Letters to the Editor

Concerned over issues

 Dear Editor:

At a recent meeting inside Revere City Hall where issues related to the opening of the new McKinley School and the rebuild Harry Della Russo stadium were discussed, area residents were invited to ask questions about the city’s plans to deal with a myriad of uncertain prospects related to the opening of the larger new school and access to the new basketball and tennis courts located within the confines of the stadium.

After the mayor gave his opening remarks about how great things are, and concluded with how great things will be upon completion of the massive project, he turned the meeting over to the current ward four councilor, Stephen Reardon and the city planner, Frank Stringi.

Resident after resident took to the floor to ask questions about the existing traffic situation, parking, and access to the facility along Fernwood Avenue. Several residents implored the city to develop a traffic plan to address what their own study indicates will be an onslaught of approximately 400 cars a day to the new school, before they are all gridlocked on Park Avenue. City officials were also asked to clarify plans for the proposed Fernwood Avenue access to the stadium and basketball courts during off hours.

The city’s response to the concerns expressed by many in attendance was totally unacceptable. The lack of consideration given to area residents is wroth nothing. The mayor decided to leave the meeting without addressing anything other than how great he was doing. The city planner said his plan was to wait for the school to open, then he’ll be able to see where the traffic problems will be, at which point he will develop a plan to fix them. He then changed his mind regarding the planned stadium access along Fernwood Avenue midway through the meeting.

As confusion reigned, the ward four councilor’s response was to proclaim it all not big deal. A woman in the front row yelled, not to you it isn’t.

It’s no big deal that there is no surrounding community agreement with the Everett Casino group. It’s no big deal that McMakin little league park is underwater and unusable. It’s no big deal that the DPW is in shambles. Its’ no big deal that the water rate is off the charts with no end in sight. I’m certain the traffic gridlock will be no big deal either.

I hope my fellow citizens will remember who is responsible for their crumpling infrastructure, bloated administrative payroll, and mounting fiscal calamity as they sit gridlocked in their neighborhood trying to get to work to pay for it all.

Please get involved in the upcoming election for citywide office, demand answers and hold people accountable for their actions.

Rob Selevitch

 

Experiencing history

Dear Editor:

This past week, the third grade students of Beachmont Veterans Memorial Elementary School were able to attend Plimoth Plantation. Students were able to witness Massachusetts’ rich cultural history come to life. This program was supported in part by a grant from the Revere Cultural Counsel a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The students were able to discuss the history of our great state with members of the Wampanoag Tribe as well as the English settlers. In addition to learning about our collective history, students had the opportunity to explore and experience what it would be like to be alive during this time period. This experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Beachmont School

Two new Classes at Senior Center and a new Ride!

Dear Editor:

As part of the ever-evolving and energized participation at the Revere Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center, we are ready to launch two new exciting classes for our senior residents: “Line Dancing with Emily Brenner” and “Core and Balance Workouts with Sharon Fillyaw”. Both women are certified instructors with many years experience in their respective fields, specifically with seniors.

“Line Dancing with Emily Brenner” will take place each Monday afternoon from 1:00 P.M. – 1:45 P.M starting on Monday, June 15th. Have fun learning popular, favorite, and traditional line steps. Get your feet moving and your music on as Emily’s dance experience and enthusiastic personality takes you on an incredible journey. Seniors will thoroughly enjoy this activity.

 “Core and Balance Workouts with Sharon Fillyaw” will take place each Friday morning, 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. starting on June 29th. This class is a vigorous senior class designed to focus on core, flexibility strength training and fall prevention. Designed to accommodate all fitness level the class will work with a range of dynamic movements to bring seniors through a full range of motion for the arms, shoulders, back and legs.  There is also focus on leg strength to facilitate movement in and out of a chair or to right oneself after a fall.

For more information about these classes or other information, call the Revere Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center at (781) 286-8156. The Revere Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center is located at 25 Winthrop Ave., Revere, MA 0215. To learn more about the Revere Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center check out our Senior Center Walk-Through video tour at www.revere.org/departments/elder-affairs.

Special delivery! The Revere Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center received a very special delivery this past Monday, 6/1/2015. As a result of a MassDOT Mobility Assistance Program Grant awarded to the City of Revere/Office of Elder Affairs and Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center, we now have a brand new eight-passenger 2015 Ford Ecovan-350. The Revere Office of Elder Affairs is responsible for 20% of the actual cost while MassDOT picks up 80%. This is an incredible savings. The grant application process and paperwork was very arduous but the award of this grant is well worth it. This passenger van has been in desperate demand for a while. Very shortly we will have two shuttle vans up and running to accommodate the largest growing population in our city, seniors. Transportation is so vital to these seniors and the demand for shuttle service has been overbearing at times. This will certainly alleviate much anxiety.

It is with extreme gratefulness that I cite several individuals who were instrumental in advocating for our receipt of this grant award and helped make this award possile. These folks are truly passionate about seniors and ensuring their many needs are met: Mayor Dan Rizzo and several mayoral staff personnel, specifically Miles Lang-Kennedy and Debbie West; State Representative and Speaker of the House Bob Deleo and his staff, particularly Joan Moscillo and Barbara Bishop; State Representative RoseLee Vincent and Legislative Aide Ricky Serino; former Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein and her former staff person Dan Fielding; and State Senator Anthony Petrucelli and his staff. Thank you.

Special people! The daily van ridership and trip scheduling as well as actually driving seniors can be daunting at times. Meeting expectations and demands of seniors requires a very calm, cool personality within a controlled yet sometimes chaotic environment. The office staff and van driver at the Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center perform these tasks with aplomb despite the many nuances that occur. Kudos to staffers Marisa Curiale, Lois Diamond, and Mary Ann Moore, as well as van driver Jim Carlton.

The Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center is a welcoming, safe, fun environment for seniors. It continues to review programs, services, meals and activities and take action to ensure our offerings are fresh and spirited. Please feel free to stop by and witness what we do and meet the seniors that this a very special place.

Stephen W. Fielding,

Director,