This year, the city meeting in Articles 31-35 is asked to take measures in relation to certain city buildings and the control and maintenance of the playground for Gerry School, which is now known as an ELM Street Park, to transfer the selected board to the relaxation and parking commission.
Before you are involved in the articles, it is important to note that the costs for taxpayers associated with such repairs will not lead to an increase in existing real estate taxes if the city does not lead to an increase in existing real estate taxes if the city refers to Articles 33 and 34 with roof and associated repairs to certain city buildings. This is because the 25-year-old school debt service in GJ 26 The tax roles from the tax and the amount of the annual tax payments associated with this previous debt exclusion is larger than the combined annual tax payments for these new projects.
Article 31
This article attempts to change the use of the Coffin school building and the area of school purposes in general municipal purposes and to transfer the care, custody and control of the school to the selected board, which then decide whether the property should be reused or sold. If school property is no longer used for educational purposes, the Marblehead School Committee has historically transferred the supervision and control of this property to the selected board, including the streets, history and the bell schools.
The Coffin School, built in 1948, was closed in 2021 after completion and opening the Brown Elementary School. Since then, the free building has deteriorated considerably, even if the city paid for maintaining. The preliminary superintendent John Robidoux said: “It does not make sense to maintain the building at all. It is not inexpensive. It makes sense for us to get rid of it.” The electricity has campaigned for this result since autumn 2023 and see no reason to change our position now. Vote in Article 31 with yes.
Article 32
In this article, attempts are made to maintain care, custody and control of the former playground for Gerry School, who is now known as an Elm Street Park, from Select Board to relaxation and parking commission. This playground was part of the school before completing and subsequent sale of the Gerry School. After its closure, the use and control of the property was transferred to the selected board, which then caused the property to sell. However, the city has maintained control of the parking area, and this article simply tries to transfer the care and maintenance of the park to Rec and Park, which maintains most of our open rooms. The Select Board sponsors this article and we support its adoption.
Article 33, 34 and 35
Article 33 and 34 call on the city to approve large infrastructure projects in Mary Alley Building and Marblehead High – subject to debt excludes. In Article 35, Article 35 endeavors to use the previously selected funds to supplement the total costs of such projects and use some of these funds to carry out the necessary work at the Franklin Street Fire Station.
Article 33 calls for sufficient funds to pay the costs for design, construction, repair, furnishing and equipment from Mary Alley building. According to Aleesha Benjamin Aleesha Benjamin, this work comprises repairs of his outlet roof, the exchange of aging of HLK systems and repairs on two bathing rooms and various railings to comply with the building.
While the final numbers are still determined, Benjamin predicts that new funds between 5.5 and 5.575 million are required, depending on whether the city is qualified for an ADA scholarship in order to partially cover the bathroom and the railing costs. These new funds are supplemented by 480,000 US dollars, which were approved by 2022 city assembly, but were not issued. Benjamin expects a 20-year debt service for this project with the costs for owners of median houses of $ 49 per year.
According to the city administrator Thatcher Kezer, city affiliates who work in this building must rely on room heaters in the winter and window air conditioning systems in summer in order to provide sufficient heat and air conditioning in their offices. This project has to go on clearly.
Article 34 calls for sufficient funds to pay additional costs for a new roof and the installation of new HLK units on the roof at MHS. While the estimated total costs for this project is almost 14 million US dollars, the city strives to apply 5.36 million US dollars from the funds approved by the 2022 city assembly to this amount and to burden a remaining amount of $ 8.61 million. Benjamin said that she is expecting a 20-year debt service for this project and estimates that the costs for owners of median houses are $ 68 a year.
It has long been reported that our students have to do with leaks in the roof and the potential for mold in the building. This is unacceptable. The funds for repairing the roof were approved in 2022, but the work was never carried out.
There has been a lot of turbulence in the school department in recent years and it seems that the repairs of MHS roof have never received a priority. In addition, it was not known in 2022 that the HLK system had to be replaced on the roof, since according to Sarah Fox, member of the school committee, – incredible – the left manager (perhaps aptly named) had not gone on the roof before the estimation stop.
In all of our city departments, bodies and committees and the problems that are associated with the original assignment of funds for the repairs of the high school roof and subsequent failures, in order to complete the work, to illustrate, use it too clearly, for the transparency in all of our city departments, board members and committees in order to promote the public.
Nevertheless, this project must also be completed.
Article 35 calls for the change in the vote in Article 11 (c) at the city assembly in 2022 to enable the funds not issued and compensate for the costs of the projects provided in accordance with Article 33 and 34.
In Article 35, approximately 130,598 US dollars of such 2022 -funds would also be used to carry out the necessary repairs on the roof, the gutters and the windows at the Franklin Street Fire Station.
Article 11 funds were loaned in 2022. The debt service associated with such funds is already part of our annual real estate tax invoices.
If Article 33 and 34 debt excludes are adopted at the city assembly and then approved by the voters in June, the combined increase in real estate taxes for owners of Median estimated houses is $ 117 per year. However, owners of Median estimated houses paid 253 US dollars a year for the construction of the Marblehead High School, a prize that comes to an end. Starting the timing of new capital projects when old projects end is a good financial practice.
We have to take care of our infrastructure and tackle the articles of Articles 33, 34 and 35 in three important structures in the city. We ask you to coordinate yes with Articles 33, 34 and 35, and ask our city guides to adopt a more open and transparent capital planning process while protecting our important infrastructure.
