FINAL-21 CP_MBHC_20230802_1_A01 Mon, Jul 31, 2023 7:31:23 PM
IN THIS ISSUE
PUBLIC SAFETY
EDITORIAL
SPORTS
Gallo hearing costing over $5K per month
Sunlight and the superintendent
Seasiders advance to NSL playoffs
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Page 6
Page 13
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MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
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August 02, 2023
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VOLUME 1, ISSUE NO. 34
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
SUPERINTENDENT SHOWDOWN
School Committee meets in private again BY LEIGH BLANDER On Monday, the Marblehead School Committee met in another executive session, closed to the public, to discuss the early termination of Superintendent John Buckey, whose contract runs two more years. The school district’s attorney Colby Brunt was there.
Committee member Brian Ota, who filed a discrimination complaint against Buckey, recused himself. The School Committee’s efforts to move on from Buckey have sparked a heated debate in town, with hundreds of people tuning in for a July 26 Zoom meeting (that was adjourned after one minute) and dozens
more posting to social media and writing letters to the editor. (Read the letters beginning on page A7.) Buckey and his attorney Mike Long say the School Committee has not given them any reason for Buckey’s potential dismissal. On June 6, the committee — which then still included now-former members Sarah
Gold and Tom Mathers — gave Buckey a “proficient” rating in his annual review. He has received that rating the last three years and was awarded a 2.5% raise last year. A previous School Committee extended his contract an extra two years in 2021. “We have not been told the basis for this action,” Long
RACE WEEK
said about the committee’s efforts to oust Buckey. “It may be that experienced committee members have harbored ill will for COVID-related practice in the district. If this is the case, their rationale fails to consider the public health directives imposed by state SUPERINTENDENT, P. A5
FEDERAL PANDEMIC FUNDS
Sailors across ages and regions Board OKs join historic Marblehead regatta $1.4M for
rail trail
Another $1M to finance technology upgrades BY WILLIAM J. DOWD
COURTESY PHOTO / BRUCE DURKEE.
A diverse range of boat classes, from classic to modern, competed during Marblehead Race Week July 27-30.
Diverse boat classes showcase sailing traditions in Marblehead BY WILLIAM J . DOWD Generations of sailors have gathered in Marblehead Harbor for over a century, drawn back each summer to one of America’s longest consecutively-run regattas. The 130th Marblehead Race Week tested veterans and newcomers alike as winds shifted over four days of racing from July 27-30. Hundreds of sailors, young and old, competed in 145 boats during the classic New England regatta hosted by the Boston, Eastern and Corinthian Yacht
Clubs. Some traveled from as far as California and Canada. The fleets included sleek International One-Design sailboats, the classic Town sailboats with their large sails and the compact Rhodes 19 sailboats. Ten modern J/105 sailboats with their large jibs were also there, as well as Etchells sailboats and nearly 20 J/70 sailboats, popular for their speed and handling. Racing commenced Thursday in a welcome 12-16 knots of wind — a lively, if challenging breeze for smaller boats sailing the course. But
Mark Luckes, a 25-year sailing veteran from Marblehead, said lighter winds require just as much skill to harness. “When the breeze disappears, it’s frustrating but you really have to keep your patience and adjust,” said Luckes, who skippered Menace, an Etchells. “You have to drive the boat fast, even in very light air.” True to New England’s moody coastal weather, winds diminished over subsequent days before thunderstorms forced organizers to
The Marblehead Select Board approved investing $2.4 million in federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act into modernizing financial software, expanding the municipal fiber network and making accessibility upgrades along the Marblehead Rail Trail. The board’s largest allotment, $1.43 million, will replace two aging pedestrian bridges over the Forest River near the Lead Mills Conservation Area to enhance accessibility and safety for all trail users. Town Planner Becky Cutting explained during the July 26 Select Board meeting that the current bridge decks “contain metal gratings and lips that can cause bikes to crash and make the crossings difficult to navigate for those using wheelchairs, strollers or mobility devices.” Cutting emphasized rebuilding the bridges will be “vital to ensure accessibility and enhance the trail experience for all users.” The project will remove tripping hazards by installing new flat bridge decks made of wood that integrate better with the surrounding nature area. Wider spans, railings and graded approaches will also improve safety and navigation. Linking existing portions of the Marblehead and Salem rail trails was another driving factor highlighted. “It would not only link the Salem trail
RACE WEEK, P. A9 TRAIL, P. A4
INFRASTRUCTURE
Summer roadwork, construction hard to avoid BY WILLIAM J. DOWD BEEP, BEEP, BEEP sounding off from construction trucks backing up. Tires rolling over steel plates, milled and torn-up roads. Pipes stretching across sidewalks and roads. The smell of heat radiating from freshly laid asphalt. Marblehead has witnessed a flurry of construction and roadwork this summer, with local drivers and commuters dodging orange cones and navigating a maze of streetclosure detours. Between 2020 and June 2023, there have been about 38 construction and road projects, according to Marblehead Public Works Director and Water and
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
but she stressed that more often than not, methodical coordination and decisionmaking underlie each project. McHugh collaborates with utility companies and town departments — National Grid, Comcast, Verizon, Marblehead Municipal Light Department, Water and Sewer Department and Marblehead Department of Public Works — to upgrade aging infrastructure. “When you want a street paved, expect four years of inconvenience,” she said. “There’s so much old infrastructure; we can’t just pave everywhere immediately.” Much of Marblehead’s Sewer Superintendent Amy McHugh.
McHugh told the Marblehead Current that the work may seem
never-ending to frustrated residents and businesses,
WORKS, P. A4