This is the first of two parts.
Published December 30, 2019
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – The first half of 2019 foreshadowed coming changes in both municipal leadership and to the familiar downtown streetscape.
Early January brought news that DPW Director Richard Stinson would retire at the end of June. With 18 years at the helm, Stinson was the second longest serving Public Works Director in town history, behind his mentor, Dick Boutiette.
Hearings before the Zoning Board of Appeals continued in January on Anthony Bonacorso’s proposal to build a 190-unit 40B affordable housing project at Tarrant Lane, the site of 12 cookie-cutter single-family homes formerly used as housing for the families of Coast Guard officers on land once owned by the federal government. But in January, the ZBA asked for major revisions to scale back the size and soften the style and design of the three-building, high rise project.
The first few days of February brought a brief, early taste of spring, with temperatures reaching the mid-60s. It was back to reality on Feb. 12, however, as a 4-inch snowstorm blanketed the town.
At their Feb. 11 meeting, the Town Council approved the FY 2020 Police Department budget including the addition of two parking attendant positions, taking the first concrete step in decades to address the downtown parking problem.
On Feb. 19, the town held the first of several “Envision Wakefield” sessions to gather public input on a proposed $15-million state and federally-funded downtown revitalization and infrastructure improvement project. The town’s engineering consulting firm, VHB, facilitated the meeting in the Galvin Middle School Cafeteria.
School Superintendent Doug Lyons unveiled his FY 2020 School Department budget on Feb 26, including a 4.75 percent increase.
With March 1 as the last day to pull papers, the April Town Election ballot was all but final. The Town Council race would feature incumbents Tony Longo, Peter May and Ann Santos along with challenger Jonathan Chines.
With incumbent Kevin Haggerty not seeking reelection, it was Phil Courcy, Thomas Boettcher and Wayne Tarr vying for two seats on the Board of Light Commissioners. Tarr had been appointed months earlier to fill a seat vacated by the resignation of Bill Boodry.
The only other contested race would be for Board of Health, with Annette Nardone challenging incumbent Elaine Silva.
In early March, the town was saddened by the news that retired Wakefield Police Officer Gerald C. Holleran had died at the age of 78.
In mid-March, developer Anthony Bonacorso presented his scaled back plans for Tarrant Lane, with the number of units reduced from 190 to 175 and the buildings reconfigured to look somewhat less imposing.
It was long known that, having reached the mandatory retirement age, Police Chief Rick Smith would be stepping down this year. The question of who would replace him was answered on March 26 when the Town Council named Lt. Steven Skory as the new Chief. Twenty of Skory’s 25 years in law enforcement had been in Wakefield.
With proposals for financial assistance due at the Massachusetts School Building authority in mid-April, over 100 residents attended a forum on the condition of Wakefield High School on Thursday March 28.
On April 1, WCAT hosted two live, televised debates featuring candidates for Town Council and Light Commission.
In other political news, State Rep. Paul Brodeur, whose 32nd Middlesex District included Wakefield precincts 4, 5 and 6, confirmed on April 3 rumors that he would run for Mayor of Melrose in the November 2019 election.
On April 3, the Zoning Board of Appeals got its first look at a developer’s plans to convert the old Harvard Mills building at the corner of Albion and Foundry streets into an 184-unit apartment building.
The April 23 Town Election saw incumbent Town Councilor Tony Longo narrowly defeated by challenger Jonathan Chines. Peter May and Ann Santos were returned to the board. Phil Courcy and Thomas Boettcher were elected to the MGLD Board of Commissioners.
On Monday, April 29, Annual Town Meeting approved the town budget and an additional $390,000 for the next phase of the design for the “Envision Wakefield” downtown revitalization project. Before Town Meeting wrapped up on Thursday, May 2, voters defeated a proposal that would have forced owners of commercial buildings with vacant storefronts to display “public art.”
On Tuesday, May 2, Christopher Callanan was chosen to chair the School Committee for the next year. At their May 13 meeting, Ed Dombroski was chosen to lead the Town Council.
On May 26, The Savings Bank marked its 150th anniversary.
On Monday, May 27, the town observed Memorial Day with the traditional morning ceremony by the West Side Social club in the morning and the afternoon ceremonies in Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the Galvin Middle School.
On May 31, Police Chief Rick Smith officially retired after 15 years in Wakefield and 45 years in law enforcement.
Hundreds, including many retired police officers, attended the public swearing-in of new Police Chief Steven Skory on June 4.
On June 5, the Wakefield Independence Day Committee announced that the Grand Marshalls for the July Fourth Parade would be Jimmy and Maria Assimakopoulos, owners of Bothers Restaurant and Deli, for their community spirit and generosity toward the town.
In mid-June, the School Department confirmed what some had long suspected – that the slab beneath the five-year-old Galvin Middle School was sinking. Plans were outlined to address the problem over the next two summers by drilling 300 holes in the slab and installing grouted piers to support the slab. The entire cost of the work would be covered by the contractors that built the school and no disruption of education was expected.
On June 14, the 20th annual Relay For Life of Wakefield was held on the athletic facilities at the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School.
On Monday, June 17, the town and the region were shocked by the discovery of human remains behind a shed in the rear of a home on Lakeshore Drive that had previously been a sober house. Police said that the remains, discovered by a landscape worker, had been there for some time.
On Thursday, June 20, Wakefield Police and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office announced that the remains had been identified as those of Clifford Bates of Dracut, who had walked away from the sober house in late April, 2018. Foul play was not suspected.
