Shorelines - Good news about your neighbors

TROUPE OF TROOPERS. Hull High School Theatre Arts’ production of ‘War Brides’ was named a winner of the preliminary round in the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild Festival two weeks ago. In addition, four members of the group won awards – Dahlia Hedrick, Victoria Dolan, and Damien Lindsey for Excellence in Acting, and Milo Coyle for Excellence in Costume Design. The students then performed at the METG semifinals on Saturday, March 9. Congratulations!

• Congratulations to Colby Goldstein, a sophomore at Thayer Academy, who earned a high honors for the most recent term in the Upper School at Thayer, an independent coed day school for grades 5-12 in Braintree.

Christina Murphy, a nursing major in the Class of 2024 was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. To be eligible for this honor, a student must have achieved a grade-point average of 3.4 or better in the semester with at least 12 credits of study which award a letter grade.

• Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day! The Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce’s Pot O’ Gold celebration continues this week, with events for your sweet tooth at Nantasket Sweets by Swedes on Friday, March 15 at 4 p.m., followed by a tasteful tour of the Emerald Isle at A Street Liquors at 5 p.m. On Saturday, corned beef is on the menu at Daddy’s Beach Club and the Knights of Columbus annual dinner. The Hull Public Library is sponsoring a kids’ craft activity on Saturday, and on Sunday, a sober St. Patrick’s Day Dinner will be held at The Anchor of Hull. For all the details, visit hullchamber.com.

• Four students from Hull earned high honors on the second quarter Honor Roll at Boston College High School ­­– junior Brenden Ryan, sophomore Liam Hopkins, and freshmen Bruno Andrews Mundo and Jacob Parks. For High Honors, a sophomore and junior must have at least a 3.80 quality-point average; freshmen need a 3.6 quality-point average.

• Special education teacher Eileen Clancy-Pantano of Hull has published a new children’s book that families will love to read together. “Where Do Seagulls go at Night?” which follows the success of her heartwarming second book, “Crabby Cakes,” was released last month,.

In her latest book, Clancy-Pantano once again captivates young readers with a delightful tale that explores the importance of curiosity, adventure, and the bonds that connect us. Do seagulls gather on the sand, huddling together to safeguard their feathers through the night? Or do they gracefully sleep on the water’s surface, wading around and maintaining a peaceful silence? Clancy-Pantano weaves a charming narrative that not only satisfies a child’s curiosity about the nocturnal habits of seagulls, but also imparts a valuable lesson about the wonders of the natural world.

“I believe that fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity in children is crucial for their personal and emotional development,” the author said. “Through this book, I hope to inspire young minds to embrace the beauty of nature and the joy of discovery.”

“Where Do Seagulls go at Night” is available wherever books are sold.

If you have news about Hull residents to share – birthdays, anniversaries, career and education achievements, weddings, births, and other milestones – send your information to us at news@hulltimes.com. If you include a photo, please be sure that everyone in the image is identified. Thank you!

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Students, parents describe ‘widespread’ bullying at Memorial Middle School

By Victoria Dolan

Memorial Middle School students say the frequency of bullying has grown during the past two years, and that administration’s response to reported incidents is not consistently effective.

While speaking with parents and students, opinions widely differed on the true root of the issue, the severity of bullying, and the best way to put a stop to it. The consensus: Something isn’t working.

“In a town that’s supposed to be no place for hate, there’s so much meanness, and I don’t feel like the faculty at the middle school addresses this… they push it aside,” said one parent. “I’ve given up.”

“There’s a lot of bullying, it’s widespread,” said a seventh grader, who asked to remain anonymous. Aggressors “know where teachers will be, and at what time,” so they can bully students and not be caught. This causes two problems. First, “teachers might think it [bullying prevention] is working because it’s… outside of their view.” Then, since the teachers don’t see the alleged incidents, students don’t have a witness to back them up. “Kids don’t want to tell the teachers it’s happening, so the teachers don’t know the extent of the problem,” she said.

I attempted to interview numerous teachers in order to gain a better understanding of their perspective on this issue. These requests were denied by Superintendent Judith Kuehn, who cited the Hull Public Schools’ media relations policy that only the superintendent may speak on sensitive matters. Over the past four years, this policy has never been an issue when interviewing teachers. The school department also declined to respond to the specific allegations in this article.

In a statement, Superintendent Kuehn said that school district “is committed to maintaining a school environment where students are free from bullying and fostering a climate where all students feel welcome. We believe that there is no place for bullying, violence, or hate within our schools or school community.”

Kuehn said that so far this year, there have been 21 allegations of bullying across all three schools – seven at the Jacobs School, eight at the middle school, and six at the high school. A total of eight allegations districtwide were confirmed or substantiated as bullying, more than half of them from the two grades currently at the middle school. Five incidents were confirmed at the Memorial, three at the elementary level, and none at the high school, according to the superintendent.

Aerial Flores, a seventh grader, thinks that faculty doesn’t understand the true extent of bullying at the middle school.

“I don’t think any teachers see it,” she said, because “it’s mostly online now.” For Flores, this exacerbates the problem. If bullying is purely in person, you can find respite at home. If it’s online, you “can’t get away from it.”

Those factors can make it more difficult for parents and teachers to see a child struggling. But even when they do, parents describe difficulty getting support from the school. An eighth-grade parent who asked not to be named said that when engaging with middle school faculty over bullying allegations, an administrator responded by saying, “This is kids, this is just how they act.” While trying to help her child deal with bullying, she said it felt like the school “cared more about what it looks like on paper.”

Another parent was satisfied with the results of her child’s case, but noted that “for us it did actually get handled. For a lot of people I know, it did not.” However, she described a similar problem – initially being brushed aside. “Anything at the middle school, you just get told there’s not much we can do,” she said. “That’s kind of their answer for everything.”

For this parent’s child, posting pictures and name-calling online soon turned to in-person alienation. When her student starting calling home daily, asking to leave school, the parent contacted principal Anthony Hrivnak. “He just talked to the girls and their parents, and they did surprisingly back off.” The school psychologist began checking in on her student to make sure no more issues arose.

Hrivnak referred all questions to the superintendent’s office. Kuehn said that “every bullying allegation is investigated and taken seriously. Each bullying investigation is handled independently.” If a claim of bullying is substantiated, “the school will take steps reasonably calculated to prevent recurrence and ensure that the target is not restricted in participating in school or in benefiting from school activities. As with the investigation, the response will be individually tailored to all of the circumstances.”

Across accounts, this process seems typical: A bullying allegation is made, the school follows policy and launches an investigation. If the allegation is substantiated, administration decides on a next course of action depending on the incident. These may include disciplinary action, but could also include enhanced adult supervision, a classroom transfer, counseling, exclusion from school-sponsored events, and more. The most common measure taken seems to be simply talking to the aggressors and telling them to stop their activities. For some cases, this works. For others, it’s not enough.

One eighth-grade student, who asked that her name not be published, was involved in resolving her bullying allegation. She described that bullies “think they won’t get in trouble… because the principal, they just tell you not to do it again.” When she spoke directly to her aggressors, they also temporarily backed off, but she thinks most victims are too afraid to do the same.

“I think there’s a large difference between the number of actually reported and known incidents. Some students might be afraid or think it will go away after a while,” she said.

Students fearing reporting bullying was a common theme. “I don’t think it’s really the school’s fault, but maybe the kids don’t feel comfortable,” said eighth-grader Colin English. Bullying, he added, “is definitely still a problem, but the school has done a pretty good job of reaching out to students.”

Many students noted the schools’ efforts to bring awareness to bullying and reach out to students through school assemblies. Superintendent Kuehn highlighted these as part of “numerous proactive schoolwide educational interventions aimed at educating students about bullying.”

Kuehn said these interventions encourage students to “report bullying and to be upstanders for their peers” through a variety of initiatives. In addition to assemblies, these include a focus on the school’s core values, the “Advocacy in Action” program through Raising Multicultural Children, a schoolwide “Respect Quest” that rewards students for performing acts of respect, and more.

The district’s policies on bullying and cyber-bullying are contained in the student handbook, which is posted on hullpublicschools.org.

While students agree that the presentation and resources the school offers can be helpful, they also say it’s not enough. Some kids don’t pay attention, and many feel the true impacts of bullying are not discussed enough. Bullying still occurs frequently, and on the rare occasions it’s reported, students and parents feel brushed aside. Only some achieve successful resolution.

So what can the middle school do to help its students, and what does this mean for next year, when the middle school will be fully consolidated with sixth and seventh grades at the Jacobs School and eighth-graders at the high school? Next week, we will explore ways that the middle school can move forward and address bullying.

For resources on bullying prevention and advocacy, visit these websites:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: www.stopbullying.gov

PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center: https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info

Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University: https://www.marccenter.org/

Massachusetts Advocates for Children: https://www.massadvocates.org/resources-bullying

Preventing Bullying on School Buses: https://www.transfinder.com/resources/school-bus-bullying-prevention

Victoria Dolan is The Hull Times school correspondent. This column reflects her student viewpoint.

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Dismantled Pemberton wind turbine won’t be replaced; Hull Wind II remains offline

By Carol Britton Meyer

The wind turbine at Pemberton Point taken down last month will not be replaced, and the seawall damage that occurred when the tower fell to the ground will be paid by the demolition company, town officials said this week.

AWAITING REPAIR. Hull Wind II at the landfill is still offline, awaiting an update of its software. Hull Light expects it to return to service in a few weeks. [Richard W. Green photo]

Meanwhile, at the other end of town, Hull Wind II at the landfill remains offline, awaiting repairs to its computer system, according to Hull Municipal Light Board Chair Patrick Cannon.

“Once that work is completed, hopefully within the next couple of weeks, Hull Wind II should be back in service,” Cannon told The Hull Times, adding that there are no plans to replace Hull Wind I.

“It would be far too expensive compared to years ago [when the first one was built],” he said.

When both turbines were working to capacity, the electricity generated was equivalent to 11% of Hull Municipal Lighting Plant’s power portfolio. With the removal of the Pemberton turbine, the electricity for streetlights and traffic signals it previously generated now may have to be covered by the town’s budget.

Hull Wind I was commissioned in December 2001, and turbines of that vintage have a lifespan of about 20 years. Hull Wind II, which generates enough energy to power 800 homes on an annual basis when working at capacity, has been offline for some time for repairs, which have been completed except for the software issue.

Although Vestas, the company that installed Hull Wind II in 2006, opted out of its maintenance contract with the town some time ago when the agreement expired, another company was hired to perform the necessary maintenance on the remaining wind turbine.

Arrangements have been made for Vestas to reboot the computer, “because it’s their software,” according to Cannon.

While the subject of electricity rates came up at the light board’s February 29 meeting, no decisions have yet been made. There will be another related item on the March meeting agenda, Cannon said, at which time the recent rate study will also be discussed.

“We usually review the rates every three to five years,” he said.

Also at that meeting, the recommendation was made to send the bill for streetlight electricity to the town since Hull Wind I will not be replaced. When fully operational, Hull Wind I, which has been out of commission since April 2021, supplied enough electricity annually to power the town’s streetlights and traffic control signals as well as 220 homes.

“Moving forward, the town [would] pay this cost, which [would] be less money than it used to be because all the street lights are now LED,” Cannon said. “We’re doing the calculations now.”

Town Manager Jennifer Constable told The Hull Times in response to an email inquiry that she is “assessing the history associated with the town’s past agreement with the HMLP, as well as the town’s position going forward relative to this recommendation,” which was first introduced to her at last week’s meeting.

The town manager also said that the repairs resulting from damage to the seawall that occurred when Hull Wind I was demolished will be made at the expense of the company that dismantled the wind turbine.

“Kevin Mooney from Waterways Project Management assessed the damage on behalf of the town, and based on Kevin’s recommendations and discussion with the contractor, the repair was agreed upon,” Constable explained. “Atlantic Coast will perform the repairs in the next couple of weeks, and the work will be further evaluated by WPM.”

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Paragon Dunes developer revises plans, seeks vote to meet April 30 deadline

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

A week after threatening to “walk away” from purchasing the Paragon Boardwalk property in order to build a 132-unit mixed-use project, the developer presented revised plans with a view corridor to address concerns about the “wall effect” of the four-story building.

On Wednesday, Procopio Companies Vice President of Development David Roache said the timeline stress that prompted last week’s comment by a member of the development team is brought on by its business situation, which calls for Procopio to purchase the property from Nantasket Dune Holdings LLC next month.

“We realize it is not a problem of the board, but a reality still the same,” Roache said, indicating the closing is April 30, and the developer needs the planning board’s approval to complete the sale. Last week, the developer said that without a vote soon, it may “walk away or come to another alternative that gets built there, like 40B” affordable housing.

THE PROCOPIO COMPANIES PRESENTED REVISED PLANS FOR THE PARAGON DUNES PROJECT, INCLUDING A ‘VIEW CORRIDOR’ to open up the building, which straddles land visible from both the beach and bay.

At Wednesday’s public hearing, the developer presented revised plans addressing the “wall effect,” which has been frequently cited by the planning board, Design Review Board, and residents as what “continues to cause pause.”

Planning board member Jeanne Paquin has said she would “like to see something going through the building, not just on the building… when I said break, I meant a break in the building, not the architectural interest.”



Last week, residents told the developer of a desire for views from the beach to the bay, and Procopio came back with a design including an approximately 35-foot wide, two-story view corridor.

“It has been a productive and collaborative process where every step of the way the design has gotten better…this is a good step bringing us closer to completion,” Roache said. “It is not just a hallway through the building, but a meaningful connection… an opportunity to get to the new path on George Washington Boulevard through the building and to the public open space.”

“From my standpoint this was a quick and effective way to break up the wall effect on George Washington Boulevard,” planning board member Steve White said.

“This is what I have been hoping for; something to break up the mass,” said Paquin.

“I appreciate your acknowledgement of the concerns people put forward on the wall effect.”

Chair Meghan Reilly said.

Commending Procopio for its “impressive” responsiveness, Town Planner Chris DiIorio said that “how they plan to activate the vibrant area along Nantasket Avenue is a game-changer.”

The project also will add 250 feet of community space to house a cultural use. Steven Greenberg, speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, said this space could fulfill a “dream for the Chamber to have an information tourist center.”

For the retail space, Roache said the commercial area to replicate the arcade and the beer garden is closest to the comfort station.

“The focus is on how the retail creates a better building and not the income associated with it,” he said.

Planning board member Jim Pitrolo said he is “happy with the facade work” but is “still concerned with density and number of units.”

“The building is not feeling like Hull, and I am still concerned with parking issues,” said resident Lisa French, who said she thought there should be two parking spaces for each household.

Pitrolo also pointed out that the letter from the sewer department indicated that it may need to add a pump station. Roache said the developer would not be opposed to contributing to the cost of the sewer mitigation, but he would need to research the issue.

Roache said Procopio has had discussion with the Hull Municipal Light Plant and plan to bring the “unsightly” utility lines underground to Rockland Circle.

Roache said the project will bring in $550K in new annual revenue, $700K in building permit fees, 9,000 square feet of indoor commercial space, an outdoor commercial plaza, improved pedestrian access, and the developer will make a commitment to maintain the adjacent Art Walk.

The next planning board hearing on the project will be Wednesday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m., and the Design Review Board will discuss the proposal at its next meeting on March 12.

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ADUs, MBTA Communities Law among zoning changes on town meeting warrant

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Three proposed zoning changes for the spring town meeting warrant will be discussed by the planning board next week.

On Wednesday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m., the board will hold a public hearing on the MBTA Communities zoning district, a plan to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and establishing a floodplain district.

The state MBTA Communities Law was enacted in January 2021 to encourage the construction of housing near transportation lines. Cities and towns that do not adopt zoning changes risk losing access to grant money through programs such as MassWorks, Housing Choice funding, the Local Capital Projects Fund and other grants.



“Beyond that, the Attorney General’s office has said communities have to do this, and if you don’t, they can go after you for federal and state fair-housing violations,” said Town Planner Chris DiIorio.

Grant eligibility is safe until December 2024, at which time commuter rail and “adjacent” communities like Hull must comply with the new regulations.

According DiIorio, Hull was required to provide the state with districts that would produce 586 multi-family units by right, at a density of 15 units per acre, while also having no age restrictions. While the land must be developable, it cannot be owned by the town or located in a floodplain.

“The units don’t have to be produced; the law only requires towns to create by right zoning. Zoning is a long-term process,” said DiIorio. “The proposal is a mapping change; at this point we don’t need changes to the language of the zones.”

As long as the district-wide gross density of 15 units per acre is provided, zoning districts can include use restrictions and intensity limits, such as setbacks and height limitations. By-right uses can also be subject to site plan review standards.

DiIorio explained changes were made to zones so that larger developments that already exist, such as Ocean Place and Seawatch condominiums, can help Hull meet the requirements. The plan has been sent to the state for review.

“Commercial Rec zones and Multifamily B zones, with a few tweaks, can get Hull to the right number,” said DiIorio. “Hull has already been doing the things we are being asked to do [by the state], now the zones will reflect that. This gets us to where we need to be with minimal negative impact.”

“We need to try explain to people that this is a planning exercise to not be excluded from grant opportunities,” said Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Patrick Finn.

DiIorio said the planning department hopes to hear back from the state within the month. If deemed compliant, the MBTA Communities bylaw will be presented to town meeting this spring.

Based on the recommendation at May 2023 town meeting, the planning board, along with the zoning bylaw committee and the zoning board of appeals, have been working to revise a proposed accessory dwelling units (ADUs) bylaw.

The bylaw provides owner-occupants of single-family homes with a means for obtaining rental income, companionship, or security, proponents say, enabling them to remain in homes they might otherwise be forced to leave.

“Affordability is an enormous benefit for the property owner…in return the town gets a guarantee of affordable units,” planning board member Harry Hibbard said.

The proposed ADU bylaw provides for a permitting process for 10 accessory apartments per year within existing single-family homes, up to a maximum of 100 units. The ADUs will not add to the number of buildings in town or reduce open space, and cannot be used for commercial purposes.

The ADU bylaw states the units are by special permit, must be owner-occupied, cannot be used for short-term rentals, and carry a deed restriction to remain affordable.

Finn has said the idea behind the ADU bylaw is to create “housing choices for people who need help by using stock we have and not using open space… also beneficial for providing multigenerational housing.”

In their planning, the boards have also had to consider the impact of Gov. Maura Healey’s housing bill that would allow ADUs as of right throughout the state without a special permit.

The state estimates that the zoning change could create more than 8,000 ADUs over five years.

Cities and towns would have some control over the ADUs under Healey’s bond bill language. The units could be subject to “reasonable regulations” like structure size and setbacks, or limitations on short-term rentals.

Hibbard said based on the outstanding state ADU bill, Hull should not continue to draft the town bylaw because it could be “eviscerated by the state law.”

The remainder of the board members felt by continuing to draft the local ADU bylaw, they are upholding a commitment made in 2023.

“I want to move forward because it shows we are doing what we said we would do…we don’t know what is going to happen with the state law; so we should get something on the books,” said Jeanne Paquin.

Steve White also said the board should move forward because members do not know what the state’s process will be.

“This ADU proposal works for Hull then we should lead with this…the state could come back and say anyone without an ADU law on the books, the state law is for you,” he said.

According to DiIorio, the intent is to also draft some language that indicates if the state law passes, the components of the town ADU bylaw that are still viable would remain in effect.

Another proposal would establish a floodplain district as an overlay zoning district to better control development in areas subject to flooding. Building Commissioner Bartley Kelly explained the flood plain maps are being updated to comply with FEMA regulations.

“The map is effectively the same for most of Hull…but updates have been made to the version of Coastal A zone areas with wave action up to three feet requiring an open foundation on piles,” said Kelly, who would be the administrator of the bylaw on behalf of the town.

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Consultant to identify town-owned parcels that could be developed with affordable housing units

By Carol Britton Meyer 

The Affordable Housing Committee’s March 12 meeting will feature a presentation by a grant-funded consultant on town-owned properties that could be developed into affordable housing in cooperation with South Shore Habitat for Humanity. Town meeting authorization would be required before town-owned land could be used for this purpose.

This is considered a high priority since more than 37% of Hull residents pay more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to the town’s 2022 housing production plan.

Irwin Nesoff, the select board’s liaison to the AHC, has seen a draft of the presentation and thinks “it will be of interest to everybody in Hull. The study is a win-win at no cost to the town.”

Following an update from AHC Chair Cynthia Koebert and a couple of requests for its support, the select board gave approval for the AHC to work with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership – at no cost to the town – to determine the best way to create affordable housing, and for the committee to move forward with an outreach campaign to engage residents about affordable housing.

“The MHP will assist the town in moving through the process and help with the community aspect,” Nesoff said. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what affordable housing really is, and our town is in a housing crisis.”

The creation of more affordable housing “can’t happen without a commitment and action from the town,” Koebert said, noting that the AHC’s community outreach will continue throughout 2024. She also encouraged town officials and residents to attend the March 12 meeting.

“We’re a nine-member volunteer committee that cares deeply about this issue. There’s an urgent need for more affordable housing in Hull,” Koebert said. “It’s a difficult process that requires the support of the select board, town manager, civic organizations, and residents, and we welcome their interest and support for various approaches to address the lack of affordable housing for seniors, families, service providers, veterans, and others.”

Hull’s current affordable housing comprises 1.6% of the town’s overall housing stock, and much of it is under the control of the housing authority. The state’s affordable housing threshold for Massachusetts communities is 10%.

Chair Greg Grey praised the committee for making “great strides” in a short time. “Your work has been lightning fast,” he said.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable also commended the AHC for its commitment to affordable housing. “It’s a really solid committee, which is really comforting,” she said.

Constable also called MHP “a great resource” in working toward achieving the committee’s and the town’s goal to create more affordable housing.

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Biden, Trump finish first in Hull’s Super Tuesday primary election voting

There were no surprises in Hull’s primary election results, with Democrat Joseph R. Biden topping the Democratic ballot and Donald J. Trump finishing first among Republicans.

In the March 5 Super Tuesday primary, 2,920 Hull voters participated. A total of 1,547 voters took the Democratic ballot, while 1,354 Republican votes were cast. Nineteen people voted for Libertarian candidates.

Biden received a total of 1,346 votes, while Dean Phillips earned 51 votes, and Marianne Williamson finished with 34.

On the Republican ballot, Trump finished with 808 votes, ahead of all other candidates – Nikki Haley earned 508, Chris Christie took 9, Vivek Ramaswamy had 4, Ron DeSantis finished with 3, and Ryan Binkley received a single vote.

The ballots also included races for state committee man and woman for each party, as well as the Democratic and Republican town committees.

Click here for Hull’s full Super Tuesday primary results.

School department’s $17.9M budget includes 3% increase, staff cuts from building closure

By Carol Britton Meyer

The proposed $17.9 million fiscal year 2025 Hull Public Schools budget represents a 3%, or $520,043, increase over the current year’s figure. Superintendent of Schools Judith Kuehn and School Business Administrator Diane Saniuk introduced the budget proposal at this week’s school committee meeting, along with priorities for the next fiscal year.

Salaries comprise 76.79% of the overall budget; special education (non-salary related), 7.95%; while transportation, non-salary maintenance costs, utilities, technology, and other expenses comprise the remainder of the budget.



The budget proposal includes a $31,477 increase in transportation costs (from $756,747 to $788,224), a $360,632 increase in special education expenses, and a reduction of $225,275 in maintenance costs due mostly to the closure of the Memorial School.

Other changes in the budget include reductions of four full-time and two part-time positions – a custodian, school secretary, long-term substitute, special education teacher, physical education teacher, and an elementary counselor. With the middle school’s closure, the principal’s position has been eliminated and replaced with an intermediate assistant principal at the Jacobs School.

Part of next year’s focus will be sharing district priorities as they align with the school district’s strategic plan; prioritizing student success by ensuring quality curriculum, instruction, and continuous review of student data to support the academic and social and emotional needs of all students; and continuing to prioritize full-day four-year-old programming to maximize early childhood experiences and intervention.

Expanding student opportunities

Other FY25 priorities include continuing to support and expand student opportunities beyond traditional offerings – including boat building, rowing, Nature’s Classroom, upper elementary grade foreign language (Spanish) instruction, elementary band, MassHire opportunities, and E-sports programs – and continued support for the school department’s “comprehensive, highly-effective, and robust student focused” in-house special education programs, according to the presentation.

“We also want to continue to share and celebrate the achievements of our students, educators, staff, and district with Hull stakeholders and beyond,” Kuehn said.

Other priorities include adopting and implementing a new Spanish curriculum for grades 5-12 and expanding Spanish instruction to grades 5 and 6; supporting the co-teaching model across the district, and providing ongoing professional development opportunities; increasing support for substitute teachers and staff employed after the start of the school year through revised on-boarding protocols; and continuing to invest in technology to support “a highly effective teaching and learning environment for all students.”

Upcoming school budget discussions include:

⦁ Monday, March 11: Regular school committee meeting

⦁ Monday, March 25: Joint meeting at town hall with advisory board

⦁ Monday, April 8: Public hearing on budget

⦁ Monday, April 22: Regular school committee meeting

⦁ Monday, May 6: Annual town meeting at Hull High School

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$50M budget proposal includes two new firefighters, increased capital spending in FY25

By Carol Britton Meyer

Town Manager Jennifer Constable’s first budget presentation to a joint meeting of the select board and advisory board last week included a rundown of the annual budget framework, revenues and expenditures, and net state aid, among other details.

Capital expense highlights from the fiscal year 2025 draft budget include funds for the closure of the current town hall and relocation of the town offices, and possibly the senior center, to the Memorial School. The middle school is scheduled to close this fall as part of the Hull Public Schools’ consolidation plan; Constable’s budget also envisions maintenance and repairs to that building.

Click here for the town manager’s PowerPoint presentation

Click here for the full budget proposal

The overall proposed town budget, including the schools, totals $50.1 million – an increase of $2,596,531, or 5.46% over FY24’s $47.5M spending plan.

Revenues are expected to increase across the board, with an additional $1,295,340 coming from the tax levy, $71,394 in state aid, and $1,227,098 from increased local receipts such as excise taxes and fees.

The proposed budget includes $17.9 million for the schools, or a 3% increase over the FY24 amount, and a $765,000 capital budget, representing a 41.7% increase over the current year.

Budget objectives revolve around the town’s financial policies and capital improvement plan as well as the long-range financial forecast. Other priorities include asking town meeting to approve the establishment of an opioid settlement special revenue fund resulting from a class-action lawsuit against Big Pharma, a capital stabilization fund, and consistent funding of the general stabilization fund.

“We’ve received $86,000 from the settlement to date,” Constable reported. The town will receive payments over a number of years for the drug settlement.

Projected net state aid is $6.9 million, while local receipts – charges and fees assessed by the town – are estimated at $7.6 million.

“Building permits are going through the roof, which is a great revenue generator for the town,” Constable noted.

Two new firefighter positions anticipated

Operational expenses include four collective bargaining agreements, staff increases – including two new firefighter paramedic/EMT positions and a part-time Hull TV position – and the recent switch to a new legal staff model [town, land use, and labor and employment counsels] in the wake of Town Counsel James Lampke’s retirement at the end of the fiscal year. The law department budget is anticipated to increase from $147,898 to $300,000 as the town shifts away from an individual town counsel to the multi-firm model.

Other capital expenses include a new library boiler, online permitting and general government software, seawall repair and maintenance, and a public safety facilities feasibility study.

Constable reported that the needed ambulance replacement was paid for with a grant rather than coming out of the FY25 budget.

Fiscal 25-26 goals include finalizing the town’s fiscal policies, establishing a capital outlay committee and a capital planning process, and conducting wage and classification studies.

“It’s important that the Town of Hull is a good and competitive employer – able to attract and keep good talent and offering competitive wages,” Constable said.

Next steps include continuing to refine the budget, department budget meetings with the advisory board, finalizing the spending plan, signing of the town meeting warrant by the select board on March 27, and the May 6 annual town meeting, when residents will debate and vote on the budget.

“Clearly this is a well-thought-out presentation, and the planning process that’s going on is amazing from,” advisory board member David Clinton said at last week’s joint session.

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Paragon Dunes developer threatens to ‘walk away’ if permit approval is delayed

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

The developer proposing a four-story, 132-unit building at the Paragon Boardwalk site told the planning board this week that unless its special permit is approved soon, the company may abandon the project or switch to an affordable housing project under Chapter 40B.

CRUNCH TIME: Residents crowded into the Hull High Exhibition room Wednesday as the planning board continued its hearing on the Paragon Dunes special permit application. The hearing continues on March 6. [Photo courtesy of Susan Vermilya]

The Hull High School Exhibition Room was packed on Wednesday night for the continuation of the hearing on the revised special permit for the Procopio Companies’ plans. The building would front onto Nantasket Avenue, with some units facing George Washington Boulevard. The biggest concern of some members of planning board, Design Review Board, and residents was the “wall effect” along the Boulevard, which some have called the “gateway” to town.



Michael Modoono, Procopio’s senior development manager, stressed the time crunch to get the project approved.

“If we don’t close on the property, someone else may or may not,” Modoono said. “If we don’t come to a vote, we will have to walk away or come to another alternative that gets built there, like 40B.”

Chapter 40B is a state law that allows developers to bypass most local zoning regulations in exchange for dedicating a percentage of the units as affordable.

“This is crunch time. We need to be very specific on what they can do to fix the wall or these people are going to walk,” said planning board member Harry Hibbard. 

“I understand the time constraints, but we can’t put those ahead of the needs of the community,” said planning board Chair Meghan Reilly. “No promises were made regarding time. This getting built on your time frame is not our responsibility.”

Design Review Board Vice Chair Julia Parker said that “we have been specific about it for two and a half years, there are no view corridors.”

Procopio attorney Adam Brodsky said “significant effort has been made [to minimize the wall effect] with the third-floor setback, addition of balconies, and added details of the sloped roof.”

Planning board member Jeanne Paquin acknowledged the work, but said she does not think these changes are enough. since it is still a “contiguous building.”

“It is still a 350-foot wall, no matter how many balconies you put on it,” she said, adding that the design “need[s] to preserve the views and vistas by having something go through the building.”

Brodsky said the view corridor cannot be added to the project because “they need the same density to make the project viable.”

“We appreciate the work that has been done, but significant design and site plan issues still need to be addressed,” said Thomas Burns of the DRB. “I am still concerned with the length of the façade along George Washington Boulevard.”

The hearing on the special permit was continued until March 6.

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