Will Swansea tear down or restore historic Gardner House? Voters' guide to town meeting

Swansea voters have a full slate of items on their agenda for the annual and special Town Meetings, from adding more liquor licenses to funding a new sewer system, and either fixing or demolishing a historic home.

Both meetings are scheduled to take place Monday, May 20, at the Joseph Case Senior High School auditorium, 70 School St. The Special Town Meeting starts at 7 p.m., with the Annual Town Meeting scheduled to begin at 7:30.

Voters will decide on six articles in the Special Town Meeting, with 39 articles on the Annual warrant. To see the full warrants, visit swanseama.gov.

Here’s a rundown of some of the more noteworthy items on the agenda:

Big plans for Route 6: Swansea gets $1M to begin a long-planned sewer project

More liquor licenses for Swansea (Annual Town Meeting, Article 30)

In the town's bid to redevelop the area around Swansea Mall Drive after the mall’s demise, Swansea seems to be encouraging the development of more restaurants. Article 30 would let selectmen submit a home rule petition with the state Legislature allowing the town to issue up to six more common victualler liquor licenses. Common victualler licenses are for businesses that serve alcoholic beverages to be consumed on the premises, like restaurants and bars.

The licenses would only be made available to businesses in the Swansea Mall Redevelopment Area. The town defines that as Route 6 between Milton Reiser Road and Gardners Neck Road, and north on Route 118 to the northern end of what was the Swansea Mall.

Advisory and Finance Committee recommendation: Pass.

More equipment for police and fire (Annual Town Meeting, articles 14 to 18)

Nearly half a million dollars worth of equipment is on the line for the town’s police and fire departments.

The Swansea Police Department is seeking $200,000 for three equipped police cruisers and $42,000 for bulletproof vests. The Fire Department is seeking $125,000 for turnout gear for its volunteer firefighters, $80,000 for a Ford Expedition for the department, and $30,000 for paving and resurfacing work at Fire Stations 1 and 2.

Advisory and Finance Committee recommendation: Pass.

Does Swansea need more cemetery space? (Annual Town Meeting, Article 24)

The town would spend $52,500 to expand and create new grave space at Vinnicum Woods Cemetery.

There are two municipal-owned cemeteries in town, Mount Hope and Vinnicum Woods, but Mount Hope is not accepting lot purchases.

Advisory and Finance Committee recommendation: Pass.

Real estate report: Updated Swansea home with two units sold for over $500K

Fixing a tricky intersection (Annual Town Meeting, Article 23)

The intersection of Route 103 and Gardners Neck Road and New Gardners Neck Road would be studied for possible improvements, with $250,000 allocated for field study, permitting and design work.

Route 103 is an east-west road connecting Somerset with Warren, Rhode Island, while Gardners Neck Road is a major street leading into Swansea’s Gardners Neck and Ocean Grove neighborhoods. It currently features only a blinking traffic light where Route 103 and Gardners Neck Road meet.

Advisory and Finance Committee recommendation: Pass.

Fix or demolish the historic Gardner House? (Annual Town Meeting, articles 25 and 26)

After years sitting idle, something will finally happen with the historic but dilapidated Preserved Gardner House at Swansea Memorial Park — and voters will decide what that is.

The Preserved Gardner House, which dates to 1820, is in "a severe state of disrepair," according to the office of Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein. However, Cheryl Bogle of the Swansea Historical Commission called this a mischaracterization, saying "it is still in serviceable condition. ... It has been inspected by a structural engineer and is still in serviceable condition not a state of disrepair."

It was the home of Preserved Gardner, a descendant of Samuel Gardner, an original founder of the town of Swansea in 1693. It was originally part of an 80-acre estate, much of which was gifted to the town for Mount Hope Cemetery and the nearby park.

The farmhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Talks of restoring the home have been ongoing for decades.

Article 25 seeks $2 million to restore and repair the historic home and remove it from the town’s demolition list. But Article 26 seeks $85,000 to demolish it and regrade the land.

Advisory and Finance Committee recommendations: Reject Article 25, pass Article 26.

Pay for a sewer system along Route 6 (Annual Town Meeting, Article 38)

Swansea has been looking to make its commercial corridor more attractive to businesses by building a sewer system along Route 6. This article would pay for the project.

In March, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss secured $959,752 through the federal Community Project Funding Program to help construct the sewer system. Article 38 is asking voters to spend $21.6 million to pay its share.

The money would come from a combination of bonds, loans and grants.

Swansea does not have townwide sewer service of its own, relying largely on private septic systems. This is part of a planned multi-phase project that would eventually deliver sewer service to the rest of town, including Ocean Grove.

If voters approve spending the money, development is expected to start in July and end in November 2026.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea sewer system, historic house demolition on Town Meeting agenda