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School Success Plan Approved

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The W-H Regional School Committee has unanimously voted to transfer $750,000 from the excess and deficiency fund and to set a 20.15-percent increase to the towns’ assessments in support of a Student Success budget for fiscal 2017.

Assessments are apportioned based on student enrollment.

The 9-0 votes — member Steven Bois was absent — on Wednesday, March 16, came after a lengthy discussion on educational needs and financial challenges facing the regional school district.

“To recap where we are, we have a $1.4 million deficit for a level-service budget,” said School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes. “We also have a Student Success budget, which is a $3 million budget.”

With the assessment increase accompanying the Student Success budget, the total fiscal 2017 operating budget sought will be $49,714,324.

He stressed that the school committee could not put forth a Proposition 2 1/2 override, as that is a decision for the towns to make.   

For Whitman voters, an override would mean an additional $1.24 per $1,000 in valuation [$336 per year on the average home value of  $270,940 to $558 on homes valued at $450,000], in Hanson, it would mean an additional $1.13 per $1,000 in valuation [$331 per year on the average home value of  $293,500 to $509 on homes valued at $450,000].

A level-service budget means librarians, computer teachers, language classes and other programs and positions previously cut would not be returned. It does add some special education services mandated by law. School committee members estimated that a level-service budget would require at least a 3.5-percent to 5-percent assessment increase.

“Basically, it means we stand still,” said Superintendent of  Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “We do not move forward, but we don’t move back. Lately, we’ve been moving back. … We cannot move back — we can’t even stand still. We’ve got to move forward.”

The “three pillars” of the Student Success budget — healthy bodies/healthy minds, a cohesive pre-kindergarten to grade 12 system and safe/secure schools — include budgeting $500,000 toward reducing elementary class size, $400,000 to implement free all-day kindergarten, $320,000 to restore the library program, $240,000 to replace the grant funding the elementary science curriculum, $140,000 for two social workers, $70,000 for middle school foreign language programs and about $170,000 for music and art, among other line items.

“This wasn’t a pie-in-the-sky figure, it wasn’t a wish list,” Hayes said. “It was a well-thought-out list of what we need.”

budget online

The full list, as well as other budget information, is available online at whrsd.org. Hayes also said residents of both towns with budget concerns or questions may call him on his cell phone at 617-538-0189.

“Unanswered questions become problematic,” he said.

Whitman Finance Committee member Michael Minchello — a  former school committee member — rose to correct an incorrect statement made at the March 9 meeting about the tax impact of any override in Whitman.

A resident had said that, with the one-time computer virtualization debt exclusion going off the books this year, the average Whitman taxpayer would see a net reduction of $158 in taxes on a $250,000 house if an override passes.

“That’s how it was voted,” Minchello said. “Then we got some unexpected money from National Grid [being used for capital projects], and they ended up funding what would have been the override with National Grid money. So, our taxes didn’t increase, they actually decreased by I think a penny per $1,000.”

A few residents spoke at the meeting, supporting the Student Success budget before the vote, which received a standing ovation.

“We should reach for the stars,” said retired teacher Margaret Westfield of Hanson.

“The key is in the support,” Hayes said.

“There’s an ethical obligation to support education and to support the community,” agreed school committee member Fred Small.

“Support is definitely important, but I also think research is key,” said Whitman resident Shawn Kain. He noted average tax bills in both Whitman and Hanson are below average while median incomes are above average and cited economic statistics supporting increased investment in education.

Pre-kindergarten returns $3 for every $1 a community invests, Kain said quoting economic surveys pointing to a lower dropout rate and less need for remediation. Property values also benefit by $20 for every $1 invested, he argued. Adequate educational and support programs, such as social workers [see related story] increase the odds of equal opportunity for economic success as adults, Kain concluded.

“I think everyone’s basically on the same page and I feel energized,” Hayes said. “It’s the beginning of moving forward again if we get this voted in the positive. … This is not the end of this, this is the beginning.”

Hanson Selectmen choose TA finalists

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HANSON — Now there are two.

After interviews with the four final candidates — Greg Enos of Brockton, Michael McCue of Mansfield, Chawner Hurd of Lakeville and Sarah Smith of East Bridgewater — recommended by the Town Administrator Search Committee, Selectmen narrowed the field to McCue and Smith Tuesday, March 22.

It came down to experience, enthusiasm, longevity considerations, personality and opposition to using overrides to balance school operating budgets. Enos, Whitman’s assistant town administrator, also received high marks for his experience, particularly in grant writing and familiarity with the regional schools.

“I thought they were all good,” said Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young. “They all had various strengths.”

All four candidates had expressed an aversion to micro-managing and concern for the ethical use of social media, key areas of concern for selectmen.

“I think they’re all great candidates,” said Selectman James McGahan. “I thank the board for getting us some really highly qualified people. I think we’ve got some great talent.”

“I think we can take all four of them and flip a coin, they’re so close,” Selectman Don Howard said. “I’m having a difficult time because I’ve been through this twice before.”

While there was wide agreement on McCue, with Howard voting for Hurd (a businessman and former selectman), another 4-1 consensus vote selected Smith, with Selectman Bill Scott favoring Enos, following some discussion.

“I’m an experience guy,” Scott said. “We have two candidates [McCue and Enos] that bring experience to the job. … I don’t think we can afford the time to train another town administrator, with all due respect to the candidates — they were all impressive — but my feeling is it should go to someone … that can hit the ground running.”

McGahan agreed Smith is not familiar with regional schools, but noted she is friends with W-H Director of Business Services Christine Suckow, and can gain information from that relationship.

“But she made it a point in her letter that she understands there has to be a balance between the two (town and school budgets),” he said. Smith is currently business manager for West Bridgewater schools and has worked in private business as a financial officer.

Selectman Kenny Mitchell said he liked all four, but that Hurd’s résumé bordered on inscrutable.

“I’m not quite sure what he does now,” Mitchell said. He and McGahan agreed Smith’s enthusiasm for the position outweighed her lack of experience.

“I think she’s hungry for the job,” McGahan said.

The board will meet Tuesday, March 29 to make its final selection following reference checks.

Vote factors

McCue was favored for his experience and Hanson ties. He is currently town administrator in Rochester, a post he has also held in Avon, and has served as an administrative assistant to selectmen in Mendon, as an Economic Development grants officer in Walpole and was a selectman in Mansfield for six years. McCue had been a finalist for Hanson’s former executive secretary position about 12 years ago when Michael Finglas was hired, and his parents have lived in town for about 20 years.

Each candidate was allotted 45 minutes, with all but McCue taking less time to exhaust selectmen’s prepared questions and follow-ups. All four interviews were recorded for later broadcast by Whitman-Hanson Community Access Television.

Questions ranged from familiarity with the Town Administrator Act and the role of the office to management style, relations with selectmen and the regional school district and use of social media.

“I see myself as generally providing oversight to all departments, making sure all departments work cohesively, without being invasive,” McCue said of the role of town administrator. “My chief role would be shepherd of the budget.”

“Facilitating your visions and goals for the town” is job one, Smith said. “The residents elected you. I just want to make sure that we fulfill what you want to do legally, ethically and make the town better that way.”

She added that she advocates an open-door policy, listens to all sides and doesn’t take things personally.

“The town administrator doesn’t run the town, you people do,” she said.

Both McCue and Smith were conversant that Hanson’s current budget is $22 million. Neither favors overrides as a method of balancing the school district’s operational budget.

“I am aware your growth has been down this year and that you do have some debt exclusions out there,” Smith said. “Overrides for balancing budgets, I’m just not a fan of.”

While appropriate in some circumstances, she said a “major discussion” must happen before it comes to that.

“I believe that is the last resort,” McCue said. The law allows us to do it. I think that, in extreme circumstances, it can be warranted. I can safely say that I have not been party to an operational override. … It is the option of last resort, I believe.”

McCue also said his role would also be to investigate and foster economic expansion for the town, while serving as spokesman and go-between for the Board of Selectmen. The commuter rail station area is one he sees as a prime area for that type of expansion.

“Having served on a board of selectmen for six years, I do think I bring to the position an understanding of what you all deal with and need to work through on a daily basis,” McCue said.

Like all four candidates, McCue said communication was key to avoiding or resolving conflicts between subordinates, peers and board members.

“I don’t stand over people’s shoulders,” McCue said. “I expect people, who get paid very well and who are professionals, to do their job. That being said, there are occasions where I need to get involved and I try to keep those lines of communication open on a regular basis so I can nip problems in the bud.”

Smith agreed.

“I’m definitely a team player,” she said. “I’m not a micro-manager. I understand that sometimes you need to be firm, but you can always do that in a respectful way.”

One question outlined a hypothetical situation in which selectmen approach a town administrator for help setting up a social media page in support of a multi-million dollar project, requiring a debt exclusion, on which only favorable posts are permitted. All candidates said they could not ethically do that, nor would they use social media to advocate for extension of their contract.

“I cannot ethically do that,” Smith said of the project scenario. “I feel that social media, for a town, is to get information out to the people. … I’m not one to air my political views or anything like that.”

“There are constraints in terms of what one can do in terms of political function,” McCue said. “I would do my best to get the information out there, to deal with any questions that people might have … I’d hold public meetings — and they wouldn’t necessarily be here in Town Hall.

“One needs to be a little careful with social media because you can lose that person-to-person contact that I think a lot of people still want,” McCue said.

Whitman Springs into new trash service

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WHITMAN — With the beginning of spring, the town of Whitman will begin a new automated trash pickup system through Waste Management.

Homeowners have already begun receiving informational flyers from the hauling company about the switch, according to DPW Superintendent Bruce Martin.

“The program is what most municipalities are going to nowadays,” Martin said.

The cart manufacturer will be working with the DPW and Waste Management to distribute two 64-gallon, wheeled barrels to every house in town — single-family to three-family dwellings — on Wednesday March 23 with pickup service to begin Monday, April 4. The pickup schedule has changed for some residents, as 300 on the schedule for Friday were distributed between Mondays and Wednesday to even out the workload. Notifications of that change have already been made via mail or robocall.

Multi-family buildings with dumpsters are not part of the town’s trash program.

“The rules for that haven’t changed,” Martin said.

The black barrels will be used for trash and the blue for recycling.

Panther colors were attempted, as many communities go with their town’s school colors, but red is not in the manufacturer’s color inventory and would have incurred added cost.

Every barrel will be marked with a serial number assigned to the address. Barrels are to remain with the property when a house is sold.

Once the program is up and running, new construction will be signed up through the assessor’s office. New subdivisions now under construction have already been included.

“The truck pulls up and the guy doesn’t even get out of the truck,” Martin said. “The [mechanized] arm reaches, out, grabs the trash barrel, empties it and puts it back. The days of trash guys hanging off the back of the truck when its 2 degrees out or 95 degrees out are over.”

Only items inside the barrels will be picked up.

While some seniors have expressed concern about the size, weight and maneuverability of the 64-gallon barrels, Martin said the new barrels should be easier to handle than older trash cans because they have big handles and wheels, and are wider so they have more stability.

Right now, Whitman has a three-barrel limit but the new ones are the size of two barrels, according to Martin, who noted that it may mean going down a barrel on trash, but the recycle volume is much greater.

“The whole idea is to have people recycle more,” he said, noting barrel volume has been one of the most frequently voiced concerns. “The state DEP is pushing everybody to this system, because you can’t keep putting this stuff in the ground.”

Mailers from Waste Management include tips on set-out times, placement of barrels and how to clear a space for them in snowy weather, as well as instructions on what to recycle and how. A holiday schedule and contact information was also included.

For more information, call Waste Management at 800-972-4545, the DPW at 781-447-7630 or visit whitman-ma.gov.

“I just want people to be patient with the new program, give it a try,” Martin said. “I think it’s just going to be a learning curve for people.”

Funding decision for school budget nears

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When the W-H Regional School Committee votes to set the fiscal 2017 assessments — as they were slated to do on Thursday, March 17 — there may be no budget cuts recommended.

The committee continued its conversation about funding the budget Wednesday, March 9 and, while no votes were taken that night, the mood of members was evident from discussion: cuts and large transfers from the $1,365,310 in excess and deficiency are not popular choices.

There is a $1.4 million shortfall in a level-services budget proposed for fiscal 2017, and committee members are concerned about the wisdom of using too much from that one-time money.

“We need it all,” said School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes of the Student Success plan. “I don’t think anybody on this committee wants to take anything out of that Student Success budget.”

No one disagreed with him.

“We need every single item,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner said. “It’s hard to say which piece you could cut and then the other piece doesn’t fall apart. Truth be told, we need more than $3 million.”

She noted the Student Success plan was the product of a lot of work by staff, leadership and parents.

“I’m not in favor of cutting a penny from the Student Success budget,” said committee member Fred Small, who had cautioned against tapping into excess and deficiency. “We need that and everything that’s in there. … What our needs are — those are our needs and those aren’t changing, no matter what the dollar amounts are.”

The district is allowed to put up to 5 percent of its operating budget into the excess and deficiency line to cover emergency expenses for which a regional district is responsible. It currently has 2.88 percent in the account.

Every year, transfers are made from excess and deficiency to help balance the budget, but officials said it is getting harder to replenish what is taken out. In fiscal 2016, $750,000 in excess and deficiency funds were used to fund the budget. Over the course of the school year $643,000 was replenished largely due to insurance and energy savings. A new budgeting software also limits over-budgeting.

School committee and district representatives have already met with finance committees in both towns where it was indicated a 3-perecent assessment increase was manageable, but probably not more, reported Hayes.

“They [Whitman] are not sure if it could be 4 or 5 percent, but they’re pretty sure they could handle 3,” he said. “At this particular point they don’t have any idea, either,  because they’re [still crunching numbers].”

Hayes said Hanson painted a similar picture.

If $750,000 were transferred from excess and deficiency to return school librarians and help close the budget gap, there would still be a $1 million shortfall that would take a 5-percent assessment increase to close, Hayes said of the level-service budget. It would take an additional 15 percent to raise the additional $3 million involved in the Student Success plan.

“Both towns are saying it’s probably going to have to go to an override” to fund the Student Success proposal, according to Hayes. “Neither town has the amount of funding to fund it without going to an override.”

He also said the presence of concerned residents at the meeting with Whitman’s Finance Committee did not go unnoticed.

“They were thrilled to have some people come, because finance committees are often  in meeting rooms where nobody shows up,” he said.

Whitman resident Shawn Kain again spoke in favor of the Student Success plan at the school committee.

“I think the override is just,” Kain said. “I think when we go to the people of the towns I think we can, in a very fair and honest way say, ‘It’s reasonable for us to support the override.’”

He argued that, with the one-time virtualization debt exclusion going off the books this year, the average Whitman taxpayer would see a net effect of $250 tax increase on a $300,000 house if an override passes.

“The challenge is we still have to balance the budget, which is why we are where we are today,” said Gilbert-Whitner.

Hanson resident Christopher Howard reminded the committee that there were more items of concern in the Student Success plan than just returning the library program.

Teacher honored

In other business, the school committee congratulated high school faculty member Julie Giglia on receiving the Business Educator of the Year Award.

“This is a tremendous honor and we feel so pleased that it’s a W-H person who’s receiving this,” Gilbert-Whitner said.

Giglia outlined the “extensive” application process, noting the award wouldn’t be possible without support from her fellow business educators and school administrators.

She also gave a plug for the school’s inaugural Credit For Life Fair from 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, April 1. During the event, each senior is provided with a career and income scenario and must budget life expenses to balance out by the end of the session.

Computer update

The committee was also updated on the progress of the district’s computer virtualization project.

Funded by town meetings last year, virtualization project is on pace for completion sometime in June.

Virtualization replaces the individual hard drives of classroom computers by linking the monitor, keyboard and mouse to remotely accessible server. It also extends the life of desktop units with the best performance possible.

“It doesn’t get tired, it doesn’t get bogged down,” said district IT Director Chad Peters. “Every time someone logs in, it creates a virtual desktop for them.”

The network infrastructure and software was replaced last summer, followed by the upgrade of existing classroom computers in late fall and trained the first two groups of teachers by this month. The remaining teachers will be trained as upgrades continue through May. Upgrades of old computers will continue into June.

Board Opts to expand school

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen voted Tuesday, March 15 to unanimously recommend a renovation/addition to Hanson Middle School, adding on a pre-K and kindergarten early child education center, as their preferred secondary statement of interest (SOI) project as a solution to deteriorating conditions at Maquan School.

Known as “Option 6” on a list of 10 possible projects presented for consideration by school district officials March 8, the proposed early child education center would be separated from the middle school pupils with a separate entrance, if built. Grade five pupils would be moved to HMS from Indian Head, where grades one and two would be relocated from Maquan.

The School Committee was slated to vote on the two SOIs to be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) at its Wednesday, March 16 meeting. The district is permitted two SOIs, with the primary being a resubmission of a proposal for a new Maquan School.

“The MSBA already knows that the Maquan School should be replaced,” said Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young, prefacing his own recommendation for the second SOI. “My own personal pick would be the middle school because there would be less intervention into an old school, which would require more rehabs.”

He noted that he is not an educator, however, and that school officials have to make a decision that is both fiscally responsible and educationally sound.

Selectman James McGahan agreed with Young’s recommendation.

He had looked into the former school on East Washington Street and the old police station building on Indian Head Street as possible alternative sites for an early child education center. The former was “too badly in ruin” and the latter has a non-viable septic system.

“I agree with the grade moves they had done an analysis on,” McGahan said. “I think [Option 6] is probably the best option. I would like to see a cost analysis for either solution.”

Renovating Indian Head to include pre-K and kindergarten was another possible option the school district had listed.

Interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said MSBA would look at everything from the HMS gym, to the kitchen and other areas as well as a population forecasts for the next 20 years or more in its cost analysis.

“When they approve this project, whatever it is, it’s a 50-year project, so you’ve got to be careful as to what you’re going to look at and what the options are,” he said. “You don’t want to get stuck in a situation where you don’t have room for growth.”

Young and McGahan noted that is being taken into consideration.

Cable coverage

In other business, Selectmen are planning to meet with Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV to discuss expansion of the number of meetings broadcast on cable.

Former Board of Health member Richard Edgehille has volunteered as a videographer for cable broadcasts of Hanson board meetings for 15 years, slowing down recently to enjoy retirement.

But he expressed concern that many boards are no longer being recorded.

“If covered, number one, the public could see what’s going on in the town and, number two, it could back up any minutes or anything that you have,” Edgehille said. “I think it’s about time that we really did something about it.”

He noted that new technology doesn’t require a lot of expense or manpower to set up cameras, particularly for situations where more than one board meet at once.

ZBA vacancy

Selectmen also accepted, with regret, the resignation of Sean Joanis from the Zoning Board of appeals. While a ZBA alternate has expressed interest in appointment as a voting member to fill the vacany, selectmen have urged anyone interested in being considered  for appointment to apply online or at the Selectmen’s Office in the next few weeks.

Panthers end season on Garden Parquet!

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BOSTON — It’s said all good things have to come to an end, and for the Whitman-Hanson boys’ basketball team, that was their season. The Panthers (22-3) lost a tough fought battle in the Division 2 State semifinals, held at the TD Bank Garden Tuesday, to New Mission 62-50.

“I give my kids so much credit for how hard they played,” head coach Bob Rodgers said. “They were very aware of New Mission’s athleticism and I think that prevented us from sharing the ball as well as we usually do.”

In what was a back-and-forth game all night, a three-point basket by senior guard Alonzo Cooper, which put his team up by three with under 2:30 left in regulation, would be the nail in the coffin for the Panthers’ season.

The Panthers notched the first two points in this one, not even 30 seconds in, but New Mission was relentless on the offensive glass, like they were all night, and came back to tie it at six. A putback by six-foot-one junior forward, Kevin Nunez (11 points), with under 50 seconds remaining in the quarter pushed the Titans ahead 14-13 at the end of the first.

The Panthers weren’t about to roll over just yet and captured their first lead in over three minutes at the 5:10 mark of the second quarter, after senior captain Nick Smith (14 points, two rebounds) knocked down two free-throws. Smiths’ makes would ignite a three-point barrage by senior guard Brenndan Rogers, who would hit a three to tie the game at 21. Tied at 24, Rogers would go on a 6-0 run of his own to give the Panthers their biggest lead of the night so far, 30-24. Though, a three-pointer by junior guard Alexander Delarosa put the Titans right back in this one heading into the half as they trailed, 30-27.

After hitting four three-pointers and scoring 16 points in the first half, the Titans were able to hold Rogers in check after the halftime break.

“We went cold, we couldn’t get anything off,” Rodgers said. “They started to face guard Brenndan. [He] was playing so well for us, and we still got some good looks for him, but I think that kind of changed the momentum a bit.”

Five points by senior captain Joshua Rice (13 points, three rebounds), contributed to a 10-3 Panthers run to start the third quarter as they led by their largest lead of the game at 40-31. But like the second, the Titans answered with a run of their own and a Delarosa bucket with under 20 seconds remaining cut his team’s deficit to two heading into the final eight minutes.

“We got the stops tonight, we just didn’t score the ball as well as we usually do,” Rodgers said in regard to the Titans’ third quarter run.

Tied at 45 with under 3:50 remaining, a two-point basket by junior guard Nikko Raftes would push the Titans ahead. Rice, who scored all eight of the Panthers’ fourth quarter points, notched it back up at the 2:46 mark. Following Cooper’s make, Delarosa would score four points in the final two minutes as his team held on.

The Titans hauled down 17 rebounds in their win.

“You’re not going to win many games when that happens,” Rodgers said.

Eight of the Panthers’ players, including their entire starting five, played their last game on the court for the Whitman-Hanson this season. Rdogers said that is a stat that hurts more than the loss.

“Those seniors are very special,” Rodgers said. “They’re very special to each other, they’re special to me, they’ve been special to this program. That to me, is honestly, the hardest part of the night. You knew there was going to become a time which you wouldn’t be able to coach them anymore. They’ve had an impact on this program that is bigger than I think any of them realize.”

Rodgers said he couldn’t even put into words as to what they’ve meant to this program as a whole.

“They’re character kids who do things the right way,” Rodgers explained. “They set a standard for how hard you have to work, the good decisions you have to make away from basketball and being unselfish. I told them, there are a lot of little kids from Whitman and Hanson that they’ve coached in the camps that we have, that will be back here in Boston because of them.”

WH Forum: Hope, Loss, and the Law

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On Saturday, March 5 residents, recovering addicts, those who have suffered loss of a family member due to an addiction, community activists and law-enforcement officers gathered at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School to discuss the problems surrounding substance abuse and including the on-going opioid crisis in the state and country.

State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, was scheduled to speak but could not be present due to a family matter, according to forum organizers. His Legislative Aide Rick Branca spoke briefly on his behalf regarding the representative’s efforts in the legislature to tackle the issue, including advocating for a law tightening rules on opiate prescriptions, with versions passed by both the House and the Senate and currently in a conference committee for reconciliation.

Branca also spoke of graduating from Whitman-Hanson Regional High School not very long ago, and witnessing too many fellow classmates pass away from substance abuse disorders.

Following Branca, Brendon Curran, a former drug abuser in recovery told his story. Currently 39, he said that it took him 12 years of attempts to finally “get clean.”

Curran said that his problem began when he began smoking marijuana around the age of 13, and that despite not liking the high, marijuana eliminated negative thoughts he was having. But this quickly led him to other drugs.

“Less than a year later, I had a needle in my arm,” he said. By 14, Curran was using heroin and other I.V. drugs. He was also smoking crack. This led him to a string of serious life problems, including stints in jail.

Today Curran is sober, and putting his life back together. “Addiction doesn’t discriminate; it can happen to anybody,” he said.

He went on to describe his thoughts on solving addiction issues.

“Punitive measures don’t work,” Curran said. He believes that more vocational programs to teach useful skills to those in recovery would be helpful.

Everything lost

Another recovering substance abuser, 36-year-old Sean Merrill, who works as the Executive Assistance/Community Relations Liaison for Teen Challenge in Brockton, a faith-based recovery program for adults, described his story of addiction and recovery.

Merrill became an electrician at age 22, and was doing well in life, he said, including buying a house, getting married and having a daughter.

But by the age of 25, he and his younger brother began experimenting with opioid painkillers, which he stated led to him becoming “hooked, and losing everything, including his house, his wife, his electrical license and visitation rights to see his daughter.

In February 2011, Merrill’s younger brother died due to his addiction. This tragic event in Merrill’s life prompted him to get sober. After getting sober through a Christian recovery program, which he now works for, he and his wife got back together, and they now have two children.

“My son has his father back, my daughter has her father back, my wife has her husband back, and my mother has her son back,” he said.

Foundation in faith

Rich Barnes, 48, of Bridgewater spoke next. Also a former substance abuser in recovery, he said he started drinking at age 10.

He continued drinking until 17, when he progressed on to other drugs, such as cocaine, and by 22, he was smoking crack. “I loved it…[it] buried pain and negative thoughts.”

He married in 2000, but said that he was soon spending $10,000 a month on crack and cocaine. “My life was a negative vortex,” he said.

But as life continued with a new daughter, and he continued to struggle, he decided finally that enough was enough after a suicide attempt. “I missed the first 2 and a half years of my baby’s life due to addiction,” he said.

Now sober for 10 years, Barnes is writing a book with the working title of, “From Stealing to Healing,” and is an inspirational speaker and author of the website richfulthinking.com.

“Never, ever think that it’s not going to be your kid,” he said. “You don’t know what an addict looks like…addiction affects everyone.”

For Matthew

Mary Peckham, of Halifax, addressed her son’s death from addiction, in September 2012 at the age of 27. Matthew Peckham was a “normal kid from a normal family,” said his mother.

Peckham became involved in drugs in high school, and in a now all-too-familiar scenario, it involved other students trading, buying and selling pain medication prescribed for minor sports injuries or pulled wisdom teeth. Mary Peckham never noticed anything amiss.

The secrets began to come out, however, in April 2011, when Matthew Peckham was found overdosing on heroin on his bedroom floor. His drug dealer had sold him heroin that was cut — diluted to increase its weight and volume — with cement. He was brought back to life by first responders with the medicine Naloxone, commonly known by its brand name Narcan, which reverses the effects of an acute opioid overdose.

Peckham denied the drug use, even when in the hospital confronted with positive blood tests for heroin, due to embarrassment. Mary Peckham lost her son the next year.

Peckham strongly stated her belief that her son’s death could have been prevented. She had harsh words with regards to doctors who overprescribe pain medication, calling pain killers “heroin in pill form.”

As for pharmaceutical companies, she had this to add: “They are making money off the backs of our children.” She also faults expensive recovery programs and complex insurance issues that she feels contributed to the death of her son.

Peckham recently started a support group, Matthew’s Candle, for those who have lost a loved one due to an overdose, stating that she has experienced stigma in other grief or loss-support groups because of the cause of her son’s death. Matthew’s Candle meets in Hanson, and the group can be reached at [email protected] for more information.

There’s HOPE

Finally, Susan Silva, an East Bridgewater mother of a son in recovery, described the work she is doing with other local activists and local law-enforcement. She was inspired to take action spreading awareness because of the stigma her family went through on her son’s years-long path to sobriety

She described extended family turning against her family, her church turning against them, even neighbors wanting them, “removed from the neighborhood.”

“I know what it is like to feel stigma.”

She eventually teamed up with the East Bridgewater police, and led a coalition of local stake-holders with the goal of creating a model for law-enforcement and the community to help those suffering from addiction rather than send them to jail or prison.

The fruition of their efforts is the EB HOPE Outreach Center, a twice-monthly drop-in center open on the first and third Thursday of each month from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Community Covenant Church, 400 Pleasant Street, East Bridgewater. The center is open to the community at large, not exclusively residents of East Bridgewater.

The EB Hope Center can provide information about and access to a variety of services, including inpatient and outpatient detoxification programs, addiction recovery services, resources for family members (including training to administer Naloxone/Narcan and information on how to obtain the medication), and on-site mental health triage.

First responders

Although East Bridgewater police personnel are present as partners of the Center and as a resource, according to Police Chief John Cowan the presence is not intended to intimidate anyone or keep anyone needing help away. He stated the purpose of the program is to help substance abusers and their families, not arrest them.

East Bridgewater Detective Sgt. Scott Allen, a career drug-crimes detective himself involved with the center, summed it up this way: “I think we’ve realized that we can’t arrest our way out of this problem.”

The EB Hope Center can be reached at (504)-800-0942 or at www.ebhopes.net.

Nearly every speaker continuously made the point that addiction can affect anyone, anyone’s family, anyone’s child, anyone’s neighbor, anyone’s friend. Addiction does not discriminate, and the public needs to educate themselves on the issue of substance abuse, as addiction is often “hidden in plain sight,” according to those who have lived it.

Hanson Names TA Finalist

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HANSON — Selectmen will interview the four finalists for the Town Administrator position starting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 22.

The search committee released the names of the final four — Michael McCue of Mansfield, Gregory Enos of Brockton (currently Whitman’s assistant town administrator), Sarah Smith of East Bridgewater and Chawner Hurd of Plainville — of seven semi-finalists they interviewed Feb. 24 and 25. This second round of the search process attracted 30 applicants. They were listed in no particular order or ranking as to preference.The selectmen’s interviews with finalists are open to the public.

Executive Assistant to the Board of Selectmen Meredith Marini will now forward questions used in past interviews to the selectmen for their review.

Selectman James McGahan also encouraged residents to submit their questions for consideration.

Search Committee Chairman Kenneth McCormick said the increased salary range approved at the October special Town Meeting, along with a revision of the job description, helped attract a better pool of candidates this time.

“You did an excellent job chairing that committee,” said Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young, who served on the search panel.

“I had an absolute blast,” McCormick said. “People that I worked with on the committee were professional and very good at deciphering what we needed to pick and the route we needed to go.”

The committee had worked together to formulate its goals, he said.

“You want to do it right,” he said.  “We’ve had some good, but not long-term town administrators in the town, and that [longevity] is one of the things that we want. We want someone who’s going to be vested, outside the box — not your typical town administrator.”

Key considerations included environmental awareness and budget experience.

“I believe we got it right,” McCormick said.  “We got the cream of the crop, I think, for [selectmen] to pick from when you do your interviews.”

He thanked selectmen and the town for allowing the committee to start over when it was not felt that the first search attracted enough qualified candidates to present more than two finalists to selectmen after a third withdrew.

The hope this time around is to have a new town administrator in place, and working along side interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera by the end of April.

“Hopefully you’ll be impressed —  because we were — with the  candidates,” McCormick said.

McCormick, who had never served on a board before, lauded the dedication and diversity of his committee.

“That’s one of the reasons I picked you,” said Selectman Kenny Mitchell. “I’d never seen your name on any board or any committee.”

McCormick replied he saw the opening and decided to “give it a whirl.”

The Search Committee will meet one more time to approve minutes and dissolve itself.

School Repairs Eyed

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HANSON — Selectmen have some homework to do as they weigh options for a second statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) by April 8.

The board will vote March 15 on their options, such as whether or not they support expansion at either Indian Head or Hanson Middle School, to replace the crumbling Maquan School. School Committee members will vote March 16.

The first SOI — the district is allowed two — would be a resubmission of the Maquan replacement core project proposal, which was not funded in the last round of MSBA grants. One SOI must be identified as the primary, or priority project and the other as a secondary.

School officials provided selectmen with 10 options to consider. Selectmen seemed to prefer an expansion of the middle school with the intent to weigh the options carefully. Hanson Middle School’s septic system is designed for 700 students, and currently serves 414. Indian Head School will need work in any case.

“This is a great start,” Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young said of the presentation. “This is exactly what we’re looking for. We appreciate all the work you’ve done on this.”                                                                                                                                              Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner said that, according to MSBA, Maquan has to be the primary as “it’s the one that needs the most work.” In 2012, a new Maquan was priced at $36.4 million with Hanson’s share put at $17.8 million.

An addition to Indian Head to create a pre-K to grade five school was estimated at $52.7 million in 2012 with Hanson’s share put at $26.3 million. The new pre-K to grade five school building option voted down was estimated at $53 million in 2012.

“Any option is possible,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “You need to let us know which you think is the option that will be best supported by your town, because I don’t think we want to go through what we went through again.”

MSBA does not support renovation of Maquan School, a decision made during the last school building process that voters rejected.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes and W-H Regional School District officials — Gilbert-Whitner, Facilities Director Ernest Sandland, Director of Business Services Christine Suckow and School Committee member Fred Small, who also chairs the board’s facilities subcommittee — met with selectmen on the matter Tuesday, March 8.

“Since we last met with you, we felt it was important that we do some data collection and come back to you with some information that may be helpful in trying to decide how we’re going to move forward,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “The first thing we did is we really looked at the spaces we currently have.”

She noted that some residents had asked if pupils could be moved out of Maquan into one or both of the other schools. A tour of both Indian Head and HMS, as well as conversations with both schools’ principals showed each building could absorb only one grade level.

“We tried to determine, if we did nothing, what would our spaces look like?” she said. “If we had to move students out of [Maquan], what kind of spaces would we need?”

While grade five could move to HMS, allowing grades one and two could be moved to Indian Head, it would still leave 160 kindergarten and integrated preschool pupils to be placed. The 52 Whitman preschoolers, attending the Maquan program either due to special needs or paid tuition, would have to be moved back to a school there. The pre-K program is currently at Maquan for space and cost-saving considerations.

Space leased at Maquan by the Pilgrim and North River special education collaboratives is on a year-to-year basis as space is available.

Any addition at HMS would have to be made on the side near the library. A separate entrance would be designed if an early learning center for kindergarten and preschool classrooms were moved to that building.

Among the 10 options selectmen are considering: build a pre-K/kindergarten school to replace Maquan; build a pre-K to grade five school (the project that failed; move grade five to HMS and build a pre-K to grade four school; renovate or add on to Indian Head as a pre-K to grade five school; renovate or add on to Indian Head as a pre-K to grade four school, which would require a retrofit Indian Head for little kids and some asbestos and lead paint abatement; renovate or add on to HMS; renovate Indian Head for pre-K/kindergarten; or add portable classrooms to Indian Head for pre-K/kindergarten.

“Cross that off,” said Selectman Kenny Mitchell about portables. “I was there in the mid-’80s.”

Suckow said portables are better now but more expensive, costing $250,000 for a 10-year solution.

The feasibility study done for the rejected school project gives the town a head start on a feasibility study for any option Hanson chooses this time.

WHITMAN —Approaching annual town meetings, school repairs are very much on the minds of town officials in both Whitman and Hanson, especially roof projects at Whitman’s Duval Elementary School and at Hanson’s Maquan Elementary School.

W-H Regional School District officials — Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner, Director of Business Services Christine Suckow, Facilities Director Ernest Sandland and School Committee member Fred Small, who also chairs the board’s facilities subcommittee — met with building committees in both towns on Thursday, March 3.

They presented Whitman’s Buildings, Facilities and Capital Expenditures Committee with a five-year plan of facilities needs at Whitman and region school buildings listed in order of need. The Duval roof topped that list. High school capital projects are apportioned based on student population.

“I don’t think we can vote on a single thing until we get this huge picture … this is overwhelming this year,” Finance Committee Chairman William Capocci said about a proposal to update Town Hall records storage after the school presentation. He said right now there are almost $900,000 in requests from the schools. The Fire Department has 17 articles totaling more than $800,000, the Police Department has six or eight articles and IT has close to 10 on the warrant, plus there is OPEB to deal with.

“The Duval roof is a serious concern,” Gilbert-Whitner said during the district’s presentation. “To go through something like that again would just be a terrible thing. … I think long-term concerns about Whitman Middle School and how best to spend money now, and then later, are big concerns.”

In Hanson officials are weighing options for the Maquan School and repairing the roof, where leaks have been a long-term problem. Selectmen approved a $7,500 engineering study for the project March 8, which now goes before Town Meeting.

“If you all recall last winter, we had horrendous ice dams and damage of well over $100,000 — which was covered by the insurance company,” Gilbert-Whitner said of the Duval roof at the Whitman meeting. “But the insurance did not cover any kind of a repair to the roof.”

The price tag on the Duval roof has yet to be determined. A full engineering study will be needed to determine a price tag.

“I think the money has to be set aside for [an] engineer to come in and figure out what the real cost is going to be,” Sandland said. The engineering of the much bigger Indian Head roof project was $90,000, but Sandland suggested a Duval study and design could cost $20,000 to $30,000. At Maquan, the investigation into the extent of the problem cost $7,500 with the engineering study running between $35,000 and $40,000 to design a replacement roof.

Gale Engineering, which worked on the Indian Head School roof, was asked to survey the Duval roof and “found some deficiencies that needed correction,” Sandland said. Gale estimated the full repair could cost between roughly $200,000 to $300,000 — with a required threshold of $200,000 before the district could even apply for accelerated repair funds from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

“If we’re going to do this, we need to plan it at this town meeting,” said Lynam of an estimated $335,000 to investigate, design and repair the roof.

Suckow said that, for an accelerated green repair, which could bring an estimated 50 to 60 percent reimbursement, the town would have to commit to the full $300,000 for a repair project.

The damaged portion of the Duval roof is on the addition, not the original building once known as the Regal Street School.

“This has been a construction design problem almost since the building opened,” Gilbert-Whitner said of the expanded Duval School. Information was supplied to the MSBA last fall. MSBA succeeded the former School Building Authority when the SBA was revamped around 2005.

An MSBA accelerated repair grant could, if received, reimburse some of the repair costs to the Duval roof. Whitman has approved a statement of interest for an accelerated repair grant and Hanson is moving to make repairs to the Maquan roof until a permanent solution to that school’s problems can be found.

Parameters of the accelerated repair grant require a project involving a building at least 20 years old. The failing portion of Duval’s roof was built in 1999.

“We recognize that this is going to be a significant expense,” said committee chairman, Town Administrator Frank Lynam. “We also, I believe, will be taking the position that if there’s no relief on clawback then we’re going to do, at minimum, the work we have to do to last the 20 years. I don’t see any other way.”

Gilbert-Whitner agreed, noting there was no guarantee of reimbursement.

The district, on advice from MSBA, wrote a cover letter to the statement of interest outlining how the original roof work in question came under SBA oversight.

A search of records on the 1999 project did not yield a lot of detailed information what had been done at that time, according to Sandland.

“That’s why we got to the point where we submitted the information to MSBA, asking them for help in uncovering what could be a very expensive fix,” he said. Contractors involved in the 1999 work have either retired, been unresponsive or gone out of business, he noted.

The Whitman schools projects list also include fire alarm/smoke detector replacement ($50,000 each) at all three, replacing rooftop units ($50,000) at Whitman Middle School, replacing aged kitchen equipment ($53,000) at and carpet replacement ($55,000) in areas of WMS and Conley, Univent replacement ($55,000) at WMS and installation of acoustical tile to soundproof the Conley gym ($20,000).

Sandland said replacing fire alarms/smoke detectors should reduce the number of false alarms, as was discovered when Hanson replaced them in two schools over the summer. Kitchen equipment in need of replacement present health issues if used much longer.

WHRHS projects sought for fiscal 2017 are bleacher chairlift replacement ($26,000 apportioned between the towns) at the turf field, tennis court refinishing and upgrading lights to LED ($165,000) and repairs to the concrete walkways at the entrances ($45,000).

The company that manufactured and installed the chairlift is no longer in business, Sandland said, adding that the state, which now inspects chairlifts every year, has shut the lift down as unsafe. A reinspection is slated for March 31 at which time Sandland aims to get in writing whether the chairlift can be fixed or must be replaced.

The tennis courts were expanded from four to the MIAA-required five by overlaying the surface in 1990. Severe cracks and heaves have now materialized and the playing surface must be ground down and replaced, Sandland said.

Suckow added the that tennis courts have been listed as a hazard by the insurance company for the past two years.

Weather damage has also taken a toll on the entrance sidewalks.

The Whitman building committee, however, wondered if Whitman DPW and Hanson Highway Dept. could work together on the repair to save money.

“We have streets in town that were built by the WPA that are in better shape than what you’ve got going on up there,” Lynam said.

“I’d rather throw the money at our people than give it out to somebody else,” said committee member Selectman Dan Salvucci.

Police Seeking would be Abductor

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WHITMAN — After a failed child abduction attempt on Lazel Street Friday, Whitman Police have asked for the public’s help in identifying the male who reportedly grabbed a 9-year-old girl in her front yard.

The girl’s grandmother, who talked to the Express on Sunday, was still visibly upset as she recalled the previous day’s events. Whitman police and the Express are not identifying the family name because of safety concerns.

Just after 4:15 p.m. Friday, when her two granddaughters and their friend — all elementary age — were playing outside in the driveway of the family’s Lazel Street home a man came and put his gloved hands over one girl’s mouth.

“She came in the house and said, ‘Nanny there was a man in the driveway, he was whispering something to me and he put his hand on my mouth and he unzipped my jacket,’” the woman said. “She said the man ran away when the other girls came towards the yard.”

The child didn’t hear what the white male whispered but she told police he jumped over a fence and ran when the other girls approached —perhaps startling him, according to police who released the following information:

The suspect is a white male, 5’10”, in his late 20s to early 30s, thin build, clean shaven, with acne on his face. He was wearing black stocking hat, brown jacket, blue jeans, black shoes, and black fingerless gloves.
“My granddaughter is very articulate and she described him in detail to police,” the woman said. “She was comfortable talking with the officer (School Resource Officer Kevin Harrington) who assured her that the school and her teachers would be aware of what happened.

“She had the presence of mind not to panic,” the grandmother continued. “She told the neighbor, her grandfather and the police were here in minutes.  She was calm Friday night and was still OK. We thought maybe she would have a tough night sleeping.  We clarified with her that this was in fact an event and she was very clear in recalling what happened.”

Whitman police sent out several community alerts regarding the description of the suspect immediately following the occurrence.  Whitman Police Department received several reports of persons matching the description of the suspect.  Each report was followed up and although the descriptions were close, the suspect was not identified, said police in a press release.

“After an extensive search by the K-9 teams, the suspect was not located.  Anyone with information regarding this incident should call the Whitman Police Department at 781-447-1212.  Detective Pete Aitken is the lead investigator for this incident.

Deputy Chief Timothy Hanlon said the department is also analyzing surveillance video from area businesses.