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SST reviews MCAS results

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HANOVER — With MCAS test results out, South Shore Tech students scored 10th in the state on student growth in English language arts — at an average of 65.5 percent.

Students who passed the ELA MCAS, but fell short of the score required for an Adams scholarship have the right to retake it, and nine SST juniors have opted to do that, according to Principal Mark Aubrey.

In math, SST was sixth out of 35 vocational school districts in student growth with 56.9 percent improvement and five students will be required to retake the math exam in November.

Attendance is also improved by 23 percent so far this school year.

Aubrey also introduced the school’s resource officer, Adam Hill of the Hanover Police Department. Hill serves at the school 16 hours per week, which usually boils down to two eight-hour shifts per week.

Hill also works during special events such as the Homecoming dance.

“He’s in the classrooms, he’s in the shops, he’s communicating with the kids,” Aubrey said. “He eats lunch with the kids, he sits at their tables. He’s doing a fabulous job and we are appreciative of every moment that he can give us.”

For his part, officer Hill said everyone at the school has been very welcoming.

“I had no idea [of] the capabilities of this facility, I’m truly impressed with it,” he said. “The kids are unbelievable.” He said the students are capable of confidently teaching an adult about their shops.

“You should be proud of the work that goes on here,” he said. “I’m very impressed.”

Hill’s comments came on the heels of Whitman resident Paul Varley’s continued charges of bullying and abuse at the school, to which he said his brother has been subjected. Varley addressed the committee during the public comment period, as his state Rep. Allyson Sullivan, R-Abington, “directed me to come to this committee for your help to take care of all my issues.”

He had appeared before the committee in recent months to address a bullying complaint.

“Now, either Allyson Sullivan or this very committee has no idea what it’s function is, as this committee sent a very brief summation, in a letter stating nothing will be done on the committee’s end, then pretty much dismissing my very lengthy email — time-lining everything,” Varley read from a prepared statement.

He said the committee had suggested he talk to Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey, about the matter, which Varley said he has tried to do.

“The district takes all concerns very seriously and reviews such matters thoroughly; it goes without saying that student safety and student success are critically important priorities,” Hickey said in a statement Tuesday, Oct. 22. “While we cannot comment publicly on specific student matters, the school administration will always seek dialogue in the appropriate venue with any parties who have concerns and questions.”

The public comment is designed to give people a chance to address an issue not on the agenda, and no one on the committee commented during the meeting for that reason.

“My hope here is trying to use this public forum to find someone who cares and can help,” he said. “As I’ve heard from current and former students over the last few years, these are the things going on that the school is also aware of.”

He listed allegations of threats to kill or harm others or blow up the school, sexual assaults and destruction of a motor vehicle as examples.

“This school is, by definition, the model school for a bullying culture,” Varley stated. He described the video-recording and editing of fights for entertainment purposes as well as taking inappropriate photos of each other, and charged that teachers and staff join in on bullying, lying and stealing from students while he accused the administration of not caring.

“I’ve given the school far too many chances to do something tangible, and I live by the motto ‘see something, say something,’ so here I am,” he said. “Here’s your wake-up call South Shore, before catastrophe is at our doorstep.”

Whitman sacres up fun at classic car show

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Hailey Thomas, 9, of Brockton, Lucas Marotte, 4, and Alissandra Marcotte, 8, of Whitman were in full costume when they saved the day from this sinister clown at the 2nd annual Great Pumpkin Classic Car Show at Whitman Middle School Sunday as the event was graced with spectacular weather and two full lots of cars. The money raised was to benefit the Whitman recreational programs, and the WH Dollars for Scholars. See more photos, page 11.

Photo by Stephanie Spyropoulos

Gret Lozeau honored at Town meeting

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HANSON — The family of Mary Margaret “Gret” Lozeau, who died Dec. 20, 2018, leaving a legacy of community service, accepted honors in her memory during the special Town Meeting on Monday, Oct. 7.

Gret’s husband Gerry Lozeau and her daughter, Teresa Santalucia, were presented with a state flag — flown over the State House in her honor — as well as citations from the Board of Selectmen and the General Court.

“The Hanson Board of Selectmen takes this means to express its most sincere appreciation to Mary “Gret” Lozeau in official recognition of one who is gone too soon, but has left the town of Hanson and the world a better place,” Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett read from the board’s citation.

Gret Lozeau was honored as an educator, both in the classroom and her church, and for her support of numerous civic organizations and as a library trustee.

“Her love of people, family and community was ever-present and lived on today,” FitzGerald-Kemmett read from the citation. “The board also thanks the Lozeau family for selflessly sharing such a remarkable woman who has given so much of herself to others.”

State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, and state Sen, Mike Brady, D-Brockton, made the presentation on behalf of the General Court.

“I had the distinct pleasure of knowing Gret Lozeau,” Cutler said. “She was very kind to me, personally, in fact one of my first introductions to the town of Hanson was the [annual carol sing at] Red Acres Farm.”

He said her passing was a great loss to the town as well as her family.

Born in 1945, she moved to Hanson with her family in 1950, attended Sacred Heart Elementary-High School in Kingston and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and a master’s in education from the State College of Boston.

“Gret was a dedicated life-long teacher on many levels and a variety of settings,” Cutler said. She was a member of the Kiwanis Club and a sponsor of the Hanson Middle School Builders Club. She was also an active sports enthusiast, in racketball, skiing and tennis.

A life-long member of St. Joseph the Worker Church, she served as a sodality board member and religious education teacher.

“I think her service, certainly, will not be forgotten,” Cutler said.

“If Rep. Cutler and myself did half the things Gret did, we’d have a place reserved in heaven where we know she is right now,” Brady said. “We’re grateful for all she’s given to this community.”

A moment of silence was also held at the beginning of the Town Meeting in memory of Highway Surveyor Robert Brown, Laura Haas, Ronald H. Oullette, Mary Lyon, Patricia Strait and Sheila Ward, who passed away in recent months, in honor of their contributions to the town.

The Town Meeting also honored the membory of an 8-year-old girl who recently died.

Police, transfer station funding passed

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HANSON — Voters at special Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 7, approved funding to support salaries for added police officers — to prevent the need for dark station hours — as the town moves toward a regional dispatch center, as well as to keep the transfer station open five days a week.

“This may be bigger [turnout] than some May Town Meetings,” Moderator Sean Kealy said of the 165 voters signed in by the 7:30 p.m. start of the meeting. “It’s a terrific number for an October Town Meeting.”

The funds available for town business were:  $1,664,097 in free cash; $1,256,343 in the stabilization fund; $135,992 in the school stabilization fund; $885,493 in Water Surplus; $65,205 in Recreation Retained Earnings; and $74,323 in Solid Waste Retained Earnings.

During discussion of a requested adjustment of $60,000 in Police Department salaries under Article 2 — an appropriation to supplement various town departments — Kathleen Marini of Union Street and Richard Edgehille of South Street, both asked why the Finance Committee voted not to recommend the expense.

Both questioned item as well as Article 2 as a whole were approved.

“The Finance Committee voted not to recommend, based on the article as a whole,” Chairman Kevin Sullivan said, noting the vote was due to the police salaries and a $7,000 adjustment for paying off a septic system at Camp Kiwanee.

“This is a little vague,” Edgehille said. “You don’t recommend it, how about an explanation for this audience?”

Selectman Kenny Mitchell said the reason was that, with the move to a regional dispatch center, the town is going to be supplementing the dispatchers with police officers.

“We’re not adding Saturday salaries, we’re just exchanging positions,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been talking about this internally over the past year and a half with the new regional dispatch coming up and we challenged the police chief — he came to us and said he needed this.”

A portion of the salaries will be funded by a state 911 grant.

“When we looked at this and considered the savings that we were going to [see] over the regionalization process, we looked at the potential budge cycle for next year,” Sullivan said. “Over the past few years, we looked as a committee to only add positions when we believed there was a long-term success. We were hesitant to add positions going into what could be one of the most difficult budget cycles that Hanson is going to face next fiscal year and have to cut money out of that salary.”

He stressed that, once that money is approved they don’t want to face the need of removing a police officer if budget cuts are needed.

Police Chief Michael Miksch said the department would be moving toward regional dispatch in July 2020, he was faced with going to a dark station when local dispatchers are no longer needed or staff the station with police officers. He is looking to add four officers between now and the next fiscal year.

“If I don’t have people to staff the station July 1, 2020, I have to fill it either with overtime or take officers off the road, neither of which is acceptable,” he said, noting the time it takes to train officers. Overtime alone would run $32,000 a month if he fills every shift that way.

“That’s all I wanted was an explanation,” Edgehill said. “Public safety first.”

Sullivan said the Kiwanee septic payment had not been recommended because Camp Kiwanee is intended to operate independently.

Recreation Commission member Joan Fruzzetii countered that taxation can, and has, been used to fill the gap if the Enterprise Fund fails to do so, and that funds had been put aside twice for the septic system.

“What happened in the past, happened in the past,” Sullivan said. “I can only deal with what we’re dealt with right now. I’m not going to debate it, I’m just giving you what our decision was.”

The Town Meeting amended an article seeking to increase funds for salaries and expenses the Transfer Station Enterprise Fund at the May 2019 annual Town Meeting by $55,000 – to $100,000 for salaries and $208,000 for expenses. The amendment was unanimously recommended by both the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee, but the change was sought from the floor by Indian Head Street resident Bruce Young, to increase the Salary line in the Article by $21,473, that amount coming from Free Cash.

Young’s amendment brought the salaries back to their original Requested amount, originally proposed by the Board of Health in May of 2019, which was $121,473 and was approved by an overwhelming voice vote of the Town Meeting

Board of Health Chairman Arlene Dias had described Article 4 on the Monday, Oct. 7 warrant as a housekeeping measure.

Young noted that the May Town Meeting was provided a Health Board proposal to fund salaries at the transfer station for $121,473, but voters had to accept this Finance Committee recommendation of $60,000 because the town had insufficient funds to permit the Town Meeting to amend it to fund salaries for the whole fiscal year.

“If we should support the article …what would happen is, and [the Board of Health] has already voted on this … we would be, for the first time in the history of the transfer station, closing it Monday and Tuesday and [it] would only be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Young said. “I want to remind everybody that we had new permits to get in the transfer station this year [that cost] $30 per vehicle and everybody went down and bought them on the assumption that the transfer station would be open five days a week.”

He equated the article to a bait and switch.

Sullivan said the article as originally written was supported by the Finance Committee on the Board of Health’s determination of what was needed to run the transfer station for the remainder of the year.

Resident Joe Peligra said that, while he understands transfer stations are not required by the state, Hanson’s facility is operated as a service to the town and there is a growing number or people using the transfer station.

“We were told that the transfer station should be self-sustaining,” Dias said. “The only way for us to do that was to cut the budget and the only way to do that was to cut two days a week.”

Edgehille said that the wording of the article did not make the closing on those two days clear.

“Your not being honest with the public,” he said.

Sullivan said the reduction of service was intended to keep the service, which was losing money, as a resource to the town.

“The number of people who jumped off when private hauling was offered — I don’t have the exact figure, but I believe it’s around 40 percent of the town uses the transfer station — the number needs to be higher for it to be a self-sustaining enterprise,” Sullivan said.

There are two employees at the transfer station and the facility has to be closed at lunch hours because one person cannot work alone for safety reasons, Dias said.

Cannabis license approved

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HANSON — Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 15 voted 5-0 to approve Impressed LLC’s 55-page license application, with supporting documentation, to open a marijuana grow facility at 15 Commercial Way.

The business has submitted its application for approval to the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and is now in the queue for state review. But once an engineering plan is complete, they can come back to the town at any time to apply for a special permit, which is necessary for the CCC to issue its approval of a provisional license.

That license is required before Impressed LLC can begin renovations on the building, but the company has already begun cleaning out the building in preparation for that.

The vote came after a 14-minute hearing, during which Impressed LLC co-managers Alli and Ralph Greenberg indicated the waiting list for a ruling by the CCC is about eight months, and that it could be up to two years before they are up and running.

“I guess that was going to be my question,” said Selectman Jim Hickey. “You guys knew going into this. … We’ve already been talking to you guys, it seems like forever, but it’s been about six months anyway, so by the time the whole thing comes all the way to the end, it is pretty close to three years.”

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff said that to some extent the business is fortunate to own the property.

“As soon as you mention marijuana, apparently, the rents go up by four times the amount of the going rate [in many communities],” she said. “It’s proving to be a difficult process.”

Feodoroff said the license, akin to a liquor license, is renewable annually and is based on rules and regulations adopted two or three months ago.

“This is distinct and apart from the special permit, which would have to be applied for by Impressed — more of a land use kind of approval,” said Feodoroff, indicating that engineering plans for odor control and other physical components of the building, including security, water demands and waste remediation, would be discussed at that time. “This is more of an opportunity to talk about the business.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett sought confirmation, which Feodoroff provided, that business owner Shahram E. Moghaddam, a dentist who lives in Dover, purchased the property at 15 Commercial Way and is leasing it to the Greenbergs.

“That was a good question,” said Selectman Wes Blauss. “Am I clear on who owns, who’s leasing, who’s the sub-landlord. As I read through it, I thought I had it.”

Interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini said the application was well put-together with accompanying exhibits following the related portion they were intended to support.

“We’re happy to be here and are receptive to answering any questions you have for us,” Ralph Greenberg said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett indicated that environmental impact and odor control would likely be the main concern of residents.

“This plan is what we’re committing to,” Alli Greenberg said.

Feodoroff said the license is more of a prophylactic measure, to require a compliance meeting if any problems occur.

“The special permit process is really where you drill down and dig into the technical aspects, but it’s just so much more difficult to bring someone in on a compliance issue if it’s based on a condition of a special permit,” she said.

Marini asked where the process goes after the board signs off on the license application.

“It doesn’t go anywhere,” Feodoroff said. “This is a creature purely of local creation. Unlike an ABCC, which has a statutory authority to issue licenses, this is something we created through our bylaws and does not exist in 94G.”

She said that, in her mind, Hanson is more protective of its residents than many other communities across the state.

“I shouldn’t say that — you’re fine, other communities,” Feodoroff said with a laugh.

In other business, Selectmen asked Marini and Assessor Lee Gamache to outline possible solutions to an easement issue passed over at the Monday, Oct. 14 Town Meeting.

An 30-foot septic system easement had been sought for a septic system installed and owned at 51 Ocean Ave., by a homeowner across the street at 62 Ocean Ave.

The Board of Health had allowed the two septic systems with the caveat that the owner issued himself an easement for 62 Ocean Ave., in 2004, and for 51 Ocean Ave., in 2007.

“We’ve got the town owning one of these lots right now [No. 62],” FitzGerald-Kemmett.

The small lots have been merged for tax purposes, and Gamache said a lot of people are interested in 62 Ocean Ave., for parking space. She added that it is not unusual for a house to appear on such small lots after a sale.

Marini suggested separating the lots.

The board has asked Foedoroff to consider the issue and find the best way to solve the issue while protecting the septic system’s owner and the town.

Taking mystery out of writing thrillers

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HALIFAX — Mystery writer Edwin Hill is developing a following.

Most of the dozen or so people attending his talk about his second Hester Thursby novel, “The Missing Ones,” had already enjoyed his debut novel “Little Comfort,” and were happy to hear this newest work, too, strays into the realm of the creepy.

“Let me just ask, real quick — and there’s no wrong answer to this — who has read the first book?” he asked. Hands were raised around the room at the Holmes Public Library Saturday, Oct. 5. “A lot of you have already been introduced to the characters. … I have some repeat offenders who have come to see me before, which I really appreciate.”

Thursby, a Harvard librarian who stands all of four-feet nine inches tall, takes care of her 3-year-old niece, her non-husband Morgan Maguire and a Bassett hound named Waffles. She works on missing persons cases in her spare time.

Or, worked in missing persons cases.

“The Missing Ones” makes clear early on that Hester no longer does that kind of work, in fact she’s been avoiding working at all as she struggles from PTSD after a harrowing experience in the first published book.

Picking up 10 months after then end of “Little Comfort,” Hill was determined to reference things that happened in that book while writing “The Missing Ones.”

“Hester had made some pretty serious mistakes in the last book and I wanted her to acknowledge that,” he said. “I also wanted to show she had feelings of having been in a life-or-death situation.”

Hill referenced older books and TV series where the hero is shot in the shoulder in one storyline and it is never referred to again.

“I wanted the books to work together,” he said.

It opens on two small islands off the coast of Maine, loosely based on the real island of Monhegan. The prologue relates a ferry boat accident that caused a 4-year-old went missing for a time and the island’s constable is at first credited with saving the boy. While he is dealing with town gossip about how that incident played out, another child goes missing.

“I always tell stories from multiple points of view,” Hill said. “In ‘Little Comfort,’ there are five points of view … In this book I used four point-of-view characters.”

He credited readers with suggesting story line changes, including more for Hester’s “not-quite husband” Morgan to do.

A failed attempt at publishing a book in the early 2000s left him discouraged until he found the kernel of an idea in the Christian Gerhartsreiter — AKA Clark Rockefeller — a professional imposter who kidnapped his daughter and was later convicted of murder. By 2012 Hill was back to writing with an agent by 2014 and selling it two years ago.

“You’ll see the seeds of Clark Rockefeller in there, but it’s not completely based on that,” he said.

A library is another source of his inspiration.

Hill’s grandmother, Phyllis Hill was the librarian in Whitman from the 1940s to the late ’60s.

“For a while, she was going to be a chef,” Hill said of Hester Thursby’s day job. “Then I thought she might be a psychiatrist — a lot of mystery series have psychology at their core — but there are a lot of people doing that, and they do it very well, and I thought let’s do something different.”

He said librarians are really curious people, who have resources available to them that are not available to the average person, especially in 2010 when he wrote “Little Comfort.”

He started with a lighter touch, writing that Thursby’s caseload featured whimsical cases such as long-lost prom dates or lost dogs.

“The novels are not light,” he said. “They wound up becoming much darker as I worked on them over time.”

One whimsical touch he retained was making Hester “clinically messy” and Morgan a “neat freak,” along with their caring for Morgan’s twin sister Daphne’s headstrong 3-year-old daughter Kate.

“The novel went through three or four different changes and stopped being funny,” he said. “It’s not funny at all, it’s a psychological thriller.”

“The Missing Ones” carries that theme over, as well. Hill read an excerpt from the book’s first chapter and answered audience’s questions from the researching, writing and publishing process, the challenges of writing a second book, and his third book. Set in Boston, primarily in Jamaica Plain, that book involves a for-profit university and is due out in December.

To flesh out the characters of three individual preschool children, hill put out a Facebook request to parents about what they noticed about their kids as they aged from 3 to 4.

“People were really generous with things they shared,” he said, including how they start to grow more solidly and that they developed little obsessions.

“They listed off all these different things their kids had been obsessed with — bugs, and counting, Thomas the Tank Engine, and poop and peeing on trees,” he said. “If you have three 4-year-old [characters] they can end up merging together in your mind if they aren’t disinct, so I just assigned each kid an obsession.”

A vigil for Sandra Crispo

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HANSON — The family of Sandra Crispo, who was last seen at approximately 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 7, held a candlelight vigil in her honor at Hanson Town Hall Green on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The event was held at midday due to the ongoing EEE threat. Selectmen granted the family’s request for the vigil to raise awareness of her story, celebrate how wonderful she is, and send good vibes that will hopefully bring her home.

A family member dropped her off at 47 Spofford Ave, Hanson — the address she resided at for only approximately three months, the day she disappeared, Crispo’s daughter Laina McMahon wrote Selectmen.

“She babysat my children 3 days a week and had planned to keep them overnight Friday, Aug. 9. On the morning of Aug. 9, I arrived at my mother’s home, as planned, to find her not there, her back door unlocked, her dog inside without food or water, all the lights on in the house, the last items discarded in her waste basket were my children’s diapers from Wednesday. My mother would never have left her home or dog without notifying family,” McHahon wrote.

The Hanson Police have been reassuring me that they are working diligently on this case, McMahon wrote.

“They have conducted multiple searches of the neighborhood with canines and questioned the neighbors with no leads in my mother’s disappearance,” she wrote. “Myself, family and friends have been searching for answers ourselves.

Collins Center offers capital report

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen, in a joint meeting with three other committees working on the town’s fiscal crisis, heard a report Tuesday, Oct. 8 on the Capital Improvement Plan drafted by UMass, Boston’s Edward J. Collins Jr., Center for Public Management.

The work was funded by a Community compact Grant.

“We’re going to have a talk at the next Selectmen’s meeting about re-energizing capital projects and getting a clear sense of direction of how we want to go,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

All supporting materials for the report will be provided to the town, said Collins Center team leader Sarah Concannon.

“I think we need to look at all the capital projects that are listed and prioritize,” agreed Selectmen Vice Chairman Dan Salvucci.

“What we really need, I think, is to assign this work to the capital planning group,” Lynam said. “They’re going to have to analyze and present that information.”

Ultimately, the way Lynam hopes to see that work progress is to review and prioritize the information, and present it to the Selectmen and Finance Committee, with recommendations as to how to move forward. That is a project he estimates will take about two months.

“We have to get out of the idea of doing one project here and one project there, and start putting together a comprehensive plan,” he said.

Concannon and her team members, management expert James Tarr and finance expert Stephen Cirillo, made the presentation to a small audience and the committees at Town Hall Auditorium. A fourth member of the team, David Colton, could not attend.

“This wasn’t a quick process,” Concannon said, noting that her team met with all town department heads. “We really appreciated the time your staff spent with us. Without their participation, we really can’t do our job well.”

The team researched the town’s capital needs and reviewed online forms filled out by department heads before talking with them in detail. They then score projects to facilitate conversations on project priorities.

In Whitman, she noted that public works capital projects make up about 65 percent of the $24,849,969 in 142 total requested project costs — with water and sewer alone making up one third of the total, or $8,690,500 — Whitman schools [$3,886,000] represented 15 percent and the regional high school another 8 percent [$1,983,000].

The total costs of requested projects were then compared to available resources. The team also looked at available grants. The final plan was narrowed to 115 projects totaling $26.7 million. Of that, 88 percent, or $23.6 million is local investment — $9.2 million from the general fund, $13.6 from the enterprise fund and $790,000 from ambulance receipts — and another $3.1 mill from non-local sources, Concannon said.

Tarr outlined the basics of capital plans — major, non-recurring expenses, typically costing more than $5,000 to $10,000 with a useful life of at least five years. Capital improvement plans are comprehensive, multi-year projects encompassing all funding sources and departments with financially viable project details.

“We take into account the spending capacity of the community and we factor that in, and, if we reach a certain cut-off point, then we start asking about choices,” Tarr said. “Do we make a distinction as to what is a necessity and what is something that can be put off.”

Without a capital plan, Tarr said, municipalities may face negative effects on public health and safety as well as legal liability; staff inefficiency or ineffectiveness; costly emergency repairs; poorly managed or timed projects; inconsistent capital costs that can have an impact on the operating budget; and financial disorder that can have a negative effect on bond ratings.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the work that the UMass Collins Center has done,” said Finance Committee Chairman Richard Anderson. “I think this really puts us in a good position to move forward with our shared goal of making a comprehensive strategic plan a reality. This is an excellent foundation for that.”

The Building Needs and Capital Projects Committee as well as the Budget Override Evaluation Committee also attended the meeting. Some officials present serve on two or more of the committees.

Anderson added that he noticed that 38 percent of the total dollars requested for capital projects are for water and sewer, a situation he did not find surprising.

“I think it’s pretty evident to a lot of people in this room that this is a department that’s had its share of deferred maintenance over the last couple of years,” Anderson said.

“A planning study is going to result in a capital plan,” she said. “The water and sewer did include at least one or two planning studies.”

Salvucci said one of the main needs remains infrastructure, in particular a DPW facility.

“It’s obvious that, even though we’re downsizing facilities, it’s something that’s needed,” he said. Concannon agreed.

“Whitman is not alone in facing the need for a new DPW facility, because many across the commonwealth were built in the ’50s and ’60s,” she said. “The fact of the matter is, they’re just at the end of their life span.”

While they are typically on the back burner, DPWs perform a critical function of municipal government. Concannon said there were five planning studies included in the

A policy of debt management was recommended in creating a capital plan.

“A policy gives you discipline,” said Cirillo.

Concannon said their plan is intended to run from fiscal 2021-25, adding there is time to have a policy in place by the time the fiscal 2021 budget is calculated.

Finance Committee Vice Chairman David Codero asked if there were specific towns with which Whitman can be compared.

“We don’t go out and find a group of comparable towns when we do the financial analysis,” Concannon said. “What we do is we bring to bear information that our team of finance experts have, as well as the experience we have over the last three or four years, doing 30 to 35 of these projects.”

Lynam asked if the Center was aware of other communities contemplating a general override to commit capital funds.

“I’ve seen it in Wellesley, I’ve seen it in a couple other places, but is that common or uncommon?” he asked.

Cirillo said the technique is “very rare,” but he knew of a number of general overrides in which a portion of funds was dedicated to raising the level of debt permanently.

Lynam said it is a strategy through which the town can practically assess kick-starting a formalized capital plan.

He also said he and Concannon have discussed a change in the way emergency vehicles are purchased, identifying them as things that should be developed in a pay-as-you-go — or cash — basis.

“[Currently the town has been] taking small commitments and dragging them out, opposed to establishing a funding mechanism that says, ‘This we’re going to pay for each year,’” Lynam said. “It doesn’t make sense to formalize a program to lease-purchase vehicles over three years, when the outright cost is $50,000 to $60,00.”

“Debt is a tool,” Concannon said. “A lease is a tool. The reason we came up with an alternative strategy for replacing cruisers [is] because they’re smaller-dollar … you don’t face the same pressure to lease the cruiser [because there is a plan].”

Hanson OKs plastic bag ban

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HANSON — Voters at Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 7 approved bans of single-use plastic check-out bags and polystyrene food and beverage containers, while passing over a pair of articles aimed at limiting the number of marijuana establishments in town.

The cannabis articles, brought via citizens’ petition will be renewed for the May Town Meeting in order to permit the proposed bylaw amendments to be placed on the Town Election ballot, as was the case with previous marijuana articles.

An article to rescind an October 2018 Town Meeting vote in favor of a revised W-H Regional agreement was unanimously passed without comment.

The plastic and polystyrene articles were passed nearly unanimously by the approximately 165 voters, many of whom brought green-colored re-useable bags distributed to shoppers by Green Hanson at Shaw’s last month. The bags were printed with a checklist reading: “Paper,” “Plastic” and a checkmark next to the word “Neither” and Green Hanson’s logo.

A group of WHRHS students commented in favor of the plastic bag ban and only one resident, who said he depended on the bags to carry his notebook and pens to the library, spoke and voted against it.

The amendment to town general bylaws is aimed at reducing the number of single-use bags in the waste stream and environment.

“It is not banning plastic bags all-out throughout town,” said Selectman Matt Dyer. “It’s banning plastic bags at the point of checkout. This does not remove the option of getting a bag at the point of check-out, and it’s not going to add a tax or anything like that for bags.”

Instead of plastic, paper bags will be available at the point of check-out.

“It’s not just because of the environmental crisis … but also because of our solid waste workers and improving their safety at the plant,” Dyer said of his reason for making the proposal. He said the bags get tangled in the gears at sorting centers in Massachusetts and nationwide, shutting down the machines every half hour. Workers have to climb into confined spaces to clear the bags, armed with a pocket knife.

“This is to keep the cost of recycling down, keep American manufacturing competitive, because otherwise it all gets shipped out to China and other nations,” he said.

Resident John Zucco of Glenwood Place asked if plastic bags used to keep food safe and fresh in the meat and produce departments would be included in the ban. Dyer said bags used at the grocery meat and produce departments, the dry cleaner and the like, will not be affected by the ban.

Students speak

Green Hanson member Marianne DiMascio of Indian Head Street, said she favored the ban an introduced W-H Environmental Awareness Club students Allysa Small, Sarah Reagan, Nicolette Heath, Riley Getchell, Carly Balfe and Jenna Lacey.

“I’m always happy to hear from our students,” said Moderator Sean Kealy. “You’re always welcome at Town Meeting and I hope that, when you are 18 and you register to vote, that you participate  in your town meetings, as well.”

The students spoke of the environmental impact of plastics and the effect of such waste on public health.

“I always think how none of those plastic bags are ever going to decompose in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime, or even very possibly my grandchildren’s lifetime,” said Regan who lives in Whitman, but is concerned about the issue. She noted that plastic bags have only been in existence for about 100 years. “Every single plastic bag that’s been made hasn’t left this planet and hasn’t decomposed.”

Lacey, who lives on Lakeside Road in Hanson, said she used to enjoy walking near the lake in nice weather, but now she does so less and less.

“It’s not because I don’t appreciate the plant life and fresh air, but because other people didn’t,” she said. “Now when I walk through these woods or along that lake, all I see is plastic bags, styrofoam cups and other pieces of trash that don’t belong in my town’s forests.”

Small noted that plastics only break down into microplastics which we eat and breathe in everyday.

But resident George Craig or East Washington Street, noted he depends on the bags to carry his belongings or to clear litter from the roadside.

ZBA member Don Ellis of High Street asked about the penalties for violations, suggesting the article’s wording was not clear.  Initial violations bring a written warning. The next subsequent violation described as “the first violation following issuance of a written warning” carries a $50 fine, a second violation would bring a $100 fine. Fines are cumulative and each day in which a violation occurs is considered a separate offense.

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff relayed, through Keating, that the language was clear.

The polystyrene container bylaw, passed unanimously, does not include plastic straws, cutlery or anything not listed in the bylaw — foam plates, cups, bowls, trays and hinged or lidded containers are the only items listed.

“I know a lot of people care about their Dunkin’ Donuts [polystyrene] cup,” Dyer said. “If you have not heard, Dunkin’ Donuts is moving away from the [polystyrene] cups by the end of 2020 throughout the nation. Regardless of whether this passes or not, the [polystyrene] cups are going to disappear.”

He said polystyrene, like the plastic grocery bags does not break down.

Elm Street resident Gilbert Allen said his only concern was about Meals on Wheels containers and the ability of seniors to obtain to-go containers at restaurants.

“What are we going to replace them with?” he asked.

Dyer explained his research showed the only concern he found was about thermal protection for people with sensitive fingers. Paper and other products that are more degradeable or recycleable are an answer he indicated.

Cannabis limits

The night’s final two articles, centering on the citizens’ petition to limit the number of marijuana establishments to one, under both general and zoning bylaws, generated discussion on potential environmental impacts of the business as well as whether the issue should go to the ballot.

“Hanson voters voted to prohibit marijuana retailers,” said co-petitioners Annette Benenato of Brookside Drive. “But there is currently no limit on the number of other types of marijuana businesses in town.”

She argued that the amount of electricity required — from lighting an HVAC needs — to grow the plants, and the impact on water consumption make the business and environmentally unfriendly business model.

She charged a portion of liquid waste could pollute groundwater and aquifers and said extraction of THC is a dangerous process and that impact fees of 3 percent to help mitigate the business effect on town services would only last five years.

Asked why the Finance Committee voted not to recommend the article, Chairman Kevin Sullivan said, “These are legitimate businesses.”

“They will continue to provide revenue to the town,” Sullivan said. “That can fluctuate, but they will continue to provide revenue. … They will not be exempt from taxes.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said that language in the community host agreement does not allow the company, Impressed LLC, to “flip and request an agricultural exemption.” The Selectmen also voted not to recommend.

Paul Benenato pointed to tobacco, lottery and alcohol retailers “never turn out very well for the taxpayers.”

When asked about the claims of impact on town aquifer and waste water plans, Water Commissioner Don Howard said he was not fully aware of the issue, saying he had questions about it himself.

“This is a highly regulated industry like nothing I’ve ever seen,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that Impressed LLC will be collecting agricultural discharge water out and trucking in water they need. She also stressed that Impressed LLC is not the issue.

Another resident asked if any other industry in town was limited to a single business.

“Are there businesses pounding down our door to take up residence here, and if the marijuana industry thinks this could be a potential match, then I think its worth considering on an individual basis going forward and not putting out a blanket rule in advance that limits us,” asked a Squantum Avenue resident opposed to the article. She noted that, without new business, and a continued reluctance to raise taxes, Hanson would not be able to fund schools or other budget needs.

Conservation Commissioner Phil Clemons pointed out that, the trucked in water comes from another aquifer in town.

South Street resident Richard Edgehille asked how the article could legally limit the number of businesses in town.

Feodoroff said limitations can be set on the marijuana industry, but the petition before the Town Meeting was not one that triggers a ballot vote.

She also stressed the wastewater is handled in a closed system to protect groundwater, and the discharge of water into any system is something that is “very highly regulated by the Cannabis Control Commission.”

Patrick Powers of Holmes Street suggested passing over the article for May to enable a town-wide ballot.

“We should stay consistent with that, as opposed to try to sneak something through,” Powers said.

The fine art of giving back

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HANSON — Giving back to the community in more ways than one a Hanson man celebrated his third annual art exhibit Tuesday, Sept. 24 to lend a hand to others.

Joe Sullivan, 59, is nicknamed the “artist extraordinaire” by his family.

His love of art was applauded last week at the Meadow Brook Restaurant during his third art show to raise money for local charities.

An adult with disabilities Sullivan, is very active and is immersed daily in his community as both a volunteer and friend to others.

Sullivan lives in Hanson with his brother Bill and his sister-in-law Nancy in the home where he grew up.

“His favorite subjects are animals, objects, and people who have touched his life,” family members said. “Each art piece he has painted holds a special meaning in Joe’s heart.”

He has been drawing and painting with acrylics for the last five years under the direction of teacher and artist, owner Julie Quill of Sing, Explore, and Create in Rockland. He began his artwork at the Friendship House of Norwell a program that offers life enrichment programs for individuals with disabilities.

Joe’s friends, family, and teachers were present at the event, which was held at the Meadow Brook. Appetizers and desserts were served as guests mingled and talked to Joe about their favorite art pieces that they hoped to win from his collection.

The funds raised are being donated to two of Joe’s favorite charities  — the Whitman Food Pantry and Sunshine Farm Sanctuary in Bridgewater “where hopes, dreams, and memories are made” a program that assists children residing in the Massachusetts Foster care system in the healing process resulting from experiencing trauma.

Mel Lambert of the Sunshine Farm Sanctuary was at the event along with her family. She said one of the highlights of Joe’s visit is seeing him interact with and give treats to his favorite donkey named Pumpkin.

All of Joe’s friends from the Whitman Food Pantry supported his event.

“He is a very happy guy. He loves all things Olivia Newton John and he collects cards among other hobbies,” said his brother Bill.

Joe can be seen regularly at Holy Ghost Church assisting with the donations and stacking shelves to fulfill the goal of helping families in need as part of the Whitman Food Pantry.

He participates in a different activity nearly every day of the week. He boxes at 110 Fitness in Rockland, he swims in a private program, and he rides along on tire deliveries for their family business Sullivan Tire, among his many daily adventures.

His art teacher Julie Quill said she was honored to teach Joe and to see his progress.  

By participating in such an event he is both “paying it forward and sharing his work,”Quill said who has been a part of all three of his exhibits.

She said he picks out the type of drawing or painting and chooses if he wants to work with pencils or brushes at each lesson free to create his masterpieces.

Joe was returning to the drawing board as he continues his weekly art with a plan to begin his work for next year.