Daily Current, Wednesday, October 21

Daily Current · Wednesday, October 21 · 4:17

Cape Ann's most dangerous roads, and Manchester delays its school borrowing vote

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Transcript

Good morning. It's Wednesday, October 21. This is the Daily Current, free public information for Cape Ann from the Cape Ann Current. I'm Kerry Jane. Today we look at Cape Ann's most dangerous roads, a delay on Manchester's school borrowing vote, and Rockport's plans to empty Town Hall.

In Gloucester, Washington Street had more crashes than any other road on Cape Ann over the past four years. State records show 266 crashes there since January 2023. Grant Circle had 22 crashes, the most of any intersection in the four towns. In Rockport, Main Street had the most crashes with 51. John Wise Avenue and Eastern Avenue led Essex with 32 each. Most crashes in Manchester by the Sea happened on Route 128.

In Manchester by the Sea, the Select Board voted Monday to approve the warrant for the November 16 special town meeting. The board recommended seven articles, but held off on the 95 million dollar borrowing for the new Essex Elementary School. Vice Chair Catherine Bilotta said she cannot support the article as written because it lacks a firm dollar limit for the town. The state is expected to pay back about 20 million to 21 million dollars, leaving Manchester to pay about 50 million.

In Rockport, Town Hall will empty out early next year for renovations. Town Administrator Mitchell Vieira told the Finance Committee on Monday that final design plans are expected this week. Offices will move in January or February 2027. Departments the public visits will go to the annex, where two service windows are being built. The rest will move to the old police station across the street. Vieira said construction should take nine months to a year.

In Gloucester, underground tanks built to catch stormwater at a new housing development on Maplewood Avenue were set about 4 feet higher than the plans called for. The Zoning Board of Appeals heard on Thursday, October 8, that the mistake was not caught until the parking lot and buildings were done. The developer wants to add a pump to push water into the tanks during large storms. The board voted 5 to 0 to require a full public hearing on Thursday, October 29.

Also in Gloucester, a proposed shopping cart ordinance is going back for a rewrite. The City Council Ordinances and Administration Committee said Monday it wants small stores exempted and a penalty for people caught with a cart before it will vote. The original proposal would fine stores for carts found off their property. Committee members said they worry about penalizing a business for its own stolen property. The sponsor will return in about two weeks.

Several boards meet today. In Gloucester, the Conservation Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. The Rockport School Committee and the Essex Planning Board both meet at 7 p.m. In Manchester by the Sea, the Facility Planning Committee meets at 7 p.m., along with several other boards across Cape Ann.

In events today, Plum Cove School in Gloucester hosts a book fair all day. Early voting is open in Manchester by the Sea from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Friday, the Cape Ann Museum offers a free tour of the Captain Elias Davis House from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

In high school sports, the Gloucester field hockey team beat Swampscott 6 to 1 on Tuesday. In boys soccer, Rockport beat Amesbury 2 to 1, and Manchester Essex won 4 to 1 at Georgetown. The Manchester Essex girls soccer team tied Georgetown 2 to 2. In a football score posted Tuesday from Friday, October 16, Triton beat Manchester Essex 48 to 8.

The National Weather Service expects a cloudy and breezy Wednesday with a high near 52 and a northeast wind of 16 to 20 miles per hour, and a partly sunny Thursday with a high near 58. A small craft advisory is in effect for the bays until 5 p.m. Thursday, followed by a gale watch through Friday afternoon. Today's high tides in Gloucester Harbor are at 8:09 a.m. and 8:24 p.m.

One more thing, just for fun. The first Current Poll is open. Which Dunkin' on Cape Ann is your favorite? There are seven stores to choose from, in Gloucester, Essex and Manchester by the Sea. Vote at capeanncurrent dot com slash poll, and see the results right away. Voting ends Sunday night. It's a just for fun poll, not a scientific one.

That's the Daily Current for Wednesday. Everything you heard, with its sources, is at capeanncurrent dot com, along with short editions for each town. I'm Kerry Jane, the Cape Ann Current's host. Everything we share is free public information from public records and government data, and every source is listed on our website. Catch the Daily Current again tomorrow. Keeping Cape Ann current.

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