Organizers of Hull’s Lobster Trap Tree hope to have a solution by Friday, December 5, days after the town’s building inspector closed public access to the building’s interior.
While the tree is still visible from the outside, nearly 300 people have signed a petition calling for the entrance to be reopened.
Justin Goodwin and a group of volunteers completed Hull’s third annual lobster trap tree at Mariners Park on the last weekend of November.
This year, the team installed an entryway so viewers can see the tree from the inside. Similar lobster trap trees in Gloucester and Stonington, Connecticut, also serve this function.
However, just days after the tree was completed, building inspector Bartley Kelly posted a “Keep Out” sign and blocked the entrance with orange security fencing.
Goodwin heard by word of mouth, not from the town, that the entrance to the tree had been blocked. He said he had difficulty getting in touch with Kelly, and when he finally did, Goodwin said he was disappointed with the interaction.
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“I want to fix this. I want to correct it and do it in a way that makes the town happy and us happy,” Goodwin told the Patriot Chronicle. He was later contacted by Town Manager Jennifer Constable to have a “more reasonable” discussion with him and plans to further discuss next steps.
Hull’s lobster trap tree consists of about 360 lobster traps (also called lobster pots), each weighing 40 to 50 pounds. The structure is also decorated with buoys as decorations and string lights.
Goodwin, a former lobster fisherman, acknowledged that in the first year the organization created the exhibit, some lobster traps fell out of the trees due to high winds.
“We didn’t know what we were doing,” he said. “We didn’t zip up anything. We learned from that.”
He said the group now uses heavy-duty cable ties ordered through a special company and “puts a lot of effort into making the tree structure strong.”
Goodwin said they decided to add a solid wood entrance this year because they had seen other communities implement this feature. Plus, it means they’ll use fewer lobster traps overall.
He said he didn’t know if lobster trap trees with interior passages in other communities would require additional permits. The Patriot Chronicle has contacted officials in Gloucester and Stonington, Connecticut.
Some of the solutions he offered to the town include closing the access if winds reach a certain speed, or adding a sign warning spectators to “enter at your own risk.” He said he just wanted to get rid of the “ugly fence.”
At a select board meeting on Wednesday, December 3, Constable reiterated the town’s appreciation for the festive display. But she noted the town was not aware of the entryway feature this year and said it posed a burden because it is on land owned by the town.
Constable said she knows through research that other communities require permits and “some engineering work,” but she expressed interest in exploring how to incorporate entrance features into future lobster trap trees.
“No one wants to be a Scrooge,” Constable said. “No one tried to stop it.”
Hannah Morse covers the growth and development of The Patriot Ledger. Please contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared in the Patriot Chronicle: Will the Hull Lobster Trap Tree Entrance Open Again?