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Finance Committee vacancies
The Select Board is seeking letters of interest and resumes to fill two vacancies on the Finance Committee. The committee reviews the budgets of all town departments and holds a public hearing on all Town Meeting warrant articles calling for the expenditure of town funds.
Applications are due Sept. 4. Send letters with a resume to: Select Board, Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., or email wileyk@marbleheadma.gov.
Boat storage notice
The winter boat storage season will begin Sept. 15 at Parker’s and Cliff Street boatyards. Boats stored at either boatyard last season will receive preference to store their boats this season. New applicants will be accepted beginning Aug. 15 on a first come first serve basis with Marblehead residents receiving preference.
Marblehead Trading Company will be collecting the storage fee for the town. That fee is based on a rate of $6 per square foot as determined by multiplying the overall length of the boat by its beam width. This fee is for storage only.
If you have any questions, call Rachael at 781-631-4650 or trucking@marbleheadtrading.com.
Retirement funding
At its Aug. 12 meeting, the Select 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.
Reserve fund transfers
The board also approved reserve fund transfers of $41,000 for a contractual vacation payout for Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer (who is leaving at the end of December) and $26,000 for the executive search for a new town administrator and chief financial officer.
Lynnway project
Select Board 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.
Praise for boat accident response
At the Aug. 12 meeting, Kezer 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.
“The key was the coordination, the response time, and it was an unusual incident,” Kezer said. “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.
New Light Board member
The Select Board and Municipal Light Board voted Kathleen Waslov as the newest member of the board. Waslov, who is an Abbot Library trustee, is a retired financial risk consultant. She fills the seat vacated by Adam Smith, who moved out of town.
Pickleball with a purpose
Registration is open for the fourth annual Win-4-All Pickleball Tournament to benefit Girls Inc. of Boston and Lynn. The event is sponsored by TQM Wealth Partners and offered in conjunction with Marblehead Pickleball.
The tournament is Sept. 19 at the Veterans School courts. Register at marbleheadpickleball.org/leagues-events.
