Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 28, 2023 ASKS | FROM PAGE 7 Marblehead. It was during a tropical storm in 1971. And he was at a beach in Marblehead. Some little boys were watching the waves crash in and they got knocked off a rock, I believe, and fell in the water. And Dana Johnson and his friend – they were both 18 years old at that time – dove in and they rescued these boys. And unfortunately, Dana never came out. Q: So that’s what that monument is about? A: Yes. And the baseball fi eld was named after Dana Johnson. There’s actually a structure in the park playground that ’s the oldest shelter in the town. It’s on the Lynnhurst field and it’s named after Dana Johnson, too. That’s where the band plays for the third of July. There’s a marker on it that says it’s the oldest shelter in town, and there’s a plaque honoring Dana Johnson. The Johnson family is still big in town. I think some of them are on the Fire Department. Q: Are you considering running again? A: I would like to, but my biggest problem is that I get up early for work. And it seems that Town Meeting just runs later and later every year. So, it just gets harder for me as I get older with the late nights. Q: What are some of the issues in your precinct that you are going to champion in the fi nal year of your fourth twoyear term? A: The Lynnhurst School is defi nitely tops for me. The vacant school has been turned back over to the town. I really want that school to be used for Youth & Rec. It has a perfect setup: They have a fi eld, a gym. I think it’s a no-brainer, but you know how that goes. And that traffic on Walnut Street is a big concern of mine. It’s getting worse and worse. I don’t know how it can be fi xed, but it’s really bad. And, obviously, we talked about the trash and litter. I’m a big advocate for cleaning up the trash around town. The town is totally littered with trash, and I think it gives the town a really bad look. I already tried organizing a trash pickup day a few weeks ago on one of the social media sites. I got some positive comments on it. But defi nitely, trash around town is a big thing with me. Q: Are there some other issues that are important to the people in your precinct? We’re talking strictly Precinct 5 issues, because there are a lot of townwide issues. But the purpose of “Saugus Over Coff ee” is to focus on issues in a particular precinct that concern residents in that precinct. A: We don’t have the apartment issues so much like Route 1 has in other parts of town. We had a lot of develEverett Aluminum 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 “Same name, phone number & address for over half a century. We must be doing something right!” •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed •Roofing • Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! This century-old shelter at Dana H. Johnson Memorial Park has been a fi xture of Lynnhurst community Fourth of July block parties that date back to World War I. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) A stone memorial near the entrance of the Lynnhurst Elementary School honors Dana H. Johnson, an 18-year-old Saugonian who drowned in Marblehead in August of 1971 while saving the lives of two young boys. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) opment on Fairmount Ave. by Vinegar Hill, but most of it has all been built. I can’t think of too much land that’s left in Precinct 5 to build on. I think the big issues are mostly the traffi c – and people want to know what’s going on at the Lynnhurst School. But I don’t have answers to it. Q: Any other issues that concern you or people of your precinct? A: I can’t think of anything else. But we do have two bald Celebrating 65 Years in Business! S eagles’ nests in a tree across from my house [on Magnolia Street], and it’s really drawn a lot of attention. We get a lot of photographers going over to the Lynnhurst with their high-powered cameras. It’s really neat. I’m really impressed by that. Q: Is that the one that Charlie Zapolski photographed [in April 14 Saugus Advocate]? ASKS | SEE PAGE 9 Summer is Here!
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