THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2021 Page 3 Sinkhole problem remains unsolved at Saugus Middle-High School By Christopher Roberson W ith classes set to resume in less than two weeks at Saugus Middle-High School, the sinkhole that opened in the adjacent parking lot is still there. It was first discovered on the afternoon of August 9 and is approximately 15 feet long, eight feet wide and four feet deep. Saugus Police and the Department of Public Works responded by closing the section of Pearce Memorial Drive between Main Street and Highland Avenue. A chain-link fence was also put up around the sinkhole. Although it consumed four parking spaces, the sinkhole did not cause any injuries and no vehicles were damaged. Preliminary reports suggested that the underground water infiltration system may have collapsed, causing the ground above it to give way. However, there have been no concrete answers thus far from PMA Consultants, the owner’s project manager that oversaw the construction of the new SCHOOL | FROM PAGE 1 In addition, Grabowski described how he felt wearing a mask for the entire School Committee meeting on August 12. That was also the first time in 16 months that the committee was able to meet in person. “It was uncomfortable and hot. I concentrated more on the mask than on what was being discussed,” he said. “It was hard to understand what some people were saying. I can just imagine the frustrations of students and staff while trying to teach and learn.” Grabowski also said wearing masks could be particularly detrimental to students on the elementary level. “When it comes to the younger students, their learning is very much predicated upon face-to-face contact with teachers,” he said. “Learning to sound out letters and words is very much dependent on visual observation.” On the state level, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted, during its August 24 meeting, to authorize Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to put the mask mandate in place for the first month of school. The purpose of the mandate is “encourage higher vaccination rates among students and staff and to implement a uniform policy for The sinkhole that opened up on August 9 in the parking lot across the street from Saugus Middle-High School – thus far, PMA Consultants has yet to identify its cause or find a solution. (Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) school. “They are still in the process of trying to determine the cause,” said Town Manager Scott Crabtree. He said PMA is currently exploring both short-term and long-term ways to rectify the situation. “They’re still in those discussions and they are trying to work through that,” said Crabtree. He also said the timeline of the repair work could be further deall schools to begin the year.” After October 1, students and staff on the middle and high school levels can remove their masks provided they have been vaccinated. In addition, 80 percent of students and staff in each school must be vaccinated as well. “As students and staff prepare to return to school fulltime, in-person, our priority is on a smooth reopening,” said Riley. “With cases rising, this mask mandate will provide one more measure to support the health and safety of our students and staff this fall.” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito explained the reasoning for the 80 percent threshold. “Our goal remains to get as many people as possible vaccinated,” she said. “We hope that by instituting vaccine benchmarks among school populations we will create a real incentive for students and staff to get vaccinated so they can remove their masks.” Although Massachusetts has one of the best vaccination rates in the country, Education Secretary James Peyser said there is still work to be done. “The vaccination rates among young people in Massachusetts are among the highest in the nation, with 65 percent of 12-15-year-olds vaccinated, but we still need to do more to make sure our young people and educators are prolayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Once PMA arrives at a solution, Crabtree said, it will be the company’s responsibility to fund the repair costs and ensure that every possible measure is taken to prevent another incident. The middle-high school has been open since April 2020 and came at a cost of $186.1 million. tected from COVID-19,” he said. “Instituting universal masking mandates to further encourage vaccination rates among everyone in our schools is one measure we can take now.” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders also underscored the importance of getting vaccinated. “Increasing vaccination in our eligible residents is the most important thing we can do to ensure a safe return to the classroom for this upcoming school year,” she said.
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