CLICK THE IMAGE FOR ARCHITECT’S DRAWINGS OF POTENTIAL CHANGES TO THe NANTASKET BEACH SALT WATER CLUB’s BUILDING AT MARINERS PARK.

By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board this week renewed the town manager’s contract for three years, approved the conditional employment of nine summer police officers, discussed the tenor of the recent town meeting, and gave the green light for the Nantasket Beach Salt Water Club – which leases town property at Mariners Park – to move ahead with the first steps in a potential renovation of its building.

Following the regular meeting, the board went into executive session to discuss the town manager’s contract. When the meeting reconvened, Chair Irwin Nesoff reported that the board and town manager had come to an agreement on a three-year renewal contract, effective August 17, 2026 to August 16, 2029.

“It was a very detailed process, and I want to thank the board and the town manager and the personnel lawyer for guiding us through this process,” he said.

Constable said she was pleased about her contract renewal.

“I look forward to a productive three years [to come],” she said.

There was no mention of salary or other details of the negotiations. In April the board voted unanimously to grant Constable a 3% cost-of-living raise prior to beginning negotiations for a new contract.

Also during the meeting, Nantasket Beach Salt Water Club President Gary Twombly and other members of the building committee asked the board for its support – in accordance with its lease with the town – to hire an architect and engineer to begin the process of either restoring the existing structure or constructing a new building due to its condition. The town owns the land and the club the building, so any such changes must be approved by the board.

“The building – the former post office once located near the Parrot – is old and it’s time to do something to it,” Twombly said. “It will all be in accordance with the town’s building code and FEMA and ADA regulations.”

A committee member handed a copy of a preliminary conceptual rendering to the board to give them an idea of what the club would like to do.

“This is the first step in the process, with the board giving its blessing to move forward,” Constable said. “Once the plans and specifications are developed, the [building committee] would need to come before the board again regarding the actual buildout.”

The community use would remain the same, according to Twombly.

“We would just like to renovate [and possibly expand] the current building or build a new one,” he said, depending on the cost and other factors. All plans are subject to the members’ approval.

“There will be a lot of questions this board will have in the future regarding financing and setbacks, but there’s not too much to talk about right now,” Constable said.

Nesoff called it “an exciting project.”

In other business

• Upon the recommendation of Deputy Police Chief Neil Reilly, the select board approved offering conditional employment to nine applicants for parking enforcement, details, and other duties from Memorial Day to Labor Day: Sean Thomas Burns, Dylan Patrick Cole, Mick Dockray, Benjamin Thomas Fuller, Waseem El Hammani, James Mackin, Bryce Morrissey, Brady Stephen-James Standridge, and David John Tandy.

Applicants are required to successfully pass CPR and first aid courses before they can be officially appointed.

“In my opinion, all nine candidates would be an excellent fit for the Hull Police Department,” Reilly said before the vote.

This represents an increase over last year’s six community service officers in anticipation of Hull Redevelopment Authority and 250th anniversary activities and events this summer.

• The board accepted planning board member Cindy Borges’ resignation, effective May 15. Both boards will meet in joint session at an upcoming meeting to interview candidates to replace her.

• Constable said she had a significant amount of feedback “relative to the tone of town meeting” and also encouraged more citizens to attend in the future, “where decisions are made on the previous year’s worth of work.”

She also noted that with the passage of the warrant article related to the relocation of town hall to Memorial School, she met with the owner’s project manager and the architects on Wednesday. “They will be putting together bid documents, which takes some time,” with the expectation of putting the project out to bid in July. “Everyone wants the project completed yesterday,” Constable quipped, “so it will move as quickly as possible.”

• She also reported that the new parking stickers with the corrected spelling error will be available soon and that a notice will go out to the community with further details.

Senior center and library staff are available to provide assistance to residents who wish to order a parking pass.

• Board member Jason McCann – who sits on the executive committee of the Paragon Carousel – mentioned a recent incident involving a truck driving into the Paragon Park Museum, which has delayed its and the Carousel Creamery’s opening. However, the carousel is operating.

“We’re sorting it all out right now,” he said.

This was McCann’s last meeting, since he isn’t running for another term in the May 18 town election.

He expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve and thanked the select board and volunteers on other boards and committees for their service.

McCarthy praised McCann for his “grace and intelligence” in getting things done. “The job you did was second to none. The town will miss you – you are one of the best select board members in the last 10 to 15 years,” he said.

Board member Jerry Taverna seconded McCarthy’s remarks and expressed appreciation for McCann’s “diplomacy and reason.” Greg Grey was not present at Wednesday’s meeting.

• Taverna requested that a joint meeting be scheduled with the light board and state Representative Joan Meschino and state Senator Patrick O’Connor to discuss the affirmative town meeting vote to remove the town manager from her light plant manager role.

This article was similar in intent to last year’s town meeting-approved Article 37 – which is currently in a study committee on Beacon Hill. This year’s Article 40 requested special legislation to amend the town charter. After nearly a 1-1/2-hour discussion, the article passed on a 236 to 82 vote.

• Also regarding town meeting, Taverna said he heard a large number of citizens “voicing their displeasure – there’s a big lack of trust in [town] government and a request for more transparency. About 15 people I have never met spoke to those things. I think we need to acknowledge what was said and move forward in a cooperative way and be more open and forthcoming with information regardless of what it is, because people can handle it – but not finding things out after the fact. That drives them bananas.”

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