Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 Teaming up Saugus offi cials meet with state legislative delegation to help Saugus on a wide range of issues beyond town’s control By Mark E. Vogler F or the fi rst time in several years, town offi cials and a handful of citizens shared concerns with the town’s legislative delegation in a 90-minute forum that focused on a host of complaints about Route 1. “It just looks like a shabby, major highway,” Selectman Jeff Cicolini told the lawmakers in a session that was held via Zoom videoconferencing last Tuesday (May 4) in a session before the Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and selectmen held a special session with state Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus), state Rep. Jessica Giannino (D-Revere) and state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) to see what the delegation could do to assist Saugus on a wide range of issues, particularly related to Route 1. “The residents are concerned about traffic issues,” Selectman Debra Panetta noted. “The state really doesn’t take care of Route 1 the way they should,” she said, referring to the overall appearance, which has been the source of many complaints. Town officials mentioned the ongoing concern about the vacant, rundown Karla’s Shoe’s building – which is a potential safety hazard. “Any way the state can take that by eminent domain? It really has to be knocked down,” Selectman Michael Serino said. “I know at one point the state was interested in taking it by eminent domain,” Serino said. Crighton said that the delegation could explore that possibility and perhaps advocate that as a solution to an unsightly mess. Panetta mentioned that selectmen had brought up their concerns about Karla’s “multiple times.” “The broker for Karla’s reached out to me and asked if we were interested in buying the property,” she said. ~ LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR ~ School Committee Chair Tom Whittredge applauds residents’ patience as Saugus Public Schools reopen Dear Editor: With the Schools fully reopened and the kids finally getting back to a little bit of normalcy, I wanted to thank the residents for their patience with the traffi c situation. A big shout out to the Saugus PD! With their help, the fl ow gets better everyday and will continue to improve over the next few weeks that we have left of school. With the COVID restrictions in place, opening up our buildings bringing 2700 kids and staff back was a monumental task. Please be aware that at the start of the next school year we hope to have the buses back to the full schedule and capacity. We also hope to be able to implement our “kids come fi rst” early drop off program at the elementary schools and a similar version at the MSHS Complex. Kids will be able to be dropped off up to an hour before the bell and have breakfast. One more thing to remember is the Waybright and Oaklandvale will be taken off line essentially eliminating the traffi c congestion on upper Main Street and especially on at the Highland-Vine-Talbot intersection. Great things are happening with our schools and the patience and support of the community has been an instrumental part of that success. On behalf of the School Committee, Thank you for your continued patience! Tom Whittredge School Committee Chairman Bike to the Sea Member Meeting Wednesday May 12, 7pm–9pm Join us for a zoom meeting to hear about some new ideas: • Travis Londen of Velofix: “The Bike Shop that comes to you” https://www.velofix.com/ Representative Giannino acknowledges May as Mental Health Month R EVERE – Mental Health Month raises awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional and mental well-being of children, families and communities. Mental Health Month was established in May 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. “As someone who has strugAttendees must pre-register at: https://biketothesea.org/event/member-meeting-5-12-21 For more info contact: Jay Cobau jay@biketothesea.org (339) 224-2448 gled with anxiety for most of their adult life, it’s so personal to me that I acknowledge the importance of mental health and the impact it has on not only ourselves, but on our friends and families. You cannot help others without taking care of yourself fi rst,” said Giannino. “It’s so important to me to end the stigma of mental health issues. So often, people are embarrassed of how they are feeling and embarrassed to seek help.” Mental health is essential for a person’s overall health. Prevention works, treatment is eff ective and people can recover from mental disorders and live full and productive lives. While one in fi ve people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people of all ages, and now more than ever it is critical to reduce the stigma around mental health struggles that commonly prevents individuals from seeking help. Knowing when to turn to friends, family and coworkers when you are struggling with life’s challenges can help improve your mental health. Living a healthy lifestyle and incorporating mental health tools to thrive might not be easy but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes. Seeking professional help when self-help eff orts to improve your mental health aren’t working is a sign of strength, not weakness. Giannino recently fi led a late motion during the May 3 Revere City Council Meeting to acknowledge May as Mental Health Month in her hometown, Revere, and she encourages all residents of the Sixteenth Suffolk District in Revere, Chelsea and Saugus to commemorate and acknowledge the importance of mental health. Panetta asked if the delegation could assist the town in getting air monitors that could be put in near the WIN Waste Innovations trash-to-energy incinerator in East Saugus. Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Joe Vecchione asked the legislators to consider any funding opportunities for the town which might help revitalization efforts in Cliftondale Square. “I hope the town and the state can work cooperatively to help make things happen in Cliftondale,” said Vecchione, who chairs the special Cliftondale TEAMING UP | SEE PAGE 17
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