Halifax Estates, 33 Redwood Drive, Halifax, will hold its popular annual Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Saturday, Oct. 12.
Vendors will be selling, handcrafted gifts, such as jewelry, personalized kids gifts, photography, as well as knitted and hand-sewn items.  There will also be a raffle of a variety of crafted items and gift cards, just in time for the holidays. Lunch will be available. All proceeds are donated to ensure a happy holiday for any underprivileged children of Halifax.

Between Sept. 1 and Oct.16, 2024, the Hanson Cultural Council will accept applications from organizations, schools and individuals for grants to fund cultural activities in Hanson. These grants can support a variety of arts, science, and humanities projects, including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures.
This year’s allocation to Hanson from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) is $8,800.
Past events include
• several museum passes,   

• Channel Homestead Experience
• Mamasteph  at the Hanson Public Library.  
• A virtual visit with author Sarah Weeks
• School Celebrates its amazing humans  took place at the Hanson Middle School.
• Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors  took place at the All American Assisted Living.
• Matt York sings “Willie Nelson” at the Hanson Library and many more.
   
  The Hanson Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils in the state of Massachusetts.
   Applications and more information about the program are available online at Hanson – Mass Cultural Council.

Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 16, 2024, the Hanson Cultural Council will accept applications from organizations, schools and individuals for grants to fund cultural activities in Hanson. These grants can support a variety of arts, science, and humanities projects, including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures.
This year’s allocation to Hanson from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) is $8,800. Past events include: several museum passes; the Channel Homestead Experience; Mamasteph  at the Hanson Public Library; a virtual visit with author Sarah Week; School Celebrates its amazing humans took place at the Hanson Middle School; Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors  took place at the All American Assisted Living and Matt York sings “Willie Nelson” at the Hanson Library and many more.
The Hanson Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils in the state of Massachusetts. Applications and more information about the program are available online at massculturalcouncil.org/local-council/hanson.

Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien has been officially removed from the post – by state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg – after being suspended for months, and the legal battle that has followed, according to published reports on Monday.

O’Brien has vowed to appeal Goldberg’s action to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court.

The Whitman native and the Healey administration have been at loggerheads since Gov. Maura Healey suspended her on Sep. 16, 2023. O’Brien had been on the job for exactly one year – the suspension doming on the anniversary of her being appointed to the role.

The CCC oversees the state’s $7 billion cannabis business within Massachusetts.

WCVB-TV reported that included a letter from Goldberg to O’Brien, which indicates she was O’Brien had been accused by state treasurer of making “racially, ethnically and culturally insensitive statements.” O’Brien has denied those claims and had sued to fight the attempt to keep her job.

“The Chair committed gross misconduct and demonstrated she is unable to discharge the powers and duties of a CCC commissioner,” O’Brien’s lawyer, Max Goldberg said in his statement Monday. “I do so with deep regret because she has a long history of public service, and when appointed, I anticipated she would lead the Commission capably and in an appropriate manner. I expect my appointee’s actions to be reflective of the important mission of the CCC and performed in a manner that incorporates the standards of professionalism required in today’s work environment.”

O’Brien fired back that a “toxic work environment” had existed at the CCC for some time and had, in part, been fallout from her suggesting former Executive Director Shawn Collins might have to be e

Stern issued a statement denying the existence of any grounds for his client’s removal, charging that state officials

“The Chair committed gross misconduct and demonstrated she is unable to discharge the powers and duties of a CCC commissioner,” Goldberg said her statement on Monday. “I do so with deep regret because she has a long history of public service, and when appointed, I anticipated she would lead the Commission capably and in an appropriate manner. I expect my appointee’s actions to be reflective of the important mission of the CCC and performed in a manner that incorporates the standards of professionalism required in today’s work environment.”

While Goldberg aims to appoint another chair to the CCC soon, Goldberg’s office said in a statement released to the press. O’Brien was still receiving checks for her $196,551 salary.

According to NPR, O’Brien Had spent more than $616,000 on proceeding with the attempt to oust O’Brien.

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a headline error and update information. The Express apologizes for the error.)

HANSON – The Select Board wants your [reasonable] suggestions for town priorities, including use of the Maquan property, highway department and fire department building needs and the potential need for an operational override next year.
“I thought it’s good to know where the citizens are in their thoughts toward all these different projects,” Town Administrator Lisa Green said during the Tuesday, Aug. 20 meeting, proposing a citizen’s survey to find out.
Dr. Melinda Tarsi, a professor at Bridgewater State University’s Department of Public Administration master’s degree program,
Tarsi had helped Whitman conduct a similar survey a couple of years ago.
“I thought maybe this would be a good time to conduct such a survey in Hanson,” Green explained.
There is no charge for BSU’s service to the town. The board voted to work with the university on such a survey.
“My research interest is in local government and municipal finance,” Tarsi said, joining the meeting via Zoom. Her research areas are local government and municipal finance and serves in that capacity in Mansfield and has been the Finance Committee chair in Halifax. “I really enjoy bringing my students into different projects – real world applications of principals and I find that these citizen satisfaction surveys can not only be a great tool for you as decision makers, but also a great educational tool,”
Tarsi said her students, can help with drafting the survey as well as tabulating results.
The surveys are done as a community surveys, using scientific survey techniques both online and on paper.
Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said the board would insist on some paper surveys for residents who might feel challenged or uncomfortable by filling one out online.
“We want to reach people where they’re at,” she said in urging use of survey questions asked through media they are most comfortable with as they tell the Select Board where they want to spend money.
Board member Joe Weeks said residents should be asked what they want as well as what the town needs.
“I do think there’s a huge distinction there,” he said. “We’re trying to get our foundational resources in order here.”
He argued the survey should direct the town where it can practically do with the resources available to make Hanson the best town possible.
Tarsi said that kind of priority ranking is the guidance they look to in creating surveys.
Maquan bill
The Select Board also approved a new contract agreement for the demolition costs for the razing of the former Maquan School.
When the initially town entered into a contract agreement to demolish Maquan School they had received some ARPA funds toward the demolition work, Town Administrator Lisa Green said during the Select Board’s meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The town then needed to borrow $580,000 to cover the rest of the cost.
“What we have here now is basically the bond anticipatory note of $480,000,” Green said. “The town paid $100,000 toward that $580,000 that we borrowed before. This is the bond note to re-borrow the $480,000 at a 4.5-percent interest rate.”
Green did not have the current interest rate with her, but said she could call the treasurer-collector to the Select Board’s meeting room to provide that information. The due date is Aug. 28, 2025.
FitzGerald-Kemmett asked for the additional information about what the bond rate is now, what it’s going to be
“Help us help you,” she said when Treasurer-Collector Lisa Clark joined the meeting.
“It was a one-year BAN,” Clark said. “Eric [Kinsherf] and I discussed it. To help the budget, we’re paying $100,000 out of that and rebidding for the balance. We would have had to pay the full amount this year.”
Articles clarified
In other business, the Select Board voted to close the warrant for the Monday, Oct.
The board had made that vote at its last meeting, but there were some “circumstances” that came up, according to Green involving the submission of additional articles after the warrant had already been closed.
The articles in question would: Reinstate the Health Agent as a full-time position; and a request by Green for some ARPA updates of $125,000 for the Hanson Food Pantry.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said the Health Agent Article was a place-holder. because no vote had yet been made on it.
“The chair was very clear that he didn’t want anybody to think he was unilaterally placing this article in,” she said. He absolutely said he just wanted a place-holder and that the board, as a whole, would decide the next time they met.”
Weeks noted that, prior to the annual Town Meeting, the board was trying to figure out less the content of late article submissions, but why they were late.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said that Health Board Chair Kevin Perkins was not aware what the deadline was.
“He apologized profusely in his email and his conversation with me,” she said. “They had sort of touched on this as a potential article, but they didn’t know the actual deadline for the article.”
She said she did mention that “historically, perhaps that department has not been diligent about meeting deadlines,” and that, at some point, all departments need to meet the deadline.
“That was accepted and understood,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
Green also submitted an application on behalf of the Food Pantry for needed updates in the amount of $125,000 in ARPA funds.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said there appeared to be two different articles with different dollar amounts, asking which was the correct one. The pantry request was filed with ARPA under the negative economic impact under COVID, meaning the money had to be spent first and then seek reimbursement.
“Because I do have that email that says the application I submitted was eligible for ARPA funds, basically that article is no longer required,” Green said, noting it was a procedural issue that does not bring the need of the funds into question.
Another article concerns an easement request Green’s office just found out about involving the owner of four condominiums on Main Street next to the satellite fire station, granting the fire department access to utilities.
The article for the South Shore Tech regional agreement amendment has now been received, as well, Green said. It had been represented on the warrant as a place-holder until now.

HANSON – A proposal from the Mass. Department of Fish & Wildlife to take control of the remaining LiteControl property at 100 Hawks Ave., outlined to the Select Board on Tuesday, Aug. 6 drew questions of cost and long-term land control.
Joan Pierce of the Mass. Dept of Fish and Wildlife outlined for the Select Board, the department’s interest in acquiring the property.
“We are concerned about what is about to happen to the town property, so I felt now is a good time to at least start the conversation and say, Fish & Game would really like to own the town property, so the whole strip along the northern part of Burrage – it’s all going to be open space,” Pierce said.
The issue would have to go before Town Meeting for any final decision.
“I’m a big fan of Burrage, I’m there every day and I think it’s a jewel,” said Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “I feel so lucky that we’ve got it in our little town – at least a good part of it.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett said she was initially intrigued by the concept as Pierce explained it.
But, the board had no objection to the idea of protecting the property as a wildlife management area where hunting and fishing would be allowed, but they had real concerns about the prospect of not realizing some remuneration for the property, especially in light of the nearly $500,000 already spent on a feasibility study, only to have the site rejected as a Highway Department location.
“Not to be impolite, but the money really needs to be talked about,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
Speaking for herself, Pierce said she was ready to recommend to the Fish & Game committee responsible for making the decision about acquiring the land, that they pay to remove the buildings on the land. A “very preliminary estimate” of more than $400,000 to take down the buildings, she said.
“We don’t want the buildings other than buildings we are actively using,” she said. “We would like to have the buildings removed and we would like to take on that responsibility if we are able to acquire the property from the town.”
That said, Pierce admitted that money is always a delicate issue, as is the question of the extent of remaining contamination at the site.
“I don’t want to talk too much about money, because that’s going to be a factor,” she said. “The problem, though, is that we are going to be paying to take down the buildings, which is a big cost.”
It’s almost equal to the assessed value of the property, Pierce said, adding that is why she is not suggesting that the land acquisition would be a windfall for the town.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said she is in no way looking at the proposal as a “windfall,” and could read between the lines to find the tear-down costs and site testing were being suggested as factors that might affect renumeration for the town.
“I can assure you that we’re not in a financial situation to make that decision,” she said. “We’re just not, I can reassure you. We’re looking at an override, we’ve got all kinds of competing demands.”
She also reminded Pierce that the May Town Meeting voted against being an MBTA Community, so much of the MBTA grant money for purchase of open space will not be available. She said it is also, as yet unseen, whether the state might claw back some of the Community Space funding for that reason.
Town Administrator Lisa Green noted, that the LiteControl property abuts to the Burrage Wildlife Management Area, a parcel of about 9.6 acres, was gifted to the town about 15 years ago with deed restrictions on what could be done with the property.
Housing, schools, hospitals, childcare facilities or other similar uses are prohibited because of groundwater or soil contamination.
“It’s been a work in progress trying to get grants or identify [funding sources] like that,” she said.
Town Meeting had voted several years ago to give the Select Board the power to lease the two large portions of the property, including the two large buildings on the parcel. She said Pierce had approached Green about the property a couple of years ago. They toured Burrage and talked about the LiteControl property. It had been “a work in progress” for Hanson as the town sought grants to fund
“She did mention that, basically, the Department of Fish and Game would be interested in acquiring a portion of that property,” Green said.
While that proposal had fallen by the wayside, Pierce did approach Green with another idea at the direction of the state – potentially acquire the entire LiteControl property from the town.
“She has prepared a letter, we have maps, and she is prepared,” Green said, adding that Pierce again reached out to Green to say the Fish & Game Dept. would be interested in acquiring a portion of the property, but State House business caused it to fall by the wayside.
That was also a concern of select Board member Ann Rein, who flat-out asked if the town has more grant options to address the property.
Green said the town has submitted the paperwork for the One-Stop Brownfields assessment cleanup, but Hanson officials are still waiting to hear what that decision might be.
FitzGerald-Kemmett noted the One-Stop grant is an MBTA Communities-related grant program. Green added that the remediation already done with $100,000 in One-Stop grant funds, Hanson would have to reimburse the state for that $100,000 from any amount over $100,000 realized from the sale of the property.
Pierce, who works out of Fish & Game’s Southeastern Massachusetts office in Buzzard’s Bay, is in the land acquisition office where she’s served for about 25 years. The office had acquired Burrage from Morton Cranberries more than 20 years ago.
“We are working with the town – I believe the Select Board is aware of this – to acquire other properties that are still owned by [the company now known as Hubbell],” Pierce said. “Hubbell had indirectly acquired LiteControl.”
The larger portion of the remaining lite control property is about 87 acres and Fish & Game is now proposing that property be split along a diagonal line and we’re hoping that the town is able to acquire – I call it the western 45 acres,” she said. Fish & Game would then acquire the 41 acres that lies right behind the town-owned portion of the former LiteControl property.
Pierce said that Fish & Game is also discussing acquiring a little 1.6 acre square of property, as well.
“Hubbell wants to get rid of the property that it owns in Massachusetts,” Pierce said. “They don’t want to own it anymore. It doesn’t do them any good.”
The company has gone through an extensive cleanup program with the state DEP – they want out,” she said.
At least for now, Hubbell is, however retaining a 7.6-acre parcel where the company is still monitoring ground water as required by DEP– but she has asked them to talk to Hanson officials again, too.
“The Hubbell property is really, really important for how we maintain the property,” Pierce said. “We want to have no conflicting uses abutting the property. This is a very valuable wildlife management area.”
Fish & Game is now doing the title search on the 87-acre property, which will be certified to both the department and the town. A title certification is also being done on the 1.38-acre parcel and an appraisal is being done on the two parts Fish & Game is acquiring.
FitzGerald-Kemmett mentioned the notion that the Highway Department might be relocated there when the property had been gifted to the town, but there were questions about whether there was still contamination on the site and whether the property was appropriate for the Highway Department so close to a wetlands, among other reasons.
“We were warned at the time that we were gifted those buildings that, if they were not inhabited quickly, their shelf life would erode rapidly,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. She said the town has seen that kind of deterioration already taking place.
“We know the entire property hadn’t gotten a clean bill of health,” she said. “Then we ran into some questions about [whether that is] really a suitable location for a highway building.”
She noted the objections Fish & Game Department’s objections because of the potential that contamination still existed on the site.
Select Board member Joe Weeks asked why the town was even discussing the issue right now.
Pierce said her main two concerns are protecting all the property on the north end of Burrage and Fish & Game is nervous about something happening to the town land in the future.
We would like to have that nailed down, taken care of, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore,” she said.
“We’re not getting anything,” Weeks said. “Are we just giving you the land and lose control – you just get to decide what happens?”
Pierce said the property would be managed as more open space.
“You’re doing us a favor,, but then you’re offsetting that cost by telling us we’re not getting any money,” Weeks said, “So you’re not doing anything for us.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett said she would wait until all the facts are in, but she feels uncomfortable with the direction the acquisition request is taking.
“I know that people are going to be outraged if we get no money for this property,” she said.
Weeks said he’s all in favor of protecting the land.
“I need more information,” he said.