By Carol Britton Meyer and Christopher Haraden

A Hull resident’s announcement on social media that he plans to open a home for wounded veterans on Atlantic Hill – and name the facility after General Richard “Butch” Neal – has raised questions among local veterans’ advocates and prompted the Neal family to request that the project stop using the late Marine Corps general’s name.

Both the town’s veterans agent and the commander of the American Legion post said the proponent, Kenneth D. Rowland, had not consulted with them or with the Neal family before posting his plans on Facebook on Dec. 28.

Neal was a Hull native and Vietnam veteran who died last year. This week, his son-in-law said that the family has “received no official information from any source associated with the project” and requested “that General Richard Neal’s name be removed” from the proposal.

In an interview with The Hull Times, Rowland declined to name the investors he said are behind the project, and acknowledged that he has not made an offer on the property pictured in his announcement, the home and land at 16 State Park Rd. currently on the market for $1.45 million. The two corporate entities Rowland named in his Facebook post – Nantasket Beach Club LLC and General Richard Neal House LLC – also are not registered with the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Corporations Division.

Rowland, who lives at the Bermaken Hotel on Revere Street, is the CEO of Nantascot Peninsula Partners, Inc., a company he formed in 2019 that describes its business as “interconnecting the media industry with leisure, travel and tourism, outdoor recreation, arts, science, and education.” The Nantasket Beach Club is referenced in the Facebook post as a subsidiary of Nantascot Peninsula Partners. During a lengthy interview, Rowland described the Nantasket Beach Club as “soon to be an LLC” and a “virtual entity unrelated to the project right now.”

Rowland said some of his funding comes from the construction of the MarketStreet lifestyle mall in Lynnfield, with which he said he was involved. The Times was unable to independently verify that claim of involvement; Rowland provided newspaper clippings that referenced his role in the Reedy Meadow Foundation, a non-profit conservation organization in Lynnfield, but nothing that outlined his affiliation with the MarketStreet development, which was built in 2011 by WS Development and National Development.

Regarding the veterans project, Rowland said, “I’m the sole owner, with investors in the Lynnfield area involved with the MarketStreet and a couple of investors in Hull,” whom he declined to name but said were neighbors to the proposed project site.

Both Hull Director of Veterans Services Paul Sordillo and Jim Richman of American Legion Post #140 said they had not been contacted by Rowland about the project and were concerned about the name of the well-respected general being used without permission.

Jason Korzen, Neal’s son-in-law and executor of his estate, echoed these concerns in a statement to the Times on Wednesday.

“The family of General Butch Neal learned only within the last several days of a stated intention to develop a facility in Hull to provide housing for veterans. That information was communicated to the family informally by persons not associated with the project. We have received no official information from any source associated with the project, public or private. We have no details as to any person or persons involved; the scope of the project; how it is to be funded for development, construction, and/or operation; any cost control and oversight plans in place; the proposed management structure of the facility; nor, any other pertinent details,” Korzen wrote.

“Additionally, the family has been told that a proposal has been put forth by some involved to name the planned facility ‘The General Neal House’ or something similar. Due to the recency and sparsity of information regarding this project, the family of General Neal states that we can offer no endorsement of the project at this time,” Korzen continued. “Further, it is respectfully requested that General Richard Neal’s name be removed from any plans, promotional and/or fundraising materials at this time.”

After hearing about the Facebook post, Sordillo reached out to Rowland to talk about the proposal.

“We had a very cordial, pleasant conversation, during which he explained the project and I told him that the majority of veterans I have spoken with, while supportive of the overall concept, are concerned about the use of General Neal’s name without the family’s permission,” Sordillo said. “I also explained how much he [Neal] means to Hull veterans and others whom he grew up with – that he is held in high regard and that it’s not right to use his name without the Neal family’s support.”

Richman, who is reactivating Hull’s American Legion post, said that while he is in favor of the concept, he is “livid” that Rowland would use Neal’s name without first speaking with family members.

“General Neal’s name stands for honor, respect, and dignity,” he told the Times. “There are too many gray areas [to this proposal].”

What concerns him, Richman said, is that “this is a for-profit company using General Neal’s name when he’s [Rowland] advertising for investors. I and others involved with veterans are in the dark and just looking out for veterans’ best interests.”

There has been quite a bit of confusion surrounding the Facebook post, Richman said, and that Hull residents are wondering if Rowland’s plan is affiliated with existing veterans organizations in town. “Some people are wondering if I’m involved with this proposed project, but I’m not involved in any way,” he said.

Richman added that he and other veterans’ advocates “want to ensure that the veterans of Hull aren’t involved financially until the details are clear and they can decide whether or not they want to support the project.”

The veterans home plan is contingent on Rowland signing either a lease or purchase-and-sale agreement for the property, as well as obtaining approvals from the Veterans Administration and Hull’s planning department.

Rowland told the Times that he plans to initiate a letter of intent to the property owner through listing agent Judy Hemingway of RE/Max Realty Pros this Thursday or Friday that explains his proposal.

“The question is, Do we rent the property for [a period of time] and then initiate a purchase and sale?” he said.

Hemingway confirmed that the property is listed as for lease or for sale, but that “nothing is yet on the table – no offer or lease as of Tuesday. Ultimately, it’s the owner’s decision,” she said. At presstime, the property remained actively for sale for $1.425 million in the Multiple Listing Service.

Rowland said he envisions the four-bedroom house on the property serving as a place to hold events and as an administration building, with caregiver quarters upstairs, and offering transitional housing for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the form of about 10 modular apartment units behind the house.

“This veterans’ home would provide an opportunity for veterans being treated for TBI to spend time with other veterans and to help them transition into real-life settings,” Rowland said.

He explained that this would be a privately-funded project and that investors have already pledged $45,000.

“The rest will come from additional investors, with plans to sell off 49 percent of my corporation,” he said. “The investors are ready and eager [to move forward with the proposal].”

Under Rowland’s plan, about 10 investors would be considered executive board members, pledging $25,000 each, he said.

“We have about six already, including a couple of people from Hull, and are [expecting] about 36 additional investors pledging $15,000 each over the next year. We probably have 10 of those investors now,” he said. “We’re looking to fundraise the rest.”

Rowland told the Times that he’s expecting the Red Sox Foundation Home Base program to help pay for the services veterans living in the home would require if the project is approved. According to its website, “Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital program, is dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for veterans, service members and their families through world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research.”

The Home Base Foundation issued this statement on Friday: “Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital program, is not aware of this proposal, has not been contacted about this plan, and is not affiliated in any way.”

Rowland said he intends to reach out to neighbors and the community with further information about the project in the coming weeks.

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