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Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, June 14, 2019 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark Vogler H ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus. “A DOUBLE Shout Out” Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo – who inspired our decision to run a weekly component of “Sounds of Saugus” giving praise to remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents – asked if she could be allowed to make “A Double Shout Out” this week. “There are so many great things that people do in this town!!!” Jeanie wrote us. “Shout Out to Ron Wallace for not giving up his effort to get his Resolution on privatizing the school custodians on Town Meeting floor,” Jeanie wrote in an email to us. “Shout Out to Corrine Riley, who spearheaded the effort for a June 24th Special Town Meeting where members will vote on two Resolution Articles. If passed, Ron will finally have his chance to read his Resolution on Town Meeting Floor [supporting the custodians].” This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents. Just send an email with the mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph. Anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or photo. Loose ends Hopefully, sometime this summer, the town will finally get around to holding a public meeting on traffic safety concerns and targeting specific streets as candidates for speed limit reductions and various safety improvements. SAVE sets Annual Dinner for June 19 Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) will hold its Annual Meeting and Dinner on Wednesday, June 19 at the Continental Restaurant (Route 1 North, Saugus; social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., dinner buffet to begin at approximately 7:15 p.m.). The public is cordially invited and we hope you can join us for the Mixed Buffet consisting of Garden Salad, Pasta, Entrees, Potato and Vegetable, Ice Cream Dessert, Coffee and Tea. The cost is $21.00 per person. As part of our annual event, our guest presenter for the evening, John Hite, Zero Waste Policy Analyst from Conservation Law Foundation, will discuss Zero Waste initiatives. For further information or to download the Annual Dinner response coupon, please visit our website at http://www.saugussave. com or http://www.saugussave.org. You may also contact Ann at adevlin@aisle10.net or Carol at 1-978-208-8321. Please let us know if you are able to join us for a fun and informative evening as well as a wonderful buffet dinner as soon as possible, but no later than June 14. Free parking is available on-site, and the facility is accessible for the disabled. Will they duck the roll call? Speaking of Ron Wallace’s (Precinct 5) efforts to speak publicly in support of the Saugus Public Schools custodians, there are reports that a few of his colleagues resent the idea of a roll call vote on the issue of supporting school custodians. And there are rumblings that they will discourage others from attending in hopes of not getting a quorum for the meeting. Hopefully, these reports are exaggerated. It’s sort of goes against the Democratic way. Another report has Town Meeting members who are employed in government being told to vote against the proposal because they might wind up paying a bigger share of their health insurance. Dog licensing deadline Here’s a reminder from Town Clerk Ellen J. Schena to license your dog by June 30. The late fee of $20 begins on July 1. The $20.00 is added on to the regular fee of $12.00 or $15.00 – totaling $32.00 or $35.00. For questions, please call the clerk at 781-231-4104. Honoring the memory of Officer Vitale If your schedule is open late tomorrow morning (Saturday, June 15) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., head down to Harold L. Vitale Memorial Park on Ballard Street, where there will be a reception for six local high school students – including Madison Slane of Saugus – who will be awarded scholarships. “Our family has the honor of coming to this beautiful park named after Harold for over 25 years now, where we get to remember him for how he lived, not how he died,” said Les Vitale, President of the Memorial Fund. “This is very satisfying for us. Not many small organizations like ours are fortunate enough to host an event like this for more than 25 years, so we’re extremely grateful to have this opportunity,” he said. “To enjoy this day with these students and their families on the birthday. Eve of Father’s Day every year is really special. June 18th is the 34th Anniversary of Harold’s death and June 14 was his 77th To give his life in the line of duty at such a young age meant he missed a lot of things, like graduations, marriages and grandchildren, but we get to carry on that spirit for him.” This year marks the 27th consecutive year the Fund has granted scholarships. Bob Vitale, a retired Transit Police Officer and brother of the late Officer, said, “It’s always great to see a few of the veteran active members of the Department who remain on the job and some of the retirees come to the Park to enjoy this with us, but it’s really great to see so many of the younger guys show up to pay their respects. These guys don’t forget. A lot of the children of the officers have received scholarships, and this year will be more of the same.” “It’s not an exaggeration to say there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him” said his brother Dick Vitale. “He had that kind of impact on me – you could depend on him for anything, anytime, anywhere, no questions asked.” Eileen Vitale, wife of the late officer, remarked, “June 18 is always a tough day for me, always has been, always will be. I love that we still host the park reception and the annual golf tournament. It’s a great, proud way to keep Harold’s memory alive. Our charity work allows us to continue supporting victim advocacy organizations (National Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), N.E. C.O.P.S. and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), amazing organizations who reached out to help us back in 1985. When you’re down and not sure where to turn for help, they suddenly appear out of nowhere and help you learn how to cope. Doing all of this is really important to us and we continue to make an impact.” The Officer Vitale Memorial Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization and was created in 1992 some seven years after Officer Vitale’s death. Officer Vitale was killed in the line of duty in the early morning hours of June 18, 1985, while attempting to make an arrest when he was dragged over 1,000 feet to his death. Officer Vitale was 42 at the time and married to his wife, Eileen, where he lived in Ipswich with three children: Paul, Michelle and JacLyn. Officer Vitale’s badge #17 was retired upon his death. The Officer Vitale Memorial Park was constructed by the Town of Saugus in 1992 in his honor. The Memorial Fund will be hosting its annual Golf Tournament on Monday, August 5, at Ipswich Country Club at noon. (Information submitted by Les Vitale, President, Officer Harold L. Vitale Memorial Fund, Inc. c/o Caputo & Co, CPA’s, 99 Conifer Hill Dr., Suite 202, Danvers, MA 01923, or visit on the web at www.vitalememorialfund.org. All views in good taste welcomed Back earlier in the year, a reader who doesn’t like to hear differing viewpoints on local issues called and left long, rambling messages criticizing us for having certain people as the subjects of our weekly feature, “The Advocate Asks.” As I told somebody this week, “I’ll interview whoever wants to talk to us.” We wholeheartedly support the right of any citizen to speak out on issues no matter what their position is. Differing views. That’s what makes the world go round. Same thing with letters, as long they are not profane. Saugus over coffee, anyone? Back during several stints covering local political campaigns in Lawrence, I would organize neighborhood groups into several coffee klatches, where the residents would talk about major issues in their respective parts of the city. These were very popular sessions, as they would empower city voters to discuss issues on their mind and their wish lists of projects they liked to see discussed on the campaign trail. These were so successful, the citizens essentially set voter agendas for City Council, School Committee and sometimes mayoral races. Do you as a Saugus resident have issues that you would like to see public officials tackle in your neighborhood in town? Would you feel comfortable sitting down with a reporter over coffee focusing on what you would like to see done town-wide or in a specific neighborhood? Get some of your friends together and let’s have some coffee as you articulate what you think should be an issue tackled by town or school officials. A call for Rumney art If you want to learn a little more about the Rumney Marsh and be creative, check this one out. Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) is pleased to announce a call for art for its second annual Rumney Marsh art exhibition, to be held at the Marleah Elizabeth Graves (MEG) Center at 54-58 Essex Street, Saugus, Mass., on September 20 and September 21. Titled Rumney Marsh Through the Seasons, the exhibit will feature art in any medium inspired by the beauty and fragility of the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). DATES: ACEC: Rumney Marsh will run from September 20 through September 21, with gallery hours from 6:30–8:30 each evening. The opening reception on September 20 will include a presentation on the plants of Rumney Marsh by Laura D. Eisener and voting for award winners by attendees. The closing reception on September 21 will include the announcement of winners and presentation of prizes and, at 8:30, the pickup of all artwork. Prizes will include gift cards awarded by SAVE to first- and second-place winners in both the adult and high school divisions, as well as art materials awards provided by our local Artist & Craftsman Supply awarded to third-place winners in both divisions. SPECIFICATIONS FOR SUBMISSIONS: Rumney Marsh MUST be the focus of the art. Each artist must be at least of high school age and may show only one piece of art. Any threedimensional works must be self-supporting and no larger than 1.5”x1.5”x1.5”. Works on stretched canvas will be accepted with eye hooks and wire and need not be framed but must be no larger than 30” x 30”. All other works must be framed and ready to hang (with eye hooks and wire) and no larger than 30” x 30” framed. There are no entry fees AND you do not need to be a resident of Saugus. Art drop off will be on Thursday, September 19 from 5:30– 8:30. Pickup will be on Saturday, September 21 at 8:30 p.m., at the end of the reception. At the time of drop off, each participating artist must fill out an information form (with artist name, price, title of the piece, medium and contact information). In addition, artists must sign a release form acknowledging that while every effort will be made to protect artworks there will be no insurance coverage in event of damage or theft and that neither SAVE nor MEG will be held liable for any damages or theft. Saugus SAVE board members SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 19

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