The Saugus Review

The Town of Saugus Board of Health announced that the town-wide mosquito spraying in Saugus has been moved today, September 14, 2010 starting at around 7:30 pm since the previous schedule for Monday 9/13/10 was canceled due to inclement weather.

The Town of Saugus Board of Health will be partnering with the Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control to prevent increased mosquito activity and to exterminate positive West Nile Virus mosquitoes found in Saugus. The West Nile Virus (WNV) is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito infected with the virus and people over the age of 50 are the most prone for severe infection among all the age-groups that can be affected.

The Saugus Board of Health also released the following tips to help avoid mosquito bites and the WNV

1)  The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes so the public needs to be aware that these hours are peak hours for mosquito bites.

2) Wearing clothes that cover the arms and legs when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin so pants, long sleeved shirts and shoes are advisable.

3) Applying Insect Repellent when you go outdoors is reccommended. Using repellents with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] can help drive away the mosquitoes and prevent them from biting you. But be warned that  DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children.  Oil of lemon eucalyptus should also not be used on children under three years of age.  Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.

4)   Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water so it is advisable to drain them. Limiting the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water also helps.

5) Some mosquitoes like to come indoors so it is recommended to use repellent screens. Keepmosquitoes outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.

For additional  guidance material, go to the town hall or to the website at www.Saugus-ma.gov. For info  about WNV and reports of WNV activity in Massachusetts during 2010, go to the MDPH website at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv.  You may also call the MDPH Public Health Information Line at 1-866-MASS-WNV (1-866-627-7968).

Reports of shots fired yesterday on 14 Greatwoods Road at 10:30 pm led to discovery of an assault that happened there late last night.

Two victims who sustained serious injuries as a result of the assault were rushed to the Melrose-Wakefeild Hospital as the police investigated the matter. Saugus Police Det. Lt. Ronald Giorgetti says that the three suspects were all male and that they went inside the residence with firearms. The suspects then demanded money from people inside and assaulted them before taking off  in a blue or gray small sports coupe on Walnut Street with the cash.

For parties who have more information on the case, please call Saugus Police at 781-941-1100 immediately.

The Saugus YMCA Outdoor Center also served over 2,400 youth, families and community groups by the end of this summer through its summer camps, childcare, community programs and learn-to-swim programs. And so it’s great news that recently, Greater Lynn YMCA’s Saugus Family YMCA, was given $10,000 by the Charitable Foundation Inc. from Danversbank, a subsidiary of Danvers Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNBK)

The grant will be used for the Renovation Project which will be focused on building an open-sided pavilion that the children can use for outdoor activities even on rainy days. The unused area of the YMCA’s thirteen-acre woodland property will be utilised for this project.

YMCA couldn’t be thankful enough to Danversbank as Bruce Macdonald expressed in saying that everyone was truly grateful for their [Danversbank] tremendous support in funding the Renovation Project. MacDonald says that not only did the bank make a significant monetary contribution to the project, they also offered to assist by providing employee volunteer services from their corporate volunteer program.

Thanks to the efforts of The Board of Health, the Solid Waste/Recycling Department and the Department of Public Works, curtailing of illegal dumping activity within town have been decreasing throughout the last couple of years.

The drop off program was introduced April 2009 and is held during Saturdays from 8am and noon at 515 Main St., exclusively to Saugus residents. Residents were allowed to drop-off up to three large items like televisions and computers along with other smaller recyclables free of charge. Aside from the weekly television and computer drop-off program, the town also holds a hazardous waste drop twice a year during May and October and a weekly compost program.

Grass clippings, leaves, and small brush drop offs are done during Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m throughout the duration of the program.

Previously, residents had to pay a fee so they could drop off their TVs and computers for recycling, but the program making recycling free encouraged a lot of residents to avoid illegal dumping.

Over the last year however, televisions and computers were no longer the problem but construction materials illegal dumping and green trashbags containing yard waste even if people can already avail of recycling for free which is making Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone frustrated.

Saugus Dunkin Donuts was robbed last Friday by a man who was armed with a handgun. The robbery was reported at 9:17 pm by an employee calling the police about what just took place at the Dunkin Donuts at 35 Lincoln Ave.

The employee said that the suspect had a white shirt wrapped around his head and wore sunglasses to hide his face.

Witness reports say that the suspect is a white man, about 6’1 ft and weighs about 175 pounds. The suspect demanded money from the register and then took off right after. The criminal was last spotted fleeing on foot on Chestnut Street toward Winter street, dressed in a black shirt, plaid shorts and white sneakers and is still currently at large.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the suspect, please call Saugus Police at 781-941-1100.

Thanks to Cliftondale Square fixture Lomas Flowers, Saugus Town Hall looks less gloomy and more bright because of the newly donated flower adornments for the cause of beautifying the building.

Usually a place where people settle taxes and parking fines, Saugus Town  Hall visits are usually a rather dull experience but Paul LaCorcia of Lomas flower arrangements definitely made the place look more cheerful.

LaCorcia describes the town hall as a beautiful and historic building and said that he wanted to do his part to support the town by donating flowers. He made the flower arrangement himself , a selection that consisted of carnations, spider mums, silk lilacs and baby ’s breath. LaCorica also added a patriotic touch to the flower arrangement by adding some flags to it. The giant vase of flowers was placed near the entrance of the building for everyone to see and the response to the addition to the town hall had been positive says Susan Dunn, chief administrative aide to the Town Manager.

Hopefully his example will carry on to the other florists in town. Several florists have already been notified about Seasons on Display, but so far the response has been underwhelming.

For any florists looking to contribute in Seasons on Display can call Dunn at 781-231-4111.

On the fourth of July the Saugus Fire Department responded to a garage fire on Clayton Avenue at 9:30 pm and again at 4:23 the next morning on July 5 for a brushfire this time which was already traveling up the hill toward homes on Birch Pond Drive form 272 Walnut Street.

Although both fires were successfully put out, the fire department was busy dousing hot spots that got into the ground.

Both fires were believed to be set-off by fireworks based on resident’s reports hence Fire Chief Blanchard warns against the use of fireworks during this season’s hot and dry weather conditions. What makes it more dangerous is that people are busy drinking and celebrating to mind fireworks that can potentially cause fires.

It is illegal in Massachusetts to buy or possess fireworks, however the police have a hard time monitoring the public, especially during the Fourth of July when there are a lot of explosions in the sky.

The fire Chief instead appealed to the people to be responsible enough to stay away from fireworks for their own good, noting that fireworks could cause a multitude of problems that the fire department could have trouble dealing with especially when the dispatch is responding to other emergencies across town.

The Saugus High School Athletic Department hosted its first annual “Swing for Saugus High School Athletics” golf tournament on June 21st and it was a huge success! The event was well attended by school/town officials, teachers, coaches, alumni, and friends of SHS Athletics.

Many thanks goes to everyone who played and contributed to the success of the event. The tournament had 29 foursomes and everyone had a great time. A special thank you goes to Mr. John O’Rourke from ‘Wheelabrator’ who generously donated the tournament gift, in which, the 115 golfers all received beautiful golf vests. A special thank you goes to Julie Mitchell, wife of SHS golf/hockey coach Jeff Mitchell, for her countless hours in helping coordinate this event. Julie helped in every way and the event couldn’t have been such a success without her contributions. Lastly, many thanks goes to volunteers Donald Wong, Stacy Tait, Dodi Rodriguis and Christine Hyde for helping during the golf tournament.

The money raised will go directly to the student-athletes at Saugus High School and I truly appreciate everyone who contributed to this event and for your generosity. The “Swing for Saugus High School Athletics” golf tournament was a success and I look forward to seeing you again next spring

A 75 year old man was found dead inside a pick-up truck that fell in Saugus River last Tuesday night.

The Saugus man, believed to be Thomas Shafarow of Marden Street, was found dead by the divers of Cambridge Team 15 to 20 feet underwater inside his pickup truck. The vehicle was found near the boat landing at Vitale Park.

Around 7:30 pm, Mr. Shafarow’s brother reported his missing brother at the police station, saying Thomas Shafarow’s boat was floating in Saugus River but his truck and trailer was nowhere in sight. When police and firefighters arrived at the scene and found nothing, they called on the Cambridge Dive Team to help investigate Saugus River where they eventually found Thomas Shafarow lifeless in his 1995 Dodge Pickup truck.

Police Lieutenant Campanello said there seem to be no indication of foul play involved yet at this stage of the investigation and it just seems that Shafarow was just trying to pull the boat out of the water when something went wrong.

Around 11:30 p.m on Saturday, the Saugus fire department put out an unusual fire on 368 Broadway. A limousine carrying six people pulled over on Route 1 when the car’s interior ignited in flames.

Fire Chief James Blanchard said that instead of the hood being the source of the fire it was the interior which was rather unusual, compared to the car fires they have dealt with in the past.

Engine 1, 3 and Ladder 1 quickly responded to the situation and thankfully the fire was put out shortly and no one got hurt before it could get any worse. The car was parked in the Gulf gas station which made the fire potentially catastrophic but all passengers including the driver did not sustain any injuries.