Landfill Cap, New Transfer Station Approved

Questions 2 and 3 were approved by local residents in Tuesday's Special Town Election, meaning that the town's landfill will be capped and a new transfer station will be built.

The current 60-year-old landfill must be constantly monitored and reports on its contamination provided to the state Department of Environmental Protection under an agreement between the town and the state regarding the landfill.

The town, working with DEP, asked permission to cap the landfill and build a new transfer station as part of its agreement with the state regarding the old, leaky landfill. This item was defeated last year, which sent the Board of Health back to the drawing board.

The board appointed a special subcommittee to reduce the costs of the proposed station and capping project.

The question's passage approved the spending of $18 million to cap the landfill and replace the 54-year-old trash transfer station. It would include funds to buy or remediate several pieces of private property on Stonybrook Road that have been contaminated by the landfill.

The project will add $128.33 to the property taxes of a median-priced home in Marblehead.

Proponents said the landfill had to be capped or the state Department of Environmental Protection may start to levy heavy fines against the town. The fines could be $600,000 the first year and $720,000 a year after that.

This year's proposal was about $7 million less than the $22 million project that was approved by the Finance Committee and Town Meeting last year.

How local residents voted, Question 2, precinct-by-precinct:

How local residents voted, Question 3, precinct-by-precint: