Selectmen Vote to Join School Funding Suit

Tuesday night was busy for the Selectmen at Town Hall.

Besides debating and approving the the selectmen agreed to join in a suit against the Commonwealth over the town's allocation of school funding. They also extended the special permit for a , accepted the town's second conservation easement on a large waterfront property, encouraged the development of a and commended the Veterans Officer for his work on the

Here is a recap of actions taken:

Joining a Chapter 70 Law Suit. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to join about 30 other communities in developing a lawsuit against the state, challenging the constitutionality and equity of the funding formula for school districts. Town Administrator Andrew Maylor and several of the Selectmen said that Swampscott's allocation from the state is well below the 17.5 percent minimum that the state has set.

“We are on the bottom of the bottom rung in funding,” Maylor said.

Selectman Barry Greenfield said Swampscott gets about $1,200 per student from the state. If it was at the 17.5 percent level, the amount would be about $2,100 per student.

“It is never an easy decision to sue the Commonwealth. But something has to be done,” said Board Chairman Matthew Strauss.

Maylor said he expects the suit to cost “six figures,” and “there are no promises.” The Board will have to approve each expenditure for legal fees.

Hot Dogs on the Beach

 The selectmen unanimously extended a special vendor permit for Paul Foglia, of Rory’s Corp, to continue selling hot dogs and other concessions at Phillips Beach through Labor Day. Over the objections of several neighbors, the selectmen had approved a

The primary concern was that the concession, which serves veggie wraps, hot dogs, sausages and cold drinks, would make the neighborhood litter problem worse. In lieu of a fee for operating the stand, Foglia agreed to haul away four bags of litter after weekend days of selling.

Foglia said that litter was a problem. When he arrived last Saturday morning to set up, he found several empty pizza boxes littering the beach left over from Friday night.

He asked and the Selectmen agreed to extend his hours to include Friday, as well as Saturday and Sunday, and to allow him to keep operating until 6 p.m., instead of to 4 p.m. He said he could do more business and pick up more litter.

“I have fallen in love with this town. People on the beach are wonderful. The children are very polite and courteous,” he said.

Stauss predicted that Foglia is only the first of many vendors who will approach the town about selling on the beach. He asked Maylor to develop a possible fee structure for granting future permits.

Blythswood Conservation Easement

The Selectmen signed a conservation easement on portions of a 6.5-acre waterfront property called Blythswood. Located on Littles Point next to Marian Court College, the property, which is owned by the Wilkerson family, will feature nature trails. Because of the easement, which is only the second in the town's history, the public will have access.

Dog Park

The Swampscott Ad-Hoc Dog Park Committee, which calls itself SPOT, told the selectmen it has raised $26,000 toward building a fenced dog park on the backside of Phillips Park. Lynn Zabar asked the town officials for help in clearing some of the area of brush. “It is not pretty,” she said.

The committee plans to use some of the funds for fencing. Once the area is cleared and the fence is erected, Zabar said it would be easier to raise more money to landscape the area.

Maylor said he would need a more detailed plan from the committee so he could plan when the public works crews would clear the land.

Veterans Parade

State Senator Tom McGee (D-Lynn) joined the selectmen in praising Veterans Officer Jim Shultz for his work in organizing the June Veteran’s Parade. Strauss said Shultz “very much deserves it.”

Shultz in turn said he had a great crew and they deserved the praise.