Reverse 911 Coming to Town

Soon, you can expect to receive a phone call at home or on your cell phone if there is an emergency in the neighborhood.

The town is preparing to install a Reverse 911 system for town departments including public health, police, fire and municipal lighting, to notify residents in the event of emergencies and how to react to it, Director of Public Health Wayne Attridge told the Board of Health last night.

The system, which Attridge said may be ready in Marblehead within weeks, would provide an automated warning to local residents of potential hazards and other emergencies. A similar system was used in Boston's water emergency this year to alert residents to boil their drinking water.

The system will not be used to make routine announcements, he said.

The cost of the system will be about $10,000 to $15,000, much less than it cost to install the 911 system because this system is Internet based, he said.

Marblehead has not installed the system before, as other towns have, because "we were being frugal," he said.

The departments most likely to use the system are public health, public safety and municipal light, Attridge said. All of the departments are working together to select a vendor and design the system for Marblehead, he said.

The system combines mapping and database technologies to alert residents in targeted geographic areas. The system, when activated, will call a database of telephone numbers, both land lines and cell phones, and computers.  There are about five ways it will send alerts, Attridge said. 

The system also can notify specific people, such as off-duty personnel and neighborhood watch members, mobilizing them for emergency response.

Walk to school

In other business, Health Board member Michelle Gottlieb reported that planning is underway for a program that encourages school students to walk or ride bikes to school. She heads a subcommittee of the board that is working on a possible fair this fall at the community center. The working title for the program is "I Walk, I Rock," she said.

Carl King, a local attorney and cycling enthusiast, said he and other experienced cyclists would volunteer to provide instruction for students about cycling safety.

He noted that several large cities, including Boston and Washington, D.C., have extensive dedicated bike lanes on major streets. "If Boston and Washington can have dedicated bike lanes, Marblehead can," he said.

Landfill committee

Attridge also announced that about 11 people have applied to be on a special committee to study options for the future of the landfill.

He proposed to the board that the committee have five to nine members, including one member of the health board. In addition, Attridge and Becky Curran, the town planner, would serve on the committee as ex-officio members.

The committee will consider "less costly" options to capping the landfill since the proposal to spend $22 million for the cap and a new transfer station was rejected by the Marblehead voters in a special election in June.

Residents who have applied by letter include Brian Hitchcock, Elizabeth Genovese, Matthew Herring, Jean Oliphant, Patrick der Voorn, Barry Zeff, Alfred Doherty and Alec Melnick. In addition there are three others who have emailed him about their interest in serving on the committee.

Attridge said most of the applicants were well known in the community.

The board will accept applications through Aug. 27, and meet on Aug. 31, to appoint the special committee.

West Nile Virus

Attridge told the board there has been no West Nile Virus detected in mosquitoes so far this summer. But he said the health department is monitoring mosquito traps and is preparing for contingencies if any of the disease is found. Of concern in coming weeks, he said, could be the evening high school sports practices.