Whitman-Hanson Express

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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.

Towns’ ballot picture forms up

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After 18 years of public service, School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes is sitting this one out.

Hayes opted against taking out nomination papers for the May 15 Annual Town Election in Hanson. Michelle Bourgelas and Daniel Strautman, meanwhile are running for seats on the School Committee representing Hanson.

Whitman, too, is seeing competition for School Committee seats on May 15 as incumbent Vice Chairman Christopher Scriven and member Fred Small will appear on the ballot with William Haran of 61 Meadow Lane and Heather Clough of 154 Beulah St.

For Hayes, it’s simply time to do something else.

“Eighteen years is a long time and it’s time for me to move on,” Hayes said Tuesday, adding he has no plans at the current time to stay involved in town politics. “I’m not ruling out anything in the future, but currently, no. … I have no regrets and I encourage people to volunteer for elective offices.”

He added that he appreciated the support he has received from Hanson voters over the years, and wishes the school district great things in the future.

“I’ve just been there a long, long time,” he said. “Am I going to miss it? Probably.”

There is also competition for Selectmen seats as Hanson Selectman Matt Dyer will appear on the ballot along with Joseph Weeks and Whitman Selectman Vice Chairman Daniel Salvucci will face off against Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly.

Whitman voters are also being asked to select two Library Trustees from three candidates: Katherine Getchell, incumbent Michael Ganshirt and Wendy Cope. Two candidates are vying for a seat on the Whitman Housing Authority for a five-year term: Theresa Lynskey and Kimberly Blanchard-Bobulis.

Ballot lineups are as follows:

Hanson

• Selectman:  Joseph Weeks and Matthew Dyer

• Assessor:  Kathleen Keefe

• Library Trustee:  Linda Wall and Corinne Cafardo

•Board of Health:  Arlene Dias

• Constable:  Steven Lyons

• Water Commissioner:  Denis O’Connell and William Garvey

• WHRSD:  Michelle Bourgelas and Daniel Strautman

• Housing Authority:  Daniel Pardo

• Planning Board: Joseph Campbell

Whitman

• Selectman: Daniel Salvucci and Rosemary Connolly

• Assessor: Heidi Hosmer

• Library Trustee (one year): Margaret McEwan

• Library Trustee (five years): Katherine Getchell, Michael Ganshirt, Wendy Cope

• Board of Health (three years): Danielle Clancy

• Board of Health (one year): Brandon Griffin

• WHRSD: William Haran, Fred Small, Christopher Scriven, Heather Cope

• Housing Authority: Theresa Lynskey; Kimerly Blanchard-Bobulis

• Town Clerk: Dawn Varley

• Planning Board (five years): Elaine Bergeron, Brandon Griffin, Wayne Andrews

• Department of Public Works Commissioner (three years): No candidates

They’re soaked in inclusion

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Nearly $2,000 was raised by Whitman Hanson Best Buddies and Student Council as part of a Best Buddies’ project during the culmination of Inclusion week.

Whitman-Hanson students and staff had a daily dress up theme and special guests from the post-graduate program and students with disabilities participated in the morning announcements. Students also had eight different videos highlighting their strengths and what inclusion meant to each of them.  The videos were played at the end of the school day throughout the week, according to student council advisor Dan Moriarty. Best Buddies and Student Council were hosts to the event, which was open to all school staff and students to participate.

The end of the week in past years included a Polar Plunge with a run in and out of the ocean on the Cape, said Moriarty.

The new plunge, in view of COVID restrictions, was completed by doing an ice bucket challenge.

Colleen Patterson a teacher at Whitman-Hanson was chosen by a raffle ticket to dump a bucket over the head of WHRHS Principal Dr. Christopher Jones. Several of the teachers dressed in scuba gear, face masks, and Dylan O’Neil a special education teacher wore a snorkel mask and a donut shaped float. His brother Sean O’Neil of Hanson is a student in the post-graduate program. He took a minute to line up and readied his bucket but spared his big brother and instead of his face, soaked his belly with the ice water.

He had fun dumping the water on his brother, O’Neil said following the event.

For information on ways to donate through the April deadline visit the  Special Olympics Massachusetts wesbsite support.specialolympics.org/massachusetts. The polar plunge challenges ended this week but donations are still open.

Hanson sharpens town budget pencil

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen is looking at override options to close the town’s $2.18 million budget shortfall.

“People are asking how would you get to $2.18 million?” Town Administrator John Stanbrook said. “Should we go for the entire amount? Should we cut what we can [first]?”

The board will be meeting again on April 6 to finalize the budget.

Should an override fail, he said, the school district would have to cut about  $750,000 — with Hanson realizing 40 percent of the cut.

If free cash were used to keep the transfer station open, for example — $118,000 is needed — it’s a dollar that can’t go into the town’s budget. If retained earnings were used for the transfer station, it would return $60,000. No additional OPEB transfers would bring $25,000 back to the budget coffers; $616,000 in the budget would close the gap a bit more than has already been discussed; Ambulance receipts could mean another $100,000; overlay surplus holds another $215,000 with the potential to free up $200,000 toward the deficit; $20,000 in the tax title line is not needed this year; boosting the local receipts by $80,155 — or a 4 percent increase — would also produce deficit savings. Finally, cutting the town budget where it can be cut to the fiscal 2020 level, would bring back $847,053.

The $847,053 represents “real money and would mean real cuts” to police, fire, highway, Town Hall, Council on Aging, library and transfer station.

“All of those together would be the $2 million-plus amount that we’re looking at right now,” he said. Using free cash is using money the town won’t have next year, however, because the town would be cutting the budget as close to the bone as possible.

Stanbrook said the town cannot afford the 4-percent increase in the assessment sought by the school district.

“That gives us a $1.9 million deficit,” he said. “It’s really every dollar that the school district does not charge us is a dollar amount that we could use on the town side.”

He suggested the Article 4 budget line could be presented in two columns, representing the budget impact with and without an override. Or divide the two budgets between two separate articles.

Selectman Chairman Kenny Mitchell advocated for a single column, arguing that two columns would be too confusing.

“It seems to me as though this is an all-or-nothing [approach],” said Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, asking if a tiered approach would be better. “I’m always afraid when it’s almost like you’re calling people’s bluff.”

She suggested counter-arguing for the need of an override.

“We haven’t taken this lightly,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “John’s crunched the numbers beyond crunching and there’s no way around it.”

Selectman Wes Blauss said a tiered approach has been tried before, and did not work well. He advocated providing voters with both options as a method for helping them decide.

Town Moderator Sean Kealy suggested the information could be provided to voters in a handout, because two columns in Article 4 could be very confusing.

Selectman Jim Hickey agreed with Kealy’s suggestion.

“When you say this is what we’re going to have or this is what we’re not going to have, you’re talking jobs and you’re talking services,” Hickey said. He argued that the message has to center on what the town could be missing.

“When we debate the override — and it’s going to be debated — is someone going to make a presentation on de-regionalization, or at least speak to that issue, because I anticipate it coming up,” Kealy said.

Town Meeting, to be held at 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 3 at the WRHS gym as a priority one site, with an outside location at the high school as priority two.

Mitchell advocated for keeping the date and the original location at Hanson Middle School.

“Especially when you’re talking about an override, I think going to the ballot first before Town Meeting is a little deadly,” Mitchell said.

Town Clerk Beth Sloan agreed with keeping the meeting date on May 3. Her only question was how to fit people in the auditorium while observing proper social distancing if an override is to be discussed.

“I don’t have any objection to keeping it on May 3,” agreed Kealy. “Was there an argument for keeping it May 3 other than more people would be vaccinated by then?”

Mitchell said, so far as he was aware, that was the only argument.

“You’ve got to be thinking about overflow,” Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said about the potential for a large turnout. “It really depends on what infrastructure you have at that building and I just don’t know.”

Sufficient technology would be needed to enable people in overflow rooms to hear and participate in the proceedings.

“I think our last July Town Meeting went very well and I think there is going to be an overflow crowd,” said Blauss. “I think we’re dealing with a large number of people, and I think that putting it on the field — it wouldn’t be able to start at 7:30 p.m. — rather than worry about where we are with vaccinations, which I think is still going to be a huge issue at the beginning of May, I think we should start off [acknowledging] last year worked great.”

Selectmen advocated checking with the School District to see if the Town Meeting can be held outside at the high school.

Kealy, expressing weather concerns, said the October Town Meeting held in the high school gym, worked well. He noted that social distancing could be observed there and the school has the proper ventilation to keep people safe.

“It may not be as good as outside, but outside would be tough because of the weather,” he said.

Sewer, school costs reviewed

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 23 heard some sobering numbers with a potential to affect the town’s budget from both the school district and public works officials.

Selectman Brian Bezanson said that, following the evening’s sessions with the DPW Commissioners and school officials, following the board’s meeting with South Shore Tech officials earlier in the month, the town has some “sobering numbers” to contend with going forward.

“We’re putting the squeeze on everybody and it’s going to be very difficult going forward,” he said. “I think we all need to come together to try to figure out ways that we can get through this together without causing a mass exodus out of Whitman.”

Selectmen held a meeting with Department of Public Works Superintendent Dennis Smith, DPW Commission Chairman Kevin Cleary and Environmental Partners Group consultants about the 20-inch sewer force main project.

The pipe alone will cost about $6 million, with another $1.7 million for Auburn Street water main replacement and $4.5 million for restoration. Incidental work is estimated at nearly $1 million with general conditions priced out at $2.3 million — the construction subtotal coming to $12,331,350. Engineering services and contingency costs would bring the total to $14,471,950.

“As of originally setting up this meeting, the commissioners were still, I think, having some internal debate about which version of this project they would be recommending to go forward [with] at Town Meeting,” Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said.

He said the commissioners had decided at their last meeting to go with the base work, and not some of the alternates originally viewed as part of the project. Heineman added that he wanted to make sure Selectmen were aware what the project now entails as well as current cost projections as well as possible funding sources.

“I will say they were definitely keeping an eye out for the rate payer to keep the cost as low as possible,” Selectman Randy LaMattina said.

But he said, in watching the commissioners’ last meeting he did not recall discussion of replacing the water main.

Commission members said that decision was made several meetings ago to avoid having to dig the road up later, bringing the cost up by about $1.8 million, largely for water main work.

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski asked if the commissioners had voted on the new numbers yet. Cleary said the new numbers would have to be voted at their next meeting.

“I don’t argue the veracity of this project one bit,” LaMattina said. Sometimes the people who pay the bills get lost in a lot of what we do — and that’s the ratepayer. … Are we dealing with a definitive need or are we talking about a want?”

LaMattina said that, if the DPW Commissioners want a vote from Selectmen, he definitely wants a vote by them.

Selectman Justin Evans said the water main replacement had been discussed with Selectmen in December or January.

“It makes sense to do it while the road’s open,” he said. “It makes sense in the long run — the sewer system is close to 40 years old, the water main is close to the same age.”

Evans suggested it could be a good time to look at retained earnings as a funding source. Heineman said there is about $4.1 million in retained earnings.

After a few significant breaks over the past few years, the DPW is seeking to replace the force main in the sewer line leading from the Auburn Street pump station due to corrosion issues.

The line carries 500,000 to 1 million gallons per day into the Brockton system.

The project the commissioners have worked on for the past two years is aimed at repairing the problem and addressing infrastructure improvements to town water and roadway systems in the Auburn Street area, according to Cleary.

“We’ve got our longevity and then some since the pipe was put in during the 1984,” he said.

Ziad Kary of Environmental Partners Group reviewed the project’s need and proposal for Selectmen. Options ranged for a new main and abandonment of the existing main to cross-connections and partial replacement.

“We focused on alternative number one,” Kary said. “Simply put a new force main in and abandon the existing.”

Design began in October, using corrosion-resistant materials. Permitting is expected to be complete by March 31 with final design done by April 30. Bids would be advertised in May and awarded in June with a construction start planned for July or August this year.

“We believe this is about a year of construction,” Kary said.

School budget

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak and six members of the School Committee also met virtually with Selectmen about the budget. [See related story, page one].

“It will certainly be a challenge to balance this budget with the number that was certified by the School Committee on Wednesday [March 17],” Heineman told the board.

LaMattina took issue with School Committee member Dawn Byers’ outline of the work of Whitman’s Override Committee at the March 17 meeting.

“The School Committee should deal with that person,” he said.

Szymaniak admitted he misspoke on the issue at the meeting.

Moving on to the budget itself, Szymaniak said some money from the American Recovery Act should be helpful in offsetting the budget as presented where one-time costs and funds for regression programs are concerned.

“Sometimes we talk about dollars and cents all the way to the week prior to Town Meeting,” Szymaniak said, adding that Heineman had asked for solid numbers by April 13 when Selectmen vote on a budget article. “I don’t know if the School Committee is going to have a budget for you by that time.”

He argued that the budget is a good one for students in Whitman and Hanson to open the doors in September after a “year of displacement, of virtual learning, of remote learning, of anything that we can do to get them back in the building.”

“You have to realize, big picture, what a blow it was to realize our assessment was going to go up by about 10 percent, when last year we had bent over backwards to try to compromise and help the school system — and then we see a school budget that gives us a very difficult path to walk down,” Kowalski said. “We’ll all try to work together to try to sort all of this out.”

Kowalski said that, as a fierce supporter of the schools, even he was set back by the school budget.

Evans lauded Szymaniak for trying to use the ESSER III federal funds to put forth a strong school budget without setting back the towns, but suggested it might be easier if the budget process could be started earlier.

Szymaniak said the intent was to start the budget work in December, but COVID threw a lot of things off track.

“I don’t have any concerns about starting the budget process earlier,” he said.

“We’re not finding another $800,000 to $900,000 this year,” LaMattina said. “It just isn’t happening.”

$57.5M school budget is approved

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The School Committee on Wednesday, March 17 voted to approve and certify a fiscal 2022 budget of $57,572,579 — with an operating assessment of $16,575,019.22 for Whitman and $12,951,002.72 for Hanson — after non-mandating busing and some other costs, brings the total divided to $55,572,579.

“This is the beginning of sealing the budget process,” said Chairman Bob Hayes.

The votes were:

• Approve the fiscal ’22 budget at $57,572,579.40 with a vote of 8-1-1 [Committee member Fred Small voted no and Hayes abstained because his daughter teaches in the district.]

• Approve the operating assessment of $16,575,019.22 for Whitman with a vote of 8-1-1.

• Approve the operating assessment of $12,951,002.72

for Hanson with a vote of 8-1-1.

Committee member Dawn Byers asked for source material on the often-repeated assertion that once budget figures are set they cannot be increased — only decreased.

While he was not able to cite a specific law or regulation, Hayes said that  has always been the assertion and asked Business Manager John Tuffy for clarification.

“I’m not sure I agree with you,” Tuffy said. “I’ve heard that here a couple times and, perhaps we should talk to district counsel. I believe that, up until Town Meeting, the budget can change and the assessments can then change because the budget changed.”

But once a budget is voted, certified by the treasurer and delivered to the towns, the budget cannot go up by any action of the school committee. At that point, it would take Town Meeting action for that to happen.

“I can only say I hope the committee supports what we’ve added for increases this year,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak. “I know we spoke about potential federal money — and I believe that federal money is coming — however, tonight’s the night I don’t have a check from the fed. Tonight’s the night where you certify a budget.”

Szymaniak said he believes the federal funding will be “significant” but doesn’t know specific numbers yet.

“I believe what we asked for is prudent, it’s fiscally sound, knowing that both communities have some financial difficulties,” he said. “I just need some clarity from both communities on what’s affordable.”

The district is using the statutory assessment formula only this year.

“My desire here is for accuracy,” Tuffy said. “This is not a policy statement. This is mathematics, and if there are any errors or issues, we can work them out and make some changes.”

Estimated non-mandated transportation figures and would likely change when the district gets better information about ridership.

“The total amount won’t change, but perhaps the distribution will,” he said.

The cost of the HVAC work at Hanson schools will also change, according to Tuffy, and will only affect Hanson’s assessment. The minimum local contribution has increase $795,538, with Hanson’s up $320,803 and Whitman’s up $474,735.

At about $100,000 Medicaid reimbursements seem on par with previous years and the district expects to use about $600,000 in Circuit Breaker funds to offset the budget. Last year, $700,000 was used.

Projected regional transportation reimbursement is $697,269.

Interest income to the district is at $20,000; school choice revenue is estimated at $246,000; and charter school reimbursement is expected to be $124,000.

Costs for students going out of district through special education placements and outgoing school choice and charter school students are included in the budget lines, according to Tuffy.

“Obviously, we’d like to have an infinite pot of funds that we can draw down, but it’s good to take a step back,” said Committee member Christopher Howard. “Two years ago we basically spent a year on assessment methodology and this last year we tried to keep the wheels on the bus as a result of COVID … there are so many pieces that we could look at in terms of pulling this thing together.”

He suggested that the committee begin, perhaps during the summer, going through what things they would like to see and work toward working them into the budget a year from now.

“I think this is really good, given where we are — where we’ve been and what we’re going to do — and I support what you’ve put together,” Howard said.

Whitman Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said an override is not being considered for his town this year. Hanson, however, is looking at a significant override.

“Hanson is driving the bus this year, as from a financial perspective,” Heineman said. “I think it’s important for a school budget that includes an assessment that will pass an override in Hanson.”

Byers said that is a “dangerous conversation” to have.

“I feel the towns have been driving the bus on our school budget for decades and, essentially, that’s why we’re at the bottom [in per-pupil spending],” she said. “At this point the committee has a duty to consider the students’ needs first and put forth a budget that meets our needs and the towns will decide how they fund it.”

Committee member Fred Small said every town is different, but that the district has been lucky to have received more in Chapter 70 funds over the years than other towns and districts, but noted that annual increases for Chapter 70 aid W-H has been miniscule.

School return
update

Szymaniak also gave a re-entry plan update, noting that the facilities department has been working to place desks in classrooms with proper spacing and showing principals what the configurations look like. Assistant principals and school nurses are measuring all distances to ensure social distancing regulations are met on a geometric basis to aid contact tracing, if it is needed.

Whitman officials reached out to the district and told school officials that they will use CARES Act funds to help purchase the desks for Whitman Middle School required to group students at the proper distance, because trapezoid-shaped tables require pupils to face each other from within three feet apart

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said the district had received 314 bus change requests as of March 16, but said 98 percent of them were from parents calling to confirm they are driving their children to school.

“What it [now] looks like on most of our bus routes is two to a seat and the bus routes look manageable,” Ferro said. New routes will be updated on the infinite campus web portal, under transportation, this week.

Enough middle school students are signed up for in-person learning, that live-streaming of classroom work will not be necessary except when administrators deem it an extenuating circumstance not limited to COVID.

“There safe operation of school is taking place,” Ferro said. “There is a return to normalcy, just like, hopefully, next September.”

Found photo spurs ‘detective’ work

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WHITMAN — A picture is worth a thousand words as the old adage says — and a photograph found this month in a Whitman home told a story that was 43 years in the making.

Two Whitman families collectively shared one another’s stories and memories through a surprising find at 69 Chestnut St., Whitman where Jessica Curtin her nine month old baby and her parents reside.

The bathroom needed remodeling and they decided to tackle it together, she said. She needed help during the pandemic and was happy her parents were willing and able and are such a part of their grandbaby’s life.

During demolition inside the wall behind the cabinet there was a hard, plastic laminated photo. The couple in the image was later identified as Richard Warren Parker and his wife Helen Olympia Parker who bought the home in 1945.

Curtin said her father recalled the name as the former owners of the home but he wanted to see if they could locate their relatives to hand the photo back over.

Curtin posted the print on social media with a brief story. Later that evening Jessica Quagliozzi who lives in New Jersey with her husband Jerome responded that it was her husband’s family.

There were many Whitman locals who assisted through Whitman town social media pages but ironically there were three Jessica’s involved in ultimately determining how to get hold of Jerome.

He is not wel-versed in social media but was flabbergasted at the efforts made in finding him. With help from his wife he communicated his thanks to Curtin and others for reaching out to him but the story did not end there.

Including a slight step toward learning social media, Quagliozzi felt a higher power was aligning the recent happenings. He was able to thank Curtin and share some memories but most importantly he got to tell his family story.

He was raised by the Parker’s who were his great-grandparents. They took him in as an infant and in an unselfish act raised him; giving him the best life he could have ever dreamed of… “my best opportunity was to be with them,” he said.

Finding the photo has become a way of memorializing them and the life they gave him, said Quagliozzi in a phone interview with The Express from their home in New Jersey were they have four young adult children.

Quagliozzi was raised in Whitman where he attended Conley Elementary School through Whitman Hanson until his junior year.

He was reunited with his biological mother and two half siblings in New Jersey and moved there for his final year of high school. It was difficult as all his schoolmates and close friends were in Whitman where he had lived for over 16 years of his life, he said.

His memories of growing up with his Pappy and Mimi are full of happiness, love, complete support — they attended all his activities and enrolled him in numerous sports programs —Pappy attended every game. They instilled great work and religious ethics in him. They attended Holy Ghost Church where he was an altar boy at one time, he said.

They dedicated their whole life when they were already in their 60’s and it was their time to relax. He never took that for granted, he said.

They had been married just shy of 40 years and were fairly healthy but when Mimi passed away in 2001, he could only imagine that his Pappy was declining from a broken heart.

He in fact passed just 33 days after his wife.

The very night the photo was unearthed in Whitman Jerome and his wife Jessica were out to dinner near their home in New Jersey. They were celebrating his 43rd birthday.

They had been talking earlier that evening about returning to Whitman to see and relive their fondest memories.

They were eating clam chowder and although it was not New England clam chowder the dinner was good, he laughed.

He saw a man with a Boston Red Sox hat on at the restaurant another prompt in their discussion.

They got engaged on the sledding hill in Whitman Town Park 20 years ago. His great grandparents are buried in the Colebrook Cemetery on Essex Street. He said he hasn’t been back for many years.

When they got married, he and Jessica drove up in a cargo van with her family so Pappy and Mimi could see him get married as they were unable to travel, he said.

The conversation ended with their decision to go back home and visit Whitman. To take in all the things that Jerome had been thinking about. Then the messages started to arrive about the photo and Jerome’s family.

The exact photo of his great grandparents is framed on his living room wall.

The photo was not lost completely it had however brought forth significant reflection for Quagliozzi.

“ I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without them. It was so meant to be,” he said.

Quagliozzi lost his biological mother in August 2020. He had a close relationship with her when she passed he said she was very strong in her faith.

He recently spoke with his pastor about the challenges of life and received this advice.

“The Lord does speak. We have to shut out the noise. When you are distracted — you don’t pay attention,” he said.

I am blessed for who I am today because of them. It’s time to go home – for a visit. The message is received.

He called the divine timing a sign from his “angel army.”

Curtin and Quagliozzi did get a chance to speak and she realized after hearing his story that their lives parallel one another in several ways.  The most heartfelt equivalent — her son will have shared life experiences and his own memories with his grandparents’ just one room away- in the same house.