THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 13, 2024 Page 11 Attorney General approves rail trail bylaw, seeks 90-day extension to review Article 18 By Mark E. Vogler T he Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has approved a bylaw passed at the May Annual Town Meeting that empowers police to regulate activity on the 2.5 miles of Northern Strand Community Trail that runs through Saugus. A major feature of the rail trail bylaw approved by Town Meeting is a 15 mph speed limit for motorized vehicles on a multiuse trail, including electric bicycles and electric scooters. The regulations also define potential uses and stipulate restrictions. Violations of the ordinance can be punishable by a $100 fine for a first offense and a $250 fine for each additional offense. Police also have the power to tow and store at the owner’s expense any unauthorized vehicles. When the Saugus segment of the rail trail opened in late 2022, selectmen – including Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta – began fielding new complaints about dangerous situations involving speeding bicycles and motorized vehicles putting joggers and walkers at risk. Those concerns prompted Panetta to craft an article to create a town Founder’s Day Heroes H ere is a list of the past “Persons of the Year” since the award became a key part of Saugus Founders Day in 1989. In 1993, separate awards were presented to a woman and a man selected for the honor. During the 35 years that the award has been presented (Nobody was honored during two years of COVID-19), there have been 62 honorees. The plaque is inscribed with this tribute: “In Recognition of Your Dedication to The Town of Saugus. This Award Truly Exemplifies the Outstanding Ideals and Spirit of Our Founding Fathers. THE TOWN OF SAUGUS SALUTES YOU.” Year – Recipient 1989 – Stanley Day 1990 – William McKinney 1991 – Belden Bly 1992 – Dr. Herb Upton 1993 – Alice Vail & James Virnelli 1994 – Barbara MacKenzie & John Lumsden 1995 – Kathy Blasingame & Edwin “Bucker” Holmes 1996 – Rosemary Degregorio & Clayton Trefry 1997 – Marie Poitras & Rev. Walter Smith 1998 – Therese Nolan & Ken Barnes 1999 – Louise Rossetti & Nancy & Earl Ellis 2000 – Barbara & Ralph Badger & Charles Aftosmes 2001 – Carol Cashman & Dr. Frederick Wagner 2002 – Donna Gould & Rev. Roger Nelson 2003 – Florence Chandler & Norman Hansen 2004 – Ellen Burns & Carmine Moschella 2005 – Janet Leuci & John Burns 2006 – Marilyn Carlson & Richard Barry 2007 – Jean Banks & Bob Davis 2008 – Janice Jarosz & Fred Brooks 2009 – Ann Marie Crowell & Harry Mazman 2010 – Shirley Bogdan & Doug Cooper 2011 – Katie Galenius & Stephen Rich 2012 – Dorothy Amsden & Peter Bogdan 2013 – Margie Berkowitch & Stephen Carlson 2014 – Ann Devlin & Gordon Shepard 2015 – Joyce Rodenhiser & Timothy Hawkes 2016 – Donna Manoogian & Edward Carlson 2017 – Ruth Berg & Robert Long 2018 – Janette Fasano & Peter Manoogian 2019 – Debra Dion-Faust & Randy Briand 2020 – No recipients/event canceled (COVID-19) 2021 – Event held, but no recipients (COVID-19) 2022 – Laura Eisener & Thomas Sheehan 2023 – Gail Cassarino & Jack Klecker 2024 – TO BE ANNOUNCED bylaw with regulations for the rail trail at this year’s Annual Town Meeting. After hearing a few of the horror stories from residents, including from their own colleagues, Town Meeting members voted unanimously to approve the bylaw which also bars cars, motorcycles, ATV vehicles and other gas-powered vehicles from the rail trail. Article 27, referred to as the rail trail bylaw, was one of six articles passed by Town Meeting which were recently approved by the Attorney General’s Municipal Law Unit. In a Sept. 6 letter received by Town Clerk Ellen Schena, Assistant Attorney General Kelli E. Gungan indicated that the Municipal Law Unit needed a 90-day extension to make a decision on Article 18’s consistency with state law. Article 18 – which establishes environmental performance standards for solid waste facilities subject to Board of Health enforcement – passed by a margin of 44-1 this spring. The article was initially drafted in 2014 and passed by the Annual Town Meeting. But the state Attorney General’s Office determined that provisions in the article were more restrictive than what state law allowed. State law provides a fine of $300 per violation, while the town bylaw as previously introduced allowed a fine of $1,000 per violation. Article 18 was intended to correct the flaw identified in the 2014 version of the article. “I am pleased that the attorney general approved the articles, and I sincerely hope they approve article 18 in the near term,” Selectman Chair Panetta said. “I want to thank our Town Manager and our Town Meeting members for all their hard work,” she said.
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