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Vigil for lost friends

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PEMBROKE — A public vigil will be held on the Pembroke Town Green Thursday night at 7 p.m., for two Pembroke High School graduates of the class of 2016.

Joey Birolini, 23 of Hanson, and Billy Hickey, 23, of Pembroke were former co-captains of their PHS hockey team and succumbed to their injuries in a horrific car crash in Pembroke on Elm Street early Sunday morning.

Pembroke Police received several 911 calls reporting a single-car crash at 104 Elm St., at about 12:57 a.m., April 16. When Pembroke Police and Fire responded to the scene, they found they needed to free the passenger from the 2012 Lexus SUV by mechanical means.

The driver was located outside the vehicle, according to a statement from Plymouth County DA Timothy Cruz.

Both men were transported to South Shore Hospital, where the passenger, identified as Birolini, was pronounced dead. Hickey died of his injuries the next day.

The pair was well known in the hockey community along the south shore and has been remembered by local teams such as: Whitman-Hanson Boys’ Hockey via their public Facebook page.

“Whitman Hanson Boys’ Hockey family mourns the loss of former Pembroke Titans hockey star, Billy Hickey, who died in a tragic accident this weekend.”

Joey Tarquini of Pembroke said the two young men who were killed were his two best friends. They were well known and loved.

Joey Birolini, 23, had four siblings and was a great role model. He was the kindest most thoughtful best friend you could ask for, said Tarquini.

William Hickey also known as “Billy” was a senior hockey player at Salem State the college paid tribute to the senior player.

“Billy was such a tremendous human being. He strived to be the best in everything he did,” said Salem State Head Men’s Ice Hockey Coach Bill O’Neill. “You would want Billy on your team as he was the player that made everyone else better. You would want Billy to be part of your family, as you could trust him and his loyalty was unwavering. We all loved him and are devastated by the loss.”

Whitman-Hanson High School Superintendent Jeff Szymaniak via Twitter shared the GoFundMe pages of the two victims

“Please send prayers to our neighbors in Pembroke who lost two young men last night in a tragic accident.”

Tarquini said the pair will be remembered in a vigil on Thursday night to pay tribute to two outstanding men.

Hickey also leaves a sibling behind and was known as “a protector” of his friends showing bravery and sharing his courage like a big brother to their group of friends. He was a goofball, was kind and will be missed by everyone, said Tarquini.

The victims who had family and friends with local ties to Hanson have GoFundMe pages on Facebook, which were set up to assist in alleviating the costs of funeral services. www.gofundme.com/f/billy-hickey

https://gofund.me/e11b769a for Joey Birolini.

Massachusetts State Police were also summoned to the scene. It was determined that the SUV had crossed the centerline, leaving the roadway and stuck a tree before rolling over. Cruz’ statement indicated a preliminary investigation indicated that speed and inclement weather may have been factors. The investigation is ongoing.

Lisa Green named Hanson TA

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HANSON — Former Whitman interim Town Administrator Lisa Green has been hired to fill that role in Hanson after interviewing with the Hanson Board of Selectmen for an interim post on Tuesday, April 13.

Town Administrator John Stanbrook had submitted his resignation to the board in executive session that night, effective June 1, which the Selectmen accepted with regret.

The Board of Selectmen voted to make Green a conditional offer, pending a background review and agreement on a contract.

“Thank you for this opportunity and I will do the best job I can for the town of Hanson,” she said.

“After speaking with Lisa and after listening to her answer these questions tonight, I know that I would support her in this role and I would be very excited to have her come aboard, work with John and continue to be the town of Hanson’s interim administrator,” Chairman Kenny Mitchell said.

Selectmen were told on April 6 that MRI, the firm that conducted the last Town Administrator search, has indicated their current fee to conduct a search is $9,800, reduced by $1,000 because the town had used their services to hire Stanbrook less than two years ago.

“They seem to think there’s some real good talent out there for a replacement for the town administrator,” Mitchell said at the time.

MRI said their process would take about 12 weeks.

He and Hickey sat down with Green recently to discuss her interest and ability to take on an interim position in Hanson.

“Her answers to both those questions was yes,” Mitchell said. “Either way, we’re going to need an interim.”

Selectman Jim Hickey argued that evening to “put that $8,000 on hold with MRI” and interview Green about coming on board to help the town.

“We know Lisa,” he said April 6. “Lisa knows us, which is kind of a nice feeling.”

That discussion led to an invitation to Green to interview with the board this week.

Mitchell told Green the board had her résumé and would be asking a few questions, beginning with his about why she felt she should be hired.

Green said she grew up in Brockton, spending a lot of time in Whitman and Hanson and is very familiar with the town. She allowed that Hanson has its challenges, as far as economic development and financial challenges.

“I feel I can bring a lot to the table to start working to address the challenges in those areas,” she said, stressing her experience in grant writing and management.

“I’m very passionate about municipal government,” she said. “I really want to see the town succeed in all different ways.”

Mitchell also asked how she would deal with the town’s fiscal challenge and she said the town needs to have a discussion with the schools as to where they can bring their costs down.

She said she has already been looking at town finances to determine where economizing can be done from Hanson’s side.

“It’s mainly looking to where we can reduce expenses,” she said. “We also need to look into revenue sources that the town has not tapped into yet.”

She said she is fully prepared to get information out to residents about why an override is needed.

Hickey asked what she knew about the board members or personnel in town departments as well as her interest in the job over the long term, in view of the town’s past record of changeover in administrators — a topic she had brought up in prior discussions with him.

“You all have a passion for Hanson and for what you do. … Everybody is volunteering their time for the good of Hanson … and I look forward to working with you all,” she said about the board and town employees. “We all have the same goal of making Hanson a better place for the residents.”

In terms of her future, she noted she has lived in Whitman for 20 years without a history of “job jumping.”

After working in travel, she went to law school when the industry hit the wall post-9/11, and discovered a love of municipal government and when “things went in a different direction with the town of Whitman I made a decision to leave.”

“I left a federal job, which not many people do,” she said when the assistant town administrator job became available.

“I will stay on as long as you allow me to stay on,” she said.

Selectman Matt Dyer asked Green to review her greatest strengths and weaknesses, as well as to review a difficult decision.

“Some of my strengths are my passions, my tenacity to, once I get an idea in my head, I want to see it through. Resilience is another,” she said. “No matter how many times you get knocked down, you have to get back up.” She also admitted that tenacity could be counted as a weakness.

She recounted an investigation she was charged with making into a complaint about the inappropriate behavior of some town employees hired to work a Town Meeting during a session.

Green said she would prioritize the town budget as well as meeting town employees and preparing for Town Meeting, in response to a question from Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett about her first goals in the job. She said her management style is a collaborative one.

“I’m not a micro-manager,” she said, beyond making clear what the expectations are. Communication with residents is also extremely important, she said.

Selectman Wes Blauss asked for an example of her mentoring someone coming into the field. She said she had done that when she worked for Social Security’s general counsel’s office.

Budget revision fails

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There were no changes made to the fiscal 2022 school budget and assessments at the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 7, despite a proposal from  Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak that would trim the budget by three quarters of a million dollars.

The measures failed by a vote of 6-1-1 with member Dawn Byers voting no and Chairman Bob Hayes abstaining. Member Chris Scriven was absent.

Hayes said Monday the budget would be discussed again at a meeting on Wednesday, April 14. Budget votes must make up two thirds of the 10 total members, whether they are present or not.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting in this chair saying, ‘Maybe the School Committee can reduce my budget,’ because I’ve always fought to increase the budget,” Szymaniak said, noting that Whitman is still calculating a budget and Hanson would be looking at an override “no matter what.”

“I don’t think it would sit well for me to not share an idea of how to reduce our budget and have it potentially, if we don’t reduce it, fail at town meeting,” he said. “I feel very comfortable being able to do this.”

Szymaniak proposed using the funds over those three years to balance the remediation and intervention programs, some special education programs and Chromebooks — totaling $775,000 for a proposed budget of $56,797,579.40 — a 2.6 percent increase of the budget. Hanson’s assessment would be $12,646,117.72 and Whitman’s would be $16,104,903.22.

The new round of federal stimulus money can’t be used to pay teachers, but may be used for remediation of COVID-related expenses.

Without helping the towns, he could be faced with pink-slipping people and the goal this year is to avoid that.

Chairman Bob Hayes reported that legal counsel has opined that, once a budget is set, the figure cannot be increased — only decreased — as Hayes had described at the last meeting.

“The reason for it, is the budget has to be presented to the towns 45 days before Town Meeting,” he said. “That gives the town the opportunity to set their budget.”

The school budget makes up a larger portion of town budgets than other departments.

“There’s nothing that says at Town Meeting a budget line can’t be increased,” he said. “But it can also be decreased.”

Szymaniak said he has received a written copy of the opinion, and would share it with the committee.

He also noted Hanson’s move to place an override on the Town Meeting warrant and will hold a forum on the issue April 20.

“I think the budget we put forth through the School Committee supports the mission of our school, supports what we need for our kids for next year,’ Szymaniak said. “But I also feel it’s my job as the CEO and CFO, so to speak, of the district to say I’m going to be sitting on a little over $2 million of federal stimulus money.”

While he said he doesn’t have a specific number yet, but has been told it is more than two times the $1 million in ESSER II COVID funds.

“We will get this money, it’s just a matter of when,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable not giving you an opportunity to potentially reduce the operating budget to assist our two communities, when they’ve asked for some assistance in the district budget.”

He prepared information for the committee to use to reduce the budget, to give the towns a strictly level-serviced budget.

The Committee opted to reopen the budget discussion to do that.

The $2.1 million to $2.2 million in ESSER III funds must go over three fiscal years, Szymaniak said. It would not be prudent to use $2 million in one year, and he didn’t know if the state or federal governments would allow that in any case.

“We are not going to cut any services,” Szymaniak said. “We’re just reallocating who’s going to pay for the services — and the good people of the federal government are going to pay for the services.”

He said he would not make the suggestion if he didn’t think it would be successful.

School Committee member Dawn Byers said using the ESSER III funds for operating expenses “doesn’t make any sense to me at all.”

A Mass. Assoc. of School Committee program she participated in offered advice on ESSER III — plan accordingly, communicate wisely with your communities and discuss it among committees to “prepare for the cliff” in 2024 when it won’t be there any more.

She specifically expressed concern about using it for special education or Chromebooks, which will need replacing again.

Committee member Fred Small said Hanson is in a difficult place this year and anything the committee can do to help would be in everyone’s self-interest so the School Committee can go on to do long-term planning.

School reopening

Szymaniak reported on the Monday, April 5 school reopening that if he were to assign a grade to the day’s experience it would be a B+ to an A-.

He said there were a “couple little hiccoughs here and there with transportation” between buses running late and traffic patterns a little off at certain schools.

“The best thing was getting into elementary classrooms,” he said, noting he managed to pop into the classes at most schools. “The teachers were ready to go, the kids were ready to go and I saw a lot of happy eyes.”

Tents have been pitched at the high school and inspected on Tuesday to allow students to eat lunch outside and space apart as well as for some classes to be held outdoors.

There was also a challenge with desks ordered for Whitman Middle School.

“Nothing is ever easy, but we got it done,” he said.

The desks the town of Whitman helped the district order with COVID funds are on back-order, according to Assistant Superintendent George Ferro, and will be delivered the first week of May. In the meantime, desks were obtained from Sacred Heart School, which is in the process of downsizing. Another 150 desks were borrowed from Stonehill.

Ferro said the desks will be kept when they are delivered in May because it is not known when Stonehill would need theirs back and there could still be social distancing protocols in place for September.

“The not-so-great part about opening is I have three positive [COVID] cases at the high school right now from a social interaction last week,” Szymaniak said. “In turn, I have 34 close contacts [in quarantine] out of that social interaction.”

There are four positive cases and seven close contacts at Whitman Middle.

“Nothing has been transmitted through school,” he said.

The DPH contact tracing guidelines have not changed, despite social distances have closed to three feet, which has upset some parents. But Szymaniak defended school nurses who were doing their jobs.

“To get mad at my nurses, to yell at my nurses, to threaten or to have us have to call the police on you, is not appropriate,” he said, noting it had happened that day.

Superintendents are calling DESE to ask them to work with DPH to adjust the distances involved in the contact tracing protocols.

There have been some behavior problems due to the social-emotional challenges of the past year.

Grenno sets WFD retirement date

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WHITMAN —  Fire Chief Timothy Grenno has submitted a letter to the Board of Selectmen signaling his intention to retire, effective July 9. Selectmen voted to accept the resignation with “utmost regret” during their Tuesday, April 13 meeting. The board also met with the Finance Committee during the session which unveiled the town’s fiscal 2022 budget.

Selectmen also began the process for finding Grenno’s replacement by seeking a fire chief’s list from Civil Service.

Grenno has been with the department since joining as a call firefighter in 1984, full-time since 1992 and promoted to lieutenant in 1999. He became fire chief Sept. 12, 2008.

“I had but two primary goals in being your fire chief — to assure all of  my members go home at the end of their tours and to leave the fire service a little better than when I entered,” Grenno wrote in his letter, read during the meeting by Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski. “I have fulfilled both those goals … now it is time to turn the reins over.”

Kowalski thanked Grenno for his 37 years of service on behalf of the board. Grenno thanked the board for its support, counseling, mentoring and discussions.

“You couldn’t ask for a better board than the one we have right now and I thank you very much,” Grenno said. “I walk away happy.”

Selectman Dan Salvucci, whose son had been a Whitman call firefighter, thanked Grenno and his predecessor for guiding him.

Kowalski quipped that it was, “Really a pleasure to have a chief who knew how to use punctuation when he was writing.”

Selectman Brian Bezanson thanked Grenno, not only for his career in service to the town, but for the last year and a half in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The town is grateful to have you and your department for the pandemic, and everything that we’ve gone through as a town,” Bezanson said. “We couldn’t have asked for better service and dedication while this tragedy has taken place.”

Selectman Randy LaMattina echoed that sentiment.

“The last year and a half probably was one of the most trying of your career and, without a doubt, you had this town ready to do the right thing by our citizens,” LaMattina said. “I don’t think there’s a doubt in anyone’s mind that we were ready if we were called on and that’s primarily because of you.”

Selectman Justin Evans, as the most recent member of the board, said his work as Fire Department liaison during COVID was eye-opening.

“Seeing all the work you’ve been putting in — and the whole fire department has been putting in — this last year-plus, it’s been trying for all of us, but I’m glad to have [had] you running the department and the Whitman Emergency Management Service,” Evans said.

Budget review

Getting down to budget business, Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said Whitman, like many area towns has “reentered the red with respect to COVID-19” mainly due to clusters among school children, but that it would have an effect on reopening Town Hall and potentially on scheduling Town Meeting.

The budget includes $1,564,075 in requested expenditure increases over the $41.4 million fiscal 2021 budget, and actions taken to close the budget gap, including $603,300 in reductions to department requests.

The major budget cost-drivers are the $1.2 million school assessment increase, a $197,000 hike from Plymouth County Retirement and a $91,000 increase from increased enrollment at Norfolk Aggie.

New revenue is foreseen as $108,000 in excess overlay revenue and $50,000 in new real estate and personal property tax growth “based on conservative analysis.”

Projected state aid is a bit over $3 million at this point, minus $206,000 in expenses.

“There are funds in here for nominal raises for both union and nonunion staff,” Heineman said, including a slight increase in the salary offered for an assistant town administrator to increase the applicant pool by bringing the salary more in line with the market.

The town’s free cash balance is at 1,058,634, of which $594,000 is being asked to help fund the budget.

“We do not have sufficient free cash available to fund what we want to do in terms of capital [$956,000],” he said.

More of that work could be undertaken if the school district succeeds in using federal ESSER III funds to reduce it’s budget and, thereby, assessments to the towns.

Costs for the three high schools — W-H, South Shore Tech and Norfolk Aggie — as well as pension costs have continued to rise.

He said he was recommending a “semi-consolidated budget,” in which departments present requests by salaries in one line and expenses in another.

FinCom Chairman Richard Anderson said he appreciated the joint meeting with Selectmen, noting they have met with all town departments since last summer.

He said the biggest hurdle was the fact that there was not yet a solid number from the school district, but said that while he has concerns about the consolidated budget approach, his committee has not yet had time to review the budget, which they had just received.

“We’re putting the onus on managers to manage properly,” LaMattina said. Kowalski said Selectmen also need time to digest the budget, stressing no vote would be taken that night on warrant articles.

Members of the two boards noted the budget document needs to be put before residents, and Heineman pledged to post it on the town website.

“It’s a little bit of sticker shock, absolutely,” LaMattina said. “We are providing more information than the townspeople have ever seen. …It’s going to be a matter of getting that information out, making sure people can see it.”

The meeting with the Finance Committee started with Kowalski reading a letter into the record at the request of FinCom member Kathleen Ottina, in which she expressed outrage that he had not ruled LaMattina out of order for remarks at the March 23 budget meeting with the School Department and School Committee.

Kowalski said he regretted that Ottina felt the need to write the letter but said he understood what she was talking about. He also felt the need to permit LaMattina to respond, since the complaint was about him.

LaMattina apologized for putting Kowalski “in the position where you have to feel the brunt of Ms. Ottina’s outrage over parliamentary procedure.”

He also affirmed for the board that “if the time should arise again that I should feel the need to call out a department head for unfactual statements or speak upon untruthful statements by an elected official” he would make every effort to be properly recognized before speaking and would try to make his point in a “less abrasive manner.”

Kowalski said he noted when watching the recording it was apparent LaMattina had raised his hand, but that it was not evident during the meeting.

Kowalski read another letter from the DPW Commissioners about their unanimous vote to proceed with the sewer force main project at an estimated cost of $14,471,950, including all construction costs, restoration of easement and replacement of manhole covers and other ancillary work.

Electronics recycle day aids Dollars for Scholars

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CLEANING UP: Michael Ganshirt president of the DFS Whitman-Hanson chapter thanked a patron after students emptied her car at the April 10 Electronic Recycling Day in Hanson. See more photos, page 6.                                                                                                Photo by Stephanie Spyropoulos

 

School panel taps Stanbrook as business director

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Hanson Town Administrator John Stanbrook has been selected as the new business and finance director for the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District, effective July 1, pending successful contract negotiations.

Stanbrook has been serving as Hanson’s town administrator for the past year.

The School Committee, meeting Wednesday, March 31 met with the candidate for the position. Interim Director John Tuffy has been serving the district in that capacity since the departure of Christine Suckow.

Tuffy has worked with Stanbrook before, when Tuffy was business manager at Silver Lake Regional and Stanbrook served on the School Committee there.

Eight candidates applied for the position, with four brought forward to be interviewed by the search committee — made up of School Committee members Christopher Howard and Fred Small, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, Assistant Superintendent George Ferro and Tuffy — Chairman Bob Hayes reminded School Committee members.

“I think the elephant in the room is that you currently work for the town of Hanson, so now you’re applying for a position with the district,” School Committee member Dawn Byers said. “To me, that gives the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

She said she has concerns about that relationship and that people on both sides may have preconceived notions and expectations derived from the relationships that are “naturally created from your current position.”

“I don’t think this starts with a clean slate for our district,” she said.

Small asked who she meant by “some people.”

“I think the real problem is that more people are not asking questions about this interview process right now, to tell you the truth,” she said.

Howard said five people conducted the interview with Stanbrook, but if the committee believes it was a waste of time, they could conduct more interviews over and over again.

“I do think there was a process where there was a request for people that were interested in doing the interviews,” he said, noting he offered to give his spot to someone who wanted to be on the search committee more. He also noted there were no other qualified candidates.

“You charged me with finding the best possible candidate,” Szymaniak said. “Sometimes it will ruffle feathers in other districts, other communities.”

He said that Stanbrook was the best candidate from the available pool.

“The piece that came through from [two Hanson Selectmen Szymaniak asked] was character, character, work ethic, character, and numbers,” he said. “He’s a character man, he’s a numbers man, he’s trustworthy and he will work his tail off to do his job.”

Stanbrook said he consulted the Ethics Commission for an opinion and there is a disclosure on file with the town clerk’s office in Hanson.

Two candidates failed to show up for scheduled interviews.

Stanbrook said he was excited to apply for the position and to answer the committee’s questions. Of the two remaining candidates, Stanbrook received the search committee’s unanimous backing, according to Szymaniak.

“We did interview two candidates who were very qualified for the position,” Szymaniak said. “After discussion, the five of us recommended to you John as a qualified business manager who will help us, in my opinion, lead us with a solid business plan for the future — something that I think is desperately needed for this regional school district, something that we haven’t had in my tenure as a principal and a superintendent.”

He said the district has struggled to put forth a plan acceptable to both towns.

“I think John’s qualities in municipal finance, and his passion for school finance … he truly wanted to be a school business manager and, I’m going to say, he ended up on the wrong side of the tracks in municipal finance,” Szymaniak said.

Szymaniak described Stanbrook as a “numbers guy” who he feels very comfortable working with.

“He will support our office well,” Szymaniak said. “He will support his people in my office well and I think he would support this district very well.”

Small said that Stanbrook is a very well-rounded candidate who combines a lot of strong experience from both the school and town sides. Howard agreed that Stanbrook is also strong with numbers and asked him to share how he came to that background.

Stanbrook noted he was finance director in Mansfield where he had also applied for and was a finalist in the search for a school finance post in that community. Before his final interview the Mansfield town manager was let go and he was asked to step in as interim as well as finance director and — for a brief period — town accountant.

“I was going this way when I was pulled the other way,” he said. “That’s what I like to do. That’s where my head is at. … I can do other things, and I don’t mind doing other things, I have other tasks that I could perform, but this is what I like to do. This is why I get up in the morning.”

After dealing with COVID for a year, Stanbrook said he took the time to address what he really wants to do.

“When the opportunity came up, I felt it was important to go for it,” he said.

Ferro said one of the things that drew the search committee to Stanbrook was his diversity and his ability to wear different hats while maintaining a keen focus on the numbers and the mission and vision of where the district needs to go from a financial standpoint. Tuffy said Stanbrook’s experience with school finance as well as town finance would be valuable to the district.

“He’s also been in our chairs as an elected School Committee member in the town of Halifax,” Small said. “He understands a little bit of what we go through.”

Byers asked about Stanbrook’s licensure for the position.

Szymaniak said Stanbrook’s license is ready for review and he had to take tests with DESE to accomplish that, which were not available because of COVID, once he took them he passed both tests. The no-shows were licensed in Rhode Island and Connecticut, respectively, and a third was not licensed.

Byers also asked about the qualifications of the other candidate interviewed by the search committee, but Szymaniak said he did not feel it was appropriate during Stanbrook’s interview.

She also asked what his current staff would say about his work style.

“I’m not a hard-core disciplinarian, but we get stuff done,” Stanbrook said, feeling his staff would support him. “I’m task-oriented but I feel we can do that with a general joie de vivre, you don’t have to be angry all the time.”

He has some experience with the MUNIS accounting system.

Preserving the past

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WHITMAN — Brina Healy is a fan of Whitman history, which is not surprising since she lives in a bit of history — the former Toll House motel.

Now she is preparing to sell the property in preparation for her retirement plans, after her mother passed away in January 2020, but her main goal is to do so while preserving the local history she values.

“The history of the house itself is important,” she said. “We’re trying to keep the history of the town alive.”

She sai she also wants to maintain the value of the property.

“There is an ulterior motive,” she said. “I’m trying to make this place known. The history adds value to the property, but the reason I’m doing it personally is to keep the history of the town alive.”

Her latest effort to that end is an attempt to reach community outreach staff at Nestlé, about a carved wooden sign that had been original to the property and was found damaged earlier this year.

Nestlé, which now owns the Toll House brand and has been helpful with other town projects at Whitman Park.

The sign had, at one time, been illuminated by four floodlights that had been placed on the ground around it.

“That’s going to get vandalized,” she thought since the lights had not been working for about two years. She wrote the company last year to ask if they would consider coming to repair the lights. “I’d like to see them keep that up.”

So far, her attempts — and those of the Express — however, to reach that office have been unsuccessful.

In the meantime, Healy has been renovating the house to get it into market condition and painting the outside to match the original paint choices.

“I spent all summer [on it],” Healy said on a January afternoon this year. “I did the deck over, I painted, did the shed and things like that.”

She’s been advertising on Facebook, Craigslist and online marketplaces to add Toll House or King’s Castle Land-related mementos to a mini-museum in the foyer of the home and a shed behind the house, which was built in 1940. An addition was constructed in 1953 for motel use.

“I have had a few local people, very thoughtfully, reach out and leave me items,” she said. “It’s really hard to find that stuff on line — King’s Castle Land was a small place, so there was not that many people involved.”

Among the people who have responded was a Brockton woman whose husband was one of the people who did the cleanup on the property after the Toll House Restaurant burned down in 1985. Through them Healy obtained faucets from the ladies’ room, which she has installed in a first floor powder room of the home.

“It’s rather difficult to find stuff,” she said.

Art classes had been conducted in the house during the 1960s. Earlier, it had also been the Toll House Motel. Then-Senator John F. Kennedy had been a guest at the motel during visit to the area in 1958.

Healy runs a film and photography studio in one of the former apartments, which had also been an antiques shop at one time.

“This could be an in-law [apartment],” she said of the space. “These were the motel rooms, they both have a full tile bath, but they don’t have a kitchen because guests would go to the restaurant to have your meals.”

Hanson rallies against hate

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HANSON — All ages and races joined in unity along the Town Hall sidewalks, Friday, April 2, armed with signs of peace and awareness to denounce hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

In light of recent random and calculated attacks throughout the nation including the March 17, Atlanta, Georgia murders of eight Asian Americans have raised the level of awareness of hatred against the Asian population, which has been on the rise nationwide during the pandemic.

Event organizer Marianne Dimascio Donohue of Hanson was moved by the recent violence against Asian Americans and she set out to show that there is no room for hate in Hanson.

“I was outraged by the killings in Atlanta and other Asian hate and violence that have been happening,” said Dimascio Donohue.

How will the community keep the ball rolling in the right direction against hate?

“I think that this year… so much has happened and people are really ready to take action not just sit back anymore but I feel like the energy here (we have high school students who started a social action club) and I just feel like people are really outraged by what is going on,” she said. “I hope we can capitalize on that and keep things moving and not just have this one off event.”

Teacher Ashley Balbian, who is also the advisor of the Social Justice and Activism club at Whitman-Hanson, was joined by colleagues and several students from the club at the April 2 rally.

“Participants attended the anti-hate rally on Friday to speak up and publicly show our support for our Asian American friends at W-H. It is especially important to us that we help amplify injustices we see taking place in our country and feel that starting in small places like W-H is where we can make the most impact,” Balbian said. “We hope to help educate our community by participating in events like the rally and further offer opportunities for students at our meetings.”

The W-H clubs mission strives to foster a safe and accepting Panther community within the school and beyond by empowering youth through projects that focus on serving, understanding and educating one another. While reflecting on the past and present, our club engages in conversations regarding issues of injustice and inequity and how we can move forward in creating a better world for all, she said.

Attacks have escalated in light of the COVID-19 virus, which was determined to have originated from China. The skyrocketing anti-Asian violence has become a topic at the forefront but the behavior is not by any means new.

Lidy Chan attended the rally and resides in Foxboro she attended with friend Juvy Hartweg, of Hanson, both women are of Filipino heritage. She felt it was time to stand up for her race and others who endure hate because of their ethnicity.

“Because we have been victimized for a long time and we have just been quiet and I think enough is enough. It is time for us to take action. I am just glad that each community is doing something like this (inaudible) a peaceful vigil.”

To read more about Chan’s nonprofit national outreach visit Chan migrated to the United States in the early 90s. She works with several non-profit organizations and as a community coordinator is heavily involved in outreach for underserved and at risk communities.    

National Federation of Filipino American Associations – Filipino American Solidarity. One Voice, Four Million Strong. (naffaa.org)

NAFFAA.org National Organization

Comtonational.org

FinCom: Town faces deep cuts to essential services

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HANSON —  The Board of Selectmen, on Tuesday, April 6, voted to place a $1.85 million Proposition 2 ½ override on the May 3 Town Meeting warrant and scheduled an interview with former Whitman Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green for the position of interim Town Administrator.

Town Administrator John Stanbrook has been selected to serve as business and finance director for the W-H School District [see story this page]. Green has served as interim town administrator in Whitman following the retirement of Frank Lynam and had applied for the Hanson post two years ago after the departure of Michael McCue.

The override decision came at the conclusion of s fiscal 2022 budget discussion with Town Accountant Todd Hassett and the Finance Committee.

Hanson faces a $2,181,208 million budget shortfall.

Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell said he asked the financial team for recommendations of cuts in services required to make up the shortfall.

“What you’re about to hear tonight would result in significant number of layoffs if the shortfall is not made up,” Mitchell said.

Town departments had been asked to level fund their budgets and limit expenses.

“Unfortunately, that’s just not enough to overcome a deficit this large,” Sullivan said. “Last year I think a lot of people looked at this as being a school problem [centering on the shift in assessment formula]… but this year, this is a town-wide fiscal crisis.”

Among the recommendations from Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Sullivan and Hassett include immediate steps such as using free cash to fund the transfer station budget, using all the retained earnings in the transfer station budget, requiring recreation to run a self-funded operation.

That brought the deficit down to a $1.85 million deficit.

“Unfortunately, it’s not something that can just be spread across all the town departments because — some town departments — that would wipe out their entire budget and they would cease to exist as we know it,” Sullivan said. “The largest way to cut that deficit, unfortunately, is personnel cuts.”

General government costs must be cut by $211,000; Public safety would see $1.115 million cut; a reduction of about $300,000 would come from the operating assessment for schools; public works would be cut by $157,000; another $36,000 would be cut from human services and another $30,000 from culture and recreation [library, parks and fields and patriotic observance].

Translated into human terms, the reductions could cut 12 full-time and several individual part-time positions:

• six full-time police officers and one non-replacement of a retirement;

• four full-time firefighters;

• one or two full-time positions in the Highway Department;

• one full-time employee at the Council on Aging;

• several part-time employees either let go or given significant reduction in hours at the Public Library, bringing the town “dangerously low” in the minimum amount of funding as required by the state;

• a part-time employee from Treasurer/Collector;

• a full-time town buildings custodian; and

• a part-time assistant to the Planning Board.

“Departments are preparing impact statements that go into greater detail about what [cuts] mean for their individual departments,” Sullivan said. “In my time here, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a deficit this large. … This will affect town services across the board.”

Sullivan noted that Police Chief Michael Miksch told him that the budget cuts under consideration would mean there will be hours “that the station will go dark, now.”

The Finance Committee has not yet voted on a specific budget number, according to Sullivan.

“It’s going to hurt everyone,” Hassett agreed. “This is where we believe we need to be to sustain current level of service — at $1.85 million — otherwise this structural revenue problem is just going to recur next year.”

Mitchell suggested there are other areas in town hall that could be cut to reduce cuts to public safety. He also questioned the use of free cash to subsidize the transfer station, especially since Camp Kiwanee — the other enterprise fund facility — would not be subsidized.

“We shouldn’t sacrifice public safety if at all possible,” he said.

Hassett agreed that closures at the transfer station could be part of the budget-trimming efforts.

“This is the [Select] board’s budget,” Hassett said, noting that residents have expressed that they value the transfer station, but that retained earnings will not cover costs. “We’re setting a framework for you.”

Since the transfer station is funded outside the budget, under a separate article, efforts to cut costs have been thwarted at Town Meeting in the past, Sullivan noted.

“If I have a choice of whether to have a police officer show up to my home if my house gets broken into, or having an ambulance come to my home and transport me if I’m sick, I think the police and fire would take precedence over the transfer station,” Mitchell said, as he acknowledged that the transfer station is a beneficial service.

“Or even the [police] station going dark vs the transfer station,” said Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “I mean, come on, let’s get real.”

Sullivan said other town departments are not the source of funds sufficient to solve the problem. The town accountant budget is $224,000 and town clerk is $136,000 of expenses, he said by way of example.

“They just don’t have the budget to cut,” he said.

“It’s chewing gum and baling wire right now for a lot of these departments,” FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed.

OVERRIDE

“It’s up to the people of Hanson to decide what kind of public safety do they want,” Selectman Jim Hickey said during the budget update discussion. “It’s that simple.”

He noted the override question on the agenda and said he already was ready to vote yes to place it on the warrant.

A forum about the override will be held at the W-H Performing Arts Center at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 20. Up to 100 people may attend. Department heads will be available to answer questions and outline how cuts will affect their departments.

Facebook livestream of the event will be offered to residents unable to attend in person,

“For me, it’s pretty clear what I need to do is support this override so the town can maintain the services it provides for residents,” Mitchell agreed.

The override is just to maintain current services, however, he cautioned.

“We’ve got a few areas where we need to increase services,” Mitchell said. “This is going to take everyone in town to understand and realize. … Are you willing to risk losing any town services, because I’m not.”

Selectman Matt Dyer said he understands that some are still hurting financially due to the pandemic economy, but that the average homeowner would see less than $10 a week more on their tax bills “to make sure that we have the firefighters, the police officers, the teachers in the schools and all the support in our town.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett supported the override question as “the right thing to do.”

“I don’t want to live in a town where the employees and all the departments are on a continual starvation diet,” she said. “This board has not been bullish about overrides [in the past]. We don’t do this willy-nilly.”

She said there was no doubt in her mind that the town’s financial team left no stone unturned in seeking an alternative.

“I support the override 100 percent,” Selectman Wes Blass said. “I’m not going to pontificate. That’s where I stand.”

“I made my statement earlier,” Hickey said. “I support it whole-heartedly.”

TM SEARCH

Selectmen were told that MRI, the firm that conducted the last Town Administrator search, has indicated their current fee to conduct a search is $9,800, reduced by $1,000 because the town had used their services to hire Stanbrook less than two years ago.

“They seem to think there’s some real good talent out there for a replacement for the town administrator,” Mitchell said.

MRI said their process would take about 12 weeks.

He and Hickey sat down with Green recently to discuss her interest and ability to take on an interim position in Hanson.

“Her answers to both those questions was yes,” Mitchell said. “Either way, we’re going to need an interim.”

He said Green could interim either for the 12 weeks of a search or the board could interview her toward possibly offering her a position of interim town administrator with a one-year contract, which could be reviewed at its conclusion.

“I actually thought about bringing Lisa Green in,” Hickey said. “I’d like to put that $8,800 on hold with MRI.”

He said he would never speak behind Stanbrook’s back, “But, for me, honestly, I didn’t get my money’s worth,” he said. “You were excellent while you were here, but if you’re leaving, the $10,000 for 14 or 16 months — however long — for me, it doesn’t break down to be even.”

Having Green work with Stanbrook to bring her up to speed until he left, would be a win-win situation for Hanson, Hickey argued.

Dyer agreed with Hickey.

“We know Lisa,” he said. “Lisa knows us, which is kind of a nice feeling.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she had spoken with Green three weeks ago about whether she would entertain coming to Hanson.

“If we had interviewed four people last time, Lisa would have been the fourth person we would have interviewed.”

She said she was comfortable offering Green a one-year contract right away.

Blauss agreed with FitzGerald-Kemmett, but Hickey preferred to at least go through a formal interview with the full board.

COVID changes program plans at SST

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HANOVER — The COVID-19 pandemic has not interfered with South Shore Tech students attaining industry-recognized credentials during the 2020-21 school year, according to Superintendent-director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey during the School Committee’s meeting on Wednesday, March 17.

The information was part of Hickey’s review of his goals for the year — most of which were pandemic-related.

“We know that the school has done very well under the circumstances,” he said, noting he would update the committee on the efforts of students to obtain credentials later in the year. “But the pandemic has not prevented our students from getting access to those credentials, which is absolutely essential.”

Principal Mark Aubrey said preparing students with the criteria they will need for careers in the trades, military or college continues to be a primary concern.

Efforts are also underway to get students ready for September. Late buses have been added to the schedule as fully one-third of students stay after school — for athletics or clubs that meet in person.

Parents are also being helpful in picking students up after athletic events.

As in-person instruction schedules begin again, there will be a return of normal practices to the school day, Aubrey said. No more hats is one of the rules coming back.

Students had been allowed to wear hats during in-person days over the winter when windows had to be opened to keep air circulating.

“We’re going to start tightening up on all of that,” Aubrey said. “We’re going to start easing up into the environment. We’re looking for more ways to start bringing students back in.”

Aubrey also commended Hickey for his leadership during the pandemic, making sure the school’s faculty and staff do the best they can for students.

A graduation committee is already at work planning an outdoor event, probably taking place at the school the weekend of June 5 and 6, most likely on the stands at the football field.

“We’re going to work it like we did at last year’s events,” Aubrey said of the drive-in graduation at the Marshfield Fairgrounds, with one car per spot for families to sit and a limited number of tickets available.

Aubrey said the school is waiting for guidance from the Mass. Department of Public Health before making any decisions on prom.

“We’re looking more at a kind of semi-formal kind of dance because I don’t want kids going out and renting tuxedos or buying gowns for something that might not happen,” he said.

In any case, the event would be held outdoors and would be for seniors only after graduation. Seniors and parents are involved in the discussion to make sure whatever is decided on is something that can be delivered.

“I don’t believe we have the capacity to do much more than what we’re about to do,” Hickey said, noting the school doesn’t have enough classrooms for academic days. Most of the 28 classrooms the school does have, do not have the space to permit spacing all students three feet apart.

Waivers for full returns can be followed by a site visit by DESE, which Hickey has done, but elementary and middle schools are getting priority.

“We may be very close to the end of our maximum safe capacity,” he said. The schedule being planned at this point is three days of in-person instruction on an academic week and two days of fully engaged remote instruction. During shop weeks, instruction would be full-day in-person weeks.

“I do think the three-feet distancing rule is going to be the next hurdle for us,” he said. “If that, by September, is not relaxed, then we’re going to have to take a hard look this summer about … the capacity to come back.”

Transportation guidelines being relaxed would also be a big deal, according to Hickey. He does see the mask requirement continuing.