School committee approves UU license to add staff parking for Swampscott Elementary

The Swampscott School Committee voted unanimously Thursday to accept a revocable license agreement with the First Unitarian Universalist congregation that will give school staff access to parking spaces adjacent to the new Swampscott Elementary School.

The agreement covers roughly 45 parking spaces in the lower section of the UU lot “closest to the wetlands and the field at the school,” Max Casper, the district facilities director, told the committee. “This we refer to as the lower lot … so it's about 45 spots,” Casper said during the presentation.

The license is revocable and places a small additional operational obligation on the town: the school district will perform snow removal in the license/easement area. Casper said the district had already been doing some snow removal in the easement and that the additional work was modest. He said the UU’s negotiators, Evan Katz and Tom Billings, were “really collaborative” during the talks.

The license is intended for staff parking only; Casper emphasized visitor and parent parking will remain on-site at the elementary school. “It’s important to note that this UU parking is not for community and parent parking. It's for staff parking, but that will free up considerable parking on-site,” he said.

The select board approved a corollary insurance agreement at its meeting Wednesday, Casper said, and UU leadership was scheduled to vote at its next board meeting; the district expected the insurance paperwork to be complete and the arrangement to be effective next week.

The committee moved the license on a motion by School Committee member Amy O'Connor, seconded by Superintendent Pam Angelakis; the chair called the vote and said it passed unanimously.

The license agreement will take effect only after the UU's internal vote and submission of insurance documents, Casper said. Committee members asked clarifying questions about timing and parking counts; Casper said final lot counts and exact operating logistics will be confirmed as the license and insurance paperwork are completed.

The committee’s acceptance of the license was made during a joint meeting with the town’s select board and finance committee, which the chair said made it easier for all three bodies to hear the same information at once.

What’s next: the UU board was scheduled to consider the license at its Monday meeting; after the UU vote and completion of insurance paperwork, the license will be implemented and staff parking moved to the lower lot to ease on-site congestion.

(Reporting note: committee members deliberated and then moved to vote at the Jan. 23 meeting after the facilities presentation.)