Like other North Shore communities in its orbit, Nahant will hold its annual Town Meeting outside this Saturday to reduce public health risks posed by densely-populated indoor gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rescheduled from its original May date, this year’s event will feature several modifications meant to minimize virus transmission in a town that has managed to keep its number of infected residents to 52 since the coronavirus outbreak began in March.
“The biggest change is that we’re not meeting here in Town Hall,” said Town Administrator Tony Barletta. “The idea is to encourage a small gathering and provide a way for residents to watch live from home.”
Residents who attend Saturday’s meeting — which will now be held on the Flash Road athletic fields behind the Nahant Fire Station — are required to wear masks and will be asked to observe strict social distancing guidelines.
In addition to physical safety measures, this year’s Town Meeting warrant will only include 16 out of an originally planned 28 articles considered essential for local government to function, with the town’s Board of Selectmen voting earlier this month to remove two highly-anticipated articles aimed at allowing Nahant to enact eminent domain over approximately 12 acres of land on East Point, which would prevent Northeastern University from expanding on the property.
Board of Selectmen chair Mark Cullinan told The Item on Sept. 8 that the warrant change was made in the hopes of reducing the number of people who attend Saturday’s gathering.
“People are passionate about the East Point issue, and we concluded the eminent domain articles have the potential to draw perhaps 700 to 800 people to Town Meeting in the middle of a pandemic,” Cullinan said. “Even though the meeting will be held outside, voters have safety concerns about such a heavily attended meeting.
“Our primary duty is to protect the health and well-being of Nahant voters, and part of that is minimizing the number of people in attendance during the pandemic.”
Warrant items still remaining include a discussion of the town’s municipal budget for the 2021 fiscal year, as well as articles pertaining to salary and classification, compensation, and water and sewer.
“Unless a registered voter in town feels strongly about an issue on the warrant and wants to vote, or feels strongly about being at the meeting, they really should stay home to help prevent a large gathering,” Barletta said.
Saturday’s Town Meeting is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m., with a rain date set for Sept. 27. Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m. A link for residents to view the meeting online will be available on the town’s website later this week.
