In the Sport-light: Roundup of news from Hull's wide world of sports

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Compiled by Matt Haraden 

FULL SAIL: In the recent Hull Yacht Club Junior Sail Mayor’s Cup Regatta, JP Hnath and Sam Guardino, members of the Nantasket Nor’easters Sailing Team, took first place in the 420 Class. [Courtesy photo]

• Hull High Football improved to 3-0 on the season, picking up a 13-8 victory over Boston English on Friday, September 25. PJ Rivieccio ran in both Hull touchdowns, finishing with 94 yards off nine carries. Other rushers included Nate O’Hare, with six carries for 37 yards, Tegan Bellew with three carries totaling 25 yards, Landon Manfredi rushing three times for 14 yards and Tristan Lofgren picking up three yards on one carry. Defensively, Nick Perry led the team with seven tackles, Tom Cunningham had six tackles and a fumble recovery, and Josh Gatto had three tackles and an interception. River Coyle also recovered a fumble and added a tackle to the stat sheet. Mason DelGallo, Harry Sesitito, and Malik Ervin all added tackles as well. The Pirates host Brighton on Friday, October 2 at 4 p.m.

• Girls varsity soccer scored two victories on the road this week, defeating Mashpee, 6-1, on Monday and Middleborough, 2-1, on Wednesday. In the Mashpee game, Brianna Ramos two goals and two assists, Gianna Thorne had one goal and one assist, while Meghan Duran, Mackenzie MacLeod, and Abby Baglione each scored one goal, and Emma Lees had two assists. Against Middleborough, the Pirates were initially down 1-0 until Baglione scored on an assist from Aubrey Littlefield. Thorne scored the game-winner in the second half off a free kick cross from Ramos. The 4-2-1 team hosts Abington on Monday at 5:30 p.m. and East Bridgewater on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

• The Hull High boys varsity soccer team is now 3-1-3 on the season, tying its two most recent games – 1-1 against Mashpee at home on Monday and 2-2 against Middleborough on Wednesday. The next game on the schedule is on the road against Abington on Monday at 5 p.m., followed by two home games – Academy of the Pacific Rim on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and New Heights Charter School of Brockton on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

For the full schedule of all Hull High teams, visit www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=10611.

• After last week’s heavy rains, Hull Youth Soccer is back on the field with a busy schedule in store. On Saturday, October 3, Travel Teams play their games at Hull High: Boys 7/8 vs. Scituate at 2 p.m.; Boys 5/6 (Fahey) vs. Scituate at 4 p.m.; Girls vs. Halifax at 5:30 p.m.; and Boys 5/6 (Panetta) vs. Hingham under the lights at 7 p.m.

Coaches will be reaching out directly with information on makeup games from this past weekend.

In-town league games are on Saturdays at the Dust Bowl field in Hull Village and teams have the same schedule each week for convenient planning – Guppies (coed): 9-10 a.m.; Kindergarten (coed) and Girls Grades 1 & 2: 10-11 a.m.; Boys Grades 1 & 2: 10-11 a.m. Players should arrive about 10 minutes before game time and check in at the soccer shed. Wear cleats and shin guards and bring plenty of water. Mark your calendars for the In-Town makeup games scheduled for Saturday, October 31.

• Registration for the 2026-27 Hull Pirates Youth Basketball Travel season (boys and girls entering grades 3 -8) continues until Friday, October 2. The season runs from mid-November through March, featuring 14-16 regular-season games and playoffs in early March. The season begins with a tournament, and league schedules will be finalized in early November, with regular season games starting the first weekend in December. Games are held on weekends. The Hull Pirates Travel Program focuses on player development, teamwork, sportsmanship, and competitive basketball in a fun and supportive environment. Payment plans are available to help make registration more accessible for families. To register and learn more about the program, visit the registration page at https://hullbasketball.leagueapps.com.

• Hull Youth Football plays Carver at home on October 4. Mites play at 10 a.m. and Midgets are at 11:30 a.m. Games are on Sundays; the next two are also at home – October 11 against Lower Cape and October 18 against West Bridgewater. The final two games – October 25 and November 1 – are both away, against Dennis-Yarmouth and Hanson.

• Coaches, league organizers, and superfans – We need your help to report the scores and results of the latest events in Hull’s sports world! Please send local sports news and photos to sports@hulltimes.com. Deadline is Wednesday at noon. When providing details of the games or races, please be sure to include the sport/team, the players’ full names, and the final scores. When sending photos, names (first and last) of those pictured are greatly appreciated, as well as who should get credit for taking the photo.

Thank you for your help!

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© 2026 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Commemoration to celebrate the stories behind Edward Rowe Snow’s maritime tales

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Edward Rowe Snow spent a lifetime collecting and sharing stories of shipwrecks, lighthouses, lifesaving, pirates, and the people who lived along the New England coast. An author, historian, lecturer, and storyteller, Snow became one of the region’s best-known chroniclers of maritime history.

On Saturday, October 3, the Hull Lifesaving Museum will celebrate Snow’s birthday with a special commemoration featuring someone uniquely qualified to tell his story: his daughter, Dolly Snow Bicknell.

Bicknell will share personal stories and memories of her father, offering a rare glimpse into the man behind the celebrated author, historian, and storyteller. The program will also feature rare family photographs and historic video footage from Snow’s lifetime, providing an intimate look at his work, his passions, and his life beyond the stories that made him famous.

For generations of New Englanders, Snow’s name has been synonymous with maritime lore. His fascination with the sea and its history led him to uncover and preserve countless stories that might otherwise have been forgotten. Through his books, lectures, radio broadcasts, and annual Christmas Eve programs, he helped keep New England’s maritime heritage alive.

Snow’s legacy also lives on through the Flying Santa, the Christmas tradition he continued from 1936 to 1980, bringing gifts by airplane to lighthouse keepers and their families throughout New England.

But the stories people knew were only part of Edward Rowe Snow’s life.

“This program gives us a chance to see Edward Rowe Snow not just as the legendary storyteller so many people remember, but as a father and a man whose life was deeply intertwined with the history he spent decades preserving,” said Michael McGurl, executive director of the Hull Lifesaving Museum. “Having Dolly share her personal memories, along with photographs and historic film from the family collection, makes this a truly special opportunity.”

The Edward Rowe Snow Birthday Commemoration will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, at the Windmill Point Boathouse, 185 Main Street.

Collectors and fans of Edward Rowe Snow will also have the opportunity to purchase signed copies of his books, including several featuring his original sketches.

Tickets are $20 and are available in advance at https://tinyurl.com/mtv7jukp.

For anyone interested in New England maritime history, the Flying Santa, or the remarkable life of one of the region’s most memorable storytellers, the afternoon promises stories that can only be told by someone who was there.

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© 2026 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

School department hires Norwell administrator as new Hull High principal

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By Christopher Haraden

Just over a month after Hull High’s principal submitted his resignation, the school department has hired a replacement. Ellen Murray, currently the assistant principal of Norwell Middle School, accepted the position and will take reins of the high school on November 9, according to Superintendent Michael Jette.

Murray, who lives in Scituate, has been in her current role since 2022. Prior to that, she was a foreign-language teacher and department head in the Quincy Public Schools, teaching both Spanish and Italian, and was the assistant principal of Quincy High School from 2008-2022.

She replaces Robert Shaw, who resigned after two years to become assistant principal for academics at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. His last day in Hull was August 21.

Murray’s hiring marks the third leadership change at the high school in the past four years, as Shaw replaced Michael Kynbel, who held the job for two years before resigning in 2024.

Assistant Principal Anthony Hrvinak was appointed interim principal while parallel searches were conducted for both an interim and permanent principal. Hrvinak previously was principal of the Memorial School.

Murray applied for appointment as the high school’s permanent leader. The position had been advertised with a salary range of $150,000 to $155,000.

“As a school community, it is important that we structure our resources and efforts to help Ms. Murray start off strong at Hull High School,” Jette said in a statement released on Wednesday. “We are excited to welcome her as a new member of our school community and look forward to her advancing the work of the faculty and administration.”

Murray lives in Scituate is pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership at Boston College. She holds a master’s degree in administration, policy and planning from Boston University.

“Success takes teamwork, and teaching and learning are maximized when there is a culture of joy, honesty, and support,” she said in the school department’s statement announcing her appointment.

The school committee is scheduled to meet again on Monday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.

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© 2026 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Board to send dueling letters to Legislature expressing opposite positions on light plant change

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By Christopher Haraden

At a special meeting called just for the purpose of discussing how the board would articulate its position to the state Legislature regarding Article 40, the town meeting-approved change in management of the light plant, members of the select board ultimately decided to send two letters expressing opposite viewpoints.

During a 26-minute Zoom on Tuesday morning, the board remained split, 3-2, on whether to support removing the town manager as the light plant manager. Two consecutive town meetings have approved the change, which was enacted in 1993, and now is on the state Legislature’s docket as House Bill H.5654.

Members Jerry Taverna, Brian McCarthy, and Susan Short Green support the concept and agreed to sign a letter drafted by Taverna expressing the select board’s position in favor. Members Irwin Nesoff and Greg Grey are opposed and initially sought to have the board’s letter express both the majority and minority opinions, but now will send a separate letter with their minority opinion on the select board’s letterhead.

“Respectfully, I thought we discussed this, and we made a clear decision to write two separate letters, one support and one in opposition,” Taverna said. “Feedback I have received from my contacts in the Legislature have made very clear that combining two opinions with one letter will just provide additional confusion.”

Nesoff sought to have a statement included in the board’s letter that said he and Grey “do not see any benefit to the ratepayers” from the management adjustment.

“I received a number of letters from residents that were urging me to vote to support the bill,” Nesoff said. “I appreciate the fact that people are concerned enough to take the time to send an email. However, I still have some concerns about this change and whether or not it will provide a benefit to ratepayers.”

Although they disagreed on the topic, the board was unanimous in its vote to send two letters to the state.

House Bill H.5654 is now before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, and the committee is soliciting written testimony until September 28 at 5 p.m. Residents are encouraged to send letters to House Chair Jack Patrick Lewis and Senate Chair Becca Rausch by email at muni.committee@malegislature.gov with “H.5654 Testimony” in the subject line.

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Water restrictions still in effect; scofflaws could face higher fines, service shutoff

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By Carol Britton Meyer

The Weir River Water System board of water commissioners, comprised of the Hingham select board, this week heard an update about drought restrictions and a proposed new fine schedule for violations, subject to approval by the WRWS Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) and the commissioners. The water company serves Hingham, Hull, and part of Cohasset.

A total water ban – Level 2, representing a “significant drought” – remains in effect for non-essential outdoor usage (lawn irrigation, washing vehicles, exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks and filling swimming pools).

Handheld watering for gardens, landscape plantings, and other essential needs is allowed but could be restricted if necessary.

WRWS Managing Director/Superintendent Russell Tierney explained that the current $50 and $100 fines are not high enough to stop customers from ignoring water restrictions – in particular the prohibited use of irrigation systems – and suggested fines as high as $750 for the first offense and $1,000 for the second offense and termination of water service, and a $1,000 fine for each subsequent offense and a potential termination of service, but nothing has yet been decided. The water commissioners delayed their vote pending CAB input.

The fines are tied to the state drought level the town is in at the time. These proposed fines are for a Level 3 drought, which Tierney said the region could find itself in at a future time.

Commissioner William Ramsey said more discussion is needed about whether to shut off water service for violators.

“Fines first,” he said.

CAB members include Hingham representatives Dave Anderson, Jim Broderick, and Charles Culpin; Select Board Chair Brian McCarthy and Director of Wastewater Operations/Assistant Director of Public Works John Struzziery represent Hull; and Stephen Girardi, Cohasset.

Tierney also encouraged customers to provide their email addresses to the water company for easy notification of water restrictions, emergencies, and other information.

“Out of 12,500 customers, only 8,000 are on our email list,” he noted. Other customers receive letters.

“The water levels, including Accord Pond, are low for this time of year,” Tierney said. “We plan to get the word out earlier next year – March or sooner, as suggested by the CAB – including notifying irrigation system companies so they are aware [of the restrictions] at the beginning of the season.” The next CAB meeting is in mid- to late-October. All CAB meetings are public and posted on the Hingham town website calendar.

‘New irrigation systems take weather into consideration’

Tierney also noted that some newer models of irrigation systems “take the weather into consideration” so they don’t, for example, turn on automatically when there’s a 50% or higher chance of rain.

WRWS and Veolia, which operates the water company, continue to place tags on the front doors of homeowners who use their irrigation systems despite the restrictions.

Ramsey thanked the many residents who have abided by the restrictions.

“I know it’s painful to see newly-planted lawns die out,” he said. “At the same time, many customers have not complied with the restrictions, and that needs to be addressed.”

He agrees that more aggressive fines are in order after the first warning and more enforcement. “This drought situation is unprecedented,” he said. “All you have to do is drive by Accord Pond to see the water level.”

It takes “extra effort to go to [the same] houses a number of times to [put tags on doors],” Tierney said. “Why should someone have four or five chances to not shut off their irrigation systems?”

Citizen concerned about irrigation of town’s athletic fields

Hingham resident Mark Rockoff asked whether WRWS has jurisdiction over private wells, the use of which “also reduces the amount of water in the aquifer.” Tierney’s response was no – “that would need to be a discussion as a whole town, and not just a WRWS decision.”

Rockoff also asked why the town continues to irrigate its athletic fields when citizens are told not to irrigate their lawns.

The cost to replace athletic fields is “astronomical,” Tierney responded. “When fields [dry up], they need to be reseeded the following season. In our opinion, a home lawn is not as important as open space and recreation areas.”

Nevertheless, Rockoff said, “using so much water to keep the fields in great shape is putting the town in a more critical position.”

‘We need a different approach’

Hingham resident John Borger, who is writing a series of articles for the Hingham Anchor on the water crisis, said he believes more needs to be done and that for many, fines are ineffective. “Some people will suck up the fines after investing thousands of dollars in irrigation systems, and green lawns say ‘upscale.’”

“We are [facing] a very serious public safety emergency” due to the shortage of water to fight fires, Borger added. “The fire chief is not crying wolf. Fines and penalties won’t do it. We need a different approach.”

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© 2026 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Select board approves schedule of early voting hours at town hall prior to Nov. 3 state election

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By Carol Britton Meyer

Last week, Hull’s select board granted approval for in-person early voting hours for the November 3 state election. Early voting will take place at Hull Town Hall, 253 Atlantic Avenue. The state election will be held at Hull High School.

Week One: 

Saturday, October 17: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Monday, October 19: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 20: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 21: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 22: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

Week Two:

Saturday, October 24: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Monday, October 26: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 27: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 28: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 29: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The deadline to register to vote for the November election is October 24, and the last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot is October 27. Visit www.registertovotema.com for more information.

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© 2026 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

The final show: After 18 years, C Note music club to close its doors on September 27

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SHOWTIME: The C Note will host its last performance on September 27. Staff members celebrated local bands and enjoyed dressing the part for theme shows, like Yacht Rock Night with Blufish. Shown in costume are Lisa Hennessey, Lori Coleman, Barbara Rhind, and Kate Barclay. Click here and here for more memories of the C Note’s 18-year run. [Courtesy photos]

By Carol Britton Meyer

The memories will linger long after the C Note – often referred to as “the South Shore’s best live music club” – closes its doors next week.

This popular music venue on Nantasket Avenue – which opened in 2008 – was slated to close during the COVID19 pandemic, but fundraising – including outdoor concerts where some fans voluntarily paid $100 to $300 for one performance in a show of support – and donations saved the day.

This time, though, it’s for real.

The stage will go dark on Sunday, September 27 after A Tribute to the Great American Songbook with Michael Maloon and Melanie Whelan. The club added this act after the original final performance – a September 26 show featuring the Aerosmith tribute band Draw the Line – sold out quickly.

“We have definitely had our ups and downs over this 18-year span,” longtime C Note bar manager Barbara Rhind, who has a long history in the music business and books all the entertainment – an eclectic mix of rock, rhythm and blues, disco, punk, tribute and cover bands, and original music – told The Hull Times. “The biggest drawback was the 17 months we were forced to close in April 2020 because of COVID.”

At that time, C Note owner Charlie Fruzzetti thought that would be the end of the road, but with encouragement from staff, musicians, and patrons, he agreed to allow Rhind to start a fundraising campaign with the hopes of reopening.

“It was an incredible effort to ask for donations, but a number of bands stepped up to the plate,” she recalls. “Bands who donated their time played to an empty room for those 17 months because the concerts were being live streamed from the C Note. We could not have done it without our terrific sound man, Greg Campia. He ran the sound while I sat at my laptop thanking each person who donated during these fundraisers.”

‘We were back in business’

In August 2021, the C Note reopened during a two-week heatwave.

“We were packed that night, and even though our ice machine and air conditioner stopped working, people stayed anyway because it was the first time back with live music in a nightclub,” Rhind said. “We were back in business – at least for the next six years.”

Rhind has often been told that the C Note is the Johnny D’s (a Somerville venue featuring world music) of the South Shore, “a fantastic club that sadly has also closed.”

The first Friday of each month was dedicated to all-ages shows and benefits for local charities (including Magical Moon Farm, Rolling Wave Foundation, Hull Seaside Animal Rescue, veterans, Hull senior center, and the Hull High School music department, among others).

The biggest overall draws were Booty Vortex, Draw The Line, and Blushing Brides – and locally, Terpene Profile, The Wickies, Ali & The Biddies, Thirsty Boots, Fit 2B Tied, and a number of tribute bands.

Click here and here for more memories of the C Note’s 18-year run.

One of Rhind’s personal favorites is Fat City Band, which opened the original Sea Note club in 1990 and then opened the C Note 18 years later.

“They are the only band I can think of that performs entirely original music,” she said, noting that she has worked with them since the 1970s, when she started her music career at The Bell Buoy in Scituate.

“I also love Blufish, a terrific yacht rock band. And yes, our staff always dressed in those captain hats and striped shirts – so much fun!” she said.

Other popular performers include The Gratefuls, Assisted Living, Toni Lynn Washington, and the Love Dogs.

Highlights for Rhind over the years include the annual Halloween Party with Booty Vortex – “you actually felt uncomfortable if you did note have a costume on!” – the annual show with Hull Pride (“always a blast!”) and Dr. Jim Mitterando’s annual Mardi Gras events (“with great bands, costumes, and the terrific barbecue he served up”).

Anchor of Hull benefits

For a few years in a row on the first Sunday in May, the C Note hosted a benefit for The Anchor of Hull, which provides a safe, sober, and supportive environment for building community, wellness, and recovery.

“Those events started at 8 a.m. with music by a trio from the North Street Community Chapel Church of the Nazarene in Hingham [The Anchor is a ministry of that church] and even a minister and pastor who preached and also gave communion,” Rhind said. “It was particularly interesting to have a rehab church event in a bar. [No alcohol was served during these events]. So you could say that we have done it all at the C Note!”

Favorite memories include the night she booked “a fabulous band called Bad Actor and they asked if it would be OK to have their friends Dalton & the Sheriffs join them. Well, how could you turn a show like that down? It blew the roof off!”

In the beginning, the C Note featured blues artists such as Albert Castiglia, Tab Benoit, and Sugar Ray Rayford, but as the years passed, there were so many other venues hosting blues acts that this kind of music became less of a draw for the C Note.

That’s when this popular night spot began leaning toward different genres of music, and the only blues act Rhind booked regularly was Toni Lynn Washington – know as Queen of the Blues.

“It was always an honor to have her grace our stage,” she said.

‘Our staff has been wonderful’

Rhind has high praises for the C Note staff, which although small in number, “has been wonderful, always stepping up to the plate when needed. Our staff is family, and the C Note is our home away from home.”

The C Note has always been about live music.

“We don’t have a kitchen and even though we have a TV, it is a rare occasion that you will see it on,” Rhind said. “We are not a sports bar or restaurant. We are a nightclub through and through.”

Rhind noted that “another cool thing about the C Note is that numerous single women mentioned how they didn’t mind going there alone, because they always felt safe and protected by our staff. That’s high praise for a nightclub of any kind.”

The music is what makes the C Note special, staff and fans agree.

“We are forever grateful to every single musician who has ever stepped on our stage,” Rhind said. “I have loved every minute working with all of the bands and have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for each musician who has made this his or her livelihood and who has called us their home. They are family to us, too.”

When asked about the reasons behind this unexpected closing, Rhind said that building up the customer base after the COVID19 restrictions were lifted was challenging.

“Many people were still masking up, and some had family with COVID, including some bands that were forced to cancel,” Rhind said. “So during that time, a lot of people hosted outdoor events at their homes in their backyards, where people could bring a cooler. They weren’t about to come to a club and pay a cover charge for an evening show after they had been partying outside all day.”

Even afterward, when people started to trickle back into the C Note, “it was still hard times,” Rhind recalled. “Other venues started doing outdoor events, and that really hurt business as well, so we struggled onward and we have had our share of great nights and slow nights. That’s the nature of the beast.”

Restricted parking an issue

Another contributing factor is that the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which operates the Nantasket Beach Reservation, began locking the entrance gate to the parking lot across the street as early as 8:30 p.m.

“Needless to say, this killed our business, as we have a license to operate until 1 a.m.,” Rhind said. Those already inside the gate are allowed to exit, but the closure had a significant impact because of limited street parking.

“Not to mention that the state police would throw on their blue lights and cruise the lot after they locked the gate. In my opinion, totally unnecessary because it scared more people off,” Rhind said. “We watched cars turn around and leave Hull and blow right past the C Note’s front doors looking for some other place to go because they could not find parking. We’ve even had to refund tickets to people who arrived later because they had gone to dinner first someplace else and there was no parking available. It has been an endless battle.”

In addition, she said, the number of condominium buildings that have been erected surrounding the C Note over the past number of years have in her opinion “taken away all the charm this little town once had.”

Another ‘intimate nightclub’ closing its doors

“As Bob Marley sang, ‘One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.’ A truer statement there could not be,” Rhind said. “The love and joy of live music is the common thread that sews us all together. We dance, we laugh, we meet new people, and we make lifelong friendships, and meet future spouses – myself included. Even our staff frequents the C Note on their nights off. I know they and our fans, patrons, and the musicians are all saddened by our closing. It is tough to see yet another intimate nightclub close its doors.”

One of the most difficult tasks Rhind was required to perform when Fruzzetti announced the closing was canceling all the shows from October 1 into 2027 that she had already booked.

“It was heartbreaking,” she said.

Future plans for the building, which was sold by its longtime owner in July for $1.1 million, are unknown.

Rhind expressed appreciation for the C Note staff over the years and to Fruzzetti “for keeping it going as long as we could. We gave it our best shot.”

She also appreciates “all our loyal customers, true fans of the C Note” and all the bands that played there over the years.

“The C Note couldn’t have survived without them. I encourage everyone to continue to support live music and smaller venues such as the C Note,” she said. “There aren’t many left.”

While Rhind will miss “our family of staff and musicians, our fans and patrons, and my boss, Charlie, it’s bittersweet because now we can all go out and see and enjoy full shows of all the bands we love and those we never got a chance to see because we were all working.

“I’m looking forward to those nights. See you on the other side of the bar!”

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Legal opinion confirms select board’s authority to remove light plant from joint project

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The select board and light board have voted to remove the light plant from the proposed joint DPW/Light plant building at West corner, shown above.

By Carol Britton Meyer

In an effort to clarify the select board’s authority over the town manager/light plant manager, Town Counsel Brian Winner this week shared a seven-page analysis of the July 22 select board vote to remove the light plant from a planned joint project at the site of the current public works garage.

The 3-2 vote directed Town Manager/Light Plant Manager Jennifer Constable to remove the Hull Municipal Light Plant from a Coastal Zone Management grant related to the joint light plant/DPW facility. The light board opposes the joint facility and requested that the plant be separated from the plan.

The select board also voted at that meeting to direct Constable to approve $110,000 requested by the light board to fund a feasibility study concerning construction of a garage at the existing Hull Municipal Light Plant site on Edgewater Road.

The board asked Winner for his opinion as to whether the board had the legal authority to direct Constable to take these actions.

In summary, Winner said the select board “appears to have the authority to direct Constable to remove HMLP from the CZM grant application.”

However, he said, the board’s authority to compel approval of a specific $110,000 expenditure “is less certain” because there’s a risk of “intruding upon the manager’s assigned authority.”

Click here for town counsel’s current analysis and past legal opinions

Select Board Chair Brian McCarthy expressed frustration that plans for the proposed joint facility appear to be moving forward, with another grant recently awarded despite the light board’s, and the select board’s, majority opposition.

“This project is not going to happen,” he said. “Will the required two-thirds of town meeting voters approve this potential $60 to $70 million project?”

Constable suggested putting the proposed joint facility on an upcoming agenda for a full discussion, although she said there is currently nothing new to report.

“The state is aware that there may be a change in the scope of the project,” she said, noting that project engineers determined that a joint facility is the “most cost-effective way to move forward. …I feel very responsible for doing what will have the least financial impact on residents as possible.”

However, Constable said, “if the board thinks the best policy decision is not to have a joint facility, that would be your decision to make. I suggest having an additional conversation.”

“The board has already made that decision,” select board member Jerry Taverna responded.

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Four months after vote for beach access, James Avenue neighbors seek town action

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JUST BEACHY: These aerial views show the disputed area of land (highlighted in yellow) that is privately owned at the entrance to the James Avenue beach. [Left image from Google; right image is from MassGIS]

By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board and residents of Hull Village heard an update from Town Counsel Brian Winner this week on the next steps following the passage of a citizens’ petition at the last annual town meeting that sought public access to a privately owned access path at the James Avenue beach.

The citizen’s petition, Article 44 on the spring town meeting warrant, was approved by a vote of 191 to 11 and authorized the select board to acquire either an easement in, or to purchase outright, a small, privately-owned parcel of land on James Avenue that has traditionally been used by the public for beach access but is now restricted by the property owner.

In 2017, town meeting voted 191-133 in favor of a similar proposal, but no action was taken by the town.

“With respect to the taking of the James Avenue beach, the following strategy is recommended to determine the various interests involved, the associated cost, and the size of the area in question” – including having an appraisal, title examination, and a formal survey of the property done – Winner said.

Once the appraisal is complete, the board will discuss how to move forward at a future meeting, including identifying a funding source, which could require a town meeting vote, depending on the cost.

Another consideration, Winner said earlier, is that the property owner could challenge any action taken by the town in court.

While one property owner is trying to restrict access to the beach, a number of other abutters have said they don’t have a problem with allowing people to access it.

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