Select Board Splits 3-2 Over Waterfront Land Bid
Swampscott's Select Board split 3-2 on a bid to seek Community Preservation funding toward buying the St. John's parking lot at 187 Humphrey Street.
Select Board · Meeting of October 7, 2026
Swampscott's Select Board split 3-2 on a bid to seek Community Preservation funding toward buying the St. John's parking lot at 187 Humphrey Street. Member Mary Ellen Fletcher objected to voting without cost details, saying "give me the information and let me make an informed decision, cart before the horse," while Wayne Spritz's motion carried contingent on an executive-session price discussion.
The board also approved a $6.7 million bond anticipation note at 4.98 percent for the Humphrey Street property through Hilltop Securities and signed off on a zero-percent Massachusetts Clean Water Trust bridge loan against a $3.5 million authorization. Separately, residents packed public comment opposing a four-unit Chapter 40B project at 0 Lodge Road; Vice Chair Danielle Leonard said "this is going to get built" and urged a collaborative comment letter rather than opposition, with Swampscott's subsidized-housing inventory sitting near 6 percent against the state's 10 percent threshold.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,940 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of October 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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