Town Votes For Snack Shack At Bathing Beach

At Monday’s Special Town Meeting town voters agreed to allow the renovations to be constructed at the Bathing Beach Bathhouse.

The proposed renovations will turn the Bathing Beach Bathhouse into a seasonal snack/refreshment stand. This decision may not have the same financial implications for the Town as the Middle School Project but it is the first step in the long term plans of the Harbor Development Committee to improve the Downtown area. 

Hingham’s beach is the only one south of Quincy that is free to all members of the public and doesn’t require a permit for use. With this in mind, the Trustees of the Bathing Beach are looking to enter into a partnership with a private developer to refurbish the bathhouse, with the intention being to open a snack stand to allow users of the beach to purchase cold drinks, sandwiches or ice creams during the bathing season.

Any developer chosen by the Trustees would be responsible for the renovation of the bathhouse and the disposal of any trash generated by the business. The harbor is one of Hingham’s natural selling points but at the moment the only opportunity to purchase refreshments comes from the seasonal hot-dog vendor or the Farmers Market on a Saturday. 

The bathhouse project was presented to the Selectmen by the Harbor Development Committee in the summer and accessory uses of the harbor overlay district was approved at Town Meeting in 2009.

There were public concerns that the bathing beach could attract more traffic to the area to the detriment of Hingham residents.

Resident Lois Petersen,  agreed that the refurbishment of the bathhouse was long overdue. She belived it should be kept nice and should prevent people from destroying the land.  She also pointed out that from January 2012 there would be a refreshment stand at 3 Otis Street selling tea, coffee and bagels and wondered if the area could sustain two operations.

Cushing Street resident Bernard Manning, a former lifeguard at the Bathing Beach in the 1960’s, was opposed to the project. He questioned whether any businessman would want to invest time and money in a building that was only open for a limited time during the summer, while also drawing attention to the flocks of geese that share the area with the public.

“Each goose is capable of depositing two pounds of waste material every 24 hours,” he said. “The droppings and aroma are not conducive to enjoying a light snack, while chasing them away with a trained dog has proved unsuccessful."

Cushing was also concerned that the bathhouse would be transformed into an area where teens would use drugs.

“The town is destined to lose money on the snack bar project," he said. "The isolated location would be the perfect cover for a clever drug dealer who could advertise ‘smack at the snack shack’.” 

Despite these concerns, the motion to authorize the Trustees of the Bathing Beach to proceed with the proposed renovation was carried and the next step will be approach the State for special legislation to permit the lease of the property to a third party developer.