By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Beautification Committee is hosting a townwide clean up in collaboration with the town manager’s office and the Department of Public Works on Saturday, April 18, following a successful similar effort last year.

The rain date is the following day. The hours of the event – dubbed “A Hulluva Clean Up and Sweep Up” – are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Committee Chair Betsy Russo, who is a past president of the Hull Garden Club, was instrumental in the revitalization of the beautification committee in the summer of 2024.

The committee is committed to showcasing and improving the natural charm of the Hull peninsula by initiating and leading projects that enhance the visual appeal of public areas.

She said the upcoming clean up is part of that effort, involving many community groups, including the Straits Pond Watershed Association, Weir River Watershed Association, Beach Committee Action Group, Hull Community Garden, Hull High School students, Nantasket Beach Salt Water Club, Spinnaker Island, Hull Public Library, and various clubs and organizations around town. Local churches and youth groups have also been invited to participate in a show of civic pride.

“The town manager supported the concept of the clean up and encouraged us to proceed, and the town is supplying the designated bags and gloves necessary for the clean up,” Russo said. “The DPW has staff available all day collecting the filled trash bags collected from the shoreline and placed along Nantasket Avenue.”

‘One collaborative effort’

“Last year, other groups had their own clean ups on the same or different days that the beautification committee hosted theirs, so this year we are joining together as one collaborative effort,” Russo told The Hull Times.

Registration will take place at the N Street parking lot, and trash bags and gloves will be provided, as well as coffee. Participants can choose to clean up their own neighborhoods or another area that they prefer. Household trash is not collected as part of the clean up.

The beach is also an option, with brief instructions provided related to watching out for piping plovers and other considerations specific to beach areas.

“Last year, we had more than 300 citizens show up on a windy, raw day to work together to clean up our beaches, neighborhoods, parks, and ponds,” Russo said. “This year promises to be even more successful because we’re reaching out to a wider group of volunteers. We’ll all be working together as part of a wonderful community event.”

‘This is a win-win for everyone’

One individual walking his/her neighborhood “to pick up the winter trash or groups out in the community cleaning the shorelines or parks all make a difference,” Russo said. “Each bag of trash removed makes our water cleaner, our neighborhoods more welcoming, and our parks safer. This is a win-win for everyone.”

Fliers will be posted around town soon to encourage as many people to join the effort as possible.

Star Waste, the Atlantic Hill Market, and South Shore Taco Guy are sponsoring the event.

“We are grateful for their support,” Russo said.

The Hull Beautification Committee and the town’s Design Review Board led a successful effort last year to tighten guidelines – and prohibit certain types of signage – within Hull’s existing sign bylaw through a town meeting warrant article.

Committee members also repainted the planter in front of the Village Market and filled it with colorful flowers last year as part of an overall cleanup of the Kenberma area.

New ‘Welcome to Hull’ signs

The committee’s latest project involves the creation of “Welcome to Hull” signs featuring a wave design, “which has become kind of a Hull insignia,” Russo said. “We’re incredibly proud of these signs, one of which will be installed on the side of the waiting station at Pemberton Point where commuters get off the boat.”

The other sign will be installed at the intersection of Forest Avenue in Cohasset and Atlantic Avenue in Hull, at the entrance to town.

“We’re trying to clean up the entrances to our community and make them more welcoming,” she said. “It’s nice when entering town to see fresh, bright signs.”

Other groups also have launched beautification projects. The Hull Garden Club is working on the George Washington Boulevard entrance area, with plans to install plantings. Hull Community Garden organizers are requesting Community Preservation Act funds to make improvements, while Manet Community Health Center has installed landscaping to help beautify the area, according to Russo.

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