THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, January 3, 2020 Page 13 A NEW MILESTONE IN SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT: Decorated with an American flag and a fir tree, the final piece of steel is hoisted to the top of the future Saugus Middle-High School during last April’s “Topping Off” ceremony. YEAR IN REVIEW | from page 12 standing” and high bond rating. A split MCAS report card for Saugus – excellent: Lynnhurst Elementary School on “School of Recognition” list; poor: Saugus High and Belmonte Middle School “requiring assistance or intervention.” Saugus Cable TV gets help to build a studio in the Saugus Historical Society building and money for new equipment after overwhelming support on funding articles at a Special Town Meeting. Sean Moynihan and Michael Richards receive sergeant promotions at the Saugus Police Department. Town Meeting Member Steven DiVirgilio chides the Saugus TV board for not filing timely reports. The state Attorney General rejects an article setting procedures for nonbinding resolutions. The Town Charter keeps Michael A. Coller from running for two “major” town offices concurrently, the town clerk advises; Coller picks the Board of Selectmen over the School Committee as the office he will seek. The Saugus Police Department earns state reaccreditation. October Vietnam War veteran Gordon Shepard receives a national award for restoration of the G.A.R. Burial Plot at Riverside Cemetery; Shepard receives the 2019 Founder’s Award from Edward J. Norris, Commanderin-Chief of the National Organization of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. A Saugus firefighter is thankful smoke detectors were working when the fire broke out in the basement of his home. Another wrong-way driver crash on Route 1; two receive serious injuries in a head-on collision. The Highland Avenue sidewalk/paving project is completed. State Representative RoseLee Vincent says the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) misled her about the preliminary Emission Control Plan for Wheelabrator Technologies. Saugus and Revere residents express concerns about Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc. being allowed to use emission credits to meet proposed pollution standards. Wheelabrator-related issues draw attention during SAVE’s Candidates Night. The state Attorney General’s Office rules that the temporary two-year moratorium on multifamily homes of three units or more – which was approved by a Special Town Meeting in April – is proper. A Saugus man pleads guilty to a scam that enabled his Malden-based cleaning company to evade $74,000 in workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree presents the Board of Selectmen with a Capital Improvement Plan during their final 2019 meeting together. The Saugus Garden Club observes its 75th anniversary. Saugus environmental leaders are honored with a Clean Water Action Award. November Candidates seeking 62 positions – including Selectmen and School Committee seats – gear up for Election Day. A town-wide ED streetlight conversion is underway, could save town close to $600,000 a year, according to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. The town government says new, brightlycolored crosswalks will reduce maintenance and improve safety. The town government reports that 60 percent of the work has been completed on the new Saugus Middle-High School project. Payback at the polls: Voters avenge the School Committee’s decision to replace school custodians: 100 percent of the School Committee incumbents are voted out, half of the selectmen incumbents are defeated and 20 percent of Town Meeting members ousted. Former custodian Bill Moore celebrates as victorious Town Meeting Member. New Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony W. Cogliano Sr. says he would have saved custodians’ jobs. Corinne Riley finishes second in Selectmen’s race to gain support as the next vice chair. Thomas R. Whittredge tops the field of 10 School Committee candidates to become the committee’s next chair. Ryan P. Fisher gets the vice chair assignment after finishing as runner-up in the voting for School Committee. New School Committee Chair Whittredge says he would have opposed replacement of school custodians and will bring them back if possible. Work begins on the TownWide Master Plan. Saugus celebrates at the Evans Park grand opening. The town government installs Solar Radar Speed Signs. A car driven by a Melrose woman crashes through the front window of Giovanni’s Roast Beef & Pizza. New Board of Selectmen Chair Cogliano calls on fellow selectmen and Town Manager Crabtree to “get the ball rolling” on building a west side fire station. One-vote margin loser Andrew James Whitcomb says he won’t seek a recount in the Precinct 4 Town Meeting race. A group of Saugus citizens are calling for the Saugus Department of Public Works Building to be named after the late, long-time DPW Director Joseph Attubato, who worked more than 50 years for the town and passed away earlier in the year. Town Meeting members Michael J. Serino and Ryan P. Fisher resign their seats after getting elected to the Board of Selectmen and School Committee, respectively. Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree tells selectmen he will consider hiring a company to help find a permanent replacement for former Saugus Police Chief Domenic DiMella. Young readers at the Saugus Public Library get to spend part of a Saturday with New England Patriots Star Julian Edelman during a book reading in Boston. The First Congregational Church-UCC Saugus makes plans to “unveil” the restored pipe organ at a Thanksgiving concert; the organ was damaged in a Dec. 8, 2017, two-alarm blaze. Despite spending millions YEAR IN REVIEW| SEE PAGE 16
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