Swampscott Retirement Board to move into Town Hall

SWAMPSCOTT – Next month the Retirement Board will be moving out of its leased space in a professional building on Railroad Avenue.Retirement Board member and Town Accountant David Castellarin said there are two vacant offices on the third floor of Town Hall, which underwent extensive renovations a couple of years ago.The town eliminated the town planner position due to budget cuts and Castellarin said that space would be used by the Retirement Board.”It’ll be nice to have everything back in Town Hall,” he said. “It’s good for the residents and retirees. We have all services located in one central building, which makes it more convenient for residents. But people visiting the Retirement Board would still have their privacy. When they come in they would take the elevator to the third floor.”Castellarin said the move would save the Retirement Board approximately $15,000 a year in lease payments.The historic building was closed for almost a year when it underwent extensive renovations and it reopened in May 2008.Town Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1899 for the co-founder of General Electric, Elihu Thomson. It was sold to the town in 1944 and has been used as a town hall since that timeThe renovation project utilized most of the third floor, which had only been used for storage for years and that is where the Retirement Board office will be located. The entire building is now handicapped accessible. The connector wing is equipped with a handicapped accessible elevator and handicapped accessible bathrooms are located on all three levels. The renovation project system upgrades included new central heating and air conditioning systems, updated electrical systems and fire suppression systems.