The town plans to invite companies to submit proposals for the Coffin School reuse project in early September.
The school closed in 2021. The property includes roughly 3 acres and was assessed at $3.4 million in 2025.
The town has hosted several public forums and meetings to gather input on how the property should be used. Ideas have ranged from town-owned green space and a dog park to townhouses and a development for seniors and veterans.
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer told the Select Board at its Aug. 12 meeting that the request for proposals is being finalized and that the town has incorporated public input into the document. A key component, he said, will be establishing the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated.
The town is considering whether to include provisions or criteria addressing potential “pre-emptions” before the RFP is issued. Discussion centered in part on whether a portion of the Coffin School property could be set aside for public purposes, including open space or a dog park, rather than having the RFP focus solely on maximizing revenue from the property.
Kezer said the RFP process is intended to allow the town to evaluate proposals against a defined framework rather than simply accept the highest financial offer. The RFP will be open for 30 days.
Kezer said he intends to establish a review committee that would include two Select Board members, a Planning Board representative, himself and Brendan Callhan, director of the town’s Community Development and Planning Department. The committee would review the proposals and could identify one or more finalists.
Once a finalist is selected, the Select Board could reject all proposals and determine how to proceed or negotiate an agreement with a selected developer within parameters established by the board.
Charter Committee completes its work
The Select Board also formally dissolved the Town Charter Committee after receiving the committee’s final work product.
The Charter Committee was formed April 24, 2024, with the mission of developing Marblehead’s first town charter. The group examined Marblehead’s existing government structure, authorities and processes.
Amy Drinker, chair of the committee, told the board that the committee had submitted a package of materials, including Draft C of a proposed charter, an executive summary, appendices, organizational charts, potential recall language, public forum and hearing points, and alignment memoranda.
Drinker emphasized that Draft C is not intended to be treated as a finished charter ready for adoption.
“I just want to really make the point that draft C is a working draft; it is not a final draft of the charter. It’s 32 pages long, and it may serve as a baseline for further charter development.”
The executive summary includes suggested next steps and a proposed timeline if the town decides to continue pursuing a charter initiative. Drinker asked that the materials be posted to the town’s charter webpage.
Board members thanked the 11 current and former committee members for their work, noting the amount of time devoted to the project and the range of information members reviewed while developing the proposed charter.
The board plans to take additional time to review the materials before discussing what, if any, next steps it wants to pursue.
You can read the draft charter’s executive summary here:
Kezer proposes flexible workplace policy
Kezer also told the board he plans to submit a flexible workplace policy for town employees, citing both an upcoming construction project and the town’s efforts to recruit employees for critical positions.
The first reason is the planned construction around the Mary Alley building, which Kezer said is expected to create significant workplace disruptions.
The second is competition for municipal employees.
Kezer said flexible-work arrangements have become a recurring question from applicants, particularly for difficult-to-fill positions.
The proposed policy would not make remote work an entitlement or fundamentally change how town government operates.
Kezer said the town is “not interested in totally remote” work. Instead, the policy could allow arrangements such as one or two days of flexible work when they benefit the town and are appropriate for a particular position.
The proposal is intended to help the town remain competitive when recruiting employees while also providing flexibility during the Mary Alley construction project.
Town seeks organizational assessment
The board also received an update on plans for an organizational assessment of town government, one of the action items identified during its recent retreat.
The town is seeking proposals for a consultant to evaluate the government’s current organizational structure and operations, including departmental responsibilities, staffing, reporting relationships, opportunities for greater coordination and efficiency, and the roles of town boards, committees and commissions.
The assessment is also expected to compare Marblehead’s government structure with those of similar municipalities and produce prioritized recommendations and an implementation roadmap.
Proposals are due Aug. 17, with the assessment expected to be completed by Nov. 30.
Kezer said the town is exploring whether a state Community Compact grant could help pay for the study. He said he hopes to have the process underway while he remains town administrator and leave a clear roadmap for his successor.
Board praises response to boat incident
Kezer also recognized Marblehead’s first responders for their handling of the recent incident involving a boat on the rocks.
The response involved the Marblehead Harbormaster’s Office, Police and Fire departments, Beauport Ambulance, dispatchers and mutual-aid partners from surrounding communities.
Kezer said the response demonstrated the value of training, preparation and coordination.
“From my perspective, the key was the coordination, the response time and you know it was an unusual incident. It’s not a rescue or response that you get every day, but the way everything was coordinated and flowed together, and the different components of first responders blended together very well to respond very quickly and very professionally to the whole incident.”
He described the response as an example of why the town invests in professional development, planning and preparedness.
Other business
The board unanimously approved a 60% OPEB (benefits promised to employees after they retire, beyond their pension) funding plan beginning in fiscal 2028, following a presentation on the town’s long-term retiree health care liability and 10-year financial forecast.
The board also approved reserve fund transfers of $41,000 for a contractual vacation payout and $26,000 for the executive search for a new town administrator and chief financial officer.
Members approved sending a joint letter with Swampscott and Nahant expressing concerns about the Lynnway multimodal corridor project and its potential effects on traffic and emergency response. The communities are also seeking mitigation measures during construction, including consideration of improved transit options to the commuter rail.
The board also approved appointments and reappointments, including Erin Noonan to the Green Marblehead Committee, and approved Jake Porter as the next eligible applicant for lobster fishing shanty No. 6.
