Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 26, 2024 Glenn Bowie, who has run an elevator business in East Saugus for two decades, said the flooding has gotten so bad in recent years that he’s been thinking about relocating to another town. (Courtesy of SaugusTV) FLOODING | FROM PAGE 1 eral elected leaders to make revival of the Regional Saugus River Floodgate Project a top priority. Manoogian requested the board’s endorsement of the floodgate project and has asked that members write a letter to the town’s state and federal delegation of elected officials, calling on them to fund an updated study of the project that addresses the flooding issue that affects Saugus and four other North Shore communities – Everett, Lynn, Revere and Malden. Local officials in those communities are seeking support and up to $3 million for an updated feasibility study of the floodgate project. After listening to Manoogian, Bowie and other speakers, selectmen gave favorable feedback to Manoogian’s requests, acknowledging that the Jan. 13 flooding – which forced the four-hour closure of parts of Hamilton Street and Route 107 – was some of the worst they’ve observed in recent memory. “I’ve never seen floods like this in Saugus. It was horrific,” Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta said. Panetta said she and other board members hope to have two letters drafted by the Feb. 6 meeting: one seeking the commitment of funds for the floodgate feasibility study; the other for funds to restore the marsh. Manoogian told The Saugus Advocate that he was happy with the board’s reaction to his requests. “Yes, I feel the Board and the [town] manager showed a good understanding of the issue and the necessary urgency,” Manoogian said. “The best case scenario is for state and federal legislators that represent Saugus and the four other affected communities to coordinate efforts to get the study funded,” he said. Flooding’s impact on a company An online company profile describes Hamilton Elevator Interiors Inc. as a family-owned business that designs, builds and renovates custom elevator enclosures, interiors and entrances. “Since going into business in the 1920s, we have crafted elegant cabs for some of the most prestigious mid and high-rise buildings in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine,” the profile noted. Bowie is listed as the president, treasurer and director of Hamilton Elevator Interiors, Inc. of Saugus. “It’s definitely the worst I have ever seen,” Bowie told selectmen of his impression of the latest flooding. “I’ve owned the business for 40 years and we moved to that side of Saugus 20 years ago. And every year it gets worse. When we had puddles in the street, it was okay. It came in my building the last three years and it was a foot deep,” Bowie said. “And I have employees who have to stay home when that happens. The ground gets so saturated that all the pipes freeze. So I have to have the gas company come down probably three times a year and put a new meter on. That’s their solution. But it shuts down work for days. I build elevators for a living. The elevator business is like ‘go, go, go.’ The eleHere’s how Hamilton Elevator at 6 Belair Street looked after the last flood in East Saugus. (Photos of Glenn Bowie to The Saugus Advocate) vator shuts down, people are screaming.” Bowie said he recalls public discussion of the floodgate project back in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. “And then it got squashed,” he said, referring to a 1993 decision by the state Secretary of Environmental Affairs under Gov. Bill Weld to halt the project. “Whatever happened, happened. The water wasn’t bad back then. It’s bad now. It’s dangerously bad…whatever you guys could do would be appreciated,” he told selectmen. I t ’s probably too late, though, for Bowie, who has already begun to look at new locations for his business, which employs 12 people. He worries about the $200,000 machines housed in the Bellair Street building, which can be damaged if they come in contact with salt water. “I love Saugus and I’ve been a business owner in Saugus forever,” Bowie said, noting that his company contributes to the local economy as a corporate taxpayer while using businesses and service companies in town. “I’m thinking of selling and getting out while I can. I know my business property isn’t worth what it should be. I just don’t know what to do anymore… I see the people in the neighborhood, you know, panicking. It’s four feet deep in the middle of the street,” he said. “I see the people in the neighborhood panicking. I’m going to have to get out. I hate to move,” he said. Revere city councilor embraces study To revive the floodgate project would require the commitment and support of all five communities. Revere City Councilor Angela Guarino-Sawaya of Ward 5 told selectmen during the meeting that Revere strongly supported the study. “We’re on board with the study because the study that was done years ago – the MVP study – they were talking about 30 and 50 years that the water was going to start coming up,” Guarino-Sawaya said. “This past week, we saw 10.6 feet of waste, which was astronomical. I was knee deep in Riverside in water,” she said. “Now, we are all for the FLOODING | SEE PAGE 9
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