Town Meeting to debate Swampscott field of dreams

SWAMPSCOTT – Town Meeting members will consider an artificial-turf sports field, additional zoning requirements along Humphrey Street, allowing overnight parking in the winter, and other proposals at this May’s Annual Town Meeting.Selectmen last week reviewed and closed the Annual Town Meeting Warrant, giving meeting attendees a first look at many of the proposed articles to be debated by Town Meeting on Monday, May 4.In addition to the articles the town annually proposes for its regular operation, citizens and town boards and officials have presented roughly a dozen articles (the articles have not been numbered as of yet, and some may be combined or divided before the warrant is published, Town Administrator Tom Younger said) for consideration by Town Meeting members.The most controversial article is likely to be a request to spend $1,650,509.64 on constructing a multi-sport, artificial-turf athletic field at Phillips Park.Private groups and many town leaders have long advocated for such a field to replace Blocksidge Field at Phillips Park. But Town Meeting in May 2012 rejected a $2.5 million proposal, of which the town was to pay $1,857,856 from the town budget, and private donors would provide the $750,000 difference.The latest proposal completes the projects in phases. The first phase includes the majority of the work and expense, essentially constructing the field and preparing the site for adding lights and a grandstand in phases two and three. The first phase costs $1.65 million, which proponents are asking the town to pay. The subsequent phases will be paid for by private donors.The current proposal also uses a nontoxic infill on the field, to quell health concerns about the rubber infill that is often used on such fields.Town officials have said the town can pay for the first phase within the annual budget – not by asking for an override or debt exclusion. The money would likely come from a combination of free cash (essentially, money the town either budgeted but did not use or revenue that exceeded estimates), capital improvement funds, reserve funds, and borrowing money. Because this involves borrowing money, the proposal would need to pass Town Meeting with a two-thirds majority.But just in case the article fails, citizens have presented a petition to use a portion of the town’s $3.2 million in free cash to pay for the field.Another article reflecting longtime town debate is a proposal to add a Humphrey Street Overlay District to the town’s zoning bylaw. The district will be generally located along Humphrey Street from Monument to Commonwealth avenues, and including Blaney Street and a portion of Redington Street.The overlay district is meant to encourage mixed-use, unified and compact, pedestrian-oriented development in the historic downtown of Swampscott. The district includes design standards for new development, redevelopment that is greater than 2,000 square feet in gross floor area, and exterior renovations.A similar article appeared on last year’s Town Meeting Warrant, but the Planning Board decided to withdraw the article and amend it. The most notable change from last year’s proposal is that the Planning Board and Zoning Board Of Appeals, rather than a new design review board, will enforce the design guidelines and grant the appropriate permits.Another zoning amendment is proposed for the sign bylaw and requires the background of signs in the downtown business district to be black.The Charter Review Committee has presented several recommended changes in their review of the town’s governing document. Younger said it is not yet clear whether the 13 and possibly 14 substantive recommendations will be presented as one article or individually. The recommendations range from correcting the date for Annual Town Meeting so it is consistent with bylaws and current practice, to requiring the Board Of Selectmen vote on each article in the Town Meeting Warrant and the town administrator annually submit a five-year cap