Swampscott to share inspector services

SWAMPSCOTT – The town is entering into a new inter-municipal agreement with the city of Salem for building inspector services.Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said Building Inspector Alan Hezekiah is getting ready to retire, but he has agreed to stay on part time.Hezekiah, who has worked for the town for three years, said he has been thinking about retirement.”I wanted to retire, but he (Maylor) wouldn’t let me,” Hezekiah said. “I graduated high school in 1969 and would have liked to retire that summer. In this economy I am grateful for everything the towns of Swampscott and Marblehead have done for me, but ultimately I want more time than money. I ultimately want to be a snowbird. I don’t want any more winter clothes.”Maylor said Salem has a certified building inspector, who will be available to Swampscott on an as-needed basis.Maylor recommended the town keep Hezekiah, who currently works 24 hours a week, on for 19.5 hours a week and hire a second local inspector, who would also work 19.5 hours a week.”That would give us five extra hours a week we have inspectors working for the town,” Maylor said. “Those five hours could be dedicated to enforcement.”Maylor said he expects the agreement with Salem to save the town $5,000 annually, but at the same time the town would be able to provide more services for its residents.”The goal isn’t just to save budget money,” he said. “The goal is to provide more services for those budget dollars. This is consistent with the model of regionalization we’ve been promoting.”In April 2010, the town entered into an agreement with the city of Salem for the purposes of procurement services.Maylor explained the town started discussing agreements for services with Salem last year when both communities were paving a stretch of road using the same contractor.Maylor added the town has an inter-municipal agreement with the city of Lynn for fire dispatch, which has been in place for more than a decade.