HRA to draft new RFP for summer parking vendors, may conduct own survey
/By Carol Britton Meyer
Topics of discussion during Monday’s three-hour Hull Redevelopment Authority meeting ranged from the parking lot requests for proposals for next summer and a possible survey about potential uses of the property to the proposed two-way road plan and an update on police details during peak season.
HRA member Adrienne Paquin suggested that as the board heads into crafting “Option 3” of the draft Urban Renewal Plan, the HRA might consider conducting its own survey on top of the earlier independent poll to gauge citizens’ opinions.
During a 1-1/2-hour brainstorming session about crafting the parking lot RFPs for the next season, resident Susan Mann floated the idea of offering parking “subscriptions” for the HRA lots similar to those available from the Department of Conservation and Recreation at a cost of $60 for the season. The usual rate for in-state residents is $15 a day.
“I was thinking the HRA could do something like that for families who come to Nantasket Beach all the time,” she said.
No decision was made, but Chair Dennis Zaia noted that “many towns do offer seasonal passes.”
The two-way road proposal continues to be a topic of interest, and this meeting was no exception. To help avoid this issue from “becoming a distraction in upcoming meetings,” Zaia recently asked Town Manager Jennifer Constable to provide “a definitive statement” on the status of the project, tentatively in January.
“This will help us understand the town’s position on the two-way road plan,” Zaia said.
The traffic reconfiguration plan would remove two of the four lanes of traffic crossing the HRA land and convert the remaining two lanes to one in each direction from Monument Square through the Surfside business district to the Anastos Corner area. Hull Shore Drive and Hull Shore Drive Extension also would become two-way roads, and would connect with a redesigned intersection with incoming traffic from George Washington Boulevard near the Mezzo Mare restaurant.
During the lengthy discussion about “the most critical topics” related to the next RFPs for leasing HRA parking lots A, B, and C next year, Zaia noted that “this is the beginning of the framework for the RFPs, which will be tighter and sharper than last year’s. … I believe we need to be very specific in telling potential [operators of the leased lots] what they can and cannot do.”
First-come, first-served for resident parking
Residents with stickers will still be able to park for free in any of the lots, on a first-come, first-served basis. However, HRA member Joan Senatore said, “We need to make it clear to residents that if they arrive at lots and they are filled, they won’t be able to [enter] even though they have a sticker.”
The board talked at length about what to incorporate into the RFP, including the possibility of setting the parking fee limit at a maximum of $40, while allowing the operators to set their own fee structure; requiring clear signage – including fee and other information – at each lot and approaching the lots to let beachgoers and others know the status of the parking situation ahead of time; requiring a security deposit; a stipulation that all signage and any other items need to be taken down within a week of the close of the season (May 1 through Indigenous Peoples Day in mid-October – a change from last year’s September 30); requiring operators to clean up the lots at the end of each day; the minimum bid amount; whether to include police detail, lot maintenance, and other charges in the RFP; and whether to request reimbursement for those details from the DCR’s trust fund.
According to a link forwarded to a board member by Cindy Borges during the meeting, the trust fund relates to costs associated with the maintenance and safety of Nantasket Beach. Clarification will be sought from Constable about that possibility.
“People will start looking for free parking if the charge is too high and park all over the place,” Senatore said about the maximum fee of $40.
Member Dan Kernan believes that charging a security deposit this year “sends a real big message to leave the lot the way you find it,” both at the end of the day and when the season ends.
The discussion will continue at the January 13 meeting, along with the draft Urban Renewal Plan.
Police details
Zaia, Kernan, and Senatore met with the police chief and town manager this week to discuss police details for the coming season. The cost to the HRA this past year was $30,000.
Senatore reported that according to the chief, police details will be recruited based on “85-degree weather and whether it’s a sunny day” at a current cost of $59.27 an hour based on the union contract, and potentially higher next summer.
HRA members also talked about how long to allow the three lots to remain open, especially during early summer when the sun sets later and many people head to the beach after work.
Member Bartley Kelly suggested closing Lot C earlier to avoid people arriving to have dinner at restaurants in the area having to pay the parking fee.
Kernan, while saying he needs more time to think about it, said his initial thought overall is “the longer a lot is managed, the less damage is done,” noting that a “tremendous amount of trash gets let after the lots are unsupervised.”
In other business…
⦁ Kelly reported that he reviewed the HRA meeting minutes back to 2010 and offered to scan them so they can be posted on the HRA website.
⦁ Zaia talked about the upcoming draft URP “Option 3” discussion and asked fellow members to start thinking about the bayside parcel for the January meeting. “My notion is that the bayside is a parcel we all sort of agree won’t have anything happening on it except grass and passive activity,” he said.
• Zaia also mentioned the Parkers River Boardwalk Park in Yarmouth, which he recently visited. “It’s a pretty amazing event space, located on the bayside, with the sale of boardwalk planks [as a source of revenue],” he said, noting that planning for the park began in 1986. “That made me feel less anxious about how long it’s taking the HRA to get anything done.”
Zaia is also hoping for further consideration of the idea he floated earlier for a conference and learning center and event space on part of the property. “We can rip it apart or build it up as a starting point. Option 3 could be a modification or a totally distinct different thing none of us has seen before.”
Kelly thinks “we should start with the map from the URP draft as a baseline,” which ultimately led to another discussion of the two-way road proposal.
Until this issue is settled, Paquin said, it will be difficult for the HRA to make any decisions because the road plan may change the shape of the available land.
Kelly noted that “the two-way road is part of the plan …regardless of whether we put up any brick and mortar on the property” and that under the proposal, “we would gain 27 feet on the bay side.” He also said the map shown in the draft URP shows the two-way road.
Kernan holds a different opinion.
“I don’t think we need a two-way road – it really does limit the things we can do with the property,” he said. “Maybe the HRA should take a vote.”
“I will argue tooth and nail about this,” Kelly said. “Two-thirds of town meeting voted in favor of authorizing the select board to do this work.”
Because the two-way road plan includes funding for a number of improvements, “where will that money come from [if the plan doesn’t move forward]?” he asked.
Kelly said he “personally” believes “it’s the right thing for the town, whether anything gets built on the HRA property on not. We’d be getting sidewalks and improved traffic and pedestrian safety. … If [the HRA] doesn’t want the two-way road plan, fine, but we would be throwing out the baby with the bath water. We have all these planning documents as outlined in the minutes. Those cooperative planning efforts have led us to where we are. It all goes together.”
No one on the Zoom call commented about the two-way proposal during the “citizens attending the meeting” period at the end of the meeting.
“Obviously we have to make some kinds of decisions and continue this conversation, listen to each other, and [consider] all the pieces until we come to [some] things that we all can agree upon,” Zaia said.
Upcoming HRA meetings include: January 13, Zoom to discuss the draft Urban Renewal Plan and the parking lot RFPs; and a January 27 Zoom to review applications for use of the property for the 2025 summer season.
A replay of the full meeting will be available on Hull Community Television’s broadcast channels and on demand at www.hulltv.net.
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