Marblehead selectmen take no action on Castner memorial

MARBLEHEAD-Selectmen have taken no action on a resident?s concern that the memorial to Allie Castner, the victim of a tragic pedestrian accident last summer, creates the potential for another tragic traffic accident.Local resident Carl Varrell, a former police officer, wrote to selectmen in April to express his concern that the memorial was becoming “a safety hazard.”He said he and his wife witnessed drivers becoming distracted by the memorial and teenagers “in the street, not even paying attention to the traffic.”Selectmen referred Varrell?s letter to the Traffic and Safety Advisory Committee with some reluctance, after former Selectman Harry Christensen said he would like to hear from “the experts” before making a decision. Wednesday evening the selectmen received a response: the committee had no recommendation, and based on that the selectmen voted to take no action.Marblehead High student Allie Castner died when she was hit by a car on Pleasant Street at 7 p.m. last Aug. 24. Since that sad evening classmates and friends have turned a town tree near the intersection of Pleasant Street and Mohawk Road into a memorial for her, leaving stuffed animals, handwritten messages, candles and other expressions of grief.The traffic panel met June 24, 10 months after Castner?s death, with retired Police Sgt. Brian Hitchcock, the new member, joining John Doane and F. Carlton Siegel. Doane was elected chairman.