Town Meeting OKs Village School fix

MARBLEHEAD – Riding a wave of good news about promised state reimbursement, the $21.7 million Marblehead Village School repair project sailed through Town Meeting Tuesday night, quashing a handful of opponents in a lopsided 505-3 vote.The voters also approved the $395,000 first stage of the Glover School project, which is also qualified for state reimbursement, and a $220,000 pier project for the Gerry Playground.At 10 p.m. the voters were about to reach and enact a Fiscal 2009 budget of $65.75 million, $39 million for general government and $26.7 million for the schools, and conclude town business for the year.School Committee Chairman Amy Drinker said the Massachusetts School Building Authority has promised state reimbursement of at least 40 percent for the Village School as a repair project after a series of meetings arranged by State Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead.The School Committee had been asking the town to pay the full cost of the project, which had been rejected for funding by the MSBA until Ehrlich became involved.Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation told her fellow voters that she opposed the Village School project because the town neglected the school and because the override question would not contain an upper limit on the cost of the project.The reaction to her statement was restrained, but as far as the vote was concerned, not sympathetic. The Finance Committee unanimously favored the project and Selectman William Woodfin said the town had brought in two major school projects on time and under budget.The Gerry pier project was promoted as a way to increase mooring fee revenue, funded by present mooring fees and boat excise taxes. It will affect the area for eight-12 weeks a year.Opponents said it would move a road closer to the playground and reduce the area for swimming. After an hour of debate Richard Schwartz’s motion to refer the project to a study committee failed and the project itself was approved on a show of hands, sparking prolonged applause.Following the recommendations of the Finance Committee they approved a Marblehead Affordable Housing Trust Fund and rejected the purchase of the WESX property at Naugus Avenue. They also approved a request to allow out-of-towners to seek the position of fire chief, since as Chief Barry Dixey pointed out, 45 percent of Marblehead’s firefighters currently do not reside in town.Previously the voters accepted a land donation off West Shore Drive from the estate of Alice Tucker and approved 11 departmental revolving funds containing a total of $1.58 million; water, sewer and storm drain projects totaling $1.28 million; payment of $159,819 as the town’s assessment for the North Shore Regional Vocational School; new pay schedules for administrative employees, seasonal and temporary employees and traffic supervisors; payment of salaries to town employees serving in the military; a $66,237 salary for the town clerk. Town Clerk Robin Michaud left the meeting when her salary was discussed.