HULL - August 19, 2026 - In a heavily attended joint session, the Hull Select Board and Planning Board voted to appoint former longtime member Jeanne Paquin to a vacant Planning Board seat through May 2027. The appointment capped an expansive meeting that also saw the Select Board greenlight Phase 1 designs for 33 ADA-accessible MBTA Route 714 bus stops and formally charter a 9-member Parking Management Advisory Committee to overhaul municipal parking and resident sticker regulations.
The Full Story
The Hull Select Board convened August 19 for an agenda spanning transportation upgrades, commercial licensing, municipal committee appointments, and a high-stakes joint session to fill an unexpired seat on the Planning Board.
The meeting opened with a comprehensive presentation from Town Planner Chris Dilorio alongside MBTA Project Manager Tom Quattromani and consultant Mark Cassel regarding the Route 714 Bus Safety and Accessibility Project. Quattromani outlined plans to modernize the route from an informal “flag-stop” model—where buses pull over anywhere on signal—to a fixed-stop system with dedicated signage and concrete boarding platforms meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Phase 1 focuses on 33 stops in Hull, ensuring level 4-to-6-inch curbs, 8-foot-by-10-foot unobstructed clear boarding areas, and paired stops across travel lanes spaced roughly three to four minutes apart.
“Transit is really a mobility enabler for a lot of folks who have given up their cars or prefer not to jump in a car. A bus that comes every 30 minutes... an aging population tends to really like transit.” — Tom Quattromani, MBTA Project Manager
Officials noted that the addition of a second bus to the line has halved wait times from 60 to 30 minutes, contributing to an average weekday ridership surge from 150 to 280 passengers. The Select Board voted unanimously to approve the 5% conceptual designs for Phase 1, allowing the MBTA to advance engineering to 15% before construction bidding in 2027.
