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Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 Year in Review A monthly breakdown of the top stories in The Saugus Advocate during 2021 January Saugus has the eighth highest rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state during a recent twoweek period – a daily incidence rate of 104.6. Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano cancels selectmen’s meeting after his COVID-19 symptoms return. The Town hires additional public health nurse Teresa Riley-Singh to bolster the town’s efforts to protect residents from COVID-19. Students in grades kindergarten through high school will receive orientation as they get ready to return to the classroom for the first time in 10 months. Precinct 9 Town Meeting Member Robert Long urges results in study of proposed West Side Fire Station, a third fire station that would be located on the west side of Route 1. Saugus experiences close to 300 new COVID-19 cases within a week. A Wheelabrator official says acoustics study and installation of a new silencer system should eliminate noise problems at its trash-to-energy plant. The Massachusetts Senate passes the Saugus Emergency Relief Fund during the final hours of the Legislative session. The Saugus Fire Department thanks the community for the successful toy drive. In his fifth and final budget message, Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi, Jr. issues a pandemic budget warning that “the district will not be able to sustain this growth and progress in FY22 if we are faced with a similar situation.” With 213 new COVID-19 cases, Saugus tops the 3,000 mark. A recent spike in school-age children testing positive for COVID-19 influences the School Committee decision to delay return to classroom learning. Supt. DeRuosi calls out Saugus residents for disparaging School Committee chairs faced with making tough decisions. Work finally begins on replacing Bly Drawbridge. School Committee members cite shortcomings and unmet needs in DeRuosi’s 2022 Fiscal Year spending plan. Town Meeting Members will consider renaming the Saugus Senior Center after the late “Dick” Barry in session set for Feb. 16. Despite COVID-19, the Board of Selectmen hold on to ambitious plans for making a better Saugus. Selectman Corinne Riley gets a pen from Gov. Charlie Baker’s ceremonial bill signing that sets up an emergency relief fund for Saugus residents. The Town of Saugus reports 153 new COVID-19 cases. Saugus has received close to $11.5 million in Chapter 90 money over the last 21 years – including $625,000 for the 2021 Fiscal Year that ends July 30. Staff and residents of Chestnut Woods Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center get the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a clinic. February Saugus Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano criticizes a letter by the Revere City Council to the Wheelabrator Subcommittee calling for Wheelabrator to halt any further expansion of its ash landfill “premature.” Saugus health officials wrestle with COVID-19 communications issues; the health director’s office telephone receives too many calls to answer. The School Committee plans to meet with a consultant to map out plans for a superintendent search. COVID-19 confirmed cases drop from 153 to 79 within a week. A nor’easter drops four inches of snow on Saugus. A year of COVID-19 has been driving crime trends in Saugus; identity fraud is up by 490 percent. Improving Route 1 business district and a committee to study revitalizing Cliftondale Square are the main items for the upcoming Special Town Meeting. Saugus firefighters pull Paige Canale, 21, out of knee-deep mud along the banks of the Saugus River after she got stuck while filming her walk for TikTok. Saugus residents reflect on the passing of Wendy Reed, 57, the longtime clerk of the Board of Selectmen; she is remembered as a dedicated town employee and an equally devoted food pantry volunteer who oversaw the all-volunteer staff that runs it every Friday. The Town of Saugus reports 90 new COVID-19 cases. Town Meeting Member Bill Brown gets a $1,000 water bill cut in half after complaining about a broken water meter. Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree calls on Janice K. Jarosz, the former town employee who trained Board of Selectmen Clerk Wendy Reed about a quarter of a century ago, to fill the vacancy left by Reed’s unexpected death. A Special Town Meeting approves bylaw changes to steer new development in the business highway district toward more commercial and less residential. Blessed Sacrament Church holds an Ash Wednesday drive-by observance; people administering and receiving the ashes wear facial coverings to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19. Provided there’s not another post-vacation COVID-19 spike, Saugus Public Schools are scheduled to reopen classes for the first time in nearly a year under the Hybrid model – which allows for two days of in-person learning a week, alternating with remote learning. Former postal worker Brian Thibodeau, 48, of Danvers, is charged with stealing gift cards from residents on his Saugus mail route. Members vote to rename the Saugus Senior Center after longtime town government and community leader Dick Barry during a Special Town Meeting. Concerns about COVID-19 keep two Saugus Fire Department lieutenants from seeing their sons’ Firefighting Academy graduation ceremonies. The Town reports 68 new COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 continues to impact the crafting of the town manager’s annual budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year – nearly a $4 million increase for general fund and school operating budget. Saugus elementary school principals welcome the start of in-person learning as grades 6-12 return next week. The search for a new superintendent begins. First Congregational Church hosts a winter clothing drive for needy families. The Saugus Health Department will offer limited doses of COVID-19 vaccine, targets town’s high-risk population. The Town reports 60 new COVID-19 cases. Supt. David DeRuosi, Jr. urges parents of young children to prepare them for the sight of their teachers in masks. March The Health Director cites Roller World for violating the governor’s COVID-19 executive order by reopening three days early; a Roller World employee calls police because a large crowd that gathered outside refused to leave. The Town reports 71 new COVID-19 cases. The School Committee seeks citizens who would like to serve on the superintendent’s search committee. Saugus schools switch from remote learning to hybrid learning, where they can spend part of their school week learning in-person after a year of remote learning at home. A year after COVID-19 hit, the hurt goes on for Saugus and the nation. Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Joe Vecchione talks about his expectations for the Town Meeting-created committee to study the revitalization of Cliftondale Square. Chainsaw sculptor Howard Wolff attracts drivers’ attention with the wildlife art he creates from reclaimed logs along the roadside of Walnut Street. The Town reports 45 new COVID-19 cases. Citizens help develop the profile for what the next superintendent should be. Town residents will get another chance to contribute to the crafting of the town’s revised Master Plan – Saugus United 2035. The Finance Committee begins review of the town’s FY22 budget with an eye on COVID-19. If it were not for the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic about a year ago, the Town of Saugus would be more involved with making streets safer for the driving public, Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli says. Lynnhurst rock musician Brian Maes releases a book about life on the road. The Town reports 72 new COVID-19 cases. Residential fires cost less than a third of the estimated losses than in the previous year (2019). A second public visioning forum produces preliminary goals in economic development, transportation and public facilities components of the town’s revised Master Plan. The School Committee assembles a 15-member Superintendent Search Committee. Longtime East Saugus businessman Andrew Cogliano dies at age 80 – just a week before becoming a great-grandfather for the first time. The Town reports 106 new COVID-19 cases. April Colleagues call for School Committee Member Arthur Grabowski’s resignation over alleged “racist” remarks. When The Rev. John T. Beach looks at the lawn of the St. John’s Episcopal Church rectory on Central Street, he sees the potential for a community garden with a wide variety of vegetables to help feed the town’s hungry. The Saugus High School Cheering Squad makes an Easter card delivery to Chestnut Woods Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center. A proposed 40B project is planned for the Hilltop property that would include 300 units of rental property; Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree says completion of the project would probably increase the town’s affordable housing to 11.5 percent of the town’s total housing stock. (In communities where less than 10 percent of the housing qualifies as “affordable,” developers can avoid local zoning bylaws and restrictions. Saugus affordable housing constitutes 6.9 percent of the housing stock.) The Town reports 94 new COVID-19 cases. The Cliftondale Revitalization Committee launches a new effort to overcome challenges plaguing the town’s historic business district for nearly four decades. School Committee Vice-Chair Ryan Fisher says committee Member Arthur Grabowski’s “racist” comments could undermine efforts to improve race relations if left unchallenged. The rebranding of Wheelabrator: The owner of the Saugus trash-to-energy plant combines with nine other firms to form WIN Waste Innovations. Students, parents and administration embrace heading back to school for in-person learning. Volunteers at the Saugus United Food Pantry operating out of the Cliftondale Congregational Church get some help from the National Guard. The Superintendent Search Committee expects to begin interviewing candidates to replace Superintendent David DeRuosi, Jr. The preliminary draft of the town’s Master Plan offers a Cliftondale YEAR IN REVIEW | SEE PAGE 11

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