Whitman-Hanson Express

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Taking a plunge for school technology

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By Brooke Loring
WHRHS Student Intern

HANSON — On Sunday, Jan. 27, the Hanson PTO hopes members of the community will be “taking the plunge” at Cranberry Cove, within Camp Kiwanee, to raise funds for the students of Indian Head School. Funds will specifically go towards technology needs, enrichment activities, a sound system for school-wide assemblies to strengthen a positive school culture and community, as well as other requests from teachers and staff.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held Sunday, Feb. 3. The plunge takes place at 10 a.m.

Melissa Valachovic, a member of the Hanson PTO, coordinated the event in hopes of encouraging members of the community to participate.

“We are fortunate enough to have Cranberry Cove here in town and I thought that using that site for a Polar Plunge would be a unique opportunity for an event, and it might be something others in the community would be interested in doing as well, especially right here in town”, Valachovic said about the chosen location of the event.

Hanson’s new Recreation Director, Josh Wolfe was all for Valachovic’s idea and immediately met with the Fire Department, Highway Department, and Police Department, who were also glad to support such an event, he said. The Fire Department will also be present to break the ice and in preparation of the event. This first-time event, will be a perfect addition to help bring necessary support to Indian Head, as well as bring the community together in a unique and fun experience. Many members of the community have already registered to jump in, including Chairman of the Whitman-Hanson School Committee Bob Hayes, Indian Head Assistant Principal Jennifer Costa, Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, as well as the entire Hanson Board of Selectmen.

“The hope is to create an event that brings people from all walks of life, here in town, to support our youngest citizens and it seems to be doing that so far; so essentially bringing our community together,” Valachovic stated.

Each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $35 through donations on their behalf. Each jumper, upon registration, will be set up with a personal fundraising website. All participants must be 18 years of age or older, and will be asked to sign a liability waiver before the Plunge. Those registering before Dec. 10 receive a complimentary towel.

To register visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cranberry-cove-polar-plunge-2019-tickets-51407709844?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

Stuffing a cruiser for kids

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WHITMAN — The Whitman Area Toy Drive, along with Whitman Police, hosted a collaborative effort to  Stuff A Cruiser on Sunday, in honor of Sgt. Michael Chesna, a Weymouth police officer killed in the line of duty this year.

Toy Drive Co-organizer Donnie Westhaver shook his head in disbelief over the expansion and success of the annual event. He looked over the 50 plus rows of eight-foot tables and his eyes filled with tears.

“I could not have imagined this 18 years ago. We started with just two tables,” he said.

Jane Plasse co-organizer called the event a huge success.

“What an amazing day! We couldn’t ask for a better day except the weather,” she said. “The community was awesome bringing so many donations for the Whitman Area Toy Drive in honor of Sgt. Michael Chesna. I was so glad to have met his entire family. What a great tribute.”

Jason Ho of Needham came down to the event after seeing a flyer on Facebook.

“I have a full time job and I can afford to help others now,” he said. “It was something I saw that was shared through my car club. I wanted to make a donation.”

Santa was waiting to talk with the children as families dropped items off to stuff the cruiser. He asked many what they might like for Christmas. A joyful face of a child was clearly reason to smile as emotions surfaced for some of  the volunteers and family members of Sgt Chesna, who took photos and thanked those who donated.

Grace Eezepik, 2 1/2, of Whitman was learning about generosity in giving to others. In the rain she carried a toy donation wearing her raincoat, boots and a smirk.

She walked with purpose, dropped off her gift on the back of the police cruiser and promptly told Santa  she would talk to him from across the room but would not be taking a picture with him. Evoking laughter from the gathering of adults it was a stark reminder of why they do what they do each year — simply for the innocence of the children.

Westhaver described the Whitman Area Toy Drive as a one-stop-shopping event as families in need do get whatever they need in age appropriate toys, along with wrapping paper, tape and — if needed — even a Christmas tree.

There are approximately 10 people who assist with the toy drive at its busiest time but volunteers of up to twenty five people have come in from various groups to offer a hand.

The ages of 10-15 can be considered the tween-age in which gift cards are usually given, he said.

He also gently reminds givers that you cannot eat a toy. Often time someone would like to make a donation in the form of money- we do assist with providing a holiday meal gift card to the local a grocery store in some situations, he added.

“We have created a bond between Whitman Area Toy Drive the Chesna family along with Whitman police,” said Westhaver.

Cindy Chesna widow of Michael Chesna spoke about supporting the event in the future, according to organizers. She emphasized the family was really pleased about the upcoming collaboration of future events, Westhaver said.

The event tally was astounding after all of the collections were completed organizers counted 35 to 40 gallon trash  bags at maximum capacity of toys.

For information on assistance or donations for the Whitman Area Toy Drive Donnie Westhaver’s email is west151@aol.com or call 781-447-6883. Voice messages will be returned.

Jane Plasse can be contacted at jep6363@comcast.net along with her cell 781-953-0642.

A hero’s welcome home

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WHITMAN — When 14-year-old Mason Giove returned home from two months at Children’s Hospital for brain cancer surgery, and a subsequent stint at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, his family was aware a police escort was in the works — but the procession that wound from the Whitman Police Station to their Beaver Street home Friday, Nov. 30 was a surprise.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Mason said of the welcome.

“I think it just all came together really quick, like overnight,” his father Mark Giove said, noting that some of their friends are police officers. “I imagine everyone [looking on in town] was wondering, ‘What the heck is going on?’ It caught us off guard, too.”

Mark Giove said he was told to stop by the Police Station for an escort home. He envisioned one or two cruisers, perhaps. The escort had started in Weymouth with a motorcycle officer, but along the way, more and more began to fall in line.

The Gioves were not expecting what Mark Giove termed the “hero’s welcome” Mason received on Friday, as that escort included Whitman and Plymouth County BCI and Whitman Fire Department vehicles while dozens of community members lined the sidewalk along Whitman Park to cheer for him. Purple and yellow balloons — yellow is symbolic for the fight against pediatric cancer — were placed along the park.

“The community has been very, very supportive of us,” Mark Giove said Saturday, Dec. 1 as his four children, including twins Louden and Lawson and daughter Mattea, enjoyed a pajama morning on the living room sofa. Laura Giove is a stay-at-home mom.
It’s been amazing,” Mark Giove said. “We’ve had people cooking meals for us — they set up a meal train website and people just went online and started to pick dates.”

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, meals have been left in a cooler in front of a blue and yellow sign that reads: “Mason’s Army” on the Giove’s front steps.

Mason has been battling a “low-grade brain tumor” for almost 14 years. A freshman at WHRHS, Mason has attended Whitman public schools the whole time.

“It’s always been taken care of with chemotherapy … and kind of keep it at bay and we monitor it with MRIs and everything has always been like that for all this time,” said Mark Giove, an orthopedic surgical nurse at BID Plymouth. “Unfortunately, recently it grew a cyst in his brain stem area.”

He said the community support has made the last couple of months easier.

“We haven’t been together as a family in two months,” Mark Giove said. Mason said being in the hospital for that period was frustrating.

“For about three weeks, every day he’s been saying, ‘I want to go home,” Mark Giove said. Mason had been due to come home from Spaulding on Nov. 7, but the return of symptoms required additional surgery.

Selectmen lauded the outpouring of support in the community.

“The display this town put out for him” was overwhelming, Selectman Randy LaMattina said with a catch in his voice at Tuesday’s meeing. “I want to thank every member of this town … I want to thank the police and fire and sheriff’s departments and every town organization that brought this warrior home — and he really is a warrior.”

LaMattina said the town’s coming togther in support of Mason was equally as impressive as his courage.

The case for fire services

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WHITMAN — While town officials prepare the fiscal 2020 budget, resident Shawn Kain has advocated a more transparent document outlining the needs behind various funding requests.

Selectmen got a glimpse of how that might look in Fire Chief Timothy Grenno’s departmental report, which focused on how budget cuts might affect fire and EMT services in town.

Selectmen are also advocating a pre-Town Meeting, perhaps in March, to help explain the budgetary needs facing the town.

“This is the kind of document that, kind of, Shawn wants to have,” said Selectman Randy LaMattina. “As the chief was speaking, I’m thinking to myself, if this had a fixed asset list and a little bit of Article 2 numbers on it, then our Fire Department [report] is complete. The taxpayer’s going to be able to make an educated decision based off this.”

He said it may be the kind of document that all other departments should produce and, “with that, the budget document falls into place.”

Selecman Brian Bezanson said he did not think the board had ever been supplied that kind of comprehensive information before.

Grenno’s report was sobering.

“It has taken 10 years to get to where we are with six members per shift — shift staffing is what it’s all about — maintaining six people per shift gives this community the service that they demand,” Grenno said of his current budget outlook. “Anything less than what I have requested for fiscal 2020, will not be level-budgeted, but with contractual obligations, is a detriment to the fire service and the public safety in Whitman.”

Grenno forwarded his report to Selectmen, including a cost justification study. As of the Nov. 27 writing of his report, Grenno said the department had responded to 2,249 emergency calls in 2018 — 58.7 percent for EMS and 41.3 percent for fires — illustrating that the shift had gone from all fires in the 1960s to mostly EMS by the 1990s when the difference began to even out by the 2000s.

“Those numbers justify what we’re doing every day,” he said. “That type of call volume demands the level of service that we’re currently providing.”

The three firefighters added in 2016 marked the first addition of staffing to the department since it went full time in 1965, according to Grenno. Fire-based ambulance had been added in 1973 with no addition to staffing.

“It’s a document that we need this year, obviously we need it,” said Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski, apologizing that he had not yet had the chance to study the report.

On a positive note, the number of overdoses responded to by the Fire Department is down to 29, from more than 40 last year. Grenno said the availability of Narcan may be helping some people treat family members or friends without calling 911. He did caution that Narcan is short-acting and one dose is often not enough to counteract some of the opiate drugs out there.

“So the overdoes we are seeing are very significant,” he said.

Key points of Grennos’ cost justification study were:

• A second ambulance is “saving a significant amount of critical patients” who would be at risk without it. “Without staffing, these patients, who would have had to wait an excess of 10 or 15 minutes for an outside ambulance, it would have been fatal to them,” Grenno said.

• Grants are a significant revenue source, including a $6,500 SAFE grant, which funds fire education in the schools. A grant for a bit more than $230,000 replaced outdated self-contained breathing apparatus. Grenno has also applied for a $35,000 grant to replace the generator system at the fire station.

• A budget cut of between 3 and 6 percent would have a “significant impact” on services, according to Grenno, who has asked the Finance Committee for the number they predict will be available to the Fire Department before he provides a specific impact statement.

Feeling the cuts

Fiscal 2020, begins the third year of a collective bargaining agreement that would put the deputy chief on days and add new OSHA regulations, which go into effect in February 2019, under his responsibility.

“We need $300,000 just to make our building OSHA-compliant,” Grenno said. “We’ve got a lot of problems facing us down the road.”

A 3-percent reduction of $3,737,895 would eliminate that position, keeping it on shift. It also “pulls the Fire Department back 10 years from where we are today,” Grenno said, eliminating any small services for the community, including touch-a-truck events for fundraisers, banners and other events.

The IT position, which includes reporting software for providing data to the state, as well as building the database of critical information to firefighters in the field through the dispatch system, would also be eliminated. Light maintenance would also be cut from the budget under a 3-percent reduction, with out-sourced repairs costing about $260-$300 per hour.

Storm coverage would have to be eliminated, as well, Grenno said. Instead of up-staffing at a cost of between $30,000 and $40,000 to respond to downed trees and power lines as they happen, calls will be prioritized and stacked as they come in.

“When we get there, we get there,” he said.

The two-member call department would be eliminated and reduce training officer availability to eight hours per month. The EMS officer would be reduced to 20 hours per month, where Grenno had planned to negotiate placing that officer on days in a supervisory role.

“That will threaten our certification, quite frankly,” Grenno said. Call-back and overtime would also have to be reduced, risking an empty station at times.

Budget document

Kain, a former member of the Finance Committee, had kicked off the meeting with a request for an update on progress toward a capital plan and budget document during the public forum.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said the process is underway, but staffing shortages affect it. The town has received grants for both the budget model and capital planning. The Collins Center at UMass has presented a proposal and two others are being looked at for a capital plan, but all are telling the town they are looking at about three months of work.

That will be done parallel to the current process in order to complete the budget.

“Having a professional budget document is excellent, but something for the public to analyze as this process continues will be extremely helpful,” Kain said, noting that Article 2 is helpful for people who know what they are looking at, but that it is not detailed or user-friendly.

Lynam said a general outline is not yet available but that Article 2 is detailed, but that a format with historical background will take more time and argued the public has been well informed of the budget cost, increasing percentage of debt and school budget impact.

“What we have are departments projecting what would happen if the budget is cut 3 percent or if the budget is cut 6 percent,” he said. “I stated at our last meeting, I don’t think that is the approach we should be taking. We should be building parallel budgets — one with cuts and one that will identify what we need to seek in additional funding to make that work.”

Minor fire causes morning Commuter Rail delay

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HANSON — No injuries were reported as Thursday morning’s commute along the MBTA Kingston line was delayed following a confirmed fire inside an engine compartment at the Hanson station.

The fire was in a small, contained area and passengers were evacuated as a precaution, according to Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr.

Keolis spokesman Tory Mazzola commented on the incident for the MBTA later in the day.

“There was a mechanical issue in the turbocharger engine of the locomotive, which can cause smoke and in some cases a small fire. The fire department was called as a precautionary measure and alternative service for passengers was provided,” Mazzola stated. “At no time were passengers at risk and we appreciate their patience as we resolve this issue as safely and quickly as possible.”

Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch issued a written press release through spokesperson Ben Paulin of John Guilfoil Public Relations.

He indicated that Hanson Police and Fire departments responded to the Commuter Rail Station at 1070 Main St. (Route 27) about 6:55 a.m. after receiving reports of fire on an inbound train.

“The fire has been put out by the Hanson Fire Department,” Miksch stated. “No injuries were reported.”

According to Miksch, all passengers were transferred to another train and transit police and Keolis employees were on the scene assisting commuters, but would not comment on the incident at that time.

Sounds like team spirit

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By Brooke Loring
WHRHS Student Intern

Last Tuesday, Whitman-Hanson Regional High School held its annual pep rally, in anticipation of the Panthers’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Abington Green Wave.

Planned by sports captains and Whitman-Hanson Athletic director Bob Rogers, students and faculty gathered in the gym for a day centered around school spirit. This year, seniors Samantha Smith and Quinn Sweeney hosted the day’s events, which included a dance off, musical chairs, and a battle of rock-paper-scissors. There were also performances by Whitman-Hanson’s cheerleading team (who recently won the State Championship), the majorettes and band, as well as the Pop Rock Ensemble. Celtics tickets were also raffled off, being won by Rosie Brazie and Zach Garnic. Students also had the ability to “pie” their teacher in the “Pie-in-the-Face” contest. Unfortunately, chemistry teacher and freshmen football coach, John Rozen, was met with a pie, not once but two times … for the second year in a row.

Rally is also a school event loved by students because, while they show off their school pride, it also gives them the ability to show off their class pride, too. Freshmen and sophomores dress in white, while juniors sport red and, seniors, black. The classes try to prove who has the most Panther Pride by being the loudest and most whimsical at the rally. Students also enjoy participating in an event that is “student led,” according to senior Ashley O’Brien. Student athletes and their accomplishments are also honorably mentioned

Following the indoor events of Rally, is the annual powderpuff game, where senior and junior girls, coached by JV and Varsity football players, face off in the ultimate battle: flag football. Along with the game, male cheerleaders can be seen on the sidelines pumping up the crowd by attempting a human pyramid or kick line. Entertainment also included the banter of seniors Mike Cook and Bob Dauwer announcing the game, as well as a breathtaking performance of “Sweet Caroline” by Cook. This year, despite the chilly weather and rain, the senior girls took home the victory, with a score of 12-0.

Being a senior at Whitman-Hanson, Rally is one of the events I will miss the most. I’ll miss dressing up, and getting glitter all over the bathroom floor, and the feathers from boas floating in the hallways (Students of WHRHS would like to thank the event staff as well as janitorial services for the clean-up). I’ll remember the excitement of missing class and the anticipation of the Thanksgiving game. I will miss being able to see the rivalry between Whitman-Hanson and Abington. However, I will miss Rally because it brought the school together in an event of indescribable excitement, school spirit, class rivalry — and pie.

Negotiating for better rates

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The School Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 14 voted to request that Business Services Director Christine Suckow seek lower increases in annual costs for the bus and custodial services than are currently contracted over the next two years. She agreed to make the requests and come back with information in December.

“It’s in writing that we have the right to exercise these options,” School Committee member Fred Small said. “The question is, by what date do we have to exercise the options and isn’t it worth a phone call to say, ‘We’re looking into doing our own [transportation] perhaps, etc., would you consider doing something that we would lock in for two years. … It’s still the same contractual obligation, we’re just not tying our hands for that extra year.”

He had suggested earlier in the meeting, during a report on a recent Mass. Association School Committees conference, that the district might want to consider purchasing its own fleet of buses to save money in the long run.

“I’m just looking at it as is there any harm in asking,” Committee member Christopher Howard said. “What do we have to lose?”

Suckow reported that contract extensions put out to bid for optional years four and five of the First Student bus and SJ Services custodial contracts and four through six for Collegiate Press for copy center services during her report on the fiscal 2019 budget update.

First Student will increase by $60,128 for next year’s budget and another $41,630 for fiscal 2021, or 3.5 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. Suckow said the figures were brought in during November to enable her to plan for building the fiscal 2020 budget.

“Do we have to agree to do both years, or could we do one year at a time?” Small asked about the transportation increases. Sukow said it was a decision for the committee to make, but she suggested they adopt both years of the contract extension, especially with First Student, which has little competition.

Committee member Robert O’Brien Jr., said he did not object to voting on a two-year figure, but argued it didn’t hurt to seek a better percentage. When contracts were put out to bid, they were negotiated for three years with options for four and five.

A vote also requested that Suckow ask for a similar reduction involving the contract extension for SJ Services — which included  3 percent hike of $29,000 and a 2-percent increase of $29,000 for fiscal 2021.

The Collegiate Press contract, which does not include increases in the three-year extension, was approved without discussion.

Suckow also expressed concern that transportation and out-of-district placement costs for special education and mandated costs for homeless student transportation, which is already $2,950 in the red, will increase.

“The rest is pretty status quo,” she said of the budget. The federal homeless transportation reimbursement, which has been 30 percent, is sometimes not received until the year after it is spent, Suckow said.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said the district is working to “brining the program in” with more services at the middle school level to help keep students in the district and control out-of-district placement costs.

“We might be spending money for next year’s budget to make money by keeping our kids here,” Szymaniak said, adding the district’s legal counsel has been consulted and had made a “stong recommendation to build a couple of programs” in language-based middle school programs that are now placed out. The expense would add a couple of teachers and paraprofessionals to work towards saving money in the future.

“We’re really looking at how we can be more effective and efficient,” Szymaniak said. “Our kids want to stay here and we want to keep them here.”

Small said inclusion is important.

“It’s nice that we save money, too, but keep our kids here,” he said.

MCAS results

“We’re like our peers,” Assistant Superintendent of Schools George Ferro said. “We are in the middle. … How do we get out of the middle?”

He indicated the district should not focus so much on what the state tests, but to look at the tools it provides educators in order to prepare students to succeed on the tests as well as out in the world.

“Our focus is clearly on learning and meeting standards … but we also have to make sure we’re giving our kids the playbook in which they’re going to have success,” he said. “We also need to embrace and change the lives of our elementary teachers.”

W-H schools arre among the 74 percent of individual schools in the state not requiring state assistance or intervention. The district also was part of the 90 percent of districts not requiring state assistance or intervention. It was also among the 53 percent of state districts that partially met every target for every school and student category.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has come up with a new accountability system in grades three to eight, according to Ferro.

New test results will be “exceeding expectations,” “meeting expectations,” “partially meeting expectations” or “not meeting expectations.”

He said it is important to note it is not just a change of names in the grading approach.

“The test that students take right now is much more rigorous, as far as the standards for reaching MCAS scores,” he said. “It is much more difficult, and they made it that way for certain factors. They valued readiness for the next grade level and consistent expectations across grades.”

Success is now based on student achievement, student educational growth rates, high school completion rates, English proficiency, chronic absenteeism and advanced course work.

“They’re trying to take a whole look for the district,” Ferro said. “Right now the state can look at every single teacher, every single student and every single time a teacher and a student interface at a data point.”

He said there are an average of 84,000 data points in a school year.

Hanson hires legal counsel

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HANSON — Selectmen on Tuesday, Nov. 27 voted to retain the services of Mead, Talerman & Costa MTC of Millis as general town counsel, but opted to end 14 years of work with labor counsel Norris, Murray & Peloquin LLC of Norwood.

The board unanimously voted to contract with Clifford & Kenny LLP of Pembroke for labor counsel services as of Jan. 1, 2019, with current attorney Leo Peloquin completing current work and transitioning all other projects to Clifford & Kenny.

Peloquin’s performance in the divisive investigation into rental and operational practices as Camp Kiwanee two years ago was a major factor in the decision for some Selectmen. Others cited the division of labor used by Clifford & Kenny — one partner dealing with fire department contracts and the other specializing in police contracts.

Also interviewing for both general and labor counsel positions were Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane MHTL of Quincy and Brooks & DeRensis of Boston.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett initially questioned the intent of the discussion.

“There is no agenda on that,” said Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell. “We can pick two finalists [for each service] and come back to another meeting and have them come back. If there’s a consensus on who we want to pick, we can pick them and we don’t have to have them come back.”

He noted that the process had been initiated to review the services provided by both current firms and to see if the town was “getting the best bang for the buck.”

Town Administrator Michael McCue said he had tailored the agenda item to permit the board to proceed in whatever manner they wished.

“I got a little concerned after the last meeting that the board may have felt I put too many constraints on the process,” he said. “I want the board to make its decision on how it wants to move forward.”

“This is important and I would love a unanimous vote,” said Selectman Wes Blauss. “I don’t want to string someone along if, in the end, minds are made up.”

For that reason, while Mitchell had argued for Peloquin’s firm, he voted for Clifford & Kenny as labor counsel in the end.

“I’m speaking for our current labor counsel,” he said. “Leo’s got the track record … he’s dealt with over 300 employee cases over the past 14 years and had only four go to litigation. … He’s won all four.”

Mitchell said Peloquin has always worked in the town’s best interests and has 33 years’ experience.

“The system wasn’t broken, but we wanted to test the waters to make sure the system wasn’t broken,” he said. “I don’t think Leo is the best-liked person in the town of Hanson, I don’t think he gets many Christmas cards from employees in the town … but I think we have to make the best decision for the town and put personal differences and personal opinions aside.”

He asked for McCue’s opinion on the choice because he deals with labor counsel most directly.

He said he is comfortable with the town’s current law firms for both general and labor counsel and it made sense to him to stay with the firms.

FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed with the points Mitchell made, but liked other firms’ use of a database of contract costs in the region that the town could use for comparison.

“Leo’s done [the job], but he hasn’t done it with the precision I would like to see,” she said. “I’d like to see some more preparation for some of those conversations that we’ve had. … If we retain him I’d want him to improve upon providing that information well in advance of those discussions.”

She also noted that while he has not been a popular figure, “He was asked to do a job.”

Selectman Jim Hickey said Clifford & Kenny’s division of work on contract negotiations appealed to him, as well that the firm would have Selectmen driving the process.

“He said any negotiations start with us,” Hickey said of a follow-up phone call he had with John Clifford. “Any negotiations that we did [since he joined the board] or contracts that we were going to sign, we got Friday at noontime on the agenda [with Peloquin]. Maybe that’s just me and it’s my fault because I never asked, but I didn’t know.”

Selectman Matt Dyer expressed concern that, while Peloquin knows the town, he is concerned about the firm’s plans for expansion and noted that Selectmen still have not been debriefed about the Camp Kiwanee issue.

“I feel I’m out of the loop on that, I don’t know exactly where we are,” Dyer said. “I don’t really know how to judge his work when I don’t know the ins and outs of the past.”

Dyer said he was impressed with the Clifford & Kenny approach for dividing contract work, use of comparison databases and a better client/staff ratio.

Mitchell did not like the two different attorneys for police and fire contract approach. McCue agreed that he would prefer working with a single attorney, but he would agree to talk to Clifford & Kenny as to which would be the lead attorney.

Blauss said the issue that sold him was the responses gleaned from FitzGerald-Kemmett’s question to the interviewing firms on their elective office experience.

Clifford & Kenny; Mead, Talerman; Brooks & DeRensis all have partners and/or associates with experience working for communities “on the other side of the desk” during contract negotiations.

“I taught for almost half a century and I was on boards and commissions in town and I think that gives you a huge perspective on things,” Blauss said.

Selectmen asked for a transition period to permit Clifford & Kenny to receive information on pending work with all new work going immediately to them as of Jan. 1.

General counsel

Mitchell led the praise for Mead, Talerman attorney, Katherine Feodoroff, who has been Hanson’s lead attorney for the past couple of years. The firm’s RFP indicated Talerman would remain lead counsel with Feodoroff acting as immediate backup. But others did express concern that the reverse has been true lately.

Mitchell said Feodoroff proved “extremely knowledgeable [and] led us in the right direction” on the issue of marijuana control bylaws for the town.

“I had anticipated, going into this, that I wouldn’t want to change general counsel, but then when we met with Brooks & DeRensis and they started talking about the depth and breadth of what they have there I was thinking to myself — not about Kate — but have we at least been somewhat taken for granted?” said FitzGerald-Kemmett before she ultimately voted to keep the firm. “Kate has become the person. But Jay [Talerman] was the person we signed up with.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett questioned whether the board wanted a single firm to represent both general and labor counsel duties, or to keep them separate. She preferred separate firms.

“The reason for that is I like to have the agility that, if things go south with the relationship, we don’t have to start all over again with both disciplines,” she said. “It’s worked out pretty well so far and it’s good if you have a matter that might cross over into both [areas].”

Blauss was also grappling with the decision between Mead, Talerman and Brooks & DeRensis before ultimately deciding to keep the former. Hickey expressed a preference for Talerman, Mead noting the smooth transition between attorneys.

“I didn’t realize it had happened when it happened. It was such a smooth transition that I don’t think anybody noticed,” Hickey said. He also liked the way Feodoroff is able to explain difficult legal precepts in plain language. Dyer agreed.

Worst-case planning: Whitman departments offer forecast for impact of cuts

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WHITMAN — Town officials are preparing worst-case budget scenarios to help prioritize needs.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam and Selectman Scott Lambiase reported to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, Nov. 20 on progress with the fiscal 2020 budget. Lynam said he has begun receiving budget proposals including 3-percent and 6-percent budget cuts, to help forecast the effects if such cuts are needed as the town addressed the current levy limit and town financial obligations.

The problem Lynam said he has seen so far is that the budget proposals have included expense lines, such as debt payment and utilities, where cuts can’t be made.

“I would be remiss not to point out that, while we’re working on this, there is still an elephant in the room and I think we need to step up the pace,” Lynam said.

He also said net metering and the change to LED streetlights will help save some money, but there are other obligations such as health insurance and contractual obligations that must be paid.

“The purpose of asking for the 3-percent and 6-percent budget from everybody was to get that exercise going and to get them to realize that its going to be deep and meaningful cuts if we have to make them, and we have to get everybody’s head wrapped around what that is going to look like if we want people to understand that we may be — or most likely will be — looking for some sort of operational override,” Lambiase said.

Benton said he has already begun talking to his officers about the “very real possibility of layoffs.”

“The quickest that we can get to a number that we, as department heads, can figure on it’s going to help us,” Benton said. “I don’t want to wait.”

Lynam said the schools had projected a 5-percent increase due to rising operating costs — a $1.4 million increase — with no anticipated increase in Chapter 70 aid.

“We’re not talking increases this year — we’re talking reductions,” he said, noting there have been recommendations from some town officials against using the $1.2 million in free cash for levy expenditures, including on the $836,000 debt service for the police station.

Combined growth is $900,000.

Police Chief Scott Benton said that, since town administrators’ salaries are voted on at Town Meeting, that information concerning school administration salaries are, in the interest of greater transparency.

“Ultimately, the schools are responsible to the town, just as the selectmen are and the other departments are,” Lynam said. “It doesn’t make sense not to give people what they’re looking for, because if you want someone’s support, they need to understand why you’re asking for it.”

Lambiase said he has the impression from budget discussions that the school district intends to do that and wants to do so.

“They know the predicament that we’re in,” he said.

Selectman Brian Bezanson said the district has to remember that Whitman was “very kind” to the school budget last year, and that there could be “a lot of ill-will in this town, going forward, if these town departments get ruined and they are just going merrily on their way.”

Lynam cautioned against pitting the schools against the town.

“Remember, they are part of us,” Lynam said. “It can’t be an ‘us and them’ but there has to be an understanding among us, too. If we’re able to present a sound, well thought-out, well-justified budget, then it’s up to Town Meeting to say yes or no. If they say yes, we all benefit from it — if they say no, we all lose.”

Police chief report

Benton reported to Selectmen that there has been some good news in town concerning the opioid crisis.

While there have been 29 overdoses, with two fatalities, so far this year — compared with 40 overdoses with five fatalities at the same time in 2017. But he cautioned that it might not be a complete picture of the situation.

“To bring it into focus, the more Narcan that’s present, and people are also able to get Narcan from the pharmacy, sometimes you won’t even have anybody call on an overdose situation,” Benton said.

He added that education and enforcement have made a significant improvement. Plymouth County Outreach has won a national community policing award as well as a $500,000 grant to allow hiring a full-time administrator and records keeper, pay for recovery coaches, host officer and team member training and to fund a data base.

Whitman, Bridgewater, Middleborough, Bridgewater State and East Bridgewater are also jointly applying for a Jail Arrest Aversion Grant to address mental health issues relating to calls for police services.

“Obviously in an emergency [if] a person is in distress, threatening to harm themselves of something, they’re going to be transported right away, but the follow-up will be when this clinician comes in, similar to what we do with the Plymouth County Outreach,” he said. “I think we can all agree that mental health is at the forefront of a lot of issues we deal with.”

A grant was also secured for radio infrastructure, to clear up the town’s communication dead spots, through the efforts of IT Director Josh MacNeil.

“What makes this grant amazing is we had so little time,” Lynam said. “We found out literally days before it had to be submitted.”

Benton also reviewed recent high-profile arrests, including the arrest of a Rockland murder suspect and several drug and weapons arrests.

He also said enforcement regarding parking on sidewalks had not been done much in the past, but in light of a complaint on an ADA basis from a resident who uses a wheelchair, the department has begun issuing warning cards as they plan to begin enforcement.

“I will tell you this,” Benton said. “If the officers realize this is the third time they’ve put a warning on your car, you may wind up getting a civil fine anyway.”

Winter parking ban

Lynam announced that the annual winter overnight parking ban — 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. — goes into effect on Saturday, Dec. 1 through April 1, 2019 to enable snow removal. Tickets will be issued to violators and, if a vehicle impedes snow removal, it will be towed. That includes the town parking lot next to the former First Baptist Church on Washington Street.

Solid waste fee

The board voted that trash fees are going up $36 to $285 for fiscal 2019. A $25 discount for seniors who own their homes was approved for trash fees for the 596 residents receiving water discounts to begin in fiscal 2020.

Nov. 6 Election

Lynam also shared some observations about the recent state election.

“It was really an incredible turnout — over 4,000 people came out and that’s in addition to the 2,000 people who voted early,” Lynam said. While he said the day went rather smoothly, the one observation he would make it was that parking was “an absolute disaster.”

“Part of that can attributed to the fact that employees — both town employees and election workers or part-time employees — parked in the town parking lot,” he said. “That should not happen.”

Lynam recommended that in any future years in which a state or national election is held, parking in the Town Hall lot and in front of town hall be reserved for citizens trying to vote. Parking would be provided near the police station, with transportation to Town Hall provided by COA vans.

Veterans affairs

Veterans’ agent Thomas McCarthy reported that Whitman was well represented at the annual Tri-Town Veterans Day Parade with the Fire Department Honor Guard winning first place and Police Department Honor Guard taking third. The WHRHS band won first place for the band performances and the W-H majorettes took third.

McCarthy said a Veterans Day Parade committee is being formed to improve planning. Selectman Dan Salvucci noted that both Abington and Rockland have longer routes that Whitman and that the town should organize a longer route when it hosts the parade next year.

Local programming — or more QVC?

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Proposed FCC rule changes to preempt local government from regulating or imposing fees related to non-cable services provided by cable companies, among other provisions, have raised alarm among both local access providers and town officials.

The changes would allow cable operators to treat funding for cable-related costs as “in-kind” donations, allowing them to deduct an undefined amount from monies that traditionally have gone to community media. This rule change would eliminate a major source of funding from WHCA and could result in community media centers closing their doors in every community across the country.

“I think it’s very short-sighted,” said Whitman Hanson Community Access TV Executive Director Eric Dresser.

“What we do here — and what access centers across the state do — is hyper-local, and it’s essential,” WHCA-TV Access Operations Coordinator  Kevin Tocci says. “It is your source if you want to know what’s going on with local government … we provide video on demand on YouTube.”

Local public, educational and government (PEG) access programming is funded by franchising through the local community’s issuing authority — generally the board of selectmen — with a rate paid to cover the “burden of taking up space on [utility] poles” via the cable portion of the cable company’s income.

Both select boards and town administrators in Whitman and Hanson have filed letters with the FCC against the proposal. Both trade organizations to which WHCA-TV belongs — MassAccess, and the Alliance for Community Media on the federal level — have also filed lengthy comments against the proposal, citing several legal precedents.

The deadline for that filing was midnight, Thursday, Nov. 15. The deadline for reply comments is midnight, Friday, Dec. 14.

Those comments would likely be limited to response to previously filed comments.

“They (the FCC) want to be able to charge back, through municipalities, for what they consider in-kind services,” Dresser said. “You’re allowing them onto your poles and you’re basically having an exchange of fee for that. They’re trying to negotiate that back, saying, ‘We’ve got your channels on our spectrum and if we didn’t have you there, we’d have somebody else there.’”

The concern is that cable access organizations are not sure what the value of channels is going to be assigned, according to Dresser.

“We don’t know what things they want to charge back, we don’t know what things they could charge back,” he said. “That’s the concern.”

“We don’t know how aggressive they are going to be,” Dresser said. “If they’re just looking to stop giving away free cable boxes, well then that’s not a huge deal. But if they’re looking to assign a value to each of these channels, that’s a much bigger deal.”

That raises the specter of threats to replace local access channels with another QVC-type channel.

Small cell wireless is also a concern as phones head to 5G from the current 4G capacity. Instead of out-of-the-way cell towers, 5G will most likely be accommodated on “every third telephone pole down the main thoroughfare.” Dresser said he feels the cable proposal is designed to finance the 5G upgrades, for which the cable companies do not want to pay.

That had been governed by cable contract provisions for stringing cable wires on utility poles, which are now being classified by cable carriers as barriers to service.

Dresser said that, while it may pave the way for advancements to cell phone technology, it overlooks local programming services provided since 1984.

“It think it would be just absolutely outrageous to lose the ability to turn on local cable,” Whitman resident Richard Rosen, who was a Selectman when the town’s cable service was chosen, said on a Nov. 16 installment of Monday Night Talk with Kevin Tocci on WATD. “What you people all do and what local cable does for people is amazing. … To think that it could all go away so easily is just wrong.”

On Monday, Nov. 12, Dresser joined Director of Marketing and Educational Services Carol McGilvary of PACTV and Marshfield Community Television’s Executive Director Jonathan Grabowski on WATD. The three are also MassAccess board members.

Becoming a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit in 2005, WHCA produces coverage of local government as well as local programs created by residents, such as Rosen’s award-winning show “Buzz Around Bees.” It sends its production truck to local sports games.

“We’re in a lot of places and we love the work that we do,” Dresser said during the WATD discussion.

Celebrating 10 years in operation this year, Marshfield Community Television produces 17 local shows as well as an educational program involving 150 students at Marshfield High, according to Grabowski. It provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of eight government bodies.

“It’s going to impact everyone,” Grabowski said of the proposed FCC rule change. “It’s going to significantly reduce funding or it’s going to close down access centers.”

PACTV has served Duxbury, Kingston, Pembroke and Plymouth for 21 years according to McGilvary doing the same kind of government coverage and education and locally-produced programs as Marshfield — as well as annual coverage of the Plymouth Thanksgiving Day parade. PACTV also produces news programs and “Breaking the Cycle,” about the opioid crisis.

While she said there has been a noticeable reduction in cable consumers in favor of “cutting the cable,” there are still large populations of people who still want cable television.

For more information, visit massaccess.org/fcc or whca.tv/fcc.