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Helping peace take root

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HANSON — In a gesture of peace, and as a reminder how learning from history can create harmony in today’s society, Indian Head School students and staff joined in a circle of unity for a dedication Tuesday afternoon to celebrate a single tree — and its exceptional beginning.

Guest speaker and award winning playwright, screen writer and author Jeff Gottesfeld  joined students for a discussion of how he came to write his book, “The Tree in The Courtyard: Looking through Anne Frank’s Window,” an age-appropriate read based on the life of Anne Frank from the perspective of the horse chestnut tree. The tree bore witness to the changes in her life as she played and eventually the reality she endured throughout WWII, the hidden annex and the Holocaust.

A purple plum tree was planted recently at the front of the Indian Head School representing a tree filled with caring and kindness. The real Anne Frank tree seeds were extracted and shared around the world after it fell in a storm in 2010, according to the author’s webpage. The seeds were then shared to grow Anne’s trees as symbols of peace.

Gottesfeld called his visit “a special day.”

In addressing the school prior to the dedication, Gottesfeld reminded the children that their new tree will be here for a long time

“Long after we are gone off this Earth it will remain,” he said. “Here is the mission I give you. It is to make sure that any other kids who come to this school know that this tree is not to be treated like any other tree because it is not like any other tree. It will care and love … If the kids who follow you care for it, watch it and love it. It will live a very long time and be very meaningful.  On the other hand … we can forget about the tree and it will just be like any other tree.  Like so much in life the choice is ours.”

Following the tree dedication Gottesfeld said the event was spectacular.

He was impressed with the children and their response to his work.

“It reminds me on days like this … what is possible,” he said.

He called the children living examples of better human beings.

“It reminds me why I write for kids,” he said. The dedication was well prepared, planned and beautiful, he added.

He also received leaves cut of green paper with resilient words such as: courage, faith, strong, giving, beauty, believe, love, to name a few, which were written on the back representing remarkable character and how they (as students) are learning to create a  better world and a better community.

Each class received a signed copy of his book. Grade four teacher Dianne Zuzevich received flowers and recognition  as a thank you for organizing the dedication with the school and Gottesfeld.

School Committee: No on Question 2

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The School Committee has again voted to endorse a “No” vote on ballot Question 2, as voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8. The measure asks voters to decide whether 12 new charter schools, or enrollment expansions in current charter schools, should be permitted each year.

The committee has come out against Question 2 in the past, but School Committee Chairman Robert Hayes urged a second commitment as Election Day nears.

“It never hurts to be strong,” he said.

By a 9-1 vote, with Whitman member Kevin Lynam dissenting, the committee joined the long list of state school committees as well as the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools, in opposing Question 2.

“There’s been quite a large amount of confusion about Question 2,” said Hayes. “When I see the [TV] ads I get nauseated that schools get funded better [with charter schools]. They do not.”

Lynam argued families should retain the right to choose what is best for their children and state funding formulas demand more significant change.

Question 2 proposes that schools would be transitioned off state aid per departing pupil over three years.

“I understand the funding thing,” Lynam said. “I think it’s crazy … there’s no reason they should be touching our local assessment.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner reminded committee members that they are allowed to use their official positions to make statements about ballot questions that relate to their position. They are also permitted to take official actions concerning ballot questions.

In fiscal 2013 about 30 students from Whitman and Hanson were enrolled in charter schools, costing the district just over $290,000 in state deductions from per-pupil allocations, according to Business Services Director Christine Suckow. There were 30 in 2015 costing the district $342,000. While the number of students enrolled in charter schools declined to 22, the district’s assessment from the state was $254,000. The district projects there will be 27 students, costing W-H just over $322,000.

The state assesses school districts the prior year’s per-pupil cost multiplied by the number of students. That figure is deducted from per-pupil funding.

“Hear me loud and clear,” Hayes said, addressing cable-access viewers. “What they tell you on the television ads is not true. … Numbers don’t lie.”

Suckow said there is a reimbursement, but it does not come close to recovering what the district loses. In 2014, W-H got a $64,000 reimbursement. For this year, it is expected to receive a $70,000 reimbursement.

“When they say it doesn’t cost, it does cost,” School Committee member Fred Small said. “It hits our budget, and it hits it hard.”

operating costs

Small pointed out that, if one student out of a class of 26 opts to attend a charter school, the costs of operating that classroom is spread over a lower pool of per-pupil dollars.

“They’re taking the numbers and the facts, and they’re twisting them so far from reality, it’s not funny,” Small said of the pro-Question 2 TV commercials.

The Massachusetts Information for Voters booklet on ballot questions provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office explains the issue and provides arguments on both sides.

“My personal feeling is fully fund our school district, give us all the resources that we need to do our job properly, and once we have those resources hold us accountable,” Small said. “Every child today deserves a good education … I’m afraid there are some kids that aren’t getting that within our district, because we don’t have the resources — and this just further drains it. It hurts and it’s wrong.”

School Committee member Robert Trotta said the question is part of an effort, going on for years, to privatize schools.

“When charter schools came in, they were supposed to be innovative,” Trotta said. “They’re finding that a lot of charter schools function as a public school.”

He said he looks at charters as a way to destroy public schools.

Lynam said a lot of things need to change.

“I think the state is pushing us off the cliff with education,” he said. “I envision that significant reform in education is necessary.”

   

Recreation changes ahead

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Report prompts policy revisions

HANSON —  The Board of Selectmen, Tuesday, Oct. 18, voted to accept all but one of Labor Counsel Leo J. Peloquin’s four recommendations for resolving issues with the management of Camp Kiwanee.

The board voted 4-0-1, with Selectman Don Howard abstaining, to go ahead with the hiring of a recreation director as funded by the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting, to require Selectmen and the town administrator to set rental rates and to require the commission to seek approval of discounted rates from the town administrator and a vote of Selectmen. The policies and procedures will be updated to reflect the votes.

They stopped short of requiring those who received past discounts to make up the difference.

“I’ve looked at the evidence,” said Selectmen Chairman James McGahan. “I think what we’re seeing here is evidence to support the claims that protocol is not being followed. I also see evidence here of poor record-keeping. It’s very clear.”

In a 31-page report to Selectmen, Peloquin of Collins, Loughran & Peloquin in Norwell concluded the Recreation Commission and senior caretaker “have often ignored the Board [of Selectmen]’s authority” and showed evidence of possible ethics violations in awarding rental contracts at Camp Kiwanee over the past six years.

“It’s a records-driven report,” Peloquin said during the meeting, repeating his assertion in the report that the conclusion might have changed had more witnesses cooperated.

Commissioners and Senior Caretaker James Flanagan refuted the report’s claims and will have until Nov. 30 to file corrections with Peloquin’s office.

“If someone has a [canceled] check for payment that we just missed for a payment, that’s one thing,” Peloquin said. “But when someone has some other correction that begs some question, and they haven’t answered the question before, you have to understand we’ve got to reserve the right to ask the question.”

He said corroborated challenges received by Nov. 30 could be reflected in an addendum to the report.

“After an initial reading of this report and noting the ‘evidence,’ we feel it is inflammatory, inaccurate, misleading, exaggerated, biased and offensive,” Sheila Morse read from a prepared statement by commission members in seeking 30 days to respond.

McGahan conceded some of the challenges — including an instance in which two contracts exist for the same event [see related story] — are worth looking into. He also advocates more security at the camp to protect the town.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Flanagan said after the meeting about the board’s action. “I’m a little disappointed that my name was mentioned so may times all over the newspapers. It kind of tarnished my name and the 10 years I did [work] up there. … I’m disappointed I’m not working there. I love the place.”

Flanagan resigned July 18 after problems scheduling an interview with investigators to work within the constraints of his full-time job as a second investigation stemming from an early July wedding arose.

“I find this report offensive and slanderous,” Flanagan had read from a statement during the meeting. “This report embellishes my job titles …. four different job titles that do not even exist in town bylaws. My job title was the same for nine years — part-time assistant caretaker.”

The report

Peloquin’s report dated Oct. 7  — supported by 276 pages of rental agreements, spreadsheets and contracts —  recommended that the town “needs a professional administrator to oversee Camp Kiwanee, including the management of Recreation Commission employees,” and that the town administrator should review all vendor contracts he has not signed to “determine whether to sign them, end them or renegotiate them.”

It also urged town officials to pursue fees owed from those who made personal use of Camp Kiwanee, at free or reduced rates, while serving on the commission or while working at the camp.

Peloquin indicated more cooperation with the investigation might have changed the outcome, and put the cost to the town for that lack of cooperation at more than $27,000.

“A lack of cooperation by key members of the Recreation Commission and all commission-appointed employees obstructed and delayed the completion of the investigation, not only increasing its cost, but also depriving the investigator of critical information.” Peloquin stated, adding, “Information withheld from the investigation may have resulted in different findings and conclusions.”

Peloquin charged that Recreation Commission members, employees, relatives or others connected to the Commission rented Camp Kiwanee for reduced rates — or paid nothing at all — on at least 50 occasions between 2010-16. The report charged that a program that allowed volunteers to transfer hours worked into “Kiwanee Cash,” which, “besides violating its own ‘no bartering’ policy … had clear ethics law implications.”

The report also singled out actions by former Commission Chairman David Blauss, commissioners Susan Lonergan and Flanagan as presenting ethical issues. Hickey’s actions centered on a refusal to cooperate with the investigation, while Blauss, Lonergan and Flanagan were singled out for improper use of the Camp.

Favoritism alleged

Blauss reportedy allowed his cousin, Tom Tobin, to stay for free at Camp Kiwanee cottage, which is supposed to rent for $100 per night, and arranged for his sister, Debbie Blauss, to contract with the commission to hold yoga classes in the lodge even after she stopped paying the 20 percent commission other vendors pay to conduct classes at the venues. Debbie Blauss was also permitted to post a sign at the base of Camp Kiwanee Road.

“How many times this happened cannot be determined, but Blauss himself admitted that he was doing it and believed it was acceptable because Tobin was serving as caretaker for Camp Kiwannee,” Peloquin reported about the cottage use.

Flanagan and Lonergan allegedly used the lodge on “several” occasions since 2010 without paying rent or paying a reduced rate, and the report charges Flanagan with improperly approving discounts for other users. Administrative Assistant Nicole Campbell and former Commissioner Maria McClellan — who cooperated in the investigation — also used or allowed relatives to use Needles Lodge free of charge.

Campbell, who had a contentious relationship with the commission before the investigation, dating back to the 2015 Hanson Day event when a group complained she had cut short its performance. An executive session during a commission  meeting led to her filing an Open Meeting Law (OML) violation complaint because she had not received advance notice and asked that the commission be disbanded, the report said. That complaint was upheld to the extent that the commission was ordered not to do it again and to watch an educational video on the OML. A second OML complaint she filed on whether she could use her personal tape recorder during meetings was resolved before it went to a decision.

The Commissioners also complained about Campbell’s job performance.

“Although neither side behaved appropriately, there was no illegal retaliation against Nicole Campbell, directly or indirectly, but he commissioners or commission employees because she fully cooperated with the investigation from the outset,” Peloquin also stated. Interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera had warned potential witnesses against retaliation on March 24, 2016.

Recreation commissioners Raymond, Francis O’Kane and Janet Agius also fully cooperated with the investigation, as did former department administrative assistants Annemarie Bouzan and Stacey Reed, according to the report.

Under a law accepted by Hanson Town Meeting in 2001, Selectmen set Camp Kiwanee rental rates. Use of the lodge may be donated, specifically, to Scout troops for weekly meeting between September and May, town budgeted departments for meetings with Recreation Commission approval and for town departments to hold one free event from Tuesday through Thursday in a calendar year.

Bartering to cover rental fees is not permitted.

Peloquin said there are no longer records from the Kiwanee Cash program, administered by McClellan, and outlined how Town Administrator René Read ordered that practice to cease when he first learned of it in 2012. Town Administrator Ron San Angelo had also taken action to halt free use of the Camp cottage.

Selectman Bruce Young also pointed out that former Town Administrator Michael Finglas had “given his blessing” to the Kiwanee Cash program when it was first established.

A ‘costly lesson’ being learned

By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com

HANSON — Unsigned rental contracts at Camp Kiwanee, which were at the center of concerns covered in Labor Counsel Leo J. Peloquin’s report to Selectmen regarding the Recreation Commission, can’t happen again, the board has warned.

“I can’t stress enough that our contracts have to be signed,” Selectmen Chairman James McGahan said after former commissioner Wes Blauss and his wife Joanne outlined repeated inconsistencies with approved contracts his mother Edna Howland obtained for the family’s annual Christmas party at Needles Lodge. “They have to be stamped with payment — all that. We have to be consistent with how this is done.”

All but two of the Howland contracts were not stamped and none were signed as the form required. Town Administrator Michael McCue said he has already begun to make those changes and has also revised the contract form to adhere to new policies and protocols — and to adhere to state ethics requirements.

“I’m already up there two to three times a week to review contracts,” McCue said. “I am signing them. We have revamped the whole contract.”

The Howland contracts provided a microcosm of the overall problem of a lack of adherence to protocol, Selectmen said of the decision to waive pursuit of funds lost to past questionable discounts.

“This has been a costly lesson for us, but I think it’s something that we needed to do in order to figure out what we need to fix,” McGahan said of the board’s decision.

“With everything that’s gone on, we don’t need to go after money,” Selectman Bill Scott said. “It’s a shame that we got to the point where we had to spend so much money to get to where we are. Hopefully, we can move forward as a result of this.”

The Blauss’ presentation featured enlarged copies of six of Howland’s contracts to rent the lodge over the years.

“This is data-driven from your report,” Joanne Blauss said.

“My mother’s name is mentioned more than a dozen times in this report,” Wes Blauss said, noting he represented her because of her poor health. “Edna Howland has no idea that she is named in this report — that she is in any way involved in this. … No one will say anything to Edna about this.”

Howland owed the town more than $1,000 because of discounts improperly approved for her, according to the report.

“Edna would never question. … Whatever she was told is what she paid,” he said.

There is a space for renters to sign the contracts, but neither Howland or anyone else did so, and all quoted a charge of $250 or $350 with no balance due, until a duplicate of the sixth contract was discovered for the party planned in 2015.

They contain four different dates on each form, and the contract they said is a duplicate includes hand-written amount of $110 owed after Howland’s sister, Maria McClellan had been told nothing was owed when she tried to pay the balance owed on a charge of $360. The original quoted a price of $250.

“I brought the original contract back to Mr. [interim Town Administrator Richard] LaCamera,” David Blauss said. “And you wonder why I did not cooperate with Mr. LaCamera? I brought that original one that said $250, that it was paid in full and, obviously, he never even shared it with town counsel.”

McGahan stressed that Peloquin’s point was that the Recreation Commission never approved the discounted price of $250.

Contracts for 2012 and 2013 were duplicates of each other, down to the date at the top of the contract, with a hand-written change of the date of the 2012 party — which originally read Dec. 15, 2011 and was altered to “Dec. 15, 2012.” The parties are always on a Saturday.

“As we sit here today, Edna Howland paid $250, she owes $110, but she doesn’t really, because someone told her $250 was OK,” Peloquin said, noting the commission voted to bill her.

“The bill was never sent out, and I want to make a point that Recreation Commission does not send out bills,” commissioner Susan Lonergan said.

McClellan said the family had taken the duplicate contract issue directly to LaCamera because they were aware of a conflict of interest, and that the Commission never knew about it.

“Probably 40 percent of the contracts [the report] refers to are not signed,” she said. “Therefore, they’re not contracts, they’re pieces of paper. They should be thrown out and not discussed.”

While he did not agree that the contracts should, or could, be discarded, McGahan agreed that, “This has got to be the worst case of record-keeping I have ever seen.”

The Blauss’ asserted that administrative assistants, and Annemarie Bouzan in particular, were not likely to be coerced by former Commission Chairman David Blauss or Senior Caretaker James Flanagan to approve improper contracts. They are seeking legal advice on the legality of the duplicate contracts.

“I have never in my life, told the administrative assistants what to charge anyone,” David Blauss said.

Wes Blauss said David Blauss, Flanagan, McCellan and Lonergan were “in a very vulnerable position” in the report because they stepped in to keep Camp Kiwanee operating with no support from Town Hall or the union when administrative assistants were out on extended sick or family leave time.

Resident Audrey Flanagan provided her own spreadsheets to Selectmen and Peloquin based on the rate sheets administrative assistants had been using in drawing up contracts.

“The spreadsheets Mr. Peloquin created were based on rates from 2010,” she said. “They changed over the years.”

Selectman Bruce Young maintained the board has always approved rates the Recreation Commission recommends, but takes issue with Peloquin’s assertion that if the commission wants to discount a rate, that selectmen had to approve it over the past six years, as that protocol had not been in place. He also questioned how it was possible that Flanagan could assume such power over camp responsibilities to the extend it is alleged he did.

“You can’t do it retroactively,” Young said of the rate protocols. “It isn’t fair to anybody.”

Others were concerned about apparent conflict of interest.

“When I read this report, a couple weeks ago or whatever, it was disappointing to me … as elected officials and appointed officials, we’re all municipal employees whether we get paid or not,” Selectman Kenny Mitchell said. “We still have to adhere to the laws of the state, especially [regarding] conflict of interest.”

“We really respect the volunteering and the work that’s been done in there, but technically we volunteer also,” Scott agreed. “If we break the rules or do something that people don’t like, they’re all over us like a wet suit. You don’t have the right to break the rules.”

Celebrating our local authors: Whitman Library plans series of writer appearances

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WHITMAN — Residents got a sneak peek on Thursday, Oct. 6 of Whitman Public Library’s November celebration of National Writing Month, which will feature a half-dozen author visits.

The Friends of the Whitman Public Library funds the series.

Braintree resident and novelist Jim Lynch discussed his work Oct. 6, and read excerpts of his 2014 book “The Longshoremen: Life on the Waterfront.” Come November, the series shifts to 6 p.m., on Mondays.

“We are giving a platform to local authors to display and promote their work,” said Library Director Andrea Rounds. “Local author series are really popular around here. … Everyone is excited about a different talk.”

Among the authors slated to appear [see box, page 9] are: Terri Arthur who wrote, “Fatal Decision: Edith Cavell, World War I Nurse,” on Nov. 14; Faye George, author of, “Voices of King Philip’s War,” on Nov. 21 and — wrapping things up on Dec. 12 is Whitman photographer, writer and artist Russ DuPont.

DuPont suggested the program.

“I’m a writer and I thought it would be interesting for Whitman [Library] to do something like this,” DuPont said before Lynch’s talk. “She did the gathering. … I just finished some stuff and had been giving some readings in Boston and it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen anything here like that in a while.”

“He’s in the library all the time,” Rounds said of DuPont’s support for library programs.

Rounds saw Terri Arthur at a book talk while she was on vacation on the Cape this summer and jumped at the chance to book her for the series.

“That book talk is right around Veterans’ Day, so it’s pretty timely,” Rounds said. “The writer is a nurse herself.”  The King Philip’s War talk takes place three days before Thanksgiving.

“This was in our community, we are right in the area where this happened,” she said. “So we are thrilled that we can have Faye George come and speak about that book.”

Lynch, too, wrote about a subject to which he has a personal experience — he and his father, who emigrated from Ireland in 1918, were both longshoremen. His first book, “The Hook and the Badge,” [2008] is a mystery that also takes place on the Boston waterfront.

“The Longshoremen” intertwines the stories of three families and how they survived working the waterfront and its archaic hiring system called the shape-up.

Lynch spoke about the storyline of the book, how he got into longshoring and the history and function of the old hiring system. He then answered audience questions before signing copies of his book that were purchased.

“I knew [his father] worked on ships, but I didn’t know exactly what he did,” Lynch said of his teen years. “The furthest thing from my mind, growing up, was to be a longshoreman.”

But, after graduating from Mission Church High School in 1950, that’s where he went to work after a brief stint as a messenger boy earning 75 cents an hour.

Longshoremen could earn as much as $2 an hour straight time and, as the son of a longshoreman, he could inherit his father’s union card. His father had died in 1944.

There was a downside to that pay scale, however.

“You never knew when you were going to work, you never knew how much money you were going to be making,” he said, and has reflected in his characters’ struggles in the book.

In the shape-up, the longshoremen would stand in front of the stevedores who would call those they knew first — by name — for work. Those left, if needed, would be pointed to and union cards had to indicate dues were up-to-date for them to begin working.

Much of the work once done by longshoremen on cargo vessels is now done by automation on giant container ships. The shape-up is also now a thing of the past on the waterfront, Lynch said.

Born and raised in Charlestown, Lynch had worked as a longshoreman for 20 years before he became a teacher, including at Silver Lake Regional, Halifax and Pembroke schools, for special needs students and a basketball coach. The latter is something, at 83, he still enjoys doing at the Woodward School in Quincy and plays volleyball “a couple of times a week” and swims a lot.

“In the old days, people stayed in shape by working hard — they didn’t have to go to a gym,” he said.

They say the best advice for writers is to write what you know, and Lynch said that is exactly why he writes about the waterfront.

“The three things I know about are basketball, longshoring and teaching,” he said before his program. “I had some free time on my hands [after his 1996 retirement from teaching] and that’s when I started writing.”

His love of reading mysteries and thrillers informed the style of his first book. His characters are mainly composites of real people he knew and/or worked with, including main character Jimmy McGowan, who he based on himself — and he outlines each character’s physical appearance and personality before beginning a book.

“If you sit down and try to make it up as you go along, I didn’t find it worked,” Lynch said.

Lynch’s best advice to would-be writers?

“The best advice is to write and study writers,” he said. “I got into a writing group a couple of times and it didn’t work out, but if you can get into a good writing group, that helps a lot.”

Blighted house is auctioned

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WHITMAN — A blighted house at 35 East Ave., vacant for about a decade, now has a new owner and will soon be renovated — and returned to the tax rolls.

The boarded up house, across the street from the rodent-infested house torn down at 36 East Ave., on Nov. 12, 2015, was purchased by James Bowen of Middleborough during a street-side auction on Friday, Oct. 7.

The houses date to about the 1870s.

Minimum bid for the auctioned house was $85,000. Bowen bought it for $103,000 after a short bidding war with another interested party after the price had climbed to $100,000.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam reported to Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 11 that the cost of sale — for the auctioneer and advertising — was $4,500. The town nets more than $99,000 and, even after the $86,897 in total carrying costs for the property while it stood vacant, the town “comes out on this property as whole as we would have” if it had never been vacant.

Bowen operates rental properties, mostly in Brockton and Lakeville, Middleborough and Avon. This is the first of some 40 projects he’s done that will be in Whitman. He used to work for Shadley Brothers on Day Street, however, so he knows something about the town.

He plans to put on a new roof to weatherproof it within the next few weeks.

“I like old houses,” he said of his plans to renovate instead of tearing it down. “I just did one over from the 1880s so I know the old houses and it seemed like a good investment.”

Auctioneer Samantha Saperstein of the Paul Saperstein Co. of Holbrook began the bidding at 11 a.m., asking if all qualified bidders had registered and if there were any questions. As a town sale, and not a foreclosure, she was not required to read a legal notice before opening the bidding.

One person asked if any taxes were due on the property.

“We’re not seeking taxes, we just want to sell it,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam. “You start getting taxed the day you own the property.”

He and Building Inspector Bob Curran represented the town at the auction.

“This is a big step,” Curran said, noting the rest of East Avenue is a beautiful neighborhood. “This was the worst part of it.”

“Whatever you bid here today is what you close at closing,” Saperstein said. “A few of you have asked about two-family housing … If you go to just rehab it, as it is, you can do what you want with it — if you have the proper permits. If you tear it down, I believe you’ll have to go in front of the zoning board [ZBA] and get the proper permits to do a two-family home.”

The property had not been a legal multi-family home in the past.

“[Paul] Saperstein is a preeminent auction house,” Lynam said.

A neighborhood resident, who has lived on the street for 71 years said it was good to see something done with the problem properties.

“It was sad to see that one go,” she said gesturing to the vacant lot where the 36 East Ave. house stood. “This one — I don’t know how old it is, but it was certainly here when I moved on the street.”

Greasing government wheels

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Whitman mulls streamlined bill paying option

WHITMAN — Who should sign on the dotted line?

The Board of Selectmen is seeking more information from Town Counsel Michelle McNulty before designating a member to sign off on payroll warrants.

Chiefly, Selectmen want to know if an alternate can fill that role, or must it be a permanent assignment?

Right now, no fewer than three selectmen must sign each warrant before the town treasurer is authorized to release the funds.

The Municipal Modernization bill, MGL Ch 218 §57, allows a board to designate one selectman to sign the warrants on behalf of the board until it can meet for a vote, Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

“I’m suggesting the board consider this because sometimes it’s difficult to get warrants signed quickly enough to not hold checks for an additional week,” he said. “It would not necessarily change how the board views and approves warrants because the cover page of each warrant would be available to all members at the next meeting.”

Selectmen Chairman Carl Kowalski asked if obtaining the three signatures had ever been an issue. Lynam said it has proved to be so on occasion.

“What the state is recognizing is that, in the normal course of events, many times the selectmen don’t have an opportunity to review some of these things until they meet, and this provides an alternative,” Lynam said. “I’m not suggesting that you necessarily vote it tonight, but you be aware of the option.”

Lynam expressed doubt that a floater would be permitted because the chapter’s language is so particular in reference to “one selectman,” but that McNulty is reviewing it.

Selectman Dan Salvucci had suggested the review because he thought selection of an alternate, could work around vacations.

Lynam said there was always the option of going to the current requirement of three signatures in such a case.

In other business, the board granted the request of Robert Hayes’ Easy Auto Rentals Inc., DBA Auto Towne Truck Sales for a Class II Auto Dealer’s License at 808 Bedford St.

“He’s done a fantastic job at that location,” said Selectman Brian Bezanson. “The building has been transformed into a top-notch place.”

Hayes, who chairs the School Committee, returned the compliment to the Whitman DPW for work repairing frost-heave damage to sidewalks at Whitman schools and WHRHS. His remarks echoed those of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner in a letter to the Board, which Kowalski read aloud.

Hayes said the School Committee had received some hefty bids on the project and that the DPW did the work at a savings to the town of a “substantial amount of money.”

“I think we came out with a better product than we might have done if we had bid it out,” he said.

“They did an amazing job fixing up those walkways,” Lynam agreed.

Hayes also stressed the importance of the strategic plan/budget discussion to which selectmen and finance committees from both towns were invited at the Wednesday, Oct. 12 School Committee meeting.

“The school district is trying to put forward and earlier budget meeting so … more people will come,” he said. “By getting everybody together earlier, it might be easier to understand the total budget and the impact on the towns.”

Selectmen also voted to maintain the $250 per year solid waste fee for fiscal 2017.

Hanson joins Community Compact

HANSON — Selectmen, state Rep. Josh Cutler, Town Hall employees and public safety leaders joined Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito Tuesday, Oct. 11 to celebrate Hanson’s becoming the 236th Commonwealth community to join the Commonwealth Community Compact Best Practices Program.

That means Hanson agrees to implement at least one best government practice outlined under an executive order signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in January 2015 — and brings with it more access to state grant funds.

Hanson town officials hope grants can help with the reuse of the former Plymouth County Hospital site as well as the Main Street Economic Target Area. The program also provides the expertise needed to help communities plan for uses that best suit the community and carries $500 million in MassWorks program for infrastructure improvements and leverages private dollars for investment, as well.

“This [compact] is yours,” Polito said. “No other community in the commonwealth has this kind of structure that you’re looking to reuse, and that’s the beauty of this kind of partnership.”

“We have reached out to the state to ask if we could become a member of the Commonwealth Community Compact,” Town Administrator Michael McCue said in opening the afternoon ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 11. “What the state is so graciously willing to do is lend its expertise — any sort of guidance, any sort of help they can — in a number of different areas.”

Selectmen Chairman James McGahan was working and unable to attend the event.

“The vision that the governor and I had I coming into office, and now in office, is to strengthen Massachusetts through every city and town across our state,” Polito said. “What we knew coming in, as former selectmen … is that the work that you do at the local level — you are on the front lines, literally — where people express their concerns, their frustrations, their hopes for their community. You need all the resources and tools to be able to do your job.”

The Commonwealth Community Compact was intended as a signal from the start that they appreciate local government, Polito said.

“In order for us to be successful, you need to be successful,” she said, listing the release of Chapter 90 funds to improve roads, increase Local Aid and use the Municipal Modernization bill to help local governments do the job.

Best Practices is also intended to strengthen ties between Beacon Hill and town halls, according to Polito.

“You choose to be part of this Community Compact,” she said. “It also needs to be funded. We know, as local officials, that we can’t have any more unfunded mandates. They just don’t work.”

Communities also decide what their priorities will be.

“I think all the towns and cities of Massachusetts appreciate the outreach the administration has done,” McCue said, noting the background both she and Baker bring to the table as former selectmen.

Polito nodded to Cutler in thanking legislators for supporting the program by funding the budget.

“The Baker-Polito Administration has been a terrific partner for municipalities,” Cutler said, noting the Municipal Modernization, or “weed-whacking,” bill the administration supported as well. “This particular [program] for Hanson is so important for economic development.”

He noted that the Plymouth County Hospital site and Route 27 corridor are keys to economic development in Hanson.

“As a Hanson state Rep., I’m delighted to see the town taking this proactive step,” Cutler said after the ceremony. “It’s great to have a lieutenant governor right here in Hanson talking about an issue that’s so important to so many residents, which is the Plymouth County Hospital redevelopment and Main Street.”

Schools reassure parents on student safety

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Reports of “scary clown” sightings at some Massachusetts school districts has prompted Whitman-Hanson Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner and Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Support Services Patrick Dillon to assure the school community that safety is a priority.

“There has been a national trend of clown sightings designed to create disruption in the community and within school districts,” the district’s statement reads. “WHRSD has not experienced such a disruption, however, neighboring communities have. We continue to monitor such events and will work with Whitman and Hanson police departments to prosecute individuals for their actions leading to any disruption of school assembly.”

Gilbert-Whitner and Dillon assure students, parents and the community that all events that threaten the safety and security of students, staff, and W-H campuses become top priorities and are addressed immediately.
“The Whitman Hanson School District as well as the Whitman and Hanson Police Departments appreciate the community’s continued support in keeping students and staff safe,” they said.

 

 

Sept 29. Main Street Home invasion Update

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HANSON — A search of a Main Street apartment last week has led to the arrest of residents Jennifer Best, 26, and Marlon Teixeira, 27, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, according to Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch.

Arrest warrants were obtained from Plymouth District Court for both Best and Teixeira of 230 Main St., Apt. 2 on charges of trafficking in Fentanyl and possession of a Class E substance. Hanson Police executed a search warrant at the residence as a result of information gathered from the reported breaking and entering.

“This apartment was the apparent target of the four individuals that had broken into the home earlier in the day [Sept. 29],” Miksch stated in a press release.

Seized in the search warrant was approximately 48 grams of a white powdery substance believed to be Fentanyl, $20,000 in cash, a small amount of pills (Xanax and Gabapentin), scales, and plastic baggies.

“Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid pain medication that has led to thousands of overdose deaths each year around the country,” Miksch said.

Arrested on Sept. 29 and held pending a dangerousness hearing Oct. 6 in Plymouth District Court were Anthony Marcelino, 22, of Warren Ave., Brockton and Andrew Jorge, 31, of Vermont Ave., Brockton. Two other subjects are still wanted in connection with the breaking and entering.

hanson-be-092616-update-2

Police have released photos two people begin sought in connection with the Sept. 29 from the Hanson home invasion. Anyone with information on the identity of the individual is asked to call Hanson Police at 781-293-4625.

Police have released photos two people begin sought in connection with the Sept. 29 from the Hanson home invasion. Anyone with information on the identity of the individual is asked to call Hanson Police at 781-293-4625.

 

On Oct. 5, Hanson Police along with Stoughton Police, U.S Marshals, Pembroke, Brockton, and State police located Best and Teixeira at a home on Lowe Avenue in Stoughton.

“Upon entry into the home to arrest Ms. Best and Mr. Teixeira officers located approximately 100 grams of Fentanyl and $1,100 in U.S. currency as well as drug packaging materials,” Miksch stated. “Lowe Ave in Stoughton is located next to a public school.”

Best and Texeira were arrested and transported back to the Hanson Police Department for booking. Best was held overnight at the Hanson Police Department on $100,000 cash bail for arraignment Oct. 5 in Plymouth District Court.

Teixeira was held at the Plymouth County House of Correction on $100,000 cash bail for arraignment Thursday, Oct. 6 in Plymouth District Court.

Stoughton Police will be seeking charges in Stoughton District Court on both Best and Teixeira.The Hanson Police are still searching for two individuals who were involved in the breaking and entering on Sept. 29.

The Hanson Police would like to recognize and thank the following agencies for their hard work on taking these dangerous drug and guns off the street while apprehending Best and Teixeira:

Stoughton Police, Pembroke Police, Whitman Police, State Police assigned to the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and K9 Unit, Brockton Police, U.S. Marshal’s Office, and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department.

 

 

 

Water union contract Ok’d

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HANSON — Voters at special Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 3 voted to hire a Recreation Director — at least through June 30, 2017 — and to spend an estimated $1.8 million to tear down the former Plymouth County Hospital, but neither issue was the focus of much debate.

That distinction went largely to the ratification of a collective bargaining agreement between the Water Department, Board of Water Commissioners and members of the AFSCME Local 1700 Water Union.

The Board of Selectmen, which had previously voted to place a hold on the article, voted 4-0 against recommending its passage in a session before Town Meeting. Selectman Don Howard, who is also a Water Commissioner, abstained. The Finance Committee had voted to recommend it.

Selectmen’s concerns centered on the amount of the pay raise in the new contract, which the Town Meeting passed a counted vote of 54-31. The contract grants a 4-percent raise for the first year — 2 percent in salary and 2 percent in cost of living — and 3 percent cost of living increase in the second and third years.

“It was a strategic decision,” said Selectmen Chairman James McGahan, noting other unions negotiated 2-percent raises. “It was a fairness issue, also, for myself and most of the board.”

“It’s not in line with the other union [contracts] we just negotiated back in May,” said Selectman Kenny Mitchell. “In my opinion, the increases should be similar.”

“This article is a bargaining agreement between the Hanson Water Department and its union,” said Commissioner Gil Amado, who said the agreement does not bring the union members above any other town. “The Hanson Water Department negotiated in good faith with its union. … It’s not like were trying to give money away.”

Former Finance Committee member Pepper Santalucia said the issue comes town to Hanson’s organizational structure.

“There’s boards and commissions for everything, and, frankly, if the Board of Selectmen want to be more involved in how the Water Department and commission negotiates with its union, it should look at consolidating functions — perhaps a department of public works,” he said. “They negotiated with their union and we’re just here to formalize that.”

In consideration of another article seeking $50,000 to update the Water Department Master Plan, High Street resident Mark Vess asked if officials would commit to include designation of a second well site in that plan.

“I support the Water Department 100 percent,” Vess said, citing water problems going on across the country. “Right now, I’m concerned that you don’t have enough tools to do the job, with this drought that’s been with us for over a year. … We’ve run at 100-percent capacity of our well field this summer.”

He said the answer is not so much a new water tower as a new water supply.

“We need to make sure that Brockton Water never flows through our pipes again,” Vess said.

“I’m going to make sure on that,” Howard said.

PCH tear-down

The PCH demolition is overdue and likely to cost more the longer the facility is allowed to further deteriorate, voters were told. The annex building was partially razed into its foundation and encapsulated in plastic last week as an emergency measure after it collapsed.

“Each day, each month, each week, each year we let this go on it just costs more,” said abutter David Soper of 176 High St., a former selectman who had also served on the last PCH Reuse Committee. “Times have changed. There are developers out there who aren’t willing to take chances like they used to. It is time that we take this building down and move on and let Hanson close this chapter.”

The $1.8 million cost of the project, which will go out to bid, would include removal of the foundation and hazardous material — including asbestos, and PCBs contained in caulking — are also factored into the cost.

Selectman Bruce Young noted the sale of some tax title properties as well as the Streeter house on the PCH property would go toward reducing the cost to the town.

Young also explained that, in regard to the recreation director, a salary of $50,000 per year was approved at the May 2016 Town Meeting. The $35,000 sought in the article Monday reflected a six-month salary of $25,000 plus benefits. The ultimate salary would depend on the hours and pay grade negotiated between the town and the person hired.

Honoring Mann

Before getting underway the 118 voters convened in Town Meeting observed a moment of silence in honor of former Town Moderator Charles Mann.

“This is our first Town Meeting in a very long time without [him],” Moderator Sean Kealy said. “He started his public service back in 1963 when he got elected to the school board.”

Mann was Hanson’s state representative and moderator for many years.

“He was a great friend to me, one of the very first people I got to know when I moved to town,” Kealy said.

Kealy also offered public thanks to, and led a round of applause for, the public safety and school officials who ensured school children’s safe transportation home during a search for suspects in the Sept. 29 home invasion incident.

Register to vote by Oct. 19

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With the presidential election a little more than a month away, voters are reminded of some important dates.

The deadline for registering to vote in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 election is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 24, concluding on Friday, Nov. 4.

“Registered voters do not need an excuse or reason to vote early,” said Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan. “The first step is making sure you are registered.”

Sloan is ready for early voting, having set up four voting booths — two handicapped accessible — behind the counter in her office. In Whitman, the early voting booths are now on display in the corridor outside the Town Clerk’s office, but will be moved into the auditorium by Oct. 24.

Absentee voting will also be conducted as usual for the Nov. 8 Election Day.

“Anyone who is 18 on or before Nov. 8 can vote, but must register by Oct. 19,” Whitman Town Clerk Dawn Varley said. “A lot of the young kids think they can’t vote because the deadline is Oct. 19.”

Whitman early voting hours [Oct. 24 to Nov. 4] are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and special hours on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The application deadline for early voting by mail is noon on Friday, Nov. 4. The Whitman Town Clerk’s office will be closed to all non-election business on Nov. 8.

In Hanson, early voting is available during business hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.  Registered voters also have the option to request an early voting ballot through the mail. Simply fill out an application and mail it to Town Clerk, 542 Liberty Street Hanson, MA 02341.

Former Gov. Deval Patrick signed the election reform law on May 22, 2014 to allow early voting in state biennial elections, starting 11 business days before an election and ending two business days before Election Day.

The election reform law also permits early registration for 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, although they would not be permitted to cast ballots until age 18. For more information on registering to vote or to obtain an early voting by mail application, visit the Secretary of State’s website at sec.state.ma.us.

The law also requires the state to audit 3 percent of precincts during presidential election years to make sure voting machines are working correctly. It establishes a task force to pin down the cost and administrative requirements of the early voting provision and examine other voting issues such as same-day voter registration.

A Republican-backed provision for voter ID cards was rejected by lawmakers.

Making plans

Expecting a 75-percent turnout for the presidential election, Varley has asked for, and received, Whitman Selectmen’s support for safety procedures she plans to institute at Town Hall on that date. The measures have been used before in high-turnout elections and center on restricting parking and charitable solicitations.

Town Hall employees and election workers will be required to park at the police station on Election Day to free up Town Hall parking for voters. Employees and election workers will be shuttled to Town Hall. Parking along South Avenue from Day Street to the center of town will be limited to a half-hour on a temporary basis.

The 150-foot “no electioneering” rule around Town Hall will be enforced, including fundraising efforts by Dollars for Scholars and other groups.

Voters have also been receiving the “Massachusetts Information for Voters” booklet on the 2016 Ballot Questions from the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin.

Voters’ guide

The 29-page, newsprint booklet provides the text and summaries of the four questions, an explanation of what yes and no votes will do, a statement of fiscal consequences, and arguments from representatives on both sides of each issue.

A clip-out voter checklist is printed on the back cover for voters to use to note how they intend to vote as a pocket reference to take with them to the polls.

Question 1 refers to expanded slot-machine gaming; Question 2 asks whether charter schools should be expanded in the state; Question 3 refers to the conditions in which farm animals are raised and Question 4 involves whether marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed.

The booklet is mailed to residential addresses of registered voters, group quarters and convenient public locations throughout the state. To obtain a copy, call Galvin’s Elections Division at 617-727-2828 or 1-800-VOTE (8683) or the Citizen Information Service at 617-727-7030.