In the Sport-light - This week's Hull sports highlights

By Matt Haraden

• Congratulations to Hull High’s boys and girls track teams, both of which registered wins against Mashpee on April 24. The girls team won, 69-60, while the boys finished on top, 72-59. Winners for the girls were: Elsie Harper, triple jump and 100 hurdles; Bree Simpson-Sliney, high jump; Gabriella Thomas, javelin; Veronica Fleming, 100m; Abigail Jeffries-Ranger, 400m; and Kaelyn Burke, 400 hurdles. Winners for the boys were: Chris Resnick, high jump, long jump, and 110 hurdles; Jameson Luggelle, discus and javelin; Michael Cimetti, 400 hurdles; and Lawrence Bodley, 200m.

Hull Track and Field represented well at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association

Division IV relays, with six medal-winning teams, including:

• Fifth place, shot put: Jonah Smith, Dan Gianibas, Owen Bechtold

• First place, high jump: Joshua Miller, Lawrence Bodley, Chris Resnick

• Fourth place, SMR 1600 relay: Sam Tuchmann, Lawrence Bodley, Chris Resnick, Finn Walsh

• Second place, javelin: Kaelyn Burke, Montana Alibrandi, Gabriella Thomas

• Third place, 4x100: Lilly Copenheaver-Smith, Veronica Fleming, Elsie Harper, Bree Simpson-Sliney

• Second place, long jump: Lilly Copenheaver-Smith, Veronica Fleming, Elsie Harper

• On Saturday, April 27, the Nantasket Nor’easters were scheduled to sail three matches in a quad meet at Hull Yacht Club. The wind didn’t fill in until after 12:30 p.m., so only four of the scheduled six matches took place. The Nor’easters are a high school sailing team made up of students from Hull and Cohasset and are supported by Sail Nantasket, a non-profit dedicated to supporting youth sailing locally.

First up, in breezy 15- to 20-knot winds, the Nor’easters sailed a great first match of the season, beating Scituate five races to zero. Next up was Boston Latin. Last year Boston Latin was just too much for the Nor’easters to handle, beating them in two matches and keeping the Nor’easters out of the playoffs. Nantasket raced to a 4-1 win, frustrating Latin at every mark. After two lengthy protests and some negotiation between the teams over what additional protests were worthy of pushing forward, the 4-1 result stood and the Nantasket Nor’easters celebrated their two wins to start what promises to be a successful 2024 campaign.

• Girls 5/6 Soccer beat Cohasset on Saturday, 6-1, bringing the team’s record to 3-0 on the season. Aubrey Littlefield lead the way in scoring with four goals. Piper Yakubian and Stella Palermo each added a goal for the Pirates. Nadia Schultz and Ellie Kiley played solid games in midfield. Hull hosts Hingham Saturday morning at 8 a.m. at the high school field.

• The Boys 5/6 Soccer team played its best soccer to date this past Saturday, hammering Pembroke, 7-1 on the road. The game featured stellar performance by the impenetrable defense line, headed up by Billy Littlefield and Slava Rzhevskii. The midis and strikers had excellent performances, with Macklin Concannon scoring three goals, Henry Littlefield with three goals, and Eathan Medina with one goal.

• The Boys 5/6-2 Soccer Team played Kingston on Monday, finishing with a tough 1-2 loss. Cody Miller anchored the defense. Nick Mihal was in goal for the second half and saved a great penalty shot. Joe Elisii-Johnson had multiple breakaways and shots on net and scored Hull’s only goal. Jacob Greenberg, Reefe Markowitz, and Charlie Montgomery also had notable performances.

• The Boys 3/4 Soccer Team 2 was at it again, beating Carver this past Saturday. The boys –Owen Bilodeau, Ty Bilodeau, Jordan Dunn, Jack Gregorio, Harrison Jones, Braedyn O’Hare, Liam Palermo, Luke Panetta and Zack Shea – played a great game and showed tremendous sportsmanship toward their opponents by not playing to their fullest potential.

• Girls 7/8 Soccer battled hard and won, 2-1, against Marshfield, to remain undefeated on the season with a 4-0-0 record. Goals were scored by Gianna Thorne and Brianna Ramos, and the game featured strong defense by Bridgett Stamatouras and Scarlet Arevalo in net. The next game is Saturday in Middleboro.

• The Girls 3/4 Gold Soccer Team had a busy couple of days this past weekend. They notched their second win of the season with a 2-1 win over Carver on a rare Thursday night game. Magnolia Harbin and Frankie Rockett each scored, while Hannah Summers and Cate Mulvihill played strong halves in net, keeping the Carver team to one goal. On Saturday, April 27, the girls played at home and their strongest opponent yet. It was a tough loss to Plympton, but the powerhouse defense of Leah Dibley, Skylar Kaplan, Cate Mulvihill, and Charlie Ward made the opposing team work hard for any goal scoring chances. Strong offensive pressure by Jackie Collins, Magnolia Harbin, and Hannah Summers supported Frankie Rockett, who was able to get one goal by a highly talented Plympton defense. The team is 2-2 so far this season.

• The Hull Youth Lacrosse Girls 3/4 Team bounced back from last week to beat Weymouth at home on Sunday, with a final score of 10-5. First-time goalie Skylar Kaplan dominated the cage. Willa Britton zipped a pass to Sydney O’Brian for the goal. Bianka Truglia and Ryleigh Mooney had their first goals of the season, and Laila Dolan and Cordelia Hennessey added to the tally. Great defensive play came from Hadley Dolan, Hannah Summers, Cate Mulvihill, and Maddie Beck to keep Weymouth away from the net. Jackie Collins and Hailey MacLeod buzzed around on attack. The girls return to West Roxbury to take on Parkway Academy this Sunday at 11:45 a.m.

• The Girls Lacrosse 7/8 Team also beat Weymouth this week, coming out on the top end of a 12-8 score. Nelleh Huxtable scored five goals, Cassady Reilly scored two goals, and other scores were by Abby Baglione, Erin Murray, Evelyn Concannon, Tessa Schultz, and Bridgett Stamatouras. Olivia Michaelides played an excellent game in the net.

• Girls 1/2 Lacrosse scored an impressive 18-11 win over Weymouth on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day on the home turf, with points coming from Addie Chalifoux, Saoirse Gilroy, Meara Gilroy, Lennon Grieco, Margot Lankas, Keira MacLeod, Riley Musco, Eleanor Reilly, and Rae Rockett.

• Girls 5/6 Soccer played its best game yet against the Weymouth Wildcats. The game ended with the Pirates on top, 9-5. Goalies Ruby D’Errico with five saves and Audrey Lancaster with four saves led the team. The defense had standout performances from Caroline Lancaster, Abby Donovan, and Natalie Tiani, who forced multiple turnovers and helped move the ball away from the Pirates goal. Assists were earned by Deidre Flaherty, Ruby D’Errico, Nadia Shultz, Piper Yakubian, and Molly McCarthy. Payton Dunn, Eleanor Kiley, Ruby D’Errico, Molly McCarthy scored goals. The next game is in West Roxbury on May 4.

• The two D3 Softball Teams in town played a recent rematch. Hull 2 once again came out ahead, 17-9. Both teams played well and celebrated with good sportsmanship over pizza afterwards. Hull 2 offense was on fire, with almost every player hitting singles or doubles. The defensive star of the game was Abby Baglione, with two unassisted double plays at third base and two plays to first as catcher. Defensive plays by Mackenzie MacLeod, Brianna Ramos, and Robin Timins sealed the win for Hull 2. Pitchers Kelsea Dunlap, Loren Augier, and McKenzie Neal also turned in very strong performances, with a combined total of four strikeouts. The two teams will not meet again this season, and we wish both the best of luck against our other South Shore opponents.

• Coaches and Super Fans – we need your help to report the scores and results of the latest games in Hull’s sports world! Please send local sports news and photos to sports@hulltimes.com.

Deadline is Tuesday at 8 p.m. When providing details of the games or races, please be sure to include the sport/team, the players’ full names, and the final scores. When sending photos, names of those pictured are greatly appreciated, as well as who should get credit for taking the photo.

Thank you for your help!

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$50.1 million budget tops warrant for Monday’s annual town meeting

By Christopher Haraden

Voters at annual town meeting on Monday, May 6 will face a number of spending proposals, most significantly, the Fiscal 2025 budget of $50.1 million as proposed by Town Manager Jennifer Constable.

The total budget represents an increase of $2,596,531, or 5.46% over FY24’s $47.5M spending plan. Constable’s proposal would fund the schools at $17,854,77, an increase of $520,042, or 3% over the current year.

A significant increase is projected for the law department. Town Counsel James Lampke is retiring after 40 years on the job; the department budget is anticipated to increase from $147,898 to $300,000 as the town shifts away from an individual town counsel to a multi-firm model. Capital expenses include the movement of town offices, and possibly the senior center, into the Memorial Middle School, which will be available after the Hull Public Schools consolidate all grades into two buildings.

Monday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the high school and will be broadcast live on Hull Community Television, but voters must be present at the meeting to participate.

The 36 articles include Community Preservation Committee proposals for funds for a dog park feasibility study, Kenberma pickleball court resurfacing, restoration of lights at the Paragon Carousel, veterans’ memorial grave markers for Hull Village Cemetery, renovations to the Hull Lifesaving Museum boathouse at Pemberton Point and the steeple at St. Nicholas United Methodist Church, and more funds for the Village Fire Station rehabilitation.

Other articles propose zoning changes, tweaks to the retail marijuana bylaw, forming a capital planning committee, establishing an opioid special revenue fund using a settlement from suits against pharmaceutical companies, appropriating $150,000 for a feasibility study for a new public safety building and up to $385,000 for a new Hull Community Television media center, and spending $2.4 million to replace the Pemberton Point commuter float.

The full warrant with advisory board recommendations, as well as Times coverage of town meeting proposals, is available at www.hulltimes.com/town-meeting-2024.

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Tipsy Tuna pledges to mitigate noise as board OKs entertainment license

By Carol Britton Meyer

Much of the three-hour-plus discussion during this week’s select board meeting centered around the consideration – and ultimate approval – of the Tipsy Tuna restaurant’s live entertainment license request and the continuous back-and-forth between the board and Anthony Ghosn, Freidy Elkhoury’s partner in the business, to iron out all the details.

The level of noise from the live outdoor entertainment is an issue for some neighbors, reflected in a number of complaints to the Hull Police Department in the past, which Ghosn acknowledged.

“We don’t want to be a nuisance to anyone,” he said. “The quality of life of my neighbors is something I take into consideration.”

The select board approved the renewal of the restaurant’s seasonal all-alcoholic and common victualer licenses last week to allow the business to open on May 1 for the new season, but stopped short of approving the requested entertainment license renewal pending the need for more information about the history of Tipsy Tuna’s past live entertainment requests and approvals.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable provided that information this week, researched by town staff. “Live entertainment in particular was restricted during COVID,” she noted.

In 2023, Tipsy Tuna, at 276 Nantasket Ave., was approved for a 1 a.m. closing time, along with a four-piece band for live entertainment. However, that information was not reflected on the actual license for some reason, according to Constable.

The 2024 seasonal live entertainment license application considered by the board this week requested approval for a 1 a.m. closing time, among other considerations.

Following a lengthy discussion, the board approved specific hours for piped-in, jukebox, and karaoke music – and live indoor/outdoor music Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to midnight – instead of the requested 1 a.m. out of consideration for neighbors – Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight.

To help resolve the noise issue, the Tipsy Tuna is hiring a sound engineer to make recommendations for reducing the decibel level. Noting that there are about 200 abutters to the restaurant, Ghosn pointed out that the complaints weren’t from that many people.

“The problem is in one concentrated area,” he said. “The sound is traveling up the hill behind [the restaurant], which makes it easier to remediate.”

Despite losing sleep due to the noise from live outdoor entertainment, Porrazzo Road resident John Farley said he holds both men in high regard.

“I’m not wanting them to alter their hours of business, but the decibel readings are too high,” he said.

Live entertainment begins on Memorial Day. Prior to voting on the live entertainment hours, the board approved requiring Ghosn and Elkhoury to present the results of the sound mitigation plan two weeks after Memorial Day to see how effective the remediation has been, with the possibility of adjusting the hours ultimately approved by the board, at the owners’ request.

“The size of the bands and the number of bodies is 90% of the problem,” Select Board Chair Greg Grey said.

Board member Brian McCarthy suggested that Tipsy Tuna owners meet with the neighbors informally before Memorial Day as a community outreach effort.

Board member Jerry Taverna reiterated that he thinks the board should develop an entertainment policy for the area along the beachfront to address these issues.

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Get your tickets now for this summer’s circus coming to the HRA land

This summer, on July 2 and 3, the Hull Redevelopment Authority is bringing to Hull the Hideaway Circus, a family-friendly experience perfect for all ages.

Be prepared to be dazzled by their new outdoor show, Canvas Sky, featuring 10 world-class performers who will take your breath away with their gravity-defying feats, jaw-dropping acrobatics, and mesmerizing displays of skill and artistry.

Canvas Sky features a relatable tale exploring the themes of self-acceptance and uplifting one another. We follow the story of a circus troupe where the clown struggles to fit in and find his voice, until he gets a little help from a friend who has already figured out how to embrace what makes her wonderful and unique.

HRA Chair Dennis Zaia is serving as project manager, leading the effort to bring Hideaway Circus to Hull as part of a 35-week tour to more than 60 towns in 22 states.

“I was mesmerized by the Stars Above show at Weir River Farm last summer,” he said. “The event was exhilarating. It was exciting to see all of the kids acting out the performance during intermission. I thought, why not do this in Hull?”

The HRA has invested in this demonstration project as it ramps up efforts to activate its space.

For more information and tickets to the July 2 and 3 shows, scan the QR code. General admission (bring your own seat) is $30 and reserved premium seating is $65. There is a 20% discount through May 27. The show is a two-hour performance with a 20-minute intermission. Also, if for some reason these dates do not work for you, you can also check out the show at Weir River Farm July 16 and 17.

For further information about the HRA, visit HRA02045.com.

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Proposed bylaw would allow Accessory Dwelling Units in Hull’s single-family homes

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

As the Legislature considers allowing Accessory Dwelling Units without a permit across the state, Monday’s town meeting voters will be asked to support a local measure that is designed to give Hull more control over the approval process.

On May 6, voters will consider Article 29, which would establish a permitting process for 10 accessory apartments per year within existing single-family homes. The proposal is supported by both the advisory board and the planning board.

Based on recommendations at the May 2023 town meeting, the planning board, along with the zoning bylaw committee and the zoning board of appeals, have worked collaboratively to revise the article to better fit the needs of Hull.

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

Under the proposed bylaw, ADUs will only be issued by special permit for up to a maximum of 100 units; they will not add to the number of buildings in town, reduce open space, and cannot be used for commercial purposes. Each of the units will be deed-restricted affordable and short-term rentals will not be allowed.

In their planning, the boards have also had to consider the impact of Gov. Maura Healy’s $4B housing bill, which would allow ADUs as of right, without a special permit, throughout the state to alleviate the housing crisis.

About a month ago, the Legislature’s housing committee voted to advance the bill without changing a single word. In March, Healy’s bill received support at a hearing before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets, where many said that housing is the top challenge facing Massachusetts and its residents.

A concern for local government is Healy’s ADU-by-right measure, one piece of many in the state bill, which not only overrides single-family zoning, but also may prevent individual municipalities like Hull from setting criteria for ADU usage that is tailored to their needs.

Some members of the planning board have said it is important for Hull to get something on the books because no one knows for sure what is going to happen with the state ADU law.

ADUs are often considered low-hanging fruit in efforts to boost housing production because they can be tucked into residential areas where new units are otherwise limited due to space or zoning constraints.

The Hull ADU bylaw includes some language of severability that indicates if the state law passes, the components of the town ADU bylaw that are still viable would remain in effect.

Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Patrick Finn has said the clear benefit of the ADU bylaw to the town is to “protect our local control over zoning decisions.”

Planning board member Steve White said there is no way to know what the state’s process will be, so the town should lead with this proposal.

In Hull’s proposed bylaw, ADUs will have a minimum lease term of six months, which is the legal threshold to ensure that tenants are Hull residents who can register to vote and pay taxes.

Many cities and towns in Massachusetts, including Hingham, Cohasset, and Scituate, have their own local ADU bylaws.

Some officials believe it is possible if Hull passes this ADU bylaw prior to the enactment of the new state law, the town will be in a better place to enforce local requirements for a public hearing process with notice to abutters.

Finn said a “yes” vote for Article 29 at town meeting will “support local control of ADU permits and protect Hull’s single-family residential districts from the negative impacts of the potential for unlimited ADU’s, with absentee landlords and corporate ownership, as proposed in the Commonwealth’s housing bond bill.”

For full town meeting coverage, click here.

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Family still seeking answers months after discovery of ‘desecration’ of gravesite

By Carol Britton Meyer 

Former Hull resident Cindy Deegan is seeking answers to what she refers to as “the desecration of [her] parents’ graves” at Hull Village Cemetery by a group of volunteers who said they had permission to “clean up” veterans’ gravesites.

BEFORE AND AFTER. Cindy Deegan is seeking answers to what she refers to as the ‘desecration’ of her parents’ graves at Hull Village Cemetery. Last fall, a group of volunteers removed bushes and other landscaping, saying that they had permission from the town to clean up veterans’ gravesites. [Photos courtesy of Cindy Deegan]

She recently asked The Hull Times to look into the situation after earlier contacting the town manager and DPW director.

While living in Hull, Deegan decorated her parents’ graves with seasonal flowers. Since moving to Florida 20 years ago, Deegan and her husband have visited the site two or three times a year – weeding, cleaning up the area, and trimming the bushes.

However, Deegan was unpleasantly surprised during a visit to her parents’ graves last December to find the bushes ripped out and other damage. With assistance from her husband and a couple of cemetery workers, 2.5-gallon buckets of dirt were brought to the site to fill in the dug-up areas.

According to the Hull Police Department’s weekly log, residents called police on Sunday, November 5 to report trees and bushes being cut down in Hull Village Cemetery. An officer reported speaking with a member of the group who said they were “cleaning up veterans graves and have permission from the town to do so,” according to the police report, but later agreed to stop work.

After contacting the town manager’s office in December, Deegan told The Hull Times that she received a letter in January, signed by William M. Fleck, offering an apology and noting that “our goal, as volunteers, was to locate and clean up veterans’ gravesites.”

Fleck noted in the letter that at one point he was out of town and that he called “the superintendent” and was informed that the memorial bushes had been cut and that he didn’t know “who cut the memorial shrubs and plantings. I am truly sorry I was not there to stop it.”

The “official town manager envelope is postmarked Jan. 24, 2024,” Deegan said, noting that Fleck’s letter was mailed in an envelope printed with the town manager’s office as the return address.

On April 3, Deegan sent a letter to the town manager and DPW director asking for an explanation and who the responsible parties are, noting that several other graves were also affected.

After following up again by sending an email to all five select board members on April 18, Deegan heard back from Chair Greg Grey within an hour with an apology for the delay “in anyone getting back to you. Many graves during that period of time also experienced what your family did unfortunately and we apologize for this. A group of people who thought they were doing a good thing without permission were stopped once we were made aware of the situation. They have been spoken to about this and have admitted that they should not have done any work up there. I will follow up with the town manager to see what we are doing moving forward.”

Select board member Jason McCann also responded to Deegan’s recent email, saying he was “very, very sorry to hear of your experience” and that he was aware of Grey’s reply.

“We are looking into next steps,” McCann said.

The Hull Times reached out to Town Manager Jennifer Constable for information who is responsible for the damage done at the cemetery, and next steps to rectify the issue and we await her response.

“I am going to get to the bottom of this if it’s the last I do,” Deegan said in an email. “I want my parents’ graves restored to what [they were] before – and I want the responsible party/parties to be held accountable for the damage that was done at their site.”

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Meet the candidates running for local office at forum on May 2

League of Women Voters members from Hull, under the auspices of the LWV of Hingham, are sponsoring a local candidates forum on Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the Memorial Middle School, 81 Central Ave.

At the forum, each candidate will be invited to make a two-minute statement, beginning with candidates for offices that are uncontested. Candidates in contested races will have the opportunity to make statements and answer questions posed by a moderator so long as at least two candidates in the race appear at the forum.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization. As an organization, we do not support or oppose candidates or political parties. The League encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Through study and consensus around issues, we advocate for change.

We are a three-tier organization – national, state, and our local Hingham League, which serves Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull. We hold candidates forums, the town meeting warrant review, register voters, meet with our legislators, and hold a variety of public education forums to encourage all to have a voice in their government.

For more information, contact Kim Kingston at kkingstonlbk@gmail.com.

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Select board approves HRA’s parking vendor, grants licenses to new restaurant at wharf

By Carol Britton Meyer

Following the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s recent awarding of the contract to manage its 900-vehicle beach parking lots this summer to LAZ Parking, the select board this week supported that action.

The Drift will take the place of RED SKY at Steamboat Wharf this season.

The lot will operate from May 1 to Sept. 30, including the triangle parking area, and parkers will pay a $20 flat parking fee, payable by credit card only, as no cash will be accepted. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Laz Parking Director of Business Development Patrick Ford explained the payment process involving handheld credit card readers that scan a ticket to be displayed on the dashboard once the fee is paid. Flaggers will point drivers in the direction of available parking.

LAZ will pay $160,000 to operate the lots between Nantasket Avenue and Hull Shore Drive, with 50/50 revenue-sharing once LAZ reaches $450,000 in profits.

The company operates more than 1.2 million parking spaces in more than 3,000 locations and 400 cities across the country, including a number of beach lots in Rhode Island.

LAZ will work with the Hull Police Department to help alleviate any traffic issues on busy days and outlined plans to post signage before beachgoers reach the parking lots when they are full, to avoid traffic congestion and circling around looking for other places to park, and to socialize the cashless payment system in the local and surrounding area.

“We will do strategic marketing blasts throughout the Greater Boston area to get the word out,” Ford said.

For those still wishing to go to the beach during inclement weather, there will be a scan-to-pay option.

Police details will be present every Saturday and Sunday and on additional days based on the police department’s judgment.

Ford also said LAZ Parking is interested in hiring locally, including working with the schools, to fill parking attendant positions.

“That’s our ultimate goal,” he said.

In other business…

• The select board approved a request by Justin Gould and Andrew Spinale of Steamboat Wharf, LLC, to sublet the restaurant space in the marina building at 48 George Washington Blvd., where Red Sky has operated for a number of years, to David Peters of Steamboat Provisions LLC –under the new restaurant name, The Drift.

Peters has 17 years of experience in the restaurant business, starting as a dishwasher, moving up in the profession from there, and attending culinary school. He and his business partner are experienced in restaurant management.

“We love Hull and providing good food, drinks, and a good time for residents and businesses.” Peters said.

There are just a few changes in the menu, including eliminating sliders for bigger sandwiches while also serving flatbreads and cocktails, among other offerings.

The new restaurant owners are also working on finding a way to provide better sun screening for their outdoor dining guests.

• The board also approved a request by Armando Aguilar, Grand Knight of the Hull Knights of Columbus, to park 30 cars at 440 Nantasket Ave. during the beach season. The conditions relate to providing trash barrels and a bathroom for beachgoers using the lot and piping plover educational information provided by the beach management advisory committee.

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Next month’s town meeting to consider zoning changes, CPA projects, capital needs

By Carol Britton Meyer

Hull’s May 6 annual town meeting will feature 36 warrant articles, ranging from consideration of the municipal and school budgets and several Community Preservation Committee recommendations to increasing the rainy day fund by $100,000 – for a balance of $4 million – and appropriating up to $500,000 to continue pursuing a suit over contractor failure at the Crescent Beach seawall project.

The meeting will be held at Hull High School, 180 Main St., beginning a 7 p.m.

CPC recommendations include appropriating Community Preservation Act funds to hire a consultant to conduct a dog park feasibility study; resurface the exterior red zone of the Kenberma pickleball courts; install shade structures at Menice Field, the Dust Bowl, and the area adjacent to the pickleball courts; restore the Paragon Carousel lights; purchase veterans’ memorial grave markers for Hull Village Cemetery; restoration of the Hull Lifesaving Museum boathouse at Pemberton Point and of the steeple at St. Nicholas United Methodist Church; and more funds for the Village Fire Station rehabilitation.

Other articles request creation of a committee to review the town’s capital planning needs; establishing an opioid special revenue fund using proceeds from a settlement of suits brought by states against large pharmaceutical companies to be used for substance misuse prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support; appropriating $150,000 to conduct a feasibility study for a new combined public safety facility and up to $385,000 to equip, outfit, and update the Hull Community Television media center in anticipation of moving to Memorial School; and authorization to bond $2.4 million to replace the Pemberton Point commuter float. At the same time, the town is seeking grant money or a cost sharing arrangement with the MBTA to help fund the project.

Click here for the full text of the May 6 town meeting warrant

Memorial School improvements

Some of the articles relate to approving a sum of money to be specified at town meeting to pay for repairs and site improvements to the Memorial School to use part of the building as a new town hall; amending the town’s zoning bylaws to permit homeowners in the single-family district to create and rent an accessory dwelling unit within their primary residence under specific requirements; and appropriating the town’s share of the funding to rehabilitate the seawall along Nantasket Avenue opposite Mariners Park.

A number of Allerton Hill residents attended this week’s select board meeting, airing concerns about the seawall project, including the proposed one-way portion of the road, traffic and other issues.

A meeting with neighbors was held recently, with another to be scheduled prior to town meeting for further public input, Town Manager Jennifer Constable said.

She noted that the project will be primarily funded through state and federal grants and that it would be “catastrophic” if that seawall were to fail.

‘Keep an open mind’

Resident Patrick Finn urged the board to “keep an open mind,” while at the same time advocating for approval of the town’s share of the funding.

Select board member Irwin Nesoff urged town meeting voters to support the funding for the seawall.

“It needs to be replaced, and that’s what’s on the warrant,” he said. “If voters choose not to support it, that will put everyone at that end of town at risk. The issues that were brought up tonight can still be addressed, but they shouldn’t stop the replacement of the seawall moving forward.”

Select board member Brian McCarthy suggested reconsidering the one-way road aspect “or have the engineers [at least] explain why it has to be one-way.”

Still another article relates to updating the town’s zoning map to meet the requirements of the new state MBTA Communities legislation requiring as-of-right zoning for multi-family housing near public transportation for communities served by the MBTA to help address the state’s growing housing crisis.

While the town is not required to actually provide that housing, failure to pass this article would adversely affect the town’s eligibility for significant grant funds.

Floodplain overlay district proposed

There’s also an article related to amending the zoning bylaws to establish a floodplain overlay district bylaw, mapping special flood hazard areas as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for administration of the National Flood Insurance Program, effective July 3, 2024.

Another article – divided into two parts – seeks to amend the Marijuana Overlay District zoning bylaw in order to limit marijuana establishments to retail only, limit the number of retailers to two by special permit, and to add language to further regulate marijuana retail establishments and medical marijuana treatment centers by special permit.

Overall, this article seeks to amend the bylaw in response to certain procedural issues identified by the state Attorney General in bylaws approved at prior town meetings, and the possibility of misinterpretation of voter intent.

The objective is to change language in the bylaw to ban cultivating, testing, and manufacturing or any other activity as defined under “marijuana establishments.”

The amended bylaw also contains updated zoning language and more modern terms and definitions that have changed over the last several years.

Favorable action on this article would allow the town to move forward with the article that was passed at the 2023 special town meeting as it was intended (to allow the sale of recreational marijuana in Hull), according to the advisory board’s comments in the warrant.

Public access ways

Still another article relates to attempts to resolve a disagreement with respect to the proper use of all town-owned public access ways – including the railroad right-of-way that runs parallel to Nantasket Avenue between L and XYZ streets.

Regardless of the outcome of that article, voters will also be asked to move that the select board stipulate that the railroad right of way from L Street to XY Street, which is unobstructed from December through April, continue to be unobstructed throughout the year, and that the town-owned barrier at L Street be removed and replaced by a lockable gate or chain that could be accessed by police and fire personnel for emergency use.

Ten articles will be addressed under a “consent agenda” adopted by the August 2023 special town meeting allowing the town moderator, in consultation with the select board and the advisory board chairs, to combine articles that are deemed “not likely to be controversial and not likely to generate debate” into one motion that can be passed by a simple majority.

If seven or more voters in attendance wish to hold an item from the consent agenda, that particular article will be removed and acted upon in the normal manner.

The articles that remain on the consent agenda will then be voted on as one motion, without presentation or debate.

Full details on all the warrant articles are available in the warrants that are mailed to every Hull household and also on the town website, and by clicking here.

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Marijuana sales will again be on town meeting warrant as votes needed to clarify past action

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Voters at the May 6 annual town meeting will once again consider regulations on the sale of marijuana in Hull, but the changes proposed in Articles 32A and 32B are intended to clarify past town meeting votes on the same issue.

“Town meeting can get messy sometimes,” Town Planner Chris DiIorio said at the planning board’s April 10 public hearing, adding that language needed to be cleaned up in the marijuana bylaw approved at special town meeting on August 31, 2023.

DiIorio explained when town officials looked at the bylaw more closely with legal counsel, they found the bylaw approved more than just retail marijuana establishments; it also removed some key details like buffer zones around children’s establishments; limiting retail to two businesses; and that no two retail marijuana establishments could be within 2,500 feet of one another.

As part of reviewing the town’s marijuana regulations, the town hired outside counsel (KP Law) to clarify what was adopted at the 2018 town meeting related to banning the sale of recreational marijuana in Hull and make recommendations for bylaw amendments to clear up confusion.

At the planning board public hearing, member Harry Hibbard said he was concerned voters will think a vote on retail marijuana is back on the table, when voters at special town meeting in August supported allowing the sale of recreational marijuana by a majority of 283 to 60.

He said people need to understand recreational marijuana is “approved and done,” and a vote against the marijuana zoning bylaw amendment and the general bylaw amendment next month does not change the approval of retail marijuana sales in Hull.

“We’re not changing what was passed (earlier),” Town Manager Jennifer Constable has said when the town meeting articles were discussed by various boards.

Click here to read the full text of the May 6 town meeting warrant

Town officials and legal counsel reviewed the tapes from the 2018 meetings to clarify the wording of the votes. It was identified that the moderator solicited a vote on the amendment to the motion, but didn’t go back for a vote on the original motion.

Constable has previously said the town “has been spending extensive time reviewing the bylaw and speaking with outside counsel to ensure it is effecting what we intended it to do and to move forward.”

Based on these reviews, the recommended amendments would add language that was included on the 2018 warrant to regulate marijuana establishments, allowing the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana but prohibiting marijuana cultivators, craft marijuana cooperatives, marijuana product manufacturers, independent testing laboratories, or any other type of licensed marijuana-related businesses.

“There was no ban posted in the bylaws prior to the initial town meeting … we told them [town officials and legal counsel], and they ignored us,” said Ellen Kasper, outreach coordinator for Alternative Compassion Services, which operates the town’s only medical marijuana dispensary on George Washington Boulevard.

“Legal counsel reviewed our petition in advance both times. We never heard back with changes,” said ACS President Stephen Werther. “We did not do anything but use the language on the town’s website.”

“The town messed up at a serious level two times,” Hibbard said. “At the eleventh hour, [town counsel] James Lampke said [the petition] can’t go forward…[a] tortured path all the way; I call this passive aggressive resistance.”

“It is confusing … not clear even sitting here in deliberations,” said planning board member Steve White. “We need to find ways to clarify at town meeting.”

Planning board Chair Meghan Reilly said if the new amendments pass, they “supersede” the bylaw at 2023 special town meeting, so that cultivators and testing labs will once again be prohibited.

In a vote of 5 to 1, the planning board voted to recommend marijuana bylaws in Articles 32A and 32B, and will announce its decision on the town meeting floor because the warrant has already been printed and mailed to voters. Member Jim Pitrolo was not in attendance at the hearing.

Nathan Peyton, who voted against the recommendation to town meeting, pointed out that over time, residents’ attitudes have changed toward recreational marijuana and have been “evolving for some time.”

“There is a growing acceptance in town…not sure this accurately reflects people’s thinking of what they want now,” he said.

According to Werther, the Attorney General certified the special town meeting vote on December 18, 2023, and they “continue to wait for review of the HCA [Host Community Agreement] application ACS submitted to the select board on November 10, 2023.”

A license for adult use retail sales requires a new HCA, a special permit and site plan review by the planning board, and a license from the select board. It also requires a determination that the applicant hasn’t negatively impacted the town in any way.

“We have been at the location two years and are good, quiet neighbors…we are active in the community supporting vets, senior programs, and the Anchor, even though we do not live in Hull,” said Werther.

At select board meetings held over the past few months, since the retail vote at special town meeting, select board member Irwin Nesoff has said “it is time to begin moving forward with this…whether we get 1 or 3 or 20 businesses interested in a possible HCA with the town doesn’t affect the application process.”

The town can negotiate two recreational marijuana agreements. At the select board meeting on April 17, Constable said the request for applications for adult use will be on the agenda for the May 1 select board meeting.

Nesoff replied he is “concerned because the board did vote to post a request for applications on or about April 1, and May 1 is no longer ‘on or about.’”

While ACS advocated for the warrant article at the special town meeting, any business can now apply for a recreational marijuana license with the town.

Another Hull business, Skarr Inc., owned by Mambo’s restaurant’s Anthony Ghosn, has already submitted an application. Constable confirmed ACS and Skarr Inc. will not need to resubmit when the RFA is posted.

“The big benefit to the town from recreational marijuana sales is that the host community receives three percent of the 20% sales tax on recreational marijuana sales,” Werther said. “We have lost a whole year of revenue as a company and the town lost a year of revenue from the 3% sales tax.”

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