Nahant Life-Saving Station to welcome newest members

NAHANT – Some of its members served their country by fighting on the beaches of France and the Pacific in World War II. Now those veterans have an opportunity to visit the beach in Nahant and relax.The Nahant Life-Saving Station will welcome its newest occupants next Saturday, as the American Legion Mortimer G. Robbins Post #215 dedicates its new quarters at the renovated historic building.”It’s a good match all around,” said Post Vice Commander Peter Przybycien. “The Life-Saving Station needed a tenant and we are an organization with a historical element and we’re community-based.”The ribbon cutting and open house culminates many years of collaboration among the Legion Post, the Town of Nahant, the Nahant Veterans Association and the Nahant Preservation Trust. The Life Saving Station is approximately 110 years old, but was only turned over to the Town of Nahant in 2000, according to Preservation Trust President Michael Rauworth. Since then, the town has worked to preserve the building and take advantage of its history and unique location. Roz Puleo, who serves on the Nahant Life-Saving Station Committee Management Advisory Committee, said that the plan to rehabilitate the Station was estimated at $1.6 million when it was first formulated about 2004 and the group has continually worked to raise funds and support the renovation through the years.Now that plan is coming to fruition.Rauworth said that the Legion will lease a portion of the building’s first floor for their hall. The Boat Room, which originally stored the life-saving boats but has evolved to store powerboats, surfboards and all manner of nautical vessels, will be converted to an exhibition space that will display artifacts and historical documents and can be rented for events, Rauworth said. The Trust is currently advertising for a tenant for a 1,700 square foot, partially finished apartment on the second floor. According to their website, the Trust estimates that the cost to finish the apartment could cost approximate $100,000. Rauworth said they are looking for a business to rent space in the lookout tower. The garage currently houses construction equipment, he said, and they haven’t determined its future.”The current focus is the business side” of making the building sustainable, said Rauworth.The American Legion’s presence will help.”It was a win-win for the Town, the Nahant Preservation Trust and the American Legion,” said Town Administrator Mark Cullinan at the Thursday night Board of Selectmen meeting.Przybycien said that their new quarters will be a fully functioning American Legion Hall for the Post’s 50 members (although he expects membership to increase once people see the space). The space will be used for monthly meetings, events such as the annual Memorial Day Celebration and as a place for members to relax. He said that everything has been brought up to code in the new hall and the Post is now handicap accessible. He said the space cost about $200,000 to renovate and was funded from the sale of the Post’s former location on Coolidge Street.”The location is key,” Przybycien said. “There’s a tremendous amount of light and the view to the ocean is fantastic. We hope that it gets used to its fullest potential by both the veterans and the community.”