Chamber asks HRA for financial support for trolley during Endless Summer festival

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

After the Hull-O Trolley canceled this summer’s service because of a loss of grant funding and increases in operating expenses, the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce has asked the Hull Redevelopment Authority for a grant to operate the trolley during the Endless Summer Waterfront Festival on Sept. 9.

On Monday Aug. 14, the HRA met with Chamber President Adrian Muir, who requested $3,000 for the trolley during the event, which runs from noon to 5 p.m.

Muir said he understood that the “economics for one day are difficult, when the cost to run the trolley for a season of nine two-day weekends and Endless Summer is $35,000.” Therefore, funding of the trolley for the entire summer breaks down to $1,842 per day.

“I want to help integrate transportation but would rather not spend this money on a five hour event,” HRA member Bartley Kelly said.

Muir said that when the trolley operated people were picked up at the ferry and moved through town, but most riders were from Hull.

“The majority of ridership has been local…for instance, riders from the alphabets would hop on,” said Muir, adding the trolley does get some visitors who ride the ferry over from Boston. The Chamber actively markets the festival outside of town. “For a number of years, we have taken a full-page ad in OnTray Magazine, which is distributed throughout the city of Boston and South Shore.”

Kelly suggested the possibility of utilizing the existing Hull town bus and offering it free to riders on Sept. 9; Muir was open to exploring this option as a mode of transportation for Endless Summer especially since it is likely to provide the ability to get to more neighborhoods than the trolley has been able to service in the past.

“Some people have never been on the town bus and may take it for the first time. This may have a double positivity of exposing people to the town bus…great way to educate people about the bus service they have to use,” said HRA Chair Dennis Zaia, who added that he is an advocate for improved transportation options in town. “I want to spend money in a manner that benefits the community and makes sense…great option is to partner with the existing bus service.”

HRA member Adrienne Paquin said she is “all for supporting, but want to use the money in the best way possible…love the idea of connecting with the bus; need to understand the feasibility and logistics of making it happen.”

The HRA tasked Muir and the Chamber to determine the logistics and cost for arranging a free day of bus service. Muir will return to present his findings to the HRA on Monday Aug. 21 and members will decide what level of support they can provide to assist with transportation for Endless Summer.

Proposal to create accessory dwelling units aims to allow Hull seniors to ‘age in place’

By Carol Britton Meyer

Town meeting voters will be asked to approve a allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in single-family homes under a proposal sponsored by the zoning board of appeals.

The article on the Aug. 31 special town meeting warrant is similar to the one that was voted “no action” in order to allow for further study at last spring’s annual town meeting. According to ZBA Chair Patrick Finn, the plan would help Hull homeowners age in place.

It would create housing units within an existing single-family structure for family members, seniors age 60 and over regardless of income, or other occupants who qualify according to income eligibility for affordable housing. Further details will be available at the planning board’s Aug. 23 meeting, at which the article will be discussed prior to town meeting.

“This is to help single-family homeowners in Hull remain in their homes and is basically the same article as the earlier one – with the three restrictions [listed above] spelled out and a special permit process if the proposed ADU is not in conformance with existing zoning regulations,” Finn told The Hull Times. “Some of Hull’s Coast Guard members are given housing vouchers but are having trouble finding rental housing in Hull, and allowing ADUs would be perfect.”

Town meeting will be asked to amend the zoning bylaws to allow a limited number of ADUs without adding to the number of buildings, reducing open space in town, or substantially altering the appearance of the principal dwelling.

There would be limits on the size of the ADU within the existing structure -- not larger than half of the floor area of the principal dwelling or 900 square feet, whichever is smaller, with four required parking spaces. The family member, senior, or income-qualifying Hull resident or non-resident occupying the other unit must have a minimum stay of six months.

Homeowners who gain approval as necessary to create an ADU would be required to provide a signed affidavit to the town each year confirming that they reside in the dwelling (either the original house or the ADU) for at least six months of the year. If the occupant is living in one of the units based on income eligibility, an affidavit confirming his or her income would also be required with the owner’s affidavit.

The goal is “to provide for a more efficient and economic use of existing housing stock by enabling owners of single-family dwellings larger than required for their present needs to share space and the burdens of homeownership, while also protecting the stability, property values, and residential character of the neighborhood,” according to Finn.

He noted that there has been some questioning of the intent of this ADU article as a zoning article versus a strictly affordable housing article.

“The ZBA, zoning bylaw committee, and affordable housing committee discussed this difference and unanimously agreed (one affordable housing committee member abstained from the vote) that ADUs in owner-occupied single-family homes are not the place where our town planners should suddenly put down the hammer and require strict compliance with [affordable housing requirements] for occupants,” Finn said.

“This would drop the weight of a long-ignored issue [referring to the need for affordable housing in Hull] on the backs of struggling seniors, family members, and other hardworking taxpayers of Hull when developers have constructed over 800 multi-family condominium units with a total of zero affordable housing deed-restricted units required – added to Hull’s tiny 1.7% total of the required state-certified subsidized housing inventory,” he explained.

The warrant article intends to increase the number of housing choices in Hull as recommended by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development and consistent with Hull’s Housing Production Plan, proponents say.

“Property owners should have a right to choose who they share living space with in their single-family home – ideally with family members and loved ones, not necessarily income-eligible tenants,” Finn said. “If these proposed 10 units per year ever make it onto the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Subsidized Housing Inventory is strictly an administrative function of the Town of Hull, based on the current Chapter 40B [comprehensive permit] Local Initiative Program and proposed changes in the Legislature.”

The current housing crisis requires action, according to Finn, who believes that passage of this article “will allow administrative procedures to be put in place to assist in accomplishing the goals of the Hull Housing Production Plan.”

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council assisted the town in developing a housing production plan that is intended to “provide housing options to residents, their adult children, and elderly grandparents for all life phases and unanticipated circumstances, such as the economy, personal mobility, or changing preferences;” guide market-rate and affordable housing preservation and creation; help the town maintain its state-mandated affordable housing target; influence the type, amount, and location of affordable housing; and increase affordable housing opportunities and options in Hull, among other considerations.

On Constable’s first day as town manager, Select Board finalizes STM warrant articles

By Carol Britton Meyer

New Town Manager Jennifer Constable concluded her first day on the job Wednesday in familiar territory – at a meeting of the select board, where she served as chair prior to resigning earlier this year to apply for the town’s top job.

Current board Chair Greg Grey welcomed her aboard in her new role and expressed appreciation for Police Chief John Dunn’s service as interim town manager after

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Click here to read the full warrant with advisory board recommendations.

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“I’m thrilled to be here and look forward to working with the board,” Constable said, noting that she has an open-door policy. There was a round of applause from the audience following her remarks.

The select board signed the warrant for the Aug. 31 special town meeting, which will feature 10 warrant articles ranging from appropriating money for emergency repairs to the Memorial Middle School to whether to allow the sale of recreational marijuana in Hull.

A copy of the warrant will be mailed to every Hull household prior to the meeting and will include the advisory board’s recommendations. For some articles, the board may announce its decisions that night. Voters have the final say.

The articles include proposals to:

⦁ Appropriate approximately $300,000 to pay for recently discovered repairs that are needed at the Memorial Middle School;

⦁ Allow accessory dwelling units in single-family homes under certain circumstances (see related story);

⦁ Appropriate roughly $120,000 to pay for DPW equipment;

⦁ Allow the consolidation of certain “housekeeping” articles into a single vote to allow time for discussion of more important issues;

⦁ Allow the sale of recreational marijuana through a citizens’ petition submitted on behalf of the Alternative Compassion Services medical marijuana dispensary on George Washington Boulevard;

⦁ Adjust Hull’s wetlands protection rules and increase fees to help cover the cost of administration of the Wetlands Protection Act, and to double the fees for after-the-fact work that requires a permit or review;

⦁ Appropriate roughly $600,000 to cover increases in the cost of restoring the Fort Revere water tower, supplementing an earlier town meeting appropriation of $2.2 million for this work;

⦁ Authorize the select board to petition for an act of special legislation granting the town an additional package store license for the Quick Pick Food Shop on Nantasket Avenue (subject to select board approval if the legislation passes).

Select Board planning outreach efforts to educate voters about town meeting articles

By Carol Britton Meyer

Following the signing of the Aug. 31 special town meeting warrant Wednesday night, the select board is ramping up its efforts to ensure that citizens planning to attend are fully informed about all 10 articles.

This is especially important in light of the short timeframe the board had in which to call the meeting in response to the filing of a citizens’ petition.

Outreach plans include a recording by Hull Community Television next week of an information session featuring Town Moderator George Boylen talking with proponents of the warrant articles to educate voters about the issues involved. Replays will be aired leading up to the meeting.

The board will also hold a remote public meeting Tuesday, Aug. 29 (time to be announced), to review and discuss the warrant articles. This will be an opportunity for citizens to ask questions and to make comments.

At that time, the board may decide to support or not support the article. There were mixed feelings as to whether the board should take a stand for or against any of them.

While member Jason McCann doesn’t think the board should make recommendations on the warrant articles, fellow board member Irwin Nesoff holds a different view.

“Citizens have the right to hear our opinions,” he said.

It was noted that whether or not the board takes a position, its members are free to share their opinions about warrant articles at the special town meeting, speaking as residents.

Read the full text of the 10 articles on the special town meeting warrant

Click here to read the full text of the warrant articles for the Aug. 31 special town meeting, along with the recommendations from the advisory board.

Click here for full coverage from the Times of town meeting proposals.

HRA to extend deadline, ask for specifics on citizens’ development ideas

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

In an effort to elicit as many detailed submissions as possible, the Hull Redevelopment Authority will extend the time for citizens to submit ideas beyond the end of August. At its next meeting on Aug. 14, the authority will clarify the process and expectations.

“I pushed to get it out there, but we should have been clearer with what we were expecting,” said HRA Chair Dennis Zaia. “We will take a step back and make a correction and next week we will define the extra requirements.”

“It would be helpful for those submitting ideas to say what parcel they would like to put it on based on the current Urban Renewal Plan and give rough dimensions,” said member Bartley Kelly.

According to Zaia, some people only submitted a photo, and it is preferable to see more information such as “reference to where the photo was taken, as well as proposed size and scope, funding, and possible partners.”

“I do not think it is the community’s responsibility to figure out where and how to execute,” said Liz Kay member of SOS (Save Our Space), a group advocating for less intensive uses on the HRA property.  “This is over our professional expertise.”

HRA Vice Chair Dan Kernan said the board made the initial request and should “honor it” by putting the initial couple of submissions up on the HRA website.

“Someone could have a brilliant idea and not know what to do with it,” he said. “I would still rather see it than not… someone else may leverage that idea and provide the additional information.”

“People are not architects. They may not be able to note which parcel, what scope, how funded,” said Gisela Voss of Hampton Circle. “If you received 20 ideas for ‘blank,’ that at least becomes public record of the relative desire for ‘blank.’”

HRA Clerk Adrienne Paquin agreed that some people may not have the “bandwidth” to submit more than just an idea, but they should “honor the efforts” of the submissions received by posting them on the website.

The HRA also will revise its general agenda when members know a specific topic will be covered, or guest will be attending, if they able to meet the 48-hour rule for agenda posts by submitting changes by Thursday afternoon before town hall closes for the weekend.

At the upcoming HRA meeting via Zoom on Monday, attendees can learn more about the additional requirements for future submissions, and hear from a member of the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce regarding a request for funding for a trolley for Endless Summer in September.

Proposed bylaw would broaden Hull’s regulation of wetlands

By Carol Britton Meyer

An article on the Aug. 31 special town meeting warrant would adjust Hull’s wetlands protection rules in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, the town’s conservation director told the advisory board this week.

When asked, “Why now?” by advisory board member David Clinton, Climate Adaptation & Conservation Director Chris Krahforst said the issues should be addressed before next year’s annual town meeting.

“There is some urgency to this article,” Krahforst said, explaining that it was due in part to “pressure from the conservation commission” and that a similar warrant article “fell off the radar screen” for last spring’s annual town meeting.

The article addresses a recent Supreme Court decision, Sackett vs. EPA, that restricts how certain land can be regulated under the federal wetlands rules. Krahforst said this could jeopardize the protection of wetlands in parts of Hull.

The ordinance proposed in the special town meeting article would protect wetlands that serve to capture stormwater, overwash, and ocean surge to mitigate flooding.

“This ordinance proposes that town residents value the protection from flooding provided by these wetlands and seek to preserve that protection – which was previously afforded under the Wetlands Protection Act,” Krahforst told The Hull Times in a follow-up email.

The article also seeks to require the conservation commission to consider “cumulative effects” proposed projects may pose on the town’s protected resources. As an example, an activity that may be permittable under the state WPA – such as adding docks over a marsh – would require the commission to consider whether this practice is consistent with protecting the entire resource.

“It’s important for residents to know about these issues due to the importance of storm damage protection and flood control,” Krahforst said.

Also, the conservation commission is seeking to institute a fee structure similar to ones implemented by many Massachusetts communities to administer the Wetlands Protection Act. These fees haven’t changed since at least 2013, according to Krahforst.

The commission is also requesting that these fees be doubled for after-the-fact work that requires a permit or a review.

Article seeks $800K to pay for increased costs of Fort Revere water tower project

By Carol Britton Meyer

Voters at the Aug. 31 special town meeting will be asked to approve additional funding of up to $800,000 to cover increases in the cost of restoring the Fort Revere water tower.

The Fort Revere water tower was built in 1903 and is desperate need of repairs. [File photo]

The initial estimate for the rehabilitation of the tower ranged from $1.5 to $1.7 million. The May 2022 town meeting approved $2.2 million for the project. In the meantime, the cost – reflected in the three latest bids – has increased to an estimated $2.5 to $3 million.

“The scope of the project has not changed,” said select board member Irwin Nesoff, who attended Monday’s advisory board meeting during which the special town meeting warrant articles were discussed “The plan is to preserve, repair, and shore up the tower and to address any potential dangers.”

When advisory board member David Clinton asked “Why now?” rather than wait for the next annual town meeting, Nesoff replied: “Because as discussed at a recent select board meeting, the costs will only continue to go up.”

Clinton also asked the same question about some of the other warrant articles.

While understanding of that issue, Clinton expressed concern that the expected light attendance at the Aug. 31 meeting, due in large part to its being held during the summer, would mean that a smaller than usual number of voters who turn out for the annual town meetings would make this and other important decisions without wider participation.

Collection of stones inspires beachcomber to share ‘Hull hearts’ with the community

By Gretchen W. TenBrook

From sea shells to sea glass, the beach here in Hull offers her treasures to us on a daily basis.

For me, this has mostly come in the form of heart-shaped rocks. I cannot seem to go a few steps along the shore without noticing them all around me! This pastime of sorts has been revealing to me in so many ways. I wanted to share a bit of what I am discovering with the Hull community – literally and figuratively – as I sense I am not alone in appreciating all the natural wonder and wisdom that surrounds us here. 

HEARTY COLLECTION. Finding heart-shaped rocks during her walks along Nantasket Beach inspired Gretchen TenBrook to begin collecting the stones of all sizes and displaying them near the Cook comfort station on Hull Shore Drive near Phipps Street. [Courtesy photo]

I cannot remember exactly when I first started noticing heart-shaped rocks, but once I found myself returning from walks with more than I could carry, I began to wonder what my fascination with them was – why was this happening? As a spiritual person, I am always seeking the invitations that surface in the circumstances of my life, and nature is a frequent source of those.

At first, the message I heard was this: Love is everywhere! It was as if the rocks were appearing in abundance to remind me of this reality. Yes, love is indeed everywhere, and we just need eyes to see it. With this perspective, I began to see and look for love hidden in the people, places, and things around me. And for opportunities to be that love. What a powerful and empowering mindset! Suddenly that grumpy grocery clerk became someone who needed my patience and kindness instead of an irritant to add to my day.

Taking this a step further, another lesson has been this: what I train myself to see has a way of showing up, heart shaped rocks and beyond. The more I ponder this, the more I am amazed by the fact that with intention, discipline, and practice, I have the ability to call into my life what I choose to, and to minimize what I don’t. It is a matter of where I focus my attention. I look for beauty everywhere, and it keeps showing up for me, from hibiscus blossoms to my boyfriend’s patient, listening ear. There is an endless supply of what I chose to see.

As my heart-shaped rock collection began to grow beyond my ability to count, I began to wonder what to do with them all. Even more, I found myself pondering why I was keeping them all to myself and how I might share them with others. I wanted to create something with them that might be a source of inspiration to others. Yes, I wanted to find a way to be the love and beauty that these rocks have invited me to be. 

With this in mind, last November I began bringing the rocks to a plot of grass near the flagpole at the north end of Nantasket Beach. With each visit, I would arrange them into the collection you see in the photo. It felt like a prayer of sorts to me – a way to create something beautiful with the love in my heart, and a way to trust that something beautiful would come of it. A way to invite others to “Share Your Hull Heart.” Why keep such a beautiful, powerful thing to ourselves?

Whatever you love, I invite you to find it within yourself, look for it around you, and then offer it back. And if you need some inspiration, I hope you will visit the collection of heart rocks. Maybe they will have a message for you. Or maybe you have your own to offer, heart shaped and beyond.

Yes, love is everywhere, and we just need eyes to see it, and the courage to express it!

Hull Police sergeant on leave after attack on elderly neighbor is captured on video

Hull Police Sgt. Scott Saunders has been placed on paid administrative leave after being arrested in Pembroke for assaulting a 72-year-old neighbor on July 24.

Hull POLICE SGT. SCOTT SAUNDERS IN 2014. [FILE PHOTO]

In an interview with Boston 25 News, Harry Horlsey said that Saunders hit his car with a paddleboard as he tried to pass him on a narrow street, then pushed him to the ground and punched him. A video published on the news station’s website showed Horsley on the ground and Saunders on top of him.

Saunders, 46, was charged with assault and battery on a person over 60 with injury. After his arraignment, he was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from the victim.

Hull Police Chief John Dunn said that Saunders was put on leave, his firearms license was suspended, and his badge was taken. Hull Police also launched an internal affairs investigation.

Saunders was hired by the Hull Police Department in December 2004 and has been a sergeant since 2019.

In 2014, Saunders was accused in a lawsuit of using “unreasonable and unexcused force” in tackling and seriously injuring a 16-year-old boy while on duty. The youth was part of a group of kids being moved along from the beach 2010, although no arrests were made during the incident. A Boston jury found that Saunders did not violate the boy’s civil rights and rejected his claim of $1 million in damages in the suit.