City Council celebrates public service with resolutions for firefighters, Marines

Waltham City Council passed multiple resolutions this week to celebrate the work of Walthamites who have dedicated their careers to branches of public service.

Councilor-at-Large Kathy McMeniman introduced a resolution honoring members of the Waltham Fire Department who have retired since July 2023 and thanking them for their service to the community.

She read a list of 15 retired WFD members, 80% of whom have retired at some point this year and all of whom have served in the department for more than 20 years. She emphasized that the people on the list collectively have 453 years of experience.

The list of retired members are Deputy Chiefs Anthony Capello and Roger Hebert; Captain Mark Cincotta; Lt. Peter Turner; firefighters Matthew Corbett, Joseph DeRubeis, Kevin Goddard, Mark Johnson, Robert Kavey, Bryan LaFort, Raymond LeBlanc, Donald McGee, Scott Muizulis, and Martin Lennon; and Marcy DeMasi.

Ward 6 Councilor Sean T. Durkee also brought forward a resolution celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps. 

Similar to an October resolution Durkee had submitted to celebrate the anniversary of the Navy, Durkee spotlighted the contributions of Marines from Waltham, including Virginia “Ginny” Hays, who served during World War II as one of the first female Marines, and Melvin M. Johnson Jr., a reservist who Durkee said was prolific in weapons manufacturing and designed a model of machine gun now named after him.

Durkee invited  Staff Sgt. Kristina Prifti, a recruiter from the U.S. Marines Waltham office at 633 Main St., to talk about her experience as a Marine. She said she had the opportunity to travel the world and study for her master’s degree while serving in the Marine Corps.

The City Council unanimously approved both resolutions.

Hammond Street opening

The City Council this week also passed a street opening permit for Zhou Chen at 88 Hammond St.

The motion passed 11-3 with Durkee, Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur and Ward 9 Councilor Robert Logan voting against it. Durkee protested the motion, arguing that to grant the street opening as a matter of course so soon after the street was repaved would take away from City Council’s ability to protect constituent interests. “If we allow this to happen, then our voice has no meaning here,” he said.

Durkee made similar arguments when the permit request came before the Public Works and Public Safety committee last week. 

The petitioners’ attorney, Bret Francis, had explained in previous meetings that the property was currently an “eyesore” and that the previous owner had not been able to renovate it in part because it was occupied by tenants. Chen is planning to buy the property, demolish the current structure and rebuild on the same lot — which requires special City Council permission under municipal ordinance 17-25 because it would involve opening a recently paved street.

Francis added that work had been done on the street since its repaving and that the petitioner planned to fulfill all requirements detailed in the ordinance.

Additionally, the City Council

• issued an invitation for a Thanksgiving luncheon at the American Legion on Waverley Oaks Road on Nov. 24.
• unanimously passed a resolution from Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris for City Council members to celebrate Small Business Day on Nov. 29.
• unanimously passed a resolution from Harris for City Council members to participate in a day of bell-ringing for the Salvation Army on Dec. 12.
• heard updates from marijuana dispensary company Middlesex Integrative Medicine on an ongoing special permit revision and referred them to the Ordinances and Rules Committee to discuss new filings and a request to extend the permit’s deadline.
• approved a number of extended hours and car sales licenses that had gone through the Licenses and Franchises Committee, including an extended hours permit for the CVS Pharmacy at 12 Harvard St. Ward 7 Councilor Paul Katz explained that although the CVS was not currently operating as a 24-hour store, the location’s management had come before the committee to explain that this was due to staff shortages and that store management was working to train employees so the store could return to operating overnight.
• heard an initial application from residents to repave the private way Blossom Street and split costs between residents and the city. This is part of the city’s 17-80 program to repave private ways. A total of five attendees came out in favor of the motion and presented a petition signed by approximately 70% of the street’s residents. The Public Works and Public Safety Committee will discuss the petition next week.
• discussed a special permit request from Digital Federal Credit Union to repurpose a special drive-thru ATM permit originally granted to Chase Bank that Chase Bank no longer plans to use. The ATM would be located in the same plaza as DCU’s current 130 Lexington St. location. The permit will go in front of the Ordinances and Rules Committee next week.