SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board discussed a Memorandum of Use (MOU) for the Recreation Department to utilize the former Clarke School for programming and events held in the building going forward.
Director of Facilities Max Kasper was the first to speak on the subject. He and Superintendent of Schools Jason Calichman were present to talk about the MOU between the Town and Swampscott Public Schools regarding recreation use of the former school building.
It was noted in the MOU that the Town will pay all utility costs associated with the building. Kasper recalled that, last year, the Town previously met to discuss the topic but “were not able to finalize it at that time.”
“But there have been some changes in the leadership of the Recreation Department, a new look was taken at the agreement, and it’s back before you (the Select Board) for your consideration,” Kasper said.
Recreation Director Charlotte Daher de Garcia was the next to speak. She said, since she’s stepped into the role, that “she has lofty goals for the program.”
“I have increased programming quite a bit… I’ve held open office hours and heard from a lot of residents about what they have an appetite for,” she said. “One thing the department has done really well is events for kids. We have amazing programming for our kids. A lot of it tends to be in the summertime, and that’s one thing we’re continuing.”
Daher de Garcia continued, noting that “there’s an untapped audience” of both adults and children.
“Folks that are parents of young children that want to get out at night and learn something new, and people who may be older but the senior center might not be appropriate for them… I really want to build upon the programming, and I need the space to do it,” she said.
Daher de Garcia added that it would be a “test run” and that the school building would be a “perfect location,” as it has been used in previous years for different programs. She said some of her plans include ongoing clubs and classes for the community.
“We won’t know what we won’t know until we give it a try, and I think that the Town is really lucky that it has a space like this to use,” she said. “I think in partnership with the schools, we’d be able to accomplish that.”
Select Board member David Grishman asked Kasper to elaborate on the aspect of the Town paying the utility bills and what that number could look like.
Kasper responded that “the number is dependent on how it is used,” noting that, two years ago, the building was still used as a school, which yields a certain amount of utility costs, but it’s been vacant this year.
Daher de Garcia had the numbers readily available. She said the utility costs for Fiscal Year 25 amounted to $36,952, and for FY24. when the building was used for roughly half the year, the bill was $48,279. Calichman clarified that Swampscott Public Schools still covers maintenance costs.
However, he added that the schools did not include the discussion of taking on maintenance costs in its budget for the upcoming year.
“There were two plans,” Calichman said. “The ideal plan was that, hopefully, the Recreation Department takes it over. But if not, we were going to put it out to bid to see if an outside agency was interested in the facility.”
Select Board member MaryEllen Fletcher asked Calichman, “The schools had no plan and put nothing in the budget to pay for utilities, and were hoping to rent it out?”
Calichman responded that the school department was confident it could be rented out if need be, as Swampscott Public Schools has heard that other parties are interested in possibly using the site, but the department was also trying to be fiscally responsible. He added that, currently, Swampscott Public Schools is still paying for the building’s maintenance.
“At the time that the school department’s budget was developed, there was an expectation that Clarke was going to be occupied by the Recreation Department,” Kasper said.
Select Board Chair Katie Phelan said the situation “is a little bit of a red herring.”
“We’re talking about it because people want to know, ‘If it’s in your budget, why should Recreation have to pay for it?’ But it’s not, and Recreation is willing to come to the table,” Phelan said. “This is only a one-year MOU, so if the worst thing that can happen is there’s zero dollars added to Recreation’s budget — I don’t think that will happen — but say it does, and you’re out somewhere between $40-50,000. That’s an expensive mistake to make, and I’m not belittling that, but without risk there’s no reward.”
She added, “Perhaps we go forward and support the Recreation Director and the school department’s request and see if it works out.”
Daher de Garcia said the idea would be to have the Recreation Department’s revolving fund to pay the utilities with proceeds from programs.
“The idea is to fill programming much more than we have in the past… If in six months we’ve said, ‘OK, we’ve got some great programming, but it’s not yielding as much money,’ then we could think about and revisit (it)… There could be possibilities of utilizing the building with other Town departments.”
She continued, saying, “Is it risky? Sure… But to (MaryEllen) Fletcher’s point, is it going to strap my budget down to nothing? No, and I feel very strongly that we should give it a try, and I feel that the Town would really benefit from it.”
The Board ultimately did not vote on the matter and will be convening at a future meeting to further discuss the topic.
