DPW program helps teens keep busy

SAUGUS – A new job program from the Saugus Department of Public Works is keeping local teens busy this summer.DPW Director James Waugh said six current and just-graduated high-schoolers are working for the department as part of its summer work program.”These are kids that are 17 or 18 out of high school and getting ready to go to college,” said Waugh. “We’ve had it in years past but we’ve never had it funded. This year we had it funded just to assist us with the cleaning of the roadways, trash, debris and brush cutting. After the first few days they didn’t realize the amount of stuff the Public Works takes care of. The hardest thing is keeping track of the grass and the weeds.”Waugh said he’s had the kids cleaning up the town centers and painting sidewalks.”We had them go through the squares painting some of the curbs and trying to clean up Saugus Center and Cliftondale Square to try and make it look nice,” said Waugh. “Everything is working out well. They’re young kids, so you have to have someone to supervise them. It’s a job, but they have fun. They’re kids, but they do their jobs.”Junior Steve Kay was one of the six teens cleaning up the Anna Parker Playground Monday afternoon. Kay said he thinks the job is “awesome.””It’s a nice job,” said Kay. “It’s only for the summer, five days a week. You get the weekends off.”Kay also said there’s a sense of Saugus pride that goes with it.”I’m a Sachem at heart,” he said.Owen Gillis said he’s been doing “a lot of weed-whacking” while Dominic DiPesa, who has a second job at Stop & Shop, said he likes working for the DPW because it gives him “something to do.”Nick Hegarty just graduated from Saugus High and will be going to Bridgton Academy in Maine next year to play hockey. On Monday, Hegarty said he got a call from selectman Julie Mitchell urging him to take the job.”It’s not easy finding a job, so this is good,” said Hegarty as he took a break from weed-whacking at Anna Parker.Hegarty said he’ll be able to save some money for next year as well.Waugh said the addition of six new workers has been a help to a department that has seen major cuts in manpower recently.”It’s tough,” said Waugh. “We only have a few people down here at the Public Works, so it makes it very daunting. I was talking to a friend of mine over in Melrose. There are 50 people working in Melrose; we have 12.”Mitchell said she thinks the work program is “wonderful,” especially with summer jobs so hard to come by for high-schoolers.”It’s keeping the kids busy and it’s helping the town,” said Mitchell. “I wish we had more programs like this and I hope we continue it. To be able to hire all these young kids and give them a little bit of money, and have them do things we normally wouldn’t get done because our DPW is so small right now is an absolute wonderful thing.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].