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Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 YEAR | FROM PAGE 1 their meetings. Meanwhile, Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree in October declared the modification of school and municipal buildings so they are “pandemic proof” as his top priority. He told selectmen that he hopes to complete the project by year’s end and said it could cost up to $2.5 million and involves about a dozen town buildings. Crabtree said he planned to update the buildings with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems so that they are safe for town employees, Saugus residents and others who enter them. Virtually, every aspect of life as we know it has been aff ected adversely in Saugus this year because of the Coronavirus. Members of the Saugus High Class of 2020 had most of their major senior events and activities cancelled. And their graduation got pushed off until July, when fi nally 155 masked graduates practicing social distancing walked across the stage at Stackpole Field to receive their diplomas during the school’s 149th Commencement Exercises. It was the fi nal class to graduate from the old Saugus High. Perhaps the most difficult $1.94 aspect for people of all ages to accept is that family cookouts and get-togethers and enjoying parties or large sporting events can be hazardous to people’s health. That’s why federal health offi cials urged people to avoid visiting friends and family over the holidays this year. “I would imagine I contracted the virus from a longtime friend and lieutenant on the Saugus Fire Department,” Cogliano said in an interview this week. “I’m happy to say he’s also doing well in his recovery from COVID-19. “Our group of friends has stuck together in a small group since April,” he said. Cogliano got tested at Town Hall last week, and that’s how he learned of his infection. “The worst part for me is that I can’t sit still,” Cogliano said. “I love moving around the town, and being locked up in the house is torture… My advice to those who haven’t got it is to social distance, wear a mask, wash your hands and stay at home as much as possible. If you do happen to get it, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and get some rest.” Other major stories for 2020 Rounding out the newspaper’s list of top 10 stories for 2020: 2) Issues with Wheelabrator: The trash-to-energy plant on Route 107 once again drew signifi cant local media coverage, prompted by complaints from residents in East Saugus and Revere over loud noises and obnoxious odors emanating from the plant – considered to be one of the oldest incinerators in the country. But there was a new development this year, spurred by Board of Health Chair William Heff ernan and Board of Selectmen Chair Cogliano, who expressed interest in improving relations between Wheelabrator and the town, which have been strained in recent years. After months of discussion on the concept that began early in the year, the Board of Health in October fi nally created an 11-member subcommittee composed of town offi cials and residents to work together with Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc. in resolving a wide range of issues related to the plant. He noted that relations between Wheelabrator and the Board of Health deteriorated so badly several years ago that company representatives stopped coming to the board’s meetings because of lawsuits the board initiated. Meanwhile, according to Heffernan, adversarial relations hindered eff orts to resolve potential health problems and other issues aff ecting town residents – particularly those in Precinct 10, where the plant is located. “We need to get back to the table. ...This is not just about closing the landfi ll. Yes, that’s a huge piece of the puzzle,” he said, referring to the ash landfi ll located near the Wheelabrator plant. But there are a number of other ongoing issues which the town and company need to address, and they only can do so by working together, he added. One of the benefi ts of the subcommittee is that there will be an immediate response when problems arise at the plant, he stressed, adding that that was the reason for including a Fire Department offi cial as a member. 3) Challenges in Saugus Public Schools to provide students with a meaningful education while keeping the kids safe. For much of the last school year and all of the new school year so far, most of the students – other than those in Special Education classes – have relied on “remote learning” at home via computers to get an education. It’s clear to the local School Committee that students would be better served in the classroom than relying on them to apply themselves academically at home. Particularly frustrating to administrators, teachers, staff, students and parents is that the town isn’t making the most of a very modern and brand-new Saugus Middle-High School which opened this year. That building and the district-wide education plan that goes with it are at the heart of eff orts for turning around an underperforming school system 4) The hiring of several key department heads in Saugus town government. During recent years, Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree has complained to the selectmen and the Finance Committee that the town has trouble fi nding and keeping good department heads in key positions because the town doesn’t pay as well as many surrounding communities do. During 2020, Crabtree seemed to get solid backing from selectmen to recruit and pay good talent. Despite the Coronavirus, Crabtree was busy filling several key jobs in Saugus town government. In July, Crabtree hired Stoneham’s veteran Health Agent, John Fralick III, to begin his new job as the Saugus Director of Public Health – a position that went unfi lled for 18 months. Also in July, the town manager appointed Christopher Reilly as the Town’s new Director of Planning and Economic Development. That’s a position which had been vacant for 33 months. In August, Crabtree announced that the town’s new facilities engineer, Godfred Mbengam, had begun working in a new position that he hopes will lead to more effi cient and better maintained town municipal buildings. In October, Crabtree appointed Tony Wyman, who recently worked as a Labor Relations Specialist for the state Executive Offi ce of Health and Human Services in Boston, to become the new human resources director – thus taking care of another key position in his administration that has been diffi cult to fi ll. 5) The hiring of a new police chief. In what may be one of his most difficult – if not the toughest – personnel decision of his career in administering town government, Town Manager Crabtree announced in July his appointment of Lt. Michael Ricciardelli as the Police Department’s new chief. Several weeks earlier, Crabtree said in an interview that he was mulling over a challenging choice between two well-qualifi ed candidates that he knew personally and professionally when he was a Saugus police offi cer: Ricciardelli and Assistant Chief Ronald Giorgetti, who has served nearly two years as the interim Saugus police chief. Giorgetti had acquired invaluable experience, fi lling in for former Police Chief Domenic DiMella, who retired during the summer of 2018. Giorgetti had also served as DiMella’s number two offi cer for six years. But in the end, Crabtree selected Ricciardelli, a 25-year veteran of the department. 6) Election 2020. A week before Election Day, more than 43 percent of the town’s 20,291 registered voters had already cast their ballots for president and other federal, state and local candidates, so there were expectations of a potential record-setting vote in Saugus. Some found it surprising that Democrat Joe Biden won Saugus in a close vote over President Donald Trump, who had been the favorite of Saugus voters in winYEAR | SEE PAGE 6

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