Politics & Government
Paid Parking Proposal Back Before Selectmen
Board members disagree on whether to exempt residents from payment.
Parking was on selectmen's minds at their last meeting, Aug. 22.
Selectman Barry Greenfield presented a proposal that the town conduct a pilot program on Humphrey Street to make 65 parking spaces paid parking.
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The spaces would be from the to the
The board reached no decision on the proposal and is expected to continue talking about it at an upcoming meeting.
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Greenfield projected that the 65 spaces would generate about $50,000 a year in revenue, mostly from out-of-town visitors to Swampscott.
Town Administrator Tom Younger said the town would have to purchase five or six parking dispensing machines for the 65 spaces. And he said the town would have to ticket violators for the project to be successful.
The selectmen disagreed on whether residents would be exempt from the paid parking.
Selectman David Van Dam said in an interview that for him to support a proposal it must exempt Swampscott residents from paying for parking.
A little more than one year ago he proposed paid parking on Humphrey Street for nonresidents to ensure that cars don't tie up spaces of Humphrey Street businesses for long periods.
He estimated kiosk parking — between the Lynn line and the Fish House — could generate $100,000 to $400,000 a year for the town.
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