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Mask recommendations questioned

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 28 engaged in a terse discussion about mask mandates, during which one derogatory name for the protective face coverings was tossed out in an argument supporting CDC mask and vaccine guidelines.

While the Board of Health’s recent recommendation in accordance with the CDC, to wear masks in Town Hall and it’s two main meeting rooms and limiting the number of public attendees, was in place, three Selectmen — Randy LaMattina, Dan Salvucci and Brian Bezanson — did not wear masks at the Tuesday meeting. Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski, Selectman Justin Evans and Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman wore masks and all were seated at six-foot intervals.

“We’re not in the torrid zone, but we’re not in the easy zone, but we still have to be careful and we have to remember that this is something that is still with us,” Kowalski said in opening the meeting.

No one in the public gallery wore masks at the meeting.

Heineman said Fire Chief Timothy Clancy continues to provide weekly updates about positivity rates. There are 52 new cases in town out of 1,220 tests administered as of Sept. 22.

The town’s COVID positivity rate is now 4.28 percent, the same as the week before, but higher than the state rate of 1.99 percent and while there has been an increase in vaccination rates of all ages between 16 and 74 over the past three weeks, the town’s vaccination rate is only 57 percent, compared to the state’s 67.8 percent percent rate of fully vaccinated persons and 77.3 percent for those having received at least one dose. All ages from 12 to 110 are tracked, but 12 to 74 was the only range showing an increase in vaccinations.

“No rise, so take your masks off,” Salvucci joked, but Kowalski chided him for making a silly remark.

“You can not follow the advice of our Board of Health, that’s on the front door,” he said. “It’s OK, Dan, it’s fine.”

The discussion became more tense after that.

Heineman noted there are signs around town, most notably on the message board out front of Town Hall, the urging in conjunction with the Board of Health to be fully vaccinated — for those in eligible age groups.

“I’d like to think the outreach effort has had some effect over the prior three and a half weeks,” Heineman said.

While there is a Pfizer vaccine booster available to ages 65 and over or persons in certain occupations, the Moderna vaccine, which the town administered — and is still being used now —because it was the one available, has not yet been approved by the FDA for boosters.

Clancy has been working toward being able to administer the boosters once the FDA green-lights it.

“As this board knows, there was an OSHA [vaccine] mandate that has not been issued officially yet,” Heineman said concerning an earlier discussion by the board about vaccine mandates. “We know it’s coming, that will certainly apply to private businesses with 100 or more employees. What’s not clear … is whether or not it may apply to public employers, municipalities, in Massachusetts.”

Heineman said there is some question as to whether the OSHA mandate even exists. Most municipalities are awaiting the outcome of legal challenges with the state’s mandate for public employees before taking any action.

“Throughout the pandemic, the board [Selectmen] has been choosing to follow the Board of Health’s advice with respect to COVID-19 issues,” he said. That morning the health board voted to recommend that in the Selectmen’s meeting room and another in the basement attendance be limited to the board members and support staff — and no more than eight members of the public at one time.

Town counsel said the Selectmen have the authority to enforce that recommendation.

“I think administering this would be difficult, because … while the board may have the authority … I think the reality is I don’t know how we would enforce that absent having a police officer [do it],” Heineman said. He said the ability to meet remotely is in effect until April and suggested that might be an option or individual members could choose to attend remotely.

Kowalski wondered why those two meeting rooms were chosen, when the Finance Committee meets in a much smaller room.

“They’re packed in like sardines,” when holding budget discussions with departments, Kowalski noted. “I’d like you to find out from the Board of Health how did the Finance Committee room escape?”

He also noted that planning and zoning board meetings can attract a lot of people.

“I understand the spirit of worrying about capacity, but the logic, frankly escapes me,” Kowalski said.

Bezanson then remarked on the number of school board meetings, especially, around the country that have become flash points for people angry about masks, and football games are fully attended with masks rarely seen.

“I’d hate to see us go down that road,” Bezanson said of the mask protests. “I’m typically not a mandate person, I think it’s personal responsibility, and I think as we get higher vaccination rates … I would like to ask more questions of the Board of Health.”

LaMattina, like Bezanson, pointed to the Select Board’s continued adherence to Board of Health and CDC recommendations, but using a derogatory term for masks, he expressed his frustration with the issue.

“We have no change in our positivity percentage, but now we start enforcing stronger restrictions,” he said. “Why? … I don’t think we need to argue each other’s personal feelings or personal comfort level during the pandemic.”

He stressed the CDC also recommends vaccinations, which 47 percent of the town is not doing. He said he was not wearing a mask “for theater at this meeting,” because he doesn’t wear one anywhere else.

LaMattina said he and his family have been fully vaccinated so they wouldn’t have to wear masks.

“That is my comfort level with the vaccine,” he said, adding he was in favor of vaccine mandates, but would never vote for one. “I feel the mask is being used, not as a tool, but a pressure point right now to get people vaccinated.”

He argued that vaccines should be incentivized.

Evans noted that the Board of Health has been in step with DPH and the CDC, but seem out of sync with state and federal recommendations here.

Security cameras OK’d for Whitman Park

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WHITMAN — In the wake of an increase in cases of vandalism and fighting at Whitman Park, the Board of Selectmen has voiced support for placing security cameras there.

“I know the discussion has been had out there before regarding whether or not security cameras make sense in the park,” Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said.

He added that a meeting had been held recently, not to discuss whether or not to install cameras, but how it would be done should the decision be made, how much it would cost and whether there actually is an increase in the incidence of problems in the park.

“There has been a little bit of an uptick this year,” he said, admitting that the rate may have been lower last year because of the pandemic.

The plan now under consideration would involve five cameras, for which the town is now doing preliminary pricing, and finding that about $45,000 is the anticipated price tag.

“There is no funding source for that,” he said, asking for the board’s level of interest in order to include the project on the town’s capital plan.

Resident Shawn Kain suggested another approach, however.

“You can spend $45,000 on cameras to catch them and hold them accountable …but something you should consider is finding ways to build culture and build community,” he said.

Kain suggested that $45,000 could be used to support Recreation programs, or for someone to work an afterschool basketball program.

“It’s not an easy issue,” Selectman Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said, noting that it could be discussed “later on down the line.”

Selectman Brian Bezanson said there had been a recent incident of vandalism that he termed “disgusting” and refused to speak about it further.

“I’ve been a proponent of this as, I think, Dan [Selectman Dan Salvucci] has for quite some time,” he said. “This is not a new idea. … Nowadays, there’s cameras everywhere. We’ve made significant investments to the park.”

He said benches are vandalized all the time, and the most recent incident was at the playground, adding that it’s time to find a way to protect the park, recommending that more than five cameras might be needed.

“We have to find the funds for this somehow,” Bezanson said.

Salvucci said that cameras would not detract from the historic nature of the park, and that five cameras would be a start.

“People have paid for those benches to honor family members,” he said.

Police Chief Timothy Hanlon said the vandalism has been a topic of discussion both from the “Big Brother is watching” angle (which he said is not the case) to the benefit of having a way to follow up crime reports.

Hanlon said the cameras would not be monitored unless the department was directed to for some reason.

“It might make our job easier, but you have to weigh that with what the public wants,” he said.

He also indicated that one would have to go back a few years, to a pre-COVID year or two, to accurately determine if the uptick is significant statistically.

Bezanson also stressed the need for cameras that can take a clear picture, comparing the clarity of footage from the Mars Rover, to the fuzzy images from bank cameras of robbery suspects in recent years.

“Having cameras and not being able to determine what is there makes it foolish money,” he said.

“If the town is to do this, there’s no point in buying something that’s not going to be useful,” Heineman said, indicating that was behind the $45,000 price tag.

Renewing a school culture

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HANOVER — South Shore Tech school administrators reported a “little bit complicated, but normal” start to the school year during the region’s School Committee on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Principal Mark Aubrey said there are challenges to be handled, but officials are working through them, including trying to handle traffic layouts to improve the time involved at the start and end of school days.

“We’re also working inside to keep the children as safe in learning as possible,” he said.

Some traditions are also returning, including the annual Ken Thayer Classic Car Show, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 3. The Parent’s Association will host its fundraising craft fair from 9 a.m. To 3 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 16. Open House for grade eight students interested in possibly attending SST is being planned for Saturday, Nov. 6.

“School spirit has taken a hit during COVID,” Aubrey said. “We haven’t had fans at games, there hasn’t been a lot going on, so I’m going to focus this year on school culture and making sure that people are happy to be here and excited to be here.”

From a welcoming façade to ensuring that the school works in a way that makes both students and staff feel they belong and are valued.

Banners, a small business alumni Hall of Fame, a showcase of achievement – both sports and SkillsUSA trophies and awards — student-created murals in hallways are planned, as well as an outdoor fall dance with a harvest theme so that masks will not be an issue.

“We are forming an Equity Committee … having an equitable school culture for everybody involved,” Aubrey said. “This is an organization that’s going to talk about reality and education and promotion of equality throughout the school to make sure everybody’s voice is being heard.”

A recent day when the football and soccer teams joined the crowd to cheer on the volleyball team, was an example of that, said Aubrey, noting he has lauded the students for supporting each other.

Assistant Principal Sandra Baldner thanked the committee for a “school year that feels mostly normal.”

She reported that students and teachers alike are settling in well.

“It’s great to see students back in the building,” said Superintendent/Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey. “We were in school a lot last year, but it’s great to be back every single day — and under these very challenging circumstances, people are doing their best every day.”

The school’s window replacement project has been interrupted by supply chain delays, but any work to be done once materials are delivered will be done after school to avoid interfering with instruction at no added cost.

The estimate is that the project will take about 24 workdays to complete, Hickey noted, saying he is hopeful that work would begin by Sept. 30.

A walk-through of the building for the next slate of projects was expected to take place soon — that work includes roof replacement on the 1992 side of the building as well as beginning conversations about a targeted building addition, Hickey added.

“I would like to be in a position that, as we prepare the fiscal 2023 budget, we will have an educated estimate of costs for both of those projects so as to make estimates on the debt service,” he said. The district has a debt service approval behind them and now must begin the process of planning out the projects.

“Between now and December, there will be a lot of work to be done,” Hickey said. That includes going out to bid and hiring contractors in the spring for work to be done next summer.

In other business, the committee approved an interim public comment policy, being worked on by the policy subcommittee since 2020, provides the committee chairman with some guidelines on the public comment process, including time limits, according to Hickey.

Frank Molla was welcomed as Hanson’s new representative to the committee.

WMS feasibility panel sets invoice policy

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WHITMAN — The Whitman Middle School Feasibility Study Committee approved a final request for services for the owner/project manager on the Whitman Middle School building project reported during its Sept. 21 meeting.

It will now be advertised in the central register and in the local newspaper.

The Mass. School Building Authority had returned it’s comments on the district’s request that day, Feasibility Study Committee Chairman Fred Small said.

The committee also discussed the need for managing the flow of funds and invoices between the town of Whitman and the school district. Thus far, the only invoices being handled are for newspaper advertising, but the move is a way of getting ahead of things.

They voted to have a process under which the district would pay invoices up front, sending them to Whitman for the town to reimburse the district, as school capital projects are now paid. They also voted to create a five-person subcommittee to handle invoices, and requiring that payments be made in five business days. Payments would require two signatures for approval and release of payments.

“It got us thinking that we ought to have a process in which the monies flow,” Small said of the need for such a process. “The monies are held by the town of Whitman, the school district would get the invoice, present it to the town and the town will pay the school district — the school district will pay the vendor. I think that’s a pretty easy way of doing things.”

Small pointed to the larger staff at the school district to be able to facilitate invoicing.

“It’s also a nice check and balance, because the monies do have to flow through Whitman as well,” he said. “I just think we should have the ability to sign off on them before they go to the town or before they get paid.”

School District Business Manager John Stanbrook said invoices typically are turned around within 30 days.

Committee member Randy LaMattina, a selectman, suggested a smaller warrant subcommittee be appointed for signing off on payments.

Small suggested taking the School Committee’s approach of having three committee members sign warrants, with the balance of the committee voting on them at the following meeting.

But, on Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak’s suggestion that the warrants be uploaded to Google Drive so committee members can review them, Small suggested that approvals be made after invoices are placed in Google Drive, asking for questions or objections be emailed. Since the building study committee is not legally required to sign off on payment warrants with a formal vote, as the School Committee is bound to do.

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said it is still wise to form a small subcommittee to review questions and objections.

“We’re only talking feasibility,” LaMattina said. “There really shouldn’t be a tremendous amount of invoices. We’d have to have a different process during the building phase.”

“Once we’re in the building phase, it has to be a totally different dialog,” Szymaniak said.

Hanson assessment debated

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HANSON — Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding’s effect on the town’s assessment change was involved  in a heated discussion about school assments at the Monday, Sept. 13 meeting of the Hanson Board of Selectmen.

Former Selectman Bruce Young challenged the way a $1.85 million override was voted at the annual Town Meeting this spring — $1.55 million for general government and about $305,000 for the school district whether the override passed or failed. He also questioned how the $304,885 was dropped from the Hanson assessment.

“You need to consider going back to Town Meeting and changing line 54 of Article 5 of Town Meeting to read $12,646,000,” Young said in urging support of his article requesting that change. “If you don’t do that, before Sept. 20, what you’re going to end up with is that $305,000 that everybody knows is never going back to the School District in fiscal ’22.”

Like Whitman resident John Galvin at the Sept. 15 School Committee meeting, Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green noted that the committee voted to lower the assessment by the amount of the grant on April 14.

“That had been in the original budget all along, so it’s not like he added it to the budget, but what he did was say, OK, I’m no longer going to charge this to Whitman and Hanson, I’m going to pay for it out of our ESSER III funds,” Galvin said of his question about school interventionists funded by the Whitman assessment this week.

Green explained this Monday that, when the budget lines were called out at this year’s Town Meeting, Young held that several line items for question and explained his concern to voters and proposed a motion to lower the lines he questioned in an attempt to lower the budget. He also challenged the override in an effort to change the assessment. The Town Meeting voted to accept the line items anyway.

“You cannot go back and undo a Town Meeting vote unless you follow the right procedure,” Green said. “Mr. Young did not do that.”

The $305,000 may still be used by the schools for capital needs during FY ’22, Green said.

“The money is there for the schools if they need it,” Green said. “At the end of the year [the unused portion] goes back to the Dept. of Revenue and it’s certified as free cash.”

Young has challenged the Town Meeting vote with several state agencies, Green noted.

She said there has not been a single state agency, including senior managers for education and municipal associations alike, that has come to the district to say the budgeting process has been invalid.

“Believe me if the [attorney general’s office] catches an error on procedure or anything, they are the first to reach out to you,” Green told Seletmen, Thursday, Sept. 16. They then provide the procedures and steps to correct it.

“We have not done anything wrong,” she said, adding that the impact on taxpayers would be “pennies on a tax bill … but that’s beyond the point,” Green said emphasizing there is no wrongdoing involved.”

One Selectman saw Young’s point during the Town Meeting debate.

“I was a constituent at the time, and I had some issues with this and brought it up to a couple of people, but it’s all said and done at this point,” Selectman Joe Weeks said of his Town Meeting vote. “We were trying to save jobs, quite frankly, and were trying to fund schools. … But I definitely, as a concerned citizen brought up the same issue [as Young].”

“When I became aware after Town Meeting, that there was that discrepancy, we definitely reached out to town counsel,” Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We did not take these accusations and allegations with a grain of salt. …This was a matter or timing of when the vote came down and the ballot had to be printed.”

She explained it was not the original intent to put the $305,000 into free cash. Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer said the money might still be used for a schools capital need, if not, it would go to free cash.

FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the whole board be involved in strategizing on how the matter would be handled.

“We all should have been made aware that there was a $305,000 difference and we all should have been part of a conversation about how that was going to be handled,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I would hope we’ve learned from this.”

At a special Sept. 16 Selectmen’s meeting, she indicated an understanding of where the concern is coming from — “It doesn’t feel like that was really transparent,” she said. “But to question the credibility or the integrity of the process…”

But the problem really stemmed from poor timing.

The School Committee originally had an assessment of $12,251,003. On April 14, the committee learned that the district had received a grant for the school’s food services department, according to Green.

“At that committee meeting, they lowered the assessment by that amount,” she said. The annual Town Meeting was two weeks later.

An article submitted by Young to reduce the amount approved at the annual Town Meeting to $12,646,118 — which had been rejected at the Town Meeting — failed to attain a second.

“You made an appropriation to the schools,” Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said. “I think the reality is it’s acceptable at this point.”

The assessment in question was to the schools and the town did not find out until it was too late to react.

“It’s not uncommon to overbudget,” she said.

ESSER changes raise questions

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The school district fielded some questions from residents this week as to how the second and third round of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds will be incorporated into the fiscal 2023 school budget.

Whitman resident John Galvin noted that the committee certified a new budget before Town Meeting last year in which $775,000 was taken out of the assessments from the towns, and asked how the schools were planning to spend the $2.3 million in anticipated ESSER III funding.

“From my understanding [the district] was going to take ESSER money to fund a special team of interventionists because everyone was coming back from remote learning,” Galvin said, asking if the $775,000 was coming out of ESSER money. He also said his understanding was ESSER funds were going to be used for the $775,000 again next year because the towns would be able to handle that since if was one-time money, and asked if that was still in the plan.

“You’re correct in both spots,” Szymaniak said. “I just don’t know if it’s ESSER II or ESSER III at this point.”

Galvin asked if the interventionists would continue their work into a third year, eating up a lot of the ESSER funds.

“What I was asking him was, because he [Szymaniak] had this big community survey on how they wanted to spend all this money [with ESSER II and III funds left],” Galvin said.

He said he wanted to confirm that while $775,000 last year, you said was coming out of ESSER III, Szymaniak also said he planned were going to use ESSER III this next year, and possibly a third year — which would eat up more than the $2.3 million anticipated.

“That’s what I wanted on the record,” Galvin said. “Using one-time money in an operating budget’s a bad thing.”

Szymaniak indicated that the interventionists were not a long-term program, he said.

Stressing his question came as a private citizen, Galvin said the School Committee on April 14 voted on a new assessment funding $775,000 from their own funds for the special group of educational interventionists, with Szymaniak indicating he was going to use ESSER III funds instead.

“When I presented the budget in February, we were taking some ESSER III money from that allotment,” Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak replied at the meeting. “We might not have to do that, because we still have ESSER II money, but in June we found out we had to jump through some more hoops than we had to do for ESSER I and ESSER II.”

There are some “wide-range things the district can look at” using ESSER III money, according to Szymaniak. “Potentially, the assessments to the towns don’t include the interventionists at this point.”

ESSER I for the district totaled $292,273 and expending all but about $100 for initial COVID response; ESSER II grants totaled $1,001,704, expending $592,066, leaving a balance of $996,411.

“That’s there right now because I’m still outstanding $1.1 million-something in CARES [Act funding],” Szymaniak said at the School Committee meeting Sept. 15. “We thought ESSER II might have been used to cover some of our CARES money. We put in a lot in CARES, so we didn’t have to dive into ESSER II.”

ESSER III was just coming out, without any parameters last year and $2.314 million has been awarded, but the district hasn’t applied for it. The grant is due on Oct. 4.

“So we were looking at CARES not covering some of our expenses and using ESSER II money,” Szymaniak said. “We didn’t use that yet and we’re feeling pretty sure – 98 percent – that we’re going to get all the CARES money, so we’re going to be able to use this ESSER II money in fiscal 2022 and ’23.”

One of the necessary components of the ESSER III grant application is a needs survey of what the community sees as the district’s needs, Szymaniak said.

The one-year grant includes extensions to a second and third year, with the total allotment having to be spent by Sept. 30, 2024. Symaniak said the district is still trying to find out if the money has to be actually spent by that date or if it can be encumbered for later spending by that date.

It can be used to benefit students and for building up-keep, but can’t be used for teacher, administration or staff raises. Improvements may also be made to after-school activities, help sessions for students or even summer programs, but it can’t be used for a program like foreign language curriculum in the middle schools that would then have to be supported by the budget. The funds can be used for air-conditioning and, potentially, for playgrounds if COVID was in some way a concern that needed to be addressed.

“It has to be for programs or for people to put in that program,” he said. “These are one-time monies. We have to be very careful how we structure our finances going forward.”

Not having to dig into all of ESSER II and ESSER III, is a positive, “but it doesn’t necessarily take away the responsibilities of the two towns to fund our budget,” he said.

An update on the overall budget outlook and how ESSER funds might be used this year will be outlined at the October meeting, Szymaniak said.

“We’ll be clear and transparent about how those funds are being expended,” he said. “Our budget was approved at Town Meeting and then we got a notice from the fed saying, ‘These are some of the stipulations around ESSER III’ and a lot of us said that would be great to tell us back in May before Town Meeting.”

Szymaniak said the district is also waiting for CARES reimbursements from Plymouth County for things done last year.

Police escort infant cancer patient

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WHITMAN — They call him Walter the Warrior, and the police escort he and his parents Amber and Ryan Merck received to welcome him back to their Harvard Street home, Friday, Sept. 17 was worthy of a hero.

State police and local police from all over the South Shore led them with motorcycle unit lights and sirens as they left Brookline following Walter’s nine months of treatment for brain cancer at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Walter’s grandmother was an administrator at the Whitman police department and their family remain longtime Whitman residents. Walter will continue to receive care with weekly appointments in Boston as all his physicians monitor his health and development.

Turning 1 year old and starting to grow peach fuzz on his head are just two of the daily milestones Walter and his family have celebrated recently. The family is now complete and readjusting to home life with all four children — ages 9, 7, 5 — all under the same roof.

Walter has been battling choroid plexus carcinoma; a very rare and extraordinarily aggressive form of cancer that infects the brain and spine.

Their family was handed the fight of a lifetime as their 10-month-old became sick around Christmas time of 2020. He was originally thought to have had a viral infection but as his health deteriorated he lost milestones such as crawling. He had changes in his temperament and was inconsolable. Amber and Ryan knew that something was wrong and his journey began at Boston Children’s Hospital with January 2021 revealing a grapefruit sized tumor taking up half of his tiny head. In the days to follow he endured an 18-hour brain surgery with embolization and tumor resection.

As the rarity of his tumor was discovered, and genetic testing was performed, the Mercks learned he has Li Fraumeni Syndrome a rare genetic disorder, which increases the chances of getting multiple kinds of cancer at a young age and throughout his life.

Walter also has retesting of his hearing in October to see if there is further damage from his treatments, said mom Amber.

The diagnosis of his brain cancer led to months of treatments including: chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, innumerable transfusions, and countless, daily medical procedures only the tip of the iceberg.

With his siblings anxiously waiting to see their brother, Walter — or Mr. Wrinkles, as he is lovingly nicknamed by his dad —Sept. 17 they passed the time with baseball and outdoor toys in the front yard on Harvard Street. The family all wore Walter the Warrior matching gray T-shirts, along with dozens of neighbors, friends and family lining the roadside.

“Life sure is good to be able to be whole as a family again. Now we continue the road of advancing Walter’s milestone achievements,” Ryan wrote on his son’s updates and in his thank you to those who made Walter’s trip home so special.

Ryan has written a blog over the last nine months letting family know how their baby is doing and capturing photos of silly times they have shared.

Listening to all types of music Walter likes to jam. In some of the posted videos, and even with tubes attached, his precious smile and giggle are contagious.

In some ways, it’s therapeutic for the couple to document the day-to-day experiences of a family with a critically ill child, and the Mercks also found humor in their moments with Walter. As he interacted with toys, rode in a wagon to his medical treatments in the stark hallways, and was even given an “Elmo-rific” first birthday in his hospital crib they documented his life. His room decorated by his nurses who brightened their darkest days and through writing they kept other families facing a similar battle in touch with each other.

In a phone interview, Ryan credited the “outstanding” care Walter received at both Dana Farber and Boston Children’s Hospital where he had the top pediatric neurologist and oncologist, he said.

In their blog, Ryan and Amber have expressed being able to lean on each other. Amber says she gets her strength from seeing how much better their baby is doing and feels gratitude for the nurses who cared for Walter and often reminded her to take a walk or step outside on days the stress of seeing and being helpless over their baby’s health got the best of her.

Walter is crawling now and has been phasing out his G Tube feedings where he gets medications and nutrients, she said in a phone interview.

Although he is on a strict diet he is slowly learning how to chew and swallow food.

In late August the Mercks were transitioned to the Boston House for families facing medical crisis who need to be near their hospital and care centers but “escape the hospital setting” with the intentions to transition to their Whitman home as Walter’s health allowed.

As the family attempts a new normal they juggle school, work, and medical bills and around the clock care for Walter with help from Amber’s mom — who also works in the Whitman school system — they are trying to keep a schedule for their other three children all in elementary school.

When asked how the community can help lend a hand Amber said they struggle at meal times, which can be stressful under normal circumstances. Amber and Ryan have had an outpouring of care and support which they have gratefully acknowledged and offered thanks to all who have assisted in this last year through their blog on Facebook.

To contact the family or offer gift cards follow their story or reach out in a private message, visit   GoFund Me or by a  link for Walter’s medical bills at Facebook.Walter the Warrior Baby Fights Cancer page. If anyone wants to make donations they may contribute directly to Boston Children’s Hospital in Walter Merck’s honor.

Smooth school opening

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The opening of the 2021-22 school year on Wednesday, Sept. 1 had “no real issues,” Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak reported to the School Committee on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

“There were lots of happy eyes,” he said. “You couldn’t see smiles, but, with kids, you could tell how excited they were to be in school, same with teachers.”

While there were “a couple hiccups” with transportation, nothing critical as far as opening, he said.

Szymaniak also touched on the COVID protocol, it’s effect on the first days of the school year and “where we’re at right now.”

Schools throughout the state are under a mask mandate until Oct. 1, depending on a vaccine percentage of 80 percent.

“It’s frustrating for me, and reporting to the committee, that’s the extent of the information that I have to share with you about the vaccine mandate and what 80 percent is,” he said. “There are a lot of us guessing, to say is it by school? By district? Is it by teachers? Is it by community? We don’t have that information.”

Hanson figures put 38 percent of the town’s 12-to-15-year-olds vaccinated and 61 percent of 16-to-19-year-olds. In Whitman, 47 percent of 12-to-15-year-olds and 58 percent of 16-to-19-year-olds are fully vaccinated.

Both Whitman and Hanson have encouraged people to get vaccinated. A vaccine for children under age 12 is supposed to become available sometime in October, but what that exactly means and where it can be dispensed has not been provided.

“If the commissioner [of education] holds true to 80 percent, we’re not taking the masks off at this point,” Szymaniak said.

“I’m extremely frustrated because I don’t have any information to share with the community,” he said.

He said he has been asked by residents if the mandate is linked to school funding. Without directly addressing that, he said 50 percent of school funding comes from the state and it is important to follow the COVID mandates.

Szymaniak said the School District is not seeing transmissions between kids at the schools. But there is an increase in the COVID positivity rate in both communities.

Mass. DPH numbers indicate that there have been two positive cases at the high school since Sept. 1, Whitman Middle School had three, Hanson Middle School has had four cases. Six other students in Hanson tested positive before the start of school.

Duval Elementary had three positive cases since Sept.1, Indian Head and Conley had none and the preschool had two.

Szymaniak also spoke about COVID testing.

“We were ready to go with tests Day One, and we didn’t have them,” he said. “They came in last week.”

The training that Lead Nurse Lisa Tobin was supposed to attend was canceled, so she is trying to self-train virtually.

He said the “Test and Stay” program — which administers five tests in the nurse’s office over five consecutive days — only tests students if they are in close contact within school.

“If you play Pop Warner [football] and come to school, I can’t test you,” Szymaniak said, noting the confusion surrounding the Test and Stay program.

He said mask protocol is being adhered to without incident and, the few situations at the high school have involved the need to remind students to pull the mask up over their noses.

Masks are provided to students that need them.

A severe shortage of bus drivers, limit the available buses for sports.

“We’re lucky we’re getting bus drivers to drive our kids to school,” Szymaniak said. “After school [activities] and field trips are going to be severely limited by the amount of drivers that are there.”

Class size

More parents are either opting to homeschool or take advantage of school choice, although the number is down from last year’s pandemic.

Compared to 2019, when there were 35 homeschool pupils and 58 school choice students coming into the district. In 2020-21, during the peak of the pandemic, there were 93 homeschool students and 50 school choice; In 2021-22 Szymaniak is up to 65 homeschooled and 50 school choice students coming in and 36 going out.

“We’re still choicing kids in from all over the South Shore, which is a good thing,” he said. “[Students going to other school districts] is something we’re going to dig in deeper.”

He noted that enrollment is decreasing across the district with Hanson enrollment leveling off at about 100 students per grade below grade five. In Whitman, it seems to level off at grade six at between 150 and 160 per grade.

“This committee has worked extremely hard and diligently to try to lower class size in the district,” Szymaniak said. “I’m pleased that, in our elementary schools we have some really good balance, especially in our earlier grades.”

At Duval, top class sizes range from 16-18, Indian Head is around 20-23. The middle schools average class sizes is about 20 and the high school is around 20, except for foreign languages, which average close to 30.

Public Comment

John Galvin, of High Street in Whitman, expressed concern about a “significant” transfer of $3.7 million in line item transfers voted at the previous School Committee meeting to balance the fiscal 2021 budget.

“Last year, at this time, you also took a similar vote [of $3.1 million] … to balance the budget of fiscal year ’20,” he said. “This year, $3.7 million is over 6 percent of the budget, so that means that, at the end of the year, this committee re-appropriated 6 percent of the budget.”

Glavin said he sent an analysis comparing the two transfers to the committee and administration.

“What I found was simply mind-bending,” Galvin said. “The amount of line items in one year that had a significant deficit, the next year had a significant overage. Some of the line items were $1 million from one year to the other.”

He said a new subcommittee on budgets is forming and the hiring of a new business manager is still ahead, but he said he hopes it is time the committee really takes a look at how they prepare the budget, “starting from the gound up.”

Legion salutes the fallen

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WHITMAN — Under a brilliant blue sky, eerily similar to the one 20 years ago when America came under terrorist attack with the hijacking and weaponization to four commercial airliners, Whitman American Legion Post 22 began the town’s commemoration of that fateful day.

Color guards from the Sons of the Legion, Whitman VFW and Whitman police and fire departments taking part in the ceremony, the community honored the first responders and civilians — who worked in the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and who were aboard Flight 93 over Shanksville, Pa. — lost that day. The fire department unfurled a huge American flag from its ladder truck for the ceremony, and a wreath-laying at the department’s 9/11 Memorial concluded the event at 8:45 a.m. — the time the first plane struck the WTC on Sept. 11, 2001.

Laying the wreath was Hanson resident and former call firefighter for the Whitman Fire Dept. —  now a Plympton Fire Department firefighter-paramedic, Paul Skarinka, who later was deployed to Iraq as an Army corporal, where he was wounded in action. Clancy said he asked Skarinka to do the honors because he could not think of a more fitting person to do so.

“We all have reflections of that day,” Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Clancy said before the wreath ceremony. “I was here working that day, when we watched the world change forever. Little did we know we were watching history unfold before our very eyes.”

Clancy said the thing that sticks with him is how America came together on Sept. 12.

Police Chief Timothy Hanlon also spoke.

“Public safety, first responders, military and civilians alike, came together,” Hanlon said. “This was perpetrated against us as a nation.”

“It’s a dark day in our nation’s history,” said Sons of the Legion Commander John Cameron. “We’ll never forget those who passed away on that day.”

After a benediction, state American Legion Chaplain William Sheehan delivered the official American Legion commemorative speech, focusing on the legacy of Sept. 11, 2001 and the new generation born after it. Former state Rep. Geoff Diehl and Boston City Council candidate Donnie Palmer, both slated as featured speakers were unable to attend.

“Some lost parents that day,” Sheehan said. ‘Others lost siblings and friends, some have served in the military or became first responders as a tribute to those who were lost.’

He described how, much like those coming of age at the time of Pearl Harbor, the 9/11 generation did not seek to grow up during war.

“Evil came to America, and Americans responded,’ he said, noting that the feelings most Americans experienced on that Tuesday morning 20 Septembers ago, are still remembered by those old enough to understand their significance and the way shock, sadness and anger swiftly turned to resolve.

He compared the heroism of passengers on Flight 93 with that of other Americans who fought at Gettysburg, only 90 miles away.

“President Lincoln said, ‘…the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here…,’” Sheehan said. ‘Just like Gettysburg, a field at Shanksville is hallowed ground. It is where Flight 93 was brought down to Earth, not by terrorists, but by those bravely resisting their evil intent.”

Sheehan noted the post-9/11 surge in American patriotism, marked by skyrocketing sales of American flags, and funds established for the lost first responders and their families.

“Where have all the flags of Sept. 11 gone?” he said. “It is up to us to answer that question.”

He said the flag is still brought forth on the traditional patriotic holidays and in response to horrific attacks such as the Boston Marathon bombing, the Pulse nightclub attack and so many others.

“We have been inspired by the service of healthcare workers, volunteers and first responders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sheehan said. “Yet those moments seem to be overshadowed by violence in our communities, vitriolic politics and a questioning of America’s role as a beacon of hope and freedom.”

Sheehan said the legacy of the more than 3,000 people — Americans as well as citizens of many other countries who worked in the WTC complex, need not be lost to current political divisions.

The better legacy would be to reassure those worried about the future, to comfort those mourning a lost loved one and to temper the rage of those angered by such events, he said.

Cameron spoke again following a ceremonial volley by the Sons of the Legion firing squad and the playing of “Taps.”

“On this day, 20 years ago, 246 people went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights, 2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for work in the morning, 343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shifts, 60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for their morning patrols,” Cameron read from a writing about the night of Sept, 10, 2001. “Eight paramedics went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift. None of them saw past 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001.”

He urged those in attendance not to take one second of our lives for granted.

Hanson EDC updates board on South Hanson project

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HANSON — The town’s Economic Development Committee on Monday, Sept. 13, presented its latest work in the efforts to revitalize the Main Street corridor.

The EDC gave its second presentation during a joint session with the board. Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, who also serves on the EDC, along with fellow members Ken Sweezy and Jim Geronaitis attended the session.

Geronaitis and Stantec representative Phil Schaeffing and, at times, former Town Planner Deb Pettey, past and present town administrators have worked on a grant to fund and plan for the Main Street efforts, according to FitzGerald-Kemmett.

The local rapid recovery plan, as it is known, includes actionable plans tailored to the unique economic challenges and COVID-19 impacts of downtown areas through a planning grant funded by the Mass. Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Hanson is one of 120 communities — mostly medium or small in size — across the commonwealth to participate in the grant program.

The area between Elm and High Streets is being referred to as South Hanson Village, Schaeffing said.

A business survey was conducted in the spring and the EDC has been reviewing project recommendations during the summer toward drafting a plan and public presentation, which is due to DHCD by Oct. 8.

Those project recommendations include building and façade improvements — which is one of the primary recommendations — maintenance and repair and general improvements such as signage. Projects fall into one or more of six categories: public realm, private realm, revenue & sales, administrative capacity, tenant mix and cultural/arts.

Improvements to the pedestrian environment, to improve access to businesses and the MBTA station are looked to in an effort to aid safety to cyclists or pedestrian, which are also safety priorities of the federal Department of Transportation.

Infrastructure improvements to accommodate present and future development and connection to the Burrage Pond trails are being explored, Schaeffing said, as is the encouragement of more housing.

“From a business perspective, having more residents that are living nearby, especially for retail or service-oriented businesses, is helpful for that business,” he said.

“There’s more to talk about on this,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It’s not our place to be unilaterally saying that we’re knocking on people’s doors and saying, ‘Please come to Hanson and develop this type of housing.’ We’re talking about is there a way for us to develop a zone and work with it so we can effectuate the outcome more than we have the existing 40B.”

Schaeffing said any housing development depends on having regulations in place that permit the development.

Engaging local business owners is also being looked at to help increase sales and encouraging a “buy local” atmosphere as well as facilitating third-party technical support to help increase online sales and marketing.

Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer said a town-wide visioning process might be the best step to take next.

“We had some really good outcomes with the Plymouth County Hospital property where that was quite the turnout for a committee,” Dyer said.

Sweezy suggested a good approach would be to look at the area in terms of what image Hanson wants to project as a community.

Selectman Jim Hickey endorsed that approach, but had a question about the funding, especially for sidewalk extension.

Sweezy said the main focus is what funding is available now and then

“What do we want it to look like?” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the zoning and visioning considerations. “Do we want it to be modern … or are we looking for it to resemble a quaint New England town with lighting so people feel safe?”

She noted that the EDC has received feedback that people do not feel safe walking to the MBTA.

“This is really a pivotal time for the town of Hanson,” Dyer said, while agreeing with FitzGerald-Kemmett that none of it will happen overnight.

“A quick-hit that may make some of us feel a lot better … is the façade piece,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I really hate to use the analogy about slapping lipstick on a pig, but I’m willing to do that if it makes people not cringe when they drive through that area.”

Green elevated

Selectmen voted to change Town Administrator Lisa Green’s title from interim to permanent, pending a good performance evaluation.

“I think that Lisa’s been doing a great job,” said Dyer. “One of the things I keep on hearing, as I make my way through Town Hall is, ‘Well, we’ll see how long Lisa is with us,’ ‘She’s interim,’ and I think, at this point, … I personally would like to keep her and I would like to see her become the town administrator and drop the ‘interim.’”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she has done an outstanding job after having to hit the ground running.

“Boy, did she get handed a lot of ticking little time bombs, not getting into details, but you guys all know,” she said, but expressed concern that the board take extra pains to ensure proper procedure.

“She goes constantly above and beyond,” Dyer said. “She’s here for the best interests of the town of Hanson.”

Selectmen Joe Weeks said he did not feel he had enough information to make that decision and preferred to wait until after seeing how Green works Town Meeting on her own. Selectman Kenny Mitchell’s absence also concerned him, as Weeks felt the full board should be able to weigh in.

Selectman Jim Hickey said the issue is simple.

“All it does is take off the interim,” he said. “Her contract runs out next August anyway.”

Hickey noted that, if she misses Town Meeting for a training program, it’s because she wants to be a better town administrator.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said that, while the move might be unprecedented for Hanson, it is not unprecedented for other communities.

“There are certainly many, many examples of interims that morph into a permanent without doing an exhaustive search because its like a probationary period,” she said. “You have the benefit of seeing people in action as opposed to on paper or how the interview. In that sense, it can be quite positive.”

She said that takes place routinely across the commonwealth.

Dyer also argued that former Town Planner Deb Pettey was hired the same way.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also noted that Green was among the top four applicants of an “exhaustive” search that yielded a hire that lasted 16 months.

Selectmen approved the change 3-0-1, with Weeks abstaining.