Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2021 Harvested community garden vegetables donated to the community’s less fortunate By Tara Vocino A s fall began, people who harvested vegetables grown from the community garden at St. John’s Episcopal Church continued their delivery of food to the local food pantries. According to St. John’s Episcopal Church Rev. John Beach, a 3,000-square-foot and 600-square-foot garden in his church rectory’s garden area and front lawn produced 100 pounds of tomatoes, or five bushels, within the last month. Last week, they grew 45 pounds of tomatoes and 10 pounds of potatoes. In September, volunteers harvested 10 pounds of radishes, 23 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of tomatoes and six bags of basil. In August, they grew 20 pounds of tomatoes, 10 ounces of onions and one bag of basil. Approximately 40 volunteers in total came out, averaging 8 to 10 people weekly. The garden has been successful, and Rev. Beach intends to continue the program into next spring/ summer. “It’s been great working with these volunteers,” Rev. Beach said. “My first time garNot welcome here Saugus selectmen join Revere officials and local legislators in opposing Boston’s proposal to relocate “Methadone Mile” to Quality Inn in Revere By Mark E. Vogler T he Board of Selectmen held an emergency meeting on Sept. 30 to discuss and brief the public on a Boston official’s proposal to relocate the “Methadone Mile” to the Quality Inn in Revere near the Saugus town line. “There is no way this board is going to support something like this,” Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano declared during the session that lasted more than an hour. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure it never happens,” Cogliano said. Selectmen agreed to support a letter already signed by two state legislators who represent the town and Revere city officials who have opposed the City of Boston’s proposal to turn the closed motel into a transitional homeless center that would serve that city’s residents. State Rep. Jessica Ann Giannino (D-Revere) and state Rep. Donald H. Wong (R-Saugus) have been circulating a letter with local officials in Revere and Saugus and members of the state legislature seeking support in opposing the proposal. “It is with great urgency that we write to you today regarding the untenable position that Boston Public Health Commission [BPHC] has put vulnerable residents, the City of Revere and Town of Saugus in,” the two local legislators wrote in their letter. “More specifically, we are appalled by the lack of transparency, communication, accountability, or even basic courtesy that the Boston Public Health Commission has displayed in concocting and attempting to execute a ‘regional’ plan to address the disaster within its own jurisdiction on Melnea Cass Boulevard by converting the Quality Inn Hotel at 100 Morris Street, Revere, to a homeless transitional center,” Giannino and Wong wrote in their letter. In a cover letter, the two legislators reasoned, “If the City of Boston can put the City of Revere and Town of Saugus in this situation, they can do this to any community. “We are asking that you signify your support by signing on to the letter attached which expresses that this plan is an unacceptable regional approach. We will submit the letter to Dr. Ojikutu of the BPHC.” The issue came to a head last week when Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo learned from the BPHC about the plan to address the long-standing homelessness and substance abuse problems at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard by shuttling homeless people to the closed motel along Route 1. In addressing selectmen at last week’s meeting, Rep. Wong said he doesn’t believe that Boston had a viable plan for dealing with a homeless population plagued by drugs. “This is NOT WELCOME | SEE PAGE 19 Volunteers Bruce and Judy Maxwell, at left, deliver the vegetables to local food pantries Friday mornings. At right are St. John’s Episcopal Church Rev. John Beach and his wife, Denise Bénéteau. (Saugus Advocate photos by Tara Vocino) Denise Bénéteau weighs 12 pounds of tomatoes to deliver to those in need. dening, I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.” Volunteer Laura Eisener, who is also a Saugus Garden Club member, said the project turned out well, adding that it was a nice range of crops. The club donated blueberry plants in July. “I think people enjoyed being in the garden and learned a lot,” said Eisener, whose favorite vegetable is ELECTION | FROM PAGE 1 ferencing platform for participating candidates. The event will be broadcast live on Channel 8 by Saugus Community TV (SCTV) at 7 p.m. for public viewing, and the recording will be made available on https://vimeo.com/saugustelevision within a few business days. “As we have in the past, SAVE provides this public service forum so that each candidate for the Board of Selectmen has the opportunity to share their views on the critical environmental issues facing our Town,” SAVE said in a recent press release. “While this year’s virtual format is a departure from our usual in-person event, we feel that givFinal Day to register to vote Any Saugus resident who is not a registered voter has until Wednesday (Oct. 13) to register to vote in the town’s Nov. 2 election. The Town Clerk’s Office will be open that day from 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. ELECTION | SEE PAGE 21 Law Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com sweet, purple tomatoes to place inside a salad. Five weeks into the delivery, volunteer Judy Maxwell, who picked up vegetables with her husband, Bruce, to deliver, said she’s thrilled with the outcome, adding that there’s a lot more to go. ing the candidates an opportunity to share their environmental goals and concerns, in any format, is so important for informed voting,” the SAVE statement continued. For more information about SAVE, please visit the group’s website at http://www.SaugusSAVE.org and follow the link to its Facebook group.
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