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Spring cleanup amid pandemic

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HANSON — With the coronavirus pandemic forcing the cancellation of it’s annual Clean Up Green Up — which had been slated for Saturday, April 25 — Green Hanson is looking at another way to hold its annual town-wide spring cleaning.

Meeting remotely via Zoom conference call Monday, April 6, members Marianne DiMascio, Susan Gaspar, Melissa Valachovic, Arlene Dias and Maureen Twomey, are planning a week-long observance residents can participate in remotely.

Twomey suggested the group sponsor this year’s clean up event as an Earth Week observance, in which residents can select the day on which they want to participate between April 19 to 25. The official Earth Day observance is April 22.

Green Hanson will be confirming the proposal with Highway Director Matt Cahill before officially advertising the event. Informational flyers will then be posted at Shaw’s and other stores still doing business, the transfer station, town websites and social media groups, on WHCA-TV and in the Express.

Some Hanson residents, as well as Green Hanson members, have already been working to clean town roadsides, with Gaspar reporting she has found masks and rubber gloves thrown out on the street.

Twomey has cleaned the streets near Hanson Public Library, filling three trash bags and removing a polystyrene cooler from the underbrush.

Some people have contacted Gaspar about continuing the “hot spot” approach, where a small group of people could work at the proper physical distance.

“I like the idea of still doing it on the 25th with a possible rain date,” Valachovic said. She said she liked the idea of people cleaning up and bringing filled trash bags to Town Hall for collection by Highway Department staff, but the group decided that created sanitation concerns.

Instead, they plan to arrange a way to let the Highway Department where to find the filled trash bags along the roadsides. They will be communicating with the community via posts on the group’s Facebook page: facebook.com/groups/480117582029777 as well as other Hanson social media pages.

Efforts to salvage a school year

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Deciding how to instruct students at home — and salvaging what is left of the milestones for the Class of 2020 when, and if, school returns — is the challenge facing school superintendents right now.

Gov. Charlie Baker and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced last week that schools would not reopen before May 4.

“So far, we’ve been doing a deep-clean in the district, which will be completed on April 4, the original return date from the closure,” W-H Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak told the School Committee on Wednesday, March 25. Conley, Indian Head, Hanson Middle and Whitman Middle schools have been cleaned and closed down, with Duval and the High School set to be cleaned and shuttered by April 4. Access will be limited to Facilities Department personnel after each school is closed.

The cleaning cost the district $100,000, which Szymaniak expects may have to come from the district’s excess and deficiency account, which is intended for emergency expenses. [See budget story, this page]

District employees are being paid as if they are working through April 7, but Szymaniak said that could change for come employees depending on DESE’s directive. He stressed that he is following teachers and the inventive ways the are serving students at home through several social media pages.

“Our teachers are really working diligently at home, I see them, what they’re doing, on social media,” he said. “I’m seeing a lot of engagement with kids — creative ideas.”

Teachers are leaning on the project-based learning that DESE has been advocating.

School Committee member Dan Cullity asked how the closure will affect student learning, to which Szymaniak replied that he was looking for direction from DESE, since the original instructions on March 13 was for enrichment and connection with students, but no new learning or grading through April 7.

Home learning

Remote learning recommendations, released by DESE [doe.mass.edu] on March 25, include four guiding principals: the safety and well-being of students and staff is the top priority; the COVID-19 crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable students; the need to maintain connections between students and staff is paramount.; and that remote learning is not synonymous with online learning.

“I have MCAS, I have graduation still on the table,” Szymaniak said. “That hasn’t been voted out by the Legislature yet.”

Szymaniak said the district still plans on holding a graduation ceremony and work out proms and other end-of-the-year activities so that students now struggling at home have something to look forward to when and if school is returns to session.

“Whenever it is, we’re going to hold a graduation ceremony,” he said. “I don’t know what the graduation ceremony will look like if we still can’t meet with more than 25 people in a room … but we’re going to figure it our for those kids because we need positive and we need something to look forward to.”

South Shore Tech Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey also expressed the hope that schools would be able to lift the restrictions on size of gatherings.

“Our prom is late this year,” Hickey said. “It just happens to be in late May within a week of graduation. … All of those signature senior events are just all up in the air.”

For most schools, a May 4 return to school is within two weeks of the slated graduation date, Hickey added.

Eighth-grade trip cancellations were due to decisions made by national tour companies, Szymaniak stressed.

Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley’s revised guidance on remote learning is focusing on what is required vs. what is voluntary, or enrichment learning projects.

“What I think is going to become apparent by the middle of next week, is you will probably begin to see school districts come out with revised guidance and expectations on what they want kids to actually do,” Hickey said on Saturday. “I kids … or families think right now that this logging in and doing work remotely is voluntary, is that going to change?”

The teachers’ unions and school committee associations have both signed off on documents stating that while kids’ mental heath and safety are paramount, there is also a need to figure out ways at the local level concerning what remote learning looks like, Hickey said.

“It’s an important conversation, but it is complicated in terms of you’ve got to design a system … we’ve just got to make accomodations for families,” he said. “It’s one thing to say you’ve got a functioning computer at home, but if you’ve got three kids all of whom need to log in, now the question is are there enough devices?”    

Hickey said educators are creating a new normal.

“As of right now, [the W-H technology department] has fielded 4,000 calls to their help desk since we went out of school — for service, for Chromebooks, for kids, with parents asking for help and with teachers asking for help,” Szymaniak said. There have been 150 requests for student Chromebooks, which he was issuing Friday, March 27.

The process for that involved a “drive-by pickup” in the high school’s bus loop to ensure social distancing for community members and staff.

Hickey said SST, too, is loaning out devices for students to use at home when the need arises.

The next step is to check in with administrators and teachers to determine that students are logging in or contacting teachers. There is a plan for SST guidance staff to reach out to families if there is a concern.

“So we just have a sense for how everybody is doing, that’s really the foundation to it all.” Hickey said of the plans.

Szymaniak said the social-emotional well-being of students and their parents is paramount at this point.

Pre-K, kindergarten tuition

The Committee approved Szymaniak’s recommendation to suspend pre-K and kindergarten tuition payments for full-day pupils, and allocate for some prorated reimbursements for the time students are out, based on the closures since March 16. Three of those days are being calculated as snow days. The district is not paying for transportation during the closure.

“I don’t necessarily feel it’s equitable for parents to be paying for service for preschool or kindergarten when their teachers aren’t there,” Szymaniak said. “That will directly affect our budget, and I’m crossing my fingers that we wouldn’t have to go to excess and deficiency to balance our budget because we will be saving some money in either transportation or utilities … but that’s unknown to me.”

Additionally, through a new partnership between DESE and WGBH, educational resources will be posted on the department’s website, and middle and high school students can access WGBH and WGBY educational programming on WGBH and WGBY on the WORLD channel from noon to 5 p.m.

“Food service has been outstanding over the past two weeks,” he said. “We are delivering our meals [via deliveries of boxes of food to the homes of students on free and reduced lunch plans] at a two-week interval.” There are 46 families — with a total of 93 students among them — receiving that assistance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved DESE’s request to waive the requirement that school meal sites must be located in areas where at least 50 percent of school lunch program participants are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Therefore, all school districts that are distributing meals during school closures related to COVID-19 and are focusing the distribution of these meals to children and teens in need of them are now eligible for USDA reimbursement. Further details will be released later this week.

Teachers have been directed to contact their students to maintain connection and communicate enrichment activities for the students to do at home. Speaking before Riley’s March 26 directives, Szymaniak anticipated more directives for teachers and parents.

“I’m very wary of overwhelming an already-overwhelmed household,” said Szymaniak, who has two elementary-grade children at home himself. “Speaking from experience, this is new. … My wife and I are educators and we’re both still struggling to get them on a routine of school work and academics.”

He said he could only imagine how other parents, working from home, or who have lost their job are trying to accomplish that task with material that may be new to their children.

“I have a concern about equity as far as delivery of services to our special education students and for our ELL (English Language Learner) students [are concerned],” he said, asking for patience from parents as teachers and administrators confront a new situation.

Hickey also noted students with IEPs are being given particular attention at his school, as well. He said paraprofessionals, as well as staff teachers, will be deployed to support students who need that extra assistance or direct instruction.

Among the issues they are looking at is the potential strain on device accessibility of parents and more than one child trying to use computers at home.

“If students are in that situation, they can still get a device from us,” Szymaniak said.

School budget vote is delayed

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The School Committee on Wednesday, March 25 delayed a vote on the budget for another week.

Chairman Bob Hayes told members that he had received several calls and emails requesting a delay in a vote on the budget until the public could attend a meeting.

“I was shocked at the phone calls and emails I got,” Hayes said. “I’m not saying not to do this, I’m just throwing it out there to see how the rest of you thought about this.”

School Committee member Fred Small said residents could email their questions or written statements to the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant Michelle Lindberg to be read at the Wednesday, April1 meeting.

The “drop-dead” date for a budget vote has changed to April 30.

“We’re stretching it that way,” Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said. “We’re really supposed to get something to the towns 30 days prior to Town Meeting.”

That date would be April 4 if Whitman does not push its meeting beyond the original May 4 date as Hanson has [see related story]. Szymaniak also wants to see what the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is recommending based on legislation Gov. Charlie Baker has filed pertaining to regional schools.

“We can talk budget today, but there is a little more flexibility right now because of where we are with the [corona]virus and things changing so rapidly,” Szymaniak said, noting that the extra time would provide time for the district to consult with legal counsel about the DESE regional schools legislation now pending.

“Where we’re still waiting for some financial numbers of our own, and we’re not 100-percent confident of where we stand, I would think it would be prudent to get the gist of those questions before we move forward to voting a budget,” Small said. “I believe we’ve got to do it, and the sooner we do it the better, but I think we need the answers to those questions, as well.”

Cullity agreed, arguing that taking $100,000 from excess and deficiency to fund deep cleaning of the schools will hamstring the committee’s ability to use E&D for budget shortfalls and for the line item to rebound later.

A level-service budget would mean 37 staff members cut — 48 when the cost of unemployment benefits are calculated into the final number of $65,000 per staff member ina $1.3 million to $2.9 million budget cut. There are 44 teachers and Whitman Middle School alone.

“If we cut 48 it will be like closing a whole building,” Szymaniak said. “It would blow up class size. It would affect every school.”

Hanson members of the School Committee indicated they are still waiting for an update on the work being done to seek a compromise on the assessment formula before they are ready to vote on a budget. Small said he understood that stance, but stressed both towns should be encouraged to continue talking, but time is running out.

“We come up with a budget and, how it’s funded is up to the towns to battle it out,” Small said. Committee member Dawn Byers agreed.

“It’s up to us to set an educationally sound budget,” Byers said.

She suggested a discussion of sports user fees or student parking fees in any decision toward raising revenue. She also urged towns to look at fees for non-mandated school bus ridership.

“The fact that we talked about all along was there would be a compromise,” member Christopher Howard said of the assessment formula. “The fact that it’s looking like Whitman would have that [May 4] Town Meeting would, to me, indicate that we should be at a point of compromise.”

Without a compromise, Howard said he was willing to continue discussions, but his opinion would not change. Committee Vice Chairman Christopher Scriven said that is a reasonable expectation.

Small asked that Szymaniak hold a Zoom meeting with the town administrators to find out where the compromise discussion stands. Szymaniak agreed to do so.

“From what I’m hearing from DESE and our attorney, there is no legal precedent if we don’t get a budget out of committee,” Szymaniak said.

Hanson Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett texted to Hayes that nothing has been discussed recently because town officials have been busy dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. But a conversation can take place in order to update the committee on April 1.

Stepping up to help others

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From residents brightening people’s day with clouds of bubbles or an offer to walk the neighbors’ dogs, to Hanson firefighters helping seniors with grocery or pharmacy errands — and a trade school putting its 3D printer to work making protective masks for area hospitals — people in the region continued to step up during the coronavirus emergency last week.

Adhering to the rules of social distancing this reporter sought fresh air and sunshine and grabbed a quick walk outside in Whitman Park this weekend.

It appears that families are starting to feel the strain of self isolation  in attempts to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Ernesto Hernandez of Whitman has tried to generate a smile for others as he and his daughter Thalia Hernandes, 5, spent their lunch time at the Whitman Park blowing bubbles this week.

During this time he hopes to make things a bit more bearable despite the CDC guidelines for the six-foot distance we are supposed to be from one another. Every day last week they walked around the town and Whitman Park at lunch time with bubbles to brighten other people’s day. Hernandez is homeschooling Thalia while his wife works remotely from home, he said. He kept her away from others as they enjoyed the fresh air.

“Having some bubbles pop on your cheek can break up the monotony,” he said. “It is great that everyone is doing what is needed, he added, “but you can’t seclude humanity.”

As the bubbles blew across the park they shared a dance in the sunlight. They were distributing a little bit of cheerful optimism in Hernandez’ day as well.

“Who doesn’t love bubbles?” laughed Hernandez.

Making masks

Alerted to the need for personal protective masks issues by Massachusetts General Hospital to all entities that own 3D printers, South Shore Tech Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey, said his school is helping produce PPE. The formula for the masks had been posted online, according to Boston media outlets.

“I immediately gave it to the people smarter than me,” Hickey said. “Our engineering instructor is now networked about nine 3D printers and we’re making 30 to 50 face shields a day. I’ve got a couple of staff volunteers and we’re bringing them to South Shore Hospital [and] Brockton Hospital.”

Hickey said he is also talking with a Whitman woman who used to work at Children’s Hospital as well as Beth Israel-Plymouth, Hanover fire and EMS for whom SST is also making face shields.

“This one individual is just stepping up in a big way and, to his credit, it’s not about him and he really doesn’t want any attention,” Hickey said. “Even though the building’s closed and most people are working remotely all the time, he’s going in to keep the 3D printers firing.”

Hickey said the mask design posted online was fine, but not at a quality that was needed and the teacher suggested the face shield would be a better option.

“Everyone we’re talking to is saying thank you, thank you,” he said. “Now we’re getting requests for replacement masks.”

Running errands

In Hanson, Firefighter Tim Royer developed a program, along with Deputy Fire Chief Robert O’Brien Jr., offering to pick up prescriptions or other needs — within reason — for any Hanson seniors that are home-bound. They met with Senior Center Director Mary Collins to arrange for the project.

“They first need to go through Mary Collins, [who] will get the contact information for us,” O’Brien said. “They’ll reach out to us, let us know what they need and we’ll try to go and get it.”

Only a couple of hours after launching the program, Royer was out picking up a prescription for a senior citizen. He has already discussed the project with CVS, Shaw’s and Osco Drug as well as other surrounding pharmacies. The firefighters’ union fronts the money when they pick up an item and seniors reimburse the union account by check. For more information, call Mary Collins at 781-293-2683.

“This is just for senior citizens,” O’Brien stressed. “It can’t be for the average homeowner. … It’s a free thing and the chief’s 100-percent supportive of it. This is our way of helping out the most vulnerable.”

Paw patrol

Amanda McKee, a Whitman middle schooler said she and her brother Zach, a WHRHS student, are both out of school do to the closings in the state. A position as a dog walker can be added to their résumés now that these siblings undertook a crash course in dog-walkery.

Last week they strolled with Shadow, Vera, and Murray at the Whitman Park. The canines belong to their neighbor and they got their recent employment with help from their mom, they said.

The McKee’s are helping out another family as everyone begins to adjust to new norms of balancing working, and home life.

The dogs did not quite understand social distancing with one another but made for a laugh as the instant dog sitters got a quick lesson in doggy duty.

With smiles from afar the respite of fresh air was much needed. An adult and child could be seen on the top of the sledding hill with a blanket and basket overlooking the park.

In the recent updates from Whitman town officials the strict guidelines of social distancing and staying home for extended periods will be in place to continue to slow the progression of the coronavirus.

(Express Editor Tracy F. Seelye contributed to this report.)

Hanson reschedules Town Election date

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen has followed its March 17 decision to delay the Town Meeting to June 15 with a unanimous vote on Tuesday, March 24 to move the town’s annual Election — from Saturday May 26 to Saturday, June 27.

The last day to obtain nomination papers from the Town Clerk would be Wednesday, May 6 and to submit them to the registrars is Friday, May 8. The deadline to file nomination papers with the Town Clerk will be Friday, May 22 and to object or withdraw is Wednesday, May 27.

Tuesday, May 26 would be the last day to register to vote in the Town Election.

Gov. Baker’s March 12 declaration of a State of Emergency, allows municipalities to postpone Town Meeting and Town Election due to public safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. The declaration also suspends the Open Meeting Law requirement that public meetings be held in an open and accessible location, while encouraging remote meetings so long as the public is able to follow along with deliberations.

The Selectmen’s agenda, posted on the town website hanson-ma.gov, included instructions for the public to join the meeting.

The conference call meeting was broadcast on Whitman Hanson Cable Access and is available for repeat viewing on the WHCA YouTube channel.

Town Administrator John Stanbrook reported to the board that he has compiled a list of all essential and non-essential personnel in Town Hall and throughout the town.

“It doesn’t mean what people do isn’t essential — it has nothing to do with the work that they do,” Stanbrook said. “In this particular situation that we’re in right now … non-essential people do not have to come in [to work]. They’re going to be working from home as much as possible, they have remote access … to the programs that they need to do their jobs and also to answer voicemails from remote locations.”

Social distancing, hand-washing and sanitizing practices are also being followed in town buildings.

Selectmen voted to authorize Stanbrook to sign warrants for the board and provide reports to Selectmen during the emergency.

Selectmen also decided against imposing a temporary ban on reuseable bags as residents have been expressing concern about their use during the coronavirus emergency, according to Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.

“They are concerned that the coronavirus could be transmitted, could be carried on these and the state of New Hampshire has banned reuseable bags,” she said. “Because I’m trying to be responsible to what people’s concerns are, we put it on the agenda.”

Health Agent Gil Amado said he spoke to Health Board Chairman Arlene Dias that day, who reported that most stores will now refuse to place items in reuseable bags, but will permit the customer to do so. He favored an advisory to the stores rather than a ban on the reusebale bags.

Noting that Shaw’s is likely the only store affected, it would be up to the store to make such a decision.

Selectman Matt Dyer, echoing the rest of the board’s attitude that it does not seem to be a major concern, noted that Shaw’s now has a policy against packing reuseable bags, but permitting customers to do so if they wish.

“I think this really does fall under the perview of the Board of Health,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I’m just putting it on here to get the discussion going and give the Board of Health some idea of where the Selectmen’s heads are at.”

Amado also said the pandemic is pointing to the need to obtain the list of hair salons in town from a hand-written list in a lose-leaf notebook at the Town Clerk’s office.

“I think we have a lot of lessons learned, Mr. Amado,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We’ll be doing forensic look at lessons learned once we get through this.”

Rainbow connections

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By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor  and Kristy Zamagni-Twomey

With daily routines interrupted or halted due to coronavirus-forced school — and some business — closures, house-bound residents are being offered a variety of coping outlets.

Residents across many local communities are also trying to add a little sunshine during what could otherwise be a gloomy time.

Children are being challenged to create rainbows and hang them in the windows of their home. Then, while safely practicing social distancing, families can go on a rainbow hunt either on foot or from their vehicles.

In addition to rainbows, some have taken to placing hearts on their doors or windows as a way of thanking the healthcare workers and others on the front lines of this pandemic.

Corey Hickey and Brooke Scriven, owners of On Stage School of Performing Arts in Whitman, were quick to respond, temporarily suspending physical classes on March 14 and launching a Zoom site with virtual dance, theatre, and voice classes available to her clients before the start of the next week of classes.

Hanson residents Brett Miller and Anna Dunbar, of 110 Fitness in Rockland, have been using a “Cast Away” theme to keep their clients, especially Parkinson’s patients who participate in their Rock Steady Boxing program, engaged and healthy.

Whitman Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Timothy J. Grenno and Police Chief Timothy Hanlon have shared tips to help residents alleviate any stress and panic surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) while people practice physical distancing.

“We’ve gotten such wonderful feedback from our On Stage parents thanking us for staying connected in such a personal way, calling us one of the few bright spots in the past week,” Hickey said of the On Stage offering, which took working 12 to 24-hourdays on Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15 to organize. This past week, the staff at On Stage stayed connected with their students by sending technique videos, strength and conditioning classes, and choreography. Sometimes the parents took the classes and challenges right along-side their children.

Starting Monday (March 23), Hickey and Scriven will be adding the live component that will include real-time classes with On Stage faculty, Q&A sessions, and special guest artists from Broadway exclusively to On Stage students.

“We asked some of our Broadway friends to teach virtual classes as a special treat to our kids who were really missing their classes at On Stage,” Hickey said. This will be in addition to the content already posted, which includes story time videos, challenges, sheet music, and vocalizing.

“That means more to us than they will ever know,” Hickey said of the positive parent feedback they’ve received. “In times of crisis, it’s important to keep some normalcy and structure for children. It’s vital to keep a connection with their teachers and friends.”

Help for parents

On Stage Dance Director Jenna Liberty has also added a yoga class as a way to offer parents a self-care opportunity.

Dunbar is also offering remote yoga instruction, said Miller, owner of 110 Fitness.

“We are all being told to stay home and to keep our immune systems healthy,” said Miller, who is also a physical therapist. “Part of keeping our immune system strong is continuing to exercise. Exercise is great for our mental health too as it decreases stress and anxiety by releasing chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine into our bodies. This is why I am adamant about creating and sharing these virtual workouts.”

Cost — especially for those dealing with a job loss or furlough — should not be a barrier, according to Miller.

“I also know that everyone is starting to struggle financially, which is why I am providing these workouts at no cost and anyone can access,” he said. “You do not have to be a 110 member to do these workouts at home.”

Keep Moving

The workouts shared by Rockland-based110 Fitness are for all populations and include boxing, yoga, drumming, high intensity interval training, plyometrics, and strength and conditioning. However, one of 110 Fitness’s largest populations are individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.

“Lack of exercise and isolation along with stress and anxiety will exacerbate their symptoms,” Miller said. “This is why it is crucial for these members to access the virtual workouts by 110 Fitness and to keep moving. We want to keep them connected and we want to keep them fighting back against Parkinson’s Disease.”

Search “110 Fitness” on YouTube to access the free virtual workouts. For more information e-mail bmiller@110fitness.org or call 781-616-3313.

Grenno and Hanlon, meanwhile, have emphasized that the COVID-19 outbreak and fear of becoming ill can cause stress and panic for people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are many ways to manage anxiety and stress about the situation:

• Share the facts about COVID-19 to understand the actual risk to yourself and other individuals. When you share accurate information about COVID-19 you can help make people feel less stressed and allow you to connect with them. Avoid posting or re-posting unverified information, claims, bogus medical information or conspiracy theories, as it only works to heighten emotions.

• Take breaks from listening, watching and reading the news.

• Tend to your body. Stretch, mediate and take deep breaths. Try to eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of sleep and avoid alcohol and drugs.

• Try to do other activities that are enjoyable.

• Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

• Reassure children and teens that they are safe and that it is okay if they feel upset or stressed.

• Be a role model to children and teens. Connect with friends and families while abiding to social distancing standards, including the use of video calling services like FaceTime.

Young named to Regional Agreement panel

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HANSON — Former Selectman Bruce Young has been named to the W-H Regional Agreement Review Committee, with resident Marilyn Webber selected as an alternate.

Webber was also encouraged to run for a seat on the School Committee being vacated by Robert O’Brien Jr., who has opted not to run for another term. The 5-0 votes took place at the Tuesday, March 17 Selectmen’s meeting, the last held in-person until further notice.

All meetings will now be held via telephone conference call with the audio recorded to be available for rebroadcast on Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV. All votes taken in such meetings are conducted by roll call.

In an interview over the phone, Young pointed to his experience, and submitted a resume of his experience in town government for the board’s consideration.

He retired from town government in 2017, with nearly 40 years’ experience in one capacity or another, including three non-consecutive terms on the Board of Selectmen, chairman of the Finance Committee during the Proposition 2 ½ transition and the School Priority Repair Committee.

“We all compromised, and we reached an agreement that we would put together a good repair package to basically get a debt exclusion passed to not only fix that roof on the [Indian Head] school, but also to put the lintels on the back of the building to preserve that building for the immediate future,” Young said of the school repair panel, which included members from both sides of a defeated proposal to build a new elementary school.

“I’ve shown my ability to compromise,” Young said, noting he is also conversant with the assessment formulas in question. “Both towns are going to have to compromise on this, and I know what the figures are, I think I have a good plan in place that I can put forward to help that committee arrive at a compromise.”

Webber said she has been a Hanson resident for more than 40 years and has two grown children who have gone through the local school system. She is also a retired principal, elementary grade teacher and reading specialist.

“I’m certainly ready to lend a hand with any of the negotiating that might have to happen,” she said. “I’ve been involved in budgets, and I consider myself a very calm and cool negotiator.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said it was crucial for the representative chosen to approach the work with an open mind and spirit of cooperation.

“The skills we need to have are diplomacy, understanding of the Regional Agreement, understanding of the impact that each choice would have and, I think, those are things that are going to be presented as they start negotiating,” she said.

Both Young and Webber said they were prepared to do that.

“I see all sides of stories and feel I could do that in a cooperative manner,” Webber said.

Vice Chairman Kenny Mitchell said Young’s experience with the schools made him the better choice, but encouraged Webber to consider a run for School Committee.

She indicated she would consider that option.

“I honestly have to say this is one of the toughest appointments we’ve had to make,” he said. “Both individuals are great.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett then suggested appointing Webber as an alternate.

Hanson’s Animal Control Officer Mary Drake was re-appointed to a six-month term. The appointment, which is usually for one year, has been truncated on legal counsel’s advice, as the town is examining a potential regional arrangement with other communities, which may or may not effect her.

Whitman delays Town Meeting move

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen Tuesday, March 24, opted to delay any decision on whether the May 4 annual Town Meeting would be rescheduled until it meets again, via Zoom online conferencing app, on Tuesday, April 7 or April 21.

All other town boards are already using Zoom to conduct meetings. Hanson boards have moved to teleconferencing as well. WHCA TV will continue to broadcast recordings of the public meetings.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam and Selectmen Vice Chairman Daniel Salvucci were the only officials attending the meeting in person, with Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski and Selectmen Brian Bezanson, Justin Evans and Randy LaMattina attending via telephone.

The town by-laws call for the annual Town Meeting to be held on the first Monday in May and the Town Election on the third Saturday in May.

Lynam noted that Hanson Selectmen have vote to change their Town Meeting to June 15.

“I have discussed our schedule with the chair of the Finance Committee and, individually, with a couple of selectmen as well as some department heads,” Lynam said. “I believe that the town of Whitman is able to meet the May 4 schedule.”

He said the board’s decision would have to be based, in part, on whether they felt it was necessary since Hanson changed its schedule.

“I would think the only thing that would get in the way of a May 4 meeting or a May 16 election is the coronavirus pandemic,” Kowalski said.

Lynam noted that the town of Southwick held it’s Town Meeting that very night — in a parking lot, suggesting that residents car-pool, park behind a school and meet in an athletic field.

“And so, flash the lights once for yea and twice for nay?” Kowalski quipped.

“I guess there’s options other than the usual Town Meeting, but we don’t know now what’s going to happen on May 4,” Lynam said. “We don’t know that we’ll be ready from the social standpoint to meet of not, but one of the features that are being offered … is the ability of the Board of Selectmen to reduce quorum in order to hold meetings.”

The quorum for an annual Town Meeting is 50, but a quorum of 150 is needed for a special Town Meeting, Lynam said, advocating that some articles, that would take effect in the current fiscal year, be shifted from the special to the annual warrant to permit votes on them. Lynam said he is awaiting an opinion from Town Counsel on the proposal.

LaMattina advised a delay in deciding the Town Meeting date until the board’s next meeting to “see how this situation is playing out.”

Lynam said he wasn’t sure it was a decision that had to be made now, but wanted to raise the question for Selectmen to consider and to let everyone know that Hanson had changed it’s schedule. He said a decision on the Town Meeting date could be delayed until mid- to late April. The town needs to provide 20 days’ notice for a Town Election and seven days’ notice to post a Town Meeting date.

“Normally, we don’t utilize that time, but this is an extraordinary time,” Lynam said.

Evans raised a question about absentee voting, noting that current rules permit it only if one will be absent from the town on election day, has a religious obligation or an illness or disability that prevents them from going to the polls that day.

“Is there any movement on the state level to allow us to open that up?” Evans asked.

Lynam said there is also a provision already that people concerned about their health may cast an absentee ballot.

“I expect we’re going to see an extraordinary number of absentee ballots for the election,” Lynam said.

Transitions

In other business, Lynam announced the retirement plans of Council on Aging Director Barbara Garvey and Assistant Collector/Treasurer Michelle Hayes. Replacing Hayes, who retires April 30, is a priority hire, but the coronavirus could complicate the hiring process, Lynam said.

“The position she holds is critical, she is the assistant treasurer/collector,” he said, noting that Treasurer Mary Beth Carter wants to immediately begin to seek a replacement. “I’m a little concerned about trying to develop applicants with what’s going on today, but I also want to make sure we are responsive to Mary Beth’s concerns.”

Lynam plans to work with Carter over the next week or two in an effort to develop a process for beginning that search.

  

Fire damages Whitman Home

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WHITMAN — Chief Timothy J. Grenno reports that the Whitman Fire Department extinguished a house fire on Corthell Avenue Monday morning.

At approximately 10:45 a.m., the Whitman Fire Department received a report of a house fire at 88 Corthell Ave. The house is occupied by two adults and one child and the family will be able to remain in the home.

Upon arrival, firefighters observed light smoke coming from the exterior of the 1.5-story wood frame single-family home.

Firefighters from the East Bridgewater and Halifax fire departments responded to the scene to assist.

Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames and extinguished the fire. Holes had to be cut into the exterior of the building in order to prevent any flames from spreading inside the walls.

The initial investigation indicates that the fire started after a resident turned off an outdoor space heater on a first floor deck and then slid the heater up against the exterior wall. Despite the heater being turned off, the radiant heat it was emitting was hot enough to ignite the wooden siding on the house.

A neighbor saw the smoke and notified the resident and 911 was called.

“Despite this resident turning his heater off, it was still hot enough to start a fire up against the side of the house,” Grenno said. “Always keep space heaters at least three feet away from all walls. Thankfully no one was injured and responding crews did a great job of quickly knocking the fire down before it spread further.”

Budget vote pushed back

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The W-H Regional School Committee on Thursday, March 12 decided to reconvene later this month to set a budget for fiscal 2021.

“We have to make decisions,” said Committee Chairman Bob Hayes. “This discussion that we’ve had, we’ve had the last three or four meetings. Nothing’s changed.”

Committee member Steve Bois had moved that assessments totaling $28,528,937 be divided between the two towns, but it was rejected by a 5-4 vote. Seven votes were required to pass it.

Another meeting was then rescheduled, initially until March 18, but pushed forward this week to Wednesday, March 25 due to concerns over the coronavirus and public safety.

“I’m not sure we can support the required [budget], it pains me to say that, but I can say that because I think we really need to do going forward, is work with both towns for the following year, to do a full restore, which will require an override in both towns,” School Committee member Christopher Howard said. “I am not comfortable moving forward with a budget until I hear the towns have reached a compromise.”

He also said he does not see why a budget has to be set now. Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said the district’s legal counsel has advised that a budget must be set by 30 days prior to the May 4 town meetings.

Szymaniak added that, while compromise is good, he does not know what the towns can afford right now.

“I don’t know what to cut right now,” he said. “I think we gave you a fair budget that’s level-serviced. … We tried not to give you everything.”

He said the committee needs to tell him how much to cut and he would have to find where the cuts must be made.

Whitman resident Christopher George, named this month as a citizen at-large member of a regional agreement committee, said he understands, the assessment formulas, has a level head and that the two towns are close to a compromise.

“What I would say, though, is there can’t be a compromise without a number that we’re working toward,” George said.

Howard disagreed, arguing that the towns have to come to an agreement on how the compromise can be made before numbers are decided upon. School Committee member Dan Cullity advocated that the panel join the discussions between the two select boards and town administrators as they discuss an assessment compromise.

Hanson Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed that Szymaniak and Assistant Superintendent George Ferro would be valuable additions to the process.

She also said that, while she appreciated the School Committee’s position and perspective, she found it troubling that the move to a statutory assessment formula was difficult.

“But if you set the assessment at the place that you just talked about, I can assure you that you’ve left me nothing that I can go back to my voters and the citizens of Hanson with,” she said. “It’s just not going to happen and, in effect, if you set it at that, you’re going to be setting a ball in motion that I am powerless to stop.”

She said it would end up having the state take over.

Hanson is willing to go back and consider a modest override, but anything more would “eviscerate” her town’s finances. She advocated for the return of several educational programs, but warned it could not all be done in a single year.

Howard asked if any compromise had been discussed between the two towns. FitzGerald-Kemmett said the only way for that to be achieved would be to build in a gradual change toward the statutory formula during the revision of the regional agreement.

Cullity agreed it would come back to a compromise in negotiating the regional agreement.

“I’d rather see something like that happen than lose this district to the state,” he said.

Adding back $280,000 for the four elementary-grade teachers laid off last year was discussed as a priority to control class sizes in elementary grades. The pupils would be at Duval and Indian Head as well as science class at the high school. Conley has been OK, but there have been 17 new students move into the district since October and some 200 new housing units will be fully online by the fall.

“Twenty-eight students in a fourth-grade class isn’t where we want to be, optimally,” Szymaniak said. “For grades three-plus, 25 is OK, under that — and we have first- and second-grades of 26 — I’d like that to be 19, and that’s where we can go if we get more staff.”

The teachers had not been included in the original required budget, but were moved up from the recommended budget.

“We have to give principals the autonomy to put people in the right  places. Our job here, in our spot, is to make sure they have the tools, and the tools are their teachers,” Szymaniak said.

“I’m fully cognizant of the fact that we do not, and are not, funding our schools to the level that we should,” Committee member Fred Small said, asking if returning the teachers is a necessity. “That being said, there’s blood out of a stone, and we have to be cognizant of what the towns can afford at this point.”

“I think we think it’s a necessity,” Ferro said. “I think, if you’re a parent of a student in that class, it’s a necessity, I think if you’re a teacher in that class, it’s a necessity. I think if you work at that building, it’s a necessity so, yeah, I think it’s a necessity.”

School Committee member Dawn Byers advocated returning the teachers, as well, noting that the towns have benefitted from increased state aid since the Education Reform Act in 1993.

“When we talk about collateral damage, it is the kids,” she said. “It is the students who have lost time — the kids that are in eighth grade right now and they lost that foreign language learning they had last year and that half-day kindergarten that doesn’t have the opportunity. I don’t see how we can cut anything.”

Szymaniak cautioned that state take-over of the school budget is not the answer to the impasse during a recent meeting to discuss Chapter 70 distribution between town officials and Mass. Association of Regional Schools (MARS) Executive Director Maureen Marshall and member Stephen Hemmand. The cost of de-regionalization and impact of a state takeover of the school budget were also discussed.

Both MARS representatives told local officials that they “might have a conversation about what’s affordable for both communities, potentially, and that might not be what we’re asking for to keep level service at this point,” Szymaniak said. “The two communities have to agree and [Hemmand] said there’s pain to that.”