The town is bracing for a possible garbage strike by Republic Services, which handles Marblehead’s curbside trash and recycling. Republic’s drivers and laborers are members of the Teamsters union and are fighting for a better contract. Their current contract ends Monday, June 30.
“If negotiations have not been finalized by June 30, they could go on strike July 1,” Petty said at a Board of Health meeting on June 23, adding that the town would delay trash pickup “one day at a time.”
“Republic says they can bring in employees from other areas,” Petty said. “We will have lots of communication.”
The town will alert residents via Code Red messages and the Board of Health website if there is any disruption.
“During these times, the Transfer Station is open to all residents, so residents can bring their trash and recycling up there,” Petty said. “We’ve also gone out and assisted (in the past) with picking up in certain locations.”
Education is key
Also at the meeting, Dr. Tom Massaro was chosen to be the new Board of Health chair. New member Dr. Amanda Ritvo, elected June 10, attended her first meeting.
Massaro hopes to bring a new element of education to his role.
He said, “In my mind, one of the major responsibilities of the Board of Health should be to clarify, explain and educate about health issues,” ranging from vaccines to public health threats and even navigating the health insurance market.
Massaro talked about developing a “mini” master’s in public health program and suggested starting each new meeting with an educational segment.
“One cannot over-communicate in public health,” he added, encouraging people to reach out to Board of Health members via the email bohemails@marblehead.org with questions and suggested topics.
Massaro also offered an update on his initiative Creating a Healthier Marblehead and partnering with the Collins Center at UMass Boston. The BoH will work with UMass to develop a 45-question health survey, aimed at everyone in Marblehead age 17 and older. It will likely be sent out around Labor Day, with results presented before Thanksgiving, Massaro said.
The BoH also voted to send two questions to the town’s attorneys about the troubled Transfer Station project, which is millions of dollars over budget. The town settled with its engineering firm during the project. Member Tom McMahon suggested these two questions:
- Why did the town feel the need to enter into litigation with its engineering firm?
- How did we determine we were due the original amount, and why did we settle for a lesser amount?
McMahon and Petty did not respond to emails asking for more details about the settlement. At the meeting, McMahon said town lawyers have responded to his concerns but used legalese, making it hard to understand.
“They are lawyers. The settlements are written in ‘lawyer,’ but these people do go to barbecues and they speak English, so they could write it down in normal English,” he said.
Petty made a 90-minute Transfer Station presentation to the League of Women Voters in 2023. It can be viewed at vimeo.com/905725127?share=copy#t=0.
Mental health support
McMahon also spoke about preparing a possible debt exclusion override question for 2026 to raise money for the Marblehead Counseling Center. In 2025, the Health Department hoped to give MCC $120,000, but the town’s budget crisis cut that amount in half.
McMahon’s first goal is to get all Marblehead children who are on MCC’s waitlist into treatment.
He said he would ask the MCC to present to the BOH “how much they think it would cost and how long a time frame it would be.”
Tick alert
Petty delivered other public health updates.
“With all this rain, the ticks are out like crazy,” he warned, recommending that people do tick checks on themselves and their pets every day.
The Health Department is also starting its weekly water testing at Marblehead’s five bathing beaches. The state pays for the first round of testing each week. The town has to foot the bill for follow-up testing if results are problematic.
