By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Redevelopment Authority addressed a full agenda this week during an almost four-hour meeting, including a lengthy discussion surrounding member Dan Kernan’s request to allow an architect he knows who appreciates the beauty and uniqueness of the property to share his ideas during an upcoming meeting.

HRA member Bartley Kelly said he was not opposed to the idea, but expressed concern that the HRA is “spinning its wheels” and that he would like to see board members “get down to brass tacks” in moving forward with the goal of reaching a consensus on the best uses of the property.

The town has hired consultants in the past to help the HRA with its efforts, Kelly said, which led to a discussion as to the current status of those contracts.

“We’ve got multiple documents on the table. … If we’re not using the consultants now that we’ve used in the past, let’s bring on a new one,” he said. “We’ve got work to do.”

In response, Chair Dennis Zaia said he will reach out to those past consultants for an update and to find out “what information we do have in the body of work that’s already been done so that we’re not recreating the wheel,” for further discussion at the HRA’s November 18 meeting.

Following a lengthy back and forth during which Kernan pointed out that the purpose of the architect – James Dallman, who was on the Zoom meeting – going before the board was for informational purposes only.

“The main purpose is that he can give us ideas about the process and potential funding … and what is possible if we take a new direction,” Kernan said. “When we get to the next phase, I hope we’ll consider [using his services], but we’re not [there] yet. We’re at a crossroads, and hearing what’s possible from [Dallman] will give us the confidence to move forward. The sooner the better.”

Dallman indicated that “There’s no rush on my end. I would be happy to come at some point that makes sense for all of you,” he said after he was recognized. The date of December 2 was set for him to go before the board.

Having Zaia “review the work [done by consultants] to date would help me better understand what the HRA already has in place,” Dallman said.

While having “no problem” with Dallman presenting his ideas to the HRA that night, Kelly said the board needs to make decisions about the use of the property, enlist a consultant to pull them together into a plan, and then “put it before the public. We’ve been seeking input for the past one-and-a-half years. This board has to [make choices] and move in a direction based on the information available, including citizen input.”

In the meantime, between the December 2 presentation and Zaia’s plan “to do the homework” about past consultants – “which other members can do, too,” he added – “maybe that will advance all of us to a new level of awareness.”

In other business…

⦁ The HRA approved holding the annual Thanksgiving night bonfire on its property. According to Fire Chief Chris Russo, crews will begin building the wood pile this week; no public donations of material will be allowed. The traditional bonfire is scheduled to be lit at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 28.

• Discussion continued about the HRA hiring two different individuals to assist them in their work – one who would be responsible for the requests for proposals associated with the property and the other to provide various types of office assistance. More information will be available at the HRA’s November 18 meeting.

⦁ Zaia suggested that the HRA reserve one meeting a month starting in January for the board to work on the draft URP for the entire time “to make some progress on what we consider to be reasonable and appropriate, or we’ll never get to an end point,” he said.

⦁ Upcoming HRA meetings are planned for Mondays, November 18, December 2, and December 16.

A replay of the full HRA meeting will be available on Hull Community Television’s broadcast channels and on demand at www.hulltv.net.

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