THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2025 Page 9 hammering of the pilings to stabilize the bridge. “From all that pounding, a trophy fell off a shelf on the wall of the offi ce,” Horgan said. “Other things have fallen off the wall when they’re working. It’s just like an earthquake. There’s been days in here when it feels like there’s been an earthquake going on,” he said. But the biggest impact felt DO NOT ENTER OR OCCUPY: Here’s the yellow tag that a City of Lynn building inspector attached to the front door of Stoneham Boat Center. (Revere Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) outside during the boating season. “We’re not supposed to do any work in there,” he said. “Little by little, we are removing things we need. We’re spending time adjusting to the situation and it’s preventing us from getting work done when the weather is bad — rainy and cold windy days, when you want to be inside with the doors closed. If every day were sunny, it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said. The timing of the building being shut down indefi nitely hasn’t helped, according to Horgan. “April 1st is our kickoff date to get the boats ready to go, depending upon what Mother Nature has to say,” he said. “In 2015, we spent the whole month doing snow removal. It snowed the whole month of March. There was a lot of snow on the ground,” he said. All of Stoneham Boat’s equipment and tools are stored in the shop. Removing them when they are needed for work will take time. He foresees delays and disruptions. Projects will take longer to accomplish. “It’s coming at us from all angles. We’re just rolling with the punches on a daily basis,” Horgan said. “And we’re concerned about what the future is going to bring.” “Just when I think things can’t get any worse, they do. It would be nice to see a light at the end of the bridge,” he said. The current target date for completion of the bridge project is July of 2026, according to SPS New England. “We were told it was just going to be a three-year project as far as this part of the construction,” Horgan said. But the project has and will take much more time. MassDOT initially took a 19,000-square-foot, fi ve-year easement on the land near Stoneham Boat Center in 2018, then renewed the easement for another four years in 2023. “For six years now, there has been heavy construction with massive equipment right up against our building,” Attorney Flynn said. “MassDOT has the right to do this until at least 2027, which will be nine years,” he said. “We’re still in business” Area residents who use LynnSaugus Belden Bly Bridge will be glad to see the end of construction, as it will smooth out the traffi c fl ow on Route 107. Horgan said he can hardly wait, too, considering the adverse impact the project has had on his business. “I used to own the corner of 134 Ballard St. in Saugus that was taken from me — the Lobstermen’s Co-op Building. They took it in 2018,” Horgan recalled. The ongoing work involving cranes and other heavy equipment in front of Stoneham Boat Center has made his business less visible. “We lost our frontage. We don’t get any exposure from the traffi c that passes by because we’re hidden,” Horgan said. “The value of having our main thoroughfare in our front yard has been eliminated ever since they started this project. They took away our front yard and we’re blocked off from the traffi c,” he said. Being near the center of the bridge construction site has affected the everyday work environment for the marina, especially the sounds and vibrations coming from the TROUBLE ON THE WATERFRONT: This building at 1147 Western Ave. has been the key component of Stoneham Boat Center’s operations for nearly three decades. But its future is now in jeopardy and it’s the subject of a lawsuit that threatens to halt construction of the Lynn-Saugus Belden Bly Bridge construction project. (Revere Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) by the Stoneham Boat Center workforce of seven people has been the toll they’ve witnessed it take on the workshop building during the bridge construction project — right up until its shut down by a Lynn building inspector, according to Horgan, who said he doesn’t feel uncomfortable being in the building. “But I’m not a structural engineer either,” Horgan said. “I’m not happy the place is sinking down the way it is. The fl oor has been sloping the past six to eight years. At fi rst, it had a mild slope to it. Now, it’s dramatic,” he said. “It happened over the years, very subtle and very slow. We haven’t been able to close the door for two years. None of this happened suddenly.” Eileen, the bookkeeper at Stoneham Boat Center, wants to reassure the public that the business is doing its best to go on. “With everything going on, we want people to know we’re still in business,” Eileen said. “We’re still open and operating and functioning as best we can. People need to know that,” she said.
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