Take a step back and think: 365 days, 525,600 minutes. So much happens in that amount of time, from actions in government to community events to everyday people doing extraordinary things. Yet every year we say the same thing: Where did the time go? With 2022 nearly behind us and 2023 on the horizon, we again find ourselves in awe of how fast a year goes by.
Time flies, and that’s why it’s important to take a moment and look back at the year’s top stories. From Lynnfield gearing up for the construction of new public safety facilities to Nahant hiring sharpshooters to hunt down coyotes, 2022 was a wild one on the North Shore. Between ups and downs, smiles and tears, here are the biggest stories to came out of each community this year.
Lynn: Former school superintendent named secretary of education
On June 23, Dr. Patrick Tutwiler announced his resignation as superintendent, effective August 12. He stated his decision was “the best for my health and my family at this time.” In 2015, Tutwiler came to Lynn as deputy superintendent. Three years later, he was named superintendent to succeed Dr. Catherine C. Latham after her retirement.
Roughly six months after his decision to resign, Tutwiler was greeted with a new opportunity. On Dec. 16, Governor-elect Maura Healey named Tutwiler the next Secretary of the Executive Office of Education in Massachusetts. In a statement released that same day, Tutwiler said he was honored by the selection and couldn’t wait to get started in the new year.
“Our office is going to be all about the people — the students, the families, the educators and the staff who we serve will drive all of our decision making,” Tutwiler said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to build a strong team who will help us ensure that we have a high-quality, equitable and thriving education system.”
Lynnfield: Town approves public safety project, rezoning for Sagamore development
Lynnfield is facing two projects — approved on Nov. 14 — that will impact the community in a massive way upon completion.
The first proposal was for zoning changes to permit 66 units of detached 55-plus senior housing to be built on 36 undeveloped acres at the Sagamore Springs Golf Club.
Had the rezoning not been approved, the golf course would have exercised by-right development to build 82 single-family homes. Most felt this compromise was the best solution to prevent the golf course owners from enacting their rights, by which they would have been able to build without approval from the Town. It passed with a 290-60 vote.
The second proposal approved funding for a $63.5 million public safety complex project.
The project calls for the demolition of the South Lynnfield Fire Station and construction of a new headquarters, as well as the expansion and renovation of the existing police, fire and Town Hall complex. Fire Chief Glenn Davis spoke at Town Hall, saying this much-needed project will help keep first responders from getting sick and provide better accommodations to female workers.
The proposal was approved with a 287-33 vote and went to a Special Town Election on Dec. 4, wherein voters passed the project. Many stated that it was long overdue.
Marblehead: Jenny Armini wins 8th Essex District race
In the November election, Marblehead’s Jenny Armani won the highly contested 8th Essex District race for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Armini ran against five other candidates in the primary and edged out Tristan Smith to win the seat by 308 votes. In total, she earned 2,309 of the 8,355 votes, while Smith earned 2,001.
Naturally, Armani dominated in town, garnering over a third of the votes with a total of 1,810. In the general election, she did not face a Republican challenger, securing her victory for the state House seat. Armani will be sworn in on Jan. 4, 2023, and has her eyes set on addressing issues including housing, the cost of prescription drugs and transportation access.
Nahant: Board of Selectmen authorizes hiring of sharpshooters to hunt coyotes
For almost a decade, the town of Nahant has been dealing with a serious coyote problem. Reports of coyote attacks and harassments were becoming more frequent, and this year, the Board of Selectmen finally had enough. On Dec. 7, it authorized the Town Administrator to sign a cooperative service agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would allow the town to hire sharpshooters from USDA Wildlife services to hunt coyotes in the area.
Nahant became the first municipality in the state to approve such an approach, and the decision sent shock waves through the North Shore. Dozens came out to protest on Sunday, Dec. 18, at Nahant Beach. Francene Amari-Faulkner is one of the many who oppose the decision and said in an interview that it would create a very violent and counterproductive situation.
“Taking out the coyotes is not going to help anything. It’s only going to set us back and create more rogue behavior if they don’t get them all,” she said. “It’s going to be a massive bloodbath for coyotes, and in the end, we’re not accomplishing anything because the coyotes eventually within the next pupping season will reproduce.”
Hunting is slated to begin in January and will continue to be the talk of town for the foreseeable future.
Peabody: DOT hears both sides on Route 114 proposed changes
Opinions were strongly expressed at a Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) public workshop on Dec. 13. The workshop focused on the changes that had been made to Route 114, and attendees were at a crossroads of whether or not the changes were necessary.
Route 114 is known to be dangerous and deadly, with a number of fatal accidents happening over the years.
The changes implemented so far include protected left turns, new crosswalks and changes to two-way left-turn lanes. An extra lane has also been removed.
Some are upset with the changes because of the traffic buildup they have caused. During a presentation at the beginning of the workshop, MassDOT Senior Project Manager Kayla Sousa said that traffic was not the project’s initiative.
“In this project, our primary focus really was safety. We didn’t come out and try to ruin operations, but we were not trying to make traffic better. That was not a project goal of ours. So we were really focused on safety while trying to balance everything else,” Sousa said.
Some were not pleased with the response, but there is currently no data to support that the changes have caused an increase in traffic. As the project continues on, more voices on both sides will surely be heard.
Saugus: Selectmen approve WIN host agreement
On Sept. 21, the Board of Selectmen approved a huge change to the town’s Host Community Agreement with WIN Waste Innovations. In as close of a vote as it can get, the board voted 3-2 to to shorten the length of the agreement from 25 years to 20.
The agreement was originally approved in August and stipulated that WIN Waste was responsible for paying the town $18.8 million in direct payments, so long as WIN Waste obtains the necessary permits to continue operating its ash-only landfill for 25 years.
The September amendment requires the company to pay only $1 million and adds the town exemption from tipping fees.
The agreement was a big win for the waste management company, which must obtain permits from the Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to continue operating the monofil — currently on pace to exceed the capacity it’s permitted for.
The permitting process has only just begun, according to WIN Environmental, Health and Safety Vice President Jim Connolly, who said it could take up to three years. Both sides will try to make as much headway as they can in the year ahead.
Swampscott: Town purchases Hawthorne restaurant property
At the Town Meeting on May 16, Swampscott proposed purchasing a well-known property in town. The plan involved acquiring the Hawthorne By-the-Sea restaurant property, owned by the Athanas Family, as well as two wooded parcels of land adjacent to Archer Street.
At the meeting, Select Board member Peter Spelios said that the acquisition would be “the biggest purchases of open space that the Town of Swampscott has done in at least 50 years.”
There are only 19 remaining acres of buildable land left in Swampscott, and the parcels of land purchased on Archer Street account for roughly half of it. They will be used to establish a new forest that cannot be developed on.
After months of negotiations with the Athanas family, the purchase of Hawthorne restaurant property was finalized on Dec. 9 for $7 million.
The fate of the restaurant property’s use is to be decided at the Town Meeting in 2023. To get ideas flowing in the new year, the town will hold a public opinion forum on Jan. 28 at Hawthorne By-the-Sea to hear suggestions on how the property should be used.
