Voters head to the polls on Monday, May 19 to close out quiet election season

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By Christopher Haraden

Voters will head to the polls on Monday, May 19 to cast their ballots in Hull’s annual town election, choosing among 21 candidates for 16 seats on boards ranging from the school committee to the planning board to the town’s top elected body, the select board.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Hull High School, 180 Main St. For a sample ballot, see page 3 of this edition.

Many candidates are running unopposed – which has resulted in a relatively quiet election cycle – although there are contested races for select board, school committee, planning board, and housing authority. Unlike many South Shore cities and towns, Hull does not have a Proposition 2-1/2 override or debt-exclusion question on its spring ballot.

Christopher P. Niland is looking to unseat one of the incumbents, Irwin Nesoff or Brian McCarthy, for one of the two three-year positions on the select board. There are three seats available on the school committee – two three-year terms and a one-year unexpired term. Incumbent Liliana Hedrick, former committee member Ernest Minelli IV, and Brendan Kilroe are seeking the three-year terms, while Linda Hetue is challenging incumbent Courtney Littlefield for the one-year seat.

Abby Rose Klieman and Edwin Parsons will face off for the five-year term on the planning board, while Chandelle Schulte is unopposed for the three-year planning board seat.

Incumbent housing authority member Kathleen Bogdan is being challenged by Lisa Boretti for a five-year term, while Nichole Londergan is unopposed for the three-year slot on the board, which manages the McTighe Manor housing complex on Atlantic House Court and the apartments on C & D Streets at Central Avenue.

Six incumbents are unopposed – Moderator George Boylen, Town Clerk Lori West, Assessor Richard Morris, light commissioners Daniel Ciccariello and Thomas Burns, and library trustee Alice Sloan. DJ Simon is the running for the second available three-year seat on the board of library trustees.

To hear directly from the candidates, the League of Women Voters 2025 Candidates Forum is available on demand at Hull Community Television’s website, https://hulltv.net/?s=candidate.

Results will be announced as soon as the votes are counted at the high school. If you voted by mail, you can check the status of your ballot at www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/TrackMyBallot.

Amid complaints, Housing Authority, health board address ‘nuisance’ conditions at apartments

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By Christopher Haraden

As community organizations and individuals have focused on cleanup efforts throughout town this spring, neighbors living near the Hull Housing Authority’s apartments on C and D Streets say the property has been in poor condition for years, although an exterior cleanup began this week following inquiries from the Times for this news story.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN. Neighbors of the Hull Housing Authority’s apartments on C & D Streets say the properties have been poorly maintained for years. The authority and the board of health stepped up enforcement of cleanliness standards this week.

“In the past few years, it has become a nuisance,” said Gary Hulverson, who lives across the street from the Nantascot Apartments, when asked about the conditions observed at the site on Monday, including a mattress, an automobile door, debris in the yard, and items such as grills and children’s toys blocking the front sidewalks.

“There’s now a BBQ-type smoker and hot plate that are out front and frequently in use. There are an abundance of toys, car seats [and] occasional loud, sometimes vulgar, music played,” he said. “Hopefully this will and should be addressed by the town.”

“Yes, we are aware of the issue,” said Michael Flaherty, the authority’s executive director. “We have had conversations with residents at the development and informed them of our expectations. We will continue our efforts to improve the conditions of the exterior of the development.”

One neighbor said multiple telephone calls to the housing authority’s office about the condition of the housing complex were not returned. The Times’ outreach to two authority members this week was unanswered. After multiple attempts to contact Public Health Director Rachel Gerold, we received an email reply on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have been in touch with the Hull Housing Authority to clean out the areas of concern,” Gerold emailed. “They are making progress and we expect efforts to continue through this week. We are continuing to monitor the situation.”

By Wednesday, the BBQ smoker and the children’s toys were removed from the sidewalk and much of the grounds had been cleaned. The wooden trim around the entry doors and on some parts of the facade remains scraped to the bare wood and unpainted. A mattress was discarded behind one of the buildings on Central Avenue.

One resident of the apartments, which were built for veterans in 1949 but now are not restricted to those with a military connection, said the town sent tenants a letter this week about the condition of the property.

“The steps we have taken specifically are to inform residents of their responsibility with their personal property. They have been informed that the common area of the development is not a storage area for their personal property,” Flaherty said. “We have informed them that the authority would be disposing of any and all personal property on the exterior grounds of the development, which we are in the process of doing.”

Flaherty said that when inspectors on Tuesday told an authority tenant to remove the mattress from the yard, the resident “dragged it over to behind the dumpster, and when maintenance discussed it he was verbally abusive to our staff member. Residents have been provided multiple times with a flier of instructions outlining the proper way to have a mattress disposed of.”

Hulverson added that the many of the seven buildings, which contain a total of 28 units and are located along C and D Streets and Central Avenue, are in poor shape.

“Several years ago, most of the entrance doors were stripped of paint and never repainted,” he said. “There are shingles coming off all of the roofs.”

The Hull Housing Authority’s most recent capital improvement plan – filed with the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities – calls for $344,885 to be spent on roof replacement and $133,403 on interior work in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

“The preliminary steps have been take to replace the roofs. We are in process to go out to bid in the not-too-distant future,” said Flaherty, the executive director. “It is my hope that they will be completed in the fall before the onset of winter. Same with the interior finishes. Inspections of apartments have been completed and this work is also going out to bid with the same timetable.”

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HRA elects new chair; hears arts center plan

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In a move that caught at least two members of the Hull Redevelopment Authority by surprise, Chair Dennis Zaia stepped down from that role during Monday night’s meeting and nominated Bartley Kelly, who has been a member of the authority since 1992, to replace him. Kelly, who had served as chair previously, was elected by a majority vote.

FORMER HRA CHAIR DENNIS ZAIA, WHO STEPPED DOWN FROM THAT ROLE THIS WEEK.

Among other business items. members also heard a presentation from Hull Artists, a nonprofit organization that currently operates Gallery Nantasket, to construct an arts center on the northernmost section of the property. The Nantasket Community Center for the Arts would be a two-story building on pilings near Monument Square.

Check next week’s edition of the Times, in print and online, for full details of the HRA meeting.

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

In the Sport-light: Roundup of news about Hull's athletes

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Compiled by Matt Haraden

• Hull High Boys and Girls Track lost to Cohasset last Wednesday. Winners for the boys include Lawrence Bodley in the high jump, long jump, and 200-meter, and Christopher Resnick in the 110-meter hurdles. Winners for the girls were Montana Alibrandi in the 100-meter and Emma Preston in the shot put. In the South Shore League Championship, Lawrence Bodley placed first in the high jump, Christopher Resnick was third in the high jump, and Elsie Harper placed second in the 400-meter hurdles and third in the 110-meter hurdles.

• Boys 3/4 Soccer Team 2 lost 6-3 to Pembroke on Saturday, May 10, falling to 2-2-1 on the season. Kai Funari, Ryan Duran, and Jordan Dunn each scored a goal. Anthony Saghbini and Enki Mundo had great performances at defense and offense. The team’s next game is Saturday, May 17 at 11:30 a.m. at Hull High School.

• 5/6 Boys played at home in the rain against Pembroke on Saturday, May 10, winning 5-3. Finn Smith and Slava Rzhevskii each had two goals, and Tomas Bromberg-Issokson scored one. Excellent work keeping the ball out of the goal by Reefe Markowitz, with help from Zack Shea, Killian Kelly, and Silas Van Slyke. The team plays next on Saturday, May 17 in Scituate.

• Girls 7/8 Soccer beat Plymouth, 6-0, on Saturday, May 10 and remains undefeated. Aubrey Littlefield and Abbie Baglione both scored two goals and Nadia Schultz and Payton Dunn each added a goal. Sophie Munn and Evelyn Concannon split time in the net for the shutout. The Pirates will host Hingham on Saturday, May 17 at 4:30 p.m. at Hull High.

TENDING TO WIN. Hull girls lacrosse goal tender Ruby D’Errico during a recent game.  [Photo courtesy of Adrian Mahan of Sage and Slate Studios]

• Girls 5/6 Lacrosse brought home a win on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, beating Norwell, 9-8. It came down to the final seconds before Stella Palermo regained possession to lock in the victory. Frankie Rockett notched two sneaky goals with Payton Dunn, Piper Yakubian, Reese Irby and Molly McCarthy adding to the tally. Great defensive efforts by Abby Donovan, Leah Dibley, Josie Tyrrell, and Addie Mahan who kept the crease clear while Ruby D’Errico fended off a relentless Norwell attack. Hadley Dolan, Natalie Tiani, Cordelia Hennessey, and Sydney O’Brien moved the ball around with skill, opening up shooting lanes for the midfielders. It was a true team victory that had the parents going crazy in the stands. The girls take on Marshfield on Sunday, May 18.

TEAMWORK. Hull’s D2 softball team is on a two-game win streak with their first win at home last Wednesday against Cohasset. [Courtesy photo]

• Girls D2 Softball is on a two-game win streak, marking the team’s first win at home against Cohasset. Emma Medina went 4-4 at the plate and River McKinnon had two RBIs. Ryleigh Mooney and Hailey MacLeod had a great game on the mound and pitched three strikeouts each. Erin Goodfellow, Lilliana Laforce, Lily Bloom-Houk, Emma Kaminaga, and Christina Kenerson all helped the team come back from being down by four runs in the final innings to win, 14-13. The team won again against Hingham, with a final score of 10-8. Lily Bloom-Houk, Emma Kaminaga, Emma Medina, Christina Kenerson, and River McKinnon all had RBIs at the plate. The Pirates got solid pitching from Erin Goodfellow, who had three strikeouts, Ryleigh Mooney with five strikeouts, and Emma Medina getting one strikeout. Hailey MacLeod was outstanding in the field, making the final two outs herself to seal the win. The team is now 2-2 on the season.

• Hull High Baseball improved to 7-8 on the year with a convincing 17-2 win over Holbrook on Monday. Liam Conneely got the win on the mound, pitching four of the game’s five innings and getting eight strikeouts. Luke Dunham went 3/3 from the plate with two home runs. John Reynolds also hit a home run, going 1/4 on the day. Other hitting included a 4/4 day from the plate by Jack Gagne, Nate Tiani going 2/3, and Ted Hipp hitting a double.

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

Thank you for your help!

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Calling all bargain hunters! Shop 90+ sales this weekend at Stem to Stern Yard Sale

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The Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce presents Stem to Stern, Hull’s annual townwide yard sale weekend, which is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With more than 90 yard sales throughout Hull for a full weekend, who knows what treasurers you might find? Poke through yard sales all over town while exploring neighborhoods off the beaten track and discover there’s much more to Hull than just Nantasket Beach.

What a great way to spend the weekend in Hull!

The full list of locations, grouped by neighborhood and with a short description of the items for sale, is posted at the Chamber’s website, www.hullchamber.com. The site also has a link to a Google map that plots the addresses for you.

Gas up the car and get ready for some great savings and unique finds this weekend!

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

17-year-old Alanna Lipsky to host fifth annual Nantasket Beach Cleanup Day May 18

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On Sunday, May 18, 17-year-old Alanna Lipsky will be hosting her fifth annual Beach Cleanup Day on the resident section of Nantasket Beach.

JUST BEACHY. On Sunday, May 18, 17-year-old Alanna Lipsky will be hosting her fifth annual Beach Cleanup Day on the resident section of Nantasket Beach. This scene is from a past successful cleanup.  [Courtesy photo]

The cleanup is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and the rain date is Sunday, June 1.

This meaningful event brings together people from near and far all for the purpose of protecting Hull’s cherished coastline and its sea life.

Lipsky, who summers in Hull, started the Beach Cleanup Day in 2021, when she turned 13, as part of her bat mitzvah project. She has transformed a simple act of community service into a heartfelt, impactful initiative.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own trash bags (extras will be available on B Street beach). Once cleanup efforts are complete, participants are asked to leave filled bags on the soft sand near each of the resident beach openings.

Over the years, support has come from a strong turnout of local Hull residents and generous help from friends and family from all over.

“This year we will be adding to the effort,” Lipsky said, “as volunteers from Hull’s Temple Beth Sholom will be joining us for the cleanup for the first time”.

Rubin Marquez of Emerald Earth Works and Star Waste Systems are once again donating their time and resources to pick up and dispose of the collected trash.

All are invited to join the beach cleanup day on May 18.

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Restricted area parking permits now available online or by mail

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Restricted area parking permits and visitors’ passes went on sale May 1. The town has changed the process this year; parking stickers and passes will no longer be sold or distributed in person at the police station.

To purchase parking permits, visit www.hullpolice.org. They also may be bought by mail – residents should fill out the application available on www.hullpolice.org or at town hall and either mail it in or drop off in the tax collector’s box in front of town hall. Payment can be made by debit or credit card or by check with valid identification. No cash will be accepted.

All permits and passes will be mailed, regardless of the method of application and payment.  No passes or permits will be distributed in person. All orders should be expected to be received within three to five days of receipt of application and payment.

Restricted area permits cost $14; residents older than 65 pay $7; no charge for veterans and the disabled. Visitors’ passes are $14 (no discounts available).

The permits are effective for one year; from June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026. Autos owned by Hull residents, property owners, and tenants are eligible; applicants must provide vehicle registration, property tax bill, or excise tax bill as proof of residency.

Applications and payments may also be submitted in-person only during these limited times:

This year, all parking permits will be mailed after payment is received, unlike in 2022, when this photo was taken outside the police station.

Saturday May 17: Wellness Fair at L St. field, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friday May 23: Town Hall, tax collector’s office: 9 a.m. to noon.

Friday June 6: Town Hall tax collector’s office: 9 a.m. to noon.

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Following lengthy discussion, town meeting removes town manager from light plant role

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By Carol Britton Meyer

The citizens’ petition seeking voter approval to remove the town manager from the Hull Municipal Light Plant manager role passed during session two of the annual town meeting on a 116 to 83 vote, following a complicated and sometimes confusing roughly two-hour discussion. The light board was divided on the issue.

Article 37 was one of nine warrant articles addressed on May 6, with 17 discussed during the first session. There were 42 articles in all, leaving 16 to be undertaken on Wednesday night. The second session on Tuesday lasted three-and-a-half hours.

VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED THE CHANGE IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE LIGHT PLANT’s MANAGEMENT.

The citizens’ petition, submitted by light board member Jacob Vaillancourt and others, sought to restore to the light board the statutory responsibility found in Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 164, “including but not limited to the ability to make policy, hire and fire the light plant manager, employees (pursuant to union and any civil service requirements), and to perform as a board those actions and responsibilities it had prior to 1993,” when the town manager was designated to serve in the light plant manager role.

Click here for The Hull Times 2025 Town Meeting page

Click here for the votes taken on each article at the 2025 annual town meeting

Vaillancourt explained his reasons for submitting the petition, and numerous other citizens and light board members spoke on both sides of the issue.

The concept, he said, “is to return control of the light plant to the voters, whereas the light plant [currently] has no authority over the light plant manager.”

Light board member Jacob Vaillancourt advocated for removing the town manager as the light plant manager.

Light board members Thomas Burns and Daniel Ciccariello supported the petition, while members Patrick Cannon and Stephanie Landry spoke against it.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable suggested that instead of leaving the decision in the hands of the roughly 200 citizens who participated in this year’s town meeting sessions, whom she commended for attending, versus the 6,000 light plant customers, the town work collaboratively with the light board to “do what’s right for both. Making such an [important] decision on such an extraordinary question should not be made in a vacuum,” she said.

Constable also suggested hiring a consultant to help determine what is working and what is not under the current system.

Advisory Board Chair Jason Frady noted that the town manager is the financial officer of the town and that it “makes complete sense that’s she involved with the governance of the light board. If anyone has an issue, there are two boards you can go to,” referring to the board of light commissioners and the select board.

Frady said he considers the article as an attempted “power grab that certain light board members want to do, whereas we have a capable manager in place overseeing the budget.”

A substitute motion by a citizen to send the matter to a government study committee for further review failed to pass on a 70-133 vote.

The advisory board earlier voted unanimously not to support this petition and the select board opposed it on a 4-0 vote, with one member absent. That was Jerry Taverna, who spoke as a resident in favor of the article, which he called “an issue of governance.”

Select board Chair Irwin Nesoff spoke against the citizen’s petition.

“If the issues are serious enough to make such a change, why didn’t the light board start this discussion [much earlier]?” he asked. “Why is the article not coming to us from the light board, which is divided on this issue?”

A request to end the discussion after a lengthy back and forth was not supported by voters on the required two-thirds vote, so the discussion continued.

Before the vote, resident Polly Rowe urged citizens to vote against the article.

“The change that is so urgently needed at this time is for the light board to take action seeking to cooperatively engage in constructive conversation with the town manager per her outreach to them, not to remove the town manager as light plant manager,” she said.

Visit The Hull Times’ town meeting page at www.hulltimes.com for more information.

In other business, voters:

⦁ Supported a citizen’s petition submitted by Christopher Sweeney to authorize a 3% fee on all professionally managed short-term rentals, referring to local bed-and-breakfast lodging, not including the Nantasket Beach Resort. This fee will come out of room rental fees.

While short-term rentals are not allowed in single-family zones, they are allowed in commercial and business zones, with enforcement dependent on abutters reporting any violations to the building department.

Sweeney said he believes these fees could be put to use by the town for affordable housing, the general reserve fund, or other purposes.

⦁ Approved borrowing $17.96 million through the Commonwealth’s revolving fund to finance repairs and improvements to the sewer system, paid for in part through a 2.5% yearly user rate increase.

⦁ Supported creating special injury leave indemnity, worker’s compensation, and employment liability reserve funds, allocating $100,000 from free cash for each.

⦁ Approved taking $500,000 from free cash to be used by the DPW in part for repairing fences, transportation-related infrastructure, and rehabilitation of the Draper Avenue pumping station.

⦁ Supported filing a petition within the General Court for special legislation substantially authorizing the select board to establish a schedule of fines for parking violations up to $100 as a greater deterrent among those parking in restricted areas.

⦁ Supported bylaw changes to align Hull’s accessory dwelling unit regulations with recently passed less-restrictive state legislation allowing ADUs as of right.

⦁ Approved amending the town’s general bylaws to expedite discussion at town meeting to reduce the number of minutes a speaker has to get his or her point across the first time from seven to five minutes. No person will be allowed to speak more than twice on any question and will be allowed to talk for three minutes the second time.

Because this article was proposed by Town Moderator George Boylen, resident James Canavan, an attorney and former school committee member, stepped in for him to run the meeting while this article was discussed.

Boylen said the initial proponent of an article will still be allowed seven minutes to speak.

Replays of all the town meeting sessions will be available on demand at Hull Community Television’s website, www.hulltv.net.

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

Voters split on Beach Avenue eminent domain proposal, approving two of three takings for Nantasket dune system

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By Carol Britton Meyer

A warrant article that would have authorized the select board to take three parcels of land on Beach Avenue by eminent domain ensure continuity of the protective dune system on Nantasket Beach took center stage during Monday’s first annual meeting session, resulting in a lengthy discussion and a split vote.

Two of the three separate votes included in Article 17 won voter support; with approval given to acquire parcels at 31 Beach Avenue, and 33 Malta Street.

Flood protection

The select board, which sponsored the article, has deemed the acquisition of these parcels to be an essential step in protecting residents and property on Beach Avenue and the surrounding area from coastal flooding and expected higher tides. The dune system is part of the town’s flood protection and mitigation planning.

Parts A and B of the article passed following reconsideration of both at a citizen’s request, because there was such a wide gap in the number of total votes between the two on the first vote. The final vote related to 33 Malta Street was 233 to 81, and 235 to 83 for 31 Beach Avenue.

Click here for The Hull Times 2025 Town Meeting page

Click here for the votes taken on each article at the 2025 annual town meeting

among those debating land taking on Beach Avenue was Francine Townsend, who with her husband, Paul, developed the Sandcastle condominiums at 175 Beach Avenue and lived in the neighborhood for many years.

However, voters failed to approve the third part of the warrant article – 17C – which would have taken portion of 169 Beach Avenue, on a close vote, with 162 against and 156 in favor. A request for reconsideration of this vote did not pass by the required two-thirds.

Similar article failed last year

A similar warrant article that did not require separate votes failed to pass at the 2024 annual town meeting.

John Ferrara, who owns the property at 169 Beach Avenue, said he’s been fighting the town’s efforts along these lines for five years.

“We love our dune. It’s our only line of defense. There’s no logic behind the vote, because we are maintaining the dune better than the town would,” he said, noting that he has offered to work with town officials to resolve the issue. “We don’t want this fight, but we’re not going to back down from this.”

While saying he was appreciative of Ferrara’s efforts to keep the dune near his house in good shape, North Truro Street resident Dan Sullivan asked what would happen if Ferrara and his family were to move.

A Malta Street resident urged voters to support the article due to flooding that occurs in that area and behind it.

Select board member Jerry Taverna, speaking as a resident, advocated against the article.

“While I agree in concept, I encourage people to vote no due in part to the extended lawsuits and because this looks to be a political loser,” he said.

Harry Hibbard, an attorney and current member of the planning board, said he believes that there needs to be “a central authority to protect the dune system,” rather than leaving its upkeep to individual property owners.

“We’re talking about a section within the layout of Beach Avenue at three locations, which the town asserts it already owns,” Director of Climate Adaptation and Conservation Chris Krahforst said before the votes were taken. The purpose, he said, “is to strengthen the town’s efforts toward improving primary dune resiliency” in this area through the establishment of a continuous dune system.

Dune cutouts impact nearby properties

Town Manager Jennifer Constable noted that two of the properties in the warrant article “are located in a repetitive loss area” that has already received $16 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance due to flooding, not including private insurance.

“Cutouts in the dunes have a real impact” on nearby properties and the surrounding area, she said.

Manomet Avenue resident Mary Dunphy, who lives around the corner from Malta Street, said the area “is always flooded,” also noting that “there’s no dune protection at 31 Beach Ave., just a pile of rocks.”

She added that this proposed project “is for the greater good of our town, and sometimes you have to do what’s right for the betterment of others.”

Replays of all the town meeting sessions will be available on demand at Hull Community Television’s website, www.hulltv.net.

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© 2025 The Hull Times. All rights reserved.

300+ voters approve $52.6M budget, Community Preservation projects during first ATM session

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ON THE TOWN. More than 300 people attended the opening session of Hull’s annual town meeting on Monday night; subsequent sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday were not as well-attended. [SKIP TULL PHOTO]

By Carol Britton Meyer

All but two of the annual town meeting warrant articles addressed during the first session May 5 passed with flying colors. According to tradition, the order of the main articles to be addressed was determined by lottery.

An electronic voting system malfunction caused Town Moderator George Boylen to call for voice votes until the issue was fixed a little later in the meeting.

In all, only 17 of the 42 articles were completed, with the well-attended meeting adjourning at 10:42 p.m. after nearly fours of discussion – to be continued the following evening. There were more than 300 voters in attendance for at least part of the session.

At the start, advisory board member David Clinton offered a resolution in honor of former longtime advisory board member John “Jay” Polito, who passed away in May 2024 after giving of his time and talents to many town positions and Hull organizations.

Boylen then expressed appreciation for the late Dr. John A. Silva, better known as “Doc Silva,” who also served the town in many capacities for many years before his recent passing, including as town moderator, and a member of both the select board and school committee.

Click here for The Hull Times 2025 Town Meeting page

Click here for the votes taken on each article at the 2025 annual town meeting

State Rep. Joan Meschino, a Hull resident, said the town “is lucky to have such talented, seasoned professionals, including the town manager.” She also thanked the advisory board, “which looks out for the town and scrutinizes everything.”

Looking around the room at the 300+ voters, she said, “This is democracy.”

Town Manager Jennifer Constable presented the town's FY26 budget during MONDay NIGHT’s meeting.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable reminded those in attendance that town-sponsored warrant articles “are the culmination of a year’s-worth of work” by town staff.

She also thanked the high school students who handed out Dignity Pledge cards to voters before they entered the meeting room. This initiative was adopted by the select board to promote “dignity over contempt,” Constable noted.

Among the articles approved by voters appropriated funds for projects recommended by the Community Preservation Committee under Article 13:

• $530,000 for the redevelopment of Friend Park/Jones Park at Kingsley Road and Touraine Avenue. Resident David Irwin said this park is one of the most underutilized ones in town and that he would rather see the proposed funding go toward affordable housing “on this beautiful piece of land – with zoning relief.”

Another resident, on the other hand, was in favor of the project, because it would “give kids in the area a place to play.”

• $137,500 to restore the Hull Lifesaving Museum Boathouse at Pemberton;

• $25,000 for a needs assessment of the town’s historic properties;

•  $111,000 for painting and exterior lighting at the Hull Lifesaving Museum;

• $125,000 for roof replacement at the Paragon Carousel;

• $35,000 for exterior painting of the historic St. Nicholas United Methodist Church in Hull Village; and

• $100,000 for the preservation of historic town documents.

Voters also approved the proposed $52.6-million FY26 municipal budget that includes a part-time assistant library director who will also serve as children’s librarian, and an increase in staff hours to help meet the growing need for services; two additional full-time fire department positions and the creation of four lieutenant positions; and the hiring of a desk clerk for the police department. This year’s school department budget totals $18.4 million.

• A citizens’ petition submitted by Lisa French and others to rezone as public open space several town-owned properties currently located in single-family zoning districts did not pass after she made a motion to remove the private conservation trust parcels wording from the original article.

An amendment offered by Building Commissioner Bartley Kelly to further study this issue was approved, but it ultimately failed to gain voter support.

Replays of all the town meeting sessions will be available on demand at Hull Community Television’s website, www.hulltv.net.

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