Fire disrupted Hull's election. The town has scheduled new, court-ordered polling hours.

The Patriot Ledger
Updated ·2 min read

HULL − Town election polls will reopen Tuesday, June 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hull High School to accommodate any residents who couldn't get to the polls May 15 because of a fire that blocked access to the school.

On election day, a six-alarm fire shut down traffic on Nantasket Avenue, the only road leading to the one polling station, the high school.

After the fire broke out at 5 Q St. about 5:30 p.m. May 15, public safety officials closed Nantasket Avenue to traffic until 7 p.m. Town Clerk Lori West extended the hours and asked the court for approval after the fact on May 16.

After initially refusing to allow the vote, Plymouth County Judge Brian S. Glenny allowed West to count the 80 votes cast after regular hours. He also ordered polls to reopen for two more hours in case people weren't able to vote because access was restricted.

The Q Street home was heavily damaged by fire on election day in Hull.
The Q Street home was heavily damaged by fire on election day in Hull.

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In the one tight race, for a seat on the Hull Redevelopment Authority, Patrick Finn holds a 15-vote lead over his opponent, Dan Kernan. The uncounted 80 votes as well as any votes June 13 could swing the election.

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The results could determine the fate of a 12.5-acre parcel of scenic land between a Weir River Estuary bay and the Atlantic Ocean, one of the last parcels of open beachfront in Hull.

The Hull Redevelopment Authority is backing a plan for 117 residential units, a 65-room hotel and retail space that would add up to 181,700 square feet of new buildings to the property. Finn supports it more strongly than Kernan, who says he would vote against the plan in its current form.

A rendering by Form + Place, of Newton, of "the green" between Nantasket Avenue and Hull Shore Drive. The sketch was included in a draft urban renewal plan presented by the Hull Redevelopment Authority.
A rendering by Form + Place, of Newton, of "the green" between Nantasket Avenue and Hull Shore Drive. The sketch was included in a draft urban renewal plan presented by the Hull Redevelopment Authority.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hull fire led to election extension. Town announces new polling hours.