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Resident urges Swampscott to bid on Hawthorne by the Sea equipment to keep restaurant viable
Summary
During public comment, resident Charlie Patios asked the Select Board to authorize the town administrator to bid at an auction for Hawthorne by the Sea restaurant equipment, estimating the value at about $90,000–$110,000 and saying retaining equipment would increase chances of leasing the site to a new operator. The board heard the request but took no formal action during the meeting.
Charlie Patios, a Swampscott resident, used the meeting’s public-comment period to urge the Select Board to empower the town administrator to bid at an upcoming auction for equipment from Hawthorne by the Sea restaurant.
Patios said buying and retaining the restaurant’s equipment — tables, chairs, dishes and kitchen appliances — would preserve the site as a functioning restaurant and make it easier to lease to an incoming operator. “I strongly urge the select board to empower the town administrator to bid on this particular auction,” Patios said, and offered a rough estimate that the equipment could be worth “90 to $110,000.”
Patios argued that if the town allows the auction to proceed and equipment is removed, the town’s chances of re-leasing the space as an operational restaurant would be much lower. The Select Board thanked him for the comment; no motion or vote directing town staff to bid was recorded during the meeting.
The issue may be raised again under a future agenda if the board asks staff to investigate auction logistics or costs.
