Swampscott Paddle Board Breakdown Causes Select Board Stir

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The abrupt cancellation of the Swampscott stand-up summer paddle board program at Fisherman's Beach led to a lengthy — and at times contentious — discussion about blame for the breakdown and the greater role of the Select Board in the events that led up to vendor canceling its contract on the eve of the program earlier this month.

The paddle board program served about 312 families in the town in the summer.

"I want to acknowledge the upset of that," Swampscott Select Board Chair Neil Duffy said at the Board's most recent meeting. "I think we all understand firsthand how disruptive that is for families and children and residents to have something like that go away and having that expectation. I am not that far removed from trying to program a child's summer and I appreciate the stress that's involved with that task as well as the enjoyment of finding something that fits so well, especially when it's nearby and convenient and affordable.

"So I think we all know that's not a small thing to lose."

Apparently at issue was a large storage container for the paddle boards in the beach parking lot that some residents and nearby business owners considered an eyesore during the summer months. Attempts to find an alternative to the storage container were unsuccessful and SUP East Coast Style President Leah Beth Goodman posted on her Facebook page on June 18 that the program would not run in Swampscott this year.

"With an extremely heavy heart and no stone left unturned to try and bring our services back to Swampscott, we sadly will not be returning for summer season 2022," Goodman posted. "The good news is we were prepared for any and all outcomes and can at least offer you a spot in our programs at our Marblehead location."

Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald told the Select Board that he believed the town was working with SUP East Coast Style in good faith on a potential storage solution and regretted the cancellation.

"It left us all, frankly, wondering what we could have done better to make sure that we didn't create such a disruption," Fitzgerald said. "The last two years have been very, very difficult for every family and it's important for all us to understand that we would never in a million years want to see a program like this not get stronger and stronger.

"Unfortunately, we made some mistakes and we communicated some things to a vendor that made them feel like we would not accommodate the program. And, unfortunately, the changes were too abrupt and we did not have an opportunity to work out a solution."

Fitzgerald said an attempt will be made to offer stand-up paddle board opportunities at the beach this summer, but he could not guarantee a full program for children as of late last week.

"I do want to make it clear to everyone that the town would have taken whatever steps, reasonably, necessary to continue to support the container and continue to try to support the program," he said. "I recognize that, at some point, was just a little bit too little and too late."

The discussion lasted for 90 minutes — including public comment — and involved some contentious moments between Board members and residents who felt the paddle board program should have been supported and preserved, and those who felt that the storage container on public property in a historic district was a legitimate concern for those who wanted an alternative for the program.

"I think the Select Board's conduct is very important," newly elected Board member Katie Phelan said following a lengthy back-and-forth between members. "That's not why we're here. We're here because we no longer have a program and there are 312 families who are out the ability to have the benefit of the program."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)