From Selectman Glenn Kessler: Should the Welcome to Swampscott Sign Stay or Go?

The "Welcome to Swampscott" sign: should it stay or should it go?

Its history: The sign has been there for over 12 years and was painted by Swampscott High School students. Recently I was asked by a number of residents to do something about the sign's deteriorating condition, and I said I would.  Residents said that renovating would show pride in our community. I spoke with my fellow Selectmen and the town administrator as I found a local craftsman who wanted to donate his time and materials to upgrade the sign at no cost to the town. I was told by Tom Younger that it was a worthwhile project and he welcomed my heading it up.

It was also suggested that I contact the Beautification committee. Two weeks ago some of their members met with me and together we met with the business owner who wants to work on the project. We discussed modernizing the sign to reflect design issues and I thought the project would be ready to go in short order. I also met with the entire Beautification group recently. It was evident that a majority of them have other ideas as to what to do with the current sign and its location and that the town might want to consider completely going in another direction design-wise.

At this point, I thought it prudent to contact the Historical commission and will be meeting with them on November 5th to discuss their opinions as to what to do with the sign. Today, I spoke with Anita Balliro, the art teacher at the high school who oversaw the original art project. She, like many residents, wants the sign to stay.

The question for our residents is how do they feel about the sign? After speaking with people around town, many don’t even know it was done by Swampscott High School art students. I’d like to hear from more people about what they think. Maybe it’s not that important but for many people in town maybe it is.

The second question deals with the side of the sign that we all see when we’re leaving town. Currently, there’s a mosaic that depicts life in town. The problem is that unless you are walking, you can’t really see what it is. Perhaps that artwork might be better served to be viewed at the high school with an explanation as to who did it and when it was done. Maybe we could have a town-wide art contest for residents to come up with designs for the 2nd side. I believe there’s a lot of creativity in town waiting to be tapped into. It is about what the residents think; so...what should we do with the sign? Should it stay, or should it go?