Article 34, which asked Town Meeting voters to appropriate a sum of money – $8.6 million – to pay additional costs for the Marblehead High School roof, passed, with 804 of the 1,087 voters present in favor.
Some 18-year-old high school seniors spoke in favor of this article during public comment. All had concerns about the safety and well-being of the staff and students who continue to teach and learn in an unsafe environment.
“If you’re voting against the new roof, you’re voting against the health and safety of Marblehead High School students,” one senior said. “We need a new roof… That mold is terrible. It’s one of the worst things you can be exposed to.”
Another senior added that “the roof situation is an absolute mess.”
“This is not a reflection of the town that we want,” he said, “and I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that people are against this because it’s just going to cost more money that we need to spend in the future if you vote against it.”
High school science teacher Joe King spoke up as well about the significant water damage that the leaky roof has caused. He thanked the custodial team for consistently replacing dozens of ceiling tiles after it rains and brought up how “two weeks ago, I was teaching around a barrel in my room as water was falling down.” He added that the rain had also destroyed a $5,000 SMART board in a room which still has an active leak in it.
“We need to get this done. Let’s pass it tonight… and get it done because it’s not safe for the staff or the students,” King said.
Assistant Superintendent Mike Pfifferling said, with Article 34’s passing, the next step in the timeline is to begin the design aspect of the project with hopes of going out to bid this fall.
