Saugus Town Meeting gets off to slow start

SAUGUS – With 46 articles in this year’s Annual Town Meeting Warrant, Town Meeting members voted on just eight Monday, as the town’s financial situation is still up in the air pending the completion of a forensic audit.Town Meeting voted unanimously to approve articles 27 through 33, which accept Athens Drive, Sycamore Lane, Hickory Lane, Juniper Drive, Hull Drive, Laurine Road, Manter Court, Stillings Road and Thistle Road.Department of Public Works Director Joe Attubato said adding the streets will help Saugus with state aid.”In the last four or five years, approximately 125 miles of road are maintained and we only get credit for 78,” said Attubato. “These streets will give us more money for Chapter 90 funding.”Town Meeting also voted to rezone property at 10 Lynn Fells Parkway from commercial to single-family residential.Town Meeting member Peter Manoogian said it was “very obvious” that there are wetlands in the area and said he was curious as to how the Town Meeting members from Precinct 9 feel about this.Town Meeting members Ellen Faiella, Peter Rossetti and Maureen Dever all spoke in favor of the article.Faiella said rezoning will help improve the area.”When you look at this map, there are many, many homes around there,” said Faiella. “I think it enhances the community and I think it helps it.”Town Manager Scott Crabtree updated Town Meeting members on the current financial situation and said a “conservative estimate” of next year’s deficit ranges from $3 million to $4 million.”We’re in this together,” said Crabtree. “I live here just like everyone else. This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about moving forward and figuring out where we want to go as a community.”Joanne Vannah of the Alternative Energy Committee gave an update on the ongoing feasibility study for wind turbines off of Route 107.Vannah said a meteorological tower has been up for three months to measure wind speeds in the area and noted she is expecting to see some wind data by the fall.”A lot of the conversation about this project has been about, ‘Yes it’s good for the environment,’ but we already know this,” said Vannah. “Unfortunately I think most people don’t think about this as generating revenue for the town. This has the potential to generate revenue and the town desperately needs that.”Town Meeting will reconvene on May 21.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].