Letterie Appoints Charter Review Committee

The Winthrop Town Council met on Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Harvey Hearing Room of Town Hall, where Council Pres. James Letterie appointed the members of the Town’s Ordinance and Charter Review Committee.

Appointments

Pres. Letterie named the following individuals to the Winthrop Ordinance and Charter Review Committee: Marc Chapdelaine, Chair; Stephen Ruggiero, Vice-Chair; Robert Carroll, Karen Chavis, Tom Chiudina, Joe Hanlon, Kurt Millar, Dentist Quist, and Todd Sacco. The committee’s first meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Bus Accident

Pres. Letterie called for a moment of reflection for Winthrop resident Richard Gill, 81, who suffered injuries after being hit by an MBTA transit bus on Feb. 9. Town Manager Terence Delehanty praised the police and EMTs for their actions during the event. The victim’s brother called into the meeting to personally thank emergency responders.

“They saved [my brother’s] life and they did it so professionally,” he said.

An investigation into the incident is still active.

Ferry

No decision has been made yet on whether or not Winthrop will operate its ferry service this year. Town Manager Delehanty said there are “funding issues to figure out.” If the service is to run this season, it will need at least three months of preparation to hire staff and complete coastguard inspection and certification.

“We can’t wait until April to make a decision on the ferry,” said Delehanty. “The sooner the better.”

General Updates

COVID is “trending in the right direction” according to Town Manager Delehanty. The town has around an eight percent positive rate, down from 18 percent in the previous week.

The search for a permanent town manager is still underway.

Bike Winthrop is planned for May 2022. A calendar can be found on the town website.

Members are needed for the Winthrop Scholarship Committee.

There are still slots open for the March 11 blood drive at the Zenith Lodge. Go to redcrossblood.org to sign up.