Hanson Select Board approves grant-funded mental health clinician sharing deal

HANSON -- March 3, 2026, Hanson Select Board unanimously backs grant-funded mental health clinician program and Inspector General school audit request. The board voted Tuesday to enter an intermunicipal agreement, at no cost to Hanson, funded through the state Department of Mental Health, placing two clinicians hired by the Kingston Police Department on seven-day rotating coverage for five municipalities including Hanson, with road response beginning March 16; Police Chief Joseph Casey and Lieutenant Alicia Durga said roughly 40 percent of department calls carry some mental health component, with officers responding to one patient 11 times in a single week in January. In a separate unanimous vote, the board agreed to draft a joint letter requesting the state Inspector General forensically examine Whitman-Hanson Regional School District finances, contingent on the School Committee voting in favor at its March 4 meeting. Whitman-Hanson School Committee Chair Ryan Trestle and Acting Superintendent Dr. John Marcus appeared in person to explain that last fall's midyear staff cuts, which became a statewide news story, stemmed from approved budget reductions that were never fully implemented, leaving a payroll deficit discovered only after a new business management firm arrived. The board also appointed Terrence O'Keefe as interim Veterans Service Officer through June 30, approved a liquor-hours expansion for Southern Eats LLC effective March 5, and authorized a postcard mailer of up to $1,800 to alert residents to the Smart 911 transition.