THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2026 Page 3 CITY COUNCIL | FROM Page 1 “There are many hair salons, nail salons, restaurants, and specialty shops along the Broadway corridor that could benefi t from more customers,” Guarino-Sawaya said. “These visits often take longer than the quick 15 minutes that we off er them to do their errands.” She said two hours of free metered parking would allow eligible seniors to attend appointments, dine at restaurants and shop without havFEMA | FROM Page 2 departments and other fi rst responder organizations in Massachusetts. These awards will enable agencies to get the equipment, staff and support they need to carry out their critical, life-saving missions. This new funding brings the total amount awarded to New England this year to more than $41 million. Nationwide, FEMA has awarded $648 million through its three fi re grant programs. ing to worry about their meter expiring. Guarino-Sawaya said one possibility would be to issue eligible seniors a placard identifying them as participants in the program. The city’s parking and planning departments could then determine how such a system would work through the proposed feasibility study. Planning and Community Development Chief Tom Skwierawski said conducting a study would be a reasonable fi rst step. He noted that “Firefi ghters and other fi rst responders are everyday heroes, helping their neighbors and communities when they need it most,” said FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton. “Through this grant funding, FEMA is building the capability of these local organizations to respond to disasters and emergencies. By empowering fire departments to get the staff , training and equipment they need, FEMA is strengthening the resilience of American communities nationwide.” neighboring Everett recently implemented a similar program and could provide Revere with useful information about its impact. “I think our peers next door in Everett just started doing this, and I think we are in many respects pretty similar with them in regard to population and percentage of seniors representing the total population,” Skwierawski said. He noted that Everett has more parking meters than Revere, making the comparison imperfect, but said the FEMA administered these new awards through its Staff - ing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program. This week’s awards include more than $2.5 million to the City of Revere to hire 12 fi refi ghters. For information on all the awards issued this year, visit the fire grants programs webpages on FEMA.gov: Assistance to Firefi ghters Grants, Staffi ng for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, and Fire Prevention and Safety. city could learn from Everett’s experience after the program has been in place for a year. Skwierawski also said Revere may benefi t from waiting before immediately adopting a new policy so offi cials can evaluate the impact of the relatively new 15-minute parking spaces on Broadway and Shirley Avenue. “If we were to have a year of that program under our belt and understand how it is affecting our revenues, and then in addition to that in that time, we could look at Everett and see how it is impacting their revenues … I think it is worth exploring,” Skwierawski said. He added that the city and Parking Department want to consider the concerns of senior residents while also examining the potential fi nancial and administrative issues involved in implementing the program. The feasibility study could provide the city with a clearer picture of how a senior parking program might operate and what impact it could have on parking revenue and local businesses. Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lien * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net SABATINO/MASTROCOLA INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at:WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM
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