Road Woes Top Marblehead Resident List Of Complaints

MARBLEHEAD, MA — While the vast majority of Marblehead residents were very satisfied with the town's fire, police, emergency services and public schools, they expressed displeasure with the state of the roads and sidewalks, in the annual town-wide survey.

Of the 781 residents who responded to this year's survey, 40.85 percent cited "maintaining infrastructure" as the town's biggest issue. Affordable housing was second on the list of concerns at a very distant 14.01 percent.

In the category of "satisfaction with a town service" the fire department got high honors with 99 percent of residents saying they were satisfied or very satisfied, police services had a 77 percent approval rating, public schools checked in at 69 percent approval, senior services were at 80 percent, snow removal was at 77 percent, water and sewer services were at 94 percent, utilities were at 96 percent and public health was at 77 percent.

Maintainance of roadways and sidewalks, however, was at just 25 percent satisfied or very satisfied with 38.08 percent of responding residents saying they were "dissatisfied."

"This survey will be a tool to help shape future decisions and will serve as an evaluation tool enabling the town to receive direct feedback on what the town is doing well and where there is an opportunity for improvement," the town said.

Survey respondents skewed heavily toward long-term residents with no school-age children.

More than three-quarters of responders said they have lived in Marblehead for more than 15 years, including 42 percent who said they have lived in town for more than 30 years.

Seventy-five percent of responders said they did not have school-age children and 61 percent said they were older than 51 years old.

Full results 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.)