Abington Invited to Whitman's 150th Anniversary Celebration
Former Whitman Selectman spearheads events from April to June, invites neighboring communities
ABINGTON - January 27 - Whitman is gearing up for a four-month celebration of its 150th anniversary, with events planned from April to June. Former Whitman Selectman Richard Rosen, who organized the town's 125th anniversary, is leading the effort.
"We are putting together a number of events, which I'll go over in a second, starting on April 5th and ending on Sunday, June 22nd, which we hope to have the largest parade that Whitman has ever seen," Rosen told the Abington Board of Selectmen.
The celebration kicks off with a dinner on April 5 at the Spellman Center. Other events include a road race, chicken bake, cornhole tournament, scavenger hunts for children and adults, and the rededication of Memorial Arch next to the fire station.
On June 14, a large concert featuring the Jake Ash Band will be held at Memorial Field behind the police station, followed by fireworks from Colebrook Boulevard. The final event on June 22 will be the parade.
Rosen extended an invitation to Abington officials and residents to participate in the festivities. "I would like to invite you all to come to the kickoff dinner on April 5th. We think that the Motherland should be represented," he said.
He specifically requested Abington's participation in the parade, recalling that 25 years ago, Abington had its own division in the procession. "I'm looking for the Chairman or someone else perhaps to put together a contingent from Abington for the parade," Rosen said.
In response, Abington's Board of Selectmen Chairman Kevin Donovan named the Town Moderator and himself to organize Abington's participation in the parade.
Whitman, originally part of Abington, seceded in 1875 and was initially incorporated as South Abington. The town changed its name to Whitman, after a prominent family, in 1886 following a ballot vote.
In other business, Abington officials discussed efforts to secure additional water resources for commercial development at the former Naval Air Station at South Weymouth, now known as Southfield.
The town is working with Rockland and the Abington-Rockland Joint Water Works to explore options for increasing water capacity. This initiative aims to attract commercial development before the anticipated connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) in approximately seven years.
"The problem we have right now is that the capacity of the Abington-Rockland Joint Water Works, of their current capacity, which is no secret," the chairman said. "The question becomes, is that the developer has currently in negotiations with a number of high-end commercial properties that would be low water uses."
Engineers are examining potential solutions, including Fox's Pit in Rockland and the Myers Avenue well in Abington, to determine if upgrades could yield additional water capacity for the short term.
The Board of Selectmen also heard a proposal to transition trash removal costs from the general budget to an enterprise account over four years. Town Manager Scott Lambiase presented the plan, which aims to address unsustainable cost increases in waste removal.
"Trash, as I've said and we've discussed over and over, just since 2018 that one line item has increased by over 56%. That's just not sustainable," Lambiase said.
The proposed four-year plan would initially fund the process entirely with surplus funds or free cash. In the second year, homeowners would pay an annual fee of $175, increasing to about $262 in the third year and $350 in the fourth year.
Lambiase noted that Abington is one of the last communities in the region to make this change. "We found the communities that have done this, the prices have been pretty stable over those years as far as I think it does encourage people to maybe use less or conserve more," he said.
The town plans to hold a public information session on March 19 at the High School to discuss the proposal. The final decision will be made at town meeting.