By Carol Britton Meyer

During a well-attended, hour-long Hull Redevelopment Authority meeting Monday, members approved the sole winter season vendor concession bid; turned down the Rotary Club’s request for a donation; and talked briefly about next steps in deciding whether to hire a design firm to make recommendations on the best use for the property.

The board accepted Karen LaFond’s $1,250 bid to continue operating a sauna starting October 13 (her current license ends on October 12) and ending April 30, 2027, following a successful summer season. She is the owner of Respiro Sauna Co.

The board granted approval for the same kind of operation she ran there this summer, with a request forthcoming for her to attend the board’s October 26 meeting to discuss her request to add another sauna and fire pits.

In other business this week…

• The board discussed the next steps toward contracting an outside design firm to come up with recommendations for uses for the property, including consideration of a past consultant hired by the HRA, The Cecil Group – taking into account the board’s ideas and community feedback.

The board earlier authorized HRA Technical Operations Manager Mark Hamin to draft a document for consultant services – including a ball park cost analysis – to help the board come to a consensus about potential designs for park uses on the property, a subject of earlier discussion.

Board member Dan Kernan noted that a consideration is how much whatever uses are decided upon ultimately will cost.

“Is the community willing to pay the bill? and how will [whatever is decided upon be] maintained?” he asked. “Some members think of this property as a financial asset beyond just a park.”

HRA Chair Bartley Kelly said that to his knowledge, “if we’re going to make this 100% a park, it would cost about $1 million an acre to do the improvements. [The question is] who would pay for it? Maybe by having a development [that doesn’t block the view corridor]. . . . If we do [the improvements] right, it will be the crown jewel of the South Shore.”

The goal, Kelly said, is “getting everyone to row in the same direction and to reach a compromise that works. We’ll need to define the scope before we decide which route to take.”

Some consultants “are good at helping us work together [despite differences of opinion] and get something done!” quipped Kernan.

Hamin was unable to attend the October 5 meeting, so the discussion was brief and will be continued on October 26, when the board meets next – and after members have a chance to review the draft document, including the scope and description of services, drawn up by Hamin, “to get the nuts and bolts for the next time we meet,” Kelly said.

• By a 2-2 vote, with member Joan Senatore absent, the board failed to approve a request by Jim Pitrolo – who was at the meeting – on behalf of the Nantasket Hull Rotary Club for a $500 donation toward their work in support of veterans and their Stretch Your Food Budget initiative to help those struggling with food insecurity. Kelly and member Charles Richardson voted in favor, and Kernan and member C. Anne Murray, against.

Following the board’s 3-2 vote in favor of donating $500 to the American Legion at a recent meeting, Murray discussed the Rotary Club’s request.

“This is exactly what I was afraid of – if we support one very good civic organization, the others will come and come – at a time when we are facing the need to fund [what ultimately happens] on the property. We’re hearing that could be in the millions of dollars,” she said.

Murray added that while she thinks the Rotary Club “does amazing things, I’ll be the stick in the mud again and vote no,” as she did with the American Legion vote.

“I don’t feel the HRA should be the bucket everyone goes to” as in the past, she continued. “I think we need to be more conservative in our spending, so I’m voting nay – I’m sorry.”

“You have the right to say, ‘I told you so’!” Kelly quipped.

Kernan agreed with Murray, unless the donation is made to an event being held on the HRA property, such as the board’s contribution to the recent fireworks display for the USA 250th Committee.

Richardson noted that the HRA “has given over $1 million in the past to fund numerous things all over the map. We’re making a good amount of interest on our CDs, and I think it behooves us to try to help out any non-profit in town with $500 here or there.”

While Murray said she isn’t against such a donation in theory, “expenses are going up, and there comes a point when we say we can’t do it anymore.”

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