Saugus Fire Chief: Station closure ‘a town-wide problem’

SAUGUS – Saugus Fire Chief Donald McQuaid notified the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night that the Essex Street Fire Station will be closed intermittently starting at the end of the month.McQuaid said the department currently has three nine-man groups and one eight-man. With staffing requirements at a nine-man minimum, McQuaid said the station will be closed “the majority of the time.”McQuaid said that he?s still waiting to hear whether the town will be awarded a grant for eight new firefighters.?This is just not a problem for the citizens near Essex Street but a town-wide problem,” said McQuaid. “I understand the town is in a tough financial situation. But if we can find $100,000 to get through the fall and maybe we can get the grant to get eight more men.”Town Manager Scott Crabtree said having one fire station for a community like Saugus is “unrealistic” and laid blame with the past administration.?It?s unfortunate that the philosophy and the management decisions haven?t been the best for the town, and we?re suffering for that,” said Crabtree.In other business the board voted unanimously Tuesday night to enter a regional veterans service district with Melrose and Wakefield.Crabtree pointed to the town?s financial issues and said Saugus needs to find “new and more efficient ways to deliver town services” to “stretch every tax dollar as far as possible.”Ryan McLane, the Director of the Melrose/Wakefield Veterans Services, will take over in Saugus and gave a presentation on the new district.?We want to look at every avenue to make sure veterans get the services they deserve,” said McLane, who is in the National Guard and has done tours of duty in Iraq and in Afghanistan.McLane said services for Saugus will expand in the district and cost the town $38,700.?These three towns already work together in a lot of ways and I think this will work,” said McLane. “I think the veterans will get behind this.”Melrose Mayor Robert Dolan and Wakefield Town Administrator Stephen Maio were also on hand Tuesday. Dolan said regionalization will be an important issue for surrounding communities and noted that Melrose already is working with other cities and towns on certain services.?The only way we?re going to survive is to embrace this regionalization,” said Dolan. “The veterans agency is working fabulously. It?s worked so well in Wakefield. I envision a day when someone from Melrose may have to come to Saugus Town Hall for a building permit.”Vice Chairman Steve Castinetti thanked McLane for his work and said he liked the new district because it?s “proactive instead of reactive.”?A lot of veterans are entitled to benefits that they don?t know exist,” said Castinetti.In other business, after a heated debate between selectmen Chairman Michael Serino, Castinetti and selectman Stephen Horlick, the board voted 3-2 to deny a liquor license transfer for Sully C?s Bar and Grill. Serino, Horlick and selectman Debra Panetta voted in favor of denying the transfer. The board also extended a special permit for Aggregate Industries to allow the removal of earth and rock for six months and voted 4-1 to request two additional liquor licenses with restrictions for seating and location.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].