Hull Select Board Votes to Separate Light Plant from Joint Facility Grant, Approves $110K Feasibility Study

HULL — July 22, 2026 — In a divided 3-2 vote during a heated joint session with the Municipal Light Board, the Hull Select Board directed Town Manager Jennifer Constable to separate the Hull Municipal Light Plant (HMLP) from the town’s pending Coastal Zone Management (CZM) coastal resilience grant application for a joint Public Works and Light Plant facility at 9 Nantasket Ave. In a second 3-2 vote, the Select Board directed the Light Plant Manager (also Constable) to execute a $110,000 professional feasibility study authorized by the Light Board to evaluate building a four-bay garage and renovating HMLP’s existing facility at 15 Edgewater Road.

The Full Story

The joint meeting brought long-standing friction between town administration and the elected Light Board over facility planning to a head. Light Board members Jacob Vaillancourt and Tom Burns presented a conceptual proposal to keep operations at 15 Edgewater Road, citing historical significance, lower overall costs, and a desire to maintain independent utility operations.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable countered that extensive professional engineering studies funded by state grants had already evaluated site vulnerabilities, recommending a $45 million flood-resilient joint facility at 9 Nantasket Ave—of which the Light Plant’s share would be $14.4 million prior to potential federal BRIC grant offsets. Constable emphasized that under the town charter, the town manager oversees municipal facilities and grant applications, warning that split operations or local historical designations could restrict site redevelopment and inflate municipal costs.

Select Board members expressed divergent views on authority, project costs, and utility needs. Select Board Member Jerry Taverna voiced strong opposition to committing taxpayer resources toward a $45 million to $60 million joint building complex when the Light Board overwhelmingly preferred to remain at its current location and repair existing assets. Conversely, Select Board Member Greg Grey urged caution, arguing that the town charter establishes the Light Board as an advisory body on administrative matters and that the board should not bypass established administrative planning or turn down regional grant opportunities.

Ultimately, the Select Board voted 3-2 to direct the town manager to remove HMLP from the pending Phase 4 CZM grant application and voted 3-2 to direct the Light Plant Manager to move forward with HMLP’s $110,000 feasibility study for 15 Edgewater Road.

“The point is not opposition to the joint facility; it’s a request to study both paths to the same standard so the more resilient and affordable choice can be identified, not assumed.” — Jacob Vaillancourt, Hull Municipal Light Board Member