By Carol Britton Meyer

The Community Preservation Committee recently reviewed proposals by project proponents seeking Community Preservation Act grants for the next round of funding – ranging from a historic preservation plan for the town and Hull Lifesaving Museum boathouse restoration work to the continued preservation of historical town records and three Village Fire Station reconstruction options. All of the projects being considered total about $3.6 million, although the fire station plan has three options, each slightly more involved, and more expensive.

The date for the formal presentations of the proposed projects, complete with all the details, is Monday, January 6 –and Monday, January 13, if needed.

The proposals, amounts requested, and project proponents are:

⦁ Village playground and basketball court construction, $580,000, requested by the Town of Hull, through Community Planning & Development Director Chris DiIorio. The planned playground renovations “aim to improve the play experience for children and improve the park for people of all ages,” according to the application. If approved, new playground equipment would replace outdated structures, offering a range of activities such as sliding, swinging, spinning, bouncing, balancing, and climbing to help diversify the type of play experiences available to Hull youth.

The proposal includes a new landscaped entrance area with bike racks and an information kiosk leading to shaded benches and an ADA-accessible table that will provide “a comfortable resting space for families and to foster social interaction.”

The basketball court would be reconstructed with a small retaining wall along Main Street to allow for additional landscaping and ease of maintenance. All improvements would be connected by ADA-accessible walkways. The CPC approved funding in 2022 in the amount of $57,000 for design and engineering plan development.

⦁ Friend Park/Jones Playground construction, $530,000, requested by the town, also through DiIorio’s office.

⦁ Boathouse restoration, Hull Lifesaving Museum, $137,500; requested by the museum.

⦁ Historic preservation plan, $25,000 (with the intention of applying for a matching grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission) for a total project cost of $50,000; requested by the Hull Historical Commission.

⦁ Lifesaving Museum restoration, exterior paint/lighting, $111,000, requested by the museum.

⦁ Paragon Carousel roof replacement, $125,000, requested by the Friends of the Paragon Carousel.

⦁ St. Nicholas Church, restore/exterior paint; $35,000, requested by trustee James Pitrolo.

⦁ Continued preservation of historical town records, $100,000, requested by Town Clerk Lori West. The next assets to be digitized would be the town’s street maps and record books. CPC member Nathan Peyton requested more details about the overall scope, because it is a multi-year project.

⦁ Three options for Village Fire Station: reconstruction of the first-floor area to create better conditions for the firefighters, $500,000; first-floor area reconstruction and installation of interior stairs to the second floor, $575,000; and reconstruction of the first floor area, installation of an interior stair to the second floor, and renovation of the second floor with a new kitchen and sleeping areas, $735,000, requested by the town. “$700,000 would be the dream,” DiIorio told CPC members. “We’re exploring all avenues.”

This request is for additional funding for historical preservation and to improve the functionality of the Village Fire Station.

“The plan for the historical rehabilitation work has gone through several iterations, as the importance of this facility as a fire station has grown somewhat from the original request and the necessity to house a larger fire truck has become apparent,” according to the application.

In addition, as plans have developed, cost estimates have become more accurate, according to DiIorio. Currently, “$1.5 million has been approved and is in place to completely preserve and rehabilitate in an historically appropriate manner the exterior of the building, to modify the interior garage area to accommodate a larger truck, and to upgrade the garage floor and systems to meet modern standards for a firehouse garage,” the application states. Funding is not in place for upgrades in the other spaces. The Hull Historical Society has occupied the second floor of the fire station, which was the location of Hull’s first town hall and school, for decades.

CPC member Rachel Kelly expressed concern about the amount of CPA funding already allocated to the project and that some of the proposed improvements would not fall under the historic preservation category, but rather, under departmental expenses and would therefore not be eligible for CPA funding.

“There’s a big push among committee members as to what the fire department is going to put into [this project] from their budget,” Kelly said.

⦁ Community housing category (estimate), $70,000;

⦁ Administration costs (estimate), $30,000.

CPA funding comes from a 1.5% property tax surcharge approved by voters in 2016 that can only be used for community housing, historic preservation, and open space/recreation projects. The state partially matches these funds each year.

The CPA requires that at least 10% of each year’s community preservation revenues be spent or set aside for each of the three categories. The remaining 70% is available for spending on any one or more of the categories according to the preferences of the committee and town meeting.

Applicants are encouraged to include potential non-CPA funding sources if applicable.

“We will have to make choices, because we can’t approve all [of the proposals],” said James Ianiri, who co-chairs the CPC with Dennis Riley.

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