THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 11, 2025 Page 17 SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 15 Last Chance to submit articles for Town Meeting warrant The town’s Board of Selectmen is set to close the warrant for the May 5 Annual Meeting when they convene this Tuesday (April 15) at 7 p.m. in the second floor auditorium at Saugus Town Hall. Any citizen who is considering submitting an article that they would like to see discussed at Town Meeting must submit it to the board by Tuesday. Stocker Dog park on Conservation Commission agenda The town’s Notice of Intent is on the agenda of the Conservation Commission again. It will be considered when the commission convenes at 7 p.m. Wednesday (April 16) in the Town Hall Annex at 25 Main St. Public comment period extended on Animal Keeper regulations The Board of Health did not hold its scheduled hearing on amendments to Article 10, the Animal Keeper regulations, at this past Monday’s (April 7) public hearing. Members postponed the hearing until their May 5 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Saugus Public Library. The postponement led to the extension of the public comment period. The SHS Alumni Association announces scholarships The Saugus High School Alumni Association will be awarding Scholarships to graduating seniors again this June. The Association encourages seniors who are planning on attending not only college but trade schools as well. Applications for Alumni Association Scholarships may be obtained from the Guidance Office. Students need to complete the application at home. Seniors should attend a brief meeting in the school library on Thursday, May 1, between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to answer two questions and attach their application. Scholarships will be awarded to successful candidates in the amounts of $1,000 to $5,000. Seniors are encouraged to apply. There will be a minimum of 10 Scholarships awarded this year. Students pursuing further education at the college/university level, nursing and trade schools are encouraged to participate. Memorial Day observances Plans are already in the works for this year’s annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, which are set for Saturday, May 24. Contact the Saugus Veterans Council if you would like to help out. Council Commander Steve Castinetti can be reached at 781-389-3678 or stevecastinetti@comcast.net. What’s going on at the library Creative Writing for kids: Please join us on April 28 at 4 p.m. in the Brooks Room for creative writing! You can work on any creative writing project, such as a story, novel or poem. No registration required – fifth grade and up. Van Gogh: a portrait by the postman Roulin: Saturday, May 3, 2:00-3:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Please register using the Events Calendar starting April 19 – www.sauguspubliclibrary. org Author, educator and Screen Actors Guild actor Ted Zalewski portrays Vincent’s loyal friend the Postman, Joseph Roulin. He relates van Gogh’s amazing personal and artistic journey from his native Holland to the south of France. Drawn from extensive research into van Gogh’s art, life and letters, “Vincent: A Portrait by the Postman Roulin” is filled with humor, passion, joie de vivre – and the triumph of an unlikely friendship. Saugus-Everett Elks to hold scams presentation The Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness committee and Eagle Bank are teaming up to hold a scams, cyber fraud and exploitation presentation to be held at the Saugus Senior Center (466 Central St. in Saugus) on Monday, May 12, at 10 a.m. This free hour long presentation will be conducted by Attorney Stephen Miliotis and Senior Banking officer Gisella DiPaola. Don’t miss out on this event, and become educated on the latest scams that are currently spreading across our country. Learn the different kinds of scams, including blackmail scams, charity scams, debt collection scams, senior scams, debt relief scams and much more. Light refreshments will be served. Call the Senior Center at 781-231-4178 to reserve your seat. Walk-ins are also welcome. Saugus Sachems Spring Track Program 2025 Coach Christopher Tarantino – also known affectionately as “Coach T” – announced plans for his Spring Track Program. “This program is geared toward new track and field athletes. It will prepare them for the larger-scale summer camp,” Coach T said in an email. Here’s a summary of what interested kids and their parents need to know: Who: Grades K-5th. Where: Belmonte Track. When: 4:00-5:15 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays; May 6-June 12. Cost: $100 first year, $50 if returning. For any questions, further information or to register, please contact Coach Christopher Tarantino (Coach T) at 781-854-6778 or christophertarantino24@gmail. com Spring street sweeping starts Monday Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree announced that the town’s annual spring street sweeping program will begin on Monday, April 14, weather permitting. Sweepers will start in the area of North Saugus (Precincts 5 and 7) and make their way across town, working from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The work will generally follow the schedule listed below: • Week of April 14: PreTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 20 Sa nir Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Navigating Social Security as It Downsizes Dear Savvy Senior, My local Social Security office was recently shut down because of staff layoff s and large-scale downsizing by the Department of Government Effi ciency. All this disruption makes me very nervous, as I’ll be applying for my Social Security retirement benefi ts later this year. My question is, how are we supposed to get help with our Social Security questions or problems now that our offi ce is permanently closed? What can you tell me? Anxious Aaron Dear Aaron, I’ve been getting a lot of questions on this very topic. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is facing massive budget cuts and layoff s under President Donald Trump’s administration, which is leading to dozens of offi ce closures and a lot of angst across the country. Led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Effi ciency (DOGE), many Social Security experts believe these deep staff cuts could cause interruptions in monthly benefi t payments, an increase in improper payments, delays in the processing of new benefit applications and disability claims, and longer wait times for Social Security help. There are 73 million Americans who currently receive Social Security benefi ts, including seniors, children and people with disabilities. Many rely on these benefi ts for the bulk of their income, so any disruption or errors in payments or other service delays could cause a lot of problems for benefi ciaries. Advocacy groups are urging concerned Americans to contact their members of Congress and demand protections for the program. To fi nd your elected members contact information, go to Congress.gov/ members/fi nd-your-member. With that said, here’s how you can best navigate the SSA as they downsize. Use SSA.gov Most Social Security business today can be conducted online. To get started, just go to SSA.gov/onlineservices where you can create a personal online “my Social Security” account so you can view your latest statement and earnings history, apply for retirement, disability, and Medicare benefi ts, check the status of an application or appeal, request a replacement Social Security card (in most areas), print a benefi t verifi cation letter, and much more. Their website also has a wealth of information and answers to frequently asked questions that you can access at SSA.gov/faqs. Phone Assistance If you can’t conduct your Social Security business online or you need some extra help, you can also get phone assistance by calling your nearby field office (see SSA.gov/locator for contact information) or by calling the SSA national number at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) between 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. This number has many automated service options you can use without waiting, but if you do need to speak to a representative, wait times are typically shorter early in the morning (between 8 and 10am) or later in the afternoon (between 4 and 7pm). You may also experience shorter wait times later in the week (Wednesday to Friday) and later in the month. If you need to visit your nearby SSA offi ce, it’s best to call and make an appointment fi rst as walkins have much longer wait times. To make an appointment call 800772-1213 or contact your local SSA offi ce. Be Patience Also remember to practice patience and plan ahead. With all the SSA staff cuts, delays and longer wait time will be inevitable. And if you’re planning to start drawing your Social Security benefi ts in the near future, it’s best to apply as early as possible as the SSA recently announced that new applicants who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s “my Social Security” online service, will be required to visit an SSA fi eld offi ce in person to complete the verifi cation process. And that could take some additional time. This change will also apply to unverifi ed existing recipients who want to change their direct deposit information. You can apply for benefi ts up to four months before you expect to receive them. Applying as early as possible can help ensure they’re available when needed. 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. nior ior
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