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Mayor announces members of new Emery Reuse Advisory Committee

Posted on: December 20, 2016 - 4:43pm

Weymouth, MA – Mayor Robert Hedlund announced today the membership of a new advisory committee to determine the future reuse of the Emery House, the principal structure on the 24-acre property known as the Emery Estate in East Weymouth. Plans are currently underway to improve the grounds of the estate with partial funding from the Massachusetts Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant program. Whether the main house can be preserved for a sustainable reuse remains to be determined, however.    

The following members will comprise the new advisory committee as citizens of the Town of Weymouth:

  • Patrick Angland, IT specialist
  • Stanley Benulis, Architect
  • Barbara Cellucci, Event planning/fundraising
  • Dorothy Chase, Law & Public Policy studies and grant seeking
  • John Deady, Builder and electrical contractor
  • Kenneth DiFazio, District 3 Town Councilor and attorney
  • David Donahue, Construction management and building renovation
  • John M. Dwyer, Jr., Real estate
  • Brian Leonard, Hospitality industry
  • Beth Noble Morley, Planning/Conservation and marketing
  • Jodi Purdy-Quinlan, Historic preservation
  • Ken Ryder, Builder and developer 
  • Greg Shanahan, MPA/Former Town Councilor
  • Sachin Suryawanshi, Engineer and small-business owner
  • Cathy Torrey, Historic preservation

Under the Town Charter, advisory committees may be appointed by the Office of the Mayor to assist in carrying out its executive and administrative responsibilities. While typically an advisory committee has no set term, the Emery Reuse Advisory Committee will have four months to determine whether a sustainable public or private use is feasible for the main house.

“I greatly look forward to working with these individuals over the next several months as we move closer to defining the future of the Emery Estate, in its entirety,” said Mayor Robert Hedlund. “We need a business model for the house that promises realistically to work, and promises realistically to work soon. I have proposed a May 1st deadline for the committee’s work, but will consider an extension should a promising solution require additional investigation. I would like to thank all applicants who applied for this particular mission. Your willingness to serve our community is greatly appreciated.”   

The first meeting of the advisory committee will take place after the New Year. In the interim, plans to improve the grounds of the estate as a venue for passive recreation and programmed events will move forward.