14th Annual International Sand Sculpting Festival - See pages 12 & 13
Vol. 27, No. 30
-FREE-
www.advocatenews.net
Free Every Friday
781-286-8500
Friday, July 28, 2017
Nearly a million attend 14th Annual Mayor says DPW building no easy fix 2017 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival
Await feasibility study results By James Mitchell or the past 16 years, employees at the Department of Public Works (DPW) have been subjected to the poorest working conditions at the DPW Building at 321 rear Charger Street. Conditions have been so bad that the department’s safety officer, John Doherty, decided to take drastic measures on social media to offer proof of the dilapidated building, which should have been condemned, according to many city and state officials, a decade ago. In a recent interview with the longtime DPW employee, Doherty stated that the building has been ruining the equipment and fellow employees’ health for years. “I’m 56 years old, I want to live to see my grandkids,� said Doherty, when he spoke about the contaminants that come off rainwater that seeps into the building, creating puddles – mixed with oil from the trucks – that stagnate and dry up, becoming airborne dust. “This is about the men and where we live and I took it to heart,� he said. Jim Durk in of AFSCME Council 93 told The Advocate that the employees don’t know if the conditions at the DPW building could be harmful to their health. Durkin offered a list of current and former employees who have shown respiratory issues and wondered if the building may have been a factor. “If this was a privately-owned building, it would be condemned,� said
F
Durkin. Looking like the aftermath of a long-forgotten structure, the department’s headquarters offers constant water leaks, lack of sufficient heating and air-conditioning, rampant mold and rodentinfestation; workers risk immediate safety hazards from electrical shock from exposed wiring to possible long-term hazards due to black mold. During recent rainstorms, water poured into the water and sewer department offices into small trash barrels placed atop of desks as computers sat nearby. In 2016, two state agencies – the Mass. Dept. of Public Health’s Bureau of Environmental Health and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development – inspected the facilities. And the reports, accompanied with photos, offered a complete analysis of the building, including an indoor air quality assessment of the garage complex. Needless to say, it wasn’t good, but the reports basically stated the conditions were “normal for a garage/public works facility,�
DPW | SEE PAGE 6
Mayor Brian Arrigo presents 1st place medallion in the 2017 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival to Pavel Mylnikov of Russia for his work, Soul Evolution last Sunday. Over 900,000 people from across the world attended the annual over the weekend. See more photo highlights inside on pages 12 & 13. (Advocate photo by Al Terminiello)
Council approves Special Permit for Revere Beach Hotel Special to The Advocate n Monday, July 24, the Revere City Council voted to approve a Special Permit for the construction of the forthcoming Revere Beach Hotel, a nine-story hotel fea-
O
RU D &RQWDFW XVD IWLRQ 1R 2EOLJ
tĂŜƚ ƚŽ ĹŹĹśĹ˝Ç ĆšĹšÄž ǀĂůƾĞ ŽĨ Ç‡Ĺ˝ĆľĆŒ ŚŽƾĆ?Äž Ĺ?Ĺś ƚŽĚĂLJ͛Ć? ĆŒÄžÄ‚ĹŻ ÄžĆ?ƚĂƚĞ ĹľÄ‚ĆŒĹŹÄžĆšÍ?
)5((
Stay Cool with our
A/C Special
95 $69.IB Freo n
0DUNHW $QDO\VLV 2I <RXU +RPH
incl. 1
781-321-8841
turing an 80-seat restaurant with oceanfront views and a ground-level cafĂŠ. The hotel, which will be on the site of the current Shipwreck Lounge at 49-54 Revere Beach Blvd., will represent the largest commercial-only development
See Page
Ä&#x201A;ĹŻĹŻ hĹśĹ?Ć&#x161;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x161; Ć&#x152;ŽŏÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć? Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x161; ϲĎϳͲϰϲĎͲϰώϯϴ :H DFFHSW 0DVWHU&DUG 9LVD 'LVFRYHU
on Revere Beach in over 20 years.
HOTEL | SEE PAGE 14 Our 80th Year
DRIVER EDUCATION Next Classes
1 Week Left Day Class August 14 CALL - ENROLL
or Register Online 617-387-9121
HENRYSAUTOSCHOOL.COM
$1.72
GALLON *$//21
*DO 0LQ +U 6HUYLFH EVERETT E AUTO A SCHOOL 3ULFH 6XEMHFW WR &KDQJH ZLWKRXW QRWLFH
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Successful Key To Drivingâ&#x20AC;? Since 1938 Gift Certificates Available