Handicap access ramp pitched for Marblehead polling place

MARBLEHEAD – Building Commissioner Robert Ives has a design for an extended wooden indoor ramp that will make it possible for Precinct 1 voters to cast their ballots at the Old Town House.Ives? design, presented to selectmen Friday morning, will reduce the slope that wheelchair users must ascend to vote in the building?s street-level basement.Selectmen said there are private donations available to cover the cost of the work.They authorized Ives to apply for a variance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety Architectural Access Board, based on his design for the threshold of the building and the ramp.Ives said Wednesday he is compiling the paperwork needed to apply for a variance and expects to submit an application Friday.The 1727 structure at 1 Market Square was used for voting for more than 200 years but the State Elections Office ruled last May that it is not handicapped-accessible because the present ramp is too steep.Ives said his design, which is 28 inches longer than the present ramp and inside the building, will meet state specifications and cost the town $3,800. He said the work would take 10 days.Precinct 1 voters will probably cast their May election ballots in the Marblehead Community Center, however, along with Precincts 5, 6 and 7. Town Administrator Tony Sasso pointed out to the selectmen that the warrant for the annual election needs to be submitted weeks in advance, with a list of polling places.Meanwhile Town Meeting is scheduled to vote on redesigned plans for an elevator that will make the two-story Old Town House fully accessible. A similar plan was defeated by the voters in 2000.