the select board and light board held a joint meeting wednesday night. [Screen capture from Hull community Television]

By Carol Britton Meyer

During a nearly three-hour meeting, the select board met in joint session with the light board for a lengthy discussion about various issues – including an update on the proposed combined light plant/DPW facility at West Corner– granted the owner of Tipsy Tuna a half hour extension for its live entertainment hours, and raised the possibility of changing the day and time of its meetings.

As part of the joint discussion, Town Counsel Brian Winner provided an update on Article 40, which passed at this spring’s town meeting in the form of a citizens’ petition calling for the removal of the town manager from the light plant manager role and requires Legislative approval.

Certification of the warrant article vote by the town clerk is required before a home-rule petition can be filed with the Legislature. At its next meeting, the select board will review a transmittal letter – a formal, introductory document – drafted by Winner and vote on whether to submit the home-rule petition.

A similar article from the 2025 town meeting (Article 37) was approved by voters but lacked the precise language to enact the change to Chapter 8 of the Acts of 1989, which established Hull’s town manager form of government. The light plant manager’s position was combined with that of the town manager through a 1993 home-rule petition.

During the sometimes-contentious meeting, there also was discussion following a presentation by the Weston & Sampson engineering firm on the proposed combined light plant/DPW building on the current DPW site and also about the permanent garage the light board approved at its November meeting for the current light plant site, rather than the temporary structure proposed by Town Manager Jennifer Constable, pending further project details.

Click here for more information on the combined DPW/light plant at West Corner

Weston & Sampson architect John Comeau called the condition of both the current light plant and DPW facilities “deplorable.” He explained that the new 37,000-square-foot, not counting additional shared space, proposed combined facility – with a current estimated cost of $60-$65 million – would be designed to meet FEMA flood-resilient standards. Both sites currently experience flooding.

Climate Adaptation & Conservation Department Director Chris Krahforst said that “funding opportunities are being explored knowing this would be a huge cost.”

Select board Chair Brian McCarthy – who did his best to move the discussion along – said “it’s quite obvious to all of us that this will be a significant decision we will all have to make” as to whether this proposal will become a reality.

The presentation will be posted on the town website, and additional information is available on the Climate Adaptation & Conservation Department webpage.

Light board Chair Tom Burns requested another joint meeting of the two boards, to which McCarthy responded, “Absolutely.”

Four members of the select board participated in the joint meeting this week. Board member Irwin Nesoff was not present.

In other business

• The select board did not approve Tipsy Tuna owner Anthony Ghosn’s entire request for extended live music hours, but did grant him a half-hour increase to the weekday and weekend hours. The new hours are Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Friday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. This was an attempt by the select board to reach a compromise, balancing concerns voiced by some neighbors about noise issues with Ghosn’s request as a seasonal restaurant owner.

“When we shut off the live music, customers start flowing out,” he said.

Board member Jerry Taverna once again emphasized the need for the town to draft and adopt a noise ordinance that all businesses would be required to abide by for consistency.

McCarthy said this is an issue that could be discussed at the board’s upcoming retreat.

• Susan Short Green asked fellow select board members to consider changing their meeting night to Tuesday from Wednesday, noting that the Hull Redevelopment Authority meets on Mondays, planning board on Wednesdays, and the light board on Thursdays.

“It would helpful if each [board] had its own night,” she said.

Green also proposed changing the meeting start time to 6 p.m. from 7 p.m., with public hearings scheduled for no earlier than 6:45 or 7 p.m. to accommodate citizens’ schedules.

In addition, she suggested that the board meet weekly, rather than every other week, but that if this isn’t feasible to at least consider adding quarterly meetings devoted to discussions about the board’s goals and objectives, with citizen input.

The meeting schedule will be a topic of discussion at the board’s next meeting.

A replay of the meeting will be available on demand on Hull Community Television’s website, www.hulltv.net.

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