The Parks & Recreation Commission is one step closer to bringing concessions to the Fruit Street athletic complex after hearing a pitch from a potential vendor at its meeting Tuesday night.

Hopkinton resident Anthony Iannone met with the commission to pitch his concept for food vending at the fields. There is an existing concession stand at Fruit Street, but Parks & Rec was unable to secure a vendor when it opened up a request for proposals (RFP) in 2024.

Iannone provided an overview of his idea, stating that the lack of nearby eateries, no current food options on site — save vending machines — and no revenue coming in from the existing stand were problems that needed to be addressed. A self-described home cook with a passion for food, Iannone said he would like to bring a “farm to field” food service option to Fruit Street.

In his vision of the stand, Iannone said he was OK with traditional concession stand offerings if the commission preferred, but he wanted to have “something a little more creative and curated outside of that.” Ideas he offered included breakfast sandwiches, charcuterie bento boxes, paninis and healthy options for kids and adults. The stand would prioritize ready-to-go food with minimal preparation and cooking, and it would limit its staffing to Hopkinton residents.

“I think what the town offers, what our teams offer … I think this enhances everything,” Iannone said. 

“If we do this the right way, I would love to cultivate a relationship where I’m being backed by the town and I’m giving back to the town,” he added, noting he wanted to embark on this concession stand “holding hands” with Parks & Rec.

Iannone provided his qualifications for the commission, noting he works full-time selling medical device software and consulting but worked in food service for many years. 

Part of his goal, he explained, is to help improve the town’s image when organizations like Hopkinton Youth Soccer host big events with guests from across the region. 

“We can make Fruit Street more of a destination,” he concluded. “I think there’s so much potential there. I’m happy to help make it into something more than it already is.”

Following Iannone’s presentation, Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus gave his recommendation to the commission. He asked that members look over the previous RFP and determine how they would want to make changes before going through the town procurement process again. He added that, should the contract be awarded to Iannone, service could begin as early as the end of September.

“I think it’s great that we’re going to restart this,” said vice chair Dan Terry, noting his only concern was that he did not want “Fenway Park prices.”

Iannone responded by stating he had worked out some early pricing structures, and his vision would be to fall between Dunkin’ and Starbucks, given the quality of the food he envisions. 

“I think I can get a really good margin on it if done appropriately, as long as I’m not giving it away, but I’m also not knocking anybody over the head with it,” he clarified.

Member Brad Fenn inquired as to what the revenue stream would be for the town were the contract to be awarded to Iannone. Lewitus explained the commission would work that out later in the process.

Following the discussion, members voted to have Lewitus and chair Kyle Smith review the previous RFP and make adjustments.

“I, for one, am rooting for the success of whoever runs that [concession stand] more than I am anything else,” said Terry. “I think we kind of owe the users a doghouse facility.”

Bathroom funding request maintained

The commission opted to maintain its $50,000 Community Preservation request for design studies for bathrooms at EMC Park, despite earlier conversations about withdrawing it.

The idea to withdraw the request came after town engineer Dave Daltorio suggested Parks & Rec could put a prefabricated building where the existing concession shack is, eliminating the need for a design study the funds would cover, Lewitus explained. 

He also noted that on a recent tour of the existing structure, there was a bathroom identified inside, which indicated to him there was septic. However, it is not in service.

Terry clarified that the study was suggested because it was unclear how wastewater would be removed from the proposed bathrooms.

“This [request] came about to try and find out whether we need to put a 6-inch pipe 15 feet from the bathrooms we designed or we need to somehow pump it all the way up to Hayden Rowe [Street],” Terry said.

Terry added that the presence of a toilet did not mean it was connected to a septic line. Furthermore, he claimed that there were no records of septic work at the park, saying that both Scott Richardson of Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects and former Town Manager Norman Khumalo had searched for documentation and came up empty.

“We can’t just sit here and say there’s no records,” Lewitus responded. “I don’t know for a fact that there’s no records.”

Member Amy O’Donnell agreed with Terry, adding that while Daltorio likely was trying to consider cost when suggesting the prefabricated building, someone would still have to do design work and figure out the septic.

Smith asked for confirmation about what the $50,000 would go to. Lewitus shared that, as with other projects, the money would fund a design study that included things like surveying, taking samples and hiring third-party contractors.

Terry maintained that if there were no records to be found, then whichever company took the eventual bid for the study would assume the records did not exist. He also shared concerns that the $50,000 was not enough to get a contractor to bid on the project.

“Either Dave Daltorio has the answer for free, or the $50,000 is a third of what it needs to be,” he explained.

One idea Terry floated was putting high-end portable toilets at the park on a seasonal basis instead of building what he said could be a “million dollar construction.” Lewitus pushed back, noting that the bathroom facility also would provide needed storage.

After further discussion, the commission agreed to maintain the request for now until it got more information from the town engineer.

“I don’t see giving back the $50,000 unless we’re going to give back the $50,000 to request $150,000,” O’Donnell added.