Selectmen Look To The Future Of Old Town House Voting

The Board of Selectmen gave up on the idea of fighting the Commonwealth over keeping the Old Town House as the Precinct 1 voting place for the June 15 election after the Assistant Town Counsel Lisa Mead advised that "it is unlikely that a variance would be granted."

But the selectmen have not given up on the Old Town House, built in 1727, for future elections.

To make the historic building compliant with the Voting Rights Act with respect to accessibility for the elderly and handicapped, the town would be required to install an elevator in a building's closet.

Ten years ago, when voters rejected the proposed elevator, it would have cost about $150,000, Town Administrator Tony Sasso told the board.

"The time has come and gone for this board to do anything" about applying for a variance from the state for the special election in less than two weeks, said Selectman William Woodfin.

But Woodfin asked that board take up the issue again as soon as possible. 

"This is the cradle of our government," Woodfin said.

When Selectman Jackie Belf-Becker proposed that the board look into the possibility of applying for a grant to pay for the cost of the elevator, Woodfin said he has been told that the Massachusetts Historical Commission may be willing to award a grant to Marblehead to fund all or part of the cost of installing the elevator.

Last week, the board voted to move Precinct 1 to the Marblehead Community Center for the special election. Precincts 2, 3 and 4 will still vote at the Star of the Sea Community Center. Precinct 5, 6 and 7 were already scheduled to vote at the community center.

The board supported the concept of revisiting the renovation project at the Old Town House. Selectman Judith Jacobi said she thought the town should investigate ways to make the Old Town House accessible.

"I think we should be voting at the Old Town House," she said.

The elevator was approved in 2000 at the Town Meeting, but it was voted down almost two to one in an override vote. After the override vote, the voting machines were moved into the Old Town House's basement and that is where the accessibility issues are.

Town Clerk Robin Michaud, who proposed to the board last week that all voting precincts be moved to the community center, said the space in the basement is extremely tight, particularly for people in wheelchairs.

Any changes to the building structure would have to be approved at a Town Meeting.

Mead wrote to the board: "I have determined that it is possible for the Town to request a variance with respect to the non-compliant features of the Old Town House, however, given that the Town has plans showing that the Town House could be made accessible and given that there are other possible polling locations which are accessible, it is unlikely that a variance would be granted."

Selectman Mike Rockett said it was unlikely that the state would grant a variance. "They will tell you the Paul Revere House is accessible," he said, meaning that the state government believes any historic building can be made accessible.