Your Local News Source for Over 30 Years! r Local News So e for Ov r 30 Years! Vol. 31, No.31 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday WildFire Heats Up Summer Concert Series 781-286-8500 Friday, August 5, 2022 Seaport grants will help fund riverfront projects By Adam Swift T wo recent state grants will go a long way to helping the city improve the riverfront at the Pines and Saugus Rivers. The larger of the two grants from the Seaport Economic Council is $1 million to construct the fi rst phase of a public walkway around the perimeter of the master-planned public/private mixed-use development in the 19-acre plus riverfront area. In 2020, the Seaport EconomDANCE THE NIGHT AWAY: Shown dancing up a storm, from left: Sandi Lozier, Kathleen Brennan and Nancy Monkiewicz dance on the American Legion lawn to WildFire on Sunday night. See page 9 for photo highlights. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) ic Council helped fund a masterplan for the area that includes Gibson Park, the G&J towing site and a former boatyard. Since the completion of the plan, the city has moved forward with plans for upgrades to the park and purchased the boatyard for conversion to a community boating center. Redgate, a private developer, is slated to build a residenGERRY VISCONTI City Council President tial/commercial building on the G&J property. A key recommendation from the public input part of the masGRANTS | SEE Page 5 ConCom approves Lee Burbank Hwy. gas tank demo project By Adam Swift T he Conservation Commission approved the Notice of Intent for the massive gas tank farm demolition project on Lee Burbank Highway on Wednesday night. The approval, with the condition that the property owner notify the commission of any newly discovered spills or contamination on the property, is for the fi rst phase of the project. Saracen Properties of Waltham and Link Logistics Real Estate of New York City have formed a partnership to acquire and redevelop the 44-acre Global Petroleum oil storage facility that is located directly north of the Irving Oil Tanks. The new project – called the “Trident Logistics Center” – will be a modern, technology-enabled warehouse and distribution campus with a focus on responsible development, environmental resiliency, PROJECT | SEE Page 17 Community survey highlights public health concerns By Adam Swift Health Collaborative. At the Board of Health meeting A ff ordable housing, economic opportunity, environmental health and behavioral health are the top community health needs that have been identifi ed in an ongoing Community Health Needs Assessment survey by the North Suff olk Public on Thursday, July 28, the regional epidemiologist for the collaborative, Ann Marie Kissel, updated the board on the survey results of the study, which is conducted in Winthrop, Revere and Chelsea every three years. “The assessment aims to collect community perceptions of health and needs within the region in a very systemic way to identify key issues and develop a community health implementation plan to address identifi ed health concerns every three years,” said Kissel. The public health collaborative has worked with local health departments and hospitals to help collect the data. At present, they have collected information from over 1,400 survey respondents in Revere, Winthrop and Chelsea who have answered questions about the top four health concerns, which were identifi ed as housing, economic opportunity, environmental health and behavioral health. Over half the respondents were Revere residents, Kissel said. The full report, which will include plans to address those public health concerns, should be completed by the fall, Kissel added. Nearly 70 percent of the Revere respondents stated that access to more aff ordable housing was the most important issue they would like to see improved in the community. Asked if housing was affordable for people like them in the city, over 50 percent of the respondents answered that that was not true. On issues of environmental health, nearly 60 percent of respondents said the air in Revere is healthy to breathe, while nearly 30 percent said that statement was only sometimes true and about eight percent said it was not true. When it comes to issues of economic stability and mobility, about 23 percent of the Revere residents who answered the survey said they believe better access to good jobs is the thing they would most like to improve about the community. Multiple focus group participants emphasized the importance of receiving fair pay and having access to a safe work environment, according to Kissel. She said one participant stated that if there is access to good jobs that are well paid, their mental health, food insecurity and aff ordable health improve. On behavioral health, nearly 14 percent of respondents stated they were unable to access behavioral health care during a crisis, and nearly 13 percent stated they did not have ready access to needed substance abuse services. Additionally, Kissel noted that Revere High School students expressed concerns about the increase of vaping in the school, especially among younger students. and sustainability. The site currently houses 29 above-groundstorage tanks that will eventually be cleared to make way for the development.
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