Fallon Seat in Question: A special election for selectman will be called unless Martin A. Fallon, now in Florida, returns to the Hull board from which he has been absent since Aug. 25. Chairman Wallace E. Richardson said last night that, under Chapter 41, Section 109 of the General Laws, remaining members of the board can call for an election to replace a member who is no longer a resident of the town. Under the same law, a special election must be called if a selectman resigns or dies.
New Youth Director in Offing: Selectmen decided last night, on motion of David Berman, to retain the appointing power for selection of a new youth director, which will be funded under the federal Manpower Act at $12,000. Mrs. Helen Raymond of the Youth Commission said that 20 applications have been received since the job specifications were advertised last week, and she urged that the YC name the new director. However, Berman said the YC should screen the applicants down to five and then present the names to selectmen for appointment. He agreed on a suggestion from Judy Chapman of the commission to sit in on the applicant interviews now in process.
Renewal in Implementation Phase: The first phase of a 10-year, four-phase Hull renewal plan is now officially underway with the receipt of a $3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, signed by Regional Director Daniel Richardson on Oct. 4. “Execution of Project One for 30 acres in the Monument Square to Water Street area at Nantasket is now in effect,” said Hull Redevelopment Authority Chairman Charles E. Gould, who has led a 10-year planning effort by Hull officials to clear blight and increase the tax income.
Shannon Appointed Police Chief: Acting Police Chief Robert L. Shannon, 54, was appointed permanent chief by selectmen last night, effective at midnight Oct. 30, when Chief Short’s vacation ends and he becomes officially retired. Appointed a permanent-intermittent patrolman in April 1943, while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps overseas, Shannon became a permanent patrolman in June 1946 and was promoted to sergeant in December 1958. The new chief had a total of nine years in the Marine Corps and came out in 1946 as a sergeant-major. Born in New Bedford, Shannon became a Hull resident in 1938, when he married Linda Taurasi. They have two daughters, Mrs. William A. Doyle Jr. and Mrs. Joseph A. DiVito Jr., and three grandchildren.
To Honor Short at Testimonial: Retired Hull Police Chief Daniel A. Short will be honored at a testimonial dinner expected to attract close to 1,000 persons at The Surf Ballroom, Nantasket, on Friday evening, Oct. 15. Leonard Hersch is general chairman for the event, which will honor Short’s 43 years of exemplary public service as a police patrolman, including 26 years as chief of the department.
Funds for Dredging in the Works: Selectmen, on the request of Harbormaster George Jones and Hull Yacht Club Commodore John Kenerson, voted last night to request state legislation that would provide funds to dredge Allerton Bay to a 9-foot depth for the safe mooring of 250 pleasure craft and other boats. Kenerson said the Army Engineers are moving on a channel dredging project into the Windemere area at federal expense, and Coast Guard CWO Norman Rogers also backed the plan as a towing safety measure.
Longer School Year Possible: School Committee members met Monday night to discuss, among other topics, the possibility of establishing an extended school year for the Hull school system.
Hot Lunches for Senior Citizens: The Hull School Department, in cooperation with the Hull Council for the Aging and Senior Citizens and the Temple Beth Sholom Golden Age Group, will again sponsor a weekly hot lunch program for senior citizens this year.
Hull Racers Aid Ecology League: More than 40 bike racers raced 7 miles from Nantasket to Pemberton last Sunday to aid the Hull Ecology Action League Fund. Hundreds watched the racers along the route as Hull police cleared the way. The first rider to cross the finish line at Hull High School on a racing class bike was Greg Arnold, 19, of Edgewater Road, a Raytheon technician, in the excellent time of seven minutes and 23 seconds, followed closely by Joseph Hindes, 18, of Weymouth, in second place and Paul Rappaport, 24, of D Street, Hull, third.