Page 20 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 Traffic, parking concerns for new funeral home location By Adam Swift A business seen as bringing parking and traffi c issues to a residential neighborhood will cause concern among neighbors, even when that business is well respected within the city. During last Monday night’s meeting, the City Council opened a public hearing on a proposal by Vertuccio & Smith Home for Funerals – currently on Broadway – to construct a new funeral home at 9 Mountain Ave. In addition, the owners of the funeral home have also purchased the adjacent property at 100 School St. to build a parking lot for the proposed funeral home. Attorney Chris Cridler, representing the funeral home, said the business is being asked to leave its current location on Broadway and has been looking for a new location for the business. “We’ve been able to fi nd the property at 9 Mountain Ave.,” said Cridler. “We intend to raze the current structure at 9 Mountain Ave. – it’s a nonconforming residential structure – and build a beautiful new funeral home for Vertuccio & Smith Funeral Home. Mr. Vertuccio and Mr. Smith have already purchased the 100 School St. property so that we are able to provide adequate parking.” Cridler said the property will be converted to a parking lot with 28 spaces. While the proposal will move to the council’s Zoning Subcommittee for further detailed discussion before a vote on approval, a number of residents voiced their concerns about the proposal on Monday night. Almost everyone who spoke said they respected the longtime Revere business, but said moving the funeral home to a residential district that already faces traffi c and parking issues from the nearby high school would cause hardships in the neighborhood. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I Public Notice City of Revere, MA Approved Loan Order ORDERED: That $300,000 is appropriated to pay costs of program fi nally built my dream home 31 years ago diagonally across from Revere High School,” said School Street resident Marie Shand. “I put up with all kinds of heavily impacted traffi c; I don’t feel that I want to put up with any more traffi c. The high school – not only does it have the comings and goings of the students and parents – we have voting there; we have COVID shots; we have COVID testing; we have community events; we have sporting events.” Shand said the funeral home would only further impact the traffi c situation in the small, residential neighborhood. She also noted that there would be excessive additional noise from the cars coming and going from the proposed parking lot. Several other School Street and nearby residents echoed Shand’s sentiments that the traffi c impact would be too great on the neighborhood. “Mr. Vertuccio, if he has his funerals, you have an abundance of cars, maybe 40 or 50 cars, and everything extra,” said Stephen Jones of Grand Avenue. “If you have the overflow, and they end up parking on Grand Avenue and Emmet Terrace, emergency apparatus could not make that turn from Emmet Terrace to School Street. My family would be against it. My family knows Mr. Vertuccio very well, my mother knows Mr. Vertuccio very well, but I think there would be a better place than 9 Mountain Avenue.” Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe, who chairs the Zoning Subcommittee, said the council will work to make sure there is the best solution possible for both sides. The subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. “The Vertuccio family has been a very well-respected family throughout the city for many years, and the last thing I want to do is hurt a small family business,” said Keefe. “But, I also have to represent the residents of the ward. I would just hope that in zoning TRAFFIC | SEE Page 26 How to Protect Yourself Against Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Dear Savvy Senior, Can you tell me about stomach aneurysms? My father died from one about 10 years ago and I’m wondering if that can increase my risk of developing one myself. Almost 60 Dear Almost, While you don’t hear much about them, stomach aneurysms, also known as abdominal aortic aneurysms, are very dangerous and the 10th leading cause of death in men over 55. They also tend to run in families, so having had a parent with this condition makes you much more vulnerable yourself. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (or AAA) is a weak area in the lower portion of the aorta, which is the major artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As blood flows through the aorta, the weak area bulges like a balloon and can burst if it gets too big, causing life-threatening internal bleeding. In fact, nearly 80 percent of AAAs that rupture are fatal, but the good news is that more than nine out of 10 detected early are treatable. Risk Factors About 200,000 people are diagnosed with AAAs each year, but estimates suggest that another 2 million people may have it but not realize it. The factors that can put you at increased risk are: • Smoking: Ninety percent of people with an AAA smoke or have smoked. • Age: Your risk of getting an AAA increases signifi cantly after age 65 in men, and after age 70 in women. • Family history: Having a parent or sibling who has had an AAA can increase your risk to around one in four. • Gender: AAAs are fi ve times more likely in men than in women. • Race: White people develop AAA more commonly than people of other ethnicities. • Health factors: Atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels also increase your risk. Detection and Treatment Because AAAs usually start small and enlarge slowly, they rarely show any symptoms, making them difficult to detect. However, large AAAs can sometimes cause a throbbing or pulsation in the abdomen or cause a deep pain in your lower back or side. The best way to detect an AAA is to get a simple, painless, 10-minute ultrasound screening test. All men over age 65 that have ever smoked, and anyone over 60 with a fi rst-degree relative (father, mother or sibling) who has had an AAA should talk to their doctor about getting screened. You should also know that most health insurance plans cover AAA screenings, as does Medicare to benefi ciaries with a family history of AAAs, and to men between the ages of 65 and 75 who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their life. If an AAA is detected during screening, how it’s treated will depend on its size, rate of growth and your general health. If caught in the early stages when the aneurysm is small, it can be monitored and treated with medication. But if it is large or enlarging rapidly, you’ll probably need surgery. AAA Protection While some risk factors like your age, gender, race and family history are uncontrollable, there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from AAA. For starters, if you smoke, you need to quit – see SmokeFree.gov or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for help. You also need to keep tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and if they are high you need to take steps to lower them through diet, exercise and if necessary, medication. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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