BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MINUTES
April 28, 2004
The Board met in Regular Session at 7:30 p.m. in its meeting room at Abbot Hall.
Present (constituting a quorum):
Jeffrey N. Shribman, Chairman
William M. Purdin William L. Woodfin, II
Judith R. Jacobi Harry C. Christensen
Anthony M. Sasso, Town Administrator

MINUTES. Motion made and seconded to approve the minutes of April 14, 2004. All in favor.
HISTORICAL COMMISSION. Preservation of Historic Artifact. Fourth Grade history teachers Tracey Anderson (Coffin School) and Joy Purdin (Glover School) appeared to announce a project to be undertaken by the fourth graders. The goal of the project, named “Dimes for Deed”, is to raise money to help fund the cost to preserve the deed to the town. Several fourth graders were in the audience.
Wayne Butler, commission member, also appeared to advise the board of the Historic Commission’s decision to make no recommendation on insuring the deed.
Motion made and seconded to place a plaque under the deed after it is preserved to indicate that efforts to restore (the deed) were lead by the children of Marblehead. All in favor.
MARBLEHEAD NECK ASSOCIATION. Reconfiguration of the intersection. Jim Harshbarger and David Bennett, association members appeared together with Joseph G. Beggan, Senior Project Manager of Rizzo Associates, Framingham, MA. Rizzo Associates was retained by the Neck Association to provide transportation planning services relative to the evaluation of the intersection of Harbor Avenue and Ocean Avenue that is located at the northern end of Marblehead Neck. Mr. Beggan presented three options to change the intersection. (The options had been previously reviewed by Anthony M. Sasso, Town Administrator; Doug Saal, Town Engineer and Rebecca Curran, Town Planner and of the three options proposed, option number three was identified as the desired traffic and pedestrian improvement.) Doug Saal was also present and spoke concerning the proposed design of the option chosen. Motion made and seconded to approve option number three subject to no cost to the town and review by the fire department. All in favor.
CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Snow Disposal Guidance Policy. Walter Haug, Chairman appeared to propose the establishment of guidelines and policy for removal and disposal of snow within the Town of Marblehead. Motion made and seconded to approve adoption of the policy as set forth below. All in favor.
Marblehead Snow Disposal Policy
Subject: Snow Disposal Guidance Policy for the Town of Marblehead
Date: April 2004
Reference: MA Bureau of Resource Protection - Snow Disposal Guidance
Guideline No. BRPG01-01
In compliance with the above referenced Commonwealth of Massachusetts Guideline, the Town of Marblehead establishes the following guidelines and policy for removal and disposal of snow within the Town of Marblehead. The Marblehead Highway Department, the Marblehead Board of Health and the Marblehead Conservation Commission promulgate these guidelines and policy.
Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to insure the proper disposal of snow in the event of severe storms requiring the actual removal of snow from town-owned public ways and town-owned lands, to insure public safety, and to provide maximum protection under these conditions for drinking water supplies, wetlands and waterways.
Preamble: The Town of Marblehead is one of the most densely populated communities bordering Salem Sound. The few remaining town-owned open areas within Marblehead are either cultivated parks or playing fields, conservation lands containing wetlands or wetlands such as marshes and ocean beaches. Public, town-owned parking areas are located either directly adjacent to wetlands or are connected to said wetlands via storm drain systems most of which do not contain BMP’s (Best Management Practices).
Policy: No snow shall be disposed of in drinking water supplies. No snow shall be disposed of in wetlands or waterways except when an emergency has been declared by the Marblehead Board of Selectmen. In an emergency, snow only from town-owned public ways or town-owned lands shall be disposed of only in the Harbor (ocean) Waters from the State Street Landing or from the Causeway (Ocean Avenue) on the Marblehead Harbor side. These locations are subject to flushing from tidal action. No snow from private sources is to be disposed of in the Harbor (ocean) Waters from the State Street Landing or from the Causeway (Ocean Avenue) on the Marblehead Harbor side or in drinking water supplies, wetlands or other waterways under this guideline. The Highway Department shall notify the Conservation Commission of the declaration of an emergency by the Board of Selectmen thereby authorizing the disposal of snow into Harbor Waters in accordance with this policy.
VETERANS’ AGENT. War in Iraq. Dave Rodgers, Veterans’ Agent appeared together with Captain Sarah Burckmyer, her parents Lawrence and Rebekah Burckmyer, of Marblehead and Captain Burckmyer’s fiancé John Westwood. Captain Burckmyer, of the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion and a reservist recently returned home after serving more than one year overseas in such countries as Baghdad and Kuwait. Captain Burckmyer was commended and thanked for her service to country. Dave Rodgers also noted that several other area residents are still serving overseas in connection with the war: Sergeant Jeff Greenberg, Ronny Knight, John Sumner, Nick Michaud and Chris Piper. Appreciation to all persons serving our country and prayers for their safe return to
the United States were expressed.
FIRE DEPARTMENT. Foster Street Fire. A letter from Fire Chief Barry Dixey was read concerning the recent fire on Foster Street that began on Saturday, April 24 and extended into Sunday morning. Chief Dixey expressed his gratitude to the firefighters and dispatchers for their tireless work over many hours and to other town departments, outside organizations and neighbors for their assistance. Chief Dixey also extended his gratitude to the board for their commitment to maintaining the current staffing levels of the fire department.

MARBLEHEAD OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE. Applicants.
A letter from Diane St. Laurent, 77 Beacon Street, was read concerning her interest in serving as a member on this committee.
A letter from Lawrence R. Alexander, 9 Longview Drive West, was read concerning his interest in serving as a member on this committee.
A deadline of Wednesday, May 12 was set for those interested in applying to this committee.
Motion made and seconded to appoint Mr. Woodfin as the Selectmen’s designee of this Committee. All in favor.
MARBLEHEAD FOREVER COMMITTEE. Applicant. A letter from Karen Martin Martin, 5 Pitman Road, was read concerning her request to be appointed as an honorary member of this committee. Ms. Martin appeared in connection with her request. Motion made and seconded to appoint Ms. Martin as an ex-officio honorary member, i.e. a member without voting rights in committee decisions. Ms. Martin was appointed 4 – 1. Mrs. Jacobi opposed.
CABLE TV OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. Appointment. A letter from Dr. George Gearhart, 4 Rock Cliff Road, was read concerning his resignation from this committee. Motion made and seconded to accept Dr. Gearhart’s resignation with regret and send two Marblehead glasses to him in appreciation of his service on this committee. All in favor.
FT. SEWALL. Bench. A letter from Robert L. Sinclair, Marblehead, was read requesting permission for a bench, named in honor of Ruth E. and Robert L. Sinclair, to be placed at the turn-around of Ft. Sewall. Motion made and seconded to approve the request. All in favor.
PERMISSION. Use of Abbot Hall. A letter from J. Scott Brumit, General Director of Longwood Opera, Needham, MA requesting permission to use Abbot Hall on November 6 for purposes of presenting a fully costumed, staged performance of Puccini’s famous classic opera La Boheme in English. Motion made and seconded to table until May 12. All in favor.
RESERVE FUND TRANSFER. Police Indemnification. Motion made and seconded to approve the transfer of $4,537.22 for this purpose subject to chairman signing on behalf of the board. All in favor.
TRAFFIC AND SAFETY. Stop Signs. A letter from Marshall E. Harmon, 15 Leo Road was read concerning stop signage at Leo Road and Richard Road. Motion made and seconded to forward a copy of Mr. Harmon’s letter to Traffic and Safety for consideration. All in favor.
SHELLFISH CONSTABLES. Shellfish Season. A letter from Wayne O. Attridge, Chief Shellfish Constable was read concerning the end of the shell fishing season. Motion made and seconded to close the shell-fishing areas formally known as N21 and N21.2 effective midnight, Friday, April 30. All in favor.
PERMISSION. Sandwich Boards. Request from Doug Shube on behalf of the High School Freshman class requesting permission to place sandwich boards to promote the freshman’s upcoming plant sale scheduled to occur at the Marblehead High School parking lot on Saturday, May 22 at 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Motion made and seconded to permit boards to be placed at on the following dates and locations:
∑ Lafayette and Maple during the week of May 10 – 17
∑ Lafayette and Humphrey and Pleasant and Essex during the week of May 17-24.
All in favor.
PERMISSION. Dumpster. Letter from John McIver, One Washington Square, requesting permission to place a dumpster next to the building located at 18 Prospect Street in connection with reconstruction of the building. Motion made and seconded to approve placement for thirty days with consideration for a possible extension of time if necessary. All in favor. Mr. McIver was present in connection with his request and was instructed to apprise the Town Administrator during the first week of June of the status of the reconstruction project.
North Shore Home Consortium. Membership. Motion made and seconded to renew the town’s membership in this consortium and authorize the chairman to sign the renewal agreement on behalf of the board. All in favor.
BUDGET.
Article 32 Equipment
Debt Exclusion Override. Fire. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $415,000 for one pumper as the total debt exclusion override amount. All in favor.
Capital Exclusion Override. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $482,590 as the total capital exclusion override amount for the following items:
Police
1 cruiser: 27,000.
Dog Officer
1 van 16,000.
Highway
1 front end loader 110,000.
1 sweeper 110,000.
Waste Collection
1 back-hoe/loader 80,000.
Park
1 packer 50,000.
1 ZTR Mower 9,250.
1 Riding Mower 17,074.
Library
Computers and related equipment 13,266.
Finance
Computer hardware and software 50,000.
Total: $482,590.
All in favor.
Article 68. Supplemental Expenses of Several Departments.
Public Buildings. Salaries. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $5,912 as the total override amount. All in favor.
Public Buildings. Expenses. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $7,000 as the total override amount. All in favor.
Building Inspection. Salaries. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $15,843. as the total override amount. All in favor.
Building Inspection. Expenses. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $2,325. as the total override amount. All in favor.
Dog Officer. Salaries. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $5,800. as the total override amount. All in favor.
Engineer. Expense. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $1,000. as the total override amount. All in favor.
Highway Department. Expense. Motion made and seconded to approve the sum of $1,450. as the total override amount. All in favor.
Article 63. Stabilization Fund. Motion made and seconded to establish $250,000 as the stabilization amount and that said amount be set forth as a separate override question at annual town meeting. All in favor.
ANNOUNCEMENT. Annual Town Meeting. Scheduled for 7:45 p.m. on May 3 at the Field House, Marblehead High School, 2 Humphrey Street.
ANNOUNCEMENT. Lecture. Mr. Christensen announced that the VFW Post #2005, 321 West Shore Drive will host part three of a five part lecture series on the Beryl Atherton murder on May 7. The cost per person is $10.00 with proceeds to be donated to the Marblehead Web Site Development Fund. For reservations call Linda Maurais at 781 639 2719.
BUDGET. OVERRIDE. Motion made and seconded that the board take a position
on whether the general override should be a menu or a one question override. After brief discussion a motion was made and seconded to table such decision until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 3. All in favor.
NORTH SHORE WELLNESS FAIR. Motion made and seconded to send a letter to Rochelle Bartlett, R.N., North Shore Wellness Fair Committee member to thank her for her efforts in coordinating the successful health fair that occurred on April 25 at the Salem State College. All in favor.
ANNOUNCEMENT. USA Patriot Act. A video concerning this topic will be shown on Saturday, May 1 at the Swampscott Community Center.
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING. Article 43. Selectmen’s Advisory Committee on Disabilities. Article 44. Motion made and seconded to support article 43 intended to amend the description of the committee to a commission. All in favor. Motion made and seconded to not support article 44 that would establish that funds received from fines for handicapped parking violations be transferred to the committee to further its development and pay its expenditures. 4-1. Mr. Purdin opposed. ANNOUNCEMENT. Marblehead Cultural Council. Interviews of students who have expressed an interest in being members of this committee are planned for the evening of Wednesday, May 19.
ANNOUNCEMENT. This meeting represents the last formal meeting of the current Board of Selectmen. In recognition of their last scheduled meeting as selectmen, the Board presented Mr. Woodfin and Mr. Purdin each with a Marblehead chair and thanks on behalf of the Board of Selectmen and the Town. Both Mr. Purdin and Mr. Woodfin expressed their thanks to the citizens of Marblehead, current and former members of the Board of Selectmen with whom they served, their respective families, other boards and commissions along with Mr. Sasso, the department heads and employees that serve the town with devotion and dedication. They both wished the Town of Marblehead and Board all success in the future and the best in upcoming years. The Board closed its session by expressing the hope eternal of “Marblehead Forever”! Motion made and seconded to adjourn at 9:58 p.m. All in favor.

Ursula M. Kretschman


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