Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 SELECTMEN | FROM PAGE 1 of viewers, reminiscent of that old game show, “Hollywood Squares.” Cogliano and three of his colleagues (Selectman Michael Serino was unable to make the meeting for health-related reasons) all seemed to be happy, sitting in their chairs in front of the red stage curtain. About a dozen people, most of them participants who had business on the agenda, were there for the long-anticipated “in-person” session. No major votes were taken. The most significant aspect of the meeting was the return of the five-member body to the “normal” routine of public meetings. Meanwhile, the School Committee is still conducting its meetings via Zoom because money apparently wasn’t budgeted to pay for camera equipment at the Belmonte School – the future site of the School Committee Room. “I want to meet in person as much as anyone, but it’s more important we maintain a visual record of our meetings and allow as much audience participation as possible,” School Committee Vice-Chair Ryan Fisher said. “Until the cameras are in place or we’re able to arrange another space to hold televised meetings, we’ll stay on Zoom. It shouldn’t be too much longer,” he said. “This week there was a conflict but hopefully we can use Town Hall. I think it should only be a week or two, so whatever works best.” Here are the highlights from the 84-minute selectmen’s session: –Town Clerk Ellen Schena briefed the board on the temporary relocation of Precinct 1 and 3 voting polls to the Saugus Middle-High School gymnasium for the Nov. 2 Town Elections and the return of Precincts 4 and 8 polls back to their permanent location at the Belmonte School. –Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Christopher P. Riley addressed the board on his concerns about trash, rodent problems, late night deliveries, drug activity and other issues at the 7-Eleven on Lincoln Avenue which have been affecting the neighborhood adversely. –Margaret Lankow asked the board to take action about her concerns on heavy truck traffic cutting through town, often using neighborhood roads. –Selectmen reviewed Selectman Michael Serino’s letter complaining about “caravans of tractor trailers through Saugus, in particular the Cliftondale area.” –Selectmen approved a Special Permit (S-2) for Kyle Bochniak to operate a Martial Arts and Fitness establishment at 171 Broadway (Route 1) in Saugus. –Selectmen approved a Special Permit (S-2) for Brian Morrison to allow a barber shop to be located at 133 Essex St. –Selectmen approved the appointment of Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Joe Vecchione as a member to the Planning Board. Selectman Jeff Cicolini called it a “fantastic” appointment. “I really think it’s going to be a great addition to our Planning Board,” he said. –Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree advised the board that he will be scheduling a meeting soon on the recent Fire Department study as it relates to the town building a third fire station to cover the west side of town. Crabtree called the upcoming meeting “the first step” toward seeking a location, developing a plan and seeking public financing for a new fire station. –Board of Selectmen ViceChair Corinne Riley announced that tentative plans are in the works for the late afternoon of September 19 for a prayer vigil for town residents who lost their lives to COVID-19. –Selectmen approved several appointments, including the appointment of Sabrina Jaeger to the Saugus Library Board of Trustees and the reappointment of Board Member Gail Murray. Rep. Wong supports temporarily extending certain COVID-19 policies Continuation of outdoor dining, virtual meetings included in bill (Editor’s Note: The following info is from a press release issued this week by State Representative Donald Wong [R-Saugus].) S tate Representative Donald Wong (R-Saugus) joined with his House and Senate colleagues to temporarily extend several policy changes that were implemented during the COVID-19 state of emergency to assist municipalities, businesses and residents. Senate Bill 2475, An Act relative to extending certain COVID-19 measures adopted during the state of emergency, was enacted by the House of Representatives on June 15 on a roll call vote of 150-10, and it was signed by Governor Charlie Baker on June 16. The bill represents a compromise negotiated by a six-member conference committee, which worked to reconcile the differences between earlier versions of the bill previously approved in both legislative branches. Representative Wong said Senate Bill 2475 allows for several pandemic-related changes to continue through the end of this year, and in some cases into next year. For example, the bill • extends outdoor table service and outdoor alcohol service until April 1, 2022 • extends the sale of cocktails “to go” in conjunction with food takeout orders until May 1, 2022 • requires the price of the alcohol to be the same whether it is consumed at the restaurant or off-premises • allows government bodies to continue to conduct meetings virtually until April 1, 2022, as long as members of the public can easily access the proceedings in real time and participate remotely • allows quorum requirements for Town Meetings to be reduced to not less than 10% of the normal quorum requirement, through December 15, 2021 • requires landlords, until January 1, 2023, to include a form with a notice to quit for nonpayment of rent that informs tenants about their Donald Wong State Representative rights in an eviction case and rental assistance options • extends virtual reverse mortgage counseling until December 15, 2021 • allows notaries public to continue using electronic videoconferencing to perform acknowledgements, affirmations and other notarial acts until December 15, 2021 • allows public corporations, including nonprofit corporations, to conduct shareholder meetings solely by means of remote communication until December 15, 2021 The state of emergency was in effect since March 10, 2020. With more than 4 million Massachusetts residents now fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, Governor Charlie Baker ended the state of emergency on June 15.
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