SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board discussed next steps for Hadley Elementary School at its meeting last week and decided to lean into the idea of turning the property into a hospitality business.
“At our last meeting the Select Board agreed that we need to have more specific information on the feasibility of the hospitality scenario,” Neal Duffy, Select Board chair, said in an interview. “We decided to direct the town administrator to research and engage with a consulting firm that can provide such information so we can have a more informed dialogue going forward.”
The process of figuring out the direction of the property began back in November 2020 when Town Meeting created the Hadley Reuse Advisory Committee.
“After an approximately six-month process, which included public engagement, this committee of 17 regular and three ex-officio members recommended three possible scenarios worth exploring further: mixed use commercial with arts and/or civic space, affordable housing, and hospitality such as a boutique hotel,” Duffy said.
As of right now there are no definitive plans for the building, and the final decision is in the hands of Town Meeting.
“I am personally most interested in exploring the Boutique Hotel scenario as I think it holds the most promise to help revitalize our downtown and energize that area,” Duffy said.
At the Select Board meeting last week, he opened the discussion on the Hadley School and “urged” the board to share thoughts and opinions on it.
“We need to be working on a track with Hadley in thinking about where we want to go there,” Duffy said at the meeting. “We need to start moving in certain directions and get some answers about some of these possibilities, rather than be in a constant state of flux and decision making.”
Discussions of potential uses for the Hadley School have been going on for years.
Duffy said that there is a “sense of urgency to move along in this process.”
