Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 12, 2024 LEMIEUX | FROM PAGE 1 “She is as organized as I am disorganized,” Glynn said. “I think she will do very well in this job,” Glynn said. The Housing Authority voted unanimously at its Feb. 13 meeting to offer Lemieux the job and begin negotiations. It took about a week for the authority negotiating team and Lemieux to reach an agreement, which was approved by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) late last month. Lemieux will earn $92,500 a year over the course of a 20-month contract that will expire on Dec. 31, 2025, with her continued employment subject to review, according to Lemieux, who took over on April 1. A smooth transition Glynn received a public “Thank You” from Lemieux during Wednesday’s meeting. “My first day was April 1, and she’s been wonderful,” Lemieux told the authority of the help she has received during the transition of executive directors. “She has all the institutional knowledge and I’m trying to transcribe everything she is saying and hold onto it,” she said. The executive director’s job is set by the state, which approves all hirings and contracts. Glynn said she started out at about $70,000 at the time of her hiring and was making about $110,000 when she stepped down. Lemieux said Glynn will continue on a part-time consultant’s basis. “I will have her here as long as she comes in,” Lemieux told The Saugus Advocate during an interview Wednesday from her office in the ground level of Heritage Heights at 19 Talbot St. in Saugus. The building holds 100 units of federal public housing apartments. “During the transition, I was working remotely, even before my contract started,” Lemieux said in an interview. “Since February, I’ve been Eastern Bank Building on Rte. 1S 605 Broadway, #301 * Saugus (781) 233-6844 www.bostonnorthdental.com working with Laura. She’s been wonderful. I just picked her brain about anything and everything,” she said. “I’m hoping I can keep her [telephone] number forever. I look to her like she’s a mentor. She’s taught me so much. She has a lot of heart and is great with the residents,” she said. As part of her orientation, Dr. Priti Amlani Dr. Bhavisha Patel * Restorative Dentistry * Cosmetic Dentistry * Implant Restoration * Zoom Whitening * Teeth in a Day - All on 6 * Invisalign * CEREC Crowns (Single Visit Crowns) * Root Canal Treatment * Sedation Dentistry ~ Full Mouth Rehabilitation ~ Before After Lemieux said, she has viewed all of the properties, met all of the staff and spent time getting acquainted with 75 to 100 residents during two “meet and greet” events on the Housing Authority properties. Lemieux’s job entails overseeing the properties that accommodate 313 households. They include 205 units of elderly disabled housing, 100 units of federal housing and eight units of family housing. In addition to Heritage Heights, the Housing Authority property portfolio includes 85 units at Laurel Gardens and 100 units at Laurel Towers – both state-aided public housing – and eight units of state-aided family housing at Armitage Arms at 212 Essex St; and there are 20 units of state-aided elderly housing at Sweetser’s Corner on Baker Street. FIRST MEETING: New Executive Director Katelynn M. Lemieux (left) presided over her first meeting of the Saugus Housing Authority on Wednesday (April 10). It only lasted 20 minutes. Katelynn Lemieux in her Housing Authority Office (Saugus Advocate Photos by Mark E. Vogler) “I’ve met a lot of our residents and they’ve been very welcoming,” Lemieux said. “In my first two weeks, I’ve also walked around the developments and made myself known around all of the properties. A big challenge is definitely going to be learning everyone’s name,” she said. Smoking “a hot-button issue” In early talks with some of the tenants, smoking has surfaced as an issue of concern. “It’s a hot-button issue. That’s an issue that comes up at a lot of housing authorities. It’s definitely a hot topic,” Lemieux said. “We promote a safe environment, and that includes addressing the smoking issues,” she said. On a white board in her office that outlines the “Wish List” for capital improvement projects at the major properties hangs a wooden sign with a red heart and the lettering “Choose Kindness.” “Yes, right now my residents are my ‘Number One’ concern, as it was for Laura. She had a great working relationship with the residents,” Lemieux said. “Everyone has to be recerLEMIEUX | SEE PAGE 6 HOUSING AUTHORITY PROJECTS AT A GLANCE: After two weeks on the job as executive director to the Saugus Housing Authority, Katelynn M. Lemieux already has a white board in her office that outlines the “Wish List” for capital improvement projects at the major properties.
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