A rendering of the proposed DPW/LIGHT PLANT BUILDING THAT WOULD REPLACE THE CURRENT HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT BARN AT WEST CORNER.

By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Municipal Light Board is expected to vote next week on a resolution introduced by Commissioner Jake Vaillancourt at the board’s April 16 meeting opposing the proposed joint DPW/municipal light plant facility and related grant activity

The grant activity referred to in the resolution refers to three consecutive Coastal Zone Management Coastal Resilience grants totaling $524,805 that affect HMLP property and operations, and another grant application that the light board believes was submitted to the state recently.

The vote is expected to take place at a special light board meeting on April 23, with discussion about the resolution the only item on the agenda aside from approval of previous meeting minutes.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable, who also serves as light plant manager, was not present at the April 16 meeting.

Vaillancourt’s resolution objects to the proposed relocation of the current Hull Municipal Light Plant at 15 Edgewater Road and its consolidation with the DPW at a joint building at 9 Nantasket Avenue at West Corner.

Following a discussion about the resolution, Commissioner Daniel Ciccairello moved, as a friendly amendment, to table the resolution to a special meeting to be held on Thursday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. in order to allow all members adequate time to review the resolution and to consult with the light board’s counsel.

After Vaillancourt agreed to the friendly amendment, the board directed that a copy of the resolution be distributed to all board members and to the town manager in advance of the April 23 meeting, and that proper public notice (48 hours) be given.

“The resolution was neither on the agenda for discussion nor did the chair or presenting board member discuss the proposed resolution with management prior to the meeting,” Constable said in a telephone conversation with The Hull Times on Friday. “I was unable to attend, and the resolution was forwarded to me the morning after the meeting. I have very serious concerns about the degree of misinformation contained in the resolution. It is deceptive to both the taxpayers they represent and the community as a whole.

“Moreover, presenting such a degree of misinformation to state agencies and offices with which the town has established relationships is simply irresponsible,” she said. “These are agencies that provide our community with financial and programmatic resources that we rely heavily upon. “

Following the board’s December 2025 vote of disapproval regarding the joint DPW/HMLP facility concept – it “has instead directed that HMLP facility needs be addressed at 15 Edgewater Road – a site at approximately 15 feet above sea level – through construction of a four-bay accessory garage currently in design with JCBTR Architects of Quincy, Massachusetts,” the resolution states.

Some commissioners also object to what they believe to be a lack of opportunity for public input on the proposal.

According to the resolution, because none of the three awarded grants – nor any pending Phase 4 application – was authorized by a vote of the light board, “and the acceptance of grant funds affecting a Chapter 164 draft unapproved municipal light plant by a town officer acting without the consent of the plant’s governing board raises serious questions of legal authority,” the board through said resolution formally opposes the proposed consolidation “and reaffirms its prior vote that the HMLP facility needs shall be met at its current location at 15 Edgewater Road.”

Subject to resolution approval, formal communication would be made to state agencies and others involved with the proposed project on behalf of the board, including a certified copy of the resolution and a cover letter opposing the joint facility proposal – including: the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management; Department of Public Utilities; Office of the Attorney General, Municipal Law Unit; State Senator Patrick O’Connor and State Representative Joan Meschino; the select board; and the town manager.

If adopted by the board on April 23, the resolution would take effect immediately and be posted on the HMLP and town websites, included in the minutes of the meeting, and made available to the public.

Public comment at the meeting included discussion of historic preservation restrictions on the current light plant that would limit exterior alterations; what the board’s course of action would be if the town manager responded to the resolution by asking for more time (in that event, the board would proceed with a vote); and urging the board to proceed without delay.

This is a developing story, with more details to come.

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