinitely.

• The Whitman-Hanson Regional School District has cancelled school and school activities until at least April 6, 2020. During this time, each school building will undergo deep cleaning and disinfecting. Whitman-Hanson students that need food services will be able to go to the high school, beginning today, daily from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the snack shack area which is in front of the Performing Arts center. Grab and go breakfast and lunch meals will be available. Students will need to provide their student ID number and this program will be handled as it is during a regular day. This is the only time a school building will be open to any member of the public.

• The Meals on Wheels program will continue to provide its services as needed.

• All Police and Fire services will continue as usual, however, we ask residents to call the department business lines for routine business and avoid coming into the police and fire stations to limit the spread of the virus.

•  The Board of Health will be enforcing Gov. Baker’s Order banning all on-premises consumption of food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages at the Town’s restaurants and bars effective at midnight on Tuesday, March 17. Only takeout and delivery of food will be permitted until at least 11:59 p.m. on April 5. Any establishment that violates the governor’s order will be subject to applicable license revocations by the Board of Selectmen.

• The Police Department and the Board of Health will be enforcing Gov. Baker’s order banning all gatherings of 25 people or more effective at midnight on March 17. This order is in effect until at least 11:59 p.m. on April 5. All food establishments must implement a plan for social distancing during takeout food order operations. These actions will slow the spread of the virus.

• The Transfer Station will remain open at this time.

These measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution so that the spread of the virus can be minimized and to promote social distancing. Your cooperation in this endeavor will be much appreciated.

Residents can log on to the Town’s website at www.hanson-ma.gov to get Town department phone numbers or e-mail addresses and for the latest updates as it relates to Hanson.

The Town’s public servants stand ready to answer any questions that you may have or to give out more information as it becomes available.

The state has also set up the phone number, 211, to answer questions that residents may have concerning this pandemic.

The Board of Selectmen is confident that together, working in concert with the community, Hanson will be able to help stem the spread of this virus.

WHITMAN — Town Administrator Frank Lynam, asked by Selectmen Chairman Carl Kowalski to collect and review information available on the global COVID-19 outbreak, held conference calls Tuesday, March 11 with public safety and schools on the town’s approach to the situation.

The schools, police and fire chiefs and Board of Health have all posted information on the illness on their respective web pages, but Lynam said the town will be re-posting it to make access to simple recommendations on keeping healthy easier to access.

Information sheets will also be placed at the Whitman Public Library and Council on Aging and other public locations for residents without computer acesss.

“It occurred to me that we’ve got to make it as simple as possible for our citizens to be up-to-date on both prevention and treatment protocols,” Kowalski said during the March 11 Selectmen’s meeting. “It made sense to me that the Board of Health would be the place where the citizens of the town know to go for information on the Coronavirus.”

Lynam said his research has shown that there is so much information out there that is “sort of right, but nobody agrees.” He read reports on COVID-19 on the websites of Johns Hopkins, the Center for Systems Sciences and the Centers of Disease Control.

“Presumably, the CDC would be the ultimate authority for information,” Lynam said. “Everyone has different counts, different numbers, different trends. The bottom line is people have to exercise common sense,”

Town Hall is cleaning all surfaces people come in contact with in the morning and afternoon — hand railings, doorknobs, bathrooms.

“But the best thing people can do is avoid being in crowds and wash their hands 20 seconds at a time, as frequently as necessary when they come in contact with people,” Lynam said. “That’s our only line of defense. This is a flu, like any other one. It just seems to be moving more quickly than anything we’ve seen in the past.”

Selectman Justin Evans said he was asked how would town employees’ sick days be affected if they were exposed and had to self-quarantine for two weeks.

Lynam said that, while they would likely burn through their sick time, he does not necessarily think the town would automatically cut them off if they needed if for other illness.

“I don’t think we’d leave anyone hanging out there, and that’s something we have to address as a board in subsequent meetings,” he said. “It’s really important that, if people suspect they’re coming down with a virus, flu or otherwise, they stay home, because it’s not going to help anyone else if they’re here.”

The virus is unique in that there is no runny nose, as is typical of a cold. COVID-19 is manifested by a dry, hacking cough and no runny nose.

The board voted to appoint Lynam, Evans, Finance Committee Chairman Richard Anderson and resident Christopher George, as a citizen at-large, to a WHRSD Regional Agreement Review Committee,

In other business, interviews for a new Recreation Director will be scheduled with people not yet interviewed for the position, as some voting members were not present during a meeting at which interviews for candidates were scheduled.

WHITMAN — In a joint meeting with the Board of Health regarding the fiscal 2021 budget on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Board of Selectmen, discussed developing a five-year budget with a 2-percent increase, depending on contract negotiations.

Health Board Chairman Eric Jaubert spoke for the board, arguing for the need of a full-time health inspector who would be able to operate independently of the board. Under that scenario the Board of Health would serve in an advisory capacity so that issues can be dealt with in a more timely fashion. He said the Health Department budget represents .3 percent of the entire town budget.

“This action is not about the person, but about the position,” Jaubert said. “Whoever’s in that role, they need to be able to attend conferences. We just hit with the Coronavirus [and] there’s all kinds of meetings and stuff going on that and we want to make sure the health inspector stays current and is in the loop on those type of projects and programs.”

Board member Barbara White, who was unable to attend the meeting, sent a letter to be read into the record expressing her support for a full-time health agent even before the animal control services had been added to the department’s responsibilities.

“The Health Department has not been able to keep up with the demands placed on it by the residents, businesses and state Department of Public Health,” she wrote. “The role of the health inspector needs to be expanded so that the needs and expectations of the town can be addressed without the delay of board members being contacted or waiting for a board meeting. Issues need to be addressed in a timely manner.”

As the town has grown, the Health Department’s needs and responsibilities have also grown even as it no longer oversees animal control, which requires the support of a 24/7 staff, he said.

Norwell Visiting Nurse is no longer serving Whitman as of July 1, 2020, and the agency changes its focus from town services outside of Norwell.

“One of the telling things is that there is no other town around that doesn’t have a full-time health inspector,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

It’s quite a skill set to be a health inspector,” said Jaubert, noting the part-time position made it difficult to fill. “There’s a lot to the job … regulations have increased, so you have to stay current.”

Both said the town was lucky to find such a skilled health inspector as Alexis Andrews.

Jaubert said they have not yet brought a revised budget before the Finance Committee.

Assistan Town Administrator Lisa Green presented a proposal to the board for Whitman’s participation in the Community Preservation Act.

Enacted in 2000, Whitman Town Meeting approved it in 2002 but the measure failed at the ballot box. Selectmen approved placement of the Community Preservation Act on the Town Meeting warrant for placement on the Nov. 3 ballot.

“I’m here to talk a little bit about it to get the town to reconsider this program,” Green said.

The act allows communities to earmark funds for specific programs and projects such as parks and recreation, historic preservation of municipal buildings, athletic field upgrades, restoration, open space preservation and community housing projects. So far, 176 Massachusetts communities have adopted the Community Preservation Act and participation could help Whitman raise $182,000 to $190,000. State contributions of between 13.9 percent to 23.9 percent, which could mean as annual budget of between $207,000 to $235,000 for those specific projects.

Hanson is one of the state communities that adopted the Community Preservation Act.

It does not raise taxes, but represents a 1-percent surcharge on property taxes off the assessed value. The average Whitman property value of $331,251 would mean $53 annually off the average property tax of $52.50 per $1,000. Some towns go as high as 3 percent.

Registry fees are also a source for CPA funds, including from Whitman properties which are distributed to towns that have passed the Community Preservation Act.

“Unfortunately, Whitman has lost out on this money,” Green said.

It would appear on a presidential election ballot, when turnout is higher, if Town Meeting passes it again.

Selectman Justin Evans said Hanover has used the funds for senior housing and Hanson has used the money for work at the high school fields among other projects.

“We’ve got plenty of projects in the Collin capital improvement plan that could benefit from this dedicated pool of money,” he said.

In other business, Town Administrator Frank Lynam reported work is still being done, with the Finance Committee, on a budget that reflects current circumstances and delivers services without an override this year.

“I emphasize it will take a little effort and cooperation to get to that point,” he said noting the Capital Committee will be meeting soon to finalize a list of warrant articles. He said that, so far, he has not yet seen some of the articles that were expected this year, with the filing window closing on Friday, Feb. 28.

DORCHESTER — The second annual Parkinson’s Disease Symposium for Veterans, First Responders, and Caregivers will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 20 at Florian Hall in Dorchester, hosted by 110 Fitness in collaboration with St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center’s Department of Neurology. This event is free and open to the public — all are welcome, but seating is limited. Please RSVP by visiting semc-parkinsonsevent.eventbrite.com or by calling Keith J. Ciccone, BS, LPN, Nurse Specialist, Department of Neurology, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center at 617 789 3320.

The symposium will focus on the connection between Parkinson’s Disease, military service, first responders, and the frequency in which we see veterans and first responders diagnosed with PD. Attendees will be provided with an abundance of information as well as resources available to help them live their best lives with Parkinson’s Disease.

The symposium will feature presentations by prominent members in the Parkinson’s healthcare community as well as noteworthy members of the military. Attendees will hear from: Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Francisco Urena, a Marine Corps veteran; Dr. Okeanis, director, Movement Disorders and DBS, Steward Medical Group/St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center; Brett Miller, Physical Therapist, Owner,  110 Fitness, a retired U.S. Army Combat Medic; Dr. Anna DePold Hohler, MD, FAAN, a movement disorder specialist, Chair, Steward Medical Group, St. Elizabeth;s Medical Center, a former major at Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Wash.; Irene Piryatinsky, Ph.D. Clinical Neuropsychologist, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center Affiliated Neuropsychological Assessment Clinic; Chip Maury, a retired U.S. Navy diver and parachutist.

The national anthem and a presentation of the colors by a color guard will open the program, which follows a complimentary breakfast. Participants will have a chance to visit vendor tables to learn about important resources available to them.

The second annual Parkinson’s Disease Symposium for Veterans, First Responders, and Caregivers is currently sponsored by Strongbridge Biopharma and Medtronic.

Miller understands the importance of hosting a symposium specifically addressing the needs of veterans and first responders with Parkinson’s Disease.

“We have seen the research and data that shows these populations are at an increased risk of Parkinson’s Disease,” he said. “We also see it every day at 110 Fitness as many of our members with Parkinson’s are veterans or worked as first responders for many years. We work closely with the Neurology department at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center to ensure veterans, first responders, and their caregivers are equipped with the knowledge and tools to fight back against Parkinson’s Disease.”

Dr. Hohler, chairman of the Neurology Department at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, and a former Army Neurologist, provides care to numerous veterans and first responders with Parkinson’s Disease.

“Understanding the risk that these vets and first responders face from environmental toxins and trauma is crucial in mitigating their factors,” she said. “We approach each patient in an individualized way to provide them with holistic care for their motor and non-motor symptoms.”

110 Fitness is an inclusive fitness and wellness center for all people. Easily accessible, located on Weymouth Street in Rockland off exit 14, 110 Fitness offers wellness programs for people with Parkinson’s Disease, boxing and cardio fitness programs for adults and children, adaptive boxing programs for children with disabilities, as well as yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, massage, art programs, and craft workshops, all for adults and children, including personal training and conditioning.

Patient-centered care is a primary focus at St. Elizabeth’s Neurology department. Physicians use the latest clinical examination skills, lab work, and imaging studies to diagnose neurological conditions. Once diagnosed, our patients are provided with advanced medications, surgical procedures, and holistic care to treat their neurological conditions

The neurology department also provides world class care in movement disorders, stroke, headache, neuromuscular conditions, and epilepsy.

BROCKTON — A 36-year-old Lowell man was sentenced this week after pleading guilty in a Whitman rape case stemming from October 2016.

Charles P. Lovejoy was sentenced in Brockton Superior Court by Judge Brian Davis who handed down a 15-year to 15 years and one day incarceration in state prison, according to a prepared statement from Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz’s Office.

Lovejoy pleaded guilty to two counts each of aggravated rape of a child,  and one count each of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, subsequent offense and enticement of a child for sex under the age of 16.

Whitman Police were performing routine patrols in town at approximately 1:30 p.m., Oct. 17, 2016 when they arrived at the St. James Cemetery. An officer noticed a car with its headlights on leaving the cemetery and performed a traffic stop. After running Lovejoy’s license plate, the Whitman officer identified Lovejoy as a registered sex offender with a Level 3 status on active probation, according to the statement.

Whitman Police determined during their investigation that Lovejoy met his female victim online through the app, Kik.  He drove to the victim’s home in a neighboring town to pick her up. Lovejoy then drove to the Whitman cemetery where he sexually assaulted the victim.

Lovejoy did not have any weapons in his possession but he was wearing a GPS monitoring device on his ankle at the time of his arrest. Whitman Police seized two cell phones that belonged to him.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Amanda Fowle and was investigated by Whitman Police, according to the statement.

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen voted on Tuesday, Jan. 28 to approve electioneering guidelines recommended by Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin during a recent election worker training session. The guidelines are based on ones recently approved by West Bridgewater.

Since the town is participating in early voting for the March 3 Super Tuesday Primary, Town Clerk Dawn Varley, asked for the guidelines to be considered. Early voting for the Super Tuesday primary is from Feb. 23 to 28 during hours when the Town Clerk’s office is open — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

In November, early voting will take place over 11 days during hours the Clerk’s office is open.

Absentee ballots are available now — they differ in that one must provide a signed affidavit that they are ill, absent from town or has a religious conflict with Election Day, while no excuse is required to participate in early voting.

“Voters who early vote should have the same courtesy that the voters do on a regular [election] day,” she said. “It would only be just to make sure people aren’t harassing them as they come in to early vote. It’s basically what is already in place for Election Day.”

Police details would not be necessary outside to enforce the no-electioneering buffer 150-feet from the polling place, Varley said.

“Just to be clear, people are aware that, on election day, they don’t approach people within the perimeter of the Town Hall,” said Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski. “We just observe those lines every day, now, during the early voting.”

She said Galvin’s office related incidents in other states where people wore pins of past candidates not on the ballot, which are permitted, but some included badges for people who were on the ballot.

“Election workers had to go through and say, ‘Take that one off, take that one off, it’s crazy,” Varley said.

Another example the municipal clerks were told about was of a woman wearing a campaign shirt, who was asked politely to go to the ladies’ room and reverse it. Instead she took it off in a public area and voted wearing only her bra.

“People are out there and they’re challenging the clerks,” she said. “They’re trying to see what they [can get away with]. I just want to protect my poll workers and my election workers and the voters.”

HANSON —  It’s too early for any move to appoint a committee to consider either de-regionalization of the schools in any manner or a Proposition 2 ½ override, but the Board of Selectmen opened the door to both possibilities at its Tuesday, Jan. 28 meeting.

“I put those on the agenda because I’ve been getting some feedback and I thought it was important to be responsive and to talk about it as a committee,” said Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked about the viability of de-regionalizing.”

She said that regardless what form of de-regionalizing Hanson might look into — from a K-8 system to a complete K-12 break away — it would not immediately solve the town’s fiscal or contractual problems this year.

“In addition, I ultimately don’t think that de-regionalization is going to be proven to be in the best interests of the town, given the buy-out costs and the fact that you’d have to set up a separate administration and overhead costs,” she said.

People are asking her about it, however.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes is having the district’s Business Manager John Tuffy look into the costs involved in such a move and Town Administrator John Stanbrook and Town Accountant Todd Hassett would also review the figures.

“I think, in light of the fact that we haven’t gotten those numbers yet, it would be a little bit premature to form a committee,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, suggesting that even discussing the formation of any de-regionalization committee be put off until March. “We also don’t know the budget numbers, so I don’t want to put the cart before the horse.”

Selectmen Kenny Mitchell said he felt it was “definitely premature” to form a de-regionalization committee, an opinion with which the other members of the board agreed.

“I’m still hopeful that this is going to work out,” Mitchell said. “I’m hopeful that Whitman is going to want to sit down and come to the table.”

Selectmen also indicated that an override committee was also premature.

“I’d like to see [school budget] numbers before we decide,” said Selectman Jim Hickey.

She reviewed the genesis of the regional agreement entered into in 1993, which spelled out a per-pupil methodology for apportioning the school assessment.

“This methodology has been used without fail every year since then,” she read from a statement, noting that changed in August when Hanson was told there might be another method “the statutory method, which uses a ‘wealth-based formula’ and takes into consideration the average household income and home value for determining the minimum contribution each town makes to the regional school district.”

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has determined the statutory method should have been taken into consideration every year since 2012 and that the School Committee should have been voting each year on the budget as well as the assessment method.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said Whitman has decided its residents have been paying more than they were required as a result of the statutory method not being used and have “drawn a line in the sand” and support only the statutory method.

“While I believe that the decent and ethical thing to do would have been to enter into good-faith negotiations with Hanson on a revised regional agreement, and work on a phased-in approach, those options are presently not on the table,” she said. “This is for this year. I’m not saying this is never going to happen.”

She also pointed to the balance of membership on the School Committee favoring Whitman based on student population, and the committee’s 6-4 vote in November — along community lines — favoring the statutory assessment method.

Town Counselor Kate Feodoroff has reminded Hanson Selectmen that the School Committee must have a seven-vote majority to pass a budget.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said there are a few options open to Hanson: negotiating a change to the current regional agreement; formation of a de-regionalization committee; or forming an override committee to acknowledge that ‘most likely this year, we may have to have an override.”

Another option is to obtain legal counsel for a second opinion or litigation.

Interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini, FitzGerald-Kemmett and Selectman Matt Dyer have been meeting with Whitman Town Administrator Frank Lynam and Selectmen Randy LaMattina and Justin Evans in an effort to find a path forward.

“We’ve decided that the only way to determine what is equitable is to get a breakdown of the cost to educate the children in each town,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We simply do not have the facts.”

She stressed that the audit is not an attempt by the towns to cast doubt on the confidence level in the school district.

“We’ve got a fiduciary responsibility and we cannot make decisions without being armed with the facts,” she said.

The board also discussed the status of that operational and forensic school audit.

Stanbrook said he has been working with Lynam to set up the audit and reviewing the cost of, and qualifications they are seeking in, an auditor.

The WHRSD fiscal 2021 budget release will take place at the School Committee’s Wednesday, Feb. 5 meeting. Selectmen are posting the meeting as a public session of the board “in case we all show up and decide to deliberate the heck out of things,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

That budget could determine the need for an override committee, she said.