SWAMPSCOTT — The town’s beach entrances are getting a facelift.
The redesign project was made possible after a $20,000 donation from the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust, which was enough to supply granite markers for the entrances of the town’s seven beaches — King’s, Fisherman’s, Eiseman’s, Phillips’, Preston, Whales and New Ocean House, according to Gino Cresta, department of public works (DPW) director and assistant town administrator.
Work is underway on the $50,000 redesign of the entrances at King’s and Fisherman’s Beach. The funding was approved at Town Meeting last year, Cresta said.
The redesign for the remaining beaches will be next summer when more funding is available. Cresta said the idea was to start at the Lynn line and work their way down.
“The project is to dress up these entrances … make them look nicer and let the out-of-towners know the name of the beach,” Cresta said.
Cresta said each granite marker is nine feet tall and 4,200 pounds. Four feet of the marker will be in the ground, with five feet above ground. Each marker includes the name of the beach, along with the latitude and longitude.
At King’s, the granite marker will be surrounded by a small rectangle of granite pavers, which are a combination of brick and stone, for a walkway, along with beach grass, Cresta said.
Cresta said the beach entrance at Fisherman’s is a lot bigger so the redesign will be similar to King’s, but a little more entailed. At Fisherman’s, there will be 900 square feet of pavers, compared to the 40 square feet at King’s.
There will be granite curbing bordering the pavers, or walkway, along with beach grass.
The redesign at the two beaches started last week and is expected to wrap up in the next three or four weeks.
The Department of Public Works is assisting Swampscott-based Ciciotti Construction, the lowest bidder on the project.
Peter Spellios, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the project was initiated by the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust several years ago. In addition, he said a group of volunteers helped design the beach entrances.
“It’s great especially since it’s been such a byproduct of citizen activism and volunteerism and it’s great to see it come to fruition,” said Peter Spellios, chairman of the Board of the Selectmen. “(The Gelfand Family Charitable Trust) continues to be extremely generous and creative in their ways to make Swampscott more enjoyable and more beautiful.”
