SWAMPSCOTT — A vote from Town Meeting members Monday night will decide whether a proposed elementary school project will get off the ground or be dead on arrival.
A special Town Meeting will be held via Zoom at 7 p.m. This meeting will decide whether a new elementary school project will receive funding and be listed on the Oct. 19 special town election ballot.
If approved, a consolidated elementary school would replace the three current elementary school buildings, the ages of which average about 90 years old. There was a previous proposal that came before Town Meeting in 2014, but members voted against that school project.
If Town Meeting members vote to approve the new elementary school’s budget, it will be voted on in a town-wide special election. Much of the town appears to be supportive of a new school; this support is evident with hundreds of lawn signs and dozens of Facebook posts rallying for people to vote ‘yes.’
However, there are some concerns with the new elementary school project, particularly the potential use of eminent domain to take property from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn (UUCGL) and taxes being raised to cover the building cost.
The warrant published for the special Town Meeting says that a vote will be made on the cost for the new school, which is approximately $97.67 million. Of that amount, the town’s share of the project is expected to be $64 million with state reimbursement — the project has been approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority — estimated to be $34.35 million.
In the same vote, there will be a decision made on whether or not the new school project can use land gifted, purchased or claimed through eminent domain to build an easement.
