SWAMPSCOTT – Kings Beach may no longer be the last local beach without a parking fee.The Swampscott Board of Selectmen tossed around the idea of putting up parking kiosks that would charge a fee for the parking spaces on the even side of Humphrey Street between the Lynn city border and Red Rock Bistro.According to Selectman Barry Greenfield, the 62 parking spaces could bring in an annual revenue of $53,000, which would include residents paying the fees. The selectmen could not agree on whether residents should be exempt from the fee.”I highly suggest there should be an exemption for residents,” said Selectman Glenn Kessler. “We pay enough money to live in Swampscott, it shouldn’t be put on the backs of residents.”Vice Chairman David Van Dam said, “Like Glenn, I believe residents should have some sort of exemption.”The board decided to move the discussion to an agenda item at the next meeting to be discussed further. “I feel like the public should hear all of that,” said Selectman Jill Sullivan.When asked why the paid parking would not be extended to Fisherman’s Beach, Greenfield said, “This is perfect because there are no curb cuts.” He added that the board could use the first area as a test, and perhaps extend it further if it is successful.Greenfield said he estimated the costs of the kiosks to be about $8,000 to $10,000 each, and said the area would need two stations. Town Administrator Thomas Younger said the town may even need one kiosk per 10 spaces.Younger added that if the town decided to go forward with the paid parking, “the key to success would be to keep it enforced.”Greenfield said the idea of paid parking on that portion of Humphrey Street has been an idea for years, and the board is just considering kiosk vendors for now. He said if the selectmen decide they want the item to become a reality, they will put it in the 2014 budget to be voted on at Town Meeting about a year from now.In another issue, Younger revealed that the town of Swampscott took in $300,000 total from the production of Grown Ups 2, with $175,000 available for Town Meeting to vote on how the money should be used in October.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].
