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Page 4 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023 City Council concerned over late opening date of Amazon’s Squire Road facility Informed giant distribution warehouse could lie vacant until 2026 By Barbara Taormina W ard 6 City Councillor Richard Serino this week asked for an update on a project that fellow councillors and many Revere residents would like some information about: the status of the Amazon facility on Squire Road. According to Serino, he was told by staff in the city’s economic development offi ce that Amazon is not in a position to announce when the facility will be put into service but that it will be before 2026. Serino added that he was told Revere could have confi dence that the Squire Road site was in the works and that other Amazon sites are shutting down. Also, Amazon owns the Squire Road site rather than leasing it, which demonstrates an additional level of commitment. For now, the company is attending to the maintenance and security needs of the site. “We have a giant warehouse Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 facility in the middle of Linden Square. I fi nd it unacceptable they are going to have it lie vacant until 2026,” said Serino, who added that the site is an eyesore in the neighborhood and it’s unacceptable that Amazon isn’t saying when they intend to open it. Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto, like Serino and other councillors, said he bought into the hype that Amazon was going to create jobs, register vehicles and generate tax revenue. “Now, we’re being told that maybe it will open before 2026. Are you kidding me? It’s insulting, it’s disgusting. We were snookered.” Ward 3 City Councillor Anthony Cogliandro noted that the Squire Road facility was listed as a revenue source for the new high school. “I hope it’s way before 2026,” he added. Councillors voted unanimously to request an update from the Mayor’s Offi ce. Councillors seek MBTA response to moving Satter House bus stop By Barbara Taormina L ate last year, Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino wrote a letter to the MBTA, on behalf of the full City Council, insisting that the bus stop for the 411 route at the Jack Satter House on Revere Beach Boulevard remain in place as the transit authority updated stops and schedules to make service more equitable for those who depend on public transportation. There was no response to the letter or acknowledgement that it was received. More recently, Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky, who has breakfast at the same place as many of the residents of Jack Satter House, heard about the change, which he thought was a misguided idea that had been dropped. He circulated a petition and gathered more than SAFETY | FROM Page 1 last year so we’re headed in the right direction. But we still have a long way to go,” said Kelly. Kelly also showed the committee a slide that detailed 76 incidents of students being suspended from school. There were 262 incidents that involved disciplinary responses for a range of behaviors. Committee members focused on 11 incidents involving illegal substances and 58 fi ghts. They did not respond to the 20 incidents of students having a weapon or fi rearm in school. Kelly instead pointed to the highest category that triggered discipline, which was non-drug, nonviolent and noncriminal behavior. She explained that category typically involved students not being in a class, or being insubordinate to a teacher or administrator. Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro said he is concerned about teachers, many of whom are leaving Revere 100 signatures of those opposed to the change, but change still seems to be coming. “Making people walk 1,500 feet down the street to a bus stop on the other side of a busy roadway – and walk, not even walk – many of these people are in wheelchairs or have walkers. It’s ridiculous,” said Novoselsky. Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo attended MBTA meetings when changes to stops and schedules were on the agenda. “We made it clear we wanted to keep that bus stop,” said Rizzo. This week, Councillor-at-Large Gerry Visconti fi led a motion to have Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe request the community development director and a representative from the MBTA to appear before the council to discuss the removal of the 411 bus stop. “I heard this was actually this year. Cogliandro read an email from one teacher who described Revere High as a horrible place to work. The teacher went on to say there is no attendance policy, no cell phone policy, no consistent discipline and that teachers feel devalued and bullied. “I’ve had family members who have been mistreated,” said Cogliandro, who added that he left teaching because a child wanted to fi ght with him. Councillor-at-Large Gerry Visconti, who also serves on the Public Safety Subcommittee, said there are questions among parents about student safety. Visconti said one mother sent him fi ve diff erent videos of fi ghts in the corridors of the high school with groups of 15 to 20 kids standing by watching. “What’s being done?” asked Visconti. “What are the disciplinary actions?” Kelly said 58 students fi ghting doesn’t mean 58 fights. “You have to cut the number in half,” she said, adding that out of school suspensions are up this year. “We don’t always have the information so we can address [a fi ght)” she added. “When we can, we address those students, connect them with the SRO offi cer and suspend them from school.” Visconti also asked about school bathrooms, adding that he has heard some students won’t even use the bathrooms because other students are congregating, smoking and vaping. Kelly said there are now bathroom monitors who keep students moving. The district has also increased its security staff and hired additional counselors and spehappening,” said Visconti, who, like other city offi cials, thought removing the bus stop was a bad idea that had faded away. “This has raised concerns among residents and is the reason our seniors feel they are being left behind,” he added. Ward 5 Councillor John Powers who helped raise the funding to install the bus stop shelter, also stressed the importance of keeping the stop for the safety of residents. Serino said the situation reminded him of the adage “You can’t fi ght City Hall.” “What’s frustrating is in this case even City Hall can’t fi ght City Hall,” he said. Councillors voted to support Visconti’s motion and welcomed the chance to talk directly with an MBTA offi cial. “We want to reaffi rm our position,” said Visconti. cialists to work with students. Kelly said the challenges with funding have eased somewhat thanks to dollars from the Student Opportunity Act. Rizzo mentioned that the number of students looking to transfer to the vocational school has risen dramatically. “And it’s not because they want to learn a trade,” he said. “We have to turn this around.” School Resource Offi cer Internicola focused on phones and vapes as challenges with student behavior. He said parents need to be aware of what their kids are carrying to school. However, he also said the problems at the high school are not unique to Revere. He recently attended a safety conference of school resource offi cers, and conversations focused on the same problems. Kelly also brought good news to the meeting. Enrollment in AP classes is up, nearly 60 percent of Revere students go on to higher education, and the honors program is more accessible to students and drawing in more participants. Visconti praised Revere teachers and students and stressed there was no intention to paint Revere High with a broad negative brush. He even chuckled slightly and mentioned The Nutrons, the RHS Robotics teams waiting in the wings to receive commendations from the City Council for placing second globally in the First World Championship. Committee members said they hoped to ease any community concerns, assure teachers that they are respected and valued and help continue the city’s tradition of exceptional education.

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