Special Town Meeting called related to request for additional package store license

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By Carol Britton Meyer

The Select Board this week acted upon a citizen’s petition bearing the requisite 200 signatures to call a Special Town Meeting related to the potential granting of an additional package store license for the Quick Pick Food Store on Nantasket Avenue.

The date was set for Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. at Hull High School, 180 Main St. When such a citizen’s petition is submitted and the signatures validated – as is the case with this one – the state requires that a Special Town Meeting be called within 45 days of receipt of the petition (July 17 in this case).

The required 100 signatures were also gathered for submission of the related warrant article asking the town to vote to authorize the select board to petition the General Court for an act of special legislation granting an additional liquor license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages to be drunk off the premises (package store license), submitted by Hull resident Christine Rivieccio, 16 Merrill Road, and others.

The wording of the article could change on the floor of Special Town Meeting, according to Town Counsel James Lampke, who also noted that Quick Pick already sells beer and wine and that a package store license would allow the store to also sell other kinds of alcohol. The town currently has the ability to issue four package store licenses, which have already been assigned.

Whether there will be other warrant articles for voters to consider is not certain at this time. However, the deadline for submitting additional citizen’s petitions is Monday, Aug. 14, at 3 p.m.

Lampke explained that even if voters approve the citizen’s petition request, the ultimate decision rests with the state legislature. The Select Board would also weigh in. Lampke also noted that it’s unusual “for someone to ask the town to petition the legislature to grant an additional liquor license for a particular location.”

Resident Anne Murray asked the board if in the future the details of such a request could be posted on the agenda so citizens “will understand what the agenda item is all about.” The agenda only mentioned a request for the Select Board to schedule a Special Town Meeting related to the citizen’s petition and the opening and closing of the warrant, with no further information included.

Murray also encouraged the board to educate residents that there is a cost to calling a Special Town Meeting – ”around $8,000 I’ve heard” – to address an issue or issues that didn’t appear on the regular Town Meeting warrant.

The Advisory Board will hold public meetings on the article(s) leading up to the Special Town Meeting. A

Temporary public comment policy approved; vacant board of assessors’ seat filled

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By Carol Britton Meyer

The Select Board took a final vote this week on its temporary public comment policy, unanimously approving allowing individuals to speak on virtually all agenda items during board meetings in most cases, effective immediately.

In a joint meeting, the Board of Assessors and Select Board voted unanimously to appoint Donna Sullivan to the Board of Assessors to fill a vacant seat with a term expiring May 20, 2024.

Sullivan worked in the Assessors’ office for 32 years before retiring from that position and has “a vast knowledge of [its workings],” she said before the vote. Both boards agreed wholeheartedly.

In other business at the meeting, the board approved Town Accountant Mike Buckley’s request for Fiscal 2023 year-end transfers from the town’s health insurance fund totaling $243,873 for the following purposes – Select Board (contractual payment to a long-term employee), $65,512; town counsel services related to resolving issues associated with the last town election, $24,959; town clerk, $5,200 to pay for expenses related to the second limited-hour town election; town buildings (Town Hall in particular), $80,077; overage for police department vehicle maintenance, $25,753; workers’ compensation (the town is self-insured, which could be revisited in the future, Buckley said in response to a question from a board member), $5,285; and town insurance for all town buildings, $37,087.

The board also approved George Boylen’s request to hold the annual St. Mary of the Assumption Festival on Sunday, Aug. 13, starting at 9:30 a.m. with a procession from A street Pier to the St. Mary of the Assumption Church (208 Samoset Ave.) for a Mass at 10 a.m., followed by the festival on church grounds.

“The Hull Police Department escorts the procession from the pier back to the church,” Police Chief John Dunn, who is also serving as acting town manager until Jennifer Constable assumes the permanent role, said. “It’s a very nice event.” A

HRA steps back to invite public to submit ideas for alternate uses of the HRA land

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By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

As the Hull Redevelopment Authority (HRA) explores modifications to its draft Urban Renewal Plan (URP) they are “stepping back” to invite Hull residents to submit their unique “visions” for the land. The HRA’s goal with their call for ideas is to “gather more information” to offer additional “choices” for community consideration. 

The HRA is “committed” to actively expanding their research on “suitable alternatives” to the existing draft URP. However, they do want people to understand the goals of the HRA are the same ones the redevelopment authority was founded on. 

“We are just looking to meet those goals in another way than already proposed…highest and best use is often spoke of in terms of dollars and cents, but there is a greater picture,” said HRA Clerk, Adrienne Paquin. 

Open space has been a major focus of the dialogue in the HRA public forums. “I want to see ideas that generate economic development beyond the four concepts in the current plan…provide overall quality to the community for our children and grandchildren; a centerpiece for the town to create a net benefit for Hull,” said HRA Vice-Chair, Dan Kernan. 

“Community wants open space; we (HRA) need to determine how we get there and fund continuously to maintain…no matter what we do there will be a cost associated,” said Bartley Kelly, long-time HRA board member and current Treasurer. 

“I am all for hearing alternate visions that will work, accomplish the goal, and are good for the community…will get behind that 100%,” said Kelly, also reminding everyone “the economic piece is not etched in stone.”

Citizens are encouraged to get their ideas in during the next couple of weeks. In August the HRA will begin to invite those who have made submissions to come to an HRA Board meeting to make their “pitch.” After the presentation there will be time for discussion and questions. Ideas sent in will also be reviewed and put on HRA02045.com for people to read. 

Patrick Finn, Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, has already submitted his personal vision for the land for review by the HRA and it is likely he will be the first to present. 

SOS, Save Our Space, has been working on their vision for the HRA property and will be submitting it to the HRA as soon as it is complete. 

“It is important to give a lot of thought to how to address this important piece of land in the heart of our community,” said Liz Kay, who has been a member of the core SOS team since its inception. 

“I am encouraged that the HRA Board is supporting looking at other options…it is hopeful,” she said. 

Dennis Zaia, HRA Chair said, “We are not going to make any decisions, but the board and others can understand more fully different points of view to come to an understanding of how to best use the property for the community at large.” 

The HRA board is considering all the ideas that have been voiced so far about open space, as well as other alternate uses of the land.  Zaia explained that all notes from the breakout sessions at the public forums are on the HRAO2045 website and those who would like to read them can find all the “granular detail” there. 

Steve Cecil, consultant from Form and Place, is working with his team to categorize the comments gathered at previous public forums. Zaia expressed “some of these comments may be the beginnings of ideas and visions, which will be presented.”

Kelly prompted those who have said they “do not like the plan” to help identify the “sweet spot” that creates “connection and sense of space” while also achieving the goals.  “It is going to take compromise on all sides,” he said. 

As interested parties submit their “dreams” for the HRA land, the HRA board would like them to think about how much of the land should be dedicated to open space, the best types of open space for the town, as well as costs of funding, operations, and future maintenance.

Zaia said “Ideas should have some meat on them…for example a person may say a performance center; that is not enough. Need something more to firm it up. What does it look like?  What are the costs and expenses? How can we make it happen?

 “We need to listen more to each other, not just the four of us (HRA Board) but all who attend the meetings…have awareness there are other ways to achieve what we all want.”

The HRA board and the consultants will organize all ideas to assist in the development of alternative Urban Renewal Plan concepts. 

“We want all ideas on the table; come share how it will work, the pros and cons…in the end it all comes down to whether it is implementable,” said Kelly. “Whatever is brought to the table must provide economic development to the town; how it provides it is the thing that can be debated.” 

“To improve the space, we have to take into consideration the rest of the town and what will be good for all,” said Kernan. 

The HRA challenges everyone to “imagine what is possible” when submitting their ideas to Contact@HRA02045.com. A

Select Board delays final vote on public comment policy to July 26

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By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board continues to refine a temporary public comment policy that would allow individuals to speak on virtually all agenda items during board meetings unless the board articulates a specific reason not to allow it.

“This is a work in progress,” Town Counsel James Lampke said this week, noting that the board “recognizes that public comments are important.”

The board voted affirmatively on an updated version that Lampke will review and revise and then present a clean copy at the July 26 meeting, at which time the board will take another vote. The temporary policy would take effect immediately once it gains final board approval.

In essence, the board will accept public comments on individual agenda items, except on the rare occasion when, for a specific reason, it decides not to due to time constraints, a full agenda, or to allow time to address other matters. But this decision cannot be made randomly. The board may also defer comments until an upcoming meeting.

The intent is for the chair, Greg Grey, to conduct all meetings in “an orderly and peaceful manner while recognizing the public’s rights of free speech,” Lampke said.

Each speaker, other than applicants making a presentation, the select board, town counsel, the town manager, and other staff, will have two minutes to present comments after being recognized by the chair. The chair could then decide to allow someone to speak a second time on the same agenda item after all those interested in speaking on that topic have had an opportunity to make their comments.

Speakers are required to identify themselves by name and address for the record, and are encouraged to confine their comments to matters related to agenda items.

“The select board is not obligated to respond, but may do so if [its members] wish,” Lampke said.

All individuals wanting to speak are encouraged to maintain “order and civility” and to present their remarks in a respectful manner, “treating others as you would wish to be treated,” Lampke explained. The policy is being drafted in response to a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case that determined that municipalities could not prohibit “rude” public commentary at meetings, but could put limits on how the public-comment period is managed.

“Let’s play it by ear and see how it goes, and the other four board members will act as watchdogs,” board member Jerry Taverna said.

In accordance with state law, “no person shall disrupt the proceedings of a meeting,” Lampke said. “If after a clear warning from the chair [this behavior] continues, the chair may order that person to withdraw from the meeting and could authorize a constable or other officer to remove [him or her] from the meeting. Hopefully, we will never get to that point.”

Lampke added that he has always recommended that when a discussion gets heated, that the chair call for a five-minute recess.

“Most of the time when the meeting resumes, everyone has calmed down, and the meeting can proceed in an orderly fashion,” he said.

The temporary policy also states that comments made by the public during public meetings “do not reflect the views or positions of the select board or the town.”

The same rules apply to both in-person and remote meetings.

Lampke called the temporary policy that was reviewed this week “a working document,” based on recent court decisions, other communities’ policies, and other sources.

Select Board begins negotiating new town manager’s employment contract

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The select board met in executive session Wednesday night to negotiate an employment contract with incoming Town Manager Jennifer Constable.

INCOMING TOWN MANAGER JENNIFER CONSTABLE

Constable recently was chosen by the select board from among three finalists to replace the retiring Philip Lemnios. She recently resigned from her job as Rockland’s assistant town administrator after four years in that role.

Constable’s service to the Town of Hull over the past 20 years includes terms on the affordable housing committee, planning board, and seven years on the select board. She holds a master’s degree in public administration.

At its June 28 meeting, the board appointed Police Chief John Dunn acting town manager and approved a proposal by Lemnios to provide interim consulting services from June 30 until Constable begins her duties. 

The board did not return to open session following the executive session Wednesday.

-- Carol Britton Meyer

HRA promoting two-way road plan to improve safety, ease traffic bottlenecks

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By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Regardless of what happens with proposals to develop the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s property, the board is moving ahead with plans to reconfigure the traffic flow by creating narrower, two-way roads along the HRA land and in the Surfside business district.

The traffic plan is similar to the road pattern that existed in the area before the HRA property was consolidated in the 1970s.

“The two-way road is important regardless of what happens with the HRA” Chris DiIorio, director of community development and planning, said at a recent meeting of the authority.

Kevin Dandrade, principal at TEC incorporated, who has been working with the town and the HRA since 2015, summarized the benefits of the two-way road: It improves the safety and quality of pedestrian spaces, allows for the “right-sizing” of Nantasket Avenue, eliminates current traffic bottlenecks, improves access for businesses and emergency services, and the transfer of surplus land to HRA will allow new road design to activate pedestrian space and knit together Surfside and Kenberma.”

Longtime HRA member Bartley Kelly, who also is the town’s building commissioner, said there are “three stakeholders” that own affected property: the town, HRA, and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“All three have to sign on to this improvement, and it is an improvement,” he said.

The transfer of land from the town to the HRA is not “simply a transfer,” said Kelly, adding the HRA will compensate the town “based on current land values.”

“There will be an HRA property transfer to the town for Edgewater extension, so the transfer goes both directions,” DiIorio said.

According to Kelly and DiIorio, the DCR has not been “responsive” regarding the two-way road plan proposal.

“Hopefully the lack of engagement will change with the new commissioner,” said Kelly.

DiIorio believes the DCR will eventually “get on board with” the changes because the agency will see the benefits.

“Perhaps a better strategy to get a response from the DCR regarding the proposed two-way road plan would be to incorporate those goals in the two-way road plan,” said Patrick Finn of Telegraph Ave.

According to Finn, state Sen. Patrick O’Connor presented a letter from the DCR to the select board this spring that “clearly stated the intent of the DCR to implement the goals of their master plan.”

Finn would like everyone to work together to pursue “fully funding the DCR Master Plan, along with the two-way road plan” to ensure the goals of both plans are incorporated in the HRA’s draft plan.

“The DCR mission is recreation, the HRA mission is development that produces tax revenues,” he said. “Let the DCR build their public boardwalk, rather than the HRA precluding the possibility of a widened pedestrian boardwalk with shade structures, benches, and a raised two-way bike lane.”   

HRA member Adrienne Paquin agreed the situation for bikers could be improved in the plan, saying the current plan for bikers “does not make sense to her.”

Safety has also been identified as a key concern in the decision to implement the two-way road plan. According Kelly, over the last three months there have been two rollover accidents on Hull Shore Drive, as well as some “near misses” with drivers going the wrong way on the road.

The current road allows people to pass, creating a “multi-lane threat,” while two-way traffic offers “safer crossing for pedestrians with single lane controls and better cross ]walk areas,” said Dandrade. “The signal at Edgewater extension offers the ability to control traffic with a signal for multiple purposes.”

Sue Vermilya, a founding member of SOS, Save Our Space, inquired about cost and the expected duration of construction.

Dandrade said the street reconfiguration will cost approximately $8 million. “Always flexible with how things go with construction…can specify that the bulk of the work be done in the shoulder season so no to tie up traffic in the busy season,” he said.

“It is going to cost a lot of money…funding is the biggest hurdle; MassWorks looks at economic development for any money,” said DiIorio. He said this a town project; therefore, the town is “exploring all other available sources of funding.”

MassWorks funded the preliminary work, while the initial 25% design was funded by the HRA.

Paquin expressed a desire to “decouple” the two-way road plan from the HRA Urban Renewal Plan discussions, rather than “linking them completely together so there is no flexibility at all.”

According to Dandrade, the reconfiguration received select board endorsement and town meeting approval in 2018 and has “utility” all by itself, but is “beneficial to the redevelopment of the HRA property.”

“The whole town benefits from the two-way road system,” Kelly said.

Lifesaving Museum to light up the night on July 29 with annual Harbor Illumination

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Continuing a tradition begun in 1881 along the town’s miles of shoreline, the Hull Lifesaving Museum will present its annual Harbor Illumination on Saturday night, July 29.

Volunteers will light flares that have been purchased to honor, remember, or celebrate loved ones along the two-mile stretch of the bay from A Street to Hull Village. Flares are still available on the museum website, www.hulllifesavingmuseum.org, or at the museum shop for those who have yet to reserve them, said museum Director of Development Maureen Gillis.

The collective celebration and personal remembrance event begins Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Hull Village Cemetery, where the legacy of Capt. Joshua James and the lifesavers who patrolled the shores in the late 1800s and early 1900s will be honored. Following that recognition, the Forever Flare memorial ceremony, sponsored by Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, will begin at 8 p.m. near the A Street Pier. The general lighting of the flares begins at 8:30 p.m., as the community and visitors gather along Hull Bay from the A Street Pier to James Avenue in the Village.

In Hull, lighting the harbor with candles and torches began as an end-of-summer celebration, with the first illumination organized by the yacht club in 1881. By the next year, The Boston Globe reported that the locals had ironed out any wrinkles, and the second annual event cast a bright glow from the verandas of local hotels and cottages along the shoreline.

“The residents of the charming village of Hull, as a rule, entered heart and soul into the preparation for the illumination… seen from the landing at the Hotel Pemberton, the many-colored lights decorating the cottages on the hill were mirrored in the surface of the water below, the twinkling lights reflected in the bay producing a most charming and delightful effect,” the Globe reported on the morning of Sept. 5, 1882.

This year, Hull Lifesaving Museum will celebrate Richard Boonisar with a Forever Flare as a thank-you for his continuous support of the Hull Lifesaving Museum. In addition, HLM will remember Brendan Geary, a longtime Hull resident and friend to the museum.

Individual flares can still be purchased for $10, while Forever Flares – which the museum will display every year to remember loved ones – are $300. Participants should contact the museum at info@hulllifesavingmuseum.org to buy flares or to purchase T-shirts and sweatshirts to support the museum’s diverse programming calendar throughout the year.

To prepare for the harbor illumination, staff members place the flares along the shoreline, and area captains are responsible for lighting them on cue.

“Volunteers are always needed to help the captains in each neighborhood ignite the flares to ensure a consistent glow, and residents interested in helping can approach the captains on the night of the event to assist,” Gillis said.

The Hull Harbor Illumination was an annual event in the late 1800s and early 1900s before being discontinued. The museum brought the tradition back for several years in 1989 as part of Joshua James Heritage Days, and in recent years the event has become part of the lifesaving museum’s annual fundraisers and community-building efforts.

Proceeds from the event support programs for children, adults, veterans, and underserved individuals throughout the year, including the new Maritime Apprentice Program, boat building and rowing programs. Gillis said that the museum values and is grateful for the support of its sponsors, including Pyne Keohane (memorial sponsor of Forever Flares), Save the Harbor Save the Bay, Woodard and Curran, Granite City Electric Company, Safe Harbor Sunset Bay, Local 02045, O’Donoghue Insurance Agency, Clean Harbors, Salt Water Club, Hingham Institution for Savings and the Rockland Trust bank.

The Illumination is a favorite event of photographers on land and sea throughout town, and with favorable weather in the forecast, the museum staff is looking forward to a repeat of the Globe’s assessment of the 1882 illumination: “The scene was one never before witnessed in this vicinity, and rarely surpassed by the display upon any similar occasion elsewhere. It was a picture of striking beauty, and one that, once seen, will not easily be forgotten.”

Developer drops request for Boardwalk variance; to ‘adjust concept’ in new plan

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By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

For the second time since 2021, plans to revitalize the Paragon Boardwalk property have been withdrawn by the developer.

In a June 29 letter to the zoning board of appeals, attorney Adam J. Brodsky, representing The Procopio Companies, requested to withdraw the application for a height variance “without prejudice,” meaning that the developer can reapply. If the variance had been approved, the 75-foot-high Paragon Dunes development at 183-197 Nantasket Ave. would have been 35 feet higher than the maximum 40 feet allowed in the Nantasket Beach Overlay District.

In response to a request for more information from the Times, Bryan Vitale, Procopio’s senior vice president, said the company wants to “adjust our concept” in response to “the changing economic landscape.”

“Procopio remains committed to bringing a project to life at the current Paragon Boardwalk site, and while we have withdrawn the current plan, we are continuing to adjust our concept while accounting for the changing economic landscape,” Vitale said. “We are excited about this opportunity in Hull and look forward to presenting a revised plan in coming months.”

The latest withdrawal is the second time a potential development plan has been voluntarily halted. In 2021, Boardwalk property owner Chris Reale withdrew his application for a smaller Dunes project that was to include 116 residential units in a five-story building adjacent to the Boardwalk, along with limited commercial space. Procopio proposed a six-story building with 142 residential units, as well as a three-story commercial structure and an attached one-story deck.

Previously, Brodsky had said that “anything below 142 residential units makes the project financially unviable as currently designed.”

The developer had presented the plans to the select board in January and was scheduled to go before the ZBA on June 6, but requested a postponement until July 18. ZBA Chair Patrick Finn said the Paragon Dunes project will remain on the board’s Tuesday agenda as “a matter of formality because they [Procopio] are not coming… I think the withdrawal will be a non-issue.”

Sue Vermilya, founding member of SOS (Save Our Space) Hull, a group that advocated for a delay in the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s development process, said she was concerned about the developer’s request to extend far beyond the height limit of the overlay district, which was established by town meeting in 2013.

“The town voted for NBOD zoning for our town. This included heights of no more than three stories,” she said. “The Paragon Boardwalk project was and continues to be out of touch with what was established with the NBOD. Additionally, their design is out of character with the Hull downtown area. If the town were to accept anything other than what's been defined in the NBOD, it could set a precedent for other town developments including any proposals for the HRA land.”

“It's refreshing to hear that members of our town boards are stepping forward and voicing concern over their proposal. It is my hope that they can find a new proposal that complies with our NBOD zoning and is a positive improvement to our town; a win-win for everyone involved,” Vermilya said.

“I can just say that I am happy that the application was withdrawn,” said resident Cindy Borges, who also had advocated for a slower approach to the HRA development. “In my opinion, there should be no reason for any building to be 75 feet tall.”

Other residents submitted comments to the ZBA in anticipation of the July 18 hearing. Many focused on the overlay district, which was adopted to express the community’s expectations of development in that area.

“The [NBOD] article was submitted by the planning board and went through considerable input and vetting from citizens in a process that included 21 public meetings,” said Susan Green of B Street. “My sense from what I have read and heard the majority did not want any more tall buildings on the beachfront of our beautiful town… I believe this zoning bylaw to be well thought out and one that its essence should not be compromised.”

The commercial building would be on the site currently occupied by Dalat restaurant and contain 25,762 square feet in three stories. The six-story residential structure is proposed for the area now containing the arcade building and miniature golf course, and would contain 141,145 square feet.

“It seems incomprehensible to develop a commercial building with three levels of business space when we have so many vacant business spaces in the community,” Helen and Richard Gould wrote to the ZBA. “A landowner or developer seeking to maximize his profits does not seem to meet the qualifications of the zoning laws. In addition, the scope of the project seems totally out of character with what is best for the NBOD.”

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‘Seaside Celebration’ to salute community members who rallied to create Hull Medical Center

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By Carol Britton Meyer

Decades after Hull residents from all walks of life banded together to create a community medical center, Manet Community Health will mark the occasion with a celebration to honor the late Larry Kellem and other founders of the Hull Medical Center.

“Larry was always benevolent and a supportive champion for Manet’s progress,” Manet Community Health CEO Cynthia Sierra told The Hull Times. “He kept a loving and supportive eye on us throughout the years.”

The planning for this celebration began last year, and with the passing of Kellem in January, event organizers decided this would be a way to honor his memory “and to reflect on his and the other founders’ commitment to ensuring that the residents of Hull would have access to quality health care in their community, thus laying the groundwork for Manet’s existence in Hull,” Sierra said.

“Attorney Kellem’s legacy and impact has been, and will continue to be, felt for years and generations to come by the residents, families, business owners and employees, guests to Hull, and imperatively, by patients in need of local access to quality, welcoming health care with integrated mental health and recovery services,” Sierra said. “We are humbled to live a life with the community knowing that residents from Hull and the surrounding area have access to care each day at Manet. We honor Attorney Kellem as he encouraged, trusted and made this possible, thus leaving Hull a healthier place than when he first encountered it. We’re looking forward to celebrating this wonderful legacy.”

The Seaside Summer Celebration fundraiser will take place at Local 02045, 2 A St., on Thursday, July 20, at 5:30 p.m. The event will be an opportunity “to re-engage with longstanding Manet friends and supporters and to introduce ourselves to folks who may not be aware of the quality health care, programs, and services that Manet offers right here in Hull,” Sierra said.

Kellem’s son, Hull attorney David Kellem, recounted how the medical center came into existence in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, and will also offer his reflections at the event.

“It’s easy to take for granted that this community health center sits on George Washington Boulevard and just does its thing day in and day out – providing high-quality medical care and on-target health programs to our community,” Kellem told the Times. “If you live in Hull, even if you don’t have insurance, you have medical care available down the street. But this was not always so.”

A tragic incident that occurred almost 60 years ago highlighted the need for a local medical center.

In October 1966, 15-year-old student Diane Christopher died in her classroom at Hull High School because local medical care was not available to come quickly to her aid, Kellem recalled. The community launched into action and formed a non-profit charitable organization, Hull Medical Center, Inc., with the mission of bringing doctors and a modern medical facility to town.

“It was a full-on community effort involving town officials, local clergy, the business community, volunteer fundraising committees, and many individual citizens who donated $25 each to reach the goal of $50,000 in seed money,” according to Kellem. “Even the Sears Roebuck corporation got involved in the mission!”

Generous donations from the Hull community and a federal grant provided the seed money to hire a doctor.

“The initial facility, if one can use that term loosely, was the basement office of Dr. John Silva, Hull’s only dentist at the time, located at the corner of B Street and Nantasket Avenue,” Kellem said.

Following a search for a permanent location, the land on George Washington Boulevard where Manet now sits was chosen as the best site, and the Hull Redevelopment Authority donated the former Casa de Joseph building, which had been taken by eminent domain as part of the urban renewal project.

Matthew Muncy of the Hull Highway Department supervised initial site work by the town, and foundation work was performed by Joseph DiVito and Richard Delmonico. Gordon Building Movers literally rolled the building from the HRA property to the Boulevard site. The Hull Cooperative Bank provided the initial mortgage funding, with the Rockland Trust Company later financing an extensive remodeling and buildout of the facility.

Hull Medical Center Inc., a non-profit, ran the operations for many years, hiring and managing doctors, nurses, an executive director, administrative staff, and purchasing all of the equipment needed to treat patients.

“The facility thrived and was dedicated to serving everyone regardless of their ability to pay,” Kellem recalled. “This was a community medical facility in every sense.”

His father performed all the legal work to establish the new medical center. Other civic-minded Hull residents, most of whom had no medical background but supported the idea of a community health center, volunteered their expertise and rallied their neighbors to lend a hand.

“Other people who catalyzed the creation of the facility included Lenny Colten, Frank Kerr, Larry Stone, Albert Minevitz, Wally Richardson, Paul Dunn, Ernie Minelli, Simmy Hartstone, Bill Spence, Carl O’Donnell, Mary Morrissey, Martin Fallon, Sam Garr, Hilda Mahoney, and numerous others, including Hull Public School officials and local clergy,” he said. “It was a true mission for all of the founders. My Dad continued as president of the Hull Medical Center board for decades, and Lenny Colten as vice president.”

In the late 1980s, the original HMC board was ready to pass on responsibility of the day-to-day operations of the medical center and entered into a contract with Manet Health to run the facility under a long-term lease with the non-profit, which still owns the property. 

“Manet has been a tremendous steward of the original mission and has the specialized expertise and resources to provide full-time, full-service medical care to the Hull community and beyond,” Kellem said. “Manet, like Hull Medical Center, Inc., is a non-profit charitable organization. It’s legal and philosophical mission is to serve the full local population, regardless of socioeconomic status, ability to pay, insurance status, or health needs.”

Although it might seem as though the earlier Hull Medical Center and the current Manet Community Health Center have always been in Hull, Kellem noted, “It is here only because the community rallied to fill a deep void in available medical care. The story of HMC is the story of so many organizations and institutions in Hull [who supported the effort] and because the people of Hull have a peculiar collective power to rally in times of need, and to take care of each other in the most heroic and meaningful ways.”

Seaside Summer Celebration tickets are $40 each or $75 for a pair. To purchase tickets, make a donation, and for other information, visit www.manetchc.org/hullseaside by July 17.

Funds raised will directly benefit the programs and services at Manet-Hull, including strengthening adolescent health services and behavioral health for children and families, as well as physical improvements for the site.

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