NAHANT — You can’t drive through here without being greeted by hundreds of colorful lawn signs lining the roads, demanding love for the town.
The display of more than 350 “Love Nahant” signs is a collaborative effort of dozens of residents in the state’s tiniest town who are trying to stop the expansion of one of the largest universities in the commonwealth.
Artists, marketing and branding specialists, business leaders, and handymen who live in town have stepped up behind the scenes to design, create, and install signs, and blue and green flags and streamers. Many are even sporting their show of protest with a blue and green rubber bracelet on their wrist.
“The blue represents the ocean and the green is the land,” said resident Michelle Capano. “Up at East Point, we want to preserve the ocean and the land. In very simple terms, we felt like that would resonate with people.”
At issue are two separate projects proposed by Northeastern University for the Marine Science Center located in the town’s East Point neighborhood.
One would include the construction of an additional building on the 23-acre site for research and classroom space and the other would result in a five-fold increase of the amount of seawater taken in to feed research needs.
Between $3,000 and $4,000 was privately donated to order more than 300 24 x 24 copies of the signs, about 40 that are twice as large. Resident John Moleti donated posts and other necessary materials out of pocket, said Capano. Residents on Nahant Road and other properties that are highly visible to the public have allowed the signs to be prominently displayed in their front yards.
“It’s really about the town being united,” said Capano.
Northeastern mailed residents a list of frequently asked questions last month, and sent out a second mailing earlier this week, but many marked the envelope ”return to sender” and handed it back to their postal worker. Once the idea to send the FAQ back was posted on social media, dozens of other residents opted to do the same.
“What really left a sour taste in my mouth was the wording of the introductory sentence that I could read on the outside of the brochure—something about treasuring Nahant as a unique place,” said Christian Bauta, who returned the mailing unopened. “If that statement were really true, they would acknowledge how special the open space at East Point really is. They would know it is home to amazing migratory birds, wild animals, and that the waters around it are teeming with sea life.”
They would also admit that Nahant is a quiet, residential community that does not want a large institutional presence, said Bauta.
“But they don’t see that or recognize the damage they will do, and they definitely don’t treasure our town like the citizens who live here,” said Bauta. “They only see the land and the oceans here for what they can use them for. I knew right away I wouldn’t want to hear the rest of their propaganda, so I sent it back.”
Northeastern representatives believe much of the opposition is fueled by misconceptions.
“We know that there is a huge amount of misinformation out there,” said Mike Armini, Northeastern’s senior vice-president of external affairs. “The goal at this stage is to set the record straight.”
In addition to the mailings, Armini said representatives from the school have been engaging directly with residents in town who have questions about the proposal.
Public meetings will be held with the Board of Selectmen, though a date has not yet been determined, and private meetings have already been held in residents’ living rooms, he said.
“The biggest issue is the absence of information,” said Armini. “People will hear about a building that is proposed and assume that it’s going to be the Taj Mahal. The current design essentially hides the building behind the existing bunker that’s out there. It’s very low laying to obscure it behind what is already there.”
Other common misconceptions relate to the amount of faculty and staff that will occupy the building, and that each body will be accompanied by a vehicle. Shuttle buses from Northeastern’s Boston campus will be used.
Improving communication with the Marine Science Center’s neighbors remains a priority, said Armini.
