SAUGUS – The town’s bylaw regarding early morning deliveries doesn’t need alteration, according to Town Counsel John Vasapolli because there is an escape clause so to speak for businesses written in.A weekend incident that hampered the delivery of newspapers to the Hamilton Street White Hen Pantry had several residents and some town officials calling for a bylaw change.Bylaw 601.02C states that deliveries are not to be made after 10 p.m. or prior to 7 a.m. However, Vasapolli pointed out that the bylaw goes on to state that the Selectmen have a right to grant exemptions to that rule.After receiving a flurry of phone calls from White Hen patrons, Selectmen Stephen Horlick and Stephen Castinetti each said they believed the bylaw should be altered to specifically remove newspaper deliveries from the article. Selectmen Michael Kelleher and Peter Rossetti both said it needn’t go that far since the board can grant waivers as it has for other establishments.White Hen’s General Manager John Rogalski said he felt he was being targeted because Monday he discovered he could buy newspapers at 18 different locations in town, many but not all on Route 1.But according to a list from the selectmen’s office only five establishments – four Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, all on Route 1 – have applied for and received waivers allowing early morning deliveries.It looks as if the list could grow by one more.”I would grant (Rogalski) a waiver on the newspapers in heartbeat,” said Kelleher.Police Chief Domenic DiMella said the bylaw was initially written to address late night and early morning Dumpster pick-ups, parking lot sweepers and deliveries made by large 18-wheeler trucks.Rogalski said all his newspaper deliveries are made in regular vehicles such as station wagons and SUVs, with the exception of one box truck, “but he kills his engine.”Horlick said waivers notwithstanding, he planned to rework the town’s bylaws to exempt newspaper deliveries and he hoped his colleagues would support it. His main concern, he said, is that the early morning delivery law doesn’t simply affect stores like the White Hen. Technically the bylaw would also impact individual people delivering newspapers door-to-door.”You can’t be taking jobs away from people in this economy,” he said.Kelleher said he simply doesn’t want anymore bylaws.”We have a bylaw and a rule for everything,” he said. “It makes things impractical. Before you know it people will be out there with sound meters. We can simply issue a waiver.”
