Marblehead to lose voting precinct

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead is scheduled to lose a voting precinct in 2012.With a drop in population from 20,773 in 2000 to 19,808 in 2010, Town Clerk Robin Michaud and Town Planner Becky Curran have redrawn the town precinct map with six precincts instead of seven.Portions of Precinct 7, the Salem Harbor area of town, will be parceled off into Precincts 1, 2 and 3.Selectmen approved the new map at a special meeting Friday morning. Michaud must now submit it to the office of Secretary of State William Galvin for state approval, which could take some time. The proposed changes are not expected to take effect until February 2012, and residents will be notified by mail of their new precinct and polling place.Meanwhile, Michaud will have a chance to study her list of polling places.In today?s town election Precincts 2, 3 and 4 are voting at Star of the Sea Community Center at 40 Atlantic Ave. and Precincts 1, 5, 6 and 7 are voting at the Marblehead Community Center, 10 Humphrey St.However, if $667,793 worth of renovations for the Old Town House are approved in a June 14 debt exclusion referendum vote, Precinct 1 will be able to vote at that traditional site once again.Michaud expects the change to save her some budget money, $15,810 for every 10 elections – about two years, since in 2010 the town had six elections. Each federal, state or town election costs the town money for payroll, police details and voting machines.Selectmen also established the ballot for Michaud?s next election Friday morning, a June 14 debt exclusion override referendum.There will be four questions: the Old Town House, $656,000 to monitor contamination from the old town landfill in neighborhood soil and water, $18.1 million to cap the old landfill, build a new solid waste building and purchase or take property in need of clean-up from landfill contamination and the new $25.4 million Glover-Eveleth School.