THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 20, 2020 ~ THE ADVOCATE ASKS ~ Page 3 Saugus town and school officials discuss COVID-19 Editor’s Note: For this week’s paper, we asked each of the members of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee several questions related to COVID-19 challenges that Saugus faces and how well they think town government and the Saugus Public Schools are doing. Highlights of the interviews follow. Questions to the Board of Selectmen Is the town considering the possibility of Town Meeting being delayed this year? What steps and logistics are being considered in case that happens? Do you know of any Saugus resident who has been tested and tested positive for COVID-19? With the shutdown of restaurants, about how much does the town stand to lose per month in money coming off the state meals tax if the shutdown continues for several months? What are the biggest challenges facing town government in this state and national emergency? Has the town had to lay anybody off, or is that a possibility? How soon do you expect government meetings to resume? Are there any contingency plans in place for future meetings? About how many town employees have been working full-time since the town went into “Corona Mode” this week. Were additional staff called in? If so, what departments? Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano The only way we get through times like these is by working together. No one could have predicted something like this could happen to us in the greatest Country on earth but it happened nonetheless. We have to help out by any means possible, providing food to the children that depend on school lunches, assisting our seniors with meals and medication and by being a good person. We must follow the guidelines presented to us and shelter down as much as possible. It’s an awful situation but we can get through it. It is my understanding that we have a person that’s contracted the virus and they are quarantined. I hope for a speedy recovery. I heard about the resident through Town channels but have no idea who the person is, just hope they are doing well. There will be more, perhaps many more. I pray for the safety of all our residents. The President’s Coronavirus Team keeps telling us to wash our hands and practice safe distancing. We all need to do our part. As of now, no one has been laid off and I would hope we can stay the course. Our local business owners are taking a serious hit. Restaurants are closed with the exception of takeout. Gyms, hair, nails and tanning salons are either closed or hanging on by a thread. The experts predict it will get much worse before it gets better. Certainly the worst of times I’ve encountered in my 53 years. We will attempt to conduct our Selectmen’s meeting next Tuesday night through Zoom Video Conferencing. It is my plan to take the first 10-15 minutes of the meeting to explain to the public how to join in the discussion, but no one other than Board Members, our Clerk and Town manager will be permitted to attend. I’m sure it will be challenging but we will make it work. As far as the video conferencing for Tuesday night’s meeting, it will be challenging but everyone that would like to participate will have a chance. So much is happening so fast, and there may be more conditions placed upon us in the days ahead...for now we will take it one day at a time and hope for the best I spoke with Town Manager Scott Crabtree last week and stressed the need to bring on additional staff to our Public Health Department, and we were fortunate to have Joe Tabbi, our former Board of Health Director for many years willing to jump right on and assist. We were also fortunate to find Tracy Romano Nicholas, a former classmate of mine, to fill in as an additional Public Health Nurse. We also hired two custodians to help with building cleanup and maintenance. This is a true test for all of us, but we have good hardworking people here in Saugus that will do whatever it takes to take care of our residents, myself and all Board members included. I’m asking you to follow all guidelines presented by the local, State and Federal Government. Take care of your family members, be safe and stay healthy. God Bless you all. Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Corinne Riley The Board of Selectmen will be meeting on Tuesday with a plan of video conferencing. Any further meetings at this time haven’t been discussed, but I’m sure we will be soon. The town manager has added at least two positions to the Health Dept. that I am aware of, as well as two custodians to sanitize buildings. As far as layoffs, I have not heard of any, but I hope it won’t come down to that. I think the most trying issues are social distancing as well as the retailers not being able to keep up with the demand due to people trying to keep their homes stocked to hold them over for a couple of weeks. As much as we have everything today delivered to us: takeout, groceries, and we can watch any movie or show in the privacy of our own home, it is a welcomed way of life to have these available when we want them. It is a different feeling when it is something that we are required to do. We need to be out and about, we need each other, especially in times like these, but with social distancing we can’t and shouldn’t, but I look forward to the day when this has passed and it’s safe to be around other people again. As far as the meals tax loss, we received $1.1 million in 2019. It could certainly be a significant loss with the restaurants being closed. Selectman Debra Panetta This Coronavirus pandemic is a global crisis, something that we have never experienced before. Our Town Manager has implemented several new measures in order to prevent the potential spread of the Coronavirus in Saugus. He has hired multiple new staff members and increased the hours of some current staff in order to better assist the public and employees during this ongoing global pandemic. Town Meeting starts on Monday, May 4, and I haven’t heard any plans of a delay at this time. I would speak to the Moderator, Steve Doherty, for more specifics. …the Town Manager is hiring more people, not laying people off. There are no plans to lay people off due to the Coronavirus. The information surrounding the pandemic seems to be changing daily. The most important challenge the government faces it keepings its residents safe and healthy. For Selectmen meetings, I know there has been discussions on setting up a Zoom video conference so that we can hold our meetings. However, I do believe there are some technical limitations that are being discussed with IT. Questions to the School Committee At this point, are you satisfied with the steps taking place? Is there anything further you think could be done? If so, what? Do you know if plans to move into the new school ASKS | SEE PAGE 5 www.reverealuminumwindow.com
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