Swampscott capital improvement board reviewing budget requests

SWAMPSCOTT – The Capital Improvement Committee is meeting with town departments to see how to pay for nearly $3 million of capital project requests with approximately $815,000, members of the committee told the Finance Committee Thursday night.”We’ll total all requests and then split it up by what [it] is covered by – taxes and bonding, enterprise funds,” explained Capital Improvement Committee Chair Ray Patalano. “We’ll say ?this is what will come out of my pocket [in taxes]’ “”And this is what comes out of my other pocket,” retorted committee member Patricia Shanahan.The Capital Improvement Committee annually reviews town departments’ capital requests for the next year’s budget. The budget gives the committee a spending “goal” of approximately $815,000, Patalano said. But some requests can be funded through other sources – for instance, the water and sewer enterprise fund other revenue streams or, possibly, unexpended funds from a snow-and-ice budget, members of both committee noted? before knocking the table and counting the weeks until Spring.After reviewing the requests, the capital improvement committee makes recommendations to the Finance Committee of which projects to place on the Town Meeting Warrant.This year, Finance Committee Chair Michael McClung said he requested the two committees meet earlier than usual to allow more time for questions and because of the turnover in the Town Administrator role.Patalano said the committee had not yet met with the school and fire departments or the library.However, he and Director of Public Works Gino Cresta reported that three dredging requests and a project to move communications equipment from the former school on Greenwood Avenue would exhaust the $815,000 goal.Some capital requests are also required.Cresta said a consent order from the Department of Environmental Protection mandates the town correct a sewage issue. And the school on Greenwood Avenue is slated to be turned into condominiums.Patalano also said that it is not yet clear how the town plans to pay for the largest capital request – $1.85 million to redo Blocksidge Field. He also noted, however, that the town had – and met – the same $815,000 goal last year. But he said other sources allowed the town to spend $1.54 million on capital projects.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].