Bonfire, carnival, many proposed events are not allowed by HRA’s zoning

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Traditional events like the Thanksgiving bonfire and annual carnival, as well as new concepts proposed for the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s 13-acre property, may require a zoning adjustment by town meeting to be legal, one of the HRA members pointed out during last week’s discussion of the future of the land.

As the HRA worked through finalizing the revision of the application for short-term use of the land at its April 1 meeting, longtime member Bartley Kelly said that events that have been occurring on the property are not currently approved uses in the Commercial Recreation A zone.

“We’ve got to be careful,” said Kelly, who is the town’s building commissioner and zoning enforcement officer. “Right now, events we have been having … for short-term use by non-profits for a number of years” are non-compliant, “and no one has complained about it, but if someone complains, technically it is not allowed.”

He said that to designate the land as event space, the uses will need to be codified in the zoning. The “best path forward,” as identified by Kelly, is to draft an article to add the types of uses the HRA wants to have in Commercial Recreational A to bring to town meeting in 2025, because “this year is pretty much etched in stone.”

Kelly confirmed a bonfire, carnival, and car show are all not allowed uses, even though the land has been historically used for those events long before he came to the building department, and no one has complained.

Vice Chair Dan Kernan thanked Kelly for “bringing this up, because it is good to know this rather than run into a brick wall sometime by surprise.

“If people complain loud enough, even some of the regular sort of things we have been doing get quite complicated for the town,” Kernan said. “It would be nice to know what is ‘kind of grandfathered in’ and what we are reasonably safe continuing to do.”

As for parking, Kelly said the land was a business zone before it was made a Commercial Recreation zone, and it was used for parking then, so that use would be considered grandfathered; while none of the other uses would “officially” fall into the grandfathered category.

Chair Dennis Zaia suggested that members review the Commercial Recreation A zoning so they can “start sketching out what might be a broadening of the zoning to accommodate the kinds of uses” each of the board members have articulated they would like to see on the land.

“This could be the beginning of a proposed zoning modification,” said Zaia.

HRA Clerk Adrienne Paquin said she is confused about what is allowed on the land because the zoning does not allow many of the things that have been historically happening.

Paquin said she has “never heard anything like that in zoning; kind of just feels like accepted uses based on what we have done in the past versus what is actually in our zoning… and so where is the line?”

“I do think we need to resolve this,” said HRA Treasurer Joan Senatore, questioning what happens if someone wants to do something similar to the existing carnival and someone complains.

“Are we going to deny them?” said Senatore. “Then it becomes selective; I think we could get into trouble for that.”

Acknowledging the board has reached a “bit of a hard moment right now,” Paquin said the HRA could approve an application for an event, but if someone “complains to our enforcer,” they may not be able to hold the event.

Lisa French of Rockaway Avenue suggested if certain groups are likely to be denied use of the HRA property based on zoning, this information should be “stated up front in the application, making it clear what types of events, activities, and groups should not apply.”

Senatore said she thinks drafting a zoning article for town meeting is a good idea.

“Then it would be very clear for people who apply for land use in the application, because right now it’s not,” said Senatore.

Resident Susan Mann agreed the zoning should be reviewed before next year’s town meeting “because things that happen at town meeting have to be approved by the Attorney General and that usually doesn’t happen until August.”

“So, if [you] don’t have it done before next town meeting you could be looking at all of next summer being in the position you are now,” said Mann.

For details on Hull’s zoning bylaws, visit the planning board page on the town’s website by clicking here.

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School committee holds annual hearing on $17.9M budget, receives no input

By Carol Britton Meyer

There were no questions or comments from the several community members present during Monday’s school committee public hearing on the proposed $17.9 million fiscal 2025 school department budget.

This figure represents a 3% increase – or $520,043 – over the FY24 budget.

“This percent is the town manager’s recommendation and will be presented at [the May 6] town meeting,” according to Superintendent of Schools Judith Kuehn.

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.

The school department’s budget presentation is available for review by clicking here.

In other business at the meeting, Director of Curriculum & Assessment Christine Cappadona outlined the Hull Public Schools 2024-2027 Student Opportunity Act Plan, which was a team effort.

The Massachusetts SOA requires every school district in the state to develop three-year plans that identify strategies for addressing persistent disparities in achievement among student subgroups, including English learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students.

The focus is on evidence-based programs and strategies to help improve the educational experiences and outcomes of all students.

The SOA “is tied to the goals Hull Public Schools is working on, backed by data,” Kuehn said.

School districts submitted initial three-year SOA plans in March of 2020 to outline strategies for the 2020-23 school years and were requested by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop and submit new plans for 2024-27.

The new plan, approved unanimously by the school committee [4-0, as member Ernest Minelli resigned last month], focuses on supporting curriculum implementation, looking at chronic absenteeism among students and helping them and their families, and supporting all students regardless of their academic level.

“This is a nice polish on our already existing standards,” School Committee member Kyle Conley said.

‘No’ to school choice

On another unanimous vote, the committee decided not to participate in the school choice program again this year upon Kuehn’s recommendation, due to a number of factors.

Should the committee decide to participate in school choice, once a student is accepted, he or she would be allowed to remain in the Hull schools through 12th grade; a student’s disciplinary record is not available and therefore may not be considered; and the HPS would be responsible for any special education or out-of-district costs associated with students accepted into the school choice program, according to Kuehn.

However, because there are some “pros” to participating, couple of school committee members noted – including declining HPS enrollments, diversifying the student population, and a per-pupil payment by the sending district – the school committee will consider this option for another year at its summer retreat and involve new Superintendent Michael Jette in the discussion.

School committee members also agreed it would be a good idea to complete the HPS consolidation before further considering participation in school choice.

At the end of the meeting, the committee went into executive session to discuss collective bargaining with teachers and paraprofessionals.

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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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