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Building panel sets new course

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WHITMAN — As the town’s Buildings, Facilities and Capital Expenditures Committee met to close the book on fiscal 2016 Thursday, June 30 it reorganized, reviewed its responsibilities and looked to the next phase of a Public Works building.

Work on test borings involved in the DPW project, involving a new garage facility, were allowed to start with the new fiscal year July 1 and must be done before a structural engineer is brought in to design a foundation, according to committee member and Building Inspector Robert Curran.

Town Meeting approved funds for site assessment and design within the fiscal 2017 budget.

“If we can stay on this, we can probably have a project scope and reasonable cost estimates before the end of the calendar year,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam. “[That] would give us a decent amount of time to hold public meetings and hearings and make sure people know what we’re doing and are informed enough to come out and make a decision on it at the next annual [Town] Meeting.”

The aim would be to begin construction — should the project be approved — by about December 2017.

“The major focus of the committee for the next 24 months or so is going to be building a DPW building,” he said.

Lynam said the committee has assumed the duties of the Capital Advisory Committee in addition to its role as a building committee.

“We have tried for several years to get an effective Capital Advisory Committee but, for whatever reason, it just never worked,” Lynam said. He then went to the Board of Selectmen asking for a redefined role for the Buildings, Facilities and Capital Expenditures Committee and dissolve the Capital Advisory Committee. Town Meeting voted to do so by amending the by-laws in May.

“This committee is now charged with capital facilities and capital expenditures,” he said. “We are concerned with ensuring that our infrastructure and major capital purchases are reviewed and evaluated and that a recommendation is made.”

He stressed that, going forward, the committee would “have a voice in all major projects and in all significant capital expenditures” looking at them from both a utility and cost standpoint.

Because of the DPW project, Lynam said he has been urging that department to get “somebody very involved” in the Buildings, Facilities and Capital Expenditures Committee and DPW Commissioner Wayne Carroll was appointed. A Whitman resident and retired Hanson firefighter, Carroll will play an important role on the panel.

“Wayne is what I would call a frugal person,” Lynam said. “He’s willing to pay for what needs to be done but he’s not a ‘let’s throw money at it and see if it works’ kind of guy.”

Carroll was also elected to take over the chairmanship from Lynam, whose duties have increased since the departure of Assistant Town Administrator Greg Enos this spring. Lynam will stay on as a member, as required by his position, and will serve as vice chairman with Selectman Dan Salvucci remaining as clerk.

Right now, Lynam said he has $163,009 in projects pending for the Green Communities grant to deal with, as well as three projects under the Community Compact — $25,000 for a wage and personnel study, $15,000 for solar energy project analysis and some $10,000 for the reuse plan for the old Regal property. Mass Development funded an environmental study that has found cadmium and chromium on the site.

“Chromium can either be your friend or your enemy,” he said, noting he signed an extension agreement with Mass Development, allowing them to continue their research on the 17-acre site next to the railroad station. “We’re waiting for those studies to be completed.”

In other business, Lynam noted that some issues remain which have delayed completion of the Town Hall air-conditioning project. The project account has $69,680 left in it, but some of that has to be reserved to repair the auditorium floor, where past humidity problems have caused it to buckle.

Due to a complication following replacement of the Town Hall’s computer network core switch, the network in place was not communicating with a faster switch, and the slower device for the air-conditioning network was not communicating with the server, causing heat and humidity problems in the auditorium a few weeks ago.

A hub was installed to slow down the network and permit the necessary system communication without affecting the rest of the network.

There is also an issue with smoke controls designed to close the air vents in case of fire that town officials have not been able to link to the fire panel because that panel is proprietory — and license has been taken over by the Tyco Corp.

“Only one company in the world can take care of it, and they won’t give us the codes,” Lynam said. “We are working to get those codes.”

The care and feeding of your workout:Just For You Personal Training adds nutrition store to business plan

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HANSON — Expansion may not be good for one’s waistline, but for business it’s an indication of a healthy bottom line. When an expansion offers additional services that complements the main business, so much the better.

Personal Trainer and Nutritionist Phil Johnson, owner of Just For You Personal Training, 1000 Main St., Hanson has undertaken just such an expansion.

Last month, he and his wife LaToya opened the doors of the Just For You Nutrition Store in a space once occupied by Attic Fanatic’s display studio in the same building.

Just For You Personal Training has been in business since December 2013, also intended to help expand the business Johnson began in 2010 in Hanover and then Halifax, and it seemed to create a need for the nutrition store almost immediately.

“I just decided to do it because there was nothing like this in the area,” Phil said. “My clients kept asking what they should have, what they should eat. They’d always have to go other places at long distances, so I thought, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

Clients can frequently be overheard comparing notes on items they’ve tried from the nutrition store as they go through pre-workout warm ups in the gym.

LaToya helped her husband put the store together as a kind of convenience store for the health-conscious — and they’ve benefited from strong word-of-mouth and Facebook recommendations.

“It seems every week, more and more people find out about us and come,” she said.

As if on cue, a woman who lives in Avon came into the store looking for Halo Top low-calorie/high protein ice cream.

“It seems like everyone wants that,” LaToya said.

“They’re talking about it a lot at Weight Watchers,” the woman said, noting a serving is only four points on the diet program’s scale based on the nutrient content of foods.

The Johnsons’ market research took them to other health food stores in the area and through countless Internet sites as well as customer requests.

“Phil knew more than me with the nutrition end, because he took classes on nutrition,” LaToya said. “I knew some, but doing the store, I’ve learned a lot more.”

Halo Top was one of the brand names and general food categories customers have been requesting, LaToya said. The dairy-based ice cream is low-fat — only 240 calories per pint — with 24 grams of protein and is organic. It contains no artificial softeners to make it seem creamier (it doesn’t need them), and as a result melts slower.

They also carry non-dairy ice cream such as Coconut Bliss, made with coconut milk, and Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy, made with almond milk.

There are several brands that shoppers at grocery and specialty food stores will recognize, too: Anna’s Swedish Thins cookies, Stacy’s pita chips, Weetabix cereal, Kind health bars, Envirokids cereals, Hodgson’s Mill, Bob’s Red Mill, Simply Asia and Thai Kitchen prepared foods. Nut-free, organic, Indian vegetarian and gluten-free foods are also available.

“There’s a lot of stuff here that they can just grab and warm it up in the microwave or something,” LaToya said. “Some of the stuff you can find in the other stores but a lot of it, you can’t.”

The idea is a convenient way of finding a healthy item you want without having to search through a large grocery store for it.

“You can just come in and you know whatever you’re getting is going to be good for you,” she said.

The aim of the store has always been to carry all different kinds of nutritional supplements and healthy foods.

“We started with the proteins and we did a range of them, and then added the foods,” she said. “We even ended up getting spices.”

Dugouts dedicated to a hero

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Whitman native Maj. Michael J. Donahue’s dedication to community and country were again honored Sunday, June 26 — this time by dedication of the home team baseball and softball field dugouts at the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, from which he graduated in 1990.

“It’s unbelievable what the VFW has done for our community,” said Athletic Director Bob Rodgers. “As they come back to our community, they continue to serve us and teach our young people what it means to give back.”

It seemed as if Maj. Donahue wanted to take part in the ceremony, too, as a breeze lifted away the cloth covering a memorial plaque that was to be unveiled during the ceremony in front of the baseball dugout. One will also be placed at the softball field.

“The wind didn’t want me to wait any longer — it wanted the people to see it,” said outgoing VFW Men’s Auxiliary President Donnie Westhaver who hosted the event.

The dugouts were built with funds raised by the Whitman VFW Auxiliary along with the W-H baseball and softball teams. Army Maj. Donahue, who was assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C., was killed in action by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 16, 2014. He had also worked as an assistant professor at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., before being deployed.

Whitman had held a memorial vigil in his memory on Oct. 19, 2014 at Whitman Park. On this Sunday, his sister Joanne Nickerson and her children, veterans, some W-H student athletes, Whitman and Hanson town and school district officials dedicated the dugouts in the hope that generations of young people will think of him when they play there.

“It means a lot to our family, just to keep his memory and honor alive,” Nickerson said after the ceremony. “The towns of Whitman and Hanson have been amazing for us. It is a very touching day.”

Westhaver read from a newspaper account of Maj. Donahue’s death and listed the citations he was awarded during his military career: Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, the Iraq Campaign medal with one campaign star, the Korean Defense Service Medal, The Combat Action Medal and the Senior Parachute Badge.

“We’re honored and proud to dedicate two plaques to both home field dugouts,” Westhaver said. “The plaques will be presented to the schools this week and they’ll place them on both dugouts.”

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes accepted the dugout dedication on behalf of the School District saluted Maj. Donahue’s commitment to country.

“There’s always one message that I try to give to the students and that’s commitment,” Hayes said. “I ask everybody, when you drive by this field — when you look at this wonderful facility — to remember Maj. Donahue. Keep him in your thoughts because he made the ultimate sacrifice for the very freedom we stand here and enjoy today.”

School Committee member Fred Small, who worked with Westhaver to organize the event, also spoke to the gathering, thanking WHRHS Facilities Department and central office staff for the work of constructing the dugouts.

“This has a very special meaning,” he said. “I didn’t know Maj. Donahue, [but] as I’ve gotten involved with Donnie a little bit … you realize how precious our freedoms are and how many people, both in our towns and overseas, are really out there for us.”

Also attending the ceremony, but not making formal remarks were Whitman Town Administrator Frank Lynam and Hanson Selectmen Chairman James McGahan. State representatives Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, and Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, were not able to attend. Donahue’s wife and other family members were also unable to attend.

“It was very nicely presented,” Lynam said of the ceremony. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the schools to develop something they need and recognize a graduate who served his community well.”

McGahan agreed.

“We should be doing more things like this for our veterans,” he said. “What an honor it is to give this kind of recognition.”

July 4 Field Day

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WHITMAN — There’s a new twist to the Family Field Day games at Whitman Park this July 4 — at least there’s one in the works — in the form of a greased watermelon relay.

The object would be for teams to pass said melon, slathered in vegetable shortening, from person to person without dropping it. Recreation Director Oliver Amado said the event is probable, but things could change.

What is definite is that there will be a few changes this year to bring out the crowds, including a water slide and police and fire vehicles for the kids to explore.

“We really want to see this take off,” Amado said of the Recreation Commission’s program. “I expect more people than last year.”

The day’s events begin at 8:15 a.m., with the annual 5K Fun Run — registration is from 7:30 to 8 a.m. A bike and carriage decorating contest takes place at 9:30 a.m., with field day games literally running (jumping and tossing) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The town pool is open, free of charge, for Whitman residents from 1 to 5 p.m.

State Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, plans to supply watermelon slices for refreshment and the Boy Scouts will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks and snacks to benefit Scout programs.

The 5K race will go on, rain or shine, unless there is lightning in the area, Amado said. Other events will depend on the amount of rain in the forecast, with updates available on the Recreation Department’s Facebook page.

The 2015 event was not thoroughly publicized due to the departure of the director shortly before the Fourth of July, Amado said. This year, fliers were sent out to schools and the event and summer park and recreation programs have been publicized more, including via mass e-mail.

The public will also be asked for suggestions at the Field Day about what they’d like to see added in coming years. For example, a basketball-related event is already being explored, and one person had suggested a greased pole-climbing contest for a donated $100 prize at the top — an idea rejected as unworkable.

“There was something about grease this year,” Amado recalled.

Another idea, rejected because of the potential for injury, was from a person in Braintree suggesting the Fire Department spray nontoxic foam on the field for kids to run through.

The potential for collisions in poor visibility rendered it a non-starter, Amado said.

Town officials remind residents that personal fireworks are also a poor choice for holiday entertainment.

Selectman Brian Bezanson, during the June 21 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, urged residents to be considerate of neighbors if they insist on flouting the state law prohibiting personal fireworks.

“It’s great that everybody has enthusiasm to celebrate the great country we have,” he said. “You have to remember your neighbors.”

Veterans and people’s pets can both be affected by the noise.

“[For veterans] it can bring back some nasty memories,” Bezanson said. “So think twice before you just, willy-nilly, shoot off these fireworks because it can be devastating to your neighbors.”

ConCom officers out: Selectmen vote against reappointing chair, vice chair

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen have voted against re-appointing Conservation Commission Chairman John Kemmett and Vice Chairman Frank Schellenger.

In a tie vote, with Selectman Bruce Young abstaining, Kemmett’s reappointment was rejected Tuesday, June 28. Selectmen Don Howard and Kenny Mitchell vote for Kemmett with Selectman Bill Scott and Chairman James McGahan voted against him. Schellenger was not even nominated for reappointment.

Several residents, both at the meeting and via e-mail, had voiced support for both Kemmett and Schellenger.

Earlier in the meeting Selectmen also accepted with regret the resignation of Conservation Commission Clerk Brad Kirlin and voted 5-0 to appoint two new members — Sharon LePorte and William Woodward.

Both Kemmett and Schellenger are legally allowed to continue serving on the commission until replacements are appointed, according to Town Counsel Jay Talerman.

The votes came with little comment from selectmen, but followed a heated exchange between Kemmett and Young.

Resident Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett  had questioned whether LePorte and Woodward’s past work on wetlands delineations for projects before the Conservation Commission would present a conflict of interest, and supported her husband’s reappointment. Delineations are reviews of land on which development is proposed to determine the boundaries of wetlands.

“I’d like to know if Ms. LePorte has done any work in Hanson, specifically on the Main Street property,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I’d like to know if [she] has done work on the cranberry site, which has been the subject of quite a bit of contention, particularly with the Board of Selectmen.”

LePorte, recently retired, has worked for 20 years in the environmental field, including three years as Halifax Conservation agent. Woodward, also retired, has worked as a civil engineer for the town of Weymouth and Stoughton as well as doing work in Hanson and Halifax.

“I’m not questioning her credentials,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of LePorte. “I’m questioning whether she has had a vested interest in a project that has been part of Hanson’s history and is likely to be part of Hanson’s future.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said it was her understanding that LePorte had done delineation work on the 1100 Main St. site where a developer has been trying to construct a commercial building since razing the old Ocean Spray building a few years ago. She later said the comments were not directed at LePorte, and also asked if Woodward had done any delineation work for Planing Board Chairman Don Ellis.

“I have done some delineation on the property,” LePorte said. “I have no vested interest that I could possibly imagine. …I hope somebody can do something with it, but I can’t state who.”

Woodward said he had done delineation work for “five or six different clients,” but would recuse himself if any came before him on the Conservation Committee.

McGahan said his main goal was to find people who could work well together and respect others.

Young said he was not sure what FitzGerald-Kemmett meant about controversy involving the Board of Selectmen and asked her to explain.

“I have no interest in the Main Street property, other than seeing it’s developed and put back on the tax rolls properly,” Young said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett referred to a Conservation meeting last summer, attended by McGahan, Young and Scott regarding the site, at which McGahan spoke in favor of helping the developer with orders of condition.

“Mr. McGahan made a point of saying at that meeting that he would not reappoint Mr. Kemmett and Mr. Schellenger because of the fact that he thought they weren’t playing ball with [Joseph] Mariangello,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. Mariangello is the developer at the 1100 Main St. site.

She said “playing ball” meant bypassing conservation by-laws, to which Young took strenuous objection.

“I have a real bad problem with that,” Young had said in response to FitzGerald-Kemmett’s comments.

McGahan cut the exchange short in the interest of decorum, but the issue came up again when Kemmett’s name had been placed in nomination.

Kemmett had asked if anyone could name a project, since he and Schellenger had been commissioners, that had been denied. No response was forthcoming.

Young then asked if Kemmett could name an instance when he had been pressured by any selectman or member of another board to “turn a blind eye to the conservation by-laws” or wetlands protection act to push a project through.

“That’s a difficult question,” Kemmett said, indicating he has felt intimidation. “Sometimes when someone is sitting in a room, especially where there’s a large group of selectmen, and a contentious project … and they don’t seem to feel the Conservation Commission was not voting in a positive way, it would seem intimidating and at that point it might seem that was a problem.”

Young became angry at the suggestion that selectmen would attend a meeting in an attempt to intimidate another board.

McGahan has said the Conservation Commission has to work better with the public in general practice, and said Wednesday he would like to thank Kemmett and Schellenger for their service to the Conservation Commission and the town.

“Honestly, its time for a change,” he said.

Selectmen also voted for a slate of appointments to town boards and commissions, replacing former Town Administrator Ron San Angelo with current Administrator Michael McCue on those boards San Angelo served.

Mitchell, who has served on the Parks and Fields Commission since before he was elected to the Board of Selectmen, was changed to a non-voting member until Town Meeting can vote to change the Commission’s by-laws.

“It is my understanding he is a very valuable member of this commission,” McCue said. “He can still participate … In the interest of that going forward I would make that suggestion.”

Resident Thomas Hickey, a former history teacher and currently superintendent/director of South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School, was appointed to the Historical Commission through June 30, 2017.

Vo-Tech students looking ahead

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HANOVER — Students at South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School are aiming to become more involved citizens next school year.

New Advisory Council representative Jacob Cormier of Hanover outlined the big plans SSVT students have for community service projects next year for School Committee members June 15.

Cormier is a state delegate to the Business Professionals of America, a post he sought and campaigned for on his own, according to Assistant Principal Mark Aubrey.

“We have a few goals for next year, the Student Government wants to increase student involvement in school,” Cormier said. “We also want to add to student involvement in the community.”

They’d like to plan a semi-formal as an additional dance, establish a powder-puff game in response to increasing student interest and a speaker on drug and alcohol abuse.

Community projects sought include: a student trip within the country to showcase student skills and participation; another Haunted Hallway event for local children; a mini-golf fundraiser, Putting for Patients, to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; volunteering for the Prom Angels dance for special needs young adults; creating a unified sports program in which disabled youths may participate; and becoming involved in Special Olympics.

“I think it’s one of the first times we’ve had a list of wants from an incoming member,” School Committee Chairman Robert Molla said. He asked Cormier to make the requests available to the committee in writing for consideration.

In other business, the committee once again gave “exemplary” scores to Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas Hickey on his annual evaluation.

“The superintendent is hard on himself,” one member wrote in his or her evaluation. “His personal standards are very high, and that’s why he is so good at his job.”

“Our school district has never been run as great as it is currently with today’s advanced state standards,” wrote another.

“The superintendent is not afraid to make changes to improve efficiency,” still another stated.

“My self-evaluation had me as ‘proficient’ in the four major categories,” Hickey said. “I appreciate those of you who made those kind comments and hope that I can continue to live up to them.”

The School Committee honored two departing members before its Wednesday, June 15 meeting, presenting governor’s citations, as well as plaques and rocking chairs bearing the SSVT seal.

Abington representative Adele Leonard has served five years on the committee and Rockland representative Gerald Blake has served almost 20 years and is a SSVT graduate.

The committee also saluted its student of the month for June, sophomore automotive student Alexander Gear of Rockland; staff member of the month, science teacher Matthew Fallano and bestowed appreciation on Susan Rossi, administrative assistant to the superintendent-director.

Gear was honored for his hard work outside of school, completing an outdoor classroom for the Memorial Park School in Rockland as his Eagle Scout project.

“One of the jobs of a vocational school is not only to give them trade skills, but to make them good citizens,” Aubrey said. “When his teachers were told about it, they were kind of taken aback by the [award], because in class Alex is the quiet one who goes about his business, does his job and doesn’t do it with a lot of fanfare.”

Fallano was really surprised by his award, as he was at the meeting, as he was there primarily to support Cormier as the student representative.

He was selected as staff member of the month for his teamwork as a mentor team member to new teachers, School Council member and as Student Council and National Honor Society adviser as well as an effective teacher.

Rossi was honored by the school committee for her “tremendous support in preparation for meetings every month.”

DPW aid program is Ok’d

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WHITMAN — As snow piled up during the first months of 2015, Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, director of the Whitman Emergency Management Agency said he had little difficulty in borrowing several front-end loaders and dump trucks to help clear streets.

The state, through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), however, has advised that the town enter into a public works mutual aid program to prepare for future emergencies.

Selectmen approved the proposal, 4-0, on Tuesday, June 21. Selectmen Chairman Carl Kowalski was absent.

“This is a necessity for us if we wish to avail ourselves of assistance from the state and other local, regional and statewide agencies in the event we have an incident or occurrence that requires additional aid,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam. He said the town has done so in the past without a specific agreement, but that the state is now requesting mutual aid agreements.

“It’s typically not what you’re going to see with police and fire, where every time they get a run they have to reach out to nearby communities,” Lynam added. “This would be extraordinary circumstances, where either we need help or some other community needs help and we’re able to provide it.”

The DPW will be acting on the request on Tuesday, June 28.

“This was brought to my attention from MEMA,” Grenno said. “They didn’t have on file a signed agreement for the DPW. This just allows us to legally bring, if we have [for example] six water main breaks in town and the DPW needed assistance.”

Pouring permit

Selectmen also approved the town’s first Farmer Series Pouring Permit since adopting the program two weeks ago. Old Colony Brewing Inc., was awarded a permit for its new location at 605 Bedford St.

The permits are designed to promote local agriculture by allowing shop owners to offer what they produce as well as package goods. The fee is $350. Selectmen’s approval is subject to the approval of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABCC) and receipt of mailing, advertising and permit fees.

Old Colony Brewing President Dennis Nash explained the application.

“This is for a business that has been operating and is now relocating to what perhaps would be a better location,” Lynam said.

Nash echoed that thought.

“We opened about two years ago on Temple Street and we decided to start a small business to see if this would work,” Nash said of the microbrewery he and his two partners began. “Whitman has been great. We were packed every time we were open and ran out of a lot of beer, which is good.”

He said the combination of the permit and new location would help expand the business’ services.

“This permit will allow us to give samples, to have the community come in and talk to us more,” he said. “It will help us grow the business and have more people come in and get the beer. … We lost some business, where people didn’t want to buy the beer because they couldn’t try it.”

Nash said the business also purchases local ingredients and sees a lot of customers coming from other parts of the state.

Store expands

The board also approved an application by DJ’s Country Store (Deborah Johnson) for a common victualler’s license at the convenience store at 535-2 Plymouth St. The request, explained by General Manager Joel Richmond will permit the store to expand the ability to serve customers who wish to consume to-go foods ad beverages while playing Keno or shopping.

Approval is subject to receipt of license fee and a final inspection and approval by the Board of Health.

The store already operates a self-serve coffee bar, according to Richmond, who said the store plans to add self-serve fountain drinks and packaged snack foods either purchased from vendors or made in the restaurant the company owns next door.  No food preparation will be done in the store, which would be limited by available space to 8 to 10 seats.

ABCC penalties

In other business, Lynam updated the board on penalties handed down after a compliance audit performed in town by the ABCC. Two were issued suspensions, which were in turn suspended and one was given a warning — all conditional on no further violations. O’Toole’s Pub was issued a four-day license suspension, with two of those days suspended, for serving alcohol to minors. The pub will have to close for the remaining two days, which will be done on Wednesday, Aug. 3 and Thursday, Aug. 4. O’Toole’s is permitted to seek an alteration of the punishment through an appeal to the ABCC.

Selectman Dan Salvucci urged residents to attend a public hearing at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 28 at Whitman Town Hall to discuss intersection changes at routes 18 and 14 and routes 18 and 27.

“We’re trying to make those two intersections safe,” he said.

Pastoral pair mark pearl anniversary

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WHITMAN — When the Rev. Joseph C. Ouellette moved to the area from Michigan in 1977, he had no idea he would become a Pentecostal minister.

He came for a job with Honeywell in electronics development — and had grown up in the Catholic Church and parochial schools on the outskirts of Detroit. The job, however, changed more than his address.

It was there he met his wife Tina and found a new relationship with God.

She was working in the company’s personnel office when they met, and he eventually found that her Pentecostal faith spoke to him after he attended her church to seek her parent’s approval to date her.

“It started to grip my soul and I knew that I needed to get right with God and I started to search for the Lord,” said Joseph Ouellette, who goes by his middle name Craig. “I got baptized in Jesus’ name and about a month later I had an experience of what the Bible calls the baptism of the Holy Ghost. When this happens you start talking in tongues — whatever language the Spirit gives you.”

He said it changed everything for him.

He no longer planned to return to Michigan, where he had been in a band before attending electronics school, and ultimately changed the direction of his life.

“God wanted me to stay here,” he said of visions he had of himself “standing on tables and preaching to people,” but that wasn’t what he was comfortable doing.

This year, the man who used to dread public speaking celebrates his 30th anniversary in the pulpit. The couple started pastoring in Whitman on July 26, 1986.

“We pastor together,” Craig said as he sat in a front pew of the South Shore Pentecostal Church, 58 West St., Whitman. “I couldn’t do it without her.”

Tina is the church’s representative at ecumenical meetings because Craig still works full-time in the electronics field for Schneider Electric during the day.

services

A weekend of special services, both at his church and the First Congregational Church, 519 Washington St., both in Whitman, are being held from Wednesday, June 22 through Sunday, June 26 [see Calendar, page 4] featuring guest speakers Dr. Gerald Jeffers and his wife Ella, who is a Pentecostal prophetess. The Jeffers, originally from Massachusetts now work out of Atlanta, Ga., and will speak on the theme “The year of the Conqueror.”

The Ouellettes anticipate following that theme for the coming year, as well, for the church of about 40 members from around the region.

The message of being a conqueror within oneself through God’s strength and the light of his love is a theme that reflects Craig’s journey, too.

“I didn’t really have a calling or feel that I could be a pastor, although there was elements of my life where I would think about God and the responsibility of living through God,” he said of his youth.

When he prayed on it, he decided to accept the Holy Spirit’s messages to him to preach that he began receiving after his Pentecostal baptism.

“I realized if I’m going to have what God wants me to have, I’ve got to do what he asked me to do,” Craig said. “I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’”

Tina’s father Larry Maynard was a pastor who founded the South Shore Pentecostal Church and knew God had been calling Craig, taking him on as an assistant pastor. When Rev. Maynard took over at a church in New Brunswick, Canada, Craig assumed the ministry in the Whitman church.

Whitman presence

South Shore Pentecostal Church bought the West Street church building from the Adventist Christian Church in 1980 when that church began consolidating some congregations. The Ouellettes rented the Adventist Church’s parsonage on Raynor Avenue until that church sold the house. The couple, who have two grown daughters and two grandchildren, now live in Pembroke.

As Apostolic Pentecostals, the South Shore Pentecostal Church members are baptized in Jesus’ name as the human manifestation of God himself rather than as a trinity with the Holy Ghost, which they believe is the Spirit of God, Craig said. The “classical” Pentecostals believe mainly in receiving of the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. They said the Pentecostal church is the fastest-growing Christian denomination “because people are hungry for a reality of God,” he noted.

They don’t do snakes, though, as Tina has explained to one woman who asked that question outside the church one day.

“I told her no,” Tina said. “There have been Pentecostal churches that have done it, I guess. But as long as I’m in this building there won’t be any snakes passed out.”

It’s not exactly spelled out in the Bible, either, Craig said, pointing out that the serpent is used as a symbol for the devil.

“We follow the Bible very closely,” Craig said, referring to principals of the Old Testament, but focusing on the New, particularly the Book of Acts, which focuses on repentance and baptism in the Holy Ghost.

“I know what I had before and what I’ve got now,” Craig said of his journey of faith. “It’s not that there wasn’t anything good before, but there was no power in it. There was no real relationship with God, it was a formality, a ritual.”

Cable access pact questioned

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, June 14 discussed reviewing the regional contract for Whitman-Hanson Community Access Television with legal counsel over budget, programming and personnel concerns since the current contract’s expiration last year.

Selectman Bruce Young said he received a call from a resident seeking information on “how cable access is run.”

“I first got involved in cable, back in the ’80s when I did a program, I just assumed that everything was taken care of by the cable company,” he said. “Which it was, I’m assuming, up until 2005 when this nonprofit corporation was formed between the two towns.”

Young obtained a copy of the most recent agreement between Hanson and Whitman, establishing the quasi-nonprofit corporation in 2005. He said that agreement expired in 2014.

It actually expired in 2015, according to Chairman of the WHCA Board of Dirctors Arlene Dias of Hanson, who plans to attend the next Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, June 28 to “clarify inaccuracies” in the June 14 discussion and to answer selectmen’s questions.

The contract’s expiration date was one of those inaccuracies, she said.

Dias said the cable access contact should have been renewed at the  same time as Hanson’s license contract with Comcast, which was completed in June 2015. New to her position, Dias said Monday she was not previously aware that had not been done. The last WHCA contract, approved 10 years ago, was finalized six months after the licensing agreement.

Rent on the Whitman studio is paid by the town of Whitman based on the amount of taxation it would pay, according to the 2005 pact. Young estimated the value of its equipment at about $340,000. An annual report and financial report are to be presented to both towns’ selectmen, as well as the results of a biannual audit.

Town Administrator Michael McCue has reached out to lawyer Bill Solomon, who works in cable TV law, and to Whitman Town Administrator Frank Lynam to discuss Young’s concerns.

Dias has assured him that the required reports have been filed, McCue said.

“All of the money that goes to support that cable studio appears to come out of [public access, educational and government] PEG — a percentage of everybody’s cable bill is devoted to funding that studio,” Young said. “The Board of Selectmen have a right to oversee how that money’s being spent, who the employees are — who’s getting paid — what their annual budget is, and how that money is being doled out.”

The board of directors represents the two towns equally, although there are vacancies, which Young argued should be done by the Hanson Board of Selectmen.

The late Stephen Roy had been retained in the full-time executive director post by a vote of Whitman Selectmen, Young noted.

“I’m assuming that any replacement of Stephen Roy would have to go through the Whitman Board of Selectmen,” He said. “I don’t see anything in the agreement as to who actually hires that particular individual, who replaces [them] or how it’s done.”

“I think we ought to consider getting a new director [to replace Roy] and a very qualified one for that position,” said Hanson resident Richard Edgehille. He advocated a person capable of conducting an outreach program to carry the facility into the future.

“It’s been lackadaisical and I think it’s time we move forward,” he said, charging that meetings are slow to be put on the air.

“We need to be briefed on what the process is,” said Selectmen Chairman James McGahan. “Maybe we need new blood in there.”

Liaisons set aside

In other business selectmen decided to discontinue public safety liaisons for the time being, but would prefer retaining regular reports from department heads.

“I feel we have strong department heads, excellent department heads, I think they do a great job,” said Selectman Kenny Mitchell. “With Mike [McCue] here, I think we have an excellent town administrator to work with these department heads and I just don’t think … we need to keep it.”

Selectman Bill Scott agreed, noting that as Police Department liaison he has not met with the chief in six months, but urging that the monthly reports be continued.

“There’s a war on police currently,” Scott said. “The job is way different even from when I was on the job — the shootings have by far increased. Our police have to be trained on this terrorist activity … I’m sure they are getting that, but they need more.”

Monthly reports are the best way of keeping up with the needs to support police and fire personnel, he said.

Adminstrator goals

The board also approved by consensus a list of goals and objectives for McCue, largely from a list Young compiled. That list includes:

• Completion of the demolition of the former Plymouth County Hospital and establish an acceptable plan for developing the site;

• Taking action, by litigation if necessary, to cancel the cell tower contract with Bay Communications, opening the prospects for other carriers;

• Working with the regional school committee to make necessary changes in the regional school agreement;

• Replacing the inadequate Highway Department facilities with the project at the former Lite Control site;

• Hiring of a new Recreation Services Director and work with the commission to make better use of Camp Kiwanee facilities;

• Encouraging land use committees to work more closely together to bring more commercial and light industrial business to town;

• All government boards and officials responsible for planning and conducting the town meetings should work together to ensure they are open, fair and purest form of democracy “by encouraging and promoting attendance and active participation and actively question articles and budget that they deem necessary.”

The School Committee is already working on a review of the regional agreement.

Scott requested the addition of another goal, noting the Police Department still needs to appoint a sergeant and has been without a lieutenant since the resignation of Lt. Joseph Yakavonis in January.

“Mr. McCue should work on that, possibly with the chief of police, to set up a testing agency with someone to see if any of our sergeants would be interested, or if we want to fill the lieutenant’s position,” Scott said.

McGahan advocated inclusion of the audit recommendation for changes in accounting procedures and a review of the open space agreement.

5K honors memory of sparking little girl

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East Bridgewater residents Heather and Shane Craven are inviting all local towns to come out to support their late daughter in the Sydney Craven Memorial Fund 5K Tutu Run & SparkeFest.

EAST BRIDGEWATER — March 28, 2013 was a special day for Heather and Shane Craven. The couple introduced two newborns, Sydney and Logan, who were separated by one minute at birth.

Gender was about the only thing that set these two apart, as they would spend countless days and nights living the same fun-filled lives. They were certainly joined at the hip. Little did the young family know what they were about to endure.

On March 19, 2015, nine days short of the twins’ second birthday, the Cravens’ lives were about to be turned upside down. The unimaginable, the indescribable, the incomprehensible happened; their beautiful daughter stopped breathing. The family went from perfect lives to an immediate state of grief. One thing was for certain, they wanted to continue Sydney’s legacy in more ways than a gravestone.

After Sydney’s passing, friends and family began to join together to carry on her smile and special touch by creating the Sydney Craven Memorial Fund, a non-profit organization. Now, the family is expanding their efforts to honor Sydney.

On Saturday, June 18, what is intended to be an annual event — the Sydney Craven Memorial Fund 5K Tutu Run & SparkleFest — will take place.

It’s not often that you see folks running through the streets in tutus, but Heather Craven said they were her daughter’s go-to outfit.

“Sydney was always in a tutu with a matching bow,” Craven said. “She loved to dance.”

The sparkle wasn’t something Sydney had to put on, it came natural, according to Craven.

“She was spunky, full of energy, and just was a sweet girl full of personality,” Craven said.

Registration for the run begins at 8 a.m. and will cost $20 for children and $30 for adults. Kids ages six to 12 will receive a water, banana, bar, and shirt. There will also be finish line snacks and water stops along the route. The race begins at 9 a.m.

The run will start at East Bridgewater Common, head down Central Street and sweep through Chestnut and Bridge Street before heading into the home stretch.

The SparkleFest on the common will also begin at 9 a.m. and will feature dancing and lawn games, crafts, a bounce house, face painting, and much more. The event will conclude at 1 p.m.

Craven said it was a no-brainer to have an event such as this one.

“Sydney’s legacy inspired me,” Craven said. “She was taken way to early, and unexpectedly. I wanted to do something immediately so people could remember her, and I could find strength from her fund.”

All of the money raised will go towards scholarships for children under the age of 12 in the East Bridgewater, Bridgewater, and West Bridgewater communities.

You can visit the Sydney Craven Memorial Fund’s website at sydneycraven.com.