8

Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 20, 2025 “A testament” to the town’s fiscal stability Ten financial companies submitted bids to loan the town more than $11 million in general obligation bonds By Mark E. Vogler W hen it comes to loaning money to the Town of Saugus, town officials like to boast that there’s stiff competition among financial institutions. Finance Director & Treasurer/Collector Wendy A. Hatch made a point of emphasizing at last week’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting (June 11) that 10 financial institutions submitted bids on a General Obligation Municipal Purpose Loan of 2025 Bonds in the amount $11.85 million. “Let that hang there for a moment,” Hatch told selectmen. “That’s something to be proud of,” she said. Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree sounded thrilled with the news. “A big cry from zero,” Crabtree said. “We couldn’t borrow money when we took over,” he said, recalling the fiscal challenges his administration faced during his early years as town manager. Raymond James & Associates submitted the winning T he following Saugus students were named to the dean’s list for the Spring 2025 semester at Quinnipiac University: Madison Casaletto, Juliana Powers. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower than C. Full-time overall effectiveness of Saugus town government,” Federico said. “I hear it’s very difficult for businesses to get things done, working with the town. That’s a concern. We need to do something to bring better business into Saugus. We need to create an economic revival on Route One,” he said. Improving the business clibid, which included a premium of $770,900.70 that the town will receive as proceeds. The net reduction of the loan is $590,000, resulting in a loan of $11.3 million, according to documents Hatch provided selectmen. Her correspondence to the board included some additional good fiscal news. “Prior to the sale, S & P Global Ratings affirmed the Town’s ‘AA+’ longterm bond rating citing our cautious budgetary practices, positive operations and aggressive pension funding as positive credit factors,” Hatch wrote. Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the General Obligation Municipal Purpose Loan of 2025 Bonds. The loan covers the purchase of several items, including town building improvements, an aerial platform ladder truck that costs $2.1 million, bridge improvements, drainage capital improvements, parks and playgrounds, Department equipment-General Fud, sewer lift station improvements, sewer I & I Abatement, Department students must complete at least 14 credits in a semester, with at least 12 credits that have been graded on a letter grade basis to be eligible. Part-time students must complete at least six credits during a semester. Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, university locatTOWN ELECTION | FROM PAGE 2 mate in town goes hand in hand with improving the town’s educational system, according to Federico. “I think the schools need more funding. Teachers and parents have told me they are concerned about the classroom sizes growing,” said Federico, who volunteers as an assistant Little League coach in the T-Ball division, where he gets equipment-Sewer Enterprise Fund, lead and copper asset inventory, and Department equipment-Water Enterprise Fund. “I commend the administration for your fiscal responsibility and your fiscal policies,” Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeffrey Cicolini said. “It truly is a testament to what we have done,” he said. “This saves our residents millions of dollars in the course of a year, when you look at our rating and the rates that we are able to lock in and save money. And that really comes down to the pockets of our taxpayers,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s easy to overlook it. But I just want to commend, you, Mr. Manager [Crabtree], and Wendy and the entire fiscal administration team for the hard work you’ve put in. It is thankless, but it doesn’t go unnoticed,” he said. Selectman Michael Serino agreed with Cicolini’s assessment. “It’s a testament to your work and the manager’s work,” Serino told Hatch. Local residents named to dean’s list at Quinnipiac University ed in Hamden, Connecticut. It enrolls 9,400 students in 110 degree programs through its Schools of Business, Communications, Education, Computing and Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information, please visit qu.edu. to meet many parents. “If we bring more business to town to generate more money, we’ll be able to afford to spend more money on education. I’d like to focus on doing something with businesses for the town to ease the tax burden. And there’s no reason why Saugus schools can’t be a desirable location,” he said. Another top issue for Federico is making local governSaugus welcomes Strawberry Festival tomorrow A SWEET SIGN OF SUMMER: This sign will mark the Strawberry Festival event this Saturday — with old-fashioned strawberry shortcakes in the American Legion Hall. In addition, there will be a Garden Club plant sale, crafters and other vendors on the Roby School lawn beside Main Street. (Courtesy photo of Laura Eisener) By Laura Eisener T he Saugus Historical Society will be dishing out old-fashioned shortcakes along with soda and hot dogs in the American Legion Hall at 44 Taylor St. tomorrow (Saturday, June 21) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while the Saugus Garden Club holds its annual plant sale on the Main Street lawn of the diagonally adjacent Roby School at 23 Main St., along with vendors selling a variety of crafts. So far, the weather is expected to be good, and we will have a break from the past 13 Saturment more people-friendly and accessible to the average town resident. “I want to see more transparency in government,” Federico said. “A lot of residents have told me they would attend an event or be part of something if they only knew about it. I want to be the selectman that makes their voices heard or represents them,” he said. days, which included rain for at least part of the day. This annual festival has been held since the mid-1980s on the third Saturday of June. This is the first time in many years that it has landed just after the summer solstice, which falls in 2025 on June 20. As the first popular fruit to ripen as spring becomes summer, strawberries were the first taste of fresh fruit for early settlers after a winter of dried foods or preserved produce in New England. Now, it is a popular occasion for family and old-friend get-togethers or just for indulging in a traditional seasonal treat! Federico’s response to a questionnaire Here are some highlights of a questionnaire that The Saugus Advocate had emailed Federico in addition to this week’s interview. Q: How did your campaign kick-off go last Friday? How many attended and how much did you raise in funds? TOWN ELECTION | SEE PAGE 9

9 Publizr Home


You need flash player to view this online publication