By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com WHITMAN – The day after the former Peaceful Meadows stand reopened under its new ownership as Hornstra Dairy Farms Ice Cream, the Select Board on Tuesday, Nov. 14 voted to permit contracting a soil survey of town land to identify farmland of local importance. “It’s not just this one particular area of land, through these maps and aerial surveys that they do or cost for this designation,” Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter said. “There’s no downside to this.” The town overwhelmingly passed a Right To Farm Bylaw at the Oct. 30 special Town Meeting, which was placed on the warrant because of the Peaceful Meadows auction in which Hornstra Farms was the winning bidder. “With the goal of retaining either an agricultural of a conservation restriction on this property, it would be advantageous to the town to have the designation of ‘Farmland of Local Importance.’” Carter said. “This designation will increase the amount of farmland eligible for federal preservation funding.” The town has the opportunity to contract with a certified professional soil scientist from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and American Farmland Trust to conduct an aerial soil survey of Whitman to determine if other areas should be designated as farmland of local importance. There is no cost for the survey and no soil testing digs are required. “There is no regulatory association with listing soils as farmland of local importance,” Carter said. “Inventories of important farmland soils do not constitute a designation of any land area to a specific land use. The designation does not affect property tax rates for parcels under Ch. 61A.” It simply increases USDA federal funding eligibility for farmland preservation by recognizing farmland of local importance. “This would be the logical step prior to forming an agricultural commission and I’m requesting permission to engage this [NRSC] service on behalf of the town,” she said. “I think it’s important to say that one of the reasons we want to look at either an agricultural or conservation restriction on this land is so that, if at some point in some point in the future, this [Hornstra] property were to go up for sale again, it would be less stressful than the auction we went through recently,” Board member Justin Evans said. “If there’s an agricultural restriction it has to remain farmland, if there’s a conservation restriction it would have to remain open space or farmland.” The distinction provides leverage for the town. Select Board members also voted to set the 2024 trash rate at Carter’s recommendation of $335 per unit, based on half the impact of the new lowest-bid contract signed with Waste Management. DPW Superintendent Bruce Martin had calculated the fiscal ’24 rate at $338 per unit. The fiscal 2023 rate was $300. The change was an effort to keep it at a $5 increment, coming down $3 instead of going up to $340. Bills go out in mid-November and are due in January. “We do have a senior rate, when you fill out the forms and that is usually $25 less,” said Vice Chair Dan Salvucci. Carter confirmed that figure. To qualify for that $310 rate, one must be 65, own a home and only one $25 discount per household is permitted. While he agreed that the board should approve the discount, Evans said they should bear in mind it is being passed on to the DPW expense line. Last year 345 discounts were approved for a total of $8,625. In other business, the board voted and signed a provisional deputy fire chief contract with Jay Mahoney during an executive session at the beginning of the meeting. They also welcomed two new members of the Whitman Police Department – Robert Hoey and Patrick Hickey. “This is the end of an era when a person interested in policing could attend a part-time police academy and work at a police department to see if the job was a good fit for the officer as well as for the department,” Police Chief Timothy Hanlon said. “There are no part-time academies anymore and no ‘farm teams’ to recruit to the ‘big leagues.’” Hoey was an auxiliary officer from June 2008 to September 2017. “He had served up until now, up to 15 years of service within this department, and he stuck with it until he made it here as a full-time officer,” Hanlon said. Hoey then served as a permanent intermittent – or reserve – officer through Civil Service, until May 2023 when he entered the full-time police academy. He has also worked for the Massasoit Community College Police Department, and had attended the bridge academy established by the Police Reform Law. Hickey was also a reserve officer through Civil Service, attended the bridge academy and the Randolph Academy with Hoey. Both were in the top five of the class academically, with Hoey receiving top honors and finished first. “Both officers have served this community to the best of their ability previously, as part-time officers, and now we welcome them to the noble profession of law enforcement in Whitman as full-time officers,” Hanlon said, noting they are now taking field training and are expected to take shift duty in December.