Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald gave an update at Wednesday night’s Select Board meeting on the town’s efforts to resolve the pollution at King’s Beach.
Fitzgerald revealed that he had a meeting with state and federal representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regarding the beach.
“It’s clear that we have got to do more,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve heard from our EPA colleagues that they think we should be more aggressive. I have shot back every time I hear that we should be more aggressive, that they too should be more aggressive.”
He said that he feels the state and federal partners have a responsibility to provide supplemental investments and infrastructural ideas to improve the situation.
Fitzgerald said that he does not foresee the issue being fully resolved in the near future if the methodology does not change, but wants to see the condition notably improved in the next few years.
“I don’t believe that we’re going to get there in our generation if we simply have to chase miles and miles of pipes on both sides of this line, with no absolute certainty that it will come even close to protecting the health and safety of our residents.”
Board member MaryEllen Fletcher responded to Fitzgerald’s report suggesting that the Board should be more actively discussing the potential implementation of an outfall pipe if the EPA and DEP are in favor of one.
“I think we have got to focus on a few of these things,” Fletcher said. “You have heard me be very verbal about what’s happened over on Fisherman’s Beach. So that’s something I want to see more of a conversation at some early point.”
Fitzgerald said that a feasibility study needs to be conducted on the outfall pipe.
As the meeting opened, Chair David Grishman issued an apology for attempting to prematurely end the public comment portion of the meeting on Feb. 12. Many residents shared passionate opinions about discrimination complaints lobbied against Fitzgerald, and Grishman expressed his desire to discontinue the portion despite other residents wishing to speak.
“I want to ensure that folks who are in attendance at our meetings, whether in-person or virtually, have the opportunity to speak during public comment,” Grishman said. “I want to apologize to anyone if they felt they were not provided the opportunity to do so, I’ll do better.”
