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Bringing it home
Peabody’s Justin Powers is greeted by ecstatic teammates after he belted a first-inning homer in last Wednesday’s 9-3 win that clinched this year’s Ray Gallant tourney crown. See story and photos inside on page 4. (Advocate photos by Greg Phipps)
City Council to take closer look at medical marijuana facilities By Christopher Roberson
C
ity Council President Joel Saslaw recently announced that he has organized an Ad Hoc Medical Marijuana Subcommittee to develop a “gradient or report card” to evaluate applicants looking to open medical marijuana facilities. “It is upon us, I felt it was important,” he said during the council’s Aug. 17 meeting. “It’s important that we have some collaboration on this work.” Saslaw also said that Mayor Edward Bettencourt has entrusted the council with signing off on letters of non-opposition, a requirement for every applicant. “This is the process that is put upon us and we have to act accordingly,” he said. However, Saslaw said a letter of non-opposition is different from a special permit, which is the next step in the approval process. “A letter of non-opposition does not take the place of a special permit,” said Saslaw. “A special permit is completely separate.” He said host agreements would be drafted by Bettencourt. Councillor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin said
she did not agree with the council having no involvement in the creation of those documents. “We will have no say of what the host agreement would say; that doesn’t work for me,” she said, adding that there could also be legal ramifications. “No matter what we do, I think there are going to be lawsuits coming.” In addition, Manning-Martin said Police Chief Thomas Griffin ordered protective equipment for his officers should they come into contact with opioids. She said this was in response to the recent incident in Chelsea in which three officers were hospitalized after being exposed to fentanyl. Manning-Martin also said that carfentanil, a variation of fentanyl, has found its way into the Bay State. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, carfentanil, also known as the elephant drug, is used to sedate large animals such as elephants. The drug packs a punch that is 100 times greater than fentanyl and 10,000 times greater than morphine. In addition, two milligrams of carfentanil is all that is needed to render a 2,000-pound ele-
phant unconscious. Therefore, a dose of one microgram, approximately the size of a snowflake, is lethal to humans. “It is extremely, extremely deadly,” said Manning-Martin. The subcommittee will hold its first meeting on Sept. 14. In other news, Bettencourt said that Julie Daigle was chosen as the city’s new treasurer, adding that she has served Peabody in a number of capacities during the past 17 years, including her most recent position as the business liaison. “We felt that Julie was the best fit for this position,” said Bettencourt. Councillor-at-Large Thomas Gould wished Daigle well in her new role. “You give 100 percent to everything you do, and I’m sure you’ll do a great job taking care of our money,” he said. In response, Daigle assured the councillors that she would not disappoint them. “I really love the City of Peabody and I really love working for the City of Peabody,” she said. The council voted unanimously to approve the application for a Class 1 Motor Ve-
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Friday, August 25, 2017
Plum Tomatoes voted number one at Pizza Fest
Gallo Nero employees Kristana Alexandrou and Malvina Binjakos share one of the many fantastic slices at this year’s Pizza Fest Sunday, August 20 on Railroad Avenue. See more photos on pages 8 & 9. (Advocate photo by Al Terminiello)
By Christopher Roberson
F
or two hours, dozens of residents swarmed the Plum Tomatoes Brick Oven Pizza booth during the city’s first Pizza Fest event on Aug. 20. “It was pretty exciting, it was great, it was a good feeling,” said owner Pasquale DeLeo. During the event, customers had the opportunity to vote for which pizzeria they liked the most. After votes were counted, Mary Bellavance of Mayor Edward Bettencourt’s Office said Plum Tomatoes had taken first place by a wide margin. “Everybody who works in my shop takes a lot of pride in what they do,” said DeLeo. The second and third place finishes were much closer with second place going to Kelley Square Pub and third place going to Mr. G’s. Held on Railroad Avenue, the event featured nine pizzerias offering everything from plain cheese pizza to Hawaiian and meat lover’s pizzas. Joshua Canfield of Reach for the Pie said he handed out 243 slices in 33 minutes. Bettencourt said he was pleased with how everything went. “Pizza Fest was a spectacular success; we are so grateful to the many Peabody restau-
rants who volunteered their time and energy to take part in Pizza Fest and make it the great event that it was,” he said, adding that the event also raised $4,000 for Haven from Hunger and “We are already planning next year’s Pizza Fest, which will be bigger and better that this one.” Curtis Bellavance, director of Community Development and Planning, said he and his colleagues were expecting “500700” residents at the event. This was one time when he did not mind being wrong. “It got closer to 1,200 people or more; it was a bigger crowd than we expected,” said Bellavance. “Everyone was pleasantly surprised with the turnout.” He said the idea for Pizza Fest was born out of “a combination of people brainstorming.” The site on Railroad Avenue was chosen as it allowed residents to leave Pizza Fest and attend the summer concert that evening at the adjacent Leather City Commons. Although it is too soon to evaluate what worked well and what could have gone better, Bellavance said he and his team will hold an action meeting with the Pizza Fest vendors for feedback for next year.