Spinnaker island is a condominium community built in the 1980s on the former hog island off the coast of hull.

At the end of its regular meeting on July 16, the Hull Municipal Light Board held an executive session to discuss litigation involving Spinnaker Island. Public boards are permitted to discuss strategy for ongoing or threatened lawsuits in closed session.

According to a 2024 letter sent to the Spinnaker Island and Yacht Club Condominium Association, the light plant has determined that “the aging condominium electric infrastructure” needs to be upgraded or replaced. However, the light plant contends that the “town does not own the electrical infrastructure on Spinnaker Island. Consequently, the HMLP is not obligated to replace/upgrade or operate and maintain the condominium electrical facilities, other than the meters.”

Residents of the island have pushed back, objecting to the assertion that the light plant is not responsible for the electrical equipment on the island, citing HMLP’s decades of maintenance since the housing complex was constructed in the mid-1980s. Utilities to the island traverse a privately-owned bridge from the mainland.

The 2024 letter, signed by Town Manager Jennifer Constable and then-Operations Manager Panos Tokadjian, acknowledges the 40+ years of maintenance provided by the light plant.

“To date, HMLP has provided maintenance for the condominium's electric infrastructure,” according to the letter. “However, given the results of the HMLP's review of the ownership this is neither financially, nor operationally correct, nor is it fair to the HMLP ratepayers.”

Spinnaker homeowners say the 2024 letter caught them by surprise. They also speculate that if the light plant is successful in transferring the cost of replacing the electrical equipment – which could be in the millions of dollars – the effects could potentially be felt by condominium associations off-island as well.

–– Christopher Haraden

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