YOUR LOCAL NEWS & SPORTS ONLINE. SCAN HERE! Vol. 34, No.30 20th -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday 781-286-8500 Friday, July 26, 2024 Annual Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival Draws Millions Canadian Bouchard wins First Place, People’s Choice for sculpture “Blend In” HE’S NUMBER ONE: Canadian sand sculptor Jobi Bouchard, shown at left with his winning medals, created “Blend In,” (shown at right) which won fi rst place at the 20th Annual Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Competition on Saturday. (Advocate photos by Tara Vocino) By Neil Zolot U nlike last year, the weather was ideal for the 20th Annual Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival from Friday, July 19 — Sunday, July 21, which, no doubt, drew a million visitors. Revere Beach Partnership Vice President Adrienne Sacco-Maguire called Saturday, July 20, the day of the awards ceremony in a sculptors’ competition “a perfect day. What could be better than being on Revere Beach on a day like today?” Revere Police Lieutenant Robert Impemba said the festival attracted “a good crowd with a lot of families. It’s similar to past years.” The theme for the festival was its two-decade anniversary, hence the birthday cake sculpture that served as its centerpiece. The festival is also a competition between what co-organizer Melineige Beauregard of Broken Glass Sand Sculptures of Hawaii described as “some of the best of the best” sand sculptors in the world. FESTIVAL | SEE Page 11 HYM CEO appears before city council to allay fears of stalled construction at Suffolk Downs By Barbara Taormina H YM CEO Tom O’Brien was at the City Council meeting this week with the same message he has been delivering since The Boston Globe ran a story suggesting the Suffolk Downs development was on hold. City councillors told O’Brien the story was troubling considering how much the city is depending on the success of the project to pay for the new high school. O’Brien listed the accomplishments at Suff olk Downs, focusing on the 475-unit building that is complete and now leasing. He highlighted the second 475-unit building across the street from the Amaya building and the nine retail spots that have interested parties investigating leases. Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley said she had driven by the site twice and didn’t see any work going on, no trucks, no crews. O’Brien explained that HYM is working with the trade unions on project labor agreements that will align costs with what HYM needs to pay suppliers and investors. Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri said he had spoken with several members of trade unions and they anticipate working at Suffolk Downs. “So will Suff olk Downs still be 10,000 units?” Silvestri asked O’Brien. O’Brien fi rst stressed that Revere’s share of residential units is 2,500; the remainder of the units will be built in Boston. Revere specifi ed that 50 percent of the development in Revere must be earmarked for commercial development. “We believe the demand is out there for 10,000 units,” said O’Brien, adding that HYM is working with the unions to ensure more local labor is hired and more opportunities are available for young workers. “With that we can roll, we can build 10,000 units.” O’Brien also said HYM has held several job fairs and the turnout has been great. “We were able to connect with people, get them trained and on a career path,” he said. Kelley asked about the biolab building, which actually has SUFFOLK | SEE Page 2
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