Board recommends more parking at Phillips Beach

SWAMPSCOTT – The Traffic Study Committee will recommend to selectmen that they vote to add parking for Phillips Beach.After a meeting Friday morning at which the committee members drove out to the neighborhood, Chairman Dave Castellarin said the committee will recommended for all resident permit parking on Shepard Avenue to be changed to recreation sticker parking. The change will provide 38 spots for any town resident with a recreation sticker to use May 1 through Oct. 1.Castellarin said that shouldn?t overwhelm residents in the neighborhood because the parking is only bad on the Fourth of July and some weekends.?It?s a beach. All residents should have the opportunity to enjoy the beach,” said Castellarin.The committee discussed several options to appease Phillips Beach neighbors and residents from other areas of town, including restricting recreation parking to only weekends and holidays and switching parking to either side of the street on odd and even dates.In the end, the committee decided to designate Shepard because it is one of the widest streets in the area, is reasonably close to the to the beach, has a fewer houses and therefore a smaller effect on residents.In order to address safety concerns that residents brought up in the public forum on July 31, the committee will also recommend that several stop signs and ?stop ahead? signs be placed in the neighborhood to address safety concerns that residents brought up in the public forum on July 31.The committee is holding another public meeting on Monday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Senior Center. Selectmen will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. at town hall.