SAUGUS — Town Manager Scott Crabtree and the Board of Selectmen gathered at Anna Parker Playground to present revamped areas of the park.
Many members of the community showed up to see the new additions, which included a street hockey rink, pickleball courts, and a picnic area.
“On behalf of the Town of Saugus and the Board of Selectmen, I wanted to thank everyone and welcome everyone here to the improvements set here at Anna Parker … This is a tremendous project for the community,” Crabtree said.
He added that the park would be multi-generational, saying that it wasn’t just made for kids, but also for the seniors in Saugus.
Crabtree also highlighted the importance of how the town came together to make this project happen.
For example, he mentioned that the street hockey kids helped design the rink. The kids were excited to have their own area to call home with no need to travel out of Saugus for a rink anymore. The town’s pickleball players were also consulted to ensure the courts came out perfectly.
“I know this sounds corny, but this is really what a project is, involving community support and being able to speak in one voice, all of us all together getting behind an initiative and to be able to put something together and have a final product,” he said.
Crabtree thanked his Administrative Aide Jeannie Meredith, who was also involved with managing the project. He also thanked the Selectmen and Finance Committee, who all had a role in the project.
“We set the priorities and goals, and as we know, we have about four playgrounds and parks that we’re looking at improving, and we’re moving forward with those projects. This happens to be the first one that got done,” he said.
Selectmen Jeff Cicolini thanked Crabtree for his perseverance and praised the collaborative efforts of the town as well.
“Us working together collaboratively and setting goals, that shows what we can accomplish as a community,” Cicolini said.
He said that this was one example of the success Saugus has had in reinvesting back into the community.
“This is not something that we have to go to taxpayers and try to get tax dollars for. This is by positive cash management and saving funds within the town and using our operative for things such as this,” he said.
Selectmen Michael Serino spoke next about his relationship with Crabtree and the great work he has done for the community.
“In 2009, when I was on the Board of Selectmen I served with Scott for two years and we always talked about the potential of the town and how we needed to build schools, parks and playgrounds,” Serino said.
He said that hiring Crabtree was one of the best decisions he’s made.
Selectmen Anthony Cogliano and Corrine Riley also thanked Crabtree for his work and expressed their excitement about the park.
