Politics & Government
Swampscott Forum Favors Open Space for Machon
Between 50 and 60 people attended the forum on the future of the Machon Building.
The consensus of residents at Monday's forum on the future of the Machon School building was to demolish the structure and use the land for open space.
Open space uses mentioned by audience members included a grassy area or parking spaces or a children's ice rink or a botanical garden, said Town Administrator Tom Younger.
The town administrator and town Planner Brian Szekely hosted the gathering, attended by 50-60 people, many of whom live in the Machon neighborhood.
Monday's forum was held in the Swampscott High auditorium, only a few hundred yards away from the town-owned Machon building at 35 Burpee Road.
It woud cost an estimated $200,000 to demolish the 1920 building, excluding the cost to remove asbestos.
Other ideas bandied about at the forum included using the building as an arts center or for senior housing.
The brick structure is usable but would need to be renovated, the town administrator said. Officials do not have an estimate on how much it would cost to make the building habitable.
The next step is for selectmen, town department heads and others to review the forum input and consider possible uses for the building as well as establish a timeline for determining the options.
No deadline has been set for the review or setting a timeline.
Machon Elementary School closed in 2007 and the School District turned the building over to the town in 2012.
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