GLSS to maintain its vehicles on Lynnway

LYNN – Greater Lynn Senior Services will not have to worry about circling the block for a parking space for the next 10 years after signing a long-term lease agreement with Scangas Realty Trust to keep its transportation operation on the Lynnway.”This was the result of a really good, strong relationship between us and Scangas Realty Trust,” said GLSS Executive Director Paul Crowley. “There were a lot of moving parts to this.”GLSS has kept its 300 vans and sedans at 330 The Lynnway since 2009. A roof collapse in 2011 cut the space GLSS used by nearly 20,000 square feet, leaving it a little over 100,000 square feet to work with, Crowley said. The design was finished to rebuild the collapsed garage when Kettle Cuisine, a soup company located in Chelsea at the time, sought to move into the Clock Tower.Crowley said it came down to the fact that Arthur Pappathanasi, trustee of the realty company, needed GLSS but wanted to make room for Kettle Cuisine. GLSS needed to stay but also needed more room. The result was parking for nearly 200 GLSS drivers, more entrances to the garage where the vehicles are kept and wider walkways. Crowley said it makes for a more efficient set-up.”It looks a lot different today than it did even back in August,” he said.Crowley said it was actually the collapsed roof in 2011 that allowed them to rethink the layout of the property that, in turn, allowed for room for Kettle Cuisine to build its new $20 million facility at the Lynnway site.”It was a very tricky process, but very professional” he said. “(Pappathanasi) is a man of integrity who works hard to make a deal that works for all of the stakeholders.””This is great news for everyone involved, but especially for the City of Lynn,” said Pappathanasi.Pappathanasi said he was grateful to Crowley and his staff for their cooperation and willingness to make way for the soup company.”Paul was determined to make it work out for all involved – he was reasonable and fair and a pleasure to work with,” he said.Crowley said it was important to him to keep the GLSS operation in Lynn.”It has always been my belief that we should be in Lynn, where the majority of our clients reside,” he said.The agency’s headquarters is on Silsbee Street and with the new lease agreement that runs until 2024 and potentially until 2029, Crowley joked that he’d be six feet under before GLSS leaves the Lynnway.”The plan actually is to never leave,” he said.