Hull Board of Selectmen
Minutes
July 22, 2003
The meeting of the Hull Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:31 pm on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 at the Hull Municipal Building, 253 Atlantic Avenue, Hull, Massachusetts.
Present: John Reilly, Chairman; Leonard Hersch, vice Chairman; Christopher Olivieri, Clerk; Thomas Burns and Gerard McLaughlin, Members. Also present were Christopher McCabe, Town Manager, and James Lampke, Town Counsel.
The Chairman observed a moment of silence for Ernest Anastos, co-owner of Anastos Hardware for half a century, and Anna McFarland, widow of a Hull Firefighter, who both passed away this past week.
7:30 pm - Aquarion Water Company - re: Contribution for Band Concerts.
Keith Bossing of Aquarion Water Company, Pete Nyberg and Chuck Terry of Aquarion Services presented the Town with two checks donated for the band concert special events. Aquarion water donated $1,000. and Aquarion Services donated $1,500. The Members thanked the two companies for making such a generous contribution.
7:35 pm Green Hill Improvement Association - re: Three Petitions
Bartley Kelly, President of the Green Hill Improvement Association, presented three petitions to the Board requesting: 1) that the catch basin project for stormwater remediation for the green Hill playground/Basketball Court on Atlantic Avenue be stopped; 2) that the culvert obstruction leading to the island be removed to increase tidal flow and salinity thereby helping to remove algae/widgeon grass mats; 3) that the Town remove floating algae and widgeon grass mats from the pond at the beginning of mat growth and throughout the summer season. The petition included sketches and offered proposed solutions to each of the problems. Following a long discussion between the Board, Kelly, and other parties, including Robert McNanamra, Nancy Kramer, Lawry Reed and Ed
Petrilak, Sewer Operations Manager, who spoke in regard to the Cohasset residents not yet hooked up to the sewer system, a motion was made.
The Town Manager said he will follow-up on Cohasset residents abutting the pond who may not be connected to the Sewer system thereby contributing to the problems.
MOVED-Hersch: To instruct the Town Manager to price the cost to remove pipes and obstructions, and for removal algae/widgeon mats every summer
Amendment-Reilly: and to ascertain proper ownership of the lands involved
SECOND-Olivieri
VOTE: Unanimous in Favor
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Selectmen Minutes, 7/22/03
Page 2 of 5
The Board recessed at 8:32 pm and returned at 8:40 pm.
MINUTES
MOVED-Hersch: To accept the minutes of April 8, 2003 as presented and the executive session minutes of June 24, 2003
SECOND-Olivieri
VOTE: Unanimous in Favor
8:00 pm Water Resource Committee
Dave Irwin, Chairman of the Water Resource Committee, that was formed to study supplying water to the Town, and has been studying the feasibility of a desalinization plant, appeared before the Board to request the replacement of Leonard Hersch as the Selectmen's liaison to the Committee because, he alleged, Hersch has negotiated outside the Committee and without the Committee's knowledge. He stated that Hersch contacted Keith Bossing of Aquarion Water Co. and that the Committee voted 4 to 0 in favor of the replacement.
Hersch responded that he did not negotiate with anyone and that he, or anyone else has a right to make inquiries and garner information. Hersch also said that the Committee had met with the Planning Board and that he had not been informed of that meeting, and that he had not been informed of the meeting being held in which the vote was taken to request his removal.
John MacLeod, Operations Manager of the Hull Light Plant and member of the Committee said he had left a notice for Hersch with Town Clerk, Janet Bennett, on the Tuesday prior to the meeting.
Hersch said the Board is awaiting the decision of the public utility attorney on whether or not the funds from the Hull Municipal Light Department can be expended for the desalinization study.
Janet Bennett, Town Clerk, appeared at the meeting and stated that she had not received a notice on that Tuesday because she was not working that day. She said she was fed up with blame being assessed to the front office and wanted to set the record straight.
Following comments from Roger Jacksom, and Paul Paquin the Board recessed at 9:24 pm and returned at 9:31 pm.
Keith Bossing, head of the Aquarion Water Co., said that he takes exception to the allegation that he had negotiated with Hersch outside the parameters of the Committee. He said that as a new water company to the area there have been no negotiations but that he would like an opportunity to discuss what the company might have to offer.
A motion to table until next week was defeated.
Selectmen's Minutes, 7-22-03
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Reilly said that the Committee had been loosely formed at the beginning and he suggests the committee be reformed to consist of David Irwin, Malcolm Brown, a Member of the Board of selectmen, Paul Paquin, and three members from the general public. MacLeod and Petrilak to be support staff to provide expertise.
TOWN MANAGER
McCabe said he had visited the Milton High School to observe the artificial turf installed about one year ago, and that it is being suggested that the new field to be constructed at the high school might benefit from installation of the artificial turf rather than the planned grass field.
McCabe submitted two written reports, one on Milton and one on the estimated cost of installing the synthetic turf. In response to a question of whether a change order in the contract requiring additional funds can be approved by the Selectmen he said that because there were two previous Town Meeting votes he believes it can be done without Town Meeting. However, he said, if the Board is uncomfortable and prefers to take the matter to the Town that time is of the essence and a meeting should be planned for September or October.
McCabe also said that the cost of synthetic turf will be offset by the maintenance cost of a grass field over the years.
Dennis Blackhall and members of the Park and Recreation Committee were present to describe the advantages of the field and to support its installation.
MOVED-Hersch: To authorize the Town Manager to schedule a Special Town Meeting for this fall
SECOND-Olivieri
VOTE:
A request was made by McLaughlin to be provided with turf samples at the next meeting.
LICENSES
Unanimously approved a one-day all alcoholic license for August 30, 2003 from 5 pm to 11 pm to Knights of Columbus, 440 Nantasket avenue on a motion from Hersch, seconded by Olivieri.
CORRESPONDENCE
1. Noted a letter from Jay Szklut, Town Planner stating that David Twombly has been elected as Chairman of the Hull Planning Board.
2. Read aloud a letter from Frank Kerr, 33 Holbrook Avenue in regard to the windmill being the greatest threat to Hull and that the decision-making process being out of control.
Selectmen Minutes, 7/22/03
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3. Read aloud a letter from the executive Office of Public Safety notifying Hull that it has been awarded two Medtronic Physio-Control LIFEPAK 500 devices through the State-funded Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Grant Program expected to be received by June 28, 2003 provided the attached document is returned by July 18, 2003 (Recipient information).
4. Referred to the Police Chief a request for a new “No Parking” sign at the rear entrance of the Waveland Playground from Gary Willis of Moreland avenue.
5. Authorized Town Manager to invite the VFW to a meeting to discuss the contents of the letter which included guidelines and procedures for naming squares and corners after deceased veterans.
6. Referred to the Board of Health and read aloud a letter of complaint from John Walsh of 111 Beach Avenue of ice cream trucks over staying the legal allotted time.
7. Read aloud a letter from Maxine Winnig, Nantasket Beach Preservation Society, and Nancy Jackson of the Alphabet Street Association expressing dissatisfaction with the handling of the beach.
8. Read aloud a letter from the Mass. Highway Department stating the reason they have been unable to open bids on the Main Street project is that the environmental permits are not yet secured. The letter states that they wrote the Hull Conservation Commission in January of 2003 requesting an amendment to the Order of Conditions and that it is their understanding that the Conservation Commission has denied their request. The issue, the latter states, is the disposition of a flapper gate connecting the Bay to the salt marsh, and that as a Town designated plan it is the Town's responsibility to ensure that the project can be built as designed.
9. Unanimously approved sending a letter to the State Department of Conservation and Recreation for permission of the Selectmen to limit parking to 2-hours on the Hull Shore Drive side of the MDC (Anastos) Parking lot and to install the proper signs, in accordance with Town Counsel's advise on how to proceed on a motion by Hersch, seconded by Olivieri.
10. Unanimously approved subject to conditions of the Hull Fire and Police Chiefs the request of Lory Newmyer to hold 25th Anniversary Party for the Hull Lifesaving Museum on Sunday, August 3, 2003 from 1 to 5 pm and to close that portion of Nantasket Avenue between Spring Street and Duck Lane to through traffic from 2 pm to 5 pm, with a detail officer on a motion from McLaughlin, seconded by Olivieri.
11. Unanimously approved the request of Linda Parent to close Third Street between Edgewater Road and Whitehead Avenue from 5 pm to 10:00 pm on July 26, 2003 for an annual block party.\ on a motion by Hersch, seconded by Olivieri.
Selectmen Minutes, 7/33/03
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TOWN MANAGER
McCabe told the Board that Fred Kiley will be removing the trailer from the showboat land within the next two weeks; that the Hull Municipal Light building needs to be renovated to meet ADA requirements; and that he is seeking to obtain ownership of the Coast Guard Boat house, which can be used for school purposes, marine maintenance and perhaps an office for the Harbormaster.
Meeting adjourned at 11:14 pm
October 7, 2003
APPROVED
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