Saugus parks in need of attention

SAUGUS-Saugus might be “Someplace Special” but its parks are looking more like someplace neglected.Residents on Bristow Street recently complained and got their sadly neglected park spruced up. The town’s other 10 parks, while not as dismal, could stand a little attention.But some are questioning whose job is it to take care of the parks and whether they should be a priority now that money is tight.Town Meeting member Al DiNardo found it frustrating that Town Manager Andrew Bisignani claimed he had no funds to replace downed trees at the Veterans Cemetery, but found money to clean up the park.Bisignani said he rejects DiNardo’s argument mainly “because we don’t plant trees. Bristow was in deplorable condition and could have been a liability issue as well.”The Bristow Street park was saturated with mud, covered in graphic graffiti and overgrown with weeds – so much so that the rock bearing the dedication to John J. Bucchiere was hardly noticeable.Bisignani said the town spent probably $3,000 cleaning it up, but he is hardly going to apologize for it.”We picked up broken bottles and cleaned up and painted over graffiti,” he said. “That park hadn’t had attention in years.”Bisignani said he would like to add lights to the park to dissuade youths from congregating there at night.The work was handled by the Department of Public Works. DPW Superintendent Joseph Attubato said his department tries to maintain the parks, but his resources are limited and spread thin.”We do the best we can with what we have and we don’t have the personnel,” he said. “I know some people don’t like that Anna Parker was taken over (by Youth Soccer) or that Bob Davis took over (World Series Park) on Hurd Street. But to us it was a blessing.”One Bristow Street resident wondered why the town doesn’t ask the residents to help. She said she thought the general public would probably pitch in to clean up a park if it meant their kids had a place to play.Selectman Michael Kelleher said he is actually thinking of holding such a program in the spring, sort of a town clean up.Lynnhurst Principal Susan Carney said that is mainly how the park adjacent to her school is maintained.”Quite frankly the neighbors keep it picked up,” she said. “I’m not sure who is supposed to do it. The teachers will pick up papers and the custodians if they see them.”Carney said the playground is more of a tot lot than a playground and she wouldn’t mind seeing it updated, but she understands it’s not a priority.The Oaklandvale School has one of the nicest parks in town but the school and PTO have provided most of the funding. Stackpole Park is perhaps the most neglected and is dark with broken swings and a tired climbing apparatus.Bisignani said he would like to give the parks more attention, but it simply isn’t within the town’s budget at the moment.”We have a Parks Department with limited resources,” he said. “It’s two guys to take care of all the parks. About all we can do is cut the grass.”