Daily Current, Friday, October 9

Daily Current · Friday, October 9 · 4:37

Manchester's share of the new Essex school would be about 50 million dollars

Read by Kerry Jane. How we work Download

Transcript

Good morning. It's Friday, October 9. This is the Daily Current, from the Cape Ann Current. I'm Kerry Jane. Today we look at the cost of the proposed Essex school, the search for an Essex fire chief, and how Cape Ann schools pay for student meals.

In Manchester by the Sea, town boards learned on Monday, October 5, that the town's share of a new Essex Elementary School would be about 50 million dollars. School leaders told the Select Board and Finance Committee the total project is estimated at 95.3 million dollars. The state will pay about a fifth, and Essex will pay about 25 million dollars. Voters in both towns will have their say at special town meetings on Monday, November 16.

In Essex, selectmen mapped out a plan on Monday, October 5, to hire the town's first full time fire chief. The town administrator said the search must start right away to hit a target start date of February 1. Voters still need to approve the switch to an appointed chief at the fall town meeting in November. A small committee will screen applicants in private and send three finalists to the selectmen.

In Rockport, school leaders told the School Committee on Wednesday that the district missed several of the state's yearly improvement targets. Neither the elementary school nor the middle and high school needs state intervention. Both are making what the state calls moderate progress. An administrator said the district is not excited about where that progress stands. The School Committee responded by making student achievement the center of its own goal for the year.

Across Cape Ann, school districts are spending hundreds of dollars per student to serve free meals. According to state reports, Rockport spent 902 dollars per student on food service in fiscal 2025. Gloucester spent 598 dollars, and Manchester Essex spent 528 dollars. Gloucester and Rockport run their own kitchens, while Manchester Essex contracts its food service to a private company. State reviews of Gloucester and Rockport in 2024 and 2025 praised the programs but found areas needing correction.

Riding a regular Cape Ann Transportation Authority bus costs nothing right now. The agency extended free rides on all its year round routes in Gloucester and Rockport through the end of the year. Dial a Ride and paratransit will stay free through 2027. The app based On Demand service still costs 2 dollars a ride. There will be no regular bus service on Monday, October 12, for Columbus Day.

In Rockport, the town's water supply is 9 percentage points lower than it was this time last year. The Ad Hoc Water Committee met on Wednesday to discuss the latest reservoir levels. Members spent most of an hour discussing how to reach residents who never look at the town website to share information about saving water.

Today's public meetings include the Saunders House Stewardship Committee in Gloucester at 10:30 a.m., and a Manchester Essex school building communications working group at 11:30 a.m.

Looking for something to do. The Captain Elias Davis House Tour is today from 2 to 2:30 p.m. at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester. Tomorrow, the Essex Arts and Culture Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.

In high school sports, tonight's football features Salem at Gloucester at 7 p.m., and Manchester Essex at Hamilton Wenham at 6 p.m. In yesterday's finals, Gloucester volleyball swept Saugus 3 to 0. In boys soccer, Manchester Essex shut out Amesbury 4 to 0, and Ipswich beat Rockport 3 to 1. In girls soccer, Amesbury defeated Manchester Essex 2 to 1, and Ipswich edged Rockport 1 to 0.

The National Weather Service expects a sunny and breezy Friday with a high near 66 and wind gusts up to 28 miles per hour, and a sunny and cooler Saturday with a high near 61. Forecasters say rain showers are likely Sunday night into Monday, October 12. NOAA predicts high tides in Gloucester Harbor will be near 10 feet late morning today, Saturday and Sunday.

We also remember Constance M. Condon, 93, of Gloucester, and Timothy J. Evans, 80, of Rockport.

That's the Daily Current for Friday. Every story, with its sources, is at capeanncurrent dot com, along with short editions for each town. I'm Kerry Jane, the Cape Ann Current's newsreader. Every story comes from public records and is listed with its sources on our website. Catch the Daily Current again tomorrow. Keeping Cape Ann current.

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