SWAMPSCOTT — With the Swampscott School Building Committee set to vote Tuesday on a site for their new elementary school, residents have been expressing their opinions on the decision.
The district is currently weighing two options:
A district-wide school for grades 3-5 on the site of the old Hadley school on Redington Street and a larger district-wide K-4 on the site of the Stanley School on Whitman Road.
At the Thursday night meeting of the Select Board, Finance Committee, and Capital Improvements Committee, all three boards voted to recommend the Stanley site to the School Building Committee, a decision that doesn’t sit well with some Swampscotters.
Swampscott resident Taryn Provencher, whose house abuts the Stanley site, has circulated a petition in support of Hadley instead of Stanley.
“A similar plan (to Stanley) was proposed in 2014 with the Middle School,” she said. “And it was voted down. (We) need a school, but we want to put the right school forward for the town.”
Provencher cited the increased traffic in the area, potential damage and additional costs from blasting, and the potential of more public spaces being included in the Hadley project.
According to Provencher, the petition has already received 410 signatures.
“It’s our town,” she said. “So we should be involved and we should have a say.”
Scott Nowka, who is on the board of trustees at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn, expressed concern over the district’s plan to utilize church land for the new building.
According to Nowka, the church was brought in early in the process, but they didn’t like the proposal, which would call for the church to surrender its parking lots to the new building for most of the week and require a road to be built through their property.
“We’re concerned about the effect it could have on the marsh,” said Nowka. “The feedback we gave was that there wasn’t anything to be gained from (the project).”
A primary argument in favor of the Stanley site raised at the Thursday meeting was that the project would have a cheaper long-term cost.
Project Architect Leigh Sherwood clarified Thursday that the Stanley site, which houses 900 students would likely be cheaper in the long run than the Hadley site which only houses 540.
“If you do the K-4 — it costs more now,” he said. “But you don’t have to do any of the other buildings. (The 3-5 option) costs less right now but in the future you would need to upgrade the other buildings substantially.”
Selectman Peter Spellios voiced his support for the comparative long-term affordability of the Stanley project at the meeting Thursday.
“I’d worry greatly if we were to put forward an option that was not financially responsible,” he said. “I don’t think we should be deciding to spend exponentially because I don’t believe we can afford that.”
The school building committee will meet at 6:30 tonight to vote on a final site option. The proceedings can be viewed live on the Town of Swampscott Facebook page, Youtube Channel, public access TV and through a Zoom link found on the town website.
