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The former Maquan School site is set for a major transformation after the Hanson Select Board backed a coordinated effort combining municipal Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funding and extensive private donations from local contractors.

Town Planner Tony De Frias presented the overarching framework for the parcel, explaining that municipal plans focus on relocating and upgrading the site’s playground closer to the street with modernized, accessible equipment, improved lighting, and enhanced security to deter vandalism. Running parallel to the town’s capital effort, Hanson resident and hospitality construction veteran John Thoms stepped forward with an extensive plan to beautify the surrounding grounds entirely through donated labor, professional services, and building materials.

Thoms coordinated commitments from several local businesses:

• Mendonca Landscaping agreed to construct a patio measuring 20-by-30 feet or larger.

• Bay State Sealcoating will sealcoat and restripe the existing parking lot once ground construction is finished.

• Donated materials will provide a metal roof for a planned 12-by-14-foot community stage, dedicated in memory of late resident John Curry.

• Resident Jim Hickey volunteered to build perimeter seating benches.

Board members raised technical and operational questions regarding municipal gift acceptance and site preparation. Member Joseph Weeks sought clarification on volunteer liability, prevailing wage rules, and future grounds maintenance. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett and Town Administrator Lisa Green confirmed that Massachusetts procurement regulations allow the acceptance of donated labor and materials provided that volunteers sign standard liability waivers and each gift is formally accepted by the board. FitzGerald-Kemmett also clarified that while the rear portion of the property remains reserved for a potential future fire station, the front acreage is cleared for public recreation. The board approved the concept and authorized the Highway Department to coordinate initial grading, debris removal, and loam application.

“Hanson’s a great town. I bought my parents’ house. I live there now. I raised my three kids there... And I think our elders and the library deserve this as well.” — John Thoms, Hanson Resident & Business Owner

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The update on the Regional Agreement Committee (RAC) negotiations dominated the August 4 meeting. Select Board member and RAC representative Frank Milisi, alongside Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee Chair Ryan Tressel, presented a series of negotiated terms designed to modernize the district’s foundational agreement.

Key breakthroughs include a comprehensive list of school committee actions that would now require a two-thirds supermajority vote—including amending the regional agreement, grade reconfigurations, school closures, land/building leases, application of excess and deficiency funds, student fees, incurring debt over $10,000, and superintendent hiring, contracting, and termination. Additionally, the Town of Whitman agreed in principle by a 3-2 vote to include non-mandated busing in the district’s operational budget for Fiscal Year 2028 in exchange for the supermajority threshold.

However, friction emerged over shared capital funding mechanisms. Currently, Hanson typically funds capital projects at a town meeting in the fall, whereas Whitman conducts its business in the spring. This timeline disconnect leaves joint regional projects—such as the high school parking lot repaving—stalled when one town approves funding months before or after the other.

School officials proposed language requiring both member towns to place shared regional capital items on their respective spring Town Meeting warrants. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett firmly rejected baking such a requirement into the binding regional agreement, emphasizing that executive authority over the Town Meeting warrant rests solely with the Select Board. Board member Joe Weeks noted that while communication between the current boards is strong, the legal document must be crafted cautiously to protect future boards and taxpayers.

“This board owns the town meeting warrant. No other entity tells us when or what we’re going to put into our town meeting warrant... I don’t have a problem with the policy, but to bake it into the agreement, I do have a problem with it because it hamstrings us.” — Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett

Tressel and board members ultimately agreed to explore non-binding policy language. Under the proposed compromise, the capital committees from Hanson, Whitman, and the school district would convene early in the annual budget process to review priorities and communicate financial constraints well before town meeting warrants close.

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During a lengthy July 21 meeting, board members debated a proposed compromise to break a stalemate over the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District agreement. Under the proposal outlined by Select Board member Frank Milisi, Hanson would agree to shift non-mandated busing costs into the district’s operating budget starting in Fiscal Year 2028. The shift is estimated to add approximately $54,000 to $65,000 annually to Hanson’s educational costs due to regional assessment formulas.

In return, the district would implement a policy requiring a two-thirds majority vote of the full School Committee for major administrative, financial, and policy decisions. That threshold would grant Hanson representatives a functional veto on critical matters, including regional agreement amendments, capital debt incurrence, superintendent employment contracts, grade reconfigurations, school closures, land/building leases, and major litigation settlements.

While board members generally backed the strategic trade-off, several raised concerns about potential loopholes and requested a comprehensive review by town legal counsel and DESE before formalizing the deal and sending it to Town Meeting.

“What we’re gaining on that is the understanding that in order for them to make any decisions based on these list of items here … there can be no more town line votes at that point.” — Frank Milisi, Hanson Select Board Member

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The meeting opened with a major breakthrough on the Hubble land acquisition. Town Administrator Lisa Green announced that after nearly three years of hovering in administrative purgatory, a purchase and sale agreement has been signed with Hubble Distribution, Inc. The town will purchase approximately 45 acres off Hawks Avenue for $117,500 using funds authorized under Article 17 of the October 2024 Special Town Meeting.

While Select Board Member Frank Milisi raised concerns about potential soil contamination based on past municipal land purchases, Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett and Town Administrator Green clarified that the plot is entirely wooded, clean, and far removed from the primary historical manufacturing site. The property will be held in perpetuity under the care and control of the Hanson Conservation Commission, with closing finalized on July 15, 2026.

“This has been a purchase that has been hovering in the office for at least two and a half to three years in the making... Come July 15th, we are good, ready to go, and July 16th, we’ll record and own the property finally.” — [[27:08]] Lisa Green, Town Administrator

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The special meeting was originally called as an emergency backstop to address a 30-year deed covenant and structural mortgage arrangement affecting the federal public housing complex known as L.Z. Thomas School at 533 Main Street. Moving the asset from federal control into the care of the newly established Hanson Housing Authority Development Corporation required the town to formally sign off on a mortgage discharge by the close of the fiscal year on June 30.

However, right before the gavel fell, the town’s legal counsel intervened, citing unprovided documentation and unresolved wording parameters. The sudden development triggered friction on the board regarding the validity of municipal contracts and the consistency of legal advice from outside housing consultants.

Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett clarified that the town’s attorneys had identified sufficient procedural anomalies to halt the signing in good conscience. Legal representatives from the Hanson Housing Authority countered that a systemic miscommunication had occurred between state officials at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) and local planners. Housing authority lawyers ultimately assured town officials that a brief delay would not automatically compromise the multi-million-dollar real estate transfer.

“Their counsel told us that they thought it was okay and that there might’ve been a miscommunication... And if it isn’t okay, then it’s going to be on Hanson Housing Authority.” [00:01:39] — Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett

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The meeting began with a joint session of the Wage and Personnel Committee, where officials approved a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for non-union personnel. The increase, which takes effect at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, covers department heads and non-contract staff such as the library custodian and facilities workers. Town Administrator Lisa Green confirmed the bulk of the funding was already baked into line items approved at the May town meeting. Additionally, Green presented an updated legal opinion confirming that the position of Town Planner and Director of Land Use Oversight will report directly to the Town Administrator rather than the Planning Board, resolving an ongoing structural ambiguity.

The primary focus shifted rapidly during the Select Board session, which brought a highly consequential discussion on local housing policy. James Marathas, Executive Director for the Quincy Housing Authority—which manages Hanson’s housing programs under an interstate management agreement—briefed the board on significant structural changes. Marathas revealed that the federal government is systematically offloading public housing, prompting the recent creation of the Hanson Housing Authority Development Corporation.

This newly formed 501(c)(3) entity is structured to act as a nimble partner to the town, capable of holding deed restrictions, collecting rents, and executing capital improvements completely insulated from the town’s general operating budget.

The revelation directly impacted a pending decision regarding Unit 35 at 902 Main Street, a local condo currently restricted under affordable housing guidelines and valued at $270,000. Under standard rules, the town had a 120-day window to exercise a right of first refusal. At its previous meeting, the Select Board had voted to let the property drop its affordability restriction and head to the open market, operating under the historical assumption that the town lacked the infrastructure to function as a landlord.

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Town Administrator Lisa Green delivered a triumphant update regarding the town’s capital development pipeline, revealing that Town Planner Tony De Frias successfully compiled and submitted four extensive grant applications just ahead of state deadlines. The multi-million-dollar funding requests are strategically directed toward site readiness, Main Street infrastructure improvements, and underutilized property revitalizations. Specifically, the underutilized property funding is targeted at the Plymouth County Hospital property and its adjacent park assets.

Green noted that this application round marks the town’s third attempt to secure funding for the hospital site, but expressed a vastly heightened level of confidence due to changes in state policy. Hanson’s recent compliance with the controversial MBTA multi-family housing mandate has unlocked state doors that were previously closed. “I am hoping that we do get at least one or two now that we are MBTA compliant,” Green remarked, noting that compliance status remains a critical, gatekeeping question on state funding paperwork. The state’s positive shift was further emphasized by a letter from the Governor’s office congratulating Hanson on receiving four previous Community Compact grants, which funded a classification compensation study, an IT infrastructure upgrade, an economic development manual, and the town’s most recent capital improvement plan.

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The public hearing was a remand from district court after a procedural glitch involving an earlier April 28 determination. The owners had appealed that initial ruling, claiming they never received the certified mail notices. This time, notice was served directly in hand, bringing all parties face-to-face in the crowded select board meeting room.

The session opened with a breakdown of multiple terrifying encounters detailed by neighbors. Resident Brian Simonelli recounted a shocking incident from April 13 on Birchbark Drive. Simonelli was walking his eight-pound Maltese when Boone materialized from behind, completely silent.

“This dog—it didn’t attack me, it ambushed me,” Simonelli testified, still visibly shaken. “It came up behind me... and before I knew it, it grabbed my dog right by the neck and picked my dog up... My instincts just took over so I literally got on the ground... and I put my hands in the dog’s mouth and I pulled its mouth open.”

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Moderator Sean Keely opened the meeting to a packed auditorium, setting a tone of fiscal realism by noting the town’s lack of a financial “cushion”. The evening’s heavy lifting began with the Special Town Meeting, where voters quickly reconciled $258,000 for snow and ice deficits and addressed $16,400 for leaking skylights at the Middle School.

The Annual Town Meeting centered on the tension between Hanson’s infrastructure needs and its limited revenue. The most contentious debate surrounded Article 32, the $33.4 million renovation and expansion of the Hanson Public Library. Library Director Karen Stolfer and the Trustees argued that the current 1990-era building was determined to be too small by the state from the day it opened. Supporters emphasized that the town had secured a rare $12.5 million state grant, which would be lost if the project did not move forward now.

However, the Finance Committee urged caution, with Chairman Kevin Sullivan labeling the expansion a “nice to have” during a period when the town faces a projected $2 million to $3 million deficit next year. Despite these concerns, the article passed the required two-thirds threshold after a hand count, finishing 177 in favor to 65 opposed.

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The meeting’s focal point was a harrowing “dangerous or nuisance dog” hearing regarding a eight-month-old Belgian Malinois residing on Birchbark Drive. Residents arrived in force to testify about a string of incidents beginning in early April, including attacks on a nine-year-old boy on a bike [46:11], an unprovoked assault on a neighbor walking a beagle on Easter morning [56:33], and a brutal “ambush” on a resident and his eight-pound Maltese. [49:12]

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The meeting opened with a sense of urgency as the Board worked to finalize the May 4 Annual Town Meeting warrant before it headed to the printers the following morning. While the session began on a celebratory note—honoring Vice Chair Ann Rein’s birthday [00:51]—the mood quickly shifted to the grim realities of the town’s fiscal year 2026 budget.

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The fiscal reality for the Town of Hanson took center stage during Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting. Town Accountant Eric Kinsherf and Town Administrator Lisa Green presented a “grounded” view of the town’s financial position, revealing that the town needs approximately $2 million in free cash just to balance the current budget proposal [38:06]. The primary culprit for the strain is a massive $600,000 deficit in the snow and ice account, a result of a winter that “hammered” the town with multiple severe storms [42:16].

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