Compiled by Adam Swift
The fate of a proposed new fire station was one of the most hotly contested issues in Winthrop in 2023.
In November, voters rejected a ballot question for a debt exclusion that would have allowed the town to move forward with the building of a new fire station at the location of the Wadsworth Building and Kirby Funeral Home. The total cost of the project was expected to fall between $36-$40 million.
There was support for building a new fire station in town to replace the two current facilities, which are both well over a century old. But there were questions raised about the cost and location of the project.
Following the election, Town Council President Jim Letterie said the town is committed to building a new fire station/public safety facility and that there would be more information about the future of the project in the new year.
In other election news, 2023 saw a combination of new and familiar faces elected to the Town Council and the School Committee.
Letterie won reelection as council president, while Max Tassinari, John Munson, Suzanne Swope, and John Daros were also elected to the council.
The School Committee saw the election of Layne Petrie, Zachary Purinton, and incumbent Gus Martucci.
The future of a public safety facility wasn’t the only public building issue to come before the council and the town this year.
Over the summer, Letterie presented the idea of a proposed public-private partnership to build a sports complex at the Winthrop Middle School site.
Several councilors and residents praised Letterie’s efforts in bringing the proposal for the long vacant old middle school site forward, but said they would like to see the town cast a wider net for the use of the vacant middle school. Marino worked on having the town issue a Request for Information (RFI) to gauge the interest in the development of the school as a sports complex or for other purposes.
Letterie has stated that one of the goals for the development of the property is to drive economic development and opportunities for the town.
The past year saw the council approve a new trash policy that allows residents to purchase trash bags to put out additional trash for collection on pick-up days.
The past year also saw the town enter into a two-year agreement with the MBTA for the T to run the town’s commuter ferry service.
Town Manager Tony Marino and other town officials have had positive feedback on the new ferry arrangement and have expressed their desire to have the MBTA take over the ferry service on a more long-term basis.
The end of the year saw an ugly Zoombombing incident at a council meeting, as a masked internet troll made anti-semitic slurs during the public speaking portion of a meeting.
Police Chief Terence Delehanty and town officials vowed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the incident. The town also looked to improve safety and security for online participation in public meetings.
The ugly incident did not overshadow the honors bestowed upon those who have contributed positively to the town.
The Miller Field ticket booth was named in honor of Amy Gallagher.
Gallagher was a beloved Winthrop educator who died at the age of 55 in 2020.
Gallagher graduated from Winthrop High School in 1983 and was known as the heart and soul of Winthrop Public Schools, serving for over 10 years as a Winthrop Middle School ESP. She was named Queen of the Café by the WHS Post Graduates, was a WMS Stuco advisor, co-Quiz Bowl advisor, Spelling Bee co-chair, and Winthrop Teachers Association PR officer.
Later in the year, the council voted to name the tennis courts at Ingleside Park after former Winthrop High School Principal and tennis coach John Domenico.
A member of the Winthrop High School Class of 1945, Domenico was an athlete, coach, teacher and administrator at Winthrop High School. He was captain of his baseball team in 1945 and the winner of the Bentley Swift Award given at graduation to the boy who has done the most for athletics during his high school years.
Domenico played baseball at Northeastern University and tennis at the University of Maine from which he graduated. He became the WHS baseball coach in 1953 and served in that capacity until 1960. He was the principal of Winthrop High School from 1970 to 1986 and the WHS boys tennis coach for many years.
The year also saw Rich Honan step back from running his lauded Christmas care package program for military personnel after more than two decades.
“After 21 years and over 43,000 pounds of peanut butter crackers, trail mix, Mac n’ Cheese, magazines, granola bars, movie videos, Marshmallow Fluff, cans of clam chowder and letters and cards from the school children of Winthrop, I have decided to retire my military care package and Christmas Tree care package program,” Honan said. “In 21 years, I have sent these boxes of support to men and women in all five branches of the military and to all seven continents.”