Marblehead Town Meeting: School Override, Bike Path, Leaf Blower Ban

MARBLEHEAD, MA — A proposed $3 million school budget override, a new bike park and a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer are among the issues town meeting members will discuss and vote on during Monday night's annual town meeting.

Those are among the 48 articles facing meeting members beginning at 7 p.m. at Marblehead Middle School.

While many of the articles will likely go quickly with little discussion, some of the bigger items will come later in the night.

Article 33 asks town meeting members to support the transfer of land from the school department to the town or the recreation department for the construction of a bike park.

"We believe that the way to develop the next generation of conservationists is to give our community members space to be outside, be creative, and collaborate with the groups in town that steward our outdoor spaces," bike park supporter and volunteer Eleanor Sachs told Patch this week.

Representatives told the Finance Commission at the annual warrant meeting earlier this month that they will then assume all construction and maintenance costs for the park through fundraising.

Article 31 provides a "summer break" from the persistent buzz of gas-powered leaf blowers. This will be the eighth year that proponents of some type of restriction on gas-powered blowers have brought the issue to a town meeting.

This year's proposal will constrict the ban to running from June 15 to Oct. 15. Previous attempts to get residents and contractors to cut back on their leaf blowing have been unsuccessful.

Supporters of the ban argue the town needs a summertime break from gas-powered leaf blowers to "improve the health and well-being of workers, children, elderly, families and neighbors."

Articles 40 through 43, if passed, would officially change the name of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board and make many of the pronouns in zoning bylaws gender-neutral.

Perhaps the most debated article will come at the end of the night in Article 46 where the School Department will request a $3 million supplemental budget to fund what schools officials said are expenses necessary to add critical positions, update technology, security snd textbooks, and provide free kindergarten.

"Providing students with the exemplary education that is expected in Marblehead will continue to support the district's high marks across various ranking organizations and hopefully continue to allow for growth in our standing," School Committee Chair Sarah Gold told Patch this week.

The override would also be subject to a townwide vote for a Proposition 2 1/2 override.

The full town meeting warrant can be found here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)