SWANSEA 一 Swansea Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein would like to share some important information with community members in advance of the upcoming Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting, both taking place at the Joseph Case Senior High School Auditorium on Monday, May 20.
Swansea’s Special Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 20 at 7 p.m., at Joseph Case High School on 70 School Street. The Annual Town Meeting will follow in the same location, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
During the Annual Town Meeting, Swansea residents will be asked to consider 39 Warrant Articles. Article topics include bylaw changes, street acceptances, spending articles for municipal vehicles, expanding electronic permitting through the Town, redesigning the New Gardners Neck Road at Route 103 and Gardners Neck Road at Route 103 intersections and expanding cemetery space at Vinnicum Cemetery. To view the Annual Town Meeting Warrant, click here.
During the Special Town Meeting, Swansea residents will consider six Warrant Articles. To view the Special Town Meeting Warrant, click here.
Financing for Route 6 Corridor Sewer Project
There are three articles in relation to the Town establishing and financing sewer infrastructure along Route 6 as part of an economic development plan. Article 6 of the Special Town Meeting considers funding for one portion of the overall project, which is to install infrastructure at the intersection of Route 6 and Gardners Neck Road. The Town is partnering with MassDOT which is reconstructing the intersection, and in doing so the Town saves on pavement costs, procurement costs and construction oversight, all of which provide considerable savings.
Voters will consider authorizing the first phase of the project and the Town’s partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust. This fund enables local municipalities to borrow for sewer and water projects at very low interest rates. Swansea is seeking $21.6 million to finance the first phase of the Route 6 Corridor and Route 118 wastewater collection system, which is Article 38 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant.
Currently, the lack of sewer and water service along the Route 6 corridor has hindered development and investment in the region. An inter-municipal agreement to build a sewer collection system was signed with the Town of Somerset in 2021.
As part of this project, $959,752 has been secured by U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss through the FY24 Community Project Funding Program in March. These funds are currently planned for most of the work needed at the Route 118 intersection.
If approved at Town Meeting, the funds would be appropriated by the issue of bonds, from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, loans and grants. Town officials are continuing more grant requests to help offset costs of the project.
Article 6 of the Special Town Meeting Warrant discusses transferring $1,678,384 of available funds to install sewer infrastructure along Route 6 and Route 118. Doing so allows the Town to align this work with MassDOT’s construction schedule.
Preserved Gardner House at Swansea Memorial Park
Among the 39 warrant articles for the Annual Town Meeting, Articles 25 and 26 discuss the future of the Preserved Gardner House at Swansea Memorial Park.
The historic farmhouse, which was built around 1820, has been slated for demolition since 2016.
Article 25 asks residents to appropriate $2 million to renovate and restore the building as a historic landmark. This article was placed on the Warrant at the request of the Historic Commission which is also seeking grant funds to assist in the cost of restoring the property. The request to restore the building came in response to the placement of Article 26, which funds the demolition of the Preserved Gardner House in the amount of $85,000.
The resulting votes will determine the Town’s course of action with the property, which is in a severe state of disrepair.
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