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Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – WEDnEsDAy, July 3, 2024 Council on Aging Announces Day Trip to Sunapee, New Hampshire Enjoy a luncheon cruise on lake sunapee and a stop at a farm stand E VERETT, MA – Mayor Carlo DeMaria is pleased to announce the City of Everett Council on Aging (COA) has partnered with Royal Tours to offer a day trip to Sunapee, New Hampshire. Travel to the scenic area of Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire for a luncheon cruise ACTION | FROM PAGE 1 erence to libraries in schools used as classroom space. “Our aboard the Sunapee Lake Cruises. Come aboard, relax, enjoy the pristine scenery, and settle into your deck chair and listen as the captain narrates the history, lore, and points of interest of this beautiful mountain lake. The MV Kearsarge and MV Sunapee II have been sailing the schools are overcrowded,” he said. “Education is difficult when space can’t accommodate students. waters of Lake Sunapee for over 30 years. These boats offer indoor and outdoor seating as well as room for your delectable buffet luncheon. Enjoy such items as Salad Bar, Stuffed Boneless Chicken Breast, Cheese Lasagna with Vegetable, Scalloped Potatoes, Fresh Rolls and Butter Mid-grade Regular $3.87 3.29 73 64 Over 45 Years of Excellence! Full Service $2.99 Order online at angelosoil.com “Members of the City Council and School Committee expressed concern about what to do about it. The question is what can I do about it? My plan is simple. I need space, but I can’t buy or rent a building. For years Everett had a Junior High School at the Parlin School and I would like to return to that model and house the 7th and 8th grade in the same building and focus on the best practices we can provide them. The building suits my needs best and is centrally located,” a reference to providing 40,000 more square feet of space than at the unused Pope John XXIII High School at 888 Broadway. He also said that using the old High School would free up space at the neighborhood schools and eliminate the need to use hallways, stairwells and converted closets for specialized learning. Ward 4 Councillor Holly GarEastern Bank Building on Rte. 1S 605 Broadway, #301 * Saugus (781) 233-6844 www.bostonnorthdental.com cia feels Pope John as well as the old High School, could be used, given building a new High School and converting the current one into a Junior High or Middle School could take years and cost hundreds of millions, if it happens at all. She conceded, “Pope John is in a bit of shambles as well. It needs work, but we need a quick solution.” “The Mayor has been conDr. Priti Amlani Dr. Bhavisha Patel * Restorative Dentistry * Cosmetic Dentistry * Implant Restoration * Zoom Whitening * Teeth in a Day - All on 6 * Invisalign * CEREC Crowns (Single Visit Crowns) * Root Canal Treatment * Sedation Dentistry ~ Full Mouth Rehabilitation ~ Before After sistent in his opinion Pope John should be used for housing,” Deveney reacted. “The reason he doesn’t support Pope John as a school is because it doesn’t provide as much space.” “If it’s going to be housing, when?” Garcia asked. “Previous Councils did not take action on Pope John for that purpose,” Deveney anCoffee and Soft Drinks, and Dessert of the Day. Once your cruise is over, you will stop at a local Farm Stand to take advantage of the fresh vegetables and other homemade goodies. The trip includes transportation, boat ride, buffet, dining room taxes and gratuities, and the swered. “That’s why it’s still sitting there.” “I’m in favor of using both the old High School and Pope John for education,” Rogers feels. “This Council has a responsibility to figure out a use for Pope John, be it for education or housing.” In discussion, Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith expressed concern about the building being occupied by preschool students and older students and current occupants like the Eliot Family Resource Center and a boxing club simultaneously. Hart told her that plans are being considered to move the other functions, and students of various ages are kept separate at the neighborhood schools, with dedicated spaces and varying class times. “I support your vision, but I don’t like the way the administration is presenting this,” Martins told Hart. Van Campen initially suggested the matter be referred to the Ways and Means Subcommittee, but Smith, who chairs it, said it would probably not be approved at that level. “We need to see a full plan,” she said before the vote to postpone. In the subsequent discussion about appropriating $2 million for a Feasibility Study for a new High School and at the Ways and Means Subcommittee meeting before the full Council convened, Hart and Demas said a Feasibility Study is required by the state School Building Authority (MSBA) as a step to determine if and where a new High School might be built. “There are a number of steps before we break ground,” Hart said. “A study will help farmstand. Participants will depart from the Connolly Center (90 Chelsea Street) at 9:15 a.m. and return home at approximately 4 p.m. To reserve a spot or for more information, please call 617-394-2270 to be connected to the Connolly Center and speak to Cathi. determine the location and what the building will look like based on demographics and academic needs. In order to move forward we need that information. Two million sounds like a lot, but it will give us real information to help make decisions moving forward. If the City doesn’t demonstrate interest, it could derail the whole process. The MSBA will think you’re not committed to the project.” Demas added that the MSBA will cover 77% of the cost, although the City will have to appropriate the money and apply for reimbursement. Alcy Jabouin is worried the money will be spent and wasted if a new High School isn’t built. “I don’t want this to be a report of a study that just sits there and nothing happens,” she said. “You can’t move forward without following MSBA guidelines, but the study will not be used if a new High School isn’t built,” Demas told her. In general discussion, Hart confirmed comments by Ward 6 Councillor Peter Pietrantonio and others – plans to use the old High School for seventh- and eighth-graders will have no eff ect on the overcrowded High School, and the two are separate issues, at least for the time being. A new High School would allow the City to convert the current one into a Middle School and relieve overcrowding across the board. “This is something we need,” DiPierro said. “Even if we use the old High School or Pope John, it doesn’t solve the problem at the High School.” LIKE US ON FACEBOOK ADVOCATE NEWSPAPER FACEBOOK.COM/ADVOCATE.NEWS.MA

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