New Swampscott High School & Systemwide Master Plan

Overview

The Swampscott High School project consists of the construction of an 850-student high school with associated parking and athletic facilities. SMMA and the School Building Committee conducted a Masterplan for Swampscott Public Schools between 1999 and 2002 to determine the most appropriate site for the new school. The Masterplan concluded that Jackson Park was the most suitable location to accommodate the new high school.

Jackson Park measures approximately 24.4 acres and consists of three ball fields, tennis courts, an outdoor skating rink, and wooded areas. A 5-acre easement was granted by Aggregate Industries Inc. to the Town of Swampscott in perpetuity to accommodate the athletic facilities associated with the new high school.

An intensive permitting effort was required to site the new school at Jackson Park. Construction of the school at Jackson Park required conversion of public parkland, protected under the Amendment Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, to a municipal use. SMMA, working with the Town, was able to replicate the lost parkland at Jackson Park by expanding the existing athletic facilities at the Swampscott Middle School on Forest Avenue. In order to expand the facilities at Forest Avenue, additional easements from the Tedesco Country Club were procured. In addition to the Article 97 process, significant local permitting was required, including local Site Plan Review and Section 401 Water Quality Certification. SMMA successfully led the Town of Swampscott through the local and state regulatory process to allow construction of the new Swampscott High School.