HANSON – The library building project’s design selection procedures were approved, 4-1 at the Select Board’s meeting on Tuesday, June 24. Select Board member Joe Weeks was absent.
“The library is moving into the second phase of their grant,” Town Administrator Lisa Green said in recommending adoption of the procedures, which are also used by the state in guiding building project design procurement, she noted..
“[The Library Building Committee] had secured and hired a project manager and they’re now moving into the design selection process.”
The model design procedures for municipalities outlines that schedule and how that needs to be followed for designer services. As the approving body, the Select Board may delegate any person qualified to conduct a request for qualifications to do that, according to Green.
“It outlines the advertising requirement,” she said. It outlines basically what the rating would be for each bid submission. It outlines that, if the fee is going to be set, that fee has to be noted in the advertisement and the documents for the RFQ. If it’s going to be negotiated, then it needs to state that … or that the fee cannot exceed a certain amount, it outlines that information.”
The procedure also allows a designer to conduct a feasibility study to assign projects.
“It expands on the scope of work of the designer,” Green said. “If they feel a feasibility study is needed, it allows them to do that.”
Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if Greed had reviewed the provisions of the process and if she was comfortable with it.
“I am comfortable with it, yes,” Green said.
“May I ask you another question,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It seems to me that this has been broadly constructed, so that it would apply to more than just the library, because it does not specify that it only applies to the library.”
“No, it does not apply to only a library,” Green replied. “There is a form – a standard designer application form – for municipalities and public agencies. This can basically be used by any municipality or public agency for a building type of project.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if it could be used, “for instance, it we were to pursue the highway building…”
“We would follow the same procedure, yes,” Green said.
“A lot of this seems very common-sense to me,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It’s making sure there’s no conflicts, making sure you’ve got three finalists.”
Select Board member Ed Heal asked if Green’s recommendation followed state procedures verbatim and Green said that was exactly the case.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said the town may have followed it in the past, but it was never adopted as a formal policy.
“You know how I feel about following what the state wants us to do,” said Vice Chair Ann Rein.
“I know, you love it,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said with a laugh. “You love it and you cherish it.”
The board’s vote to adopt the procedure was unanimous.
Jimmy Fund Walk aids cancer research
BOSTON — Registration is open for the 2025 Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai. Scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 5, funds raised from the Jimmy Fund Walk support all forms of adult and pediatric care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Jimmy Fund Walk will aim to raise $9.5 million this year in the effort to prevent, treat, and defy cancer.
Whether participating for themselves, family, neighbors, or friends, each walker shares a common purpose: to support breakthroughs that benefit cancer patients around the world.
The Jimmy Fund Walk is the only organized walk permitted to use the famed Boston Marathon® course, and participants have the flexibility to choose from four distance options:
- 5K walk: Starting at Dana-Farber’s Longwood Medical Campus
- 10K walk: Starting in Newton
- Half Marathon walk: Starting in Wellesley
- Marathon walk: Starting in Hopkinton
All along the route, walkers will be motivated by poster-sized photographs of patients—Jimmy Fund Walk Heroes—that are the heart of the event and appear along the course as inspiration. Walkers will also be treated to refueling stations with refreshments throughout the course.
The event will conclude at the Jimmy Fund Walk Finish Line at Boston Common, by the corner of Charles and Beacon Streets. Finish line activities will include a celebration with food, entertainment, and more. Walkers who prefer to participate virtually can complete their chosen distance from any location
Register as an individual walker, team member, or start a team. Take advantage of this unique opportunity and bring a group of your family, friends, or colleagues together against cancer. To register for the Walk (#JimmyFundWalk) or to support a walker, visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call 866-531-9255. Registrants can enter the promo code NEWS for $5 off the registration fee. All registered walkers will receive a bib, medal, and a Jimmy Fund Walk T-shirt. You can also sign up to volunteer on Walk Day.
About the Jimmy Fund
The Jimmy Fund, established in Boston in 1948, is comprised of community-based fundraising events and other programs that, solely and directly, benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lifesaving mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults. The Jimmy Fund is an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped Dana-Farber save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook, X, and Instagram: @TheJimmyFund.
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber is a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Dana-Farber provides the latest treatments in cancer for adults through Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center and for children through Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 5 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.
Whitman feeling a budget hangover
WHITMAN – Town Clerk Dawn Varley has begun closing the office on Thursdays in response to budget cuts to her department, specifically her salary increase request of 14 percent and an operations cut of $16,000 tied to the number of elections in 2026 – a state and Congressional off year with fewer elections than 2024.
Social media in the community was busy discussing the matter Monday night.
Varley currently makes $80,000 a year, and has decided to close the clerk’s office an additional day per week, so she feels she is being paid at a part-time salary,” a post stated Varley had sought a 14 percent raise, which would have brought her salary more in line with clerks in area towns.
But, according to FinCom meeting minutes, Varley had raised the issues of pay disparity between her position and others on the South Shore as well as the “intricate demands of her job including town meetings and elections supervision and the frequent updates of the regulations governing them” during the committee’s annual review of her department budget requests on March 11.
She raised the possibility of cutting back hours without a budget increase, at which the committee had balked since the Collins Report placed the town clerk in the same salary category as the assessor.
The Finance Committee was also decreasing the department’s operations budget for fiscal 2026, a reduction in this line item is due to just one town election and one town meeting next fiscal year. Ms. Varley emphasized her role’s complexity, managing elections with 40+ workers and various updated regulations and legal requirements.
According to the minutes, of March 11, Varleye asked for the support of the finance committee to support her salary request.
“What is going to end up happening, and this is not a threat, this is a fact, I’m going to go down to two days a week,” she said. “You’re going to pay me part time; you’re going to get part time. I’ve been overlooked for so many years, and I don’t think it’s fair.”
As an elected position, the Select Bard cannot make a change to her position.
Varley reached out to residents to explain her stance.
“As a result of reorganization /reduction in staff and salary in the Town Clerk’s Office, I am forced to close its window for the first time in over 50 years,” she stated in a press release Tuesday. “This decision does not fall lightly on my Heart but is solely the decision made by the Select Board, the Finance Committee and the Town Administration not to fully fund this office.”
Initially, she had included home telephone (or personal cell phone numbers) of members of the Select Board and Finance Committee, but Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter intervened.
“I have instructed the Town Clerk to remove this information from her recent posting immediately after I consulted with Town Counsel,” Carter stared. “I have also instructed the IT Department to remove the personal cell phone and home telephone numbers from the posting, if not removed by the Town Clerk.”
Varley then re-issued the press release minus the phone numbers.
Meanwhile, the Select Board, meeting on Tuesday, June 24, Finance Chair Kathleen Ottina, speaking for herself, as the committee has not met since the Town Meeting, expressed her own dismay at the announcement made at the start of the June 11 special Town Meeting, that the Select Board had voted unanimously to appropriate $150,000 from ambulance receipts at a fall special Town Meeting in order to restore $75,000 each to the Fire Department and Police Department for their fiscal 2026 budget.
Not only was that decision last-minute, there was no time to communicate it to the committee because of that, leading to “a great deal of consternation” among Finance Committee members.
“On May 17, the voters of Whitman voted overwhelmingly to reject a Proposition 2.5 override of $2 million,” she said. “The result left us with a $2,053,431 deficit that needed to be closed.”
The decision was then made to split the deficit – with the town paying 48 percent and the schools picking up the tab for the remaining 52 percent, which translated to $98,000 paid by the town and $1,064,000 by the school district.
“The town proceeded to close the gap by using $340,000 in free cash to pay OPEB and Plymouth County retirement, which we all knew about ahead of time,” she noted. “Now, this proposal to use $150,000 in projected fiscal 2026 ambulance receipts results in a deficit to the town of not the $988,000, but $498,665.”
Recalculating the deficit translates into a 32 percent debt deficit handled by the town and 68 percent handled by the W-H Regional School District.
“[That’s not the 68 to 48 that we agreed on prior to Town Meeting,” Ottina said. “Whitman-Hanson voted to cut the assessment by the $1,064,000 that we asked them to,” she said. “We aksed them to. They didn’t have to. We all know how we fund regional schools. They cooperated with us. I anticipate that future W-H school budget votes will not be so cooperative,” because this is not fair.”
In three public forums prior to May 17, residents were told that a failed override would lead to cuts to police, fire, DPW, Town Hall, Library and the schools and the voters voted no.
“I sympathize with the Police and Fire departments,” Ottina said. “I don’t want to see them undermanned. I do not want to see citizens’ health and safety jeopardized, but if voters do not realize the impact of a failed override because they don’t see what happens.”
A clerk missing from one or two offices does not impact their day-to-day living, Ottina said.
“I’m not calling for dangerous levels of manpower,” she added. “I’m simply stating this is not fair.”
Ottina said she trusts that the FinCom and Select Board will be able to work on Article 2 over the summer and that they can arrive at a solution that is “as fair as a $2 million deficit can be.”
While Select Board member Shawn Kain said he obviously respects Ottina’s opinion [see guest column, page 7] he sees a difference between a $2 million deficit and how it’s spread out so services that have to be cut are evenly distributed.
The view at Town Meeting was likely that most of the revenue was going to the schools and very little was going to public safety.
“I feel the difference in those perspectives is where we feel the big rift in our community,” Kain said noting that how funds are distributed in ways that are both equitable and do the least harm is difficult. “Just going back to the drawing board early and thinking about strategies, I think, would be helpful.”
Someone, call Guiness
HANSON – If you arrived a few minutes late, you missed it.
The Wednesday, June 25 special Town Meeting to decide whether the town would approve the assessment proposal put forth by Whitman, which had accepted it at their special Town Meeting two weeks before, must have set some sort of speed record for town meeting government.
The whole thing, from pledge of allegiance to Town Moderator Sean Kealy’s final gavel for adjournment clocked in at 3:18.
The session was held in the Dr. John F. McEwan Performing Arts Center at W-H Regional High School, as the Hanson Middle School auditorium had already been booked for the evening for a dance recital.
Therefore, we present to those unable to attend a transcript ot the entire proceeding:
KEALY: “Welcome, everybody, to a special Town Meeting. My name is Sean Kealy, I’m the town moderator. To my left is the Finance Committee. To my right is the Select Board, and we have town officers behind me. Before we get going, as we always do, would you please rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance.”
Following the salute to the flag, Kealy returned to the podium for his traditional opening greetings.
KEALY: “So, one – I think we only have, really, one piece of housekeeping.
“The rules of tonight’s Town Meeting will be governed by “Town Meeting Time,” which is the official handbook of parliamentary law by the Massachusetts Moderators’ Association, and, as I said, we onl have one article.
“I’m hoping that we can all get back to the air conditioning as quickly as possible, and so, what we’ll do is, I’ll read the article, it’ll be seconded and then we’ll have an explanation.
“So, Artcle 1 – to see if the town will vote to transfer $262,669 from free cash to supplement Article 5, line 57, as appropriated at the May 5, 2025 annual Town Meeting to meet the Whitman Hanson Regional School District assessment, or take any other action in relation thereto.
“Seconded by Mr. [Robert] Hayes.
“Explanation. …”
Town Clerk Jessics Franceschini corrects Kealy out of range of a microphone.
KEALY: “Oh, thank you very much.
“I’ve been corrected for the very first time by our new town clerk,”
[Applause for Franceschini]
KEALY: “I won’t tell her it was just a test,” he said in a mock stage whisper as a joke.
“But, I hereby declare that we have a quorum. More than 100 voters have checked in, and are in attendance. And I see the youngest voter right over there. She’s doing magnificently,” he said, gesturing to the small child a resident was holding in the audience.
He then returned to the explanation of the article.
KEALY: “So, we have a motion and it has been seconded. Explanation – This article is to supplement Article 5, Line 57, as appropriated at the May 5, 2025 annual Town Meeting to mee the Whitman Hanson Regional School District operating assessment to the town of Hanson.
“Do I see any questions or concerns?” he asked, scanning the audience.
He did not
KEALY: “Seeing none [his emphasis], all those in favor of Article 1, signify by saying, ‘Aye.’”
AUDIENCE VOICES: “Aye.”
KEALY: “All those opposed, ‘nay.’
FEWER AUDIENCE VOICES: “Nay.”
KEALY: The ayes have it, Article 1 is adopted.
Scattered applause was heard.
KEALY: “And, with that, I will adjourn this special Town Meeting, sine die.”
[“Sine die” adjournment means a legislative session is adjourned without setting a date to reconvene – a Latin phrase meaning “without day,” effectively ending the session.]
Welcoming spirit of Whitman in art
By Rosemary Hill
Special to the Express
WHITMAN — A lifelong resident of Whitman, Susan Pimental is more than an artist — she’s a storyteller, a neighbor, and a keeper of the
town’s shared memory.
Her roots in Whitman run deep. Her Uncle Tom Harding’s old factory
still stands on Pond Street, and her father Tom Pimental’s popcorn
cart lives on in the joyful memories of baseball games and summer
gatherings.
But Susan’s love for her hometown isn’t rooted in nostalgia. It’s
grounded in compassion and an honest embrace of community complexity. She understands that a true community is made up of many kinds of people — from different backgrounds, with different abilities and means. Listening to her speak about her friends, neighbors, and family reveals someone who uplifts others without ignoring life’s challenges. She doesn’t wear rose-colored glasses — she sees clearly, but chooses kindness.
Her art reflects that spirit. Susan creates what’s known as “ready made” art — a style pioneered by artists like Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Kosuth, and others. To that list, Susan humbly adds her own name. Her work is a blend of joy, struggle, history, and deep human connection.
When asked about her birthday, she laughs and says she’s turning “80-ish.” Like many women of her generation, Susan didn’t have many formal opportunities to express her creativity — but she found ways. She recalls arranging flowers at a local greenhouse, inspired by an aunt who once worked at the famed Toll House Restaurant. She also made toys and gifts for loved ones, turning everyday materials into acts of imagination and care.
One story she shares is especially moving. As a child, she made toys with her uncle, a kind and creative man who was also a veteran living with PTSD. Tragically, he died from its effects — a familiar sorrow for many families. But Susan remembers their connection with warmth: “He was a good man. We made toys together just that very day.” Like much of her art, this memory holds space for both truth and tenderness. Susan’s artwork is intricate and distinctive. She assembles carefully chosen objects — buttons, shells, figurines, scraps of pottery — that, at first glance, seem unrelated. But when brought together, they become something new. One sculpture features a piece of Wedgwood pottery. When asked why, she simply says, “Of course.” There’s no question of whether it belongs — it does, because everything belongs in its own way.
In another piece, she highlights a chipped Hummel figurine. “It’s still a Hummel,” she says with a smile. Her uncle’s memory lingers there, too: a soldier, a good man — not defined by damage, but by who he was.
Like many families in Whitman, Susan’s parents made do with what they had. Her mother worked at the Regal Shoe Factory as a stitcher, often bringing work home. Susan remembers watching her mother use heavy leather stamps to cut out pieces for the next day’s sewing. Even as a child, Susan saw the parts behind the whole — a sensibility that now informs her art.
Her father’s popcorn cart — once just boards and wheels and a vision of more — lives on in spirit, much like Susan’s work.
Many residents have seen Susan’s larger pieces over the years — colorful birdbaths and whimsical lawn sculptures adorning local yards. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Susan turned to crafting smaller, more intimate works from found materials: shells, plastic flowers, buttons, bits of ribbon. What began as a personal outlet is now something she wants to share with others, especially children and families.
One of these sculptures — gifted to this reporter’s family — features a painted conch shell, googly eyes, and bits of gold. Affectionately named “Shelly,” she now lives on our bookshelf as a symbol of joy and creativity. Susan teaches us that art doesn’t require perfection or wealth — just care, imagination, and a willingness to see what’s possible.While her larger sculptures remain available by commission, Susan hopes to share her smaller pieces more broadly with the community. Each one is a lesson in resilience, creativity, and joy.
Fittingly, Susan celebrated her “80-ish” birthday on June 14, the same day as Whitman Day, which also marked the beginning of the town’s 150th anniversary celebration. She joined in Whitman Day festivities in the Park, where she and her family had a table despite the rain as she gave away her whimsical sculptures as gifts to the children of Whitman. Through her art, her stories, and her generosity, Susan Pimental reminds us that community isn’t just a place — it’s something we build, together, with love, creativity, and care.
25 recent firefighter graduates now on the job
STOW—State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine announced the graduation of 25 recruits from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training Program last month.
The members of Call/Volunteer Recruit Class #118 trained at the Academy’s Bridgewater campus and graduated at the Department of Fire Services’ main campus in Stow. They represent the fire departments of Avon, Dartmouth Fire District 1, Dartmouth Fire District 2, Duxbury, Freetown, Grafton, Halifax, Hanson, Lakeville, Norwell, Onset, Raynham, and Westport.
“Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received on nights and weekends will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”
“Massachusetts Firefighting Academy instructors draw on decades of experience in the fire service to train new recruits,” said MFA Deputy Director of Training Dennis A. Ball. “Through consistent classroom instruction and practical exercises, tonight’s graduates have developed the tools they’ll need to protect their communities.”
The Martin H. McNamara Outstanding Student Award was presented to Firefighter Kayla Kalamajka of Dartmouth Fire District 1. The award is named for Martin “Marty” McNamara V, a call firefighter with the Lancaster Fire Department who lost his life in the line of duty in 2003 while battling a fire in a multifamily home. It is presented to one recruit in each graduating call/volunteer training class and recognizes their academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the program.
Video of the ceremony will be posted tomorrow at the Department of Fire Services’ YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/dfsosfm.
Sports user fees voted
The School Committee has voted in favor of a new schedule of sports user fees at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.
“We still don’t have a budget,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, filling in for Athletic Director Bob Rodgers who was away in Las Vegas at a poker tournament that had long been planned, to speak for the Athletics Department.
“I told him, if he wins, he’s going to solve our problems today,” he said.
Szymaniak and Rodgers had been in close contact on the issue all week, and Rodgers had drafted a proposal that is outdated already.
“[That’s] because we worked on a new proposal … to lower that fee structure” between Monday, June 16 and the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 18. “It’s higher than it was, but more amenable, I think, in a bad situation.”
To balance the budget, Szymaniak encouraged the School Committee to approve the proposal he and Rodgers drafted that increases sports user fees for this year, with the plea made by Rodgers in a phone call that morning – “if the budget looks better, we want to reduce those fees.”
“I hope,” Symaniak had replied, knowing there are more retirements scheduled for next year, “and, if we can get ahead of the game, we will.”
Hanson’s special Town Meeting was slated for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25 in the Dr. John F. McEwan Performing Arts Center at WHRHS.
“It’s imperative. Imperative, imperative that we get a quorum and hopefully pass a budget, so [Business Services Manager Stephen Marshall] doesn’t have to fill out umpteen documents for the state before July 1,” Szymaniak said.
“The user fee proposal, although not great, is different from the $500,” he said.
When we were looking at $500 and still reducing the athletics budget by $250,000 … but through some fund-raising and what Mr. Rodgers thinks we can do, based on students, I’m looking at a $375 first sport, $250 for a second and $100 for a third, with a family cap of $1,200.”
Fees are not delineated based on how much or whether they are a money-maker for the school, Szymakiak said.
“That’s not something we’ve done since user fees were enacted, except for the sports that are more expensive – which is hockey,” he said.
Ice hockey will go from $200 to $400 for varsity players only and the “outrageous cost of ice time right now might even still minimize the amount of ice time they can purchase,” Szymaniak said. “That [fee structure] should get him close to that $250,000 without cutting any sports. We won’t really know that until [Athletics First Night] and we can get some enrollment numbers.”
If a certain enrollment in sports is not reached by then, it is up to Rodgers to figure out how the district is going to run certain sport – similar to the way some sports were eliminated from the budget in 2008.
“We don’t want to do that,” Szymaniak said. “I think sports are invaluable. Everything extra curricular in our district is invaluable for our students that don’t love academics – that don’t love coming to school. … We want to minimize the cost, but there has to be an impact felt district-wide due to the lack of an override and the fact that, right now, we’re looking at a $1.75 million deficit from the proposed budget.”
But, Szymaniak warned, if the district goes on a 1/12 budget, all sports are of the table for September.
“I can’t have a football team when I’m going to RIF another 24 teachers,” he said. “I’ve heard, and I’m sure members around this table have heard, ‘You’ll just figure it out anyway, There won’t be any real cuts.’ This is real. $1.7 million is real. Last year was $1 million. We got by – by using some free cash and some different things, but we got by. This year, I can’t get by.”
“I hate this,” said member Glen DiGravio. “This stinks, it absolutely stinks, but it’s the position we’re in. … but, it’s like Hillary said, if we’re going to be the bad guy and do this, we have to be the bad guy the whole way through, because there has to be consequences to pay.”
He said that, if kids think they can get away without paying, no one is going to pay. But he also argued for hardship provisions as well as more fundraising avenues, such as an always open dedicated GoFundMe account.
“As bad as this is, I do think there are ways to get through this,” DiGravio said, adding he was willing to donate right away.
Member Stephanie Blackman also had some suggestions, such as intramural rather than freshman sports, and allowing sponsorships of teams.
Rodgers also wants to establish his own kind of scholarship program for students who can’t afford to pay a user fee or can’t work out a way to work it off. There also some residents who have donated money in the past toward the scoreboard or other needs.
Vice Chair Hillary Kniffen said the district should require that scholarship funds be deposited in an interest-bearing account with students only provided with partial scholarships.
“You’re going to wipe out that scholarship fund,” she said if scholarships paid user fees in full. She also said a payment plan has to be signed off on before a student goes out for a sport.
She also suggested a fee structure that takes into account that sports like football are more expensive than those like cross-country. Szymaniak pointed out that football also brings in revenue for the school and the fee structure takes that into account.
Jennifer Roback, 879 Bedford St., Whitman, speaking during the public forum about sports user fees.
“I’m deeply concerned about the recent cuts approved at Town Meeting,” she said. “While I understand the town has spoken, I continue to struggle over the way education is weighed against other departments in this town. Education is not simply another line on the balance sheet, it is the foundation of our children’s future.”
Highly qualified teachers, not software or other “minute-fillers” are decisions of long-term consequences, not short-term inconveniences she said, noting that she is the parent of a special education student as well as one enrolled in the high school’s Pathways Program and a third in elementary school.
“I understand that we all rely on vital services like emergency response and public safety, but cuts to education affect far more than the moment in time that may affect an entire generation of students,” she said, also expressing dismay that $500 user fees per activity are being considered, arguing that such a move puts undue pressure on working families.
“For many students, [sports] are a pathway to scholarships and college opportunities,” she said.
“What’s more troubling is this fee applies only to students attending our district,” Roback said. “While those who attend [South Shore Tech] or the [vocational-agricultural schools] are not asked to make comparable fees. Why is that?” She charged that it not only inequitable, it’s unfair and advocated renegotiating regional agreements with vocational schools is necessary to make sure W-H students “are not placed at a disadvantage simply for staying in our own schools.”
“We risk creating a system, where only families with the means, can afford to let their children thrive,” Roback said.
Asked this week about student fees at South Shore Tech, Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said his students already pay for uniforms for classes, exploratory shops and their ultimate shop choice, as well as work boots and some tools – the cost of which is why some unions or employers award tool scholarships to seniors joining their ranks or workplace.
Sports user fees are also under study at SST, “possibly as a proposal in our fiscal ’27 budget, in part because we’ll be entering a time period that we’re going to have increased costs because we’re going to lose access to all of our playing fields [as the new building is constructed],” Hickey said. “We’re going to have to do more off-campus, away travel.”
While it is not a done deal, Hickey said it is something he is looking into. With more towns joining the SST region, it also helps decrease assessments to Whitman and Hanson as their SST enrollment drops a bit – but more towns could also mean more sports participation as the school will be faced with stretching dollars.
“It’s probably going to mean we’re going to need some sort of fee structure to be able to add more programming, or other needs.” he said. “We’ve had costs that are just part of being a vocational student, but now we may need to keep that structure and possibly have a sports fee structure, as well.”
Whitman Finance Committee Chair Kathleen Ottina also spoke during the public forum, thanking them for the difficult work they did in helping come up with a balanced budget for the towns.
“Having grandchildren in the system, I am devastated by the cuts in the classroom, especially the interventionists who have been eliminated,” Ottina said. “I’m also concerned about the user fees, but I want to acknowledge the hard decision that you folks made, whether you voted for or against the budget cuts.”
The Fourth of July in Maine
By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
My Uncle Sandy was my mother’s step-brother and served in the Air Force during WWII as a U.S. Army pilot first lieutenant.
His full name was Sandy Royal Austin. In 1944 on July 22 while flying a B-17G over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania, his plane had engine trouble and dropped out of formation before being shot down by enemy fighters. All on board bailed out right before the plane exploded; it was a parachute landing and the men were taken prisoners. The POWs were held in a schoolhouse in Bucharest, Romania until Rumanians surrendered to Russians Aug. 23, 1944. Sandy was among the 1,150 POWs flown out on B-17s early in September 1944 to return home.
Sandy somehow rescued his parachute for his bride-to-be so she could make her wedding dress out of it, as fabric at that time was scarce. After the War, Sandy and his wife Jean moved to Alaska and then they moved to Dover Foxcroft Maine with their three children. Their son Dale was my age and their two daughters, Diane and Janet were about the same ages as my younger siblings.
In the Summer of 1961 when I was 14, Sandy and Jean invited our family to spend Fourth of July with them in Maine. My mom’s father and stepmother, who was Uncle Sandy’s mother, lived twenty minutes away from Sandy and Jean. Since we had not seen any of them for several years and Dad had the week off, he and Mom decided to go.
The Fourth of July was on a Tuesday that year; we left for Maine on Monday and pulled into their driveway four hours later. Every building and house we passed was decorated with flags and patriotic bunting, including theirs.
Their spacious yellow and white Victorian house was set back from the street with a flagpole beside it flying the American flag, the POW flag and an Air Force flag. There was a big olive drab colored tent on one side of the expansive lawn. We found out that it was for us kids if we wanted to sleep outside instead of upstairs in the house.
We were warmly greeted with hugs that were returned and all the usual comments of how big or tall some of us had grown in both families. My sister Penny and I remembered Aunt Jean, Uncle Sandy and Grandma and Grandpa Austin and although our brother Dave and sister Barb were too young to remember them, it didn’t take long for them to warm up to Grandpa Austin, who was a kind, loving man.
The first night’s supper was lobster for the adults and burgers or hot dogs for us kids. The younger kids were a little shy with one another but by the end of the meal they were running around laughing and playing. My cousin Dale was now taller than me with a reddish cast to his light hair and a few freckles across his face that brought out the blue in his eyes. He was a bit less standoffish than he used to be.
After supper all of us kids played outdoor games that even the little ones could play; from Hide and Seek, Simon Says, Blind Man’s Bluff and more. Our parents and grandparents watched from across the yard as they reminisced, caught up on family news and had many laughs under a beautiful full moon until bedtime. I slept in the tent that night with the other kids, except for Barb and Janet, the two youngest, who wanted to be with their mothers.
Fourth of July dawned bright and beautiful. Mom and Aunt Jean told all of us to get dressed and to be at the breakfast table if we wanted to eat before the parade started. Dover Foxcroft was a small town that reminded me of Hanson.
People were friendly and you couldn’t get away with much as everyone knew who you were. All along the sidewalk that went through the main part of town, people were sitting or standing as Clowns entertained and interacted with the crowd. My cousin and I watched our younger siblings having a good time, and our Dads and Grandpa as the Antique cars passed by sounding their horns.
Grandma Austin was on a float that went by with other ladies and all their delicious looking homemade pies. Our moms liked the Float from J.J.Newberry’s and the one from the Textile Plant. I loved everything about the parade, especially the patriotism, the tradition and the meaning of it.
Off to the lake
When the parade was over, we spent the rest of the day at beautiful, scenic, Sebec Lake. Uncle Sandy had a roof rack on his truck to secure his canoe. He also hitched his boat and trailer onto the back of the truck. He had his fishing gear, plenty of beach toys, chairs, food and Grandpa Austin and Dad in the front seat with him. Grandma Austin and the rest of us rode with Aunt Jean in her station wagon.
When the vehicles were parked and the boat was tied to the dock, we found a beautiful shade tree and put our chairs under it. Uncle Sandy asked who wanted to go for a boat ride and all the younger kids were jumping up and down yelling in unison. We all got in the boat except our grandparents, who wanted to sit in the shade. My brother Dave sat up front with Sandy and Dad; my cousin Dale and I sat way in the back and everyone else was in the middle.
After the boat ride Dale and I challenged our mothers to a race to see who could swim the furthest. My cousin Diane blew her whistle to start the race. We swam out to a boulder and back again, both our mothers keeping up with us. Both Dale and I reduced our pace as we wanted them to win, and they did. Even though they knew what we did, we were proud of them and impressed with what excellent swimmers they still were. There were big hugs all around. The rest of the day the younger kids were jumping off our Dads’ shoulders and being caught by our Moms. Dale and I took turns pulling the kids around on the rubber rafts.
We loved climbing on the rocks and helping the kids to dig holes while Grandpa and our Moms took pictures. Before we knew it, we were packing up to beat the sunset home, as Uncle Sandy put it.
Fireworks were not allowed in Dover Fox-croft, Maine at that time so Uncle Sandy drove home by way of Bangor, Maine, which was closest to his house, so we could see them. Quite a few of their neighbors were there; it was the perfect end to a perfect Fourth of July day.
When we got back to the house, everyone got ready for bed. When Gram and Grandpa Austin left to go home, they invited us all to their house the next day to teach us how to make homemade ice cream the old fashioned way and to see Grandpa’s clock collection from when he was a clock maker, which made us excited and Mom happy. When I was getting ready to go into the tent where Diane, Penny and Dave were, Dale tapped me on the shoulder and wanted me to follow him.
He asked me if I knew what a cherry bomb was and I told him yes, we have them in Hanson, too. He blushed a little and grinned, telling me he has one and wants to set it off on the pond in the center of town as the grand finale of today’s celebration. I looked at him and grinned and said okay and off we went.
The moon lit our way as we walked to a sizable pond surrounded by a metal split rail fence. Swimming wasn’t allowed and there were benches to sit on and shade trees all around. We walked towards a hollow tree and he pulled a box out of it that contained a board with the cherry bomb wired to it. He flattened the box and threw it in the water. I could see the street and the town beyond the benches and was glad there were no lights on. He picked up a long stick, put it down on the ground beside him, took out his matches, set the board on the edge of the water, lit the cherry bomb, pushed it gently with the stick until a breeze sent it out onto the pond, grabbed my hand and we started running until it was safe to stop. We stood in the silence until the explosion shook the night and sent us running again.
Lights began to come on as we ran through the woods and we heard a siren. We kept running until we reached his yard. We practically leaped into the tent, relieved the kids were asleep and that all the lights in the house were off. It was so hard to keep from laughing, we kept putting our hands over our mouths. He finally raised his hand to mine, shook it and whispered, thanks. We finally settled down and went to sleep.
During the remainder of the time I was there, to our relief, nothing came of it. In 1966 The Child Safety Act came into being and they were banned. The more I grew up and the more I learned about these particular explosives and how many people had been harmed, the more I realized how foolish we had been and how very fortunate we were that nothing happened.
Hanson OKs new cable access contract *UPDATED*
HANSON – The Select Board on Tuesday, June 24 approved renewal of the contract with Whitman-Hanson Cable Access, while taking the opportunity to express a couple points of general dissatisfaction with its cable provider corporation Comcast.
“Let’s be real,” said Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett on the subject of the paltry discount offered to the community’s elder residents.
“You’ve got to practically cut of your left arm, give a pint of blood and show all kinds of documentation to get two bucks a month off of your cable bill?” she said.
“This is less than worthless,” said Select Board member Ed Heal, “If I knew Xfinity was my only option when I moved to Hanson, I wouldn’t have moved to Hanson.”
He said he has cable outages almost daily and he works from home.
“There are meetings that I’m supposed to be attending from home that I’m disconnected from because Xfinity is my only option.”
He does not have Xfinity cable because it is to big an expense, so he has just the basic cable, which is supposed to be the best Comcast can do – spending hundreds of hours on the phone with Comcast for my cable service, and it continues to go out.
While he completely supports WHCA, he has no use for Comcast.
Heal’s experience is not isolated, other Board members attested, so Solomon offered to have Comcast Government Affairs Representative Kathy Maloney reach out about the possibility of meeting with the board on other issues.
“A lot of companies don’t give a senior discount,” said Attorney William Solomon, special cable counsel working with the town on its third licensing agreement over the past 20 years, reviewed the new contact and answered questions ahead of the board’s vote. “It’s totally voluntary. We can’t require them. They provide a discount.”
He ticked off the names of some cable companies that do not, which includes Verizon, and Charter.
“It doesn’t mean much,” Solomon said of the Comcast senior discount.
“No, it doesn’t,” said Vice Chair Ann Rein. “It’s $2. It’s rather insulting. It’s one reason why a lot of us cut that cord. Mine’s cut and it’s been cut for three years.”
But Solomon did say that if the Board voted to have Town Administrator Lisa Green, with town counsel, draft a letter to Comcast asking for a “really meaningful” payment break for seniors.
He said the way he views it, a senior discount is voluntary, and they do give something, albeit not much, “but the rest of the contract is so valuable to the town,” but the company may just be in a mental rut, and they don’t want to open a Pandora’s box.
Select Board member David George asked if Comcast offered a veterans’ discount, saying that Verizon does offer one. Comcast does a range of discounts for the military, including mobile service plans, NOW TV and Diamond member status, the highest tier available.
“That’s why I don’t have Comcast,” he said, referring to the veterans’ benefits issue.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said, all criticism aside, Solomon represented Hanson and what they are or might be getting in the contract process.
In the letter, Solomon said, he would, in a fair way, thank them for what they did do – something they don’t normally say or do – approach them on the negotiated point that, in six years, they do those things elsewhere, they’ll come to Hanson, and it can be discussed.
“Without that letter, they might just do more channels,” he said.
Other than that, Solomon said he would not defend Comcast on that point, but to be fair to the company, the new license has tremendous value that was negotiated fairly with the town of Hanson.
Solomon said the real value of the contract that is financially worth millions, is that it is good for the local economy and helps people work together.
“I always say, ‘Show me a town that doesn’t have any community television, and I’ll show you a town, where people just don’t work together.”
Rein agreed that community television is very valuable.
“That’s what we’re fighting for,” she said, “But he senior discount? That’s a virtue signal that just doesn’t signal.”
He said the new 10-year license is to Hanson’s benefit as it is the maximum length for a cable license allowed in Massachusetts, likening the benefit to a “good, long-term mortgage, you sign up for it.”
It provides the town with some certainty over 10-year period, according to Solomon.
“We have good news of completion of the Comcast cable license,” he said. “Let me just say, it’s an outstanding license. The key issues in these licenses now are PE&G and capital dollars. You’re in 4.75 percent of the company’s gross revenues – just short of the 5 percent, which actually has some benefits.”
Hanson has been at that level of revenue for the last eight years, according to Solomon, who added that’s where most of the funding comes.
Revenue is not just cable fees, its advertising, sales on Home Shopping Network, whatever comes into them, with rare exception, under the license, is revenue, of which the town gets 4.75 percent for its portion of the WHCA operating costs.
“That makes if simpler,” Solomon said. “It also prevents gamesmanship at Comcast. … Capital support, as I said, is really outstanding, and it reflects the work of Maloney. She’s known the towns, and Hanson, and working with Lisa has made a big difference at the negotiating table. We were able to get an excellent dollar number.
That is a fixed number, while he said Comcast has been taking the position elsewhere for the past five months that it doesn’t want to pay a fixed capital amount, and would rather pay on a per-subscriber basis that would lead to uncertainty and risk.
“We were able to convince Ms. Maloney and – more importantly – she’s been able to convince the folks she works with, that Hanson’s license should mirror the Whitman license,” he said.
That capital payment is $212,800 over 10 years – $21,280 per year – a credit to WHCA Executive Director Eric Dresser and his ability to sell his 10-year creative vision of making sure they have the proper equipment.
“And what’s great about WHCA-TV, is that it’s not only the equipment, it’s the output,” Solomon said. “It’s the programming on all of PG&E and the programming and the product.”
“Hanson, like Whitman, has done a tremendous job with respect to community television,” Solomon said. “As you know, PE&G – public, educational and government – access has never been more important, since COVID with remote meetings, they say democracy would have ended [without it].” That tremendous job has continued in Hanson with respect to the Select Board and other committees being able to get their message out and remain visible to residents, he noted
Much of that is credited to two excellent directors at WHCA – current Executive Director Eric Dresser – “No one’s better in the state.” Solomon said – and the late Steve Roy before him.
“As we know, cable revenues are challenged, nowadays, with some people cutting the cord and going to streaming and we don’t currently share that revenue, “Solomon said, adding that, “Cable still has a great program and, frankly, there’s not a better cable company than Comcast. I know that from working with all the companies, even though they’re on the other side of the table from me.”
WHCA currently has three standard access channels and, going forward, will have those three channels upgraded to SDI – or serial digital interface – that is a better-quality picture and better audio and, in addition, Comcast is providing a high-definition channel within 24 months. After providing that channel, Comcast has 18 months before having the right, if the corporation wants to, to reclaim one of the standard definition models.
“There again, that’s not being agreed to anywhere else by Comcast,” he said. “The reason they want the channel back is to use it for internet bandwidth, and the reason we want it back, is we want everyone to be able to see the PE&G [coverage] on the standard channels, lower channels, and not have to go higher.”
He also noted there are still people who watch television on a non-HD-ready set.
“Credit to Comcast, who understood how strongly Hanson felt, and Lisa and, obviously, Eric played a crucial role in that provision that they would wait on their right to reclaim it, so it doesn’t happen right away,” Solomon said.
Hanson’s contract also has no population density requirement. They have to serve everyone in the town, he pointed out.
(Editor’s note: This version corrects information on Comcast ownership and clarifies information on available military discounts.)
Heat wave safety for older adults
By Dr. Steven Angelo, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare and Retirement of Massachusetts
Experts are forecasting that 2025, especially this summer, will be particularly hot, which may pose heightened health risks for older adults, according to a University of Southern California study.1 Seniors may be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses like heat stroke as well as complications from chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure that are worsened by extreme heat.
- Plan ahead – Follow local weather reports to ensure you have enough food, prescription medications and other home “staples” to get through a heat wave.
- Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, even if you are not thirsty. Limit caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Drinks with electrolytes are also all right.
- Use cooling strategies – Take cool showers, use fans, or place damp washcloths on your neck and wrists to help lower your body temperature.
- Limit physical activities outdoors (particularly between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) –
If you must go outdoors: - Wear lightweight and light-colored clothing, sunglasses and brimmed hats;
- Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher;
- Bring water; and take frequent breaks in the shade or air-conditioned spaces.
Certain medications may make dehydration or sunburn more likely. So, whether you are staying inside or heading outside, check with your care provider to make sure you are taking the proper precautions.
Older adults and their caregivers can work together to summer-proof their homes. Keep shades down when the sun is most intense. Strategically place fans, particularly in doorways between rooms or in front of window air conditioning units to better circulate air. Install ceiling fans, including temporary ones that can be placed in light bulb sockets.
•Check in – Be alert to signs of heat-related illness like confusion, weakness, flushed skin, dizziness, or excessive sweating. Seek medical attention if your loved one is experiencing symptoms of heat stroke, such as hot, dry skin, a rapid pulse, confusion or unconsciousness. - Help with activities so older adults can limit time outside – Volunteer to run errands, including picking up prescriptions and food shopping.
Find out about community services - “Cooling stations” or other public places, like libraries and community centers where older adults can go;
- Proactive check-in programs or telephonic “heat advisory” alerts;
- Local news station advisories; and
- “Summer safety” programs at local community centers, municipal halls or local hospitals for older adults and their caregivers to learn more about staying healthy and safe.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a doctor.