Wind turbines offline as light plant assesses damage; Pemberton unit is beyond repair

By Carol Britton Meyer

Both of the town’s wind turbines are out of commission and the unit at Pemberton Point needs to be removed or replaced due to damage from the elements, the light board’s chair confirmed this week.

The wind turbine at Hull High School has been not been operational since April 2021 due to its deteriorating condition, and the one at the landfill more recently due to recurring electrical issues.

When both turbines are working to capacity, the electricity generated is equivalent to 11 percent of the Hull Municipal Lighting Plant’s power portfolio.

Hull Wind 1 at the high school, which when fully operational supplies enough electricity annually to power the town’s street lights and traffic control signals as well as 220 homes, either needs to be refurbished at a cost of about $1.5 million to replace the nacelle, or upper portion, and blades or be taken down, Hull Municipal Light Board Chair Patrick Cannon told The Hull Times.

“It can’t be repaired because the technology is outdated,” he said.

Independent inspections revealed heavy pitting and deterioration of all bearing surfaces from the blades all the way to the generator, in addition to heavy surface damage to the blades due to salt spray from the ocean, according to the HMLP statement.

Hull Wind 1 was commissioned in December 2001, and turbines of that vintage have a lifespan of about 20 years.

If the turbine is refurbished, it would remain at its current height, due to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, Cannon said.

“We have received estimates for such a task and are performing a cost/benefit analysis to determine if this is a viable project to undertake,” HMLP Operations Manager Panos Tokadjian said in the recent HMLP statement. “Once we have completed the analysis, we will submit our conclusion to the light board for discussion.”

Hull Wind 2, which generates enough energy to power 800 homes on an annual basis when working at capacity, “has been given a clean bill of health,” Cannon said, but is offline due to recurring issues in the nacelle that the technical maintenance crews of the manufacturer have been unable to pinpoint or repair.

In the meantime, Vestas – the company that installed the turbine in 2006 – notified light plant officials when their agreement with the town expired last July that the company is no longer interested in doing maintenance work on the turbine.

“We have been reaching out, and we know of at least two companies that we’ll recommend to [potentially] make the repairs,” Cannon said. The cost of tracking down the problem, repairing it, and bringing the turbine back to operating condition has not yet been determined.

This issue of the turbines did come up at the Oct. 20 light board meeting under the “light board discussion on goals and objectives” agenda item, according to Cannon, but because this topic wasn’t listed on the agenda, the conversation was limited.

“We talked about current overall concerns that we need to pay attention to moving forward, and naturally the turbines were brought up,” he said. “When we plan to discuss them again, we will be sure to put it on the agenda.”

Lifelong Hullonian hopeful to meet his match as he searches for a kidney donor

By Carol Britton Meyer

Hull resident Bob White is in need of a new kidney and is reaching out to the community that he has called home for his entire life to help him find a suitable donor.

SEARCHING FOR A MATCH. Bob White, shown with canine friend Mrs. Beasley, is hopeful to find a matching kidney donor. [Skip Tull photo]

To help get the word out, a few months ago his friend Justin Goodwin made a sign for White’s truck with his name, photograph, cell phone number, and the message, “I need a kidney ASAP” and posted it on Facebook.

“That night my phone rang at 7 p.m., and it was a woman from Hull who said she had two perfectly good kidneys and would like to donate one of them to me,” White told the Hull Times. After meeting with her, the long process to determine whether her kidney was compatible began at Massachusetts General Hospital, with the outcome not yet known.

In the meantime, White, who admits he’s not very tech-savvy, received a message on his cell phone from a potential donor but deleted it by mistake.

“I’m not sure what town he was from,” he said. “I’m hopeful that someone will come forward who is compatible. I received my first new kidney from my sister 12 years ago, but now I need and would appreciate a new one. I pray every day.”

White is on dialysis Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 5-1/2 hours each time, which he finds more challenging than he did the first time.

“I was on nighttime dialysis for 1-1/2 years before I got the transplant and then plowed snow for 24 hours and I felt fine,” he said.

Another Hull resident also expressed an interest in possibly donating a kidney, but there has been no recent word.

White, who retired from the Hull Department of Public Works four years ago, greatly enjoyed his job.

“I applied for a position with the DPW in 1977. One night before I was hired, I received a call at 11 p.m. asking me to plow snow – and I did – which led to my getting a job there,” he said.

Growing up in Hull, White had an eye-catching view of Boston Light, and later moved to his current home on Nantasket Avenue.

In the 1970s, he started lobstering in his 40-foot boat, which continued for about 20 years.

White said he “really loves life” and appreciates the care that his two sisters, Ellen Kimball and Laura Woodbury, and his partner, Leslie “Sassy” (the name her niece Lisa called her when she was unable to pronounce her real name) Sullivan, are providing for him while they remain optimistic that a kidney donor who is compatible will step forward. All three are Hull residents.

“I know a lot of people in this close-knit community, and they are very considerate and always willing to help one another,” White said.

Sullivan, White’s partner for 15 years, was with him during his first transplant.

“The first one went well, and while things are uncertain at this time, we remain hopeful. That’s all we can do. It’s a long process that won’t happen overnight,” she said. “Bob is a very hard worker. He did his job for the town, then lobstering, and he would help anyone. I feel badly now because he is low on energy, but we’re holding on to hope – that’s all we can do now – and pray.”

In the meantime, White continues to be a big NASCAR fan and enjoys spending time with Sullivan’s dog, Mrs. Beasley.

Another Hull friend, Sandie Grauds, called White ”a very generous, genuine person with such a big heart. He’s the kind of guy who would donate a kidney. I don’t want him to lose hope. I know the people of Hull and the heart they have.”

Hull to seek designation as an ‘Age-Friendly Community’ to better serve senior population

By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Council on Aging recently recommended that the town explore the possibility of applying for designation as an “age-friendly” community under the American Association of Retired Persons program that supports the efforts of cities and towns to be “great places for people of all ages.”

This was one of the key recommendations from the recent needs assessment aimed at enhancing the lives of Hull’s growing senior population now and in the years to come “that the select board can immediately act upon,” COA member Robert Goldstein said at a recent board meeting. “This would be an opportunity for Hull to be one of the first South Shore communities [to join the program].”

This AARP network is based on the premise that communities should provide safe, walkable streets, age-friendly housing and transportation options, access to needed services, and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate in community life. There are no membership costs.

While 43% of Hull’s population will be age 60 or older by 2035, according to the needs assessment, “this is not only about seniors. It is a way for Hull to publicly show that it is committed to making the town a livable community for people of all ages,” Goldstein said.

What the program calls “the eight domains of livability” include outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, communication and information, health services and community supports, respect and social inclusion, and civic participation and employment.

“We wouldn’t take on all the domains at once,” Goldstein said. “It would be an ongoing process.”

At the select board’s request, the COA will draft for the board’s Nov. 16 meeting a commitment letter, which is part of the process when applying for AARP Age-Friendly Community designation.

The steps include filling out an online application and a signed letter of commitment from the select board that it would implement a continuous improvement process as a member.

Town Manager Philip Lemnios acknowledged that transportation is an issue and that the board is already focusing on housing.

Select Board Chair Jennifer Constable noted that the town’s Affordable Housing Committee will reconvene soon and asked the board to add a position for a COA member on the AHC, which it did.

Among the benefits of joining the program is “access to and support on implementing a framework of continuous improvement through the lens of aging,” Goldstein said.

As the federal Clean Water Act marks 50 years, Hull continues to be a leader in taking action

Submitted by John Struzziery, Hull Director of Wastewater Operations 

It has been 50 years since the passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in October 1972. Anyone in this area who was around at the time remembers that Boston Harbor was one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country. Hull beaches would often get littered with debris discharged from Boston and surrounding communities.

Hull’s sewer treatment plant from above…

Much progress has been made in Boston and other major cities throughout the country. The Deer Island treatment facility is a showcase and notable example of what can happen to turn a polluted harbor into a thriving resource for boating, fishing, swimming, and aquatic life. Tremendous improvements can be seen in the waters off Hull and Boston Harbor because of these efforts.
Hull was one of the early leaders on the South Shore to take advantage of the funding that became available by the CWA and was fortunate to receive one of the early grants, funded at 90%, to construct much of our sewer system and wastewater treatment facility.

Today, we continue to upgrade and improve our investment knowing this is a long-term need that cannot be neglected. We know it is our responsibility to maintain our system and provide the cleanest water possible so that we, and generations from now, can all enjoy the most valuable resource of why we all live in Hull.
The next 50 years will continue to show marked advancements in technology that will likely change what gets upgraded and changed out as part of the next major upgrade in our system. Focus will also be on taking measures in adapting to climate change primarily related to sea level rise and by building resiliency to protect the facility.

We’re proud to be doing our part. Let us celebrate 50 years of clean water!

Busy weekend for Hull High's football, soccer, cheer squads

Catch playoff soccer action Friday & Saturday at Hull High

Two MIAA tournament soccer games will be played at Hull High this weekend.

Boys: Friday, 3 p.m. vs. Saint John Paul II

Girls: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. vs. the winner of Matignon/Frontier Regional

The boys team has made the tournament for the first time since 2009! Pictured are, in the top row: Coach Leonard, Matt Angellis, Sasha Green, Sean Walsh, Robby Casagrande, Thomas Brasil, Jonah Whelan, Ryan Maher, Nick McDonald, Connor Hipp, Max Day, Oliver Szabo, Teddy Hipp, Jack Burke, Coach O'Callaghan. Bottom row: Dillon Simpson-Sliney, Will Noonan, JT Gould, Christian Truglia, Max Lofgren, Sam Szabo, Nate Tiani, Asher Herrmann and Sam Tuchmann. Photo by Jennifer Whelan.

Undefeated Pirates to host tournament game on Friday, 11/4

TO BUY TICKETS FOR FRIDAY’S GAME, CLICK HERE!

MR. TOUCHDOWN. The Hull Pirates football team traveled to the Cape this past Saturday and defeated St. John Paul, 26-6 to improve its record to 8-0. The Pirates open the first round of the Division 8 tournament as the top seed, hosting Narragansett Regional at 7 p.m. on Friday, 11/4, at Finlayson Field at Hull Gut. Buy tickets online at this link: https://tinyurl.com/3cp23c73. This photo is from the team’s win over Sharon, as quarterback Luke Richardson connects with Austin Bongo for one of two touchdowns. [Photo courtesy of Jason Gagne]

Responding to neighbors’ complaints, Hull police arrest 3 for Fort Revere vandalism

Three women were arrested at Fort Revere Park on Tuesday afternoon and charged with vandalizing the walls of the historic fort with spray paint and markers.

TAGGED. Following up on a neighbor’s complaint, Hull Police arrested three women for vandalizing, or ‘tagging,’ the walls of Fort Revere on Tuesday. Charged with vandalism were, from left, Rachael Rose of Kingston, Sierra Luca of Middleboro, and Tayla Charlebois of Middleboro. [Photos courtesy of the Hull Police Department]

Police discovered that the women had drawn pumpkins and painted several words on the concrete bunkers, including one of their names and the F-word.

Rachael Rose, 24, of Kingston, Sierra Lucas, 23, of Middleboro, and Tayla Charlebois, 20, of Middleboro admitted to causing the damage and were arrested and charged with vandalizing property, according to Hull Police Chief John Dunn, who said his department is cracking down on vandals at the park.

At about 12:40 p.m., a Telegraph Hill neighbor called police to report seeing three women with spray paint. According to a report filed by Officer Daniel Dunn, the women at first told officers they “were going to” paint the walls of the fort, but had not done so. After being questioned, one of the women opened her backpack and showed the officers three cans of paint and four markers, and the trio admitted to the vandalism.

The three women are due in court on Dec. 6. 

“The Hull Police Department would once again like to reiterate that we have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone found to be vandalizing Fort Revere Park,” Dunn said in a statement. “The park is a community space that is open and welcome to all, however, that does not mean people are allowed or should be defacing the property. Anyone discovered to be vandalizing the park and its bunkers will be arrested and charged.”

-- Christopher Haraden

Research of century-old genealogical link prompts visitor to ask, ‘Why Hull?’

By John J. Galluzzo

Genealogy brings people together in unexpected ways.

FAMILY TIES. Candy Perry and her husband traveled from Florida to trace the steps of her ancestor, inventor Henry O. Peabody, who lived in Hull in the early 1900s. Her trip included a visit to his former home on Allerton Hill, where the current owner gave her a tour. [John Galluzzo photo]

Candy Perry, born in Washington, D.C., now a Florida resident, reached out to the Hull Historical Society with an information request. Did anybody in town know the name of Henry Oliver Peabody, a man who lived in Hull, ever so briefly, at the beginning of the 19th century?

The quick answer was that yes, he had appeared in The Hull Beacon on three occasions:

“June 5, 1903: Henry O. Peabody, the inventor of famous breech loading rifle, with his sister, will summer with his niece Miss H. M. Sawyer at Allerton, Winthrop Avenue.

“July 3, 1903: Henry O. Peabody died suddenly Monday morning at his summer home at Allerton of apoplexy. He was aged about 77 years. Mr. Peabody was the inventor of a rifle. At the opening of the Civil War, Mr. Peabody was at work in a gun factory in Springfield. He gave up his position at that time and devoted himself to perfecting an improvement in the gun then best known. A company was formed and the new rifle was sold to the Turkish government. As a result of his success Mr. Peabody made about $1,000,000. He was unmarried, and his Boston home for many years was at 35 Pinckney St.

“Oct. 23, 1903: Mr. Peabody, the inventor of the Peabody gun, that is having his will contested, has lived on Allerton Hill some years. Both Mrs. Hennian and Mr. Sawyer have each in turn kept his house and yet he did not seem to care for either, according to his will.”

Beyond that information, there was not much more to know about Peabody’s life in Hull. Although online sources say that he was born in town, that was not the case; he was born in Boxford. According to the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds, he purchased Kenton Avenue Lots 145-146 from William B. Mitchell on Jan. 23, 1902. There was an existing house on the lot in 1895, but there is evidence that a new house was built on the lot in 1900, two years before Peabody bought the land.

Witnesses to the sale of the property to Peabody were William and Anne Litchfield. Dr. Litchfield owned the lots on the 1895 map of the town. A later owner expanded the house, but vestiges of the house that Peabody summered in – ever so briefly – still remain encased on the enlarged home. Today the address is 25 Winthrop Ave. In Peabody’s time, according to the Registry of Deeds, the house was technically on Kenton Avenue.

That was enough for Candy. She and her husband, Randy, booked a trip to Hull, and Plymouth, as she decided to explore her Mayflower ancestry at the same time. And Boston. Henry owned two homes there, too.

They arrived in Hull on Oct. 18 and the Hull Historical Society treated them to a tour, starting at the Hull Public Library and heading for 25 Winthrop Ave. Candy’s question was “Why Hull?” That answer was simple. In 1902, Hull was the place to be for Boston businessmen in summer, a sunny, breezy, smog-free escape from the city, reachable by both steamboats and trains. The home Peabody purchased, near the top of Allerton Hill, had a tremendous view of everything from Hull Bay around to Boston Light.

Candy was content to take pictures, but Randy wanted to knock on the door. After all, they had traveled all that way, he said, “now or never.” The owner, David Kazemi, answered, confused at first, but was pleased to learn about the past owner of the house who, aside from his rifle also invented some ice skates and a “honey extractor.” David, himself, had only owned the home for a year and a half. “What attracted you to it?” Candy asked.

“The view,” David said, without hesitation. The unexpected host welcomed Candy and Randy into the home for a tour.

Two more stops awaited. At the base of Allerton Hill, near the northeastern corner, is a memorial stone and marker commemorating the Pilgrims’ arrival to the Boston Harbor area in the fall of 1621. With Candy’s five separate lines of Mayflower ancestry and relationships to eight different Pilgrims, it only made sense to stop. Then, it was onto Fort Revere. 

HENRY O. PEABODY [Photo courtesy of the Hull Historical Society]

The view from Telegraph Hill and the fort afforded some perspective. There was the house, on Allerton Hill. Sure, it’s bigger now than it was in 1902 when Peabody purchased it, but in 1902 there were fewer houses on the hill and no trees whatsoever. Peabody would have looked back and seen the fort active at that time. The water tower was built in 1903. He bought the house in January 1902. Joshua James died in March 1902. Did Henry Oliver Peabody ever meet the famous lifesavers, or see him and his men drilling in their lifeboat in front of the lifesaving station? Alas, probably not. It was a summer home. But, we may never know for sure.

Much more remains to be discovered about Henry Oliver Peabody. He never married, and left his fortune behind for the creation of a school for girls in Norwood. His house in Hull was not left in his will, but instead sold by trustees of his estate on June 13, 1907, to Enos D. Sawyer (probably the “Mr. Sawyer” listed in the Oct. 23, 1903, Hull Beacon article).

Henry Oliver Peabody blew through town quickly – ever so briefly – but certainly added some fascinating color to the town’s history. Candy and Randy spent even less time in Hull, but left with the answer to their question, “Why Hull?”

As generations of Hull residents, year-round and summer, have always known, the answer is another question: “Why anywhere else?”

Hull man arrested on prostitution, drug charges after police search condo

Hull Police arrested a 54-year-old man on drug and prostitution charges after a search of his beachfront condominium on Friday.

Armin Erbsland was arrested on Friday and faces numerous charges, including sex trafficking and drug possession. [Hull Police photo]

Armin Erbsland of 45 Hull Shore Drive is charged with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and engaging in sexual conduct for a fee in addition to possession of crack cocaine. Police reported finding 11 grams of crack cocaine inside a glass container, various glass pipes,  “multiple open clear glassine corner baggies as well as copper wire that are consistent with drug paraphernalia,” and an iPhone.

According to the police report filed by Detective Andrew Reilly, at the police station Erbsland “made spontaneous utterances about how he ‘does not pay for sex, but provides hotel rooms for girls and gives money on cash apps when the girls are down on luck and need money.’” He also told police that he gave $50,000 “to those girls;” when asked how many, “he stated ‘God a lot. I don’t even know their names,’” according to the report.

Police did not indicate where the sexual crimes are believed to have taken place, although the search and arrest were part of an ongoing investigation with the Norwell Police Department. Bail was set at $5,040 and Erbsland was arraigned at Hingham District Court. The police department said the investigation will continue. Officers asked anyone with information about this situation – or anyone who needs assistance – to call the police department’s non-emergency line, 781-925-1212.