Swampscott school plans concern residents

SWAMPSCOTT – Traffic and parking issues were popular concerns at the School Building Committee?s first public forum to discuss options for renovating or building a new elementary school.Many of the concerns were centered around the option that would build a district-wide elementary school on the site of Swampscott Middle School on Forest Avenue. Neighbors were frustrated that despite the potential of adding 635 students to a site where 700 students already attend throughout the year, the committee had not done any detailed traffic study to measure the impact.With the committee?s vote to choose which option to recommend for the elementary school project coming in two weeks, resident Heather Roman said it would have been more helpful to have more research done. “There?s a short time frame, and all these questions,” she said.Chairman Joe Crimmins explained to the crowd of about 40 in the high school auditorium that because the Massachusetts School Building Authority determined every step of the process, there was only preliminary data gathered that suggested the middle school site option could support the traffic.Many neighbors echoed Diane Kaplan?s complaint that not enough had been done to notify them of the plans since they would be most impacted by traffic issues. “We notified our neighbors. They had no idea what was going on,” said Kaplan. “We are doing what we can do with zero resources,” said Glenn Paster, responsible for the committee?s communications. He encouraged everyone to email concerns to [email protected] the opportunity for residents to voice their concerns brought many complaints, Patrick Jones represented the support for the committee in commending them in their efforts to communicate to the town. Of the middle school site option, Jones said, “what an opportunity to have a consolidated ?campus,? if you will, for an elementary school.”?There?s no perfect solution that everyone in this town will agree to,” said Crimmins. “If there was, we would have done it.”The committee is hosting two more public forums on Thursday and Sept. 18 in the high school auditorium before their vote on Sept. 24.