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Fireworks site cleanup plan outlined

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HANSON — Town officials are looking for some influence in the final cleanup phase involved in removing munitions pollutants from the watershed and ponds around the former National Fireworks site in Hanover.

Hanson’s Select Board met jointly with the Board of Health and the Conservation Commission on Tuesday, May 17 to hear an overview of the plan for the ponds and streams on the property, which borders part of the town in the area of Winter and King streets.

“There are some new developments,” Town Administrator Lisa Green, saying that prompted her to invite the company to brief town officials.

While Hanover is “leading the charge” on the project, Select Board member Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

“We have a piece of it in Hanson and we thought we needed to have a little bit more of a voice — or, at least, a voice — in what was happening,” she said, noting at least four board members wrote in during the remediation plan’s public comment period for Phase 3. She asked if the towns were being consulted on remediation plans before they proceeded with the “full-on cleanup.”

“Because none of the people responsible own any of this property, the preference was [to] get rid of it and take it away,” said Ronald Marnicio, Tetra Tech’s national discipline lead for risk assessment. “When you get to that point, there’s not too many other choices.”

The company Tetra Tech, a global consulting and engineering firm that helps clients address water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy and international development challenges based in Pasadena, Calif., is cleaning up munitions at the site. The munitions response is scheduled through 2024, while that is being done the design is being completed and permitting will take about a year, so the first digging would likely not happen until 2025 or after.

Looking ahead

Select Board member Kenny Mitchell asked what the area would look like in five to 10 years.

“It’s up to you guys,” Marnicio said. “It should be clean and useable for just about anything.” Hanover would remain classified as recreational land, but most of the land in Hanson is private property.

“In Hanson, it might look pretty much like it’s looking right now,” he said.

Conservation Commission Chairman Phil Clemons said he would like the work approached less like a regular engineering project and more like the “visionary, large-picture, long-term fix that it ought to be” and that no one would regret.

Marnicio said Phase 3 of the cleanup, what is being called the “final remedy,” is addressing chemical contamination in most of the ponds and streams on the property in both Hanover and Hanson. Most of the work is being done in Hanover.

“When the facility closed, it was quite apparent that there was a lot of burial and dumping down there,” Marnicio said.

Most of the contamination has been found in Hanover. Hanson’s land is located at the bottom third of the fireworks site around what is known as Factory Pond, was used as a test site and disposal area when the fireworks factory was in operation.

The site is being cleaned up under the Mass. Contingency Plan, which according to Marnicio, is not quite like the federal Superfund program. MCP is voluntary program.

Site assessment has been going on for “quite a few years,” partly because of the size of the site and the impact on soil, sediment and groundwater.

“Originally, our clients [owners of the fireworks property] were paying for all of this, so it was phased to keep the ball moving,” Marnicio said. “But it took a few years to get the whole thing characterized in terms of what was out there and what do you have to do to clean it up.”

The second phase of the MCP process in 2019-2020, drew up options for cleanup efforts and evaluation. In June 2021, the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection approved the remedial action plan, laying out requirements of the cleanup, including how much sediment would have to come out and acceptable levels that could remain.

Because none of the responsible parties own the property

“One of the things that has changed over the last couple of years is the magnitude of the munitions response,” Marnicio said. “[It] has to be completed before the cleanup of the sediment in the ponds.”

The discovery of additional munitions has extended the phase before the final remedy.

That was FitzGerald-Kemmett’s concern. 

“We’ve been pulling things out of there since 2017,” Marnicio said. “These numbers are really kind of staggering — 18,300 items were explosive and were removed and exploded by the Mass. State Police Bomb Squad.”

There was also a lot of inert material, which resembled munition, but would not detonate. Still, Marnicio said it was “not a good thing to have in a public property.” More than 10,000 tons of contaminated soil has been shipped off the site. The cleanup in the upper portion of the property is about 75 percent done.

 “We believe when the place closed down, they bulldozed a lot of things into [Factory] pond,” he said, noting that a copper dam will be installed on the outside of an upper area of the pond to bring water level down and remove contaminants in dry conditions.

Final remedy is designed to remove mercury and lead from the sediment in ponds. Estimated cost of Phase 3 is between $64.7 and $95.1 million. State figures the cost as being between $72.6 and $106.5 million.

“This is not going to cost the taxpayers in either town any money, I’m assuming,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “And I’m assuming … ‘the potentially responsible parties’ will be paying, or who will be footing the bill for this massive cleanup?”

Marnicio said the potentially responsible parties were paying for it, the trust fund set up when one party went bankrupt has been paying for all the munitions response work and some of the characterization work.

MassDEP and the Department of Defense have been working on a consent decree to figure out who pays after the trust is depleted. 

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the town does not have the money to do so and did not contribute to the problem, and should not be expected to pay any costs.

After digging

“After we dig, there’s always been the question of to what degree do we need to put material back in,” Marnicio said. “Do we need to restore wetlands?”

Exposing material that had been underwater also triggers more regulation and they have to work with private citizens who own property along the Hanson portion of the property.

“I am really shocked at the thought of draining such an important little ecosystem,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We all know restoration, once those things go backwards, it’s hard to restore them … only time does that, with the right conditions.”

Marincio said most of the area has contamination within the top six inches of the sediment.

She asked what would happen if a resident did not give permission for remediation on their property.

“I honestly don’t know how that would be handled,” Marnicio said.

Health Agent Gil Amado noted that everything has to be approved by DEP.

“The balance is you destroy it to save it,” Marnicio said. “There are requirements to re-establish wetlands and there are multiple-year monitoring that the restoration requires. It is risky, but that’s part of the plan, to put things back.”

He said groundwater was something that’s been measured since the ’90s.

“Fortunately, groundwater has not been a concern,” Marnicio said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also spoke to the groundwater contamination and long-range health concerns residents have been speaking about and posting on social media.

“That kind of problem depends on your exposure over time,” he said. “I don’t think there’s been an increase in contamination.”

As they do the munitions removal they are cleaning soil cleanup goals for the final remedy, Marnicio said.

He also spoke to Select Board concerns about air-quality during the soil and sediment removal.

“What we’re most watching is particulates,” Marnicio said, noting that wind-direction is constantly monitored to make sure they are not going off-site. Work is stopped with air quality monitors sound alarms.

“Truck traffic on-site when it’s very dry will beep,” he said. “We determine what the cause is, [and] if we can determine that cause right away we can try to fix it or use water sprays.”

While it’s never happened yet, if the cause can’t be found, work will stop until it is found and addressed.

“There needs to be some robust communication,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. Marincio said Hanover’s website tracks needed information and makes it available to residents.

Select Board Chair Matt Dyer said he would prefer 24-hour monitoring of the ponds to the continuous monitoring being planned once digging begins.

During the second year of the work the wetlands will be allowed to fill back up and close the dam down. Hanson areas are relatively shallow with a limited amount of sediment needed to be removed.

Moving a memorial

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Many traditions around the world — perhaps most notably Mexico’s Día de Muertos — hold that, so long as a person is remembered, they live on.

With such thought in mind, the W-H School Committee is supporting an effort to move a memorial stone from the former Maquan School to Indian Head Elementary.

The School Committee had received a request from state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, through Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green, to move a memorial stone placed at Maquan School in 1977 to honor the memory of Ruth Masters, a teacher at the school who was murdered in Miles Standish State Park while riding her bicycle.

Since Maquan School has closed, Cutler noted, the stone is now almost completely hidden from view.

“I believe it should be moved to a location more fitting, perhaps Indian Head,” he wrote.

Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said he had no issues with moving the stone, but wanted to first run it by the committee.

“You don’t usually move memorials and that building is no longer ours,” he said. “I want to keep to the memory of Ms. Masters, but before we put anything on school grounds — or move it — I just wanted the board’s thoughts.”

School Committee member Beth Stafford, a retired teacher, asked to add a little to the story.

“Ruth and I were team teachers at Maquan and we taught fourth grade together,” she said. “I was out on maternity leave when this happened. Ruth and her daughter would stop by just about every Friday afternoon to see us and she had told us she wouldn’t be stopping by [that day] because they were going on a family outing at Miles Standish.”

Stafford received a phone call that weekend that they had found Masters’ body. Eric Anderson, who had already been serving a 20-year sentence for attacking a woman in Maine was convicted of Masters’ murder in 2003 when he was 76. He died in prison in 2016.

“It was really tough on the kids, because they had a little long-term sub for me at the time and now she was gone,” Stafford recalled. “The kids all thought that I died, too, because I wasn’t there.”

“Oh, my goodness,” Committee Chairman Christopher Howard said.

The principal had asked Stafford to come in to the school and show the kids that she was all right.

“Ruth was a very kind, quiet person,” she said. “The memorial was set up a little after all the ceremonies and everything. I’m really happy to know that the memorial will be kept somewhere safe and the elementary school would be appropriate because she taught fourth grade.”

Howard said with time, people forget.

“I think with some of the memorials, sometimes the story gets lost because it’s a stone,” Howard said. He and fellow Hanson Committee member Mike Jones both attended school at Maquan and said they were not even aware the stone was there.

“Maybe within the school, there’s a way to explain what the stone represents and who it represents and the story behind it,” he said. “Then you remember the person for who they were and not just what happened to them.”

Szymaniak recalled that when last year’s WHRHS graduation on the football field was postponed because of thunder storms, “people were all over Dr. [Christopher] Jones [the principal] about why it was delayed.

“Someone said do you know where the kids are graduating and who the field’s named after?” he recalled, noting that Coach Dennis M. O’Brien had been struck and killed by lightning on the field.

Committee member Dawn Byers said locating a memorial to a fourth-grade teacher would be meaningful at a school where fourth-grade students are taught.

“It should follow the fourth grade where she taught,” Byers said.

In other business before the School Committee, Szymaniak also thanked residents for supporting the district budget at town meetings.

“I can’t say thank you enough to the taxpayers of both communities [for] supporting the regional school district in their capital items and in the district budget,” Szymaniak said. “We will be working hard to make sure we are working efficiently and effectively, but putting our students and our faculty forward in the next fiscal year.”

He also thanked the School Committee for staying forward-thinking in the budget process a win for the district and students.

Select Board salutes Bezanson

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WHITMAN – The Select Board said farewell to colleague Brian Bezanson during his final meeting on the job Tuesday, May 10, presenting him with a gifts from the Board and a small reception after the meeting.

“I know we’re all very appreciative of Selectman Bezanson’s  18-years of service on the Board,” Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said. “We wanted to make sure, collectively, that we recognize that.”

“Brian Bezanson, this is your life,” Selectman Randy LaMattina joked.

State Representative Alyson Sullivan’s General Court Citation and a gift – of a gardening stool and pads to kneel on for weeding – were presented to honor what Heineman described as Bezanson’s many years of selfless service to the town.”

Sullivan apologized for her rough voice, which had been giving her trouble, but added that “it never stops me from showing up, especially for a friend like you, Brian.”

“I can’t really put into words how thankful I am to you, as a member of this board, over the last three and a half years, for myself up at the state level, and prior to that, while running for office,” she said. “I know this [decision to retire] was not a decision that you made lightly.”

She said that, while he may no longer be on the board, she does not believe his service to the town is done in any way, shape or form.

Her citation noted his exceptional public service for the town.

“I really appreciate that,” Bezanson said after the citation presentation, saying it was a complete surprise. “It’s been an honor and privilege to serve the community this long, and it’s been an honor working with you all.”

He credited the support of his family and the citizens’ “keeping me going, knowing that we do good here” with his longevity.

“On to gardening,” he said. “It’s been a wild ride.”

Board Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski thanked Bezanson for his years of service to the town.

“I will miss you all,” Bezanson said. “It’s probably been, other than my family, one of the highlights of my life.”

Bezanson made the motion to adjourn his final meeting, heard saying as it concluded, “Whose idea was this…?”

The board had earlier approved the town’s security camera policy governing park cameras, approved at town meeting the previous week, with very little discussion.

The Freedom of Information Act requirements on how long camera recordings must be kept on file will be followed.

With Town Meeting approval of a full-time facilities manager and Robert Curran’s looming retirement, hiring for the nonunion position will follow the personnel policies now in place, Heineman said.

The vacancy announcement and job listing would be made public via advertising in the newspaper and online as well as posting at Town Hall for 10 business days.

After applications are in, interviews will be conducted with specifics about the interview process to be decided when the application window closes.

It is a separate position from the building commissioner for which interviews were already underway.

Covid update

Kowalski had also read a letter from Whitman Housing Authority Executive Director Eileen Gibson, expressing appreciation for the work Covid Coordinator Danielle Clancy and the Whitman Fire Department did in providing vaccine and booster clinics for its elderly and disabled residents.

“We are blessed to have such a great team on the Fire Department who took such good care of our residents during the administration of the vaccines and who provide life-saving care for our citizens every day throughout the year.”

She gave special thanks to Danielle Clancy, who has managed the needs of the town as health agent while working tirelessly to organize clinics, maintain staffing and inventory and to register patients, “all while taking care of people unable to leave their homes and some of the town’s most vulnerable citizens,” Gibson wrote.

Fire Chief Timothy Clancy also provided a Covid-19 update to the board, reporting reported there was still 43 positive cases in town, “although a few more have come in during the last day.” 

Whitman’s positivity rate is 5.2 percent – the last time the positivity rate was that high was the third week in February. 

“This was not unexpected with the Easter holiday,” he said, pledging to continue monitoring the rates. The vaccination rate is now at 68 percent. 

The fire department is ready to restart vaccination clinics at a moment’s notice as soon as the CDC says it should be done again.

Hanson police probe roadway incidents

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HANSON – Chief Michael Miksch updated a reported hit-and-run incident that occurred last week involving a bicyclist.

On Thursday, May 12 at approximately 5:50 p.m. Hanson Police responded to a reported hit-and-run involving a bicyclist. The male cyclist had suffered serious injuries and was taken by medical helicopter to a Burlington trauma center. 

He remained in the hospital as of, Saturday, May 14. Hanson Police were provided with limited footage at the time of the incident that showed a small white crossover SUV striking a mailbox and child’s playset on the side of the road. With the assistance of the local media and citizens the vehicle was located. The operator of the vehicle, having seen their car on the local news, came to the Hanson Police Station early Friday morning.

The operator was cooperative with police. After interviewing the operator and examining the vehicle, it was determined that the vehicle was not involved with the crash of the bicyclist. The vehicle had damage that was consistent with striking the mailbox, but no other damage.

Further investigation allowed police to obtain more video evidence from other sources, which showed the mailbox hit-and-run occurred between 10 and 13 minutes prior to the cyclist being injured. 

The cyclist was seen on video passing the mailbox area on video after the white SUV had left the scene and a neighbor had removed the debris from the roadway.

Additional dashcam footage from a private citizen also shows the cyclist passing the area approximately 10 minutes after the SUV had struck the mailbox. 

The bicycle is an electric bicycle, capable of speeds up to 30 mph. The bicycle appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the crash. At this time, it appears the cyclist may have lost control and crashed.

“Law enforcement’s job is to seek the truth in all instances. In this case it is an important reminder that it is just as important to clear the innocent as it is to charge the guilty,” Chief Miksch said. “We thank everyone who came forward and offered assistance as we investigated the details of this incident, as well as the Massachusetts State Police Troopers from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit and Troopers assigned to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz’s Office for their assistance during the investigation.”

The operator of the SUV will be summoned to Plymouth District Court at a later date for leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage. Their name is not being released at this time. The incident remains under investigation by the Hanson Police Department.

Miksch also said Hanson Police areinvestigating a report that a suspicious man approached children Saturday and asked them to get inside his vehicle.

At approximately 9:50 a.m. Saturday, Hanson Police units were dispatched to the area of 500 Whitman St., where a caller reported that his son and friend (under the age of 12) were approached by a white man with a short buzz-cut haircut and glasses believed to be between the age of 35-40 years old.

The man allegedly asked the children if they wanted any toys. The children stated no, and then the man told one of the kids to “just get in” to his van. Both children fled the area and returned to their residences to inform a parent.

Hanson units checked the area and found video feed from a neighboring resident. The video feed shows a white work van, possibly a Ford E-Series E-250 cargo van with roof racks and running boards. The children involved stated the van had rust and writing on the back, but were unable to recall what the writing was. The van made two passes by the children and on the second pass the man interacted with them.

The video feed shows that the van remained in the area for a minute or two before interacting with the children and then left the area heading towards East Washington Street.

Hanson units checked the area and a BOLO was sent out.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to call the Hanson Police at 781-293-4625.

Rhynd seeks Whitman Health Board seat

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By Jamie Rhynd
Old High Street, Whitman

My name is Jamie Rhynd. I grew up in Whitman and moved back 14 years ago to raise my family and rejoin the community I loved as a child. I attended Whitman-Hanson and Regis College in Weston. For the past seven years I have been a practicing Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at a local primary care practice. Prior to that I worked several years in both Boston and community hospitals. I’ve also served as a college professor, substitute school nurse in Whitman, and mentor to students entering the field of nursing. As a healthcare professional I am passionate and committed to the important work of the Board of Health to safeguard the town’s health and environment. If elected I will advocate for services to promote health and well-being for all residents, particularly the most vulnerable members of our community, including children and seniors.

As a pediatric nurse practitioner and parent, I have seen first-hand the impact social isolation and societal disruption secondary to the Covid-19 pandemic has had on children and teens. The

Board of Health has a responsibility to work with the health department and other town leaders to advocate for expanded mental health resources and services. As we move into the next phase of this pandemic, communication with our residents will be even more important and the Board of Health will need to be proactive in its strategies. Effective communication is a fundamental skill for public servants and one I have the chance to utilize on  a daily basis when explaining complicated medical information and transmitting advice in a manner that can be easily understood and adhered to.

I believe my qualifications as a Nurse Practitioner and my first-hand knowledge of disease transmission and infection control makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the Board of Health. I am passionate about leveraging my skills to help others, and if fortunate enough to become a member of the Board of Health, I will be able to expand my ability to make a positive impact in our great community. I humbly ask for your vote and support on May 21.

[Editor’s note: Jamie Rhynd submitted this announcement several days ago, but it was lost somewhere in email bulk mail filters, so we post it online now.]

The roosters crowed at (nearly) midnight 

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WHITMAN – The backyard chickens – or, more specifically, the roosters – came home to roost at Whitman Town Meeting, Monday, May 2 when voters defeated a citizen’s petition that would have sent the cockrels packing in the interest of peace and quiet.

The last article of the night – Article 50 – proposed that “there shall be no raising or ownership of roosters in the town of Whitman,” complaining that the birds’ “loudly crowing throughout the day, from early morning to evening,” creates a disturbance of the peace. It proposed that the town would be responsible for removal of the birds.

“I’m proposing this bylaw because I live next to a rooster – a couple of them – and this has been [going on] for the last six months,” petitioner George Mager said. “If you try to get rid of the rooster, which is a very obnoxious noise that’s planted right next to your property, there’s no way to escape from it.”

He said the birds start in at 4 a.m., and the town has no way of stopping it. Wild birds also sing loudly at about the same hour.

But the rooster’s crowing was found to be more objectionable and he approached town officials to ask if they could or would do anything to control what poultry would be permissible in town.

The lack of a bylaw was cited as the reason the town couldn’t rectify the rooster ruckus.

Another resident, who lives down the street from a rooster owner, said she never hears the crowing, suggesting the town-wide ban proposal was seeking a remedy for the problem with one particular bird.

“What if we did the same thing with dogs or cats?” she asked. “Is there another solution?”

Chuck Slavin of Commercial Street, asked what the follow-up would be, for example, would the bird(s) be dealt with humanely.

“Unfortunately, this will fall on my department,” said Health Board Chair Danielle Clancy. “We will do whatever you vote, that is our task. … I will tell you people have roosters as pets and people also have roosters to protect their chickens.”

Roosters’ crowing alerts owners to the presence of snakes, coyotes and other predators.

Clancy said her problem with the proposed bylaw came down to how it was written. Residents are already required to obtain a permit from the Board of Health to keep poultry, which does annual inspections of backyard coops. If health officials hear about non-permitted coops, she said it is dealt with.

“If you don’t have a permit, you better be calling us in the next week or so, because your neighbors will be calling us,” she said.

She said she also has a problem with putting the responsibility of rogue rooster wrangling on the Board of Health, proposing instead that the onus should be on the owner to place problem poultry in a shelter.

“We are not equipped for that and the Board of Health doesn’t have the budget for that,” Clancy said.

Animal Control Officer Laura Howe said she is Mager’s School Street neighbor and charged he has wanted her dogs removed for 28 years.

“My lawyer has spent 28 years giving Mr. Mager nice messages because I believe in Jesus, and I happen to believe in my town,” she said adding that she wished she could have brought the rooster to Town Meeting. “But there happens to be bird flu going around, and it would be against the law,” she said.

The state has also prohibited animal control officers from removing any birds until after July, when they make another decision, Howe said, adding that like the Board of Health, she does not have the facilities nor the budget to be responsible for rooster removal or to euthanize them, if necessary.

Plymouth County Agricultural Extension Agent Meg Riley of Belmont Street also urged a no vote on the article. She said there were no parameters written into the proposed bylaw and also referred to the “pretty epic outbreak of the avian influenza” which prevents moving the birds and has resulted in high prices for chicken meat and eggs.

To avoid having to kill birds at this time, they cannot be moved.

“If there was still a push for this, and I definitely understand the point of the gentleman – some people have really loud roosters, they can be really annoying – but … even in our suburban community, it would be in our best interests to establish an agricultural commission that could work through some of these issues on a case by case basis,” Riley said.

Howe indicated the bird in question was something of a trans chicken, which, it turns out is possible.

“I did not go out and try to get a rooster,” she said. “He showed up as a girl, and turned into a boy very late after my 12-year-old daughter fell in love with him.”

She dared anyone to remove the bird from her property.

“My animal, rooster or not, comes in at 6 a.m. every night and goes out at 7:30-8:00 every morning, because he goes for coffee and to the barn with me.”

According to Live Science, “certain medical conditions—such as an ovarian cyst, tumor or diseased adrenal gland—can cause a chicken’s left ovary to regress. In the absence of a functional left ovary, the dormant right sex organ may begin to grow, according to Mike Hulet, an associate professor at Penn State University’s department of poultry science.

“If the activated right gonad is an ovotestis or testes, it will begin secreting androgens,” Hulet told Life’s Little Mysteries. Androgens are the class of hormones that are largely responsible for male characteristics and are normally secreted by the testes. “The production of androgen would cause the hen to undergo behavioral changes and make it act more like a rooster.”

Then there was the noise accusation.

Howe said rooster crows reach 90 decibels, while dog barks can reach 100 and lawnmowers reach 108 decibels.

“I have roosters in my neighborhood,” Select Board member Dan Salvucci said. “They don’t bother me.”

He said the bylaw only opens the possibility that neighbors could report each other for mowing the lawn after 7:30 p.m., or that dogs could be singled out for barking.

“Let’s not have neighbor against neighbor,” he said. “Let’s just work it out.”

Stafford seeks full School Committee term

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By Beth Stafford

Harvard Street, Whitman

My name is Beth Stafford. I was appointed to school committee last summer to fill a seat after a resignation. Now I am running for a full term on the committee.

Education is very important to me. I taught at Maquan Elementary School 1973-1977, School Committee 1993-1995 and a full time teacher at Whitman Middle School, retiring in 2019.  I was also on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Teachers Association for eight years.

There are always new advancements in education and we will need to keep up with them to insure that all our students have the best education.  We finally were able to pass full day kindergarten in the district, so now we need to look at other deficiencies in the system such as middle school foreign language, improvements and expansion of the arts, expanded pre-school among others. We need to start finding ways to accomplish these while being fiscally responsible.

As a former selectman, I know how important it is to work with the town on all budgetary concerns to do what is best for all involved. Cooperation and transparency are extremely essential to keep education moving forward.

My husband and I are graduates of Whitman-Hanson as are our three sons.  We now have three grandchildren in the district, a Senior, a seventh grader with special needs and a first grader.

I will work with administration to continue to make sure that all students become independent thinkers and to prepare them for life after their school years.

Please vote for me at the town election on May 21.  Thank you.

Another go at Whitman DPW building

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WHITMAN – The town has again received a green light to design a new DPW building.

During the special Town Meeting on Monday, May 2, Whitman voters unanimously approved the expenditure of $1,098,100 for creating shovel-ready architectural plans for a new DPW building at 100 Essex St.

The funds, to be spent under the oversight of the Building Committe and Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman will also be used to hire an owner’s project manager.

The funds would come from three sources  – $713,765 from water and sewer retained earnings, $234,335 from free cash and $150,000 from the capital stabilization fund.

Engineer Ziad Kary from Environmental Partners Group, who worked with the DPW on the conceptual design, gave a brief PowerPoint presentation on his work.

“The existing facility is dated, it is beyond repair, and the driver behind this is a new facility to replace the old one,” he said. The 170-foot by 100-foot – or 17,500-square-foot – plan replaces the 200-by-100 plan the town had previously rejected. The old building would be razed and utilities would be relocated into the new facility.

“This would bring in all water, sewer and highway [equipment] under one roof,” he said. “This is a basic, basic building, comprised of structural steel and insulated panels.”

There will be vehicle wash bays, storage and maintenance space as well. The next step is to appoint an owner’s project manager, who would bring in a design engineer to see it through construction – anticipated to be a two-year project. 

Harvard Street resident Cindy Landeville asked if the town has looked into any grants for the building.

Heineman said the project is still in the early stages.

“Certainly, if there are any grants that may be available, we [the town] will agressively seek them,” he said. “At this time, there’s no grants that we’re aware of, that would assist us in building the Department of Public Works building. … These monies, if approved by Town Meeting, would allow for the project to move forward.”

He said the two DPW superintendents are always looking for grants and the town is working to fill a position, part of which would entail writing grant applications.

Elm Place resident Jerry Blumenthal asked if the building plan includes the DPW administrative offices and where equipment will be maintained and stored while the new building is being constructed after the old one is torn down.

The administrative offices will remain in the current building and equipment will be maintained and stored where they in other buildings on the property.

Highway and parks Superintendent Bruce Martin said the maintenance operation will stay in the back garage, where it is currently run, and costs have been calculated for temporary buildings so employees can work and equipment that must be inside can be stored. Some equipment would be outside during construction.

Another resident asked whether the funds for the actual construction work would come out of a debt exclusion or free cash.

Beyond seeking grants, Heineman said that since 60 percent of the building would be used by the Water and Sewer Department, they would seek funds from the retained earnings balance in the water/sewer enterprise fund.

“After all those pieces are drawn down, I think it’s likely to assume that there will be some portion that will be in a debt exclusion,” he said.

If the Town Meeting does not approve the funds for a debt exclusion, the building would not be built, according to Heineman. 

“The overall expectation of the project includes these monies this evening, and if these monies are appropriates by Town Meeting this evening, it would reduce the overall projected cost of the project,” he said.

Two residents asked why the design and OPM costs would be sought when the funds had not been secured to build the building.

Building Committee member Fred Small said the Whitman Middle School funding process, governed by the state’s MSBA, operates in a similar way. It provides an accurate barometer as to what a building is going to cost.

“This is the right way to do this, it’s proper and lord knows, it’s overdue,” he said,

Former Town Adminstrator and member of the DPW Building Committee Frank Lynam noted that he has been through a number of projects with the town.

“In order to appreciate what’s being presented to you today, you need to understand the ground rules,” he said. The Public Works Law requires that any building project exceeding $2 million done by any municipality to hire an OPM and a designer or architect can’t be selected until an OPM is hired.

“In order to start this process – and we have been looking at this since 2008 – we first have to get enough money to hire an OPM and to seek an architect to design the building,” he said.

With the final designs and cost estimates are done, it can be brought back to Town Meeting for ultimate approval and funding.

In other business, the Town Meeting approved a raise in the minimum wage paid to seniors taking part in the tax abatement program.

Article 47 on the annual warrant sought to set the maximum seniors can work off their property taxes to 125 service hours each year. In response to a resident’s question, Heineman said if the article passed the Select Board would discuss the amount each participant could receive in exemption per hour. Right now the maximum amount a single person could work off is $800, roughly coming out to $8 per hour, working a total of 100 hours.

“If this passes … I want to suggest that $8 an hour is not enough and that is should be higher,” he said, noting that the board had recently adopted a policy to pay all municipal hourly employees at least the minimum wage.

While the minimum wage is not necessarily what will be decided on, he said, it would be higher than $8 per hour.

Municipalities are exempt from minimum wage regulations, but may choose to raise salaries.

An article to lower the number of people required to achieve a quorum at town meetings – to 50 for an annual town meeting and 100 for a special town meeting – was also adopted, without discussion.

Hanson to see some articles again

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HANSON – Some of the business before Hanson Town Meeting will be coming back again.

Passed over items receiving some focused debate, such as salary to enable the hiring of a full-time conservation agent and funds to purchase generators for the library/senior center and to install security cameras on Town Hall property will likely be seen on the October special Town Meeting warrant.

Moderator Sean Kealy’s motion to pass over funding a strategic plan, was amended by Frank Milisi as too important to wait. 

“I think the citizens should have a chance to vote on whether they want a strategic plan now or in October,” he said.

A funding source had been lacking at the time the article was voted on by the Select Board.

“Now that were further along in this meeting, it’s clear that it looks as though it’s clear there will be the $15,000 to do the strategic plan,” Select Board member Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Perhaps we would have a different outlook.”

Voters then voted in support of funding the plan as was printed in the warrant.

Ann Rein of State Street asked why the generators would be passed over.

FitzGerald-Kemmett, who had proposed the article, said the basic reason the board passed over its own article was the uncertainty over how much free cash would be available.

“It is going to be reimbursed by ARPA (the American Recovery Plan Act), but you have to fund it upfront to get the reimbursement,” she said. “We really weren’t certain how some of these articles were going to go. We were cautioned by the Finance Committee, and rightly so, we’d be playing “Russian roulette” if we decided to include this in a budget when we didn’t know how the other articles were going to pass.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the article is definitely worthwhile and intends to bring it back no later than October.

Also passed over were a transfer of $25,000 in free cash to replenish the Conservation fund and to raise and appropriate funds to fund the Conservation agent as a full-time position, rather than a part-time one.

While Conservation Commissions Chairman Phil Clements said he was not opposed to passing over the article, he sought to point out that the conservation agent position is the only part-time department head in Hanson town government. 

“It used to be a full-time position until the big recession hit about 10 or 12 years ago,” he said. “All the other departments seemed to have recovered from that. We have not — we’ve been hopping on one leg for the last decade.”

He said people call the office and sometimes can’t get answers because the agent is out of hours for the week, and is a position that supports the economic development of the town.

“Every development, for business, industry and so forth, has to come before the commission and we look forward to revisiting this so we can fully support those activities in town,” he said.

Joseph O’Sullivan of West Washington Street, an abutter to a proposed project— 0 County Road — where the developer wants to put in 10 four-bedroom houses in a wetland surrounded by water on three sides, opposed passing over the funding of a full-time agent.

“Only the Conservation Commission has the authority to evaluate and use their judgment about the future impact of putting this proposed subdivision in,” he said. “Only the conservation agent can deal with the state on reviewing the Wetlands Act.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said it was another difficult decision made with the budget in mind, especially since it was not clear how transfer station funding was going to go. The salary was also not the only financial consideration, she said, noting benefits were also involved.

Clemens said it was his hope that it could be revisited in October.

Funding an event coordinator and facilities manager at Camp Kiwanee was also passed over.

A mom goes back to school

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WHITMAN — Amanda Peterson says becoming a teenaged mom forced her to “grow up and become an adult very quickly,” as it forced her to leave high school to raise her kids.

The Whitman resident does not regret doing so, save for the sacrifice of her incomplete education — a temporary one, as it turned out.

“I am not ashamed or unhappy with my decision to have my children young — they are the most beautiful part of my life,” she said. “But, I put my life on hold for the sake of my babies. I left high school to raise them and support them.”

As she celebrated Mother’s Day with her children, enjoying the homemade gifts they gave her as they had breakfast in bed together, she reflected on how far she has come since making that difficult decision.

To pay the bills at 19, she looked to a job in the fast-food industry, working the front counter at McDonald’s.  She was a knowledge sponge, soaking up whatever information she could to move forward in her career and support herself and her daughter. Fast-forward 16 years, and she’s a department manager, with the career she had envisioned as a teen.

So, how did she translate asking customers the expected phrase “would you like fries with that?” to a management career in a business some dismiss as “flipping burgers?”

Turns out her employer could, and did help.

Peterson obtained her GED through the McDonald’s Archways for Opportunity program.

“I made the tough decision of putting my education on hold to raise my children,” she said. “I always wanted to go back to finish what I started, and do what I thought was best for my children. McDonald’s presented me with the opportunity and I jumped at it.”

Getting her GED had always been a goal she wanted to accomplish.

“I always felt like a piece of me was missing,” she said. “Now that I graduated, I feel like I found that piece and I am whole again.”

She enrolled in Archways for Opportunity in May 2019 and graduated in June 2020, working trough the pandemic as she and her family did their best to stay safe and healthy. The company continued to support Peterson by allowing her to study during breaks while offering her a flexible schedule so she could attend classes, take tests, work, and take care of her family.

“While it was not easy, McDonald’s helped me get it done,” she said.

That her employer supported her in her taking care of her family gave her a feeling of family on its own. Her General Manager Roberta Pratt also encouraged her to take part in the Archways for Opportunity program.

“They are some of my biggest cheerleaders. Everyone was so excited to find out I was pregnant each time,” Peterson said. “Work-life balance and supporting families is one of the best parts of management here. I am so appreciative of the time I am given to bond with my baby and heal after giving birth last month to my third child.”

Pratt seems to be, indeed, a cheerleader for her employee.

“Amanda’s goal has always been to show her children they can do anything they set their mind to,” she said. “It was her dream to finish high school, and I am so amazed by how hard she worked every day to achieve this goal for her family and to further her career. I am so proud of her!” 

Richard Hogan, the owner/operator of the North Weymouth McDonald’s where Peterson works called her an incredible role model for the program and the organization.

“We are grateful to have Amanda as one of our teammates. She’s hardworking, passionate and embodies the best of our brand values,” Hogan said. “The sky is the limit for her.”

While she doesn’t have an actual vision board for her future, Peterson said she is incredibly happy with where she’s at in her personal and professional life. But she does plan to one day own a McDonald’s restaurant.

“I am putting that out into the universe,” she said. “I set my mind to something and I achieve my goals. Down the line, it will happen.”

In the meantime, her kids are probably happy they can enjoy their favorite menu option — chicken McNuggets and cheeseburger Happy Meals. But, then, when mom is happy in her life, isn’t every meal a happy one?