Sidewalk Work Underway at King's Beach

Gravel washed out from underneath the sidewalk at the far end of King's Beach.

  Public Works crews and contractors have been at work replacing about a 60-foot section of sidewalk at King's Beach by Red Rock Bistro. Work on the estimated two- to three-week job started a week ago, right before Election Day. Public Works Director Gino Cresta said the work was needed because the sidewalk was settling. Gravel had washed out from under the walkway after a nearby storm drain collapsed, he said. Crews removed the curbing, excavated the old concrete sidewalk and gravelly material below and repaired the storm drain. The curbing has been reset, subgrade material installed and compacted and a portion of the new concrete sidewalk poured. The King's Beach sidewalk is a popular, ocean-side walking route. People often socialize at …

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Fire, Police and Public Works Departments Await Sandy

Non-emergency town workers will not be working Monday.

  Fire, police and public works crews will be on the job and ready to respond to calls Monday. And department heads will be at work, too. But other Town Hall employees were asked to not come in to work, said Swampscott fire Chief Kevin Breen. Schools and the town library will be closed. Meanwhile, the fire department is bringing aboard an extra crew and activating a reserve fire engine on Monday. This will give the department additional hands and equipment in case they are needed to respond to emergencies such as downed power lines or evacuations from flooded areas, fire chief said. Public Works Director Gino Cresta said that he had two crew members on standby Sunday night. Otherwise the department will be at work Monday ready to block off…

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Final Town Metal Recycling Drive is Saturday, Oct. 27

The last metal collection event of the year is on Saturday in Swampscott at the Department of Public Works Yard on Paradise Road.

  The Jackson Park Playground committee's last FREE metal recycling event of the year is Saturday,  8 am to noon, Oct. 27.  Residents of Swampscott and surrounding communities are invited to bring any unwanted metal to the Department of Public Works yard at 200 Paradise Road in Swampscott.   Anything metal will be accepted including, washer dryers, hot water tanks, air conditioners, refrigerators, metal fencing etc. The motto is, “If it’s metal we will take it”!  Please note, television, computer monitors or hazard waste materials are the only exception to the metal being dropped off.  Scrap-it of Everett has assisted the committee in recycling over 100 tons of metal over the past few years.  Scrap-it gives 75 percent of the cash proceeds …

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Swampscott Street Paving Schedule Announced

The work has started on Salem Street and will continue at other locations including Humphrey in the coming weeks.

Here are the streets scheduled for upcoming paving, according to a list from Swampscott Publi Works Director Gino Cresta. The town selected the most competive bidder for the summer and fall paving contract, DR Paving of Melrose, the Public Works director said. DR bid $840,000 on the estimated $950,000 paving package, he said. Under the contract the Melrose company will have 90 days to complete the work, he said. This work is part of the town's regular road paving schedule and unrelated to the trench work by National Grid on the other end of Humphrey.

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Swampscott Stories

Athletic Fields Open Weeks Early

Public Works crews have been adding a red clay sand mixture to the infields at the Phillips Parks ballfields this week.

  Last year at this time athletic fields at the high school, Phillips Park and Middle School were wet and weeks away from opening. This week, the fields were open for play. Public Works Director Gino Cresta opened the fields on Monday because they were dry, he said. Usually he waits until April 1, to give the green light. On Wednesday, Public Works crews were in short sleeves working on the big baseball diamond at Phillips Park. Bruce Conley operated a skid steer spreading an inch or two of red clay sand mixture on top of the infield, said Foreman Bobby Serino. Next they were to cultivate, level and roll the field with a single attachment. The new mixture will improve drainage and the way baseballs ride over the infield, giving fielders …

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Fish House Drains Get Updated

Work on the Fish House drainage system is slated to start today or tomorrow, the public works director said.

Drainage improvements at the Fish House are slated to start this week. Irvine & Sons plumbing company of Lynn will install a new main drain line around the building, said Public Works Director Gino Cresta. In addition, the plumbers will connect laterals to the dozen or so Fish House lockers. Laterals are separate drain lines that connect the lockers to the main line, the director said. This first phase of the project costs $22,000, Cresta said. The second phase, expected to be completed over the winter, calls for removing individual drains in each of the fish lockers, installing new drains and connecting them to the laterals. Fishermen and others use the lockers to clean their catch, store supplies and tools and other uses. For the past …

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