Detractors will say it is about time Swampscott made an effort to reuse the old Burrill Street police station, closed since 2013. We applaud town officials for taking a proactive approach to the station’s reuse that looks beyond short-term town needs.
Town Director of Community and Economic Development Marzie Galazka proved the value of her hiring by looking beyond the old station and noting its value in the context of its location and in the context of town life.
The building is located yards away from the public library, fire station and Town Hall. It also is located across the street from the building where ReachArt’s helps town residents expand their creative potential.
Swampscott is a town where residents expect their views to be heard and where townspeople are ready, willing and able to step up and do what’s good for the town. ReachArts and For the Love of Swampscott are prime examples of this attitude.
By declaring that the town is “… open to hearing from the community” on the station’s reuse, Galazka made it clear the town is eager to tighten the bonds among town government, nonprofit groups in town, and a legion of local volunteers.
The Historical Commission uses part of the old station’s first floor as a storage and meeting area. There is no reason that arrangement can’t continue even as officials review ideas for determining the building’s future use.
It’s not surprising to see Galazka taking a broad horizon view of town needs even when it comes to determining future use of a vacant town building.
Appointed by the Select Board last Feb. 6 as Swampscott’s first Community and Economic Development director, Galazka has lived in town for 16 years. She previously served as Planning and Development deputy director in Everett.
This newspaper described her as a “visionary” in an editorial written after her appointment. Her approach to deciding future use for the old police station shows she is living up to that praise with support from the Select Board and Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald.
We urge residents to submit Requests for Interest for the station’s reuse to the town and take an active interest in requests that are submitted.
