Annual Report 2019
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Marblehead 2019 TOWN REPORT TOWN 2019 Marblehead TOWN REPORT Departmental Information Emergency: FIRE 911 POLICE 911 Town of Marblehead Official Website: www.marblehead.org (Note: All phone numbers are 781 Area Code unless otherwise noted.) Assessments Assessors 631-0236 Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates Town Clerk 631-0528 Board of Appeals (Zoning) Engineering 631-1529 Building Permits Building 631-2220 Burial Permits Health Department 631-0212 Cemetery Cemetery 631-1182 Collector of Taxes Finance 631-0587 Council on Aging Council on Aging 631-6737 Elections Town Clerk 631-0528 Finance Director Finance 631-1705 Fire Prevention Fire Department 639-3428 Fuel Oil Storage Fire Department 639-3428 Harbormaster Harbormaster 631-2386 Health Health Department 631-0212 Historical Commission Abbot Hall 639-3425 Library Abbot Public Library 631-1480 Licenses – alcohol, common victualler entertainment, second hand Selectmen’s Office 631-0000 Licenses – marriage, dog Town Clerk 631-0528 Plumbing Permits Building 639-9151 Police Administration Police Dept. 631-1212 Recreation Recreation & Park 631-3350 Schools: Administration 639-3140 High School 639-3100 Veterans Middle School 639-3120 Village School 639-3159 Bell 639-3171 Coffin 639-3181 Glover 639-3191 Streets, Sidewalks Public Works 631-1750 Town Administrator Selectmen’s Office 631-0000 Town Treasurer Finance 631-1033 Trees Tree Warden 631-2721 Veterans’ Benefits Veterans’ Agent 631-0990 Water & Sewer Water & Sewer 631-2694 Cover Photograph Alamy Stock Photo Weights & Measures Sealer 631-0990 The Tree at Fort Sewall is a beloved Marblehead icon and was believed Wiring Permits Building 639-9151 to have been planted in 1873. The tree was a Sycamore Maple (Acer Zoning Enforcement Building 631-2220 pseudoplatanus). It was damaged in a microburst in July 2019. Sadly, the damage required its removal in March of 2020. The wood from the tree is FEDERAL AND STATE SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES: US Senators: Elizabeth Warren 617-565-3170 being made into ornaments and other objects by local artisans, proceeds to Ed Markey 617-565-8519 benefit the Fort Sewall Restoration Project. US Representative (6th Dt.) Seth Moulton 978-531-1669 MA Representative (8th Dt.) Lori Ehrlich 617-722-2014 courtesy of Dan Dixey Back Photograph MA Senator (3rd Dt.): Brendan P. Crighton 617-722-1350 ANNUAL TOWN REPORT OF THE YEAR 2019 MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS MARBLEHEAD TOWN REPORT 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Board of Selectmen........................................................................... 3 Town Clerk…………………………………………….....……... 10 ▪ Warrant for Annual Town Meting May 6th and 7th, 2019……………………………….....… 10 ▪ Results of Annual Town Meeting May 6th and 7th, 2019………………………………..…... 32 ▪ Results of Annal Town Election May 14, 2019………………………………………...….. 64 ▪ Warrant for Special Town Election June 18, 2019……… 69 ▪ Results of Special Town Elections June 18, 2019…….… 71 ▪ Officials Elected………………………………………… 73 ▪ Officials Appointed…………………………………….. 76 ▪ Vital Records of 2019 - # of births, marriages, deaths…. 87 Department Reports: Abbot Public Library.........………………………………………. 88 Board of Assessors……………............…………………………. 94 Board of Health….....................……………………………….… 96 Building Commissioner and Inspectional Services………….…... 109 Cemetery Department…………………………………………..... 111 Conservation Commission………………………………………. 113 Council on Aging………………………………………………... 115 Department of Public Works………………………………….…. 122 Engineering Department…………………………………………. 125 Financial Services……………………………………………….. 128 Fire Department…………………………………………………. 131 Fort Sewall Oversight Committee………………………………. 146 Harbor and Waters………………………………………………. 149 Marblehead Cultural Council……………………………………. 151 Marblehead Fair Housing Committee……………………………. 154 Marblehead Historical Commission……………………………… 159 Marblehead Housing Authority…………………………………. 163 Municipal Light Department…………………………………….. 171 Metropolitan Area Planning Council.……………………………. 181 Old and Historic Districts Commission………………………….. 183 Planning Board…………………………………………………… 185 Police Department/Animal Control………………………………. 187 1 MARBLEHEAD TOWN REPORT 2019 Recreation & Parks……………………………………………..... 191 Sealer of Weights & Measurers………………………………...... 198 Shellfish Constables…………………………………………… .... 199 Task Force against Discrimination……………………………….. 200 Tree Department………………………………………………….. 204 Veterans’ Agent…………………………………………………... 206 Water and Sewer Commission……………………………………. 207 Zoning Board of Appeals…………………………………………. 218 School Reports………………………………………………........ 219 • Marblehead School Committee Members, organizations and meetings ▪ Admission Requirements ▪ No School Announcement/ School Hours ▪ Superintendent of Schools ▪ Marblehead School Committee Report ▪ Administration, Faculty and Staff ▪ 2019 MCAS Summary ▪ Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores (SAT) ? ▪ 5 year history ▪ Marblehead High School Class of 2017 ▪ Enrollment Summaries Town Warrant – Annual Town Meeting May 4, 2020………………………………………………………… 247 2 MARBLEHEAD TOWN REPORT 2019 BOARD OF SELECTMEN The Board of Selectmen is comprised of five members, each elected annually. Members of the Board of Selectmen are Chairman, Jackie Belf-Becker., Harry C. Christensen, Jr., M.C. Moses Grader, Judith R. Jacobi, and James E. Nye. The Board generally meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm and as needed at other times. All meetings are open to the public. INVESTING IN TOWN INFRASTRUCTURE The project to restore and preserve the exterior of Abbot Hall and install a geothermal HVAC system began in April. The project is funded through a Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion override and includes window replacement, roof, masonry work and a new heating and cooling system. The project is ongoing and expected to be completed in June of 2020. An article to fund the Fort Sewall restoration project passed Town Meeting through a Proposition 2 ½ override. The proposed work follows a treatment report that was prepared with a grant from the Massachusetts Historic Commission and includes replacing doors and repairing stonework on the upper magazines, re-coating the inside brickwork, installing an accessible path to the redoubt and to both upper and lower pathways, raising of the stone dust floor in the redoubt, replacing stairs and stair railings, installing a low barrier between pathways and the steep bank, conducting a ground penetrating radar survey to determine original gun positions, completing an archeological study, and installing a replica cannon and carriage and associated earthworks with markers identifying additional gun positions. The Fort Sewall Oversight Committee is also planning a “Fort Ranger” program responsible for opening the Fort and conducting tours throughout the summer months and a dedicated fund for extended maintenance. The Board is grateful for the generous private donations made to support a substantial piece of this project. The planning for a town-wide Archival Facility continues and is being led by the Selectmen appointed Archives Advisory Committee. The Committee is working with a professional consultant and, after an evaluation of possible sites for the Archival Facility, the Advisory Committee selected the basement of the Mary Alley Municipal Building as the preferred location, and has begun the process of procuring architectural services for preliminary space and design studies. The historic shoe shed located at the foot of Fountain Park on Orne Street is being restored. The Town, through the Historical Commission, secured a grant from the 3 MARBLEHEAD TOWN REPORT 2019 Shattuck Fund to repair, improve and convert the building into an interactive museum showcasing the Town’s shoemaking history. As part of the project, the Historical Commission will work to develop exhibits using storyboards placed on the outside of the building that would tell the history of such shoe shops in the area in the late 1800s. The narrative for the storyboards was developed through a grant from the Essex National Heritage Area. The Town has continued to work on the redesign of the Village, Vine, and Pleasant Street intersection. The Town is participating in MassDOT’s Transportation Improvement Program to fund the reconstruction of the intersection once the design is complete and has contracted with Stantec, Inc. to assist in the redesign. In order to address the seawall damage caused by two major storm events in 2018, the Town executed projects to repair seawalls at Fort Beach and Grace Oliver’s Beach. These repairs were funded by a Proposition 2 ½ override. PLANNING FOR THE TOWN’S FUTURE Partially in response to the affordable housing objectives of MGL Chapter 40B but primarily in response to overall housing demand in town, Marblehead partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to undertake development of a 5- year Housing Production Plan (HPP). The HPP discusses increasing the production of affordable housing in Marblehead. The HPP assesses housing need and demand in Marblehead and analyzes development constraints. It identifies sites and areas within the town where housing might be developed. It calculates the number of affordable housing units needed in Marblehead to meet demand and also identifies programming, community engagement, regulatory, and funding strategies that the Town should consider to create more housing options that meet local and regional need. In addition to the HPP, MAPC is also working with the Town to create a vision and action plan to help guide its efforts to become a greener and more sustainable