Recaps of Harbors & Waters, Disabilities, Fair Housing boards

Harbors & Waters Board

DATE: Jan. 9

LWVM Observer: Kathy Breslin

Seawall material analysis

Ryan McCoy, assistant regional manager for Collins Engineering, presented a summary of the progress to date for the seawalls for Hammond Park, Municipal Light Department, Marblehead Yacht Club, Commercial Street Pier and Parker’s Boatyard in collaboration with the Woods Hole Group, Coastal Zone Management, Marblehead Municipal Light Department and Salem Sound Coast Watch.

Phase I occurred from 2019 to 2021 with an assessment of existing conditions. Analysis was conducted from 2021 to 2022 with some short-term solutions such as MMLD installing flood barriers to protect their basement. The conceptual plan for 2050 was completed with 25 percent of the design estimates accomplished so far.

Phase 2 will occur from 2023-2024. There is a $692,000 budget, partially covered by a $530,000 grant and $200,000 available from town American Rescue Plan Act funds dedicated specifically for design.

From January to June, the design will advance to be 75-percent complete.

Design objectives for July to December are:

Mitigate long-term risks from sea-level rise, storm surge and waves, by raising seawalls, installing waveattenuating floats, and relocating and raising buildings and equipment.

Enhance waterfront public access and recreation, a waterfront parkway, a possible new lift for community boating at Parker’s and a conveyer at Commercial Street pier. Raise the seawall and the park itself at Hammond Park. » Restore and raise the seawall at Parker’s, raise the boatyard.

Pros and cons of two most popular seawall replacements — steel sheet pile wall and stacked granite block wall — were discussed. Projected costs of construction were similar, although maintenance costs of stacked granite were somewhat higher. The existing seawalls are stacked granite.

The board voted on using stacked granite block walls given the similar cost and to maintain the character of the harbor.

At Hammond Park/MMLD, in addition to raising the seawall there will be a reinforced concrete wall around the perimeter of the MMLD parking lot.

The next phase is permitting. Planned datelines:

Jan. 19: Massachusetts then herself was the only answer to the horror that gripped her.

I am heartened because almost every piece of reporting I have read about Lindsay Clancy has been accompanied by thoughtful pieces about postpartum depression and access to resources, and reassurance that the extreme version she experienced is rare.

We should hail the progress that this recognition represents, and shoulder the sorrow that this young loving mother will possibly rot in prison the rest of her life rather than receive the compassionate mental health services she deserves. Today’s response is a sharp departure from the media coverage a young Texas mother, Andrea Yates, received more than two decades ago. Back then, the country was shocked by the drowning of five young children

Environmental Protection Agency pre-filing meeting.

March 4: Environmental justice outreach process begins.

» May 1: 75 percent design completion, Environmental Notification Form draft.

May 31: File MEPA and ENF forms.

MMLD will also weigh in the choice of material for the new seawalls. Work will likely be done in phases.

Funding sources can be explored after the environmental impact evaluation is completed.

Budget discussion and updates

The town Finance Department is working on closing out the current fiscal year. Thatcher Kezer, town administrator, recommended using the figure the board used last year in the interim. He mentioned that the town’s new budgeting format is “Clear Gov,” which is much more robust than the current format.

The Harbors and Waters Board plans their budget discussion at their February meeting.

Harbormaster report

The Village dock broke away and was found in Kettle Cove in Magnolia. Dave Haley of Marblehead Marine brought the dock back and will get it back into position.

The harbormaster’s building has had the boiler replaced after it failed.

The leaking roof at the Marblehead Yacht Club will be getting a temporary repair; it will be replaced in the spring. There have been a few glitches with the harbormaster’s new software, but overall it is very efficient, processing payments for 500 permits in five days, which used to take weeks.

Disabilities Commission

DATE: Jan. 12

LWVM OBSERVER: Nancy Powell Collins Institute Survey

At the Dec. 22 Disabilities Commission meeting, representatives from the Collins Center, a state entity located at UMass-Boston, presented an overview of a grant-funded ADA Transition Plan they are partnering with the town of Marblehead to develop.

The plan includes getting public comment via a survey tool that was launched Jan. 23 to look at problematic access issues in town.

Commission members expressed concern that survey questions seek input only from those who are disabled at her hands. I can still recall the photos of her in custody that flooded the media — the long brown hair, the round glasses, the blank stare. Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty.

Back to my small, painful story. My pregnancy was pretty unremarkable, albeit I had a high-stress job as chief of staff to a Massachusetts governor.

My labor was long and tedious until after several hours of little progress it became clear the baby was in distress, his heart rate dropping. An emergency cesarean section was scheduled.

It turned out the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck, but the surgical delivery went well. I said, “Hi Jack” when a nurse finally laid him in my arms, and his huge blue eyes snapped open at the sound of my voice. My boy, my baby, my being.

The next days at home featured the abnormal normal or are providing direct care for someone with a disability, thereby overlooking input from members of the community at large and possibly skewing results.

Members of the commission will review the survey and provide feedback to the Collins Institute as needed.

Sidewalk parking

Amy Hirschkron raised concern about pedestrians having to move onto the street because of drivers who frequently park their cars on sidewalks around town. She noted this is especially dangerous for those with auditory, vision and mobility impairments. The police, when called, will ticket illegally parked cars, but this does not seem to be a routine procedure they follow.

Chair Laurie Blaisdell proposed inviting the police chief to a future meeting to discuss this issue and in addition seek more robust enforcement of handicap parking violations and ensure that cars are parked at least 20 feet from an intersection due to visibility concerns for pedestrians when crossing streets. Hirschkron proposed increasing public and law enforcement awareness regarding this issue. Blaisdell will contact local news outlets to see if a friendly reminder could be published that would highlight the sidewalk parking problem.

Future projects

An open discussion brought forth the following ideas for the Commission to undertake in the coming year:

Create enhanced access to the harbor, including a kayak launch and improved access for community members who would like to swim.

Provide remote access to Town Meeting as is in the works in several other municipalities in Massachusetts that seek to offer voting via biometrics/ vetted remote voting companies.

—Increase the Commission’s visibility by doing such things as tabling at Farmers’ Market, reinstituting MDC’s “Accessibility Awards” for town businesses, and creating a more active Facebook page. Revisit the map of accessible locations around town and ensure there is an » ample supply available. Suggest the Post Office install a push button door opener outside of the building. The interior door has recently been made accessible.

» Increase awareness of Council on Aging wheelchairaccessible busing program for trips in town and to venues/ appointments in neighboring communities.

Invite Thatcher Kezer (town administrator) and Jenny Armini (state rep) to future meetings.

Fair Housing Committee

DATE: Jan. 26

OBSERVER: Bonnie Grenier

MEMBERS PRESENT: Thatcher Kezer (chair and town administrator), Becky Cutting (town planner), Erin Noonan (Select Board), Debra Larkin, Mimi Hollister, Teri McDonough, Deacon John Whipple, Katie Farrell

MEMBER ABSENT: Dirk Isbrandsten

Vice chair, secretary elected

This was the first meeting of the reconstituted Fair Housing Committee with Kezer, Cutting and Noonan having been voted in as new members.

The first order of business was to vote in a vice chairperson and secretary. Larkin, having chaired the previous committee, was voted in as vice chairperson. Hollister was voted in as secretary.

Goals discussion

The next agenda item was discussion of existing goals of the FHC.

One of the main goals is to educate the board and the community on affordable housing. What is it? What would that look like in Marblehead? Where can people turn to get more information? Who is eligible and what assistance is available for those seeking affordable housing?

Updating the FHC website is critical for providing general and timely information. Public forums and listening sessions are other avenues for community education. Reaching out to other communities to learn what they are doing could also be very helpful.

McDonough mentioned that Harbor Homes (formerly Harborlight) has a series of educational videos on affordable housing available.

Another goal would be to sort out the responsibilities of and relationship between the Fair Housing Committee, Housing Production Plan Implementation Committee and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

(The last meeting of the HPPIC was Oct. 28, 2021. Their next meeting is Jan. 31. The AHTF has yet to meet.)

Kezer mentioned that housing is a priority in the Healey administration and given the state’s strong financial position there will likely be significant funds available to build housing across the state.

For this reason, staying on top of housing grants and other of a newborn routine. Perhaps a hint of my obsessive nature peeked out as I ordered my adoring in-laws to sleep on the couch and chair in the family room near Jack’s port-a-crib when they were giving us a respite. I deemed the baby too little to sleep in his crib upstairs near the guest room and too small to even have an extra blanket covering him lest it creep up over his tiny mouth and nose.

Those “normal” high-anxiety moments of being responsible for a new baby descended into something more over the next couple of weeks, including the intrusive images of hurting him.

The following week was my mother’s turn to help, and she, the mother of eight herself, nodded along as I gave the “sleep in the family room” instruction. The next morning, I found Jack upstairs asleep in his crib, under a blanket, and my mother asleep in the guest room. It’s a story funding sources is critical.

McDonough mentioned that the North Shore Housing Consortium has a significant amount of ARPA funding available for the creation of affordable housing. However, with the specific criteria and timelines that come with many of these grants, the town must be ready with projects and proposals to take advantage of these opportunities as they come along.

There was discussion of the Coffin School property and its availability for development for affordable housing. (This project was one of the main recommendations of the Housing Production Plan.) The School Department would have to declare the Coffin School surplus property before turning it over to the town, which they tabled for this year’s town warrant and hopefully will happen next year.

In the meantime, the next step would be to develop an RFI (request for information) from developers for their ideas as to how they would develop affordable housing at that location.

An RFP (request for proposal) would follow the RFI in preparation for moving quickly on this property when/if it becomes available, likely 2024.

In the meantime, the focus is on the 40R property soon to be developed at Vinnin Square with 11 units of affordable rentals and the 40B Sailmaker Place Condominiums that will have 12 affordable units.

The Planning Board is working on a warrant article for this year’s Town Meeting about permitting Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) by right in hopes of creating more affordable housing.

The bike park at the corner of Beacon Street and West Shore Drive, and the Eveleth School are both possibilities for affordable housing in the distant future.

Public comment that amuses me now, but back then, not so much.

Renee Keaney informed the committee that the Marblehead Democratic Town Committee will be having a forum on affordable housing on March 27. She asked for recommendations/ volunteers from the FHC for panelists to participate in the forum. Cutting, McDonough and Cathy Hoog from the Salem Housing Authority were suggested panelists.

These reports are compiled by volunteers from the Marblehead League of Women Voters’ Observer Corps. To see the full catalog of Observer Corps reports and learn more about the nonpartisan political organization, see my.lwv. org/massachusetts/marblehead.

Those “normal” high-anxiety moments of being responsible for a new baby descended into something more over the next couple of weeks, including the intrusive images of hurting him.

I finally sought help and was referred to a therapist who gave me the gift of not only compassion but education. What I had was referred to as Postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

It was pretty common, she said, particularly with Type A women, women who were successful in every other part of their life.

“You’re not going to hurt your baby,” she said. “Everything will be okay.”

A prescription antidepressant resolved the postpartum issues, but not the shame I had around experiencing them. This is the first time I have ever publicly acknowledged them. I rarely if ever have talked about them to family and friends, even as I have very publicly described my experience of post-traumatic stress after the 9/11 attacks.

That’s how much stigma postpartum depression had but perhaps now that is finally receding.

If you are struggling, please know now what I wish I had known then — you are not alone.

Need help? Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline 833-943-5746 or Postpartum Support International, at 800-944-4773.

Virginia Buckingham is a weekly columnist and a member of the board of the directors of the Current.

Reardon says.

Reardon still defines success as continuing to make intimate connections with people through her music.

“I can’t lose the intensity, or it will make me lose some of what makes it work for me,” she says.

Hayley’s travels

After graduating from Marblehead High School, Reardon headed off to Belmont University in Nashville, enrolling in its contemporary music program. But halfway through the four-year program, Reardon left school.

Reardon arrived on campus having already developed her own method for writing songs, and now she was being forced in a different direction — one more geared to the commercial country music scene.

“I was meeting with publishers in Nashville, and it wasn’t inspiring to me at all,” she says.

Still, for about a year and a half, Reardon used Nashville as her “home base” from which she would set off to perform shows. But she eventually grew weary of Music City.

Some of her friends from school — including the one who crashed with her parents after playing at the Boston Garden a few months ago — have found “success” in the traditional sense.

“But for me to be in a place that people come to specifically to ‘make it’ is not the right energy,” Reardon says. “Beneath everything, there was this ambition machine that freaked me out.”

There was a brief interregnum during which Reardon came home and took some odd jobs, including on a flower farm in Essex and at a Boston restaurant.

But then, quite unexpectedly, Reardon says she “randomly” started to field offers to go to Europe.

For about three years, Reardon and her guitar would cross the Atlantic Ocean for three months and then come home for three months. She developed a love for German culture in particular, and was thrilled to receive an invitation to do a six-month artist residency in Dachau, Germany.

Residents of Dachau accept that they may never escape the city’s immediate association with Nazi Germany’s first concentration camp. But it would like the world to think of it in other ways, too.

“Apparently, before World War II, it was known as an arts colony, and people would come from all over Germany to create it there,” Reardon says. The artist-in-residence program is part of the city’s effort to reclaim that history. An artist bequeathed the city a beautiful villa, and every year, the city invites one person to live in a flat and just create.

Reardon got the nod after she played a tiny venue where a city official just happened to be moonlighting as the booking agent.

“He said, ‘Would you like to live here and create? It’s very open; you can do what you want,’” Reardon says.

Reardon jumped at the opportunity.

“I was very excited; I came home and got myself together and saved money,” she says.

Then, COVID intervened.

The Dachau residency would still happen, just not on its original timetable or as Reardon had initially envisioned it.

But as that door was closing temporarily, another one was opening.

Soul sister across the ocean

A self-described “very nervous person,” Reardon did not particularly enjoy the quarantine period of COVID-19 — and for good reason. Her father had just survived cancer and was at higher risk for developing serious complications from the disease. Reardon became terrified of bringing it home.

Part of what settled her jangled nerves was a song performed by a Barcelonabased singer from the Catalan music scene.

“I listened to it every night, and her voice was so calming to me,” Reardon says.

It did not matter a bit that Reardon could not understand a word the singer was saying.

As it turned out, Reardon knew the singer’s engineer, Aniol Bestit Collellmir. A fan of Reardon’s work, Collellmir would tease her on Instagram about coming to Spain anytime her travels brought her vaguely nearby.

As quarantine dragged on, Reardon sent Collellmir a song embodying her reflections on the craziness of COVID. The lyrics include “I walked the streets in my little town,” a reference to Marblehead.

Reardon asked Collellmir if he would be willing to work his magic on the track. He agreed but added, “Let me call my best friend first.”

Turns out that “friend” was Pau Figueres, one of Spain’s most revered guitarists.

Alone, Reardon says she has struggled to find a recorded sound that matches the energy of her creations. But the transcontinental collaboration with Collellmir and Figueres cured that problem.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, these people know me somehow,’” she says.

Figueres surprised her by adding a Flamenco solo to her song.

“But it didn’t feel detached; it felt right,” Reardon says.

Reardon’s travel itinerary in the summer of 2021 got a quick revision. Before heading to Dachau, she would take a monthlong detour to Barcelona.

“Although I’d never met them, I just got on the plane and said, ‘You’ll pick me up at the airport,’” she recalls.

After a month in the studio with Collellmir and Figueres, Reardon had produced her latest EP, “In the Good Light.”

“It was like we were old friends … and musically so connected,” Reardon says.

That detour to Spain also allowed Reardon to solve the mystery of the lyrics of that song that had gotten her through her pandemic anxiety. As it turned out, the singer was saying, “I Come From a Town by the Sea.”

Even better, Collellmir and Figueres planned a surprise dinner on the beach with the singer, who then gave Reardon a tour of the town, pointing out the sites referenced in her lyrics along the way.

“It was like my soul sister from across the ocean, in her little town by the sea,” Reardon says.

Immersed in Dachau

The COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many best laid plans, and Reardon’s time in Dachau was no different.

Even though she had been told she could do whatever she wanted once she arrived, Reardon had devised a very specific plan. With the help of a translator, she would interview residents and then retell their stories in song, which would be recorded as an EP.

But the pandemic scrambled those plans, in part because Reardon had a backlog of postponed shows to clear off her calendar.

In between tour stops, Reardon managed to immerse herself in the local culture, even learning some songs in German to perform with the mayor’s band.

“I would go to their rehearsals in this little basement room of a local elementary school, and then we’d go for Greek food,” she says.

Reardon also played solo multiple times, including at an outdoor festival and at the local hangout Café Gramsci.

She also regularly walked the streets and visited a castle, from which one can gaze at the outline of the Alps.

Dachau also proved to be a useful hub for Reardon’s tour stops, where other connections were made and other adventures ensued, like the harrowing ride on horseback through the dark woods in Sweden.

When Reardon expressed concern about setting out given the conditions, she was told, “Just follow the horses. The horses know the way.”

It turns out Reardon’s host had been a renowned trainer of Icelandic horses until one day she suffered a medical emergency during a ride. The everfaithful steed interpreted what was happening to the trainer as a command to run over a cliff and dutifully complied. By some miracle, both survived, though the woman was permanently disabled.

It was only after Reardon dismounted from her white-knuckle ride that she found out that she had been on the very same horse that had gone over the cliff. If she had known, there was no chance she would have gotten in the saddle, she says.

“Sweden is not for the faint of heart,” she says.

Return to Me&Thee

As with many of her most recent shows, Reardon’s appearance at the Me&Thee is a “makeup” for a concert originally scheduled for March 2020, just as the pandemic was starting.

Though there is still time for the plan to change, Reardon believes that it will be just her and her guitar up on the stage at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

“When that happens, I tend to like to tell stories,” she says.

Consider that fair warning, concertgoers. By daring to venture far from her “town by the sea,” Reardon has collected no shortage of source material.

Tickets for Reardon’s Feb. 17 show at the Me&Thee ($25 general admission, $10 students) are available online at meandthee.org or at the Arnould Gallery, 111 Washington St. Doors open at 7:15 p.m., and the performance will begin at 8 p.m.