Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 17, 2023 ~ Letter-to-the-Editor ~ Malden resident not in favor of proposes Vocational School site Dear Editor, he Wakefi eld Metro Regional Vocational School and Building Committee is proposT ing a site of a new area vocational school that will endanger day and evening students. Although the football fi eld near the current school building is of adequate size for the new school (Minuteman Tech has built a new vocational school on its football fi eld), the school and building committee has designed a plan to not only destroy the hilltop forest across the road from the current VOKE but will endanger day and evening students. Besides the fact that this plan www.eight10barandgrille.com OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER AT 4 PM. CATCH THE CELTICS, BRUINS & NCAA SPORTS ON OUR 6 LARGE SCREEN TV'S! om is environmentally-unsound and has previously been rejected, the committee is trying again. The destruction to the environment is obvious. The blasting of the hilltop into half its size will kill native animals, create hardship for migratory birds, require the cutting of more than 2000+ trees, destroy Native American artifacts, and create a 70-foot sheer cliff from which rocks will fall. All of that is unnecessary if Wakefi eld takes the money that citizens in the other 11 feeder cities and towns have promised and builds a new VOKE where the feeder cities/towns anticipated. In addition to the environmental destruction, the committee has not adequately addressed the safety of the students. The students from all 12 feeder cities/towns will be required to climb northerly-facing 100 stairs or walk a 700+ foot ramp to reach the school. During the winds, rains, and snowfalls in the fall, winter and spring, the stairs and the ramp will become hazardous. Both stairs and ramp can become very slippery and treacherous. Any temporary or permanently-disabled day or evening students will have difficulty. Under this current 2-dimensionlal plan, neither day nor evening students seem to be well-considered. Likewise, exiting the school building will be a problem especially during emergencies – much more diffi cult than exiting a school building built on the football field level. An evacuation plan in case of emergency needs careful planning. Is there one? For these and other reasons, more than 5,000 citizens from the feeder cities/towns, and even those from other areas who love to walk and jog in the Breakheart Reservation, have signed a petition (nemtforest. org) in opposition to the use of this site for building the Wakefield VOKE. No one opposes building a new VOKE. The objection is not to build the VOKE on the hilltop. Respectfully submitted, Joy Pearson Malden resident WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 Sen. Lewis supports effort to increase public participation in state legislative process S tate Senator Jason Lewis joined his colleagues in the Honor and Respect. We’ll be closed Monday, February 20th in observance of the holiday. You can access your accounts using our ATMs and Online & Mobile Banking. Thank you! Massachusetts Senate in voting for a rules package on Thursday, February 9 that will require all legislative public hearings to be conducted in a hybrid manner, which means that members of the public can participate either in person at the State House or remotely. The rules package governs the operations of the state legislature for the duration of the new legislative session (2023-24). Prior to the pandemic, almost all public hearings held by the state legislature – where members of the public can provide testimony in support or opposition to proposed legislation – took place at the State House in Boston and required in-person attendance. During the pandemic, public hearings were held online, and members of the public were able to testify remotely. Hybrid public hearings off er the fl exibility and convenience for public participation in the legislative process to be either in person or remote. This maximizes the opportunity for all members of the public to participate in state government, making the process more Jason Lewis State Senator inclusive and encouraging civic engagement. “I strongly support all measures that increase transparency and public participation in our government,” said Senator Lewis. “This builds greater trust in our public institutions, improves the lawmaking process, and ultimately strengthens our democracy.” The Massachusetts House of Representatives has also voted to require legislative public hearings to be conducted in a hybrid format during this legislative session.
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