Focus groups, screening committee are next steps in superintendent search

By Carol Britton Meyer

The New England School Development Council consultant hired to help facilitate the process of searching for a new superintendent of schools will lead several focus groups on Thursday, Oct. 19, to gather input from parents, students, principals, teachers, and community members about what they are looking for in the next superintendent.

Superintendent judith kuehn will retire at the end of the current school year.

During this week’s regularly scheduled school committee meeting, Dr. Margaret Frieswyk provided an orientation of the search process from beginning to end, emphasizing the importance of the community having a voice in the process.

Judith Kuehn, who has served as superintendent since May 2020, is retiring at the end of the current school year.

The school committee’s Monday, Oct. 23, meeting was canceled and replaced with a public meeting the evening of Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m., at which time Frieswyk will share a summary of information and input gained from the focus groups throughout the day in the form of a community profile. Then the school committee will provide input.

Frieswyk emphasized that the role of the school committee at that at that time is “not to make a judgment” on what the stakeholders shared during the focus groups, but rather to suggest enhancements or other details.

“Community outreach is a critical factor,” Frieswyk said.

The purpose of the focus groups in “to hear from the community what kinds of skills they are looking for in the next superintendent – their level of expertise and experience,” Frieswyk said. “We will also learn what [participants] feel is the task or tasks that need to be accomplished in year one of the new superintendent’s tenure.”

NESDEC will advertise the position and has a pool of candidates interested in superintendent positions. Frieswyk expects a number of applications.

“Hull is a very desirable place to work,” she said.

Those who can’t make it to the focus groups will have another opportunity to participate in the process through a community survey.

Next steps include the formation of a screening committee, followed by two workshops presented by Frieswyk and then candidate interviews between Dec. 11-15.

The school committee will interview the finalists chosen by the search committee after Frieswyk talks with them about what they are looking for in the superintendent position and their salary and benefits requirements to help ensure a good match with the town.

The school committee will participate in another orientation by Frieswyk before interviewing the finalists at public meetings between Jan. 10 and 19. The candidates’ names are confidential until this phase of the process.

“I expect that by Jan. 22, the school committee will be able to offer and negotiate a contract,” Frieswyk said. “You won’t have a new superintendent without a signature.”

The expected start date is July 2024.

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Dog park, housing study, pickleball upgrades among requests for CPC grants

By Carol Britton Meyer

Seven preliminary applications for the next round of Community Preservation Act funding total $202,700, ranging from a dog park feasibility study and resurfacing the Kenberma pickleball courts to upgrading Paragon Carousel light bulbs to LED to installing veterans memorial grave markers at Hull Village Cemetery.

If all the proposals are approved, there would be $385,213 to put into reserve for future projects from Fiscal 2023 CPA revenue, not including the expected partial state match in November.

The Community Preservation Committee considered all of the proposals at its meeting Monday night. However, the likelihood of the CPC recommending $100,000 to the most costly proposal submitted – a Habitat for Humanity workforce homeownership opportunity proposed by the affordable housing committee – is low.

While there are merits to the proposal, CPC members agreed, a site has yet to be identified, although a grant received by the town is paying for a feasibility study to find a suitable location for affordable housing.

So far, Hull has collected $3.5 million from the tax surcharge approved by voters in 2016 and a partial state matching grant, with a remaining fund balance of $2.7 million.

CPA funds may only be put toward historic preservation, open space, community housing, and certain recreation projects, with restrictions.

The deadline for preliminary applications was Sept. 28; the final deadline is Oct. 31.

Proposals include:

• A dog park feasibility study ($10,000) proposed by the town to find a location;

• Mariners Park enhancements ($20,000) proposed by the town that could include picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, and other amenities to make the area near Allerton Harbor more user-friendly.

• Resurface pickleball courts at Kenberma ($20,000), proposed by resident Paul Newman and other pickleball players, to replace the cracking asphalt surface and protective coating. “More than 1,000 people, many of them seniors, have signed up for the pickleball app,” Newman said. “The courts are used all hours of the day. We need to be proactive, because the courts’ useful life will deteriorate very quickly otherwise.”

The surface was applied two years ago and is supposed to last between four and eight years. Yet to be determined is whether this work is still under warranty, why the surface deteriorated so quickly, and whether CPA funding can be used for what appears to be maintenance, rather than a rehabilitation project. A next step is for Newman and other proponents to meet with the select board and parks and rec in an attempt to win their support of the application.

Guidance form the Community Preservation Coalition will also be sought regarding whether the proposal would qualify for CPA funding.

• Shade structures ($20,000) proposed by the town, possibly at the Dust Bowl and other locations.

• Paragon Carousel LED light bulbs ($25,000), proposed by the Friends of the Paragon Carousel Executive Director Jon Ericksen. Friends board member Tim Reynolds spoke on behalf of the proposal.

“We want to get rid of the 1,060 incandescent bulbs, which are the original ones and have heavy electricity usage, and move to historical-style energy-saving LED bulbs,” he said. The carousel is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The bulbs, which are installed on the carousel itself, generate a lot of heat.

“LED bulbs would help in the summertime,” Reynolds said. The Friends plan to consult with the historical commission and look into the possibility of MassSave funding.

If the CPC recommends this project and town meeting approves it, the goal would be for staff to change all the lightbulbs by the end of 2024.

• Veterans Memorial grave markers at Hull Village Cemetery ($7,700). David Irwin, representing American Legion Post 140, advocated for project funding.

“We would like to dress up the cemetery with markers that also hold a flag in place,” he said. “Joshua James and a number of Civil War veterans are buried there.”

Select board approval of this proposal is required for it to move forward in the process.

• Habitat for Humanity workforce homeownership program ($100,000). Because the feasibility study is a work in progress and a site has not yet been identified, CPC Chair Rachel Kelly told AHC member Kelly Reilly, who shared some of the details with the CPC this week, that the project is not “shovel ready.

“We’d all like to see some affordable housing, but I think this proposal is putting the cart before the horse,” Kelly said.

CPC member Jim Richman suggested that perhaps this project “could happen next year.”

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We’re grateful for our readers and advertisers this week, and every week

If you are reading these words, you are someone who understands the value of local newspapers. And we are grateful for you.

This is National Newspaper Week, an annual celebration of the value that local news sources provide their communities. For many years, newspapers were the only way that people could understand what was happening in their cities and towns without directly participating in the process. The Hull Times has been around since 1930. And in those 93 years, these pages have seen many of the same issues debated annually, as well as many good ideas implemented and even some terrible ideas take root.

During all of this time, the Times has been staffed by people who care about this community and want to share it with you. Whether you grew up here – like many members of our staff – or if you are new to town and are still learning about what makes our peninsula unique, we hope you find something valuable in each edition.

The fact is, despite the national trend of community news sources being absorbed by larger operations or shut down entirely, Americans are still looking for reliable, accurate information, as a 2023 study by the America’s Newspapers Foundation concluded.

The survey of 5,000 people found that eight out of 10 Americans still get news and information from local print or digital sources every month. Nearly three-quarters of those interviewed said a local newspaper is important, and 43% said local newspapers or their websites are the most accurate source of news and information. Or, as the study’s authors wrote: “Local news is critical to the well-being of a community.”

The Times has adapted to our readers’ changing habits by providing content online and promoting news and events on social media. We want to be where you are, giving you information that you need to make sound decisions about navigating life in Hull. We also want to give you a trusted place where you can find comprehensive coverage of important issues, not the tangled mess of speculation and rumors that seems to dominate online discourse.

Like any business, however, there are inevitable costs. None of us can afford to work for free, and the human hours it takes to write, edit, photograph, draw, design, sell, print, label, deliver, upload, promote, share, interpret, analyze, and publish each week are daunting. Not having to answer to a national parent company allows us some flexibility, but being independent presents its own challenges. Keeping this show on the road often keeps us up at night.

We’re so grateful for our supporters – our regular subscribers, those who buy the paper on the newsstand every week, and our advertisers whose consistency provides a strong foundation for growth.

Our message during National Newspaper Week is one of thanks, but also a request for your help. As we mentioned above, if you are reading this, then you understand the value of a local news outlet. We need more people like you. We need Hullonians to support us with subscriptions, newsstand purchases, and advertising. We need others who may not be subscribers or advertisers to join you on this journey and become part of the family.

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The Times is stronger when there are many voices contributing, and with our committed group of staff members and supporters like you, we plan to celebrate National Newspaper Week as an independent news organization for at least 93 more years!

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Demolition of former aquarium under way; construction of 21-unit building to start soon

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso 

Demolition of the former Atlantic Aquarium at the foot of Atlantic Hill is under way and construction of the 21-unit residential building that will replace it is moving forward. The developer said a building permit is expected as early as next week.

Demolition of the former atlantic aquarium has begun. A construction fence was installed for safety.

Contractors have begun demolishing the concrete-block building, constructed in 1972, from the inside out. Jonathan Leavitt, a principal of 120 Nantasket Ave LLC, said there was a lot of work in the ground first, such as breaking the slab floor in the basement, crushing it, and subsequently putting it in the hole to bring the level of the basement higher.

“The demo is under way even though the walls are not collapsed in yet,” said the Brookline architect and developer. “The roof has been removed and a geotech engineer examined the soil to be sure it can accept footings.”

Leavitt plans to take down the existing structure and build on the original foundation.

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Curious about the history of the aquarium building? Click here for our story!

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“It is a complicated build to preserve the foundation and build on top,” he said. “Normally we knock down the existing building and build new.”

On Sept. 27, the planning board approved a definitive subdivision plan for the development, which Leavitt described as “protecting the property from any adverse bylaw impacts.” Filing a subdivision plan doesn’t fundamentally change the property’s layout, but locks in current zoning for eight years.

A four-story, 21-unit building will replace the former aquarium.

“We filed the preliminary subdivision with the sole purpose of freezing the zoning via a subdivision plan freeze, because at the time several zoning articles were coming to Hull town meeting that were of concern to us,” said Leavitt’s attorney, Adam J. Brodsky of Drohan, Tocchio, and Morgan.

The property’s units will be rented or sold at market rate, and because of the zoning freeze, none of the units is required to be designated as affordable.

Brodsky addressed the planning board’s previously voiced concerns about the project not going forward and Leavitt selling the property with the benefit of the zoning freeze by noting that the developer filed for a building permit on June 27, and assured the board the building will be constructed.

“The developer has arranged with the DCR (Department of Conservation and Recreation) for a construction easement,” said Brodsky. Construction fencing has been installed on the DCR-controlled sidewalk in front of the building.

Leavitt explained the owners are answering some questions for the building department regarding the building permit.

“An extensive analysis for energy consumption is required; we are finalizing the energy model for certain criteria,” he said. “We are set to meet all required criteria.”

Leavitt said he is working out the building schedule with the contractor, saying that typically he “would expect the build to take one and half years…whether it will take longer or shorter I do not know. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle.”

The building will include a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units, with a parking garage on the ground level. The plans also include an outdoor swimming pool and deck.

“The building is not a cookie-cutter design,” Leavitt said. “There are terrace effects with balconies providing Hull with a premier entrance to the town.”

The facade of the building will feature walls glass facing the ocean, each story receding backward, creating the effect of “rippling flags or sails.” The rooftop can also accept solar panels if an owner wants them.

“There is a lot of privacy and views from each unit,” said Leavitt, adding, “You see the beachgoers, the sand, and the ocean…it faces west, so you see the sunset as well, and the city of Boston in the distance.”

Leavitt said he is “not pushing to presell” and would like to have the building completed before any units are sold.

The developer said that recessions usually last eight to 18 months, so that if one is ahead, “we will probably be out by the time the building is completed.” However, he also acknowledged “anything can happen, look at COVID.

“The project is coming at a time when Hull is being more discovered,” Leavitt continued. “I have found there is increasing interest in living in Hull and retiring there.”

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Hampton Circle neighbors say playground reconstruction will worsen flooding in area

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

As work progresses on reconstructing the Hampton Circle playground, neighbors are raising concerns that the project will worsen flooding in the area.

A meeting at the playground on Tuesday evening drew a sizable crowd that said the higher elevation of the play structure will spread negative impacts from flooding and pooling rain. Abutters from the streets surrounding the playground – Marginal Road, Moreland Avenue, Hampton Circle, and Bay Street – attended the meeting called by Director of Community Development and Planning Chris DiIorio to voice their experiences with flooding and drainage.

“They changed the topography of the playground. After all the landfill, water can’t move through and is flowing into all the other yards,” said Ellie Destito, who has lived on Marginal Road for 28 years. “When the waves from the bay come in, it is almost like the grand rapids.”

The playground is dedicated to U.S. Navy Lt. Joseph D. McLaughlin, who died in World War II. McLaughlin’s family lived on nearby Lincoln Avenue for decades. The playground is the beginning and ending point of the neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July parade.

According to DiIorio, when the town was forced to remove the playground due to the condition of the equipment, there was “an outcry from the neighborhood to construct a new playground.

The neighbors, parks and recreation, the select board, the community preservation committee, and town meeting were all in favor of moving forward with a new playground there.”

Jim Richman, who was present at the meeting as a citizen, although he is a member of the CPC, said they were never told the height was being raised and the memorial monument would be moved.

DiIorio said the CPC is not a permitting authority, nor does it review specific details of each project. The CPC makes recommendations to town meeting for funding of projects based on the purpose of the project and what it will provide for the community.

“Flooding is not a volume issue, there is not more water as a result of the fill,” Gary James, civil engineer of Beta Group, told the neighbors.

However, the abutters disagreed. The group stressed even with drainage, all their homes are in “jeopardy.” Destito said the abutters were told to “wait and see storm impacts… but what about people who own homes? Are we not more important than a playground?”

DiIorio told the Times the engineers were aware of the flooding, but told him, “raising it (the land) would not cause the flooding to get any worse.” He explained the playground was elevated due to the water, to prevent consistently flooding the equipment and pour-in-place playground surface.

“We wanted to protect the playground for sure, but are absolutely concerned about people’s houses,” said DiIorio.

Some abutters believed the elevated height was to protect the warranty, but DiIorio confirmed in an email that rainwater or saltwater touching the structure or poured-in-place surface does not void the warranty.

“However, if it’s under water every month, I think the companies issuing the warranty would be able to make an argument that that it is not a proper environment for the structure,” he said. “Elevating the playground will significantly reduce the number of times the playground is inundated as opposed to the first design.”

“I am not a direct abutter, but came out to support my neighbors,” said Dan Kernan, resident of Hampton Circle and vice chair of the redevelopment authority. “The water flow wears away at the little beach, I watch the water flow over the cement wall… the area turns into a big lake. The neighbors come out with kayaks.”

Beth Chapman of Moreland Avenue said she likes the playground, but is having a major drainage issue.

“All the stormwater is directed to the storm drain in front of my property and it does not work,” she said. “It comes down the hill and bypasses the catch basin and ends at the front of my house…all the water goes under my house and the foundation is eroded.”

Bryan Fenelon of Bay Street questioned whether anyone truly understood how the drainage works and why a study was not done.

“Water bypasses the drain and goes down the other side of the fence… the water is finding the easiest way to go and that is into the yards of abutters,” he said. “Reality is much different from paper.”

“There is a difference between lived experience and technical experience,” said Liz Kay of Hampton Circle. “Even if it is only 1% of the time, when it is acting like a river between Marginal to Moreland, the impacts on abutters make addressing the issue more important than the playground.”

DiIorio said a drainage study was not needed at the time because the town was not changing the drainage and the ground was graded to work with the existing drainage system. Abutters disagreed, and said they believe the drainage system was impacted because fill was added to change the elevation.

“All the water that went to the drainage system before will continue to go to the drainage system,” said DiIorio, who also recognized the drainage may not be working as well as it should.

“DPW tried to fix the problem with a catch basin. That is not our part of the project,” said Dave McKinley, landscape engineer from Beta Group. “The drainage pipes are dead flat; the pitches are miniscule… [We] need to do some drainage studies; when we did the project, we did not survey all the way to the other end toward the bay.”

“The town has an approved grant to provide funding to contract with an engineering consultant to do an existing-conditions analysis and make recommended improvements to the drainage system in that area,” said DiIorio, who expects the report to be completed by the middle of next year.

Some abutters said they were frustrated with what they saw as “double standards” because local rules that prohibit them from making changes to their property that have been made at the playground.

“The conservation commission would not allow me to put tar in my driveway, like they have here (playground), because it could not drain,” said Larry Robicheau of Moreland Avenue. “When it is pouring the park is protected, not our homes, but there are no kids here in the pouring rain.”

Linda Dunphy of Andrew Road articulated her “disappointment” in the process.

“As beautiful as it is, I don’t think they heard one word we said, not one word,” she said. “We want to not have water in people’s yards and houses and want to move the memorial monument back to where it originally was.”

Although the memorial monument to Lt. McLaughlin was put in facing in toward the park and will not be moved back closer to the road so passersby can more easily view it, DiIorio confirmed that the inscription will be made double-sided so it can be read from the street.

Some, like Richman, are concerned that kids will climb on the memorial.

“Shifting the memorial was secondary and how they treated it is unsettling…it is a memorial park and not just a playground,” Kay said.

“Our concerns are falling on deaf ears…The playground is trumping our homes,’ said Eileen Weisslinger of Hampton Circle.

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Want to help hire Hull’s next superintendent? Schools seek screening committee members

By Carol Britton Meyer

The school committee is seeking parents, students, school staff, and representatives from the community to join the recently-created committee to perform the initial review of applications for the superintendent of schools.

Current Superintendent Judith Kuehn will retire at the end of this school year; the new superintendent is expected to be named in early 2024, with an anticipated start date of July 1.

The New England School Development Council will facilitate the search process at a cost of $13,760. The final hiring decision rests with the school committee.

Member Kyle Conley and other school officials are working closely with NESDEC with the goal of a thorough and inclusive search process.

“We want to be sure the screening committee is made up of people with lots of different perspectives and levels of expertise,” she said.

School committee members will not be represented on the screening committee, which will make its recommendations to the school committee. The screening committee may also include a member from the select board and the advisory board.

Conley this week outlined significant steps in the process:

⦁ Tuesday, Oct. 10: During the regularly scheduled school committee meeting, NESDEC representative Dr. Margaret Frieswyk will provide an orientation of the search process “from beginning to end,” Conley explained. “This will be a big part of the agenda, and the public is welcome to attend.”

Frieswyk “is optimistic that we will have some fantastic candidates, because Hull is a very desirable district to work in,” according to Conley.

⦁ Thursday, Oct. 19: Frieswyk will lead focus groups in Hull to gather input from parents, principals, teachers, and community members. More information will be available at a later date.

“We want to make the process as inclusive as possible,” Conley said. “There will be lots of opportunities for those wishing to offer their insights about what they think the profile and skills of our next superintendent [should look like].” An online survey will be available during the week of Oct. 19.

• The school committee’s Monday, Oct. 23 meeting was canceled and replaced with a meeting the evening of Oct. 19, at which time Frieswyk will share a summary of the information and input gained from the focus groups throughout the day. Then the school committee will provide input. This also is a public meeting.

“This won’t be a time for us to discuss the feedback but to listen, add our thoughts, and make sure we have an inclusive candidate profile,” Conley said. The window for submitting applications is Oct. 30 to Nov. 27.

“Casting a wide net is fantastic,” school committee member Ernest Minelli said. “Hopefully we will have an abundance of applicants.”

In response to Minelli asking Conley what her “best sales pitch” for seeking screening committee members might be, she responded: “We’re looking for a group of people to listen to the profile information gathered on Oct. 19 and to do the first look-through [of the applications and resumes from] those wishing to be our next superintendent. We’re seeking members who will be available on the dates the screening committee is scheduled to meet and who have the interest and commitment to finding the next great leader of our schools.”

The screening committee is scheduled to meet in late November into early December to review resumes, with interviews by the school committee with the initial candidates recommended by the screening committee planned for between Dec. 11 and 15.

On Jan. 2, the school committee will receive an orientation prior to interviews with the final candidates, which will take place between Jan. 8 and 12.

Conley asked the school committee and members of the community to mark their calendars with these dates and to share them with others who are interested in participating in the process.

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Town accepts anonymous donation for Fort Revere water tower restoration

By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board this week accepted with thanks an anonymous donation of $1,500 toward the cost of restoring the Fort Revere water tower, with a condition that if the work does not begin before September 11, 2026, the money will be donated to Hull’s Council on Aging, 

“Either way, this is a really nice donation,” Chair Greg Grey said.

In the meantime, the town received a donation of paint “through Benjamin Moore and Hingham Lumber to perform restorative work” at Fort Revere at a date to be announced, according to Town Manager Jennifer Constable.

The town is looking for volunteers to help with the work. The project will be coordinated by select board member Jason McCann, contingent on Department of Conservation and Recreation approval.

The town owns the tower and some of the bunkers, and the DCR, others. This is because the site was sold off by the federal government after World War II and acquired by the town and state in stages as the individual private owners agreed to sell.

“The fort is a patchwork of ownership between DCR and the town,” Constable said.

During a recent visit to Fort Revere with Hull officials, new DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo agreed with Constable’s comment that “the site speaks for itself” with regard to its deteriorated condition.

Arrigo also acknowledged the need for discussion about safety and security at the site when a town official pointed out those issues.

McCann suggested a Fort Revere committee, which Grey said would be considered, adding, “It’s long overdue.”

Voters at the Aug. 31 special town meeting defeated, 219-169, a warrant article requesting approval to appropriate roughly $600,000 or more to cover the increased cost of restoring the water tower beyond the 2022 town meeting appropriation of $2.2 million. A two-thirds majority among the more than 400 voters was required for the article to pass.

Before the vote, Director of Community Development & Planning Chris DiIorio was asked what would happen to the $2.2 million earlier appropriation if the article didn’t pass. His response was that the funding would remain in place “and we could look at how we might change the scope of the project and then go out to bid again.”

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Everything you need to know about rowing, volunteering for Head of the Weir Race

The Hull Lifesaving Museum’s 37th annual Head of the Weir River Race is a celebration of the estuary at the height of its fall beauty and the fabulous array of the region’s open water rowers. As many as 60 boats jockey for position racing out of the narrow estuary and onto open water, traveling from the headwaters of the Weir River downstream, past Bumpkin Island, across Hull Bay, to the museum’s Windmill Point Boathouse at Hull Gut.

This year’s race will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14, beginning at 12:30 p.m., from the starting line at Steamboat Wharf Marina. Check-in will be held from 9-11 a.m., and the entry fee is $45 per person.

A highly contested 5-1/2 miler, the Weir draws coxed youth and adult rowers in gigs, single and double livery and workboats, currachs, and ocean shells, as well as experienced kayakers. In the “head of the river” format, boats kick off the starting line at closely-timed intervals, and times are collated at the finish to determine the race winners. The Weir is an exceptionally exciting race and a great spectator event, featuring more than 200 of the region’s finest rowers from all over New England and New York.

Due to worsening erosion of the marsh, the traditional starting line has been moved. All vessels must now launch at Steamboat Wharf and row 1-3/4 miles to the starting line..

The traditional after-race party will be held at the boathouse. All race competitors are welcome to nourishing chow and refreshments at the Boathouse Bistro. After competitors have gone through the line, friends, family, and spectators are welcome to enjoy the offerings with a $5 suggested donation.

There is no day-of-event registration: Online registration at hulllifesavingmuseum.org ends Friday, Oct. 13 at noon.

The race committee also is seeking food donations. Are you a secret soup specialist? Brilliant bread baker or master sandwich maker? If so, we need your help feeding hungry rowers and spectators.

Please RSVP (details below) as soon as possible to let staff know if you will be making a food donation, what you’ll be bringing, and the quantity, so they can plan accordingly.

What is needed: Soup, chowder, or chili (minimum donation enough to fill a crockpot: 8 quarts, please drop off in large Ziplock baggies); bread or rolls; sandwiches (must be individually wrapped); and snacks (fruit, snack bars, chips, and cookies).

Cooking not your thing? If you have a few hours to give and want to lend a hand on race day we’re looking for volunteers: 11:00 a.m. to noon: Set up food service; 12:30 p.m. to  3 p.m.: Serve food; 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Help clean up.

If your talent lies in service rather than culinary arts, let us know how you’d like to help. 

Visit the museum’s website for all the details regarding registration, launching, and parking, or email info@hulllifesavingmuseum.org or call 781-925-5433.

See you at the race!

Which way to the beach? Board to study making Beach Avenue one way

By Carol Britton Meyer

A traffic and engineering study to assess the feasibility of converting Beach Avenue between A and L streets to a one-way street was approved by the select board this week upon Police Chief John Dunn’s recommendation.

The timeframe is contingent on securing funding, engaging an engineering firm based on availability, and other details. Once the engineer is selected, the study will result in recommendations that will lead to a public process to consider various options.

Dunn presented the proposal this week, noting the addition of a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access ramp and parking at the A Street beach in 2021, the continued encroachment of the sand dunes onto the road surface, and other safety issues related to pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and runners who frequent the area, particularly during the summer.

The recommendation follows a visit to the area by Dunn and the Hull Police Department’s safety officer in the fall of 2021 to discuss the possibility of making Beach Avenue one-way. In 2017, Dunn presented a report to the then-board of selectmen at its request, but did not recommend a change at that time.

However, based on current conditions, Dunn recommended that the select board authorize a traffic and engineering study. The chief also noted, in a memo sent to the board prior to the meeting, that the recent changes in the A Street beach area make it difficult for two-way traffic to “traverse without stopping to allow [for] oncoming traffic” and that the width of the road is no longer adequate for two lanes to accommodate auto, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic, which increase considerably during the summer.

He also noted that a search of HPD records over the past five years show no car accidents in the Beach Avenue area.

Fire Chief Chris Russo told the board that the necessary street width to accommodate fire trucks is a minimum of 18 feet. He also recommended adding fencing to keep the dunes from “invading street space” and a plan “to deal with ice cream trucks and their stopping locations.”

Neighbors also had their say, with some expressing concerns that changing the road to one-way, depending on the direction, could cause residents to lose the benefit of the traffic light at A Street when turning onto Nantasket Avenue. Others support the recommendation.

B Street resident Susan Short Green noted that some of the utility poles on Beach Avenue “are practically in the road” and also expressed concerns about the ice cream trucks that frequent the congested area in the summer.

“I cringe whenever one comes by and kids start running toward them,” she said.

Green also feels that making the road one-way would be an inconvenience for year-round residents.

At the end of the discussion, board member Jerry Taverna noted: “No one has determined yet in which direction the one-way [pattern] would go.”

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Beachgoers team up to save swimmers caught in rip currents

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso 

Recently, on two separate occasions, beachgoers became rescuers at Nantasket Beach when they jumped in to save people who found themselves in trouble in the water.

LIFESAVER. Surfer Robert Hutchins was among those out on the water who jumped into action to save swimmers who were struggling to deal with Dangerous Rip Currents. [Skip Tull photo]

“In these two incidents, all parties involved are lucky to have been in the immediate area of bystanders who were willing to render assistance,” said Hull Fire Department Deputy Chief William Frazer.

It was nearly dusk on Tuesday Sept. 5 when volleyball players heard cries for help coming from the water and “without hesitation” jumped the seawall and ran straight into the ocean. 

A young man was drowning, and his friend was unable to get him back in. According to accounts from those who went in to help, neither of the men spoke English, but both allowed the group to take turns helping the victim stay afloat.

Paul Dunphy made it out to the man and his friend first; he found the man “just limp.” Dunphy said this was different than what he expected, because in stories he had heard “drowning victims climb on their rescuers in fear for their lives and can bring them down too.

“When we finally got him ashore, the EMTs said if we had gotten there a minute later the guy would have been gone,” he said.

Dunphy was quickly joined by fellow volleyballers Robert J. (RJ) Ronan, Carl Decosta, and George Whelan, who “tag-teamed” with him to hold the man above water.

As dusk quickly turned to darkness, the group became aware they were fighting a rip current. Dunphy, who grew up around the water in Hull, recalled Decosta, who served in the military, saying, “Gentlemen, we are in a riptide, swim sideways to the hotel.”

The group was not aware their team members on the beach could not see them anymore, but a group of their teammates was watching and tracking them from the water in case they needed to assist.

“It happened so fast, at first I didn’t know who went in the water,” said Mary Dunphy, a fellow team member and Paul’s mother. “They were probably in the water about 15 or 20 minutes, but it seemed way longer. Thank God it ended well.”

Whelan said that earlier, two surfers down the beach had noticed the group running into the water and “thought with the rough surf it didn’t seem right,” and headed their way. When the surfers, Robert Hutchins and his friend Barry, known in surfing circles as “The Legend,” reached the group they gave up their boards.

When the group saw the surfers coming, they knew they were in “good shape.” Whelan described how they put the victim on the long board and, except for RJ who swam in, they all hung on while he also had the cord to the short board whose surfer began “sculling” them in.

“People began yelling to us, ‘You can stand. It is chest and neck deep,’” he said. “We held the drowning guy and smashed through the waves; he was rubber-legging. To lose the guy in the surf would have been horrible..”

“That was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed. The undertow and waves were beyond belief,” said volleyball team coordinator Mary Gagnon, who was one of the people to call 911. “They moved forward and the tide pulled them right back out. I was sobbing, afraid I was going to have to tell someone’s Mom they were gone…We have heroes amongst us.”

Melanie Whelan, George’s wife and aunt of Dunphy and Joshua Malcolm Whelan, who also went in the water, said “if those two surfers had not come when they did, this might be a very different story.”

“It was a huge group effort. Multiple people called the police and didn’t assume someone else called,” Whelan said. “The day I helped save someone’s life is huge, but the biggest hero is the guy’s friend, who stayed with him and supported him for a while before we came.”

“At the end of the day, the team came together very well. We got done what we needed to get done,” said Decosta, who, when someone said “God was watching all of you,” replied, “God always has my back.” Whelan shared he even has a cross tattoo on his back to illustrate it.

Just two days later, on the afternoon of Thursday Sept. 7, a life threatening undertow created another rip current situation which found two “self-described” non-swimmers over their heads beyond the swells struggling for their lives.

Frazier told the Times the swimmers involved were a man and a woman, both in their 20s. The Hull Fire Department rescue vessel was launched, but the bystanders were able to get the swimmers to shore prior to fire department members reaching them.

In a letter to the Times, a witness, S. Walsh of Onset Street, described “blood-curdling screeches” coming from the water.

“Almost immediately, all who heard it stood and pointed to the water. An action-oriented woman near me said ‘Whose surfboard? Get out there – somebody is drowning.’ I grabbed my keepsake surfboard of my youth and headed into the surf. I didn’t see anybody but clearly heard the cry for help beyond the high breakers and foam. There was a very visible rip tide current heading straight out, several other would-be helpers waded in and felt the strong undertow and pulled back out of the water.”

Assisted by a stand-up paddle boarder and a couple with a paddle board, the four put the two struggling swimmers on the boards and saved their lives.

“It was an honor to be with good people, doing good things,” Walsh said. “Today, we’d do well to keep an open eye for such opportunities.”

Dunphy shared a comment that someone made to him which applies to both these rescues: “One small force can summon more forces of good to intervene…it only takes one person not to be a bystander.” He wanted to remind people they should “remember to call 911 first, intervene if able, tell people to look for a floatation device, and surfers save lives.”

“In both these cases, bystanders played a role in these rescues. This speaks to the good that is within all people and their willingness to help,” Frazier said. “Unfortunately, during the hectic activities surrounding these events we were unable to obtain the names of the bystanders that assisted.”

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