Here is the second-half summary of the year in review
JULY
The controversy surrounding a proposed medical marijuana dispensary on the long-vacant former aquarium property ended, as Hull resident Sean D. Power announced his intention to put the property on the market.
The commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Point Allerton, Chief Warrant Officer T.J. Malvesti, turned over command to Chief Warrant Officer Justin B. Young. Malvesti held the post starting in June 2018.
A northeaster caused thick seaweed accumulations on the beachfront in several sections of Hull’s coastline. The situation was deemed a Board of Health issue because of high temperatures. The Department of Public Works pushed the seaweed back from whence it came.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced that Purdue Pharma had agreed to a roughly $4.3 billion settlement linked to the company’s role in the opioid crisis that caused hundreds of thousands of fatalities in this country, including 55 fatal overdoses in Hull since 2008.
The Hull Redevelopment Authority announced that it had forgiven the remaining balance of a loan granted to the Friends of the Paragon Carousel in 1996. The loan was granted to the nonprofit organization to help it purchase the carousel from the three businessmen who had rescued the antique merry-go-round at an auction 11 years earlier.
The Hull Senior Center celebrated its reopening with a spirited block party.
The Hull Municipal Light Board moved forward with a rate increase to cover the cost of renting backup generators for the coming winter to ensure electric power in the event of a prolonged power outage. The average residential electric bill was expected to rise by $6.97 a month for one year. The generators would be operational, if needed, from Dec. 1 through March 31.
As of late July, 6,575 Hull residents were fully vaccinated, including 55 percent of the town’s female residents and 45 percent of Hull males, according to Public Health Director Joyce Sullivan.
The Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Harbor Illumination lit up a perfect night, as flares stretched from A Street to the Village.
AUGUST
The 25th Hull Artists-hosted Open Studios took place this year after having been cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
Former Hull School Superintendent Michael Devine, whose contract was terminated in April 2020 amid allegations of professional misconduct, filed a $5 million federal lawsuit against the town and the Hull School Committee members involved with that action.
Hull’s Design Review Board initiated its review of the architectural plans for The Dunes, a proposed mixed-use development slated for a prominent site at the entrance to the town. That first look generated concerns about height, the mix of unit sizes, and other issues.
COVID-19 cases in Hull tracked the national trend of rising numbers, with 22 new coronavirus cases in Hull between Aug. 4 and 18. Of the 22 cases, 15 of the individuals were known to have been vaccinated at the time the update. Of Hull’s 9,795 residents, 68 percent are fully vaccinated.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health awarded a collaborative Public Health Excellence Grant to the towns of Hull, Weymouth, Hingham, and Cohasset totaling $300,000 for the first three years, with a renewal option subject to available funding.
Developer Chris Reale, who owns the Paragon Boardwalk, withdrew his application for The Dunes project, to have been located at 197 Nantasket Ave. The proposed five-story mixed-use development, if approved, would have included 116 residential units adjacent to the boardwalk along with some commercial space.
The Hull School Committee approved a mask policy in line with state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley’s issuance of a statewide universal mask mandate, which required all K-12 public school students (ages 5 and older), educators, staff members, and visitors to wear masks.
SEPTEMBER
Students returned to school under a full-time, in-person learning model, with a face mask requirement in place when inside school buildings.
The 16th annual Nantasket Beach Car Show did not disappoint spectators as more than 500 specialty vehicles lined Nantasket Avenue. The best in show trophy winner was the Welcome Home Vietnam Vets Float, a precision full-size replica of the Vietnam era Huey helicopter.
Hull Porch-Fest returned this year, with music ringing out from performers in Hull’s Kenberma neighborhood.
Hull was awarded a $239,500 Seaport Economic Council grant to fund engineering and design services and permitting for future dredging of Nantasket Pier, also known as Steamboat Wharf, where the Steamboat Wharf Marina is located.
The UMass Boston Gerontology Institute began conducting a community needs assessment survey to identify current and long-term needs of residents ages 55 and over in partnership with the town and the Hull Council on Aging.
The 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, was remembered with a solemn and heartfelt ceremony at the Bernie King Pavilion with music, prayers, and speeches.
Endless Summer, the annual waterfront street festival held up and down Nantasket Avenue along the beach, returned this year to the delight of the thousands in attendance.
OCTOBER
School administrators and School Committee members were disappointed with the latest round of MCAS results. At the same time, they acknowledged that the 2020-2021 school year posed serious challenges to student learning due to the pandemic and indicated that plans are in place to help students achieve higher scores in future years.
The public-school mask mandate issued by state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley in August was extended until Nov. 1, or later, at Riley’s discretion. It would subsequently be extended to Jan. 15.
Police Chief John Dunn provided an update to the Select Board, recommending that the board continue town-wide parking restrictions and a reduced parking scenario for the Hull Redevelopment Authority property, including police detail requirement.
The Hull Public Schools announced that it would participate in the Massachusetts Department of Education “test and stay” program, geared toward allowing as much in-person learning as possible. The purpose is to keep students who are close contacts of coronavirus-positive individuals in school until they potentially test positive – or not – through a daily testing program rather than having to quarantine right away.
A massive storm that clobbered Hull and the South Shore caused about 100 Hull customers to lose power, mainly due to downed trees. A large cutback in the trees near the National Grid line that feeds Hull’s power plant may have been a factor in the town not suffering a community-wide outage as it has so often in recent years. A declaration of emergency was made by the Hull Select Board in response to the storm.
Hundreds of Hullonians drove through state Department of Conservation and Recreation parking lot G and got their flu shots, as the Board of Health staged a successful repeat of its 2020 drive-through flu clinic.
Public Health Director Joyce Sullivan retired after working for the Hull Health Department for 25 years. Joan Taverna, Hull’s assistant public health nurse and health code enforcement officer for the past five years, was appointed to the position of public health director.
NOVEMBER
Hull Light filed a petition with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to open an investigation into the manner in which National Grid has managed the two electric lines that feed power to the 10,000 residents and businesses in Hull. The filing requested that the state DPU initiate a full investigation regarding National Grid’s “failure to follow good utility standards in maintaining the two lines,” Town Manager Philip Lemnios said.
Veterans were honored at an in-person Veterans Day ceremony at Hull’s War Memorial with Chief Warrant Officer Justin Young, the commanding officer at Coast Guard Station Point Allerton, as the keynote speaker. The ceremony, which took place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month as per tradition, drew a crowd of about 200.
A spectacular fall day ushered in the 35th annual Head of the Weir River Race. The course, spanning 5.5 miles, began at the Weir River Estuary, then out to the open waters of Hull Bay to the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Windmill Point Boathouse at Hull Gut.
The Hull Municipal Light Plant filed a lawsuit in Plymouth Superior Court to recoup $86,648 in charges that it had failed to bill two Sunset Bay Marina entities due to a clerical error by the light plant.
The Select Board agreed to adopt a $30,000 Rapid Recovery Plan, aimed at helping local businesses recover from economic losses related to the pandemic.
State Sen. Patrick O’Connor, of Weymouth, filed for and secured an amendment to a state bill directing federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to assist the ongoing recovery from the impact of the pandemic in Massachusetts. The amendment awarded $250,000 to Hull for immediate emergency improvements and repairs to the Nantasket Beach boardwalk area. In that same package, an amendment, also filed by O’Connor, awarded $25,000 to the Hull-Nantasket Chamber of Commerce to support the Hull-O Trolley program.
More than 200 volunteers prepped, cooked, and plated more than 900 Thanksgiving dinners for pickup, home delivery, or indoor dining at Daddy’s Beach Club. Meals for 800 people who might otherwise have gone without a holiday dinner and/or friendship were delivered in Hull and in 10 cities and towns across the South Shore
Cantor Josh Grossman, son of Temple Beth Sholom Rabbi David Grossman, led members of the Hull community in a menorah lighting ceremony at the gazebo at Monument Square. Following the traditional blessings, he led the crowd in festive holiday songs.
The Hull-Nantasket Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Showcase brought hundreds of holiday shoppers to the Nantasket Beach Resort. Twenty-eight individual vendors from Hull and surrounding communities greeted a steady stream of shoppers throughout the day.
DECEMBER
The Hull Pirates football team capped a stellar season by playing at Gillette Stadium in the Division 8 Super Bowl against Randolph. Although the team fell short against the Randolph Blue Devils, 20-14, the Pirates united the community this fall and were celebrated for a memorable season.
The Select Board voted for a reduced-capacity opening of the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s main parking area for the 2022 peak season. This would restrict the HRA to 400 spaces, as compared to 500 in 2020 and 600 in 2021. In addition, the board voted to hold a public meeting no later than March 15 to discuss the possibility of reducing the number of HRA spaces to zero for the 2023 season.
