Humphrey Under Construction From One End to the Other

Three major projects are underway and soon they will be joined by a fourth.

  Construction projects big and small are underway on Humphrey Street. Crews are digging and drilling, surveying and setting forms all within about a mile of each other. From the Gateway property to the pumping station no fewer than three major projects and two minor projects are in motion. A fourth major project on Humphrey, installation of underground and above ground utility lines, including fiber optics, is expected to start within a week or so, said Swampscott Fire Chief Kevin Breen. The fire chief and Police Chief Ron Madigan were at the site of the new police station on Tuesday. They met with utility company representatives to talk about the best place to locate utilities for the new police station, said the police chief. Crews are …

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Terry Date

11:06 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012

Thanks for your question, Jan. We will ask it and post the answer in a Patch You Asked column.   more ›

Out With the Inn Next Week: Cap'n Jack's Coming Down April 4

Windows are scheduled to come out Monday and Tuesday followed by demolition.

  Crews will pop out windows from the three Cap'n Jack's buildings on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the buildings coming down on Wednesday, April 4. That section of Humphrey Street will be an empty lot by the end of the week, perhaps as soon as Thursday, April 5, said Drew Crotty of Jemp-Marc Security, who has been organizing the buildings' clean out and removal. The crews are removing the windows prior to the wrecking of the structures to avoid any injuries from broken glass, he said. Earlier, crews removed truckload after truckload of beds, dressers, lamps and everything else from Cap'n Jack's Waterfront Inn. New owners Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis, who will build a high-end property with 15 condo units on the site, donated …

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Question: Why Is Light Flashing Outside Cap'n Jack's?

Lights are mounted to the front of other buildings in town, too. Why?

  Welcome to You Ask, Patch Answers, a column in which you ask us a question about anything going on in town and we do our best to find an answer. Got a question you'd like to see Patch answer? E-mail it to: terry.date@patch.com   We posed this question out of our curiosity. Why is there a light mounted to the front of the former Cap'n Jack's Waterfront Inn, and why was it flashing when we drove past recently? We put this question to Swampscott Fire Chief Kevin Breen. The amber beacon is designed to get people's attention, he said. The flashing light indicates a problem with a building's fire alarm system. The thought is people will see the flashing light and report it, bringing it to the attention of the fire department. According to the …

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Cap'n Jack's Demo Delay Deal Reextended

A majority of selectmen encouraged the Historical Commission to reconsider lifting its demolition delay on the historic Cap'n Jack's properties in exchange for something of value to the town.

  The owners of the three Cap'n Jack's buildings on Humphrey Street have again offered to restore the town train station if the Historical Commission lifts the remaining five-month delay to demolition of the Cap'n Jack's buildings. On Wednesday, several selectmen including Jill Sulllivan encouraged the Historical Commission to reconsider the deal, allowing developers Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis to tear down the three structures and build approved condo units now instead of when the delay runs out on Aug. 1. Sullivan said that to refuse the offer at an impasse would be a missed opportunity since the developers are willing to spend $300,000 on restoring the train station. Commission member Susan Munafo and Commission Chairman Jean …

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Swampscott Stories

Demo Delay Debate Reemerges on $3.5 Million Property

Historical Commission talk returned to the demo delay of Cap'n Jack's Inn which was recently sold to Parturk developers for $3.5 million.

  First, Historical Commission members weighed in on changes to the Cap'n Jack's Inn property, recently closed and sold to developers Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis for $3.5 million. The Cap'n Jack's changes include the removal of the Inn sign and awnings, and installation of a chain-link fence. Then, at Monday's meeting, commission members debated the Jan. 16, vote they took to maintain the remaining 6 1/2-month demolition delay on the Humphrey Street property. The January vote was a rejection of the developers' proposal to restore the historic train station contingent upon an MBTA agreement. The delay, backed by a town by-law, prevents the developers from tearing down the three Cap'n Jack buildings until Aug. 1, unless an agreement is…

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Justin Mattera

12:27 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012

You do realize that my last comment was being sarcastic right? They bought the temple for twice what they sold it for. For the record, I manage the books for my business and do just fine, but thanks for playing.   more ›

Deal to Lift Demo Delay on Cap'n Jack's Defeated

Historical Commission members say the railroad station renovation proposal failed to address the scale of the Cap'n Jack's Inn project.

  The Historical Commission voted 4-2 Wednesday against accepting a proposal to lift the remaining 6 1/2-month delay to demolition of the three Cap'n Jack's Inn properties on Humphrey Street. Developers Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis offered, with conditions, to restore the Swampscott Train Station and contribute $5,000 toward a historical district study in Swampscott if the commission lifted the delay, which runs out Aug. 1. A town by-law provides for a stay of demolition to the Inn property — which includes a Federal-style 1835 building — for up to nine months while the commission negotiates an agreement with the developers. The developers have a purchase and sale agreement on the property with the Inn owner. The developers say …

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Common Ground Scarce In Cap'n Jack's Talks

Developers will consider selling the property if the commission can find a buyer for the three Humphrey Street buildings.

  Historical Commission members and developers clashed on occasion, explained their motivations to each other and found little common ground during demolition delay talks Wednesday at Town Hall.  In the end, developers Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis said they would entertain an offer if the commission finds a buyer for the properties. The developers even proposed that the commission drop their delay in three months if they fail to find a buyer for the property at a predetermined price. The commission members said towards the end of the meeting that they would consider their options. One of those options is to try to find a buyer for the properties.  They did not say what their other options are. The developers said they plan to move …

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Delay Adopted and Meeting Sought

The Conservation Commission approved conditions for the Cap'n Jack's condo project. The main condition is that no blasting takes place within 20 feet of the top of the bank that overlooks the ocean.

The Historical Commission voted unanimously last night to delay demolition of Cap'n Jack's three Humphrey Street buildings for up to nine months. The six members said they want to meet soon with developers Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis, and Cap'n Jack's Inn's current owner David Rooney. The developers have a purchase and sales agreement to buy the property from Rooney. The Historical Commission and those who support their efforts say the 1835 Cap'n Jack's main building represents the last link to Swampscott's summer resort era. They also say the three properties including one with a mansard roof are critical to maintain the historical feel on Humphrey Street. They are hopeful the developers will preserve some of the buidlings' …

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Cap'n Jack's Goes to ConsCom Tonight

Conservation Commission members will hear the building plan developers have for Cap'n Jack's Waterfront Inn. The Commission will set conditions for the project, if not tonight then at a later date.

Tuesday night will be eventful for the planned development of the Cap'n Jack's Inn property. Developers Bruce Paradise and Barry Turkanis will present their notice of intent — what they plan to build — to the Conservation Commission. That meeting is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Town Hall in the selectmen's room. A half-hour earlier, in the second-floor conference room at Town Hall, the Historical Commission is scheduled to vote on a delay to the demolition of the Inn's three buildings for up to nine months. Several Historical Commission members spoke in favor of the delay last week but held off their vote on the question until tonight. Meanwhile, Conservation Commission Chairman Nelson Kessler said the notice of intent meeting is for the …

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Zoning Board Narrowly Approves Condos at Cap'n Jack's Inn Site

Project faces likely legal challenge over chairman Kornitsky's disqualifying a board member who opposed the project.

The Zoning Board of Appeals Wednesday night voted four to one to approve the 15-unit condominium project where the Cap'n Jack's Inn stands on Humphrey Street now. But the board was highly fractured over the project, spending more than half an hour arguing, at times in anger, over whether chairman Marc Kornitsky had the right to disqualify board member Harry Pass, a potential opponent of the project, as a voting member on this project. Four votes from the five-member board were required to approve the project. Had the board included Pass as the fifth vote, the project would likely have been postponed, pending more revisions to the design of the building. Carl Goodman, an attorney for neighbors to the project, told the board that “there is …

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