SWAMPSCOTT — From new trail openings to grant applications, the Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee spent Tuesday evening reviewing a lengthy list of projects that aim to advance the town’s conservation and recreation goals. 

The committee oversees implementation of Swampscott’s Open Space and Recreation Plan, serving as a hub for projects involving parks, trails, conservation land, and recreation. Maintaining a state-approved plan also keeps the town eligible for grants supporting the development and acquisition of parks, conservation areas, and other open spaces. 

Much of Tuesday’s meeting focused on tracking initiatives from the plan, which contains more than 75 action items across six broad goals: maintaining open spaces and recreational facilities, preserving the town’s scenic character, expanding and improving facilities, strengthening environmental protections, improving public access and awareness, and establishing a green corridor network.

To best track progress on those goals, the open space group operates as a sort of central hub for a number of the town’s many boards and committees involved in environmental and recreation issues. 

The town of Swampscott has dozens of appointed boards and committees, several of which have overlapping responsibilities involving open space, conservation, recreation, planning, or public works. 

To keep track of work happening across several town bodies, Open Space Committee members have begun reviewing agendas and minutes from related boards to identify projects that may affect conservation and recreation efforts.

“We just wanted to have some sort of system or platform where all the committees would have the ability to know what’s going on and what’s been discussed at the other committees,” Vice Chair Toni Bandrowicz said.

Rather than creating another standing committee, members said they have focused on sharing information between existing groups. While the committee has discussed holding another environmental roundtable, Chair Tania Lillak said coordinating representatives from multiple organizations has proven difficult.

“People are interested in working together. It’s just been hard to get everyone together to decide that there’s any sort of platform that could work,” Lillak said.

One objective in the plan calls for the development of a partnership or committee among the Conservation Commission, Swampscott Conservancy, Tree Committee, and Department of Public Works as they plan and maintain the town’s open spaces.

“The purpose of this objective … is not to get people to sit in a room and talk about certain projects,” Bandrowicz said. “It’s to make sure that people are notified, that groups are notified of what may be of interest to them.”

The committee also discussed the future of the town-owned Hawthorne-by-the-Sea property as the Select Board develops a request for proposals for its long-term reuse.

Members acknowledged that the Select Board plans to address different elements of the RFP over several meetings before finalizing the document this fall. Lillak encouraged committee members and other residents who support preserving open space at the site to attend those discussions and speak during public comment.

“This is our chance now,” Lillak said. “The more meetings that can be attended by people who are proponents of open space, the better.”

A cohort of open space-minded groups previously penned a joint letter to the Select Board, emphasizing the importance of preserving public access to the waterfront and as much open space as possible as part of any redevelopment of the property.

Bandrowicz and Economic and Community Development Planner Marzie Galazka also reported that the Archer Street trail project has been completed. Bandrowicz said signage to the area has been installed to mark the site, and the committee is hoping to hold a grand opening sometime in the coming months. 

“They look good,” Galazka said. “They look really great.”  

A second public access project, Foster Pond Landing, is also near completion. Members hoped to also plan a grand opening for that site, with members working on signage and plans for an opening recognizing the Eagle Scout who contributed to the project.

Other initiatives discussed Tuesday included Community Preservation Act planning for future Green Corridor improvements, research into Article 97 protections for town-owned open space, and revisions to a proposed light-pollution policy before it is brought to the Select Board.