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The Marblehead Board of Health on Wednesday endorsed a new addiction and recovery program, approved construction change orders at the transfer station and voted to allow out-of-town municipal employees to purchase transfer station stickers.
Board chair Thomas Massaro told members the police chief had introduced the series the previous week, with health director Andrew Petty’s name on the promotional flyer. Massaro said the board would normally have reviewed the program in advance but missed it due to a snow day cancellation.
Massaro attended the first session and said 26 people participated along with two facilitators — Michelle Simons, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and certified addictions counselor, and Gina Rabbitt, a mental health professional and certified addictions specialist. The two facilitate the series through the Swampscott and Marblehead health department.
“What both Michelle and Gina showed is that they cared an awful lot about people who were going through it,” Massaro said, adding that the facilitators repeatedly emphasized their commitment to confidentiality.
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At least half of the participants were addiction assistance professionals, Massaro said. Those who spoke from the audience were struggling with how to encourage loved ones to seek treatment.
The series will consist of six Zoom sessions held every other Tuesday, with five remaining. Board member Tom McMahon said the program aligned with the board’s mission.
“We have committed as a board to bring as much science into the conversation about public health and prevention in the town, and this is a great step,” McMahon said.
Underage drinking enforcement
McMahon pressed for stronger enforcement against underage drinking, citing regular occurrences at specific households and a December party where a release form was distributed.
“If we’re going to say parental engagement, you got to actually do it,” McMahon said, referencing a statement from the police chief.
Massaro urged diplomacy, noting he had a meeting with the town administrator the following Monday. “You’ve taken a lot of heat,” Massaro told McMahon. “That doesn’t make you wrong.”
McMahon said community response to his advocacy had been positive. “My kids are going to google my name one day, and I want them to see that I took the right side of this,” he said.
The board discussed reviving the Marblehead Cares website as a resource navigation tool. Petty said staff planned to rebuild the site, which had been hacked. McMahon said he believed residents affected by addiction-related tragedies would share written stories online, since an earlier speaker series stalled because participants were afraid of public speaking.
Transfer station updates
The board unanimously approved three construction change orders: $19,349 for a galvanized steel loading dock plate; $730 for Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant strobes in the scale house; and a $390 credit for replacing a gutter with fascia.
Petty reported that a structural engineer was assessing concrete beginning to fail beneath two front corners of the scale pit.
The board also voted unanimously to allow town employees living outside Marblehead to purchase one primary sticker at full price. Commercial trash operations were set to reopen the next day before closing again for site work, and the construction trailer was scheduled for removal on Feb. 18.
Trash contract and budget concerns
Petty said he had received multiple bids for the new curbside trash and recycling contract. The cost increase in budget discussions was $844,000 over the previous year — below his earlier estimate of more than $1 million.
The new contract would bring automated collection with 65-gallon barrels assigned to each household via QR codes. Petty expressed concern about the town budget, noting the shortfall had grown from $6.8 million to $8.5 million.
“We’ve been talking about this for 10 years,” Petty said. “You can’t now say, well, this is an unforeseen cost.”
Public health updates
Board member Amanda Ritvo reported influenza test positivity had risen slightly to about 18%, up from 16% or 17% the prior meeting but down from the 30s earlier in the season. She said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 20 million influenza illnesses and 11,000 deaths nationwide, and noted 52 pediatric influenza deaths this season, with 90% in unvaccinated children. The denominator for that figure was not specified.
On COVID-19, Ritvo cited a Journal of the American Medical Association study finding last season’s vaccine was 80% effective against death. She noted the current vaccine appears to reach full effectiveness in about four weeks rather than two.
Ritvo reported 588 confirmed measles cases nationwide in 2026, with 94% linked to domestic outbreaks. Last year’s total of 2,267 was the highest since measles was eliminated in the U.S., with 93% in unvaccinated individuals. Massachusetts had not reported any cases.
Petty said a 15-community North Shore coalition was preparing for summer events including FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, the America 250 celebration and the Tall Ships.
The board scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 23.
