Voters OK $4.9M Drainage Project

Marblehead residents overwhelmingly approved a Town Meeting article Monday night calling for a debt-exclusion override to pay for a proposed three-year $4.9 million drainage project.

Monday's approval, which passed by a margin of 576 to 10, means the extensive drainage project will appear on the ballot next month.

Among the handful of town residents who spoke in favor of the project was Ben Rhodes, owner of the Pleasant Street building currently occupied by and .

Prior to the vote, Rhodes told those in attendance how hard it was to "not to be able to sleep at night" if he knew there would be "more than a few inches of rain in the forecast."

"I've seen more than eight feet of water in that basement before," Rhodes said, adding that many local business owners aren't covered by the kind of flood insurance that could help pay for damages sustained in a wash-out.

Other speakers included local home owners who recalled the town-wide damage that occurred during a and pointed out that the proposed project would help prevent similar situations in the future.

Also joining the discussion was former selectman Bill Woodfin, who urged town residents to step up and approve the override request.

"Let's do the right thing, improve the infrastructure and vote for this," Woodfin said.

Although FEMA funding may lower the overall cost of the project, those planning the drain work wrote up the proposal assuming Marblehead won't receive any help from the state.

"Water and sewer put this presentation together assuming no FEMA reimbursement, but they are still going to aggressively go after FEMA reimbursement," Finance Committee Vice-Chair Trish Moore said at a meeting earlier this month.

All of the necessary paperwork to secure FEMA aid has reportedly been submitted to the state.

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Planned Work Areas:

FY13: Atlantic Avenue; Washington at Atlantic; Spring and Essex.

FY14: Pleasant Street; School Street; Sewall Street; Bessom and Pleasant.

FY15: Garfield Street; Evans Road; Sewall to Pleasant.

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Cost Breakdown: