WATER LINE TO BE REPAIRED TONIGHT

Beginning at 8 p.m. tonight [Wednesday], Aquarion Water will conduct a scheduled repair at 1066 Nantasket Ave.

During the repair, a water-main shutdown may be necessary. As a result, there may be a period of discolored water, poor water pressure, or no water pressure for homes located from the intersection of Nantasket Avenue and Fitzpatrick Way, all the way to the end of the peninsula at Pemberton.

In the event that a shutdown is necessary, Aquarion will alert residents with a Code Red phone call at around 10 pm. In preparation for a potential shutdown after 10 p.m., company spokesmen advise customers in the affected area to store water for drinking and other essential needs.

For additional information, visit <http://www.aquarionwater.com> or contact Customer Service at 800-928-3734.

Incumbents easily win reelection

Incumbents were handily reelected in all of the contested races in today's town election.

Eric Hipp and Stephanie Peters won new terms on the Hull School Committee.

Stephanie Landry and Patrick Cannon will continue their tenures on the municipal light board.

Appointed planning board member Stephen White will finish out a two-year, unexpired term. 

The Times will publish a full rundown of Monday's ballot in our May 18 edition.

– Susan Ovans

Schools data report is a WIN/win for statistics buffs

By Susan Ovans

A new grassroots coalition known as WIN (Women in Nantasket) contacted the Times last week regarding data that members are compiling about the Hull Public Schools.

The 22-page presentation contains statistics that public schools submit each year to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [DESE]. WIN members used these numbers to develop charts that depict enrollment trends not just in Hull but in neighboring communities and others that DESAE deems comparable to Hull; how the school department spends its money; and facilities usage.

The group said it’s compiling research data to “better understand the financial challenges Hull schools are facing” and to give local leaders and residents some of the information they need to begin talking about and planning for the future.

The Times agreed to publish the document on our website so that our readers would have convenient access to the data whenever they have the time and inclination to digest it.

We found WIN’s information both illuminating and, in one way, reassuring. Hull is not the only community that is facing declining enrollment. In fact, very few towns have increasing school populations.

But, as the data shows, Hull’s school population is declining at a far more accelerated rate than our neighbors’. [If the current pace holds, Hull schools will be down 100 students within five years, according to WIN data.] Yet school officials have yet to take concrete action to plan for the student population, both in the short- and long-term.

A lot of time and effort went into WIN’s school research. We’re happy to be the platform to make it publicly available. To view the document, go to the Times website home page, bottom left. Under Straight from the Source, click on WIN schools data.

Hull voters head to the polls today

Voting is underway at the Memorial School for the annual town election. Polls will be open until 8 p.m.

In contested races, incumbents Eric Hipp and Stephanie Peters are being challenged by Joseph Reilly and Gerard Whelan for two seats on the Hull School Committee.

Incumbents Patrick Cannon and Stephanie Landry are vying with David Ray for two seats on the municipal light board.

Daniel Simon and appointed member Stephen White face off for a two-year unexpired term on the planning board.

All other incumbents have no challengers. 

Aquarion wins state water-quality award

For the third time in four years, Aquarion Water Company has received a Public Water System award for outstanding performance and achievement in 2016 from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for its water system that serves Hull, Hingham, and North Cohasset.

For more than two decades, MassDEP has given these awards to acknowledge water professionals whose accomplishments in delivering consistent and safe drinking water to residents are worthy of special recognition.

All of the state’s 1,735 public water systems were eligible for this award, but only a select few were chosen by the regulatory agency.

In its size category, Aquarion is one of six service providers to win the award.

The criteria used to select top performing systems include overall water quality, as well as adherence to state regulatory compliance for more than 90 contaminants. Aquarion had no water violations and performs over 100,000 water quality tests annually, including tap-water lead and copper levels, to ensure water is safe to drink.

Vice President of Operations John Walsh said Aquarion strives to deliver to its customers the highest level of service and water quality. “It’s an honor to see the commitment of our staff recognized by the state drinking water regulatory authority for being among the best in the state,” he said.

SUPERINTENDENT TYRELL WILL RETIRE AUG. 1

By Susan Ovans

Dr. Kathleen Tyrell has given notice of her intention to retire as of Aug. 1.

Tyrell, who has led the schools for a decade, submitted her resignation to Hull School Committee Chairman Eric Hipp Thursday morning.

The superintendent said she wanted to wait until the end of town meeting before announcing her decision so that it wouldn’t be a distraction.

Town meeting ended late Wednesday night, after three sessions.

She informed Hull Public Schools’ staff in an intraschool message this afternoon that ended with a link to the '60s anthem by The Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn." Here's her message and the link:

Dear Colleagues,

I send this email with much appreciation for all you do for our children.  I have had the honor of being your superintendent for the past ten years, and I have had the privilege of working with many, many kind and dedicated people. Thank you for taking this journey of continuous progress with me.  I wish the entire staff, all students, and the School Committee every good fortune as I move into retirement mid-summer.  I want you to know that I am committed to working to ensure a smooth transition.  Please take a few minutes to enjoy one of my favorite songs. With appreciation and admiration, Kathleen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vM

A complete story about Tyrell’s retirement and what it may portend for Hull’s three public schools will be published in the May 11 Hull Times.

Market brisk as home prices rise to 10-year high

The median sale price of homes sold in Massachusetts last month hit its highest point in 10 years. The Warren Group reported Tuesday morning that the median sale price was $335,000 in March, up 6.5 percent from $315,000 in March 2016.

Higher prices didn't curtail activity. The 3,943 single-family homes sold in March represented the highest total since 4,158 home sales were recorded in March 2006. The median home sale price in March 2007, just before the Great Recession, was $340,000.

The Warren Group reported that single-family home sales were up 2.2 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2016, while the median price was up 7.2 percent. Year-to-date condo sales are up 11.8 percent compared to the same period in 2016, while the median price was up 8.5 percent.

"As the spring market ramps up, we're going to see these numbers climb, likely to levels at or even above those of the mid-2000s," Timothy Warren, CEO of The Warren Group, said in a statement. 

Local-option transportation tax pitched on Beacon Bill

By Colin A. Young, State House News Service

Pointing to a need for greater investment in transportation infrastructure, state lawmakers and local officials on Monday renewed an effort to allow cities and towns to ask voters to authorize a local tax to pay for transportation projects.

The bill (H 1640 and S 1551) would allow municipalities to join a regional district or act on their own to establish payroll, sales, property, or vehicle excise taxes to fund transportation. Voters in the city or town would need to approve the taxes. The bill would require the authorization for local taxes to expire after 30 years and would allow for an earlier sunset.

"It essentially lays out the procedures and it gives local control to these issues instead of waiting for the process through the state, which sometimes can take decades," Rep. Chris Walsh told the Joint Committee on Revenue. "It is used very effectively in other states ... we feel that this, basically, is a key mechanism to fund these capital projects for transportation." Walsh said the bill establishes a maximum amount that new taxes could be raised and creates a lockbox to ensure that the revenue raised for transportation is spent only on transportation.

Among those who testified in support Monday were the Brookline High School Environmental Action Club, Transportation for Massachusetts, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and MassINC. No one testified in opposition on Monday.

Steve Koczela of MassINC Polling Group said his organization has asked voters five times since 2012 about regional transportation ballot initiatives and has found "a remarkably and widespread and stable level of support for the idea." Across the polls, between 70 and 81 percent supported the concept, he said. 

Pilgrim Nuclear Station begins final scheduled refueling

By Michael P. Norton/State House News Service

Pilgrim Nuclear Station in Plymouth began powering down Sunday morning so that it can refuel for the last time.

According to a station spokesman, Entergy is investing $54 million during the refueling outage and bringing in more than 800 temporary workers to assist the plant's 620 full-time workers.

They plan to "upgrade, replace, and inspect hundreds of pieces of equipment," Pilgrim spokesman Patrick O'Brien said. "Operators at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station have commenced power reduction, marking the start of the facility's biennial and final refueling outage. This is the 21st and final refueling outage at Pilgrim."

It's not clear when the plant will power up. Pilgrim is scheduled to shut down for good on May 31, 2019. Citing the plant's record and rating by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, critics of the plant have been repeatedly calling for it to close down.