Swampscott Select Board Votes to Cut Recycling Pickup to Every Other Week in January

SWAMPSCOTT — July 7, 2026 — Swampscott Select Board votes unanimously to move curbside recycling to every other week beginning January 1, projecting $168,000 in annual savings. The board, chaired by Danielle Gittens, also approved approximately $285,000 in fiscal year 2026 year-end budget transfers — down from $663,000 the prior year — with fire department overtime totaling $795,000 as the largest single overage. Finance Director Patrick Luddy presented a preliminary recommendation of a 4 percent sewer and 3 percent water rate increase for FY27, which the board sent back for further analysis, asking for comparator scenarios and historical MWRA flow data before a vote ahead of the August 15 billing cycle. Hotel Delamar Director of Business Development Dixon Mallory presented updated construction drawings for the planned 57- to 58-room boutique hotel in the former Hadley School, confirming a reversed traffic-circulation layout to address neighbor light-pollution concerns, a two-level speakeasy restaurant in the existing sub-basement, and a November 2029 target opening. The board deferred a vote on optional additional trash barrel pricing — debated in a range of $150 to $200 annually — to its July 21 meeting, directing staff to bring comparator community data.