Earth Day is the perfect time to ‘Clean Your Corner’ and prepare for growing season

By Tricia Fleck, Hull Garden Club 

Earth Day is April 22, a gentle reminder to be a friend to our home, Planet Earth. As the days warm up, step outside and be greeted by the sunny daffodils stretching up to meet the sun. Did you know that the daffodil is the official flower of Hull?

Join the Hull Garden Club on Monday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day with our annual Clean Your Corner of Hull. We simply ask that you go outside at a time that is convenient to you and clean up your corner of our precious planet Earth by picking up debris, sweeping up, and caring for your own corner!

Stop into The Rockland Trust Company to meet members of the Hull Garden Club and pick up complimentary trash bags and packets of seeds.

Once you begin to sweep and rake, you’ll be rewarded with the beginning buds of your favorite perennials. This is a good time to divide perennials like hostas, peonies, or Shasta daisies. Cut back the daffodil, tulip, and other flowering bulbs once the leaves die naturally to encourage healthy bulb growth for next year’s flowers. Add compost as you turn over the garden to enrich the soil for continuous blooms all season.

Edge your flower garden and walkway edges and add mulch to prevent seeding of weeds and invasive species like garlic mustard and black swallowwort. Overseed your lawn to fill in bare spots and discourage growth of weeds and crabgrass. Add some fertilizer, and voila!

As you plan your patio pots, raised gardens and flower beds, consider a pre-order for the Hull Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale. You’ll save 10% on a variety of geraniums, sweet potato vines, and patio pots. There will be loads of tomato plants, perennials and your favorite annuals to choose from on May 18 at the town sign on George Washington Boulevard. You can find the pre-order form on HGC Facebook page.

Arbor Day is April 26 and is a day to plant new trees and to recognize the importance of trees in our environment. Even if you aren’t planning on planting a tree anytime soon, trees are beneficial. According to the almanac, trees purify our air and water supplies. They provide habitat for pollinators and a variety of wildlife. They also provide building materials and remove carbon dioxide from our air, a powerful ally in battling climate change. Hug your favorite tree or hang a pretty birdfeeder for hours of continuous enjoyment. You’ll both feel good!

The Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce is teaming up and promoting the cleanup week. Together, we can make a difference and clean up all the corners of Hull.

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Hull’s Rob Littlefield builds interactive exhibit to celebrate history, modern connections

The Hull Lifesaving Museum is thrilled to announce the launch of its new interactive exhibit, Build Your Community, featuring iconic people and places around our town created by Rob Littlefield of Hull.

Inspired by the renowned Smithsonian Exhibit Museum on Main Street, which was supported by Mass Humanities, this exhibit is not just a tribute but also a fundraiser for our institution. Photo credit for pictures goes to Caleb Cohan and Lynnie Menice.

BUILDING COMMUNITY. Hull’s Rob Littlefield built this interactive exhibit that highlights Hull’s history and modern-day connections at the Hull Lifesaving Museum. [Courtesy photo]

Although the Smithsonian exhibit has moved on, its spirit remains with us. We’re grateful to Rob Littlefield for his creation of this project. This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to engaging and educating our community through interactive art and storytelling.

Our exhibit takes you on a journey through time, allowing visitors of all ages to explore Hull’s maritime heritage and vibrant community. It’s more than just artifact; it’s a hands-on experience designed to enchant and educate, evoking nostalgia and connection.

Join us in celebrating the blend of history, art, and community! If your business wants to be part of this meaningful journey at the Hull Lifesaving Museum, email Maureen@HullLifeSavingMuseum.org for details.

Let’s discover and appreciate the stories that shape our past, present, and future while supporting our museum’s important mission together.

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Chamber members enjoy networking opportunities at Beachy Business event

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Members of the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce spent Monday evening networking and learning about each other during the group’s monthly Beachy Business event.

The opportunity to mingle with fellow Chamber and community members was co-hosted by Jennifer and Todd Palermo of Home Sweet Home Health Services, Mark Abatuno and Kortnee Anderson of Jack Conway real estate, and Tom Foye of The Hull Times and the South Shore Senior News.  Chamber members and visitors were welcomed to tour the building to visit the participating businesses at 412 Nantasket Avenue while enjoying refreshments and catering from locally owned To Dine for.

JUST BEACHY. The Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Beachy Business’ networking event was held in the Jack Conway building on Monday, hosted by the real estate company, Home Sweet Home Health Services, and The Hull Times/South Shore Senior News. Enjoying each other’s company – and learning about their companies – are, in the back row, Rusty O’Dowd, Mark Abatuno, Randy Veraguas, Bart Blumberg, Katy Abatuno, and Dolores Lorusso; in the front row, Kortnee Anderson, Jocelyn Roach, Patsy Whitney, Steven Greenberg, Tara Ashe, Jeanie Lynch, and Lori Tobin. [Skip Tull photo]

Chamber interim President Steven Greenberg, who serves on several town committees including the Economic Development Committee and the historical commission, said he values connection to community – past and present.

“The preservation of historical assets is vital to economic development,” Greenberg said. “Hull, more than just a beach town, has an incredible story over time.”

He said that attending Chamber of Commerce networking events is a “great way for businesses to share their story” while getting to know community members, fellow business owners, and other professionals in their industry.

Whether formal, or casual and fun like Beachy Business, the events help members make new connections, while fostering additional exposure for their business.

Patsy Whitney of William Raveis came to Hull five years ago to be closer to her children and grandchildren, and wanted to pick up where she left off in Albany, N.Y., with her successful 35-year real estate career.

“The Chamber provides an opportunity to meet people from the community, through events like Beachy Business… going to the place of business, meeting the owner, getting to know who they are, why they are here, and how they are doing, creates a lasting bond,” said Whitney.

Todd and Jennifer Palermo of family-owned Home Sweet Home Health Services said they try to live their company’s motto, “We now have two branches, home health care and home care, but always one heart.”

“Networking within the community is important to us…we provide visiting nursing [and are] building relationships along the coast, because no one else wants to come this far,” said Todd Palermo.

“It is important to us to help the Hull community and elders…to be there for them,” Jennifer Palermo added.

Abatuno considers himself a Hull real estate expert and said he is happy to sell and build community partnerships in the seaside town where he lives with his family.

As president of the Hull Artists and an active professional photographer, Bart Blumberg said he enjoys “social and collegial relationships” with his fellow artists and chamber members.

For more information on the Chamber of Commerce and future events, visit www.hullchamber.com.

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Lynch, county commissioners present $595K grant to fund rehab of sewer outfall pipes

By Carol Britton Meyer 

Plymouth County Commissioners Jared Valanzola and Gregory Hanley presented an American Rescue Plan Act check for $595,000 to the select board last week toward the sewer department ocean outfall rehabilitation project that began in December. This is on top of additional ARPA funding of $986,803 last fall.

The work involves extending diffusers above the ocean bottom and removing accumulated sand, gravel, and sea growth from the outfall pipeline. This priority project will help ensure reliability, public health, environmental integrity, and restoration of outlet capacity. The targeted completion date is spring of this year.

ALL IN FOR OUTFALL. Celebrating the award of a $595,000 grant to pay for work on the sewer outfall pipe last week were, from left, select board members Greg Grey and Jerry Taverna, Plymouth County Commissioner Gregory Hanley, US Rep. Stephen Lynch, select board members Brian McCarthy and Irwin Nesoff, county commissioner Jared Valanzola, Town Manager Jennifer Constable, and John Struzziery assistant DPW director and director of wastewater operations. [Photo courtesy of James Lampke]

US Rep. Stephen Lynch was present at the meeting, acknowledging the Town of Hull’s continuing successful efforts to seek various grants.

“Hull has overperformed regarding accessing grants,” he said. “It’s a two-way process. We need to fit Hull’s needs into buckets of available federal resources. It’s a complicated process.”

Lynch went on to attribute Hull’s success at winning grants to the “due diligence of local Hull officials. Congratulations – it’s been a refreshing experience working with you all.”

Hull also received ARPA funding to rehabilitate the pump house, work that is expected to begin this summer, as well as seawall restoration grants.

Lynch explained the difference between ARPA and the earlier emergency CARES Act, which provided funding to communities, including Hull, “to help them stay safe during the pandemic and to replace tax revenues they would have received if the economy had not shut down.”

The message behind ARPA, he said, was that it was time “to get things going” again, providing funds to communities to help generate economic activity following the pandemic.

Lynch’s parting words were that Hull “is doing better than most communities in terms of its financial position. [Town officials] have been more careful in making internal funding decisions than most other towns I’ve visited recently.”

Town seeks comments on plan to protect Hull from climate change, rising seas

By Carol Britton Meyer

* * ONLINE EXCLUSIVE * *

As a peninsula, the town of Hull is vulnerable to a variety of hazards, including Nor’easters, floods, extreme precipitation, and severe winter weather, punctuated by the king tide flooding that occurred on January 10 and 13.

These events, respectively, marked the seventh and fourth highest level of high tides on record for Boston Harbor. The term “king tide,” or spring tide, refers to exceptionally high tides that occur during a new or full moon.

Interested residents can weigh in on the town’s draft Hazard Mitigation Plan to address these issues on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. At the meeting, Climate Adaptation and Conservation Department Director Chris Krahforst will make a final presentation in the Hull High School second-floor Exhibition Room at 180 Main St.

The five-year plan – which, once completed, will put the town in a better position to seek related grants – is a cooperative effort with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the climate adaptation committee.

A roadmap for moving ahead

“This will provide a roadmap for the town moving forward, spelling out how we plan to mitigate different hazards and forming the root of a lot of our grant applications – including ones related to seawall projects,” Krahforst told the select board Wednesday, April 3.

The plan outlines 53 mitigation measures related to flooding, coastal areas, wind, earthquake, extreme temperature, drought, climate resilience/adaptation, and other issues and considerations.

These include adopting a floodplain management plan, which will go before the May 6 town meeting; improving the high-water barrier adjacent to Moreland Avenue, Bay Street, and Hampton Circle; maintaining/repairing/reconstructing the Pemberton seawall and maintaining and repairing the Harborview Road seawall; evaluating alternative power transmission feed to Hull; identifying alternate locations for a new Hull public safety building, and raising some roads to help prevent flooding.

“We have tremendous hazards around us 24/7,” select board Chair Greg Grey said to Krahforst. “Keep up the good work!”

The deadline for submitting the plan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency is coming up soon. “The plan needs to be approved by July or August,” Krahforst said.

In September 2022, the select board supported the creation of a Climate Adaptation Committee and a Climate Adaptation Working Group “to strengthen the community and promote civic engagement through informed and coordinated policy development for climate change adaptation” at Krahforst’s request.

The committee is charged with reviewing new climate change information and the town’s adaptation policies, projects, and future plans, to receive an annual progress report from the working group, and to provide feedback and input.

The overall goal is to discuss ways to mitigate the impacts of flooding and other consequences of climate change and sea level rise on Hull and to educate the public.

Questions and comments about the draft Hazard Mitigation Plan, which is posted here, may be emailed to ResilientHull@mapc.org.

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Town appeals state’s rejection of request to probe National Grid’s power failures

By Carol Britton Meyer

The town has appealed the state Department of Public Utilities’ recent denial of a request to investigate National Grid’s maintenance of the power lines that feed electricity to Hull.

The town filed a request for an investigation by the dpu in 2021. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL PETITION.

The select board and the light board met jointly in an emergency executive session on Monday, April 1. On Nov. 1, 2021, Hull Light filed a petition to open an investigation on the manner in which National Grid had been managing and maintaining the two electric lines that provide power to residents and businesses. The petition was filed with the Massachusetts DPU, which recently dismissed the request on the grounds that such an investigation was not its responsibility.

During the executive session, the two boards decided to file an appeal with the state Supreme Judicial Court, which Town Counsel James Lampke told the select board he did on Wednesday, during an update at this week’s meeting.

The hope is that a determination will be made requiring the DPU to perform an investigation to help resolve ongoing issues with National Grid.

‘There are other communities with similar issues’

“It appears that there are other communities with similar problems with National Grid,” Lampke said. “We will contact other interested parties to garner support. The court is one way to deal with the issue, and we’re looking at other avenues as well. Even if the DPU’s decision isn’t overturned, we want to be sure that during the height of the summer season, there are no problems with our power supply.”

The concern centers around National Grid-related power losses, which are often of long duration and are more difficult to resolve than outages for which the light plant is responsible because many of the feeder lines are located in Hingham in a wooded area that can be difficult to access, especially at nighttime, according to town officials.

The petition of the town and the Hull Municipal Light Plant requested that the DPU order National Grid to upgrade the lines and associated facilities at National Grid’s expense.

In addition, the petition requested that National Grid be ordered to reimburse Hull Light for the millions of dollars that the plant has expended to protect residents and businesses from potential power failures, including the cost of generators that are installed during the winter to ensure residents and other customers won’t be without power during a potential prolonged outage.

The filing included expert testimony from qualified professionals in regulatory affairs; Paul Hibbard, former chair of the DPU; and Thomas E. Converse, who has more than 35 years of experience with public power line design and construction.

Additional testimony was provided by Hull Light Operations Manager Panos Tokadjian and then-Town Manager Philip Lemnios.

At that time, National Grid issued a statement saying that the utility company “has been engaged in extensive maintenance and inspection of the two service lines,” along with other details. “Over the last year, we have offered to meet with town officials several times to discuss the transmission lines. That offer still stands.”

‘Serious threats to life and safety’

For many years, “the lack of care and failure of National Grid to upgrade the two 1930-era lines has caused great distress and harm to residents and businesses of Hull,” Lemnios told The Hull Times at that time. “When residents lose power, a cascading series of impacts occurs, including creating serious threats to life and safety.”

The town has worked with National Grid over the years to try to resolve these issues.

National Grid has a monopoly for the provision of this service, with a substantial guaranteed rate of return for the company, Lemnios said earlier. “In exchange for this monopoly status, there is an expectation and requirement that electric service will be reliable.”

Of the Hull Light Plant’s more than 6,200 customers at the time the petition was filed, about 4,200 were residential. The plant also provides power to all the town’s municipal buildings, the Coast Guard (including lighthouses), restaurants and other businesses in town.

Click here for a link to the petition filed by the town.

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Chairs of both select board and HRA are unopposed in May 20 annual election

A total of 15 candidates met the final deadline to be placed on the May 20 annual town election ballot, but there are only three contested offices – municipal light board, planning board, and library trustee.

Despite much attention in recent months being paid to the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s plans for its 13-acre property, no candidates emerged to challenge HRA Chair Dennis Zaia for another five-year term. Similarly, select board Chair Greg Grey will coast to another three-year term, as he is unopposed for re-election.

There are 11 positions are available. The contested races are a three-year term on the light board held by incumbent Stephanie Landry, who is being challenged by D.J. Simon and Mark L. Kohn; a five-year term on the planning board now held by Stephen White, who is not seeking re-election, which is being contested by Edwin Parsons and Cindy Borges; and a one-year slot on the library trustees that is being sought by Corinne T. Fitz-Marquez and Alice Sloan.

Two additional library trustee seats are uncontested; James Curtis Miller and Kathleen McKenna are the candidates who will fill those positions. Current school committee member Kyle Conley is unopposed for re-election, as are Michael Sampson for a five-year term on the housing authority and Donna Sullivan and J. Michael Waldner for three-year positions on the board of assessors.

For more information about the local election, visit the town clerk’s page on the town’s website, www.town.hull.ma.us/town-clerk.

– Christopher Haraden

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Running for office? Here's how to get your election message into The Hull Times

If you are running for office in the May 20 annual town election, click the link below for details on how to get your message into The Hull Times, as well as information on political advertising.

HULL TIMES ELECTION POLICIES & PROCEDURES

For more information, visit the town clerk’s page on the town’s website by clicking here.

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Friends of Hull Scouting seeking volunteers, donations to revitalize programs, clubhouse

By Carol Britton Meyer

The mission of the volunteer Friends of Hull Scouting, founded in 1998, was to rehabilitate and maintain the Hull Scout House on Nantasket Avenue as a vital resource for the town’s Boy Scout, Cub Scout, and Girl Scout organizations. While that effort was successful and the building continues to provide a comfortable, safe, and fun space for the scouts who use the facility, the Friends group is struggling to keep up with the increasing everyday costs associated with its continued use in addition to completing necessary repairs.

GOOD SCOUTS. The current Hull Girl Scout troop recently posed in front of the historic fireplace inside the Scout House at Kenberma. The Friends of Hull Scouting is seeking donations to help maintain the clubhouse and is looking to expand membership. [Photo courtesy of Kerrie Kraus]

The current goal is to continue fundraising efforts that came to a halt during the pandemic, with the help of local veterans under the leadership of American Legion Post #140 Commander Jim Richman, who Friends president Kerrie Kraus told The Hull Times have been “wonderful.”

Kraus is also seeking the support of the town, which owns the Scout House at 435 Nantasket Ave., next to the Kenberma Playground, in bringing a current grant opportunity to reality, although this is in the early stages. The facility operates under a long-term lease under which the Friends pay for the utilities and other expenses.

Potential grant on hold

Through the efforts of state Sen. Patrick O’Connor right after the pandemic, a $25,000 grant was awarded to repair the Scout House as part of a COVID19 relief bill. As it turned out, though, after submitting the paperwork and with a contract in place, the Friends learned “after all that hard work” that it was a grant that needed to be reimbursed, so could not immediately be put to good use, according to Kraus.

The historic Scout House is at 435 Nantasket Avenue, next to the Kenberma Playground.

“We are in an urgent place right now, trying to keep the building alive and to help grow Hull’s Boy and Girl Scout programs in the coming years,” she said. “When you don’t have money in your account, a grant like this is impossible for us.”

While the Scout House is basically solid, the grant money would be helpful in accomplishing necessary repairs and other work, including an electrical system upgrade.

Kraus continues to be the driving force behind the Friends, with support from a few other community members.

Due to the dwindling number of Boy Scouts as a result of growing bored with virtual meetings during the pandemic, Kraus is hoping to revitalize the interest in first, Cub Scouts, and then Boy Scouts in Hull – with participation in Girl Scouts currently stronger than in Boy Scouts.

In the meantime, both boys’ groups have joined with the Cohasset Boy and Cub Scouts, including one of her sons. Kraus is an assistant Scoutmaster.

Kraus has been involved with Scouts in some way since 2009, when she served as co-leader for her oldest son’s Cub Scout den. She was also active in her daughter’s Girl Scout troop.

Kraus’ involvement with Scouts ramped up with her youngest son’s Cub Scout den around 2016. She assumed the role of Cubmaster in 2017, along with a lead position as treasurer of the Friends group.

“The rest is history,” she said. “We have been keeping the lights on ever since, mostly with Election Day bake sales and another fundraiser just before the pandemic. COVID hit both the Scout House and scouting hard, both in Hull and everywhere really.”

Kraus expressed appreciation for Hull resident Arthur Augenstern, calling him “a man with a mission who I understand to be the driving force behind keeping the old Boy Scout house from being condemned [years ago] and building it up to what it is today.”

Augenstern told The Hull Times that the rehabilitation project was “a huge community effort” starting in 1998 and spanning many years.

“I was involved in Hull Scouting for almost 20 years, along with tremendous community support,” he said. “Unfortunately, many of the continuous contributors are no longer involved for various reasons.”

Augenstern noted that he has “a big birthday [80th] coming up in early October, and I would be honored and delighted if people would donate to the Friends of Hull Scouting [for this occasion] so that the Scout House stays in good repair for future Scouters.”

‘We would like to preserve scouting for Hull kids’

Scouting is a valuable resource for boys and girls, especially those who may not be involved in team sports, according to Kraus. Activities include camping, hiking, and other adventures as well as earning merit badges that introduce them to new areas of interest – such as architecture, photography, and emergency preparations – that could eventually lead to careers in those fields along with bolstering their self-confidence.

“Scouting is getting a little lost here, and we would like to help preserve it for Hull kids,” Kraus said.

More volunteers are needed to keep Hull scouting and the Scout House vibrant.

To volunteer or make a donation. go the Friends of Hull Scouting Facebook page. Donations of any size are appreciated and may be mailed to Friends of Hull Scouting, P.O. Box 14, Hull, MA 02045.

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SOS Hull launches independent survey on development options

SOS Hull, the community organization that opposes large-scale development on the Hull Redevelopment Authority property, has launched an independent survey to gather opinions on the future uses of the land.

Humans Not Consumers, a Hull-based ethical business consultancy and think tank, is conducting survey on behalf of SOS Hull. The “Voice of the People Survey” is live and looking to capture the perspective of Hullonians and those who use Hull for the beach and other reasons; it can be accessed at www.surveymonkey.com/r/HullVoiceofthePeople2024 or by scanning the QR code with your smartphone.

The 10-minute survey is a tool to get a statistically significant and unbiased read on the perspectives of people who live and use this unique and wonderful piece of land – Hull. There are a variety of projects in development, and community initiatives underway in town. According to the group, with many meetings happening at night, and on the same night, many residents cannot share their perspective; this survey aims to change that.

The survey is anonymous, no names are shared and no one will be recontacted unless they ask specifically. The results from the survey will be posted on SOS Hull’s website, as well as the Humans Not Consumers website. The survey results will be accompanied by video interviews with key stakeholders – local businesspeople, generational townspeople, educators, real estate agents, and the like.

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