Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 16, 2026 MPL | FROM PAGE 4 https://maldenpubliclibrary.org. MPL is a private, nonprofit corporation, established with a trust fund from Elisha and Mary Diana Converse in 1885. The Trust funds the building’s maintenance, renovations, artwork and books, with help from generous donations from individuals, families and private foundations. The Board of Trustees — nine Malden residents — oversee the trust. LEGAL NOTICE Invitation to Bid City of Malden Devir Park Phase II Notice to Bidders The City of Malden invites the submission of sealed bids for the Devir Park Phase II project construction. The project area consists of the existing soccer and softball fields on the west side of Devir Park at Fellsway West and Malden Street and the areas immediately surrounding the fields. The scope of work includes demolishing the existing softball backstop and associated concrete wall, pavements, infield mix, players benches, demolishing the soccer field and irrigation system and installing the new soccer and softball fields with related backstop, benches, bleachers (one existing to be reset and one new), foul poles, walkways and associated earthwork, drainage and irrigation improvements as depicted on the project plans. Part of the park shall remain open to the public during construction. BID OPENING will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 1:00 pm at the Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development (OSPCD), City Hall, 215 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor, Malden, MA 02148. A Bid Summary will be made available to all Bidders, and other persons properly interested, within twenty-four (24) hours of the Bid Opening. Plans, specifications and all bid documents may be obtained electronically (only) from the City of Malden beginning Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 10:00am. Requests for electronic bid documents may be made to Jane Ventrone at jventrone@cityofmalden.org or (781) 324-5720 x 5728. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 11:00am onsite at Devir Park near the softball field at the corner of Malden Street and Fellway West (Route 28). All sealed bids must be hardcopy (only) and delivered to the Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development (OSPCD) prior to the BID OPENING, as stated above. Bids shall be delivered to OSPCD at Malden City Hall during these hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday between the hours of 8:00am - 5:00pm, and Tuesday between 8am - 7pm. The office is closed on Fridays. The bidder assumes the risk of any delay due to mail or other delivery. Bids received after the official BID OPENING will be returned unopened. The City of Malden reserves the right to waive any informalities in Bids, to reject any or all Bids, or to accept any Bid that in their judgment will be in the best interest of the City. January 16, 2026 ~ Home of the Week ~ REVERE - Wonderful one-floor living in this one-owner Ranch style home. 6 rooms, 2-3 bedrooms, spacious living room open to dining room - perfect for entertaining, hardwood flooring, eat-in kitchen with new laminate flooring, freshly painted interior, freshly painted deck for summer enjoyment, easy-to-care-for yard with storage shed, maintenance-free vinyl siding, one car garage under, gas line in from street on side of the house (not to the house) for future use, side street location in desirable neighborhood! Come make this sought-after Ranch your very own! “Welcome home to 40 Rand Street.” Offered at $675,000 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com They are not paid for their work. Compared to other Massachusetts libraries, MPL costs taxpayers less while providing the same essential services. (Courtesy photos) Sen. Lewis announces Virtual Office Hours for January S LEGAL NOTICE tate Senator Jason Lewis will be holding Virtual Office Hours on Tuesday, January 20, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. This will replace the regularly scheduled Virtual Office Hours on February 19, due to the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Any constituent of Senator Lewis is welcome to attend Office Hours, with no appointment necessary, to discuss any personal issue or legislative feedback with the Senator and his staff. Virtual Office Hours are held on Zoom. Each constituent meets privately with the Senator during the Zoom session. To join the meeting, please visit SenatorJasonLewis.com, use the following link address or enter the meeting information on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom. us/j/83854164671?pwd=eWZWQWU0VkZjcE9XSXl5Rk1BRVd5Zz09 Meeting ID: 838 5416 4671 Passcode: 234270 Senator Lewis also holds regular in-person Office Hours in each community of the district (Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield and Winchester). For further information or any questions, visit SenatorJasonLewis.com or contact his State House office at 617-722-1206 or Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov. ~ Letter-to-the-Editor ~ A Statement from a Concerned Malden Taxpayer Dear Editor, As residents and taxpayer of the City of Malden, we are deeply concerned by recent calls from City Hall to pursue a Proposition 2½ tax override as the solution to the City’s current budget challenges. According to Mayor Gary Christenson, Malden is facing a financial shortfall severe enough to justify raising property taxes. Before taxpayers are asked to pay more, we believe the City has a fundamental obligation to demonstrate that it has fully and responsibly managed the dollars it already collects. Budget shortfalls do not appear overnight. They are the result of long-term decisions—some of which involve avoidable costs, delayed reforms, and missed opportunities to control spending. One clear example is the City’s employee health insurance expenditures. For years, Malden had the option to transition to more cost-effective health plans, as many surrounding municipalities did. Those changes were not made, and taxpayers are now being asked to absorb the consequences of those decisions. We also believe it is reasonable—and necessary—to scrutinize spending across all departments, including the school system and municipal administration. Residents deserve transparent answers to basic questions: • Where has spending increased most rapidly? • Which programs lack measurable outcomes or oversight? • What contracts, benefits, or administrative costs could be renegotiated or restructured? To date, taxpayers have not been presented with a comprehensive, independent analysis that identifies wasteful spending, inefficiencies, or structural cost drivers. Instead, we are being told that higher taxes are unavoidable. We strongly disagree with that approach. Before placing a Proposition 2½ override before voters, the City should commission a high-level, third-party financial audit conducted by an independent accounting firm with no political or financial ties to Malden. Such a review should focus on identifying cost-saving opportunities, longterm liabilities, and spending reforms that could reduce or eliminate the need for a tax increase. This is not about opposing essential services or public education. It is about respecting taxpayers—many of whom are already struggling with rising housing costs, inflation, healthcare expenses, and utility bills. LETTER | SEE PAGE 9
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