SWAMPSCOTT — Danielle Leonard was officially sworn in as the Select Board’s newest member at a meeting of the board following her election last week.
At the meeting, the board unanimously passed a motion to increase the fees for parking stickers used at Phillips Beach, Phillips Park, Preston Beach, and near the Commuter Rail station.
Recreation Director Danielle Strauss presented the proposed increases to the board. The fees will increase from $20 to $25 for residents who buy the stickers in person at Town Hall, from $20 to $30 for residents who buy them online, from $7 to $10 for senior residents who buy them in person, and from $7 to $15 for senior residents who buy them online.
Strauss said the increases are necessary to accommodate a $3.50 increase in how much it costs the town to produce each sticker from 2015 to 2024. According to Strauss, the town will have to pay $6,000 more in 2025 than it did in 2024 as a result.
“We have not raised the price of beach stickers in over 10, 12, 13 years,” Strauss said.
Leonard said that she had a hard time understanding the reasoning for what she described as huge increases.
“We’re talking 60% for senior citizens,” Leonard said.
Strauss said that the Recreation Department looked at other towns’ figures with similar demographics when determining the proposed changes.
Select Board member MaryEllen Fletcher said that town employees should start paying for parking stickers to help offset the town’s costs. She said she did not want it to happen this year, but instead sometime in the future. During the motion, Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald committed to compromising with that request.
Planning Board Vice Chair Ted Dooley also asked the board’s members to ensure that as many residents as possible are informed about zoning amendments proposed in response to the MBTA Communities Law before Town Meeting.
“Given current events that have gone on in Marblehead and other towns, I think it’s very important to ensure that everyone is as well-informed going into that to make their own decisions, but to understand the ramifications that can happen with approval or denial of those articles,” Dooley said.
He added that the article is complex and the format of Town Meeting on May 20 will not provide the opportunity to hold a conversation regarding the matter.
Fitzgerald also took the time to urge residents to bring any prescription medications they do not need anymore to the police station, to help both people who are susceptible to addiction and the environment.
In other updates, Fitzgerald announced that Fire Capt. and Fire Fighters Union Local 1459 President Jim Snow retired last week after 30 years of service to the town.
“We’re gearing up for the next round of recruitment and entrance exams this week,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m holding promotional interviews for lieutenants and captains. It’s a busy time for our Police and Fire departments.”
Fitzgerald also said that the Pine Street building has been demolished as part of the town’s effort to build more housing for veterans.
“We will be holding a neighborhood meeting in the near future to discuss the next steps,” Fitzgerald said.
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