Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 27, 2020 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark Vogler H ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus. How Saugus copes with coronavirus Making adjustments is a big part of life, especially during times of great hardship and duress – like Americans have been going through since state and national emergencies were declared over the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. These are desperate times, folks, so Saugus Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree needs all of the help he can get when it comes to helping his hometown to endure and survive this horrifi c health crisis which has already led to the loss of many jobs in the once-thriving Route 1 business corridor. The second week of Governor Charlie Baker’s ban on the consumption of food and drink in Massachusetts restaurants and bars has really hurt the Saugus hospitality industry. The ongoing closure of the state’s public and private schools (K-12) has certainly cast a cloud over the Saugus High School Class of 2020. With the governor’s decision this week to push back the reopening of Massachusetts’ schools from April 6 to at least May 4, there are immediate concerns as to when this year’s seniors will have their graduation and all the other activities that go with it. Plans to have the High School students move into the new Saugus Middle-High School after the April vacation have been scrapped. MCAS tests may be cancelled altogether. And, of course, there is the concern as to how long it will take school offi cials to activate a contingency plan so that all students can learn online and do schoolwork at home so they don’t fall too far behind during the weeks that they will be out of school. On the local government front, it sure seems like the Annual Town Meeting will be delayed a few weeks or even months because of the shutdown of public buildings, which includes Saugus Town Hall. The School Committee may have set an example of a possible solution: holding virtual meetings. The committee and Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi, Jr. were scheduled to have a meeting last night via the Zoom video conference format. Stay tuned for more details on how well this will work for citizens who are barred from attending a meeting because of closed public buildings and concerns over social distancing. Citizens will be able to view the meeting after hitting up the Zoom Link –https://zoom. us/j/740708414 – and using a meeting ID. Coronavirus spawns creative ideas On a very positive note, there are a few people in the community who are doing some creative things in spite of disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus crisis. Last week, Saugus High School students Victoria Quagenti and Alyssa Swible-Martinez began spreading some uplifting chalk graffi ti on sidewalks throughout Saugus Center to inspire walkers who pass by. Also last week, the small staff of the Saugus Youth & Recreation Department – Emily Kay and Emily Grant and the department’s program coordinator, Crystal Cakounes – assembled “Boredom Bags” for kids who can no longer go to the youth center. This week, members of the Saugus Girl Scout Brownie Troop 67744 fi gured out a way to follow social distancing rules and still hold a regular meeting if they can’t all meet together. They began to use social media to conduct online scout meetings. We wrote about all of these ideas in this week’s edition. Hopefully, this kind of creativity gets contagious and other Saugus residents fi gure out ways to make everyday living easier. If you know of interesting programs and projects that Saugus residents have initiated to make life easier in dealing with COVID-19, please contact me at mvoge@comcast.net. Town-wide street sweeping next month Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and the Department of Public Works have announced the town’s Annual Street Sweeping Program will begin on Monday, April 6, weather permitting. Sweepers will start in the area of north Saugus (Precincts 5 and 7) and work their way across town, working from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Residents are asked to keep vehicles off the street when sweepers are in the area. Citizens may assist the Department of Public Works by sweeping their driveways or sidewalks of winter sand into the gutter area prior to the program’s start. Keep in mind that street sweepers are unable to collect stones, branches, leaves or other foreign objects. In addition, residents are asked to be mindful that sweepers cannot pick up large piles of sand. Please contact the Department of Public Works at 781231-4143 with any questions. Memorial Day observances canceled Saugus Veterans Council Commander Stephen L. Castinetti, a retired U.S. Naval captain, has announced that the annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremonies scheduled for May 23 have been canceled. The Council’s Executive Board made the decision after Governor Charlie Baker decided to keep schools closed at least until after May 4. “This is not a decision that was taken lightly,” Castinetti said in a statement released this week. “However, in order to protect the health and wellbeing of our residents and participants, we feel that this is the SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17 This week on Saugus TV Monday, March 30 at 8:30 RIGHT BY YOU RIGHT BY YOU BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT p.m. on Channel 8 – The Pitch: Sports Talk from March 20. Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. on Channel 8 – Cliftondale Church Service from March 15. Wednesday, April 1 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – School Committee Meeting from March 12. Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. on Channel 9 – Special Town Meeting from March 9. Friday, April 3 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 22 – Saugus Historical Society Meeting from March 11. Saugus TV can be seen on Comcast Channels 8, 9, & 22. For complete schedules, please visit www.saugustv.org. ***programming may change without notice*** JOE BONO owner of THE BERRY TAVERN, AL DENTE, BENEVENTO’S, AND BENCOTTO OVER 20 YEARS OF BANKING WITH EVERETT BANK “I can be myself and they can be themselves. Regular people doing business the right way.” VISIT US TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN DO RIGHT BY YOUR BUSINES S 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 | 61 7 . 38 7 . 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 | 78 1 . 7 7 6 . 4444 Member FDIC Member SIF EVERETTBANK . COM SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 16
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