Open space rezoning plan would limit development on most HRA property

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

A proposal to restrict development by changing the zoning of a large section of the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s property to open space will be on the May 1 town meeting warrant.

A citizen’s petition warrant article proposed by Susan Vermilya of E Street was discussed at last week’s standing-room-only meeting of the planning board. If approved, the zoning would be changed to public open space; however, the HRA has filed a preliminary subdivision plan that freezes the current zoning, which allows for housing and mixed-use development, for eight years.

The validity of the HRA’s filing of a preliminary subdivision prior to town meeting was questioned by Vermilya.

“Changes like this are going to the town meeting to see what the town wants. So, filing a subdivision before it goes to the town you are potentially going against what the town might want,” she said. “People might say ‘no, we want it developed’ but you are not allowing that natural progression with the town.”

“I can use that same argument,” HRA Chair Bartley Kelly countered. “We are currently in the process of a draft Urban Renewal Plan and getting public input. While in this process, a zoning bylaw was placed on town meeting to short circuit a potential development on a potential piece of property in the town. We did what I consider my fiduciary responsibility to the town of Hull and the Hull Redevelopment Authority to protect the zoning, protect the land, so we can get through this process and come up with a final plan. … The opponents have tried to torpedo it.”

Planning Board Chair Harry Hibbard affirmed that “regardless of what happens at town meeting … because of the subdivision it will have no effect on the land.”

“I hear a lot from the townspeople this is not a good choice of uses for this space. I would like the townspeople’s voices to be heard,” Vermilya said. “I want people to understand what ‘open space’ means; it doesn’t mean leave it an empty parking lot, it means we can do other things with the space that don’t involve building buildings.”

Director of Community Development and Planning Chris DiIorio recalled the vision for the HRA site was never that it would become all open space, saying it was “looked at as being a mixed-use area with a large component of open space involved with that.”

Also, the HRA’s attorney challenged the plan. In a letter to the planning board dated March 21, 2023, which Hibbard read into the record, attorney Paula M. Devereaux said the HRA has serious concerns that adoption of this zoning change would “constitute reverse spot zoning,” which occurs when “certain land is treated more onerously than other land in the same area for zoning purposes …Zoning changes which have no better purpose than to torpedo specific development on a specific parcel are considered arbitrary and unreasonable. The petition singles out a portion of the HRA property to frustrate development that is contrary to prior public planning processes. For these reasons, the HRA urges the planning board to not recommend the petition for passage at the annual town meeting.”

Town Counsel James Lampke said “spot zoning in and of itself is not illegal…the challenge is whether there was a rational basis to single out that particular land.”

Vermilya has made it clear during her ongoing participation in HRA meetings that she believes “economic development does not equal buildings … The petition does not mean the people are against economic opportunities for the HRA land. It does mean we want to be smart about how we use the land. We want to do what makes sense and, also honor the people who lost their homes … [I would] love to see the town come up with a monument or attraction in their honor.”

As the HRA is not obligated by law to build housing on the land, supporters of Vermilya’s petition say they want to try something other than pouring cement to fulfill the HRA’s mission of “creating a sense of place in our community, provide tax revenue, allow for open space recreation, provide jobs, improve our business environment, create event venues, and allow for public parking for Nantasket Beach.”

Due to major developments already completed and developments currently proposed in other areas of Hull, Vermilya would like to amend the current zoning for the HRA by designating HRA parcels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 on the authority’s site plans as a “Public Open Space District,” leaving parcels 5, 7, 8, 9, and 2A as the zoning they are today.

Planning board member Steve White pointed out in the petition “the parcels earmarked for development are closest to residential areas, and the residents abutting the development have concerns about it.”

Kelly explained a portion of Parcel 5 is leased to the Nantasket Beach Resort for parking, so would not be usable. He also said that under this petition, the lots being left for development by the HRA are “abutting right up to the ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) area, buffer zone, conservation area. I don’t think the lots being left to develop are the ideal lots to develop there.”

“There is no harm in supporting the petition,” said Liz Kay of Hampton Circle. “[It is] not going to change the status of the request the HRA has made, but it will gather data that the HRA is bound to do, which is get collective information from the townspeople.”

Maggie Merrill, also of Hampton Circle and new to Hull, told Kelly that the petition “is opening the door to more and different types of input perhaps you have not considered.”

 “A citizen’s petition is exciting because many people are engaged and involved,” said HRA member Dennis Zaia. “This is real engagement. Part of our job is to prove to the state we have engaged the community in whatever it ends up being. We are going to win on that.”

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Voters face crowded field as 10 candidates seek three Select Board seats

Thirty people are running for office in the May 15 election, making this year’s campaign season one of the most active in recent memory.

Ten candidates returned their nomination papers to the town clerk’s office with the required number of signatures by Monday; the board of registrars is now in the process of certifying them. Those seeking one of the two three-year terms on the select board are incumbent Donna Pursel, Jason McCann, Moraiba J. Reyes, David Gibbons, Kathleen Barclay, Jerry Taverna, and Philip Bellone. Current member Domenico Sestito is not seeking re-election.

The two-year term on the board, created by the resignation of Jennifer Constable, has three candidates running: Steven M. Greenberg, James M. Ianiri, and Brian McCarthy.

A total of 19 positions will be on the May 15 ballot.

On the Hull Redevelopment Authority, Patrick Finn and Daniel Kernan are running for the five-year term now held by Henry Dunn, who resigned this week because he is planning to bid on the authority’s parking lot contract. Edwin Parsons and Adrienne Paquin are running for the three-year seat now held by Max Walder, who is not seeking to retain his position.

School Committee Chair Stephanie Peters is not running; her colleague, Ernest Minelli IV, faces Colby Mahoney and Fay Ferency for one of the two available three-year seats. The other contested race is on the board of library trustees, as Emily R. Garr and Sasha Green are competing for one two-year term. Celia G. Nolan and Duncan Stone are unopposed for the two three-year terms on the board, as is J. Curtis Miller, who is seeking the one-year term as a library trustee.

Also unopposed are planning board incumbent Harry Hibbard and Nancy Boyce (five-year terms), as well as Jim Pitrolo (two-year term); Jim Richman, for a five-year term on the Hull Housing Authority; assessors Pamela Sinton-Coffman and Mario Peter Grieco (three-year terms), and the three-year terms of light commissioners Patrick Cannon and Jake Vaillancourt.

-- Christopher Haraden

Finn pledges to ‘produce results’ if elected to HRA

Patrick Finn respectfully requests your vote for the Hull Redevelopment Authority. I am a civil servant and senior construction engineer specializing in roads and bridges, public works infrastructure construction projects, as well as an elected union board member.

As a graduate of Hull High (1981) and RWU (1992), with degrees in Architecture and Construction Management and qualifications which include Building Code Official and Construction Supervisor licenses, I have put my education and experience to work for the citizens of Hull (for free).

I have faithfully served my beloved community of Hull-Nantasket Beach since 1999 on the board of appeals, the school building committee, the zoning bylaw committee, and the board of assessors. As a Hull Village resident, I have advocated and volunteered for the cause of maintenance, restoration, and historic preservation of Fort Revere-Fort Independence and helped organize Bastille Day events.

If elected to the HRA, I intend to work hard to produce results that will benefit our community, with all due respect to former HRA Chairman Charles E. Gould’s letter to the editor from the Feb. 16 edition of The Hull Times, which said: “Some attendees want no development in the area…They seem to care less about the sacrifices, work, and effort that went into the program and the promises given to the original property owners that the area would be redeveloped.”

In regard to ideas for the potential uses of 13 acres of HRA property, an “all of the above” approach, with at least 80% for passive recreational public open space and event space and resident and beach parking, is my initial intent, while the HRA is still in the early stages of the draft conceptual Urban Renewal Plan process. I agree with the affordable housing set asides for Hull residents and employees that have been approved for inclusion into any potential residential development.

I also agree with the goal of the HRA to create “a sense of place in our community through development that provides tax revenues, open space recreation, job growth, improved business environment, event venues, and parking for Nantasket Beach within an effective and efficient traffic pattern for Hull citizens and visitors.”

Recognizing that the 60-year history of the HRA has been contentious and ultimately unproductive, I urge my fellow citizen activists to please try not to overreact to the current public forums and information presented by the HRA’s consultants. The draft conceptual Urban Renewal Plan is simply intended to get select board approval to forward to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development for final approval, with the intention of obtaining the MassWorks roadway grants necessary to fund the Town of Hull’s two-way roads plan (previously approved by the select board, as traffic commissioners, and town meeting voters).

Only after the completion of the construction of the redesigned roadways will the proposed parcels actually exist that can be potentially developed. FYI: This is not a proposed development in the permitting process. This is a planning process.

During this planning process, I intend to consider all ideas presented, and I intend to present many ideas for changes. In particular, changes should be considered to the HRA Option 2 draft Urban Renewal Plans and Hull’s two-way roads plans to be in alignment with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Nantasket Beach Master Plan, which would allow for the proposed widened boardwalk along the seawall with benches and shade structures, as well as the raised two-way bicycle lanes.

Ianiri announces candidacy for two-year term on Select Board

Local attorney Jim Ianiri has secured a spot on the ballot for select board and seeks to serve the remaining two years left of the term of Jennifer Constable, who recently announced her resignation. Jim has been a member of the Community Preservation Committee since its inception in 2017 and co-chaired the committee in 2018-19. He has lived in Hull since 2015 with his wife, Rebecca Sacks, and previously lived in Norwell, where he also served for

three years on both Norwell’s Community Preservation Committee and its planning board.

Jim and Rebecca first fell in love with Hull in the early 1990s when they lived on Alden Street for three years upon graduating from law school and getting married. Their careers took them away from Hull, but they always dreamed of returning. That dream came true in 2015, shortly after a winter no one would soon forget, when Rebecca found a home on Allerton Hill.
It did not take long before Jim sought an at-large seat on Hull’s newly formed CPC. Jim would be one of a very select few, and perhaps the only one in the state, who has served on two Community Preservation Committees from inception in two different towns. Right out of the gate, the Hull CPC engaged in a year-long effort to get a proposal approved at town meeting to provide $100,000 toward the first phase of restoring the Fort Revere water tower for public access. Because the property is town-owned, the CPC had to secure permission from the town manager and select board, which set up an epic power struggle, since at the time restoring the tower was not a priority to the town but was, Jim and his fellow CPC members knew, in fact the very reason many Hull residents voted to pass the Community Preservation Act. Of course, after much negotiating and Jim’s leadership, a carefully-crafted article for funding of the water tower project passed in 2019.
When Jim learned that Jen Constable was stepping down and three seats were going to become available this year on the select board, he knew it was the right time to throw his hat in the ring, especially at this critical juncture in Hull’s history.
“The truth is, I am not one to sit on the sidelines. Getting involved in community leadership is in my DNA,” he said “And I can see that at this very moment there is a need for fresh leadership bringing new ideas and open minds to the table. From the HRA issue, climate resiliency, the clear need for affordable housing and to help our seniors, the need for continued economic development in town but also the need to protect our limited open space, the issue of what to do with town resources and town-owned buildings like our schools and town hall – you name it – there are many critical issues facing this town my wife and I have come to love. I believe that, my calm, thoughtful and analytical approach to decision-making, unencumbered by ideology and ego will add great value to the select board.”
Jim has been a practicing attorney for 30 years, concentrating in family law, including divorce and high-conflict custody disputes, child welfare and protection, and anything having to do with the Department of Children and Families. He has also served as a criminal defense attorney and real estate lawyer for 15 years. Jim believes his legal and advocacy skills, as well as his eagerness to serve and ability to work well with others, make him a good fit for the select board.
Jim’s other interests include music (he is an avid guitar player and singer), hiking and mountaineering (he has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Hood, to name just a few mountains, and trekked to Everest Base Camp; he is also an avid hiker in New Hampshire’s famed White Mountains), and enjoys spending time walking around Hull with Rebecca and their new puppy, Ruby Tuesday.

Saying her ‘work isn’t done,’ Pursel running for second term

My name is Donna Pursel and I am running for a second term on the Hull Select Board. When I ran three years ago, our whole town, and indeed the entire world, was adjusting to a “new normal.” We all had to learn new ways of working, new ways of socializing, and new ways of living. Now, three years later, it is time to look ahead to what is facing Hull now: hiring a new town manager, addressing the ongoing housing crisis, maintaining our coastal infrastructure , charting a common course for the future of the HRA property, strengthening our public transportation, and continuing to build relationships with DCR and all of our state and regional partners.

My first term on the select board has been an honor, a privilege, and at times a full course of lessons on municipal government and serving my community. I have prided myself on being the type of leader and representative who can listen to all sides of an argument and fairly weigh the options when presented. Too often, too many issues in town are presented as either/or, when we should be thinking of them as both/and. Many times there are no solutions, only compromises. With so many important issues facing our community, I am excited and ready to continue to serve.

The decision to run for re-election was easy; my work isn’t done. Over the years, this town has spent tens of thousands of dollars on various studies and surveys. This money is well invested only if we use data gathered and begin to implement the plans laid out for our community.

Before addressing the myriad of issues facing this town, we need a unified vision. A priority for my second term would be to set a deadline for completion of the Pemberton Economic Development Plan, and seek funding to create a townwide master plan. This master plan will be the road map in shaping the peninsula’s future. While we work toward this townwide plan, we need to continue the implementation of the plans we already have adopted, such as the Unified Work Plan. The data and guidance from this plan have already brought us Business Improvement District and better/consistent communication with DCR.

We recently saw the results from the UMass Gerontology survey, which confirmed what many of us knew: Hull is an aging community. I have been an advocate for the senior community in town and will continue to represent this community as we face real challenges like providing adequate services like transit, housing, and a senior center of which the entire community can be proud.

Across the country, there is a housing crisis. We need to support all types of housing everywhere. This includes options for seniors who are looking to downsize and age in place, houses for families who are looking to move here to raise their children, and for others looking to live and work in town. Establishing a housing trust with CPA funds, and taxes collected from room tax or other businesses, would be a start. However, addressing our housing challenges needs to be strategically thought out, taking into consideration climate change and coastal resilience, along with the responsibility we have to our unique coastal environment we call home. We are called to be stewards of our precious dunes and beautiful Nantasket Beach. We must keep this in mind when we are considering new developments in town.

Access to public transit is essential. I have been working with the MBTA in support of better transit to our community, which I have done by fostering a relationship with the Metropolitan Planning Organization. I continue to advocate for a more transparent MBTA bus route to town, including MBTA branded buses, marked stops, and discounts for senior and disabled riders, along with more coordination with the ferry and commuter rail to better sync schedules and increase ease of use.

I use the ferry whenever I need to go into work downtown and understand how important having this regular service to our town is to commuters in town, but to tourists who will soon be visiting our beaches as the summer approaches! Supporting transit supports our entire town. We need to invest in the infrastructure of the pier.

All of the work that needs to be done wouldn’t be possible without our state and regional partners. That is why I think it is so important, and why I have worked so hard to build relationships with the DCR on issues along Nantasket Beach. By working with our state partners, including our locally elected leaders on Beacon Hill, I am an advocate for funding to support our small businesses, address climate mitigation efforts, and support development that makes sense for all of us.

I have been able to see so much growth and change in this community in my short three years on the board, and it has been a humble honor to serve all of you. But as you can see, we have so much more ahead of us! If you believe, like I do, in doing everything we can to make sure this beautiful peninsula we all get to call home can be a home to our parents and grandparents, as well as our children, grandchildren, and their children for generations to come, then I invite you to join me! Follow my campaign on Facebook, and I ask for your vote on Election Day, May 15. Thank you.

Seven-member town manager search committee to include citizens, officials

By Carol Britton Meyer

A seven-member committee comprised of town officials and two citizens was created this week to work with the consultant searching for Hull’s next town manager.

The search committee and Community Paradigm Associates will identify and interview the semifinalist candidates for the position, which will be vacated by Philip Lemnios when he retires at the end of June. The committee will recommend finalists to the board.

Membership on the committee will consists of two select board members and one each from the advisory board and school committee, a department head to be named by the other department heads, and two members of the community.

Select board member Irwin Nesoff and Greg Grey and advisory board member Patricia Cormier were appointed by the select board this week, in part because their terms are not expiring – which means they will definitely be on the board throughout the process – and because of their experience on search committees or hiring personnel in their current or past jobs.

Select board acting Chair Donna Pursel is running for re-election, and board member Domenico Sestito is not seeking another term.

“I know what it means to be a director of a large organization, which the new town manager would be,” Nesoff said.

Grey, who owns his own business, said he believes his experience “is good for this [search committee] position.”

Lemnios will reach out to the school committee to ask for a representative to join the panel.

A citizen’s application with information about the qualifications the board is looking for will be posted and advertised in the March 30 edition of the Times, with an April 10 deadline for applications, Pursel said. “The applications will be reviewed the following week,” she said.

The town manager position was recently posted on various websites and a brochure was prepared by the consultants, with an application deadline of April 12.

Paradigm will then review the applications and “will forward their first batch of recommendations to the search committee within 10 days after the closing of the application process,” Pursel said.

Although the list of semifinalists will not be made public, according to Lemnios, “the finalists’ names will become public … after which the board will proceed with the selection process.”

Besides interviewing the finalists, the select board also may visit the communities where the finalists served in municipal government positions to talk with town officials and other people in the community “to do some subtle reconnaissance,” Lemnios said. “It’s also not uncommon to give the finalists a 10-cent tour of the community – not a community forum – give them a sandwich, and have a conversation,” he said.

Citizens group seeks ‘pause’ on HRA development plans to consider alternative uses

By SOS Hull

Once open space is gone, it’s gone forever.

Future generations will never be able to stand on one of the only spots on the planet where they could see the sunrise and the sunset over the water – bay to the west, ocean to the east..

A group of concerned residents in Hull is trying to save this beautiful, vulnerable open land, the last remaining sizeable open space in Hull, from the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s plan for private developers to create multi-story condos, a boutique hotel, and retail establishments. Membership in the newly formed SOS Hull provides individuals an opportunity to get involved and help with this effort.

SOS Hull’s Mission is to pause current HRA development proposals to allow additional time for townspeople to propose alternatives for the HRA land that maintain open space from the bay across to the ocean, as well as consider community-focused economic opportunities rather than private development.

There are draft development proposals to build approximately 115 condominiums, a boutique hotel, and retail space on this property that lies between Nantasket Beach and the Weir River Estuary, also known as Hull Bay.

The designated area lies in a flood zone and is considered a barrier beach and coastal dune. SOS Hull is concerned that rising sea levels and climate change will affect this area in the not-too-distant future. We question the decision to develop in such a fragile natural resource.

Instead of building condos and a hotel in an area that is subject to flooding, we would like to protect this natural resource and seek alternate uses, such as passive recreation and activities that could be enjoyed by the community and visitors alike today and for future generations.

Important reminders:

• Next in-person HRA workshop to discuss the proposed development plans will be on March 27 at 7 p.m. at Hull High School.

• Town meeting will be on May 1.

For more information on SOS Hull, visit the group on Facebook, fill out the contact form at https://bit.ly/sos02045 or email soshull123@gmail.com.

HRA members acknowledge public’s desire for open space, affordable housing in plan

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Many participants in the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s most recent workshop on its draft Urban Renewal Plan reiterated their preference for open space on the 13-acre property. HRA members and consultants told the 59 attendees in the Zoom meeting on March 16 that adjustments are being made to the plan in response to the feedback, including eliminating some residential units near Monument Square.

“The board felt it was important to let people know we are listening, and are going to take that off the table right out of the gate,” HRA Chair Bartley Kelly said. “Based on input, we took the 24 units of residential housing on Parcel 1 off the table. It will open the view corridors as you come into town.”

Kelly reiterated his belief in the importance of the public meeting forum to gain all types of community feedback, which considers what will work on the HRA land and how it “best fits within the community.”

“The overall process is a lot more responsive to what the community wants as opposed to what a particular proposer might want to happen,” added consultant Steven Cecil, contrasting the Urban Renewal Plan with the request for proposal process, in which a developer would suggest a project based on its own preferences.

According to Cecil, the key topics to those in attendance at the first set of meetings in February were increasing open space, vulnerability of the land to flooding and storm surge, maintaining views from bay to the sea, providing affordable housing, balance of commercial space, adequate parking, traffic flow, environmental stewardship, and understanding economic costs and benefits.

Moving ahead with what has become known as Option 2 as the plan direction is a response to community comments regarding additional open space and being sensitive to the proximity to nearby homes.

One presentation slide highlighting open space as a priority illustrated the removal of townhouse units along Hull Shore Drive to preserve an open view corridor from bay to the ocean, and additional pedestrian connections across Parcel 3, near the center of the property.

“We understand the importance of open space as a priority,” to the people of Hull and their desire to “place emphasis on creating public open space for use,” Cecil said.

Resident Helen Gould suggested a community building to hold festivals, farmers’ markets, and house historical information about the town. Kelly agreed with Gould that a “central building or refuge, so to speak, should be something considered and put into the plan.”

However, in response to those within the community who desire “no development” on the HRA land, Kelly emphasized “it is a redevelopment authority, not a ‘no-development authority’…the highest and best use of the land is residential; that is the thing that sells, brings in people, and brings money.”

Hull Village resident Patrick Finn read into record former HRA Chairman Charles E. Gould’s letter to the editor from the Feb. 16 edition of The Hull Times, which said, “some attendees want no development in the area…They seem to care less about the sacrifices, work, and effort that went into the program and the promise given to the original property owners that the area would be redeveloped.”

Stephen Applebaum of Edgewater Road replied to that sentiment.

“A lot has changed in the past 60 years, the environment, not the least of which is one of those things,” Applebaum said. “Hate to think we are blindly trying to fulfill a promise that maybe is not the best thing to do at this time.”

During the presentation portion of the meeting, Michael Wang, Architect and Urban Planner at Form + Place, showed illustrations and diagrams to “solicit feedback” and “stimulate thoughts” regarding the open space design.

“If you are for open space, and I am,” said C. Anne Murray, of Summit Avenue, “[there] needs to be enough money to create it, but also a maintenance fund to keep it up. Need some basis for financials before we commit to any plan.”

According to the board and consultants, financial evaluations will be prepared, including a summary of estimated costs, revenues, and benefits based on the updated draft plan components that will continue to be refined through the planning process.

The HRA has hired Keller Williams Realty to do a “review to derive costs and value of development.” Kelly said the $18,000 financial analysis is for a study of the “overall impacts of the development,” adding that as the board continues to seek public input, members will “look at revenue analysis to provide a baseline…after these meetings we are hoping to refine the plan a little bit more based on the public input, to say this is what we think works, this is what we don’t think works, this is what we think is the sweet spot.”

Gisela Voss of Hampton Circle said she “dreams of a possibility where Parcel 3 and 4 [at the southern end of the site] are open … all stuff moved to where there is no bay-to -ocean view.” She said that “development need not mean cement building construction.”

Liz Kay, also of Hampton Circle, said she “so appreciates all the work for all the years the HRA has been doing it;” however, her sense is it has “been done in isolation of an entire peninsula. The impact on a vulnerable peninsula, one way in one way out, is really tough to swallow…The project does not live unto itself, but lives in connection to an entire peninsula.”

HRA member Dennis Zaia said that a year ago, he reached out to the Trustees of Reservations about preservation options, but didn’t bring it to the HRA board because the conversation did not go further. He discussed the land’s location near World’s End in Hingham, suggesting a place where people take out kayaks in the bay. Zaia explained at the time, the Trustees felt it was “too small because they would need a place for parking and a spot for a hospitality center for the rangers. They wanted the whole property.” Although he didn’t think it would work then, he stated “maybe now with all the feedback, it could work.”

Zaia urged all participants to continue offering comments and ideas coming.

“Keep doing what you are doing,” he said. “We will keep giving you the answers that we have, and the answers that we don’t have we will dig them up… eventually we will get closer to where we want to be.”

The next in-person meeting has been rescheduled to March 27 at 7 p.m. at the High School. It is set to take place in the auditorium for the formal presentation, and participants will then use the cafeteria for breakout groups and discussion.

As filing deadline nears, more candidates join the fray for May 15 election

Candidates seeking to run for office in the May 15 election face two deadlines in the coming days; nomination papers must be requested by today (Thursday) and returned by Monday afternoon with the signatures of 50 registered voters.

Three candidates have taken the unusual step of drawing nomination papers for two different seats on the same board – Jerry Taverna has the option of running for either the three-year or the two-year term on the select board, and Philip Bellone, who was already running for the three-year term, also took out papers for the two-year term. Nancy Boyce took a similar step for the planning board.

Town Clerk Lori West said that obtaining papers for multiple positions on the same board is allowed, but a single candidate can only run for one seat. In other words, they will need to declare their intentions by Monday by turning in only one set of signed forms.

A total of 19 positions will be on the May 15 ballot.

In addition to Taverna and Bellone, candidates who have taken out papers for the three-year select board term are incumbent Donna Pursel, Jason McCann, Moraiba J. Reyes, David Gibbons, Kathleen Barclay, and Erin Swenson Gorall. Current member Domenico Sestito said last week he is not seeking re-election.

The two-year term on the board, created by the resignation of Jennifer Constable, has three candidates running only for that position: Steven M. Greenberg, James M. Ianiri, and Brian McCarthy.

On the Hull Redevelopment Authority, Daniel Kernan has drawn nomination papers for the five-year term now held by Henry Dunn. Edwin Parsons and Adrienne Paquin are running for the three-year seat now held by Max Walder, who was appointed in the past year.

On the planning board, the five-year terms of Joseph Duffy and Harry Hibbard are available, as well as the two-year term of Jim Pitrolo, who was appointed to fill a vacancy. All three are running, as is Boyce, who will need to declare which term she is seeking.

School Committee Chair Stephanie Peters is not running; her colleague, Ernest Minelli IV, is seeking re-election. Colby Mahoney and Sasha Green have taken out nomination papers for one of the two available three-year seats. Green also is challenging Emily R. Garr for a two-year term on the board of library trustees. Under the town’s charter, an individual cannot serve in two elected positions, West said.

Unopposed races include a five-year term on the Hull Housing Authority now held by Jim Richman; Pamela Sinton-Coffman and Mario Peter Grieco’s three-year terms on the board of assessors, and the three-year terms of light commissioners Patrick Cannon and Jake Vaillancourt. For library trustee, Celia G. Nolan and Duncan Stone are running for the two three-year terms and J. Curtis Miller has taken out nomination papers for the one-year term on that board.

-- Christopher Haraden

With Pemberton turbine inoperable, board considering future of wind power in Hull

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Among the topics the Hull Municipal Light Board discussed at its most recent meeting last month were the status of Hull Wind 1 and 2, the addition of a sixth townwide generator, the feasibility of installing electric car charging stations, feedback regarding higher electric bills, and a survey to predict town electrical usage.

HULL WIND 1 AT PEMBERTON IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL, ACCORDING TO THE HULL MUNICIPAL LIGHTING PLANT.

Hull Wind 1 at Pemberton Point is inoperable and there has been “yet another failure” of Hull Wind 2, according to the plant manager. Most recently, another contactor failed, causing a fuse failure on Hull Wind 2 at the former town dump, taking that turbine out of service.

“The contractor replaced the fuse to get the turbine going and ordered another contactor to replace,” said, Light Plant Manager Panos Tokadjian.

“The turbine is fast approaching the state where Hull Wind 1 was a couple years ago before it failed, and we need to start discussing what we want to do with it,” he said in a memo to the Hull Municipal Light Board Commissioners.

Town Manager Philip Lemnios explained Vestas, the company that built the machines, has walked away from the Northeast and getting parts is more difficult.

“A determination needs to be made about whether it can be repurposed for cell tower use,” said Lemnios. “If it is determined to be technically feasible by the consultant, then we have to determine market interest and get town approval.”

According to the light plant, approval ratings for the generators that provide electricity when the town loses power as a whole are “very high.” In January, following the coldest day of the year, the decision was made to bring in a sixth generator; two issues contributed to that decision. First, the winter peak load during the coldest day of the year “grew from 9.2MW last year to 10.5MW this year, which would have meant the generators would not have carried the town if we had to run them in the event of a power outage,” Tokadjian said in his Feb. 22 memo. Secondly, the sixth generator was added for “reliability” in case one of the other generators had an issue. “Going forward, if the board decides to bring back the generators, we will have to account for a minimum of six units,” said Tokadjian.

The supplier provided the sixth generator at no cost for this season. Concurring with Tokadjian, Lemnios said “at a minimum, we should increase to six generators next year to accommodate for the increased load.

“We could always have seven generators next year if we raise the rates to accommodate,” he said. “In fact, I would recommend having seven generators in place next year and take no risk at all.”

Tokadjian agreed. “At the rate construction is going in town and increased electrification, the sixth generator won’t be enough, may have to go to seven,” he said.

“With all of these additional building projects coming into town, if more power is needed does the developer bear the cost?” resident David Irwin asked.

“We look at the plans and determine, based on the load information, what is needed there,” Tokadjian said. “If something needs to be added to the infrastructure, the developer is charged for that work, and they must pay up front.”

Irwin also asked if public electric car charging stations, where the user pays with a credit card, were being considered. Tokadjian said that his concern about outdoor public charging stations is “whether the equipment would survive a coastal front environment … if and when someone comes back saying it is working satisfactorily in other shore communities, I will bring it back for the board to look at.”

The board then transitioned to discussing home-based electric car charging stations, which are about 50 amps each. Electric car charging stations draw a lot of power, especially when the town is using the generators. Light board member Jacob Vaillancourt said there are incentive programs for free or reduced electric car chargers where the charger would be turned off if the town switched to generator power.

“The consumer can override the shutoff, but as a result, they forfeit the incentive program and would need to pay for the charger,” said Tokadjian.

Tokadjian shared there are other incentives, so residents do not use “heavy electricity” during peak times, such as implementing a “timed-use rate.”  For example, usage from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. is one rate, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is different rate.

“This would be a significant change in practice,” Lemnios said. “The burden of those types of policies falls hardest on the people who are the least able to adjust their lifestyle to get the cheapest rate.”

He added that despite an increase in the electric bill, customers feel things are “OK” because Hull Light rates are “cheaper than national grid, even with the surcharge for the generators.”

“There are data points we don’t have,” Light Commissioner Tom Burns said. “We could survey all 4,500 customers to see where we are with chargers, electric, oil, gas, and heat pumps.”

During the meeting, Burns proposed that the light department to start the selective process of data collection; the motion was accepted. Lemnios said that when an electric car charger is installed, it must be inspected, and the permit could be forwarded to the light department for information-gathering purposes.

“This can give a directional sense of where the load is going,” he said. “The light department can start collecting data immediately, going back three years with electrical permits.”

Vaillancourt agreed with Lemnios, this would be a good start, but stated “a yearly survey from the electric company can build a database to see what new peak loads are in summer and winter.” Anne Finley, administrative assistant at the light plant, said that new software the light plant is getting “has a survey built in and staff can change the questions to target their needs.”

Chair Pat Cannon said that when implementing the survey, the light plant should give a synopsis of the plan, letting the public know the survey is important because “we are trying to build for our future infrastructure.”

The next light board meeting on Thursday, March 30 will be a joint meeting between the Hull and Hingham municipal light departments to open the lines of communication and explore the benefits of potential joint opportunities to obtain grant money that is only available when two or more towns apply together.