HANSON — Town Administrator Michael McCue was sworn into office during the Tuesday, May 17 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, but he’s already been working to acquaint himself with the town’s government since his May 9 start date.
Selectmen also voted to grant the final go-ahead to Friday’s Bluegrass on the Bog Festival, now that the insurance certificate, signed agreement, arrangement for police detail officers and sufficient portable toilets have been made.
The festival producers have met with the Board of Health regarding sanitation facilities and the selectmen’s approval is contingent on confirmation that there will be enough toilet facilities made available.
After the McCue’s oath of office was administered by Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan — and a recess for a brief welcoming reception — he reported to the board on his first week on the job.
“I would like to extend my thanks to staff and the several citizens that have come by to wish me well and greet me,” McCue said. “I really look forward to meeting with all of them.”
He has already met with the police and fire chiefs as well as the highway surveyor as part of an effort to meet with all town department heads to discuss where each department has been, where they would like it to go, and to build relationships with staff.
McCue also plans to review all policies and procedures in town, “to see what needs to be revved up and what may need to be added.”
“Kind of oddly, I actually like doing that,” he said.
He credited Executive Assistant Meredith Marini with overseeing the installation of Wifi in the building as part of the project to supply selectmen with tablet computers to help reduce paperwork. The devices will be delivered soon and selectmen will be set up with e-mail addresses.
McCue also attended the May 2 Town Meeting and noted that a Town Moderator-appointed committee is investigating electronic voting devices for future sessions.
“If introduced properly it makes an awful lot of sense,” he said.
The town of Avon, where McCue has also served as a town administrator, already uses the devices successfully. He offered his services to help facilitate the move if the town opts to use them.
“I’m sure all of us would like to wish Mike well, and he’s assured me he is here for the duration, and he’d like to retire in the town of Hanson,” Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young said.
“That is true — years from now,” McCue replied.
Young also noted McCue’s interest in working with selectmen to establish yearly goals and indicated that would be discussed at the next meeting.
McCue’s parents are Hanson residents, and his mother Constance, sister Katie, uncle Jim and aunt Pat attended the ceremony and reception.
In other business, School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes announced that Gale Engineering had come in with a proposal cost of $9,750 for the engineering study on the Maquan School roof repair project.
“We tried to speed up the process, because roofs the size of Maquan need to be done when the students are not in school, it makes for a better job with much [fewer] problems,” Hayes said.
Funding for the project was approved at the May 2 Town Meeting.
As the Gale proposal had just been received Tuesday afternoon, Hayes said he would make the letter from the firm available to Selectmen ahead of a May 24 meeting to vote on it. The School Committee meets next .
An RFP will be issued based on the engineering study with the aim of having the work done over the summer before school resumes in September.
“We were [the Indian Head & Maquan Priority Repair Committee] concerned that we’d run out of time and not be able to get this done, and we’re still in a time constraint a little bit,” Hayes said. “By moving this RFP forward … it allows us to take, maybe, a month off of the time schedule.”
Contractors base their bids on information in the request for proposals, or RFPs.
“That’s good news,” Selectman James McGahan said of the engineering estimate.
The board also approved the promotion of Officer Peter Calegero to sergeant to fill one of seven vacancies created by retirements and other departures.
“There’s a lot of experience leaving the force,” Chief Michael Miksch said. Right now, there are two or three shifts a week working with no sergeant on duty.
Calegero who is the next high-scoring officer on the sergeant’s exam list, has shown willingness to help new officers and has served as a school resource officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UMass.
Selectmen also voted to offer conditional employment — pending completion of a medical exam, a background check, a psychological exam and final appointment — to Brent Peterson and Christopher Dominguez. Since Dominguez has recently moved back from Florida where he has been a full-time deputy officer with the Hillsboro County Sheriff’s Department, his hiring is also contingent on acceptance of his Florida certification as a police officer by the Mass. Police Training Committee.
Peterson is currently serving on the Plympton Police Department and has been an officer for three years and worked for four years on the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England College. Dominguez holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Endicott College and now works for the Norfolk County Corrections Department.