Daily Current, Thursday, October 22

Daily Current · Thursday, October 22 · 4:02

Essex sets school vote dates and Gloucester tallies sign costs

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Transcript

Good morning. It's Thursday, October 22. This is the Daily Current, free public information for Cape Ann from the Cape Ann Current. I'm Kerry Jane. Today we look at the cost of the proposed Essex Elementary School, and Gloucester's spending on wayfinding signs.

In Essex, selectmen signed the fall town meeting warrant on Monday, October 19. The fall town meeting on Monday, November 16 includes a vote on the proposed 95.4 million dollar Essex Elementary School. Voters will also decide the issue at the ballot box on Thursday, December 10. The town administrator says the state share has increased slightly to about 21 million dollars. Depending on the payment plan, the peak cost would be between 95 cents and 1 dollar and 18 cents per 100,000 dollars of property value in Essex, and between 70 and 84 cents in Manchester by the Sea.

In Gloucester, the City Council approved 12,000 dollars from savings for new wayfinding signs on Tuesday, October 13. The city's Budget and Finance Committee backed the request on Thursday, October 8. During that committee meeting, a councilor noted the total cost for the signs has reached 169,410 dollars. The city auditor agreed with that figure. The money comes from federal pandemic relief, other federal grants, community development funds, and the tourism budget. The city's chief administrative officer told the committee the signs are up and people like them.

For all four Cape Ann towns, the regional committee negotiating a new cable agreement with Comcast met Wednesday. The committee reviewed a survey of 202 residents conducted by 1623 Studios. The studio says 89 of the respondents do not subscribe to Comcast, and more people watch local programs on YouTube than on cable. The committee did not pick a chair because the Essex member was absent. Residents can speak at the next public session once it is scheduled.

In Manchester by the Sea, the Zoning Board of Appeals will visit four properties this Saturday morning ahead of public hearings on Wednesday, October 28. The board will tour the sites starting at 9:30 a.m. The town says no deliberation will take place during the visits. The upcoming hearings include a request from Essex County Club for a special permit to add a restroom building on its golf course. The board will also hear requests for an accessory apartment on Proctor Street, a swimming pool on Skytop Drive, and a home expansion on Andrews Way.

Public boards meeting today include the Manchester by the Sea Board of Health at 8:30 a.m. The Gloucester Budget and Finance Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. The Essex Board of Health and the Manchester by the Sea Finance Committee both meet at 7 p.m., along with several other boards across Cape Ann.

On Friday, the Cape Ann Museum hosts a free tour of the Captain Elias Davis House in Gloucester from 2 to 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, the 41st Annual Essex ClamFest runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Shepard Memorial Park. Also on Saturday, Gloucester holds a free Drug Take Back Day at the Rose Baker Senior Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In high school sports on Wednesday, Gloucester volleyball beat Whittier 3 to 0. Manchester Essex field hockey won 2 to 0 at Essex Tech. Salem swept Gloucester in soccer, winning the boys game 2 to 1 and the girls game 4 to 0. Lynnfield beat Rockport field hockey 2 to 0. Four soccer games are on the schedule for today.

The National Weather Service expects a mostly cloudy and windy Thursday, with a high near 58. North winds on land could reach 15 to 22 miles per hour, with gusts up to 32 miles per hour. A gale warning is in effect for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay until 2 p.m. Friday. On the water, expect gusts up to 35 knots and seas up to 8 feet tonight. Friday looks sunny and cooler with a high near 52. Today's high tides in Gloucester Harbor are at 8:57 a.m. and 9:14 p.m.

That's the Daily Current for Thursday. 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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