Problems plague Bellevue Heights

SAUGUS – With green lawns, manicured gardens and homes valued at more than a half-million dollars, the Bellevue Heights subdivision hardly appears like a place for illicit partying, yet under the thin veneer of affluence lies an unfinished subdivision afflicted by four burglaries and 36 reports of suspicious activity. All of the incidents have taken place on Hitching Hill Road since 2009, according to police.These complaints culminated Oct. 7 when Hitching Hill Road resident Ferruccio Romeo delivered a presentation to the Saugus Board of Selectmen. Romeo said he has called the police more than 40 times in the past three years for teenagers driving up to Bellevue to use drugs and alcohol. He said that he once filled two trash bags with empty alcoholic nips, a problem that only gets worse in the summer.”In the summer months, there have been carloads of kids blaring their music,” said Romeo.Selectman Debra Panetta, a longtime resident of Bellevue Street at the base of the subdivision, said she occasionally hears noise coming from the top of the hill.”I have heard people making quite a bit of noise from ?above,’ but only a handful of times over the years,” she said.Construction of the East Saugus development began in 2001 and has yet to be completed. A Komatsu hydraulic excavator sits abandoned where a house should be behind a loose chain-link fence.”I believe a sturdy fence should be installed until this development is finished,” said Panetta. “I can’t believe it’s been allowed to go on for this long.”Panetta added that “the safety of children playing in the neighborhood” has been an ongoing concern because of the drop-off on the side of Hitching Hill Road.”It’s a very steep drop, and with all the ledge and rocks, I consider this dangerous,” she said.Resident Stephen Cacciola of Cider Mill Road estimated the drop to be 50 feet in some places.Planning Board Chairman Peter Rossetti said the fence could be replaced later this fall or next spring. However, the problem was never raised at any board meetings.”I don’t believe the neighbors brought up the fence,” he said.Removing the excavator will be more complicated. Rossetti said the Planning Board’s authority is limited, as Bellevue Heights is privately owned. Therefore, the board cannot force developer Jack Mallon to remove the excavator.”It’s his piece of equipment on his property,” said Rossetti.Despite past complaints of illegal dumping, Saugus recycling coordinator Lorna Cerbone explained that she was not aware of any incidents other than a load of stone, sand and other construction debris being dumped on one of the vacant lots three months ago. It has since been removed, she said.Rossetti said the state has allowed Mallon to continue postponing further construction. He said that each time Mallon encounters a problem, the state gives him an additional three years. Rossetti said Mallon currently has two years left according to the timeline set forth by the state.In addition, he pointed out that four “mostly complete” homes were removed after a retaining wall gave way during a rainstorm on July 24, 2008. The land and homes were subsequently purchased by Procopio Construction and incorporated into another development. Rossetti said the wall remains under reconstruction.Snow removal has been the source of another neighborhood gripe as the Department of Public Works does not send any trucks to Bellevue, potentially leaving residents stranded in their homes. Romeo said he and other subdivision residents pay taxes, and the town should plow the neighborhood.DPW Director Brendan O’Regan said the area is not plowed because it is a private development. O’Regan said approval would be needed from the Planning Board and Town Meeting before any trucks could be sent to the neighborhood.”The roads or any of the other infrastructure have not been turned over to the town, so that’s why we don’t provide any maintenance service, such as snowplowing,” he said.