Saugus welcomes new parks superintendent

SAUGUS – Saugus recently welcomed Michael Quijano-West, new National Park Service superintendent of Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works, to the community with a reception held at the M.E.G. Community Building.Various Saugus organization members and elected officials attended to support Quijano-West, and to promote the town?s rich history and culture.The reception gave representatives from local historical and cultural groups the opportunity to discuss ways of highlighting Saugus? unique assets, according to Sean Grant, Saugus Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.Such organizations include the Saugus Historical Commission, the Saugus Rotary Club, the Saugus Public Library and the Essex National Heritage Commission. Bringing Quijano-West and these organizations together offers the renewed possibility of partnering to promote the town and the Iron Works, Grant said.?The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, as a unit of the National Park Service, preserves and interprets the significant history and natural beauty of the unit for the enjoyment of all visitors to the North Shore region. We look forward to working with the Saugus Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Saugus, the Essex National Heritage Area and all our partners and organizations that promote the rich natural and cultural heritage of Saugus,” Quijano-West said in a press release.The Saugus Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recently invited the National Park Service to join the board to encourage such partnerships, according to Grant. Quijano-West accepted the invitation at the reception and agreed to be the representative for the National Park Service.?We thought it would be important to include the National Park Service on the board to close the loop as far as the connection between NPS and Saugus,” Grant said. “In other communities where the National Park Service has a presence, there?s a strong connection with their chamber, so we felt like they?re very important to help with economic growth.”Grant cited Lowell as a prime example of how the National Park Service can help revitalize downtown areas and bring programming and events into the community. For instance, NPS partners with the City of Lowell to hold the annual Lowell Folk Festival, the largest free folk festival in the nation. Grant said he hopes the partnership with NPS will help to bring such events to Saugus.?Holding a free concert at the Iron Works is an example of what the chamber can do next summer. It will open the Iron Works up to community, and allow it to be something that residents can enjoy,” Grant said.Quijano-West replaces Patricia Trap, who was recently named deputy regional director for the National Park Service Midwest Region. He began his career with the National Park Service at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso in 1983 while studying cultural anthropology and foreign languages at the University of Texas at El Paso. He held a number of positions n including law enforcement park ranger, horse patrol supervisor and acting facility manager n before serving as the Chief Ranger in the Division of Resource Protection and Management at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque. In 2004, Quijano-West became superintendent of Springfield Armory.Jessica Trufant can be reached at [email protected].