SALEM — The City Council agreed last night to track and monitor Salem's many road races through creation of a master calendar.
Salem's volume of road races, and the fact that many of them run through the same sections of the city, had come under scrutiny by the council this winter.
Last year, 9,000 runners participated in 18 different road races through the city of Salem. That total has doubled in the last three years.
With a unanimous vote, councilors agreed last night to have Doug Bollen — director of parks, recreation and community services — and police Lt. Robert Precszewski look over each road race and compare it to a master calendar of all city events, including cultural events and festivals, before sending it to the council for final approval.
The process was suggested and approved at a meeting of the committee on public health, safety and the environment Tuesday night.
Bollen has already developed a road race application form, Councilor Robert McCarthy said.
Councilor Kevin Carr Jr. called the process "an example of good government."
The council did not limit the number of road races, Carr said, but "worked together and came up with the frameworks of a good process."
"We might even be able to accommodate more events as a result of this," Councilor Josh Turiel said.
The council also OK'd two races last night that had been put on hold while the board hashed out the issue of race volume and scheduling. Approved were an April 22 road race organized by Tavern on the Square and a July 13 evening run organized by the Wicked Running Club.
Later in the meeting, however, the council delayed voting on a list of several races planned for the late summer and fall that hadn't yet been checked by Bollen. The board sent the list of races to the committee on public health, safety and the environment for further questioning.
Governing by iPad?
Councilor Jerry Ryan suggested last night the board look into using tablet computers during meetings, allowing agendas and other paperwork to be kept as digital files.
The council did not discuss the idea, but voted the issue to the committee on administration and finance.
Several Salem councilors already use their own personal tablet computers during meetings.
The Board of Selectmen in the town of Ipswich has already adopted the use of iPads. The town issues a tablet to each selectman, which is loaded with the agenda and supporting documents before each meeting, eliminating the need for thick packets of paperwork.
Staff writer Bethany Bray can be reached at bbray@salemnews.com and on Twitter @SalemNewsBB.
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