Should the Old Town House Be Renovated?

A proposed project aimed at making Marblehead's universally accessible, in last year's , will be revisited at Town Meeting next month.

The $667,000 project, which calls for the installation of a three-story elevator and two handicapped bathrooms, was the only question voted down in last year's election. It was defeated 3,567 to 2,530.

The Old Town House dates back to before the American Revolution and is not currently handicapped accessible, meaning it cannot be used for public meetings or as a polling location, as it had been for more than two centuries.

At last year's Town Meeting, residents were shown a brief PowerPoint presentation detailing plans to make the building accessible to all residents and those in attendance voted in favor of appropriating $667,793 for it by an overwhelming margin of 571 to 45. 

At the meeting, proponents for the accessibility project argued that the cost to each Marblehead household would only be about $64 to fund the project and some shared stories of occasions when disabled town residents and visitors couldn't tour the building because they simply couldn't get up the stairs.

Those speaking out against the renovations argued that the project was unnecessary and questioned whether or not the 285-year-old building is strong enough to support a modern elevator system.

2011 Special Town Election results, Question 1, precinct-by-precinct:

Where do you stand on this issue? Let us know by sharing your opinion in our comments section and by voting in the poll below.