The top news stories of the first half of 2022, compiled by The Hull Times staff…

JANUARY

Public access to town buildings was again restricted in response to the rise in cases of COVID19 driven by the Omicron variant. Public health guidelines such as masking and social distancing were encouraged. The two-week new case count rose to 149 cases, compared to 58 cases in early December. Hull Public Schools recorded 76 positive cases in the first week of the new year.

The select board appointed Hull Police Department Special Officer Michael Sampson to the position of animal control officer. Sampson previously worked as a seasonal officer and special officer for the Hull Police Department.

In response to rising cases of COVID19 and a shortage of testing, a temporary regional drive-up testing site was opened, sponsored by the health departments of Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, and Scituate. Later in the month, the Hull Board of Health secured nearly 4,000 at-home test kits for distribution to residents.

The Hull Redevelopment Authority announced that the town, through the Community Development and Planning Office, had secured funding in the amount of $272,000 from MassWorks Infrastructure Program to support a two-way road project in the Nantasket area. The grant will provide for the continued development of the initial design plan concept, funded by the HRA, into fully designed and shovel-ready construction plans.

The fiscal 2022 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program announced that $5 million in grant funding was awarded to 306 Massachusetts fire departments, including Hull’s. The grant program enables fire departments to purchase a range of equipment intended to make firefighters’ jobs safer, such as protective clothing, communications equipment; thermal imaging cameras; and health and wellness equipment. Hull was awarded $11,779.70.

After two months missing, Hullonian cat King Philip was found and safely returned home. Philip, well-known around town, had been taken in by a well-meaning family, renamed Max, and moved to Stoneham, before being reunited with his owner.

The town-approved Alternative Compassion Services medical marijuana dispensary at 175 George Washington Blvd. cleared its final hurdle with the issuance of a license by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Renovations at the former Java Jungle coffee shop, where the dispensary would be located, had been complete for some time.

Due to an impending snowstorm, the annual Drowned Hogs swim was postponed. The Drowned Hogs Ball was still on and the swim would take place in February.

The Hull Lifesaving Museum hosted its first monthly veterans’ rowing event at the museum’s boathouse. The program was an outgrowth of the ongoing First Friday veterans’ meetups held at the museum. Nearly 40 veterans braved the sub-freezing temperatures, fierce wind, and snow.

FEBRUARY

A blizzard brought heavy snow, pounding surf, and whipping winds. In its wake, Hull residents dug out from under more than two feet of snow and wind-blown drifts several feet high.

The select board reduced the numbers of cars parked in Hull Redevelopment Authority parking lots to 500. The total number of available spaces is 1,000.

As Hull’s COVID19 positivity rate continued to decline, town buildings reopened to the public, with masks optional for staff and members of the public. Hull boards and committees were able to resume using public buildings for in-person meetings. A flexible mask policy for the Hull Public Schools went into effect when students and staff returned from their winter break. Masks were still required on school buses, according to a federal mandate, and in school nurses’ offices.

The Hull Redevelopment Authority designated its Water Street parking lot as a municipal lot from May 1 to Oct. 1 for residential parking. It also approved the use for the large parking lot for Hull Boosters carnival in June and the Hull Youth Football carnival in July.

The Drowned Hogs’ annual swim was delayed by the January blizzard, but February saw a devoted crew taking the plunge to raise money for Wellspring. Participants included a wizard and Cookie Monster. A few weeks later, a polar plunge to benefit Special Olympics took place.

Town Manager Philip Lemnios presented a balanced FY23 $45.4-million town budget proposal, representing a $1.9 million – or 4.32% -- increase. The proposed $29.02 million operating budget included $12.1 million for general government and $16.3 million for the schools.

The town’s health department distributed free COVID19 rapid test kits in the DCR parking lot on George Washington Boulevard. Drivers were able to stay in their cars and pick up the tests from organizers.

Residents of a two-family home on Bay Street were displaced when a fire heavily damaged the building, bringing mutual aid companies from Hingham, Cohasset, and Norwell. Residents were evacuated and no injuries were reported.

The first Nantasket Vehicular Snow Show was a successful fundraiser for the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s veterans’ programs. The show on the HRA property attracted an array of nearly 100 winter vehicles ranging from heavy-duty plows to ATVs, Jeeps, Land Rovers, and trucks, along with snowmobiles, and a ski-lift gondola.

MARCH

The Plymouth County treasurer presented the town with four checks totaling $128,137 as the latest round of CARES Act reimbursement for COVID19-related expenses incurred during the pandemic. $1.58 million had already been reimbursed to Hull from the CARES Act and more requests for Hull were still making their way through the system.

After two missed years due to COVID19 restrictions, the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s 41st annual Snow Row drew a strong turnout. Nearly 120 rowers from across New England raced a 3.75-mile course from Windmill Point, around Sheep Island, past the Peddocks Island marker, and back to the shoreline. Forty-five boats competed, and more than 300 spectators watched the race and supported the rowers. Organizers used a Ukrainian flag to mark the shoreline as a tribute to those affected by the ongoing Russian invasion of that country.

U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch announced that the federal government’s FY22 appropriations bill included funding to replace the sewer pumping station at Pemberton Point.

Students at the Jacobs Elementary School achieved a schoolwide goal of 200,000 minutes of reading and 1,000 acts of kindness during the school’s 19th annual Read-A-Thon event this month.

Spotted in Hull: Crocuses. Daffodils soon to come.

APRIL

Town Manager Lemnios reported that the original intent to pave 27 miles of Hull roads between 2018 to 2022 in accordance with a town meeting-approved pavement management plan would not be fully accomplished. Although progress would continue, the drainage systems in many of the roads would need to be repaired.

A group of 25 to 30 students gathered across the street from Hull High School before school in a show of solidarity for a classmate following a complaint regarding a bullying incident.

A hoax 911 call on April Fool’s Day resulted in a Hull home being surrounded by officers in tactical gear from five area towns. A reverse-911 call notified residents to “shelter in place” and avoid the area, and Nantasket Avenue was temporarily closed. The initial investigation revealed that the residents were inside, and police entered the home to confirm that no one was injured.

The Best Educational Use of School Facilities Committee held a public hearing to gather feedback from residents on how to manage the buildings currently used for educational instruction.

An expanded spring schedule for ferry service to Boston from Hull’s Pemberton Pier took effect. A little more than 18 months after the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority considered eliminating the boat service, the MBTA recognized the increased demand for the service, which also stops in Hingham.

Under the state’s draft guidelines for a new multi-family zoning requirement for MBTA communities served by bus, commuter rail, ferry, or other forms of public transportation, Hull would be expected to accommodate 1,171 units of this type of housing within at least one zoning district designated for that purpose. The legislation was enacted as part of an economic development bill designed to address the state’s growing housing crisis.

Hull High School Principal Nicole Nosek announced that she would be resigning from her position at the end of June after accepting a position as assistant principal of Hingham High School. Additionally, Daniel Mastrogiacomo, assistant principal, announced he would be leaving to become an assistant principal at Oliver Ames High School in Easton, also effective at the end of June.

MAY

During the first night of Hull’s 2022 annual town meeting, voters approved spending $2.2 million to renovate and make repairs to the Fort Revere water tower, the new fiscal budget of $45.4 million, and $1 million for phase one of work on the Nantasket Avenue seawall near Fitzpatrick Way. Voters also approved an adjustment to the zoning bylaw required by the state of communities served by the MBTA to encourage multi-family housing near transit stations, and $525,000 toward the costs associated with the completion of the Hull Sanitary Landfill assessment and closure.

The second night of town meeting voted to fund several Community Preservation Committee projects. Electronic voting at town meeting was also approved, as was funding for an assistant town planner and an assistant conservation administrator.

As the road work being done on Atlantic Avenue progressed, members of the Hull Garden Club – along with the Department of Public Works – moved the weeping cherry tree from the traffic island outside the police station to Joe Menice Ballfield.

Nine-term select board member John D. Reilly, Jr. was unseated in the annual town election, while Jennifer Constable was re-elected. Irwin Nesoff finished with 793 votes to Reilly’s 630. Reilly’s 27 years as a selectman were recognized and his service in that position was appreciated. Town Moderator George Boylen, Assessor Richard Morris, planning board member Nathan Peyton, Hull Redevelopment Authority member Bartley Kelly, and library trustee Kevin Loechner ran unopposed and would continue in their current positions. Henry J. Dunn ran unopposed to fill a vacancy on the HRA. Caitlin Gould was elected to the library board and Meghan Reilly was elected to the planning board, both in write-in campaigns.

Hull Times Publisher Patricia A. Abbate died on May 14 at the age of 68 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Before Abbate and her husband, Thomas Foye, purchased The Hull Times in 2019, she served as manager of the Paragon Carousel, president of  the Hull-Nantasket Chamber of Commerce, and was the owner and publisher of South Shore Senior News. She will be missed.

Hundreds turned out for Hull’s annual Memorial Day observances, with a parade beginning at the high school and ending at Hull Village Cemetery. Volunteers placed flags at the war memorial at Monument Square and nine squares were dedicated in honor of veterans.

JUNE

Only a few weeks before hundreds of antique and classic cars were scheduled to travel from all over the region for the 17th annual Nantasket Beach Car Show, concerns about heavy traffic forced its postponement until September. The Massachusetts State Police asked the organizers to postpone the show because of its expected impact on beach traffic.

After three years in the shadow of COVID19, a restriction-free prom closed out senior year for Hull High students. Soon thereafter, 65 students of the Hull High School Class of 2022 graduated at Finlayson Field, supported by their families, friends, and teachers.

Wellspring announced that 14 students would graduate from the Oddleifson Learning Program, including four Hull residents. The Adult Learning Program graduation exercises were held at the end of June.

Family Pride at the Paragon Carousel was a rousing success, as was the Drag Brunch at Nantasket Flatts. Subsequent commentary about the appropriateness of the event in the letters section of The Hull Times, as well as in the community, raised concerns about anti-LGBTQ sentiments in Hull.

To honor Hull’s enduring relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard, the town was recertified as a Coast Guard City. Recognizing the honor at a ceremony at the Hull Lifesaving Museum were Executive Director Michael McGurl and Coast Guard Station Point Allerton Commanding Officer Justin Young.

Michael Knybel, the middle and high school principal in Lenox, was named the next principal of Hull High School. Knybel would replace Principal Nicole Nosek, who resigned to become the assistant principal of Hingham High School.

The committee studying the configuration of Hull’s schools recommended the consolidation of grades K-12 into two buildings and the repurposing of the Memorial Middle School. At a joint meeting with the school committee, the Best Educational Use of School Facilities Ad Hoc Committee unanimously recommended a PreK-7 configuration at the Jacobs Elementary School and grades 8-12 at Hull High School.

The Land Court trial to determine whether Graves Light is within the boundaries of Hull began, but was recessed for a month at request of the town’s attorney. The suit, filed in February 2020 by David Waller of Malden, disputes the Town of Hull’s claim that the lighthouse is within the town’s jurisdiction, and therefore subject to property taxes.

The Community mourned the loss of Gen. Richard “Butch” Neal, Hull native and role model. General Neal’s lifetime of dedication to his country epitomized the Hull lifesavers’ legacy of courage, service, leadership, and compassion exemplifying the ethic of the 19th century lifesavers. He was instrumental in Hull being certified as a Coast Guard City.

The town received $1 million in funding for seawall repair and design of a new senior center as part of a bond bill approved by the state Senate. The funding will be split between two projects – $500,000 to support the town’s efforts for the design and construction of a new senior center and the same amount toward a state condition assessment on the existing Point Allerton seawall and revetment.

Watch next week’s edition for a review of the top news stories of the second half of 2022.