FINAL-19 CP_MBHC_20230531_1_A01 Mon, May 29, 2023 6:41:53 AM
IN THIS ISSUE
IN MEMORIAM
ELECTION 2023
SPORTS
Remembering Marblehead’s ‘codfather’
Part 1 of the Current’s candidates’ guide
NEC meet starts off postseason
Page 23
NONPROFIT ORG PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
Page 13
Page 16
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
TM
May 31, 2023
|
VOLUME 1, ISSUE NO. 27
|
MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
|
ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
ELECTION: SELECT BOARD
Nye stands alone as ‘no’ on override Prop. 21/2 question prompts testy exchange between incumbent, challenger BY KRIS OLSON At the first of two League of Women Voters Candidates Nights May 24, incumbent Jim Nye distinguished himself from the rest of the Select Board field by saying that he did not support the $2.5 million general override that will be on the town election
ballot June 20. Reading from a prepared statement, Nye said, “For the past 18 years, the town has paid all its obligations with revenue collected, including negotiated step and cost-of-living increases, purchased rolling stock and maintained assets with no layoffs. Most would
call that ‘conservative fiscal management.’” He continued, “This year, the department heads have been tasked with identifying positions that can remain unfilled as well as staff cuts that will minimally impact the delivery of services to the citizens of Marblehead. I agree with these
recommendations and do not support the permanent general override.” As colleague Jackie Belf-Becker was about to begin her response to moderator Jeff Shribman’s question, an audience member spoke up to ask Nye to repeat whether he supported the override.
“I do not,” he reiterated. The question about the override also spurred an exchange between Belf-Becker and Bret Murray, the lone challenger in the six-candidate field. Murray, a member of the Select Board from 2011 to 2017, NYE, P. A4
BY THE BOOK
ABBOT HALL
Supporters tour $10 million Liquor Abbot Library renovations license
awarded to hotel
In split vote, proposed brewery bypassed BY WILLIAM J. DOWD
CURRENT PHOTOS / NICOLE GOODHUE BOYD
Abbot Public Library Director Kimberly Grad and Board Chair Gary Amberik led a tour of renovations at the Pleasant Street building.
BY LEIGH BLANDER About a dozen Abbot Public Library volunteers and supporters donned hardhats recently for a tour of the Pleasant Street building’s $10 million renovation project. “We’re just so excited,” said Kathleen Waslov, president of the nonprofit Friends of Abbot Public Library. “We’re delighted to see how well it’s going — and that it’s on budget.” Town Meeting approved $8.5 million for the renovation in 2021
and supporters have raised another $1.5 million. The construction, which began in January 2023, is about 20% complete and is on schedule to be completed by spring of 2024. In the meantime, the library has moved to a temporary location at the old Eveleth School, 3 Brook Rd. Kimberly Grad, the library’s director, led the tour, along with Board Chair Gary Amberik. They often had to shout over the sounds of drilling and sawing. The library, originally built in 1954 and expanded in 1990 to 33,000 square feet,
appeared much brighter and larger without stacks of books and furniture. Sunlight poured through the windows and filled the space. “We’ll be putting in lower stacks in the front area to let the sunshine in,” Grad said. The tour started on the lower level, where the Teen Center is being updated to include a Project Studio that will feature a sound booth (for recording music and podcasts), computers, sewing machines and LIBRARY, P. A4
The Marblehead Select Board granted The Hotel Marblehead a liquor license on May 24, disappointing the owners of a North Reading brewery competing for the same coveted license. After both businesses pitched their proposals, members Jim Nye, Jackie Belf Becker and Moses Grader sided with the hotel, while Alexa Singer and Erin Noonan backed the taproom. Contingent upon the state’s approval, The Hotel Marblehead, 264 Pleasant St., will be permitted to serve beer, wine and malt beverages for consumption on site, including in rooms. The hotel has been in business since the early 1970s, and the building has undergone renovations in recent years. The hotel’s attorney, Paul Lynch, said the hotel had created a reception area of approximately 500 square feet on the ground level with seating for 11 people to congregate in the afternoon or early evening. Lynch told the Select Board the hotel has never had “a beer-and-wine license.” “At this point, it is really needed to add additional amenities to the inn by allowing guests to enjoy alcoholic beverages without the necessity of leaving the property,” he said. The Hotel Marblehead’s application comes HOTEL , P. A5
MHS GRADUATION
‘Don’t beat yourself up’
Top students offer advice as they head to college BY LEIGH BLANDER
MHS valedictorian Yasen Colón and salutatorian Cate Trautman organized a blood drive at school recently.
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
Marblehead High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian will both miss the ocean when they leave for college in Indiana and Colorado at the end of the summer, but they are looking forward to the next chapters in their lives. Valedictorian Yasen Colón is heading to Purdue University to study aerospace engineering. Salutatorian Cate Trautman is going to University of Colorado Boulder and its engineering honors program. They’re both excited to have been named the students with the highest GPAs (grade point averages) in the MHS class of 2023 and to speak
at graduation on June 9. “It’s definitely a great honor,” said Colón. “When you spend most of your Friday and Saturday nights working on a project, or tweaking an essay for a couple more points, or studying for a test instead of relaxing or partying, it’s nice to be recognized for those efforts.” Colón is president of the National Honor Society at MHS and Trautman is vice president. Marblehead memories Both students have fond memories of their 13 years in Marblehead schools. “One of my favorites was being part of the 4X20 meter relay team that qualified and ran STUDENTS, P. A9
Contingent upon the state’s approval, The Hotel Marblehead, 264 Pleasant St., will be permitted to serve beer, wine and malt beverages for consumption on site, including in rooms.