Town Administrator Nick Connors announced that the “network disruptions” impacting Town Hall are almost fully resolved, and that an investigation into the issue is continuing.
“We recently experienced a network disruption that has impacted some aspects of our operations, as a result some of the functions of Town Hall have been delayed,” Connors said during Thursday’s Select Board meeting. “
The town announced a “network disruption” on August 19, and it continues to impact Town Hall and other municipal facilities, including the Senior Center. Half a dozen meetings were moved to in-person only formats this week. It is still unknown what the exact issue is.
“Now we’re very close to full operation,” Connors said. “In learning of the issue, we commenced an investigation with the assistance of a specialist to determine the nature and stem of the condition. We’re working to restore our systems as quickly as possible.”
Connors said he could not share “too many further details at this time” because of the ongoing investigation. He thanked community members and staff for their patience as the town continues to work through the issue.
Superintendent Jason Calichman told the Swampscott Tides that the public schools have not been affected by the issue. Town Clerk Katie Dupont also told the Swampscott Tides that it does not have any effect on the election next week.
The Select Board discussed in May joining the North Shore IT Collaborative, which is a regional partnership between Danvers, Essex, Hamilton, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Topsfield and Wenham. The goal was to move away from a “break-fix” model to a forward-looking system that includes planning, cybersecurity improvements and better vendor pricing.
Select Board Chair Katie Phelan called it a “unicorn situation” that would reduce costs and improve services. Select Board Member Wayne Spritz noted that the collaborative could address issues with the town’s website, like broken links and overall functionality.
Connors had said the town was working through an agreement process and that he had anticipated onboarding at the start of the new fiscal year, which began July 1. Ipswich is also considering joining the North Shore IT Collaborative.
At a meeting in Essex on July 13, Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki noted that the collaborative would review its current capacity “without having to hire additional staff.”
Meanwhile, as issues persist in Swampscott, Lt. Brendan Reen told the Swampscott Tides last week that the Swampscott Police Department has “not had any involvement with investigating the technical issues with the town.” The Essex County District Attorney’s Office had told the Swampscott Tides the office would “get involved if or when someone was criminally charged.”
