Saugus officials skip FEMA meeting at town hall

SAUGUS – The Federal Emergency Management Agency held a multi-community meeting at Saugus Town Hall last week to discuss new flood maps for Essex County. But while officials from towns like Nahant and Swampscott attended, no one from Saugus was present.The updated maps will require some residents who previously weren?t considered to be in a flood zone to purchase flood insurance, and last week?s meeting was held so town officials could learn more about the review process and ask questions about new flood hazard data, according to an invitation letter from FEMA.The letter, which is dated July 19, was sent to selectmen Chairman Michael Serino and cc?d to Building Inspector Fred Varone, Town Manager Scott Crabtree, Temporary Department of Public Works Director James Waugh, Conservation Commission Chairman Albert Trifone, Conservation Officer Frank McKinnon, Planning Board Chairman Peter Rossetti, Board of Appeals Chairman Catherine Galenius, Director of Public Health Frank Giacalone and Fire Chief Donald McQuaid.?This meeting is particularly relevant to planning staff, zoning administration, building inspector/code enforcement officers as well as your flood hazard administrative officer,” said the letter.Serino said Monday that the Conservation Commission is “usually on top of that,” noting “there?s not much you can do about the maps anyhow.”?If you don?t accept them, then that means most of the homes in East Saugus wouldn?t be able to get a mortgage,” said Serino.Serino also said with family obligations, “you can?t go to everything.”?I?m busy, busy, busy all the time,” said Serino. “For a volunteer job, this certainly turned out to be a full-time job.”Conservation Officer Frank McKinnon acknowledged that no one attended. McKinnon said he?s not supposed to be in charge of floodplain maps, but Building Inspector Fred Varone is.?I didn?t have a copy of the plans a couple of months ahead of time to know what the difference was,” said McKinnon. “I wasn?t going to go to a meeting where I knew nothing of what was going on so I didn?t attend it. I guess nobody did. The only one that received the hard copy of the plans and the DVD was Fred Varone.”Varone said Monday he was never notified of the meeting and said since his assistant retired, he?s doing the job of two people now.?It probably is in my box still,” he said. “I?m the enforcer of the Architectural Access Board, I?m the commissioner for the ADA, I?m the zoning officer, I?m the building commissioner ? they throw everything on me. I?m going to look into that and see why I wasn?t invited. Evidently I didn?t get it for some reason because I don?t remember reading it.”Rossetti said he was never notified of the meeting even though he knows he was on the distribution list.?It?s entirely possible it was mailed to the Planning Board at 25 Main St., but our offices are no longer there,” said Rossetti. “I didn?t know anything about it. When I found out, apparently it was 2 to 4 in the afternoon, which seems like for most people that wouldn?t be the most convenient time. I didn?t know about it. I certainly would have tried to have been there.”Kerry Bogdan, a senior engineer for FEMA, said there will be a public comment period for any resident to comment or appeal the new maps. Bogdan said a letter of final determination will be sent to towns in January, and towns will have six months to comply by updating ordinances and bylaws.?There will be areas that have changed,” she said. “If they?re changing flood zones ? it will have an influence on their flood insurance premiums ? Some people could find themselves having to get insurance that previously hadn?t. There are also areas that are coming out of the floodplain. It?s very site specific.”