Compiled by The Hull Times staff

JULY

• The Hull Redevelopment Authority appeared to be closer to reaching a consensus on what members have called “Option 3” of the Urban Renewal Plan should include – some kind of community center. However, board members continued to have differing views about whether there should be a housing component, including affordable units.

• Piping plover chicks hatched in late June along Nantasket Beach and more were expected to hatch in early July, barring any major interruptions to their nest and habitat. Beachgoers were asked to be careful around the nests on the holiday weekend.

• Members of the St. Nicholas United Methodist Church celebrated two milestones – the birthday of Rev. Dr. Peter Michael Preble and a sendoff as he embarked on a new assignment after several years of service to the Village church.

• The Nantasket Beach Salt Water Club hosted its annual blessing of the fleet. All those who were able to get their boats to the dock through rain and fog received a blessing for safety by Fr. Scott Euvrard, Fr. Hung Tran, and seminarian Alden of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish.

• Hull celebrated Independence Day in grand style. At one end of town, members of the Point Allerton Association continued their decades-old tradition with the annual Fourth of July flag raising; and at the other end of the peninsula, colorfully dressed marchers, bicyclists, face painting, and the annual group photo at the McLaughlin Playground were just some of the fun activities at the Hampton Circle neighborhood’s Fourth of July Parade.

• The select board approved a license request from Shipwreck’d at Pemberton Pier to allow live entertainment two days per week.

• The Town of Hull engaged the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to develop a townwide master plan to guide the town’s future direction for at least the next decade. The master plan steering committee included representatives of the affordable housing committee, planning board, select board, conservation commission, council on aging, capital improvement committee, parks and recreation department, historical commission, and three citizens at large.

• The Friends of Paragon Carousel launched a pop-up vintage-style arcade inside the Paragon Park Museum in the historic clocktower building. The experience was in celebration of the legendary penny arcade that once stood at the heart of Paragon Park.

• Retired Hull Police Chief Donald F. Brooker, who served in that position from 1980 through 2003, passed away at age 86. Brooker also held the distinction of being the first person to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout in Hull.

• Representatives of the Weir River Water System reported that company is working on plans to mitigate the frequency of discolored water incidents in Hull and Hingham, as well as to improve communication with customers.

• Hull Redevelopment Authority member Dennis Zaia unexpectedly announced his resignation after serving for more than 10 years. The HRA planned to meet with the select board jointly to fill that seat until the next town election.

• The select board heard a presentation from town counsel about why he believed town meeting Article 37, which proposed changing the management structure of the light plant, was flawed and prevented the board from taking further action. Proponents disagreed, noting that although the wording of the article did not expressly call for the filing of special legislation to effect the change, the select board could vote to act on its own to carry out the intent of the town meeting vote.

• The Hull Lifesaving Museum presented its annual Harbor Illumination in which volunteers lit flares to honor, remember, or celebrate loved ones along the two-mile stretch of the bay from A Street to Hull Village.

• For the sixth year in a row, Hull Municipal Light Plant decided to rent generators to provide electricity to the town should a major National Grid power outage occur in the winter. The generators would be set to go in the event of an emergency from December 1 through March 31 at a cost of about $824,000 for coming season. 75% of respondents to a recent customer survey supported the renting of the generators.

• Longtime public servant Patrick Finn passed away on July 24 at the age of 61. A member of the Board of Appeals, an advocate for Fort Revere, and a familiar voice at every town meeting, Finn was a lifelong “Hull kid” and a political fixture for decades.

AUGUST

• An Agent Orange Day Ceremony was held to honor the 17 Hull veterans who died from exposure to the chemical during the Vietnam War.

• Four generations of the Anastos family gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of Adrienne Anastos. Mrs. Anastos is well remembered as a familiar presence at the restaurant she and her husband, “Papa Lou,” operated for decades at Anastos Corner.

• During a special light board meeting, Hull Municipal Light Plant counsel Nicholas Scobbo presented his interpretation of voter-approved Article 37 to change the management structure of the light plant. The key question, Scobbo said, was whether it’s possible for the required special legislation to be filed by an entity other than the select board.

• Alternative Compassion Services, Hull’s only medical marijuana dispensary, celebrated the issuance of its license to sell retail marijuana with a ribbon cutting at is location on George Washington Boulevard.

• The long-vacant building at 670 Nantasket Avenue, which formerly housed a 7-Eleven convenience store, was sold to Anthony Ghosn, owner of Mambo’s and the Tipsy Tuna, for $1.2 million. Plans for the future of the property remain unclear, but remediation of hazardous materials underground delayed the transfer of the property for four years.

• Contractors completed the installation of the copper roof fascia and soffit on the 1903 water tower at Fort Revere on Telegraph Hill, and began installing copper hip flashing and a new slate roof. Work was expected to be completed mid-fall.

• The state Environmental Police and the Massachusetts State Police investigated a fatal boating accident that occurred off Hull’s Crescent Beach, involving one victim. Members of the State Police Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to reports of a sunken boat off the coast of Hull near Gunrock Avenue, following a missing vessel report. First responders located one unresponsive person in the water and rendered aid, including CPR, without success.

• The final report of a committee that inventoried Hull’s waterfront access points envisioned the numerous locations that dot the Hull peninsula as individual “gemstones” of an “aqua necklace” of public parks and sought to form a constituency for supporting the creation, maintenance, and marketing of these sites. 168 waterfront access points were identified.

• School committee member Regan Yakubian resigned in order to apply for a nursing position with the school system. She had served on the committee since 2023. In September, a former teacher and school volunteer, Aleeza Hagerty, was appointed to replace her.

• The select board approved on a 4-1 vote an order of taking and awarded related damages to the owners of 31 Beach Ave. and 33 Malta St. as part of a dune protection effort along Nantasket Beach. Voters at this year’s annual town meeting supported the town acquiring both parcels by eminent domain as a step toward protecting residents and property on Beach Avenue and the surrounding area from flooding and expected higher tides, and to ensure the integrity of the protective dune system.

• The Hull Redevelopment Authority decided that it would conduct its own survey as it prepares plans for the future use of its 13-acre property.

SEPTEMBER

• The 20th Endless Summer Waterfront Festival kicked off with dozens of vendors and other participants lining Nantasket Avenue under tents, including Hull Pride, Hull Artists, the town’s master plan steering committee, Hull Garden Club, the Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll drive, MBTA representatives to discuss local bus service, and many other community groups.

• The former owner of South Shore Cycles bicycle shop – unaffiliated with the current bike shop in town – pleaded guilty to five counts of larceny. Several customers said William J. Hennessey took thousands of dollars from them and failed to deliver the merchandise and the business opportunities he promised.

• The streets of the Kenberma neighborhood were transformed into a music festival featuring 40 bands from all over the Boston area, in genres including bluegrass, jazz, blues, and hip-hop, plus plenty of rock’n’roll. Musicians performed for attendees of all ages on donated porches and driveways that become stages for the one-day, once-a-year Hull PorchFest.

• A feasibility study will be the next step to determine the short-term and long-term solutions to better meet the needs of the town’s growing senior population. The study will focus on facilities, with options for a new senior center to replace the current building at 197A Samoset Avenue.

• The Hull Public Schools kicked off the new school year with 21 new staff members, who were welcomed to the community at a luncheon hosted by the O’Brien family at Jake’s Seafood restaurant.

• The Hull Redevelopment Authority voted to release minutes from three executive sessions held in July and August regarding the lease of the authority’s parking lots. During these closed-door meetings, the legality of which The Hull Times challenged through an Open Meeting Law complaint, the authority declared Dunn Rite Parking in default of its lease agreement. The authority charged that the vendor was not abiding by the contract by taking cash payments, not reporting sales data to the HRA, and failing to make the lease payment due on August 1. Dunn had been informed in August that he was in default under the contract.

• The annual Nantasket Beach Car Show hit the streets, as hundreds of classic car owners showed off their vehicles to a receptive crowd throughout the morning. The Best of Show winners were Mr. and Mrs. Gary Prime. Each winner received a custom trophy designed and handmade by Kim Greaves. Funds raised from the event would benefit Cops for Kids with Cancer and other local charitable organizations.

• Advocates for building a dog park discussed the pros and cons of three preferred sites with the select board – an area behind the high school, the HRA property, and the former town dump. The board did not take action on any of the suggested locations.

• The Pemberton neighborhood’s annual costume parade turned 100 this summer as residents donned costumes and created floats in hopes of winning the prized Pemberton Cup.

• After interviewing seven candidates who applied for a seat on the Hull Redevelopment Authority, the members of the HRA and select board chose a retired teacher with roots in Hull to fill the position. Charles J. Richardson, Jr. was appointed in a joint meeting to fill the vacancy created by Dennis Zaia’s resignation in July. Richardson will serve at least until the 2026 annual town election, when he will have to face voters in order to keep the seat.

• Dr. Hilary Williams of Nantasket Eye Care announced her retirement after 35 years in business. The practice continues to operate in the Kenberma Shopping District.

• In a long-awaited joint meeting with the light board, the select board voted 4-1 to direct Town Counsel Brian Winner to file a home-rule petition with the state Legislature that would change the governance of the light plant in accordance with the passage of Article 37 at the spring annual town meeting. If the petition wins approval in the Legislature, the town manager would no longer serve as light plant manager.

• The Hull Municipal Light Board created a task force after a ratepayer expressed frustration with the utility’s recent switch from net metering to net billing for customers with solar panels on their homes. The task force will examine the solar rate structure and address the concerns aired by solar users.

• Hull Light Operations Manager Panos Tokadjian, who worked for the light plant since 2014, retired at the end of September.

• The Community Preservation Committee heard proposals for a beautification project at the Hull Community Garden on George Washington Boulevard and lighting and fencing improvements at Fort Revere Park on Telegraph Hill.

• The Hull Housing Authority extended its existing management agreement with the Weymouth Housing Authority through March 31, 2030.

• The long-awaited reconstruction of Manomet and Samoset Avenues could proceed on one of two tracks, town officials announced – either funded entirely by the town or through a grant from the state’s Transportation Improvement Program. Using the TIP option could also mean conformance with state road guidelines such as the installation of sidewalks and bike lanes, and the potential for a change to one-way traffic.

• The Beach Community Action Group’s first cleanup took place with nearly 50 people cleaning the two-mile stretch of North Nantasket beach. Volunteers collected dozens of bags of trash, along with large debris, including boat doors, buoys, lumber, and hazardous items, such as nail-filled boards and syringes. The Beach Community Action Group worked in conjunction with Hull DPW to coordinate the debris pickup, and with the conservation department to ensure volunteers were picking up trash according to best practices in conservation and beach management.

OCTOBER

• Three Hull “kids” – Hull Times editor Chris Haraden, Jim McGowan, and Sean McGowan –made the pilgrimage to Six Flags America in Maryland to ride the former Paragon Park roller coaster before the park closes for good. The Giant Coaster was dismantled after Paragon closed in the 1980s and reopened in Maryland as The Wild One. The park has not announced what will become of the roller coaster and other ride installations that are not easily moved.

• This year’s Head of the Weir River Race attracted more than 150 rowers in 40 boats, who were cheered on by spectators along the Weir River estuary and at the Windmill Point Boathouse finish line. The Head of the Weir River Race draws coxed youth and adult rowers in gigs, single and double livery and workboats, currachs, and ocean shells, as well as experienced kayakers.

• While out looking for sunfish off the state-owned section of Nantasket Beach, Hull’s Joe Mahoney spotted a juvenile white shark, estimated to be about eight feet long. New England Aquarium shark expert John Chisholm confirmed that it was a white shark. Mahoney alerted the Hull Harbormaster, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, which told him that bait fish found nearby may have attracted the shark to the area.

• A wreath-laying ceremony honoring those lost at sea and local Gold Star families was held at the Sgt. Joseph Bazinet Bridge between Spinnaker Island and the mainland. Mike McDevitt’s tug Acushnet was one of four boats that brought spectators and participants out into the bay, while some deposited flowers into the water from the bridge.

• The Hull Public Schools were recognized by the state for reaching pre-pandemic levels of academic achievement, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. As DESE released the results of this year’s Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), Hull was one of 63 school districts that reached this milestone. District leaders hailed this achievement as significant, as the overall results show that post-pandemic learning loss continues to be a major challenge for many students.

• The Weir River Water System proposed a rate increase of 3% for fiscal 2027, in addition to a $65 annual debt service fee for the next 30 years to pay for capital projects, including the new $1-million Strawberry Hill water tank.

• The select board heard an update on the $15.6-million Nantasket Avenue seawall project and signed an order of taking for a section of the property at 948 Nantasket Avenue for a permanent construction easement – with a payment of $94,000 to the owner of the single-family home whose land would be affected. The vote was unanimous.

• The Town of Hull was awarded a $252,000 grant to help pay for plans for a combined public works and light plant building at West Corner that will be protected from sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding at high tides. A CZM grant awarded in 2023 funded an evaluation of the two existing facilities, which are both currently in the floodplain. Both are considered to be undersized and beyond their serviceable life.

• Students and community members celebrated Hull High School’s annual Homecoming football game under the lights. At the dance on Saturday night, Homecoming King Logan Griffin and Queen Olivia Creech were crowned.

• More than 200 volunteers spent several days on Peddocks Island clearing trash and abandoned marine equipment during a cleanup of the Boston Harbor island off the coast of Hull organized by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Center for Coastal Studies. The effort was part of a larger effort by state and local groups to improve the wildlife habitats on the harbor islands and maintain their natural beauty.

• The first, and what is expected to be annual, witches’ paddleboard trip down the Weir River set off from behind the light plant a few days before Halloween. Sixteen otherworldly Hullonian and non-Hullonian women eagerly braved the late October weather with Hull’s Debby Tamborella leading the way as the first witch in the water.

• Wellspring Multi-Service Center moved its Weymouth facility to a new, much larger location on Route 53, welcoming residents of Hull and surrounding communities to take advantage of the additional services offered there. The Hull location at 814 Nantasket Ave. would continue to operate a thrift shop, Aunt Dot’s food pantry, the kitchen, and all of the social services currently offered there. Classes would now be offered at the Weymouth location at 875 Washington St.

NOVEMBER

• The select board voted to maintain a single tax rate for residential and commercial properties during its tax classification hearing for fiscal year 2026. This decision was in keeping with the board’s traditional approach to property taxes and was made upon the recommendation of the board of assessors.

• A property owner in the area of the James Avenue land again erected cable fencing across a section of his land, blocking a beach access point traditionally used by the neighborhood. Despite voter approval of Article 15 at the 2017 town meeting, which authorized the town to acquire an easement across the disputed land, the matter remains unresolved.

• Thanks to the efforts of Harbormaster Kurt Bornheim, a more welcoming commuter boat shelter made its debut on Pemberton Pier.

• The light board adopted a policy on payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOTs) that establishes that the light board should vote on payments, that they be made in a single annual payment, and that the light plant’s annual surplus fund amount be determined prior to the payment, among other conditions.

• The Hull High Girls Soccer team made history, earning the program’s first-ever state championship

with a 3-1 win over Monson. The big win featured goals by sophomore Brianna Ramos and juniors Meghan Duran and Libby Harper.

• Hull American Legion Post 140 Commander Jim Richman and Adjutant Dave Irwin presented Wellspring with a check that would allow the organization to address Hull’s food insecurities. The donation would help Wellspring restock its food pantry during the holiday season.

• Following a number of lengthy and sometimes contentious discussions during Hull Redevelopment Authority meetings over many months, authority members voted 3-2 to endorse a two-way road plan, with Dan Kernan and Adrienne Paquin voting against the motion. Newly appointed HRA member Charles Richardson made the motion, following an update on the concept by longtime project engineer Kevin Dandrade of The Engineering Corporation, or TEC, Inc.

• Hundreds of volunteers gathered outside Daddy’s Beach Club on Thanksgiving morning to prepare meals for seniors, veterans, and other local families. A total of 1,620 dinners were distributed to grateful residents of Hull and around the South Shore.

• This year’s Thanksgiving Day bonfire was one of the largest in memory and lit up the night for hours. Thousands of Hullonians and their holiday guests gathered on the Hull Redevelopment Authority property to enjoy the annual tradition, including some who brought instruments along for accompaniment.

DECEMBER

• A three-story holiday tree, made by crews from Hull’s fishing fleet from stacked lobster traps, would continue to stand at Mariners Park, but visitors were no longer allowed to venture inside the structure after Hull’s building department ordered interior access closed due to concerns about safety.

• A traditional sign of the holiday season rose over Allerton Hill as residents Dave Wentling and Maureen Keiller, along with their merry band of devoted elves, raised and lit a star atop the former military tower on Allerton Hill.

• The town’s health department announced that it will study alternatives for waste disposal, including the potential for municipal trash collection.

• The Metropolitan Area Planning Council consultants working on Hull’s master plan shared their findings from a community survey, with 10% of Hull’s residents responding. To describe Hull’s positive aspects, respondents used words such as beautiful, beachy, and scenic, with regard to the town’s natural beauty, and friendly, close-knit, and quaint to describe the town’s social fabric. Two quotes referred to Hull as “Heaven on Earth” and the “best-kept secret.” When asked to describe Hull’s negative aspects, respondents used terms such as poor governance, falling apart, corrupt, and mismanaged, with one resident referring to the town as “expensive, boring, nostalgic.” There will be other opportunities for public comment throughout phase two of the master planning process.

• With a loud crash that reverberated through the Rockaway neighborhood, Hull’s last remaining wind turbine was toppled by crews, officially ending the town’s decades-old foray into wind-generated electricity. The 1.8-megawatt turbine, which was about 200 feet tall, was installed at the former town landfill in 2006 and generated enough energy to power 800 homes each year. It had been offline since 2023 and was declared beyond repair less than a year later when replacement parts could not be located.

• A group of Hull Village residents again requested that the town address the access issues at the James Avenue beach. A property owner whose boundary extends across the traditional access path erected barriers across the entry; the neighbors cited a 2017 town meeting vote that authorized the town to pursue an access easement. The town manager said the article was approved by voters but did not appropriate funds to purchase the easement from the property owner.

• Flying Santa’s helicopter touched down at the Point Allerton Coast Guard Station before flying over to the lifesaving museum to greet his many fans there.

• Four crew members of the Acushnet rescued a critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle from the water. After contacting the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, an animal ambulance arrived within 30 minutes and transported the turtle, now named Tugboat, to the hospital where staff kept him in a heated environment for three days to slowly raise his body temperature. The hospital rehabilitates hundreds of injured turtles annually before returning them to the ocean. Hull residents were asked to be on high alert because sea turtles had been showing up lately and getting beached at the high-tide mark in Hull and the surrounding area.

• The Economic Development Committee reviewed a presentation by a consultant who proposed adopting the slogan “There Is No Place Like Hull” as part of a marketing plan to promote the town to visitors.

• The long-awaited renovation of the historic Village Fire Station – which served as Hull’s first town hall and school – is scheduled to begin in January and take several months to complete.

• The Hull Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously to reduce the capacity of its parking lots from the possible 900 cars to 350 spaces in the lots at the northern and southern ends of the property. The two smaller lots represent about 40% of the total available parking. The central portion of the property is to be used for events throughout the summer season.

Click here for our review of the top news during the first half of 2025.

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