You Asked, Patch Answers

You Asked: Demolition on Columbia Avenue?

A Patch reader sent us a question asking if demo was in the works for commercial properties on Columbia Avenue.

We received a question earlier this month from a reader who said he heard through the grapevine that there is a plan to knock down commercial properties on Columbia Avenue and put up condos. We put the question to the Planning and Building Departments. The town planner said last week that he had not heard anything about this, but that the place to check would be the Building Department. On Monday, Rich Baldacci of the Building Department said no one has applied for a demolition permit or inquired about a demolition permit for properties on Columbia Avenue.

•  2 Comments
• Photos (3)
• Videos (1)

Terry Date

3:50 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Yes, thanks, Mike. We needed some art to run with the article about whether there is demo planned for Columbia Ave. There is no demo planned for Columbia, we have been told. This is old footage of a previous demo. And, yes, this is the demo of the property that was at Rock and Burrill. Sorry about the confusion. Terry   more ›

You Asked, Patch Answers

You Asked: Will the JRC be Demolished for Condos?

The answer to the first question is yes.

  Last week a Patch reader asked if the Paradise Road building that housed the Jewish Rehabilitation Center is to be demolished to make room for condos? We put a variation of this question to the town Building Inspector Alan Hezekiah, asking whether the building would be demolished and if any project was in the works? The inspector said yes, the building is going to be demolished, but no development plans have been filed.  There have been informal talks about the site but no project proposal, he said. The building owners need only a demo permit to knock the building down, though they have yet to apply for it, he said. The building is not old enough to qualify as a historicla structure. The reader who posed the question suggested the site …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

You Asked: Why Haven't School Committee Rebroadcasts Aired Recently?

We posed your question to Tom Reid, Swampscott High's TV production and media literacy teacher.

  Welcome to You Asked, Patch Answers, a regular feature at Swampscott Patch. Earlier this week we got a question from Citizen Swamp, a regular Patch commenter. Citizen asked us to inquire why local access rebroadcasts of School Committee meetings haven't been running. We forwarded the question to the high school's television production and media literacy teacher, Thomas Reid. Here is Thomas's reply: Thank you for asking.  We get a schedule from the Superintendent's Office every couple of months of all the upcoming school committee meetings.  We tape any meeting on the schedule and show them on our educational channel (Channel 15 on Comcast in Swampscott only and Channel 40 on Verizon in Swampscott, Lynn and Nahant).  The time between …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (3)

You Asked: Who Can Carry a Gun at a School?

State law determines who has authority to carry a weapon at a school.

  A Marblehead school administrator's arrest last week for carrying a loaded weapon while intoxicated had several people wondering what the law says about guns at schools. In the Marblehead case, the interim school business manager was carrying a loaded weapon but not at school, or even on a school day. We learned that a state statute, Chapter 269, Section 10, covers  weapons at schools. Subsection J of that statute prohibits anyone but police officers from carrying a weapon at an elementary school, secondary school, college or university unless the person has the written authorization of the board or officer in charge of the school. (j) Whoever, not being a law enforcement officer, and notwithstanding any license obtained by him under the…

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)

We Ask: Who Do You Turn to Minimize Basement Flooding?

This is a variation on the You Ask, Patch Answers column. We are forwarding a flooding question to you.

  Here is a question we received from a reader who wants to do the best she can to protect her basement from flooding. "I am looking for a reputable company to come to my home and tell me what I can do to minimize flooding in my basement. After the October flooding, I saw many trucks going in and out of town." Do you have any suggestions for her? If so, please enter them in the comments section below.

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)

Where Will Youth Football Players Practice?

We received this question from a Patch reader who wanted to know where youth would practice and adults would park once youth football starts up at Phillips Park.

  This You Asked, Patch Answers question came from a reader who wonders what will happen once youth football starts at Phillips Park? The Grown Ups 2 sound stage and other areas at the park are being used by the movie maker. What will this mean for the youth football teams that practice at Phillips and the parents who park there to watch their children practice? Recreation Director Danielle Strauss said she has talked to Scott Faulkner of the Swampscott Youth Football about this situation. She said the teams will shift their practice areas so that the available space serves their needs. As of late last week they were still working on a solution to the parking question, the director said. It may be that the town will have to lift parking …

• Photos (1)

Question: Where Do Things Stand With The Proposed Town Dog Park?

The latest question we answer in You Ask, Patch Answers.

  Welcome to You Ask, Patch Answers, a column in which you ask us a question about anything going on in town and we do our best to find an answer. Got a question you'd like to see Patch answer? E-mail it to: terry.date@patch.com Question: Where Do Things Stand With The Proposed Town Dog Park?  Answer: Swampscott Director of Public Works Gino Cresta said the park is in limbo. When park supporters and town officials last talked, in the fall, about the fenced play area for dogs a consensus emerged. The consensus favored a location at Phillips Park behind the Bertram House in a lot near the football practice field, the DPW director said. A neighbor, however, complained that a dog park in that area would violate wetland regulations, the …

• Photos (3)