By Carol Britton Meyer

No longer allowing telephone poles to be placed along the railroad bed in the northern alphabet section of town, a stipulation that was included in a town meeting-approved warrant article this spring, isn’t yet in effect because the town is awaiting Attorney General approval of the policy, Town Manager Jennifer Constable reported to the select board last week.

In the meantime, poles have been placed this year “while the town decides the ownership of particular land and the best mitigation for that stretch,” Constable reported. “Technically, it’s not a roadway, although we know it needs to be accessed by residents.”

Constable asked that the poles not be removed, as some residents have requested.

Photos courtesy of Katherine Borsody.

“They are there for a reason,” she said. “We will meet with the neighborhood to discuss possible options once we have a potential recommendation.”

This relates to a policy developed in the 1990s that telephone poles could be laid across the property from roughly M to X street to block the passage of vehicles, as well as obstruct pedestrian and bicycle access. The goal now is to make the area safer and more appealing for pedestrians and bicyclists while considering input from residents living in the area.

In other business at the meeting…

Interviewing 24 candidates for seats on 10 boards, commissions, and a task force took up almost the entire agenda at last week’s select board meeting. These ranged from the board of health and No Place for Hate Committee to the historic district commission and opioid abatement task force.

The board appointed the following citizens:

⦁ Board of Health: Sarah Chorney, a registered nurse who said she will work to support wellness in the community.

⦁ Economic Development Committee: James Ianiri, Jennifer Mullin, and Susan Vermilya. Ianiri said he’s deeply invested in the town and wants it “to thrive,” while Mullin thinks there’s a need for the EDC to “focus on helping local businesses survive during the off-season,” and Vermilya is interested in finding out what “causes people to leave town,” seeking services in neighboring communities when similar services are offered here in town, and also suggested an associated “Invest in Hull” campaign.

⦁ Historic District Commission: Current chair Julia Parker and 30-year member Don Ritz were reappointed, along with new members Bruce Miller – who went before the commission while purchasing a second home and became interested in the process – and Peter-Michael Preble, who also went before the commission with an earlier project and has served in a similar capacity in other communities.

⦁ Historical Commission: Dennis Riley was reappointed; there were no other applicants.

⦁ No Place for Hate Committee: Founding members Rhoda Kanet and Pam Wolfe and Celia Nolan were reappointed, along with new member Susan Neiman, who became aware of the committee through a Martin Luther King Day event and wanted to get involved.

⦁ Parks and Recreation Commission: AnnMarie Dunn and Gary Twombly were reappointed to the two positions.

⦁ Beautification Committee: Camellia Bloch, Maureen Koelsch, Michael Parks, and Amy Russell were appointed, joining other citizens who were named to the committee earlier. Bloch and Koelsch, who summered in Hull as a child but is now a resident, have already been involved with helping to beautify the town by picking up trash when they walk around town and wanted to join the committee to assist with other efforts. Parks noted that since he moved to Hull in 2007, “I have seen this town get better and better. It’s a community to be proud of,” he said. Parks suggested that the commission gather ideas from citizens who would like to see additional improvements “but are not sure how to get them done.” Russell said she loves “this beautiful town” and wants to help out in any way she can.

⦁ Conservation Commission: Tammy Best, who has served on the commission for eight years, was reappointed.

⦁ Clean Energy Climate Action Committee members Ben Maitland-Lewis, Mark Kohn, and Judeth Van Hamm were reappointed. Kohn, who was present at the meeting, shared his interest in tidal power. “We have an ocean here,” he said.

⦁ Opioid Abatement Task Force, created by this year’s town meeting: Scott Miller, Scott MacDonald, Richard Schutte, and Deb Silverman were appointed as citizen members.

The task force is charged with developing a planning process and strategy associated with the expenditure of the town’s opioid abatement settlement allocation and will provide an annual report identifying the town’s guiding principles, strategies for implementation, and identify populations served. The task force will also include various town departments, such as public health, police, fire, and town manager’s office, as well as local partner programs.

Miller, MacDonald, and Schutte all have recovery coach or other experience helping those suffering from substance misuse, while Silverman has a nursing education background.

“I think this will be an impactful, well-rounded group,” Constable said.

A member of the audience commented that it was a good sign that there were so many interested candidates for such a wide variety of positions.

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