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Perambulation set for Nov. 7
The town perambulation of public ways has been scheduled for Nov. 7, beginning at 10 a.m. at Abbot Hall. Town Historian Don Doliber will begin the walk with remarks.
The colonial-era tradition of walking and documenting public ways dates back to 1641 in town.
Town Engineer Maggie Wheeler outlined a route beginning at Abbot Hall and passing through historic streets and alleys, including Lookout Court, Prospect Alley, portions of Front Street, Gingerbread Lane and Knight’s Hill.
Town leaders and residents are invited to participate. The walk covers about 2 miles and takes about 90 minutes.
Tax rate to be set
The Select Board’s tax rate setting hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 9. Marblehead’s current property tax rate for FY2026 is $8.56 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
“The tax rate is calculated by dividing the total amount of property taxes the town needs to raise, after accounting for other available revenues, by the total assessed value of taxable property in Marblehead,” explained Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer. “The Select Board holds an annual tax classification hearing to determine how the tax burden is distributed among property classes, with the final tax rate subject to approval by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.”
New officer
The Select Board approved the hiring of Alex Baer as Marblehead’s newest full-time police officer, based on a recommendation from Chief Dennis King. Baer has worked the last few years at the USS Constitution as part of a private group that provides security.
Water service line inspections underway
Marblehead, like all public water systems in Massachusetts, is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review and identify the materials used in its water service lines.
The town has more than 8,000 service lines to inspect. Over the past two years, the Water Department has identified the materials in 90% of those lines through records reviews, technician investigations and information provided by homeowners, according to a town statement.
For properties where records do not identify the service line material, physical excavation is required. MML Construction will work to identify the materials in 25% of the remaining unidentified lines.
Excavation will take place within public rights of way, using a vacuum truck to minimize disruption.
A list of affected addresses is available at marbleheadma.gov. Residents with questions can email water@marbleheadma.gov.
Lynnway project meeting
Select Board Chair Dan Fox and member Erin Noonan are set to meet Nov. 19 with Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng to share concerns about the impacts of the upcoming Lynnway project narrowing the road to two lanes each way.
“The goals are largely to understand the traffic mitigation plans during the construction phase, ensure there is coordinated regional planning as it aligns on the same timeline with replacing the General Edwards Bridge, opening of new Revere High School across from Wonderland and the construction of the Lynn commuter garage,” Noonan told the Current. “We want to share our concerns on behalf of our resident commuters around the impact to travel time with the planned lane reduction on the Lynnway and ask for accountability and changes if the actual impact on travel times exceeds their estimates.”
‘Pippin’ auditions
Marblehead Little Theatre is holding non-equity auditions for its musical, “Pippin,” on Sunday, Dec. 6, 1-2:30 p.m. or 3:30-5 p.m. All actors should sign up for a singing time slot at mltlive.com and be prepared to attend a dance call from 2:45-3:30 p.m. Performances will be in March. “Pippin” tells the story of a young prince on an extraordinary journey to find meaning, purpose and glory.
