Company still investigating discolored water that plagued Hull homes for several days

By Carol Britton Meyer

During Wednesday afternoon’s meeting of the Weir River Water System commissioners, the company that manages the distribution system said last week’s discolored water issue remains under investigation.

Veolia Regional Vice President John Oatley.

Veolia Regional Vice President John Oatley named several contributing factors, including extreme heat leading to increased demand for water on June 19; the fact that many people were at home since it was a holiday – causing higher water usage; a localized break in a 76-year-old Leavitt Street water main between Main and Short streets; the need for additional system maintenance and infrastructure upgrades; and other factors “unknown at this time.”

The Hingham Select Board serves as the water commission, as the town purchased the company from Aquarion in 2019. Chair Joseph Fisher apologized for what he called the “unacceptable” discoloration of the water, stating that the board “intends to get to the bottom of our and customers’ concerns.”

CLICK HERE FOR OUR EDITORIAL: The Long Emergency

The three-hour meeting, held at 2 p.m. in Hingham, focused on a review of the discolored water in Hull, Hingham, and North Cohasset. During the public comment period, a Cohasset resident expressed appreciation to Hull Fire Chief Chris Russo for his continuous “play by play” updates posted on the Hull Emergency Management Facebook page.

He and others who are among the 300 Cohasset residents served by WRWS found those posts helpful. Veolia officials acknowledged that communication with all customers needs improvement.

According to the company, the increased demand caused the water level in the Turkey Hill water tank in Hingham to drop four feet more than usual, stirring up sediment in the tank. The iron and manganese deposits in the water tank, and in the pipes in the distribution system throughout Hull, caused the water to turn brown in many houses. Residents reported dark-colored water in their sinks, toilets, and washing machines, staining appliances and laundry that came in contact with the brown liquid.

The water company said testing indicated that the water was safe for drinking, but recommended that it not be used to mix baby formula. Many Hull residents complained on social media about the lack of communication from the water company about the situation, and expressed frustration with not being able to shower, drink tap water, or make ice.

WRWS sponsored distribution of bottled water to residents in Hingham and Hull throughout the weekend, and restaurants conducted extra filtration of the water used for cooking and shipped in bags of ice in order to serve their customers.

Hull Select Board member Brian McCarthy attended the meeting as a member of the WRWS Citizen Advisory Board, along with Hull’s director of wastewater operations, John Struzziery, who also is a member.

“Water is one of our most precious resources, and we often take it for granted,” Struzziery said. “Multiple aspects need to be considered. We still don’t know what’s going on. We all need to be part of a better communication and response plan.”

McCarthy expressed concern that “a lot of elderly people who are not on social media may not have had access to [the WRWS and Veolia updates] and may not have been aware of the free bottled water distributions. We have to be concerned about our most vulnerable citizens.”

Hingham Select Board member William Ramsey asked what steps are in place now to prevent a recurrence when another heat wave occurs, or during high usage periods, such as the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

“I’m not going to say this will never happen again,” Oatley responded, while at the same time acknowledging that Veolia now has “a heightened awareness” moving forward, and may add additional staff for the holiday.

“The discolored water can’t be attributed to one specific thing,” he said. “We don’t know just yet. It’s still under investigation.”

Christopher Haraden contributed to this report.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

Editorial: The long emergency

If you had attended Wednesday’s meeting of the Weir River Water System Board of Commissioners looking for answers on why Hull residents were forced to suffer through days of brown water, you’d have been disappointed.

Officials of the company that actually operates the water system didn’t apologize for the lingering effects of the crisis (only the chair of the commission did so in his opening remarks), but instead spent the majority of the three-hour meeting offering excuses and platitudes that did not inspire confidence that our water system is in good hands.

The reasons given for the prolonged bout of discolored water – a surge in demand due to the heat, a drop in the level of the Turkey Hill tank that stirred up sediment, a water main break near the Hingham Library, old pipes that need upgrades, the need for improved system flushing, and “factors currently unknown at this time” – were unconvincing. As some members of the public pointed out, Hull residents have been dealing with discolored water for much longer than a week. Our “emergency” of poor water quality has become a fact of life.

It's outrageous that so many Hull homes had brown sludge oozing out of their faucets, staining appliances, ruining laundry, delaying showers, and making residents hesitant to drink the water for which we continue to pay high rates. How many Hullonians have had to throw out clothes that are now permanently discolored? How many have sediment and stains in their sinks, dishwashers, and other appliances?  What about Hull’s restaurants, which were forced to pay for extra filtration, purchase bags of ice, and try to convince potential customers that it was safe to patronize their dining rooms?

Wednesday’s meeting provided no promise of financial relief, although when questioned by the Hull Select Board later that evening, company officials said they were discussing the potential of issuing credits to customers. There’s no need for discussion – do it now!

The Hingham meeting also didn’t capture customers’ full level of anger and outrage, likely because it was held on a Wednesday afternoon, when many people were still at work. Many Hull residents also did not know the meeting was even happening.

Those who did attend heard employees of Veolia, the company hired by the Town of Hingham to operate the system, describe a situation in which the storage tank’s water level dropped by 17 feet overnight – four feet more than normal – that triggered the problem. Under questioning from Hingham select board member (and water commissioner) Bill Ramsey, Veolia’s senior vice president couldn’t answer why it took so long for employees to alert senior management. After several critical hours had passed, there was not enough time to pump enough water into the tank to bring the levels back up to normal.

The company did admit that its communication was poor. Hull residents who called the company said customer service reps had no information about the brown water problem in Hull, Hingham, and North Cohasset. On Saturday, the Cohasset Police Department posted on Facebook that “WRWS has not contacted CPD at all at this point. We’re reading their website like everyone else.” Hull’s emergency management director, Fire Chief Chris Russo, took the lead on communications and did an admirable job keeping Hull residents informed on social media.

One Hull resident said she had contacted the water company’s Citizens Advisory Board, which has two members from Hull, about water quality and had not received a response. We’re not surprised. Before Wednesday’s joint meeting with the water commissioners, the CAB hadn’t met in almost a year. There are no minutes posted from any of its meetings. In fact, earlier this week, the CAB’s page on the water system’s website didn’t even have an accurate list of its members. When finally updated, the name of the Hull Select Board’s rep, Brian McCarthy, was misspelled. So much for attention to details.

Veolia officials offered no great insights to customers, except a pledge to do better.

Hull can’t afford to wait for them to get their act together. We were told that the Town of Hingham’s purchase of the water system from the dreaded Aquarion was supposed to give ratepayers more control over operations and a greater say in how things are managed. We appear to be right back where we were before the purchase in 2019.

The Hull Select Board is now in the process of discussing its goals for the coming year. We think members should consider forming a watchdog committee of Hull residents to monitor the Weir River Water System’s operations, and it should meet more often than the current Citizens Advisory Board. This same committee also could be charged with looking at other water options, such as desalination, which was studied in Hull years ago. Perhaps the technology has advanced to a point where it would be cost-effective for the town to source its own product, or at least supplement the supply coming through the century-old water pipes from Hingham.

The water company says it’s planning to rebuild the tank on Strawberry Hill to hold a million gallons – double the size of the old one. That is a step in the right direction to help stabilize water pressure in town. The company also should explore whether secondary treatment of the water once it enters Hull could reduce discoloration in residents’ homes.

We’re not water engineers, but we’re trying. The Weir River Water System owes it to its customers to try even harder.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

Select Board hears from water company, appoints school committee member, endorses formation of dog park group

By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board this week heard a much-anticipated update on the water discoloration issue that had plagued many Hull, Hingham, and some Cohasset residents since June 19. As of Wednesday, most had been resolved.

Courtney LIttlefield was appointed to the school committee this week.

Both Weir River Water System Managing Director/Superintendent Russell Tierney and Veolia Regional Vice President John Oatley spoke to the board Wednesday night and at a three-hour WRWS water meeting Wednesday afternoon. (See related story, page 1.) Veolia operates the water system. Both meetings were recorded.

“Customer service received 700 calls in three hours,” Tierney noted.

The discolored water was about a 50-hour event, according to Oatley.

“We’ll do everything we can to prevent this from happening again. We are studying where the gaps occurred,” he said. “This happens in a lot of [communities], especially with older water systems.”

The WRWS water is tested regularly, with Veolia working with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to ensure compliance with DEP standards. Updates will be available. A flushing program is key to water quality, according to Tierney.

In response to a question from board member Greg Grey, Tierney confirmed that if the planned new Strawberry Hill water tank had been in place, the current situation could have likely been avoided or mitigated.

The preliminary design for the one-million gallon storage tank – double the size of the tank that was dismantled in 2009 – is in the works, Tierney said. The booster station will be located in Hingham. The timeframe for project completion is about three years.

“It’s impossible to convey how irate and furious people are at the moment,” board member Jerry Taverna said. “People are calling state senators demanding refunds. From residents’ perspective, their water bills are [already] high.”

Tierney confirmed that water officials are talking about a possible credit on water bills, with more information to come.

“We all worked as a team to manage the situation as best we could on behalf of residents,” Town Manager Jennifer Constable said.

Resident Polly Rowe thanked all those involved “for the tremendous work that was done in navigating this crisis.”

To receive WRWS/Veolia updates and alerts, visit www.weirriverwater.com to subscribe. Since renters aren’t part of the billing system, efforts will be made to find a way to keep them informed.

For customer service, email operations@weirriverwater.com.

In other business at the meeting…

• Courtney Littlefield was appointed to serve on the school committee until the May 2025 town election, filling the seat formerly occupied by Ernest Minelli, who resigned earlier this year.

The school committee and select board met in joint session Wednesday to interview Littlefield and two other candidates for the opening -- Jeffrey Cameron and Laurie McDowell.

Littlefield, a longtime Hull resident and Hull High School graduate, has two daughters in the Hull Public Schools and has been involved with youth sports for a number of years.

As her daughters start aging out of youth sports programs, she felt the time was right to explore the opportunity to serve on the school committee.

Littlefield was also involved in the search for a new Hull High principal. “Having Robert Shaw [the new principal] onboard will be a huge asset,” she said.

Littlefield named moving eighth-graders to the high school as part of the HPS reconfiguration plan as a major challenge.

“I think this needs to be a team effort. Parent involvement is huge with the younger kids,” she said.

She also considers Hull’s low enrollment to be a key issue.

School Committee Chair David Twombly pointed out that the two candidates who were not appointed will have an opportunity to run for a seat on the committee in next year’s election.

• There also was a discussion about the establishment of a dog park exploratory committee in response to a suggestion made at this year’s town meeting when voters turned down a warrant article that would have appropriated $10,000 in Community Preservation funds for that purpose.

After some discussion among board members about the pros and cons of creating such a committee, David Irwin stood up in the audience and announced that he had already started an ad hoc committee consisting of eight residents planning to meet after the July 4 holiday.

The board gave Irwin its blessing to move forward in that capacity and to report back at a later date after identifying potential sites and talking with neighbors.

Irwin offered an amusing disclaimer: “I have never owned a dog, just cats! I’ll have to buy a dog!” he quipped.

Constable asked Irwin and the group to come back before the board with suggested sites in time to reapply for CPA funds for fencing, design, and development if the idea moves forward.

• Constable reported the Public Health Nurse Rachel Gerold was appointed to the position of public health director. “She’s been doing a stand-up job as acting health director for the past couple of months,” she said.

• The Request for Information for recreational marijuana applications was posted on the town website on Wednesday.

• June 19’s traffic volume may go down in the town’s history, Constable said, noting that she has spoken with the state and local police and the Hull Redevelopment Authority regarding the parking lot on that property and bottlenecks as cars tried to enter the lots.

“This was just beyond a perfect storm of events due to the federal Juneteenth holiday falling on the first day of a heat wave,” which attracted many cars from various locations to Nantasket Beach in part due to the closure of a number of other beaches in the area, Constable explained. “The traffic was handled well, but it was the heaviest and of longest duration that Hull has seen for some time.” Signs notifying beachgoers of the full parking lots were posted that day.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

Whether an activist, town official, or ‘just plain Jim,’ Linville left an indelible mark on Hull

Appreciation, by Susan Ovans

Jim L. Linville, a former town official who served on many committees during four decades of public service, died at South Shore Hospital on Sunday, June 9. He was 87, and is believed to have collapsed at his Edgewater Road home the morning before his death. Found unresponsive by his friend Ray Jackman, Jim was taken to the hospital by Hull EMTs. He died in the early morning Sunday.

IN THE ZONE. Jim Linville was well known as a zoning expert and served on Hull’s select board and planning board, among other committees and subcommittees over the years. [Richard W. Green file photo]

The first child of Georgia M. (Murphy) and George H. Linville of Bethany, Missouri, the son they named Jimmy Lee changed his name to Jim after he finished military service in the U.S. Air Force in 1958. For the rest of his long life, he was known personally and professionally as Jim. (Only his friend Ray was permitted to call him Jimmy, and then only as part of a nickname, Jimmy Sailboats. The moniker was a reference to Jim’s enthusiasm for remote-controlled model sailboats, a hobby that spawned the 25-year friendship the two enjoyed.) 

Jim earned undergraduate degrees in industrial technology and journalism from San Diego State University. He crafted a career writing and editing technical publications, then joined the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association in 1982. For 17 years, Jim was editor, managing editor, or product manager for fire-safety publications used globally by fire protection engineers, including several editions of “The Fire Protection Handbook,” “SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering,” and the “SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance-Based Fire Protection Analysis and Design of Buildings.”

Just prior to his retirement in 2000, the Society for Fire Protection Engineers named Jim the recipient of its Lund Award, bestowed to individuals deemed to have made “significant contributions to the advancement of the fire protection engineer.” In particular, the award committee said he was “integral to the creation of documents for [fire safety] promotional exams, professional engineering reference texts, and classroom texts in fire science and fire engineering.” 

In a press release announcing the prestigious award, Jim’s NFPA colleagues dubbed him “matchless.”

Jim and his wife, Susan (Middleton), bought their waterfront home in 1980. Sue established Edgewater Graphics, a graphic-design business that served commercial clients and local nonprofits where she volunteered, like the Hull Lifesaving Museum and the Paragon Carousel. The Linvilles were active in Hull residents’ efforts to rein in rampant condo development in the mid-1980s, when the town lacked a cogent set of zoning bylaws to help guide building height and density across the peninsula. Jim’s involvement in citizen activism found long-term expression in his election to the Hull Board of Selectmen and Planning Board. Over the years, he became known as one of Hull’s experts on zoning and land- and harbor-use planning. Jim served as a member of the Hull Harbor Planning Committee in addition to other boards, committees, and subcommittees. 

He and David Carlon served on several committees together, including the planning board.

“Jim was the consummate gentleman and dedicated to public service,” Carlon said last week. “He always tried to do the right thing. He was serious about his commitment to public service and dedicated to his community. He did it with integrity.” 

As seriously as he took the work, Jim never took himself seriously.

“The public view of Jim may be different from the personal experience,” Carlon said. “Jim was a lot of fun to be with. We had a lot of laughs. I used to look forward to attending a meeting with Jim, even when I knew the agenda was going to be a slog. 

“Jim had a Mahatma Gandhi mindset: ‘If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it.’ He was always looking for ways to improve our community and to find a path forward. He would do his best to get you to follow along. That takes a lot of grit, to keep offering your ideas and solutions to the community for years and knowing that many of those efforts will be rejected. Jim never gave up.”

Jim was a familiar figure at town meeting, frequently taking to the floor to expound on a regulatory matter, both as a town official and as a private citizen. At one memorable town meeting session, Jim explained that when he was giving his opinion as a resident – “Just plain Jim” – he’d be wearing his California Angels baseball cap. While speaking in his official capacity as a board member, he’d have nothing on his head. 

Throughout the long session, Jim bobbed up and down to take the microphone to speak on various warrant articles. Hat on, hat off, town meeting participants ate it up.

Hull Times Editor Christopher Haraden shared this anecdote on Facebook: “Jim was so smart and so patient. I learned much from him about zoning laws and town meeting procedure. My favorite memory of him is leading a discussion at town meeting about a zoning issue (the details of which escape me) that was discussed for hours, with motions amended and wording changed, but he realized that wording of the final approved motion didn’t say what the voters thought it did. He stood up, asked to be recognized, and slowly and carefully led us through the various changes to show the error, moved to reconsider, and then offered the correct wording. It’s kind of a nerdy memory, but there are very, very few people who would have the knowledge to realize what went wrong, know how to fix it, and then carry out the remedy.”

At heart, Jim was a teacher. No matter the subject matter, he wanted you to know what he’d learned. He wanted particularly for friends to share his enthusiasms with the same excitement he experienced.

Both Sue and Jim built and raced remote-controlled model yachts and traveled the East Coast for competitions. As news of Jim’s death circulated online, local resident Jack Pearson posted to Facebook, “What a wonderful man. I remember about 30 years ago my son and I building remote control sailboats at [Jim’s] home on Edgewater. He had the patience of a saint.”

His friends at the Minuteman Model Yacht Club posted an online obituary for Jim that included this passage: “Jim was a lifelong sailor who was passionate about his hobby of building and sailing model yachts. For almost 30 years, Jim maintained a prominent role in the Minuteman Model Yacht Club, teaching and mentoring members, both new and old. Jim also belonged to the American Model Yachting Association, a national model yachting organization. With this organization he served as regional director, as US1M class secretary, and in multiple publication support staff positions for their Model Yachting magazine. 

“In 2008, in recognition of his many achievements, Jim was voted into the American Model Yachting Association’s Hall of Fame.

“Jim was also diligent in maintaining relationships he developed in life. Every year, after the passing of his wife Sue, Jim would pack up several books-on-tape and take driving trips across the country to visit friends and family along the way. His weeks-long adventures would eventually end in San Diego, where he had a friend from high school to visit. He would then turn around and zigzag back across the country to visit people he missed initially.”

Jim’s passion for remote-controlled boats and for kids led him to the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton, which serves children and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities and where Ray Jackman worked in the Recreational Department. 

Jackman said that after Jim retired in 2000, he volunteered at the school to teach kids about model sailboats and help them build and race their own creations. 

The pair’s natural camaraderie from those sessions blossomed into a 25-year friendship, which deepened four years ago, when Jackman and his wife, Meesha, downsized from Westwood and moved into his late parents’ D Street home in Hull.

Each Saturday morning, Jim would text his friend to alert him that coffee was ready. Until recently, Jim would meet Ray at the door and they’d sit and read the latest edition of The Hull Times, talk a little politics, laugh a lot. Ray would attempt to do some household chores. Each spring, Jim would allow him to put the docks in at his waterfront home, but would protest when his friend talked about installing the air conditioners.

“I can do it,” Jim said recently.

“No, you can’t,” Ray retorted.

“Well, I can do the little ones,” Jim relented.

At 87, Jim realized he was failing. He wanted to make one more road trip to the West Coast. Jackman told him he might be able to accompany him, but that Jim couldn’t drive solo anymore.

Recently, Jim stopped meeting Ray at the door. Jim posted a computer-generated sign that directed visitors to “Bang Knocker Loudly And Walk In.”

Scrawled below that directive was “MAKE NOISE.”

Jackman said every Saturday he’d be “holding [his] breath as [Jim] turned the corner” into the kitchen in response to Ray’s calling out his name.

Jim and Sue Linville…

On June 8, Jim didn’t text that the coffee was ready. With trepidation, Jackman drove to Jim’s home and called out as he came through the door. There was no response. Jackman found Jim on the floor, semi-conscious but non-responsive. He summoned the EMTs, but realized he didn’t even know Jim’s address. A neighbor provided the missing information.

A week after Jim’s death, Jackman explained what their friendship meant to him. “I really miss our Saturday mornings. It was just really special. We were good to each other and we enjoyed each other’s company. He was older, and some people might have thought of it as a chore, but it wasn’t that at all.”

Jim and Sue had no children, and there are no local family members. Jim entrusted his longtime friend Kathy Linnehan to handle his affairs. A Scituate native and graphic designer by training, she worked with Sue Linville in the early ’80s.  Linnehan was 23. Sue was 41. The two immediately hit it off, professionally and personally. Linnehan moved into the Linvilles’ downstairs apartment. She and the man she would marry while living there, Joel Rosenbaum, enjoyed sailing with the couple on their catboat dubbed, appropriately enough, “Hull Cat.” The Linvilles also had a day sailer, “Duck Sloop.”

Sometime after Sue died of breast cancer in 2000, Jim gave up his sailboats but expanded his fleet of model racers, an avocation he continued until his death. His dining table remains cluttered with boat parts and hand-annotated design plans.   

Jim was cremated, and Linnehan will see that he and Sue are, at long last, reunited according to the terms of his will. Jim’s friends are planning a memorial reception to be held later this summer. We’ll swap stories and perhaps one of Jim’s far-flung relatives or old friends will be able to fill in the blanks of some of the more outlandish Linville tales. There was, for example, the time that two-year-old Jim pushed out the screen of an open window and fell 16 feet. “Howdy, Doc,” the local paper reported Jim said to the hospital doctor who examined him. “He had not a bruise,” the paper said.

Jim wasn’t as lucky the next time he took a fall. According to his Air Force discharge papers, Jim fell from a tree at Camp Cooke, California in 1958, and spent 71 days recovering from injuries that included fractures of his left arm, elbow, and a bone in his neck. He and the Air Force parted ways after the mishap. 

We’d love to ask Jim what happened next, and hear again his robust laugh as he’d tell the story of his whirlwind courtship of Sue, a co-worker he took on a date in 1962, warning that if she got into his car, he was going to point the TR3 toward Tijuana and marry her.

“Cool,” she said, hopping in.

His friends at the NFPA got it exactly right a quarter-century ago: Jim Linville was matchless.

Sister’s illness inspires seamstress to collect handmade ‘Hats for Hope’ for chemotherapy patients

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Longtime Hull resident Jean Liben has embarked on a project to donate 500 handmade hats to those suffering with hair loss due to illness, in honor of her sister Helen Valja, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2018.

Many in town may know Liben for her sewing expertise with her company Coastal Aprons, as well as Village Dresses, a mission project Liben began nearly a decade ago to send dresses to orphaned Haitian girls. In 2016, this inspiring story was also made into a children’s book of the same name.

Liben said the girls had nobody who could help them and desperately needed clothing. So, she and some friends got to work sewing dresses – hundreds of them. Now she wants to inspire others to make caps for those going through chemotherapy to remind recipients and their families they are loved and supported. She is calling this project Helen’s Chemo Hats for Hope.

“Helen was always supporting others throughout her life,” Liben said. “She would lend a hand to anyone who needed it… I am sure she would be thrilled with this project.”

The local seamstress is now asking the generous, hardworking people of Hull and surrounding communities to “donate their time, talent, yarn, thread, and fabric for handmaking caps through the art of knitting, crocheting, or sewing.” She would like to have the 500 hats completed by September.

Liben said her nieces, Jennifer, Wendy, and Amy, of Walpole, are very happy she is taking on this project in honor of their mother to help patients going through these extremely challenging times to feel a little less alone.

She said she is “being powered by the love, compassion, and kindness” her sister embodied in all areas of her life, which included working at the Quincy Shipyard right out of high school, becoming a homemaker, volunteer Girl Scout leader, preschool teacher, and eventually a grandmother.

At the Jacobs School, Liben taught Girl Scouts how to make no-sew scarves; she thinks it would be great if leaders want to help their Scouts get involved.

Liben said Helen’s Chemo Hats for Hope project is off to a great start; she has at least 100 hats so far to assist patients who are balding, have partial hair, irritable scalp, or wear wigs.

“They are coming from everywhere; even as far as California…I have them all bagged, tagged, and ready to go,” she said.

Although she does not knit or crochet like her sister Helen, Liben has begun sewing caps out of a variety of fabrics. She had been told vibrant colors, designs, and styles can boost the moods of patients, where softer tones can foster a soothing and tranquil effect.

“My sister Helen could knit or crochet anything…her blankets were as beautiful as a picture,” said Liben.

Liben is moved to know this simple act of kindness can make a difference in the lives of people going through hardship by letting them know even strangers are seeking ways to ease their pain and support them on their journey.

Those who have not gone through it may not know that chemotherapy can cause heads to become tender. Wigs can be itchy, uncomfortable, and expensive compared to caps, which can be made from softer materials.

The key when knitting or crocheting cancer caps is to safeguard the delicate scalp and skin by opting for breathable, lightweight yarn such as bamboo and soft cotton, while steering away from synthetic fibers.

Choosing smooth or non-irritating textures in yarn or fabric helps prevent scalp irritation, while ensuring maximum comfort.

Createtodonate.org has a variety of free patterns for crocheting chemo hats and cancer.org has free hat patterns, including one this is reversible.

When the hats are distributed, Liben hopes recipients receive some comfort from knowing how much love, care, and prayers went into handmaking each one.

“Who knew sewing could bring you to these heights?” asked Liben. “It is a joy to shine some brightness into the days of those in need.”

If you would like to help Jean Liben to support patients on their cancer journey by providing caps to serve as a representation of courage, faith, hope, and love, email her at jvl51@comcast.net.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

Get your tickets now for the circus coming to the HRA land next week

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. 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.

Weir River Water System commissioners to meet Wednesday to discuss ‘totally unacceptable’ discolored water issue

By Carol Britton Meyer

The ongoing issue of brown water that has affected customers of the Weir River Water System in Hingham, Hull, and North Cohasset – some for a prolonged period of time – will be the subject of a public meeting on Wednesday, June 26, at 2 p.m.

FIRE WATER. Members of the Hull FIre Department helped residents load cases of bottled water into their cars across from central Fire station on Friday. another distribution is being planned for monday, june 24.

The Hingham Select Board, acting as water commissioners for the water system, will conduct the meeting in person at Hingham Town Hall in the third-floor meeting room. It also will be available for remote participation over Zoom; check www.hingham-ma.gov for the agenda and Zoom link.

This will be an opportunity for frustrated WRWS customers in Hull and the other two communities to express their concerns and to ask questions.

Weir River Water System Managing Director/Superintendent Russell Tierney will attend the meeting, and representatives of Veolia, the company that manages the system, have also been asked to be there.

“For people to see brown water coming out their faucets is totally unacceptable and falls far short of the standards the WRWS needs to maintain,” Hingham Select Board Chair Joseph Fisher said in an interview with The Hingham Anchor, an online news site.

Select Board member William Ramsey said he will be asking “a number of questions at the meeting that I want answers to. I want to know the cause of why this is happening; what can be done internally to prevent it from happening again; and how long the discolored water will continue. I also want to ask about the safety of the water -- what is actually in it? Nobody wants to drink brown water. Brown water is completely unacceptable under any circumstance.”

Fisher said the board as water commissioners “is on top” of the situation, including ensuring that Veolia notified the state Department of Environmental Protection about the discoloration issue. “MassDEP sets standards for safe drinking water in the state, and the results from tests on the WRWS water confirm it’s in compliance with DEP standards,” he said.

Ramsey also noted that heat waves are not uncommon during this time of year, “although we typically get these higher temperatures in July and August. [That said,] we haven’t had discolored water in the past during heat waves.”

Customers in Hull, Hingham, and Cohasset who would like to receive regular updates about the brown water issue and other WRWS news can subscribe on the WRWS website.

“We need to be sure the messages are getting out consistently and that we’re not missing folks but also to ensure we’re not overburdening WRWS customers with too many notifications,” Fisher said.

Brown water also affecting Hull restaurants

The discolored water is also a major concern for Hull restaurants, according to Brian Houlihan, who owns The Parrot in Hull, Bia Bistro in Cohasset, and Trident in Hingham.

At the Parrot, the water has been so discolored that staff have needed to change the filters on the ice and soda machines much more frequently than usual/

“We’ve also bought a ton of bottled water,” Houlihan told The Hull Times. “We’re using extra cleaning agents when we wash the dishes. The water for the whole building is filtered, but the system doesn’t get rid of everything, so we’re using five times the normal amount of filters.”

Beyond the inconvenience and added expense, “it’s a matter of trust,” he said. “Will people come to the Parrot and other Hull restaurants if they’re not aware whether the water is being filtered? Everyone needs to drink water, especially during a heat wave.”

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

HRA agrees to pay $130K toward Fort Revere tower, master development plan

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

The Hull Redevelopment Authority this week agreed to contribute $130,000 to the town for economic and community development projects, including work on the master plan and “gap funding” for renovations to the historic water tower at Fort Revere.

The 4-0 vote took place at the in-person meeting at Memorial School on Monday night; member Dan Kernan was not present for the vote due to prior work commitments.

Several community members in attendance expressed discontent that they were not recognized to make comments at the public meeting.

The motion was made in response to the town manager’s formal request to the HRA for $150,000 to restore the water tower. Since making the request, the town acquired a $75,000 grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, leaving a gap to meet the base bid for the work. The final amount of $130,000 represents two years’ worth of payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOTs) of $65,000 that the HRA has not made during to the town.

Town Planner Chris DiIorio said that when town meeting voters declined to fund an additional $600,000 for the tower in the fall of 2023, the town removed three items from the bid: electrical work to have lights on the tower, work on the base around the tower, and waterproofing.

DiIorio said the consultant on the project recommended moving forward with the waterproofing because the town received a competitive price; including waterproofing the total bid is $2.36 million.

“We are very close to moving forward and this has been on people’s radar for decades now,” said DiIorio, imploring the HRA to make the contribution because the town needs the funds before signing the contract with the low bidder.

PILOT agreements help communities recoup lost revenue from property that is exempt from taxation. However, these funds could not be designated in the motion as a PILOT, because the monies would go into the town’s general fund and there would be a waiting period until they were available.

HRA member Bartley Kelly said the PILOT is a way of giving the town money, but the HRA does not have to specify its purpose. Members ultimately said they were comfortable with how the money would be used even if it was not included in the motion.

“The wording is fine as long as the money goes where it is supposed to go,” said HRA Chair Dennis Zaia.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable said the last two years of PILOTs are similar to the amount of funding needed for the gap on the tower project and meeting the needs of developing the master plan for the town.

“Recently, the town signed a partnership agreement with the DCR…the HRA supporting the funding ask shows a willingness to support the town as well as the DCR,” said Constable.

“Working together with the DCR can be a collaborative effort to improve the area,” said DiIorio.

“There is a patchwork of land ownership up at the fort,” said Constable. “It is complicated moving forward. The entire fort is an asset, and it has fallen into great disrepair… we need to do a better job of maintaining the properties, and that comes with a cost.”

Member Adrienne Paquin expressed concern there is no money currently allocated for maintenance of the tower once it is restored, and the town does not seem to have a solid number for the cost associated with maintenance.

Constable stressed the importance of funding the master plan because it will be the guiding document for the next 10 years to define what Hull is, what the town is going to become, and how the partnership with the state will be expanded.

“We got a large piece of a small pot,” Constable said, referencing the funding from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. “The state sees this as an important project.”

Zaia said the HRA will award grants in different situations; however, this practice stopped about nine years ago because the HRA did not want to be put in the position of deciding what is a “valuable project and what is not.”

Constable said she understood the difficult position the HRA is in if members must decide which projects, how many, and to what extent to give support. She agreed to work with the select board to develop a PILOT payment structure for the HRA moving forward.

Joan Senatore, who made the motion to award the funds, said she is agreeable to paying the amount equivalent to the unpaid PILOTs, and then work with the town manager to develop a plan for future payments.

“It is a worthy endeavor to fund the tower and the master plan,” Kelly said.

“We are making a donation to the community because we are partners,” Zaia said.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

Library to eliminate fines for overdue books, upgrade WiFi and expand programming

By Carol Britton Meyer

Hull Public Library will soon be fine-free – with the exception of Library of Things items – joining the 85% of Massachusetts libraries that have already adopted such a policy. The change is expected to go into effect by early August.

At a recent meeting, the library board of trustees unanimously supported Director Brian DeFelice’s recommendation for the library to go this route following a convincing presentation.

“Hull had been an outlier in the Old Colony Library Network on this subject,” trustees Chair Celia Nolan told The Hull Times. “As Hull library items [that are returned late] have been incurring a fine even if they are borrowed through or returned to another library, this makes Hull a less desirable source – and income from fines is minimal.”

DeFelice noted that fines have not been found to increase timely returns, but rather, may deter patrons from continuing to use the library when they owe fines, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged.

He also explained that fines have an inequitable effect, as they only apply to print material, so patrons who do not have access to or are not comfortable with digital devices (or simply prefer physical materials) are the only ones to whom the fine applies.

“This doesn’t mean there’s no accountability,” Nolan said. “There will still be a replacement cost for items not returned and a hold on new borrowing if $15 or more is owed.”

No other change is expected to library charges, including printing, lost or damaged materials, and borrowing from libraries that do fine for late returns, among others.

In other business at the meeting…

• New library cards are now available, featuring a drone photo of the library building. “Even better than the aesthetics of the new card, patrons can have both a wallet card and key tag for a single account,” Nolan said. Previously, patrons could have only one.

• The library’s WiFi service has been upgraded to “50 times faster” (from 5 mbps to almost 250 mbps, according to DeFelice) than it was before, according to Nolan. The air conditioners are also being installed.

• Programming for all ages is planned. Event information is posted on the library’s website and Facebook page, as well as on the new screen in the Children’s Room.

• As a result of the board’s annual reorganization, Nolan will remain chair, with Emmy Garr as vice chair and Curt Miller now serving as clerk. Alice Sloan was welcomed as the recently elected board member.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

Light Board expects wind turbine repairs to be finished soon; to conduct rate study

By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Wind II turbine is expected to be back in service soon, according to Hull Municipal Light Board Chair Patrick Cannon.

The Hull Wind I turbine at Pemberton Point recently was demolished, while Hull Wind II at the former landfill remains offline, awaiting repairs to its computer system.

Hull LIght’s ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO PAY THEIR BILLS ONLINE.

“We’re just waiting for a couple of bolts that broke off [to be delivered] -- it’s a small repair, but the turbine is old and it’s not as easy to get parts as it was before,” Cannon told The Hull Times. “Hopefully it will be up and running in a couple of weeks.”

Hull Wind II, which generates enough energy to power 800 homes on an annual basis when working at capacity, has been offline for some time due to necessary repairs.

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

In other light board news…

⦁ A rate study is in the beginning stages.

“We’ll be figuring out Hull Municipal Light Plant’s operating budget for the next three to five years with assistance from MMWEC [Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company],” Cannon said. “The cost of electricity and the costs associated with the line crews and the office staff, equipment, and other expenses will be considered, as any other business does, [and then the rate will be determined].”

The non-profit MMWEC, through an energy partnership established in 1969, assists Massachusetts municipal light departments such as Hull with their needs to contract for energy.

Further discussions related to the rate study will take place at future light board meetings and will be posted on the agenda, with opportunity for public input, according to Cannon.

• A new paperless billing system took effect this month “using new software that will bring us into the 21st century,” Cannon said. Visit https://hullmlp.com/smarthub/ for information about how to pay a bill online with a credit card or by phone.

Visit https://hullmlp.com/rates/HMLP to learn more about electricity rates and billing.

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.