SWAMPSCOTT — During the past month, did you drive down Lynn Shore Drive into Swampscott and notice one of those digital traffic signs on the road? And you may have thought, “Oh, it’s going to tell me a lane is closed or that there’s construction ahead,” before you got closer and realized it’s actually an inspirational quote. And then maybe you asked, “Who decided to put that on there, and why?”
Well, your questions have been answered. The man behind the traffic sign on Lynn Shore Drive is Gino Cresta, Swampscott’s director of the Department of Public Works (DPW).
Since its inception 10 years ago, that sign has been used for town updates, such as for trash pickup delays. In the beginning of January, the sign read “Thank you Lauren & Charlie” for former Governor and Swampscott resident Charlie Baker as he was finishing his term.
At the beginning of February, Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald reached out to Cresta asking if he could display quotes for Black History Month.
The four quotes used throughout the month were:
“The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” – W.E.B. DuBois.
“A people without the knowledge of their past history is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey.
“Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” – Cornel West.
“We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.” – Angela Davis.
Each quote ran for about a week.
Cresta said he is able to change what the board says from the comfort of his desk, but that it used to be more of an ordeal.
“We had an old sign that we used to have to go out there and program it manually every time we wanted to change a message,” he said.
Cresta said that using the sign to display quotes for Black History Month would not usually have been possible in February due to weather conditions.
“Typically we don’t put it out in the wintertime anyways, because it impedes the plowing operation, but we’ve had a relatively mild winter,” Cresta said.
He said using the sign to display quotes was a great idea, and that DPW would continue to do so if town officials made more requests.
Fitzgerald said he wanted to display the quotes for Black History Month to honor Black Americans and “to really think about their significant role in our democracy.” He said that Select Board members had recommended some of the quotes that were displayed.
Fitzgerald added that Swampscott is making systematic changes to create a more inclusive community.
