Saugus paints the town crosswalks red

SAUGUS – Saugus residents walking around town may notice some big changes when they cross the street in some areas, after the Department of Public Works painted many town crosswalks red.?It brings some Saugus pride with bringing the Sachem colors to town,” said Town Manager Scott Crabtree. “I?ve thought about doing it before and one of the other things I?ve been thinking about doing is making the trash barrels at some of the ball fields red also.”Crabtree said the crosswalks that span the main roads near Saugus Center and Cliftondale Square have all been painted since last week, and he?s looking to expand the project to other crosswalks around town.?We?ve had such positive feedback from residents,” said Crabtree. “I give the DPW high marks. In the past this has been sent out to private contractors. We?re keeping it in-house.”Keven Wheeler said he likes the crosswalks because they?re brighter and safer, as he pushed his 1-year-old son Damian in a stroller down Lincoln Avenue Tuesday.?I walk on them with a baby carriage and people stop more,” said Wheeler. “I think they absolutely look nicer. They look cleaner and it fits with the town colors so that works.”Paul LaCorcia owns Lomas Flower in Cliftondale Square, and said the new crosswalks make the town look “cleaner” and “more professional.”?The other ones were all so worn out,” said LaCorcia. “You couldn?t even see them. I do like color. Overall I think it looks very nice.”Teri Babine, a bank teller at the Saugusbank across the street, also said she likes the new crosswalks because they “stand out.”Selectman Stephen Horlick said he?s a fan of the red crosswalks because not only are they more noticeable, but the work was done by Saugus? own DPW.?I?ve always been an advocate of keeping stuff in-house,” said Horlick. “Why are you sending out for a private contractor to paint the lines in the street and do the crosswalks? You might as well do it in-house because it gets done a lot quicker and you get a better deal. We get a better job too when the DPW does it. “Horlick said the crosswalks are also a part of a larger effort to clean up Saugus.?I think it looks a lot neater,” said Horlick. “Plus now we?ll be doing street sweeping on a regular basis, which we should have done all along, so I think the town will look a lot neater too. We?re getting what we should have gotten all along from the street sweeping contract, which is to have the town done on a regular basis through Cliftondale and Saugus Center.”Town Meeting member Al DiNardo said he thinks the new crosswalks are “great” and “really enhance” the town.But with the town of Saugus facing steep deficits for next year, DiNardo said it?s nice to see some improvements in town for once.?Saugus has been in the red so long it?s finally good to see that red meaning something positive,” said DiNardo.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].