01940 Fall 2018 web

FALL 2018 

INAUGURAL EDITION

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N. HILL DRIVE | LYNNFIELD 

$1,080,000 

MAGNOLIA DRIVE | LYNNFIELD 

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LOWELL STREET | LYNNFIELD 

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SALEM STREET | LYNNFIELD 

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Louise Bova Touchette 

617.605.0555 

Louise.Touchette@NEMoves.com 

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1085 Summer Street, 

Lynnfield, MA 01940 | 

Awards: 

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The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may 

include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real 

estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2018 Coldwell Banker 

Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 

Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

A publication of Essex Media Group 

Publisher 

Edward M. Grant 

Chief Executive Officer 

Michael H. Shanahan 

Directors 

Edward L. Cahill 

John M. Gilberg 

Edward M. Grant 

Gordon R. Hall 

Monica Connell Healey 

J. Patrick Norton 

Michael H. Shanahan 

Chief Financial Officer 

William J. Kraft 

Chief Operating Officer 

James N. Wilson 

Community Relations Director 

Carolina Trujillo 

Controller 

Susan Conti 

Editor 

Paul K. Halloran Jr. 

Editorial Director 

Thor Jourgensen 

Contributing Writers 

Bill Brotherton 

Gayla Cawley 

Bella diGrazia 

Thomas Grillo 

Steve Krause 

Bridget Turcotte 

Photographers 

Spenser Hasak 

Owen O’Rourke 

Advertising Design 

Trevor Andreozzi 

Advertising Sales 

Ernie Carpenter 

David McBournie 

Ralph Mitchell 

Patricia Whalen 

Production 

Tori Faieta 

Mark Sutherland 

ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 

110 Munroe St., 

Lynn, MA 01901 

781-593-7700 ext.1234 

Subscriptions: 

781-593-7700 ext. 1253 

01940themagazine.com 

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 

06 What’s up 

08 Local Flavor 

10 Open for business 

12 The house where the 

town meets 

16 East meets West 

INSIDE 

2O The tale of the Trail 

22 Library turns a page 

26 Style 

28 Pumping help to Zambia 

30 House money 

32 Closing the Perley gates 

TED GRANT 

From the horse’s mouth 

Please allow me to introduce myself and the magazine you’re perusing. As the heading says, I’m the 

publisher. Not that that should impress you, but even less so will my knowledge of your town. It is, shall 

we say, lacking. It’s also pretty out of date. Other than my now-frequent stops at Boloco and Vineyard 

Vines at MarketStreet, the only quality time I've spent in Lynnfield was decades ago. 

While in high school, my St. Mary’s friends Billy Collins, Brian O’Shea, Dickie Powers, Ray 

McDermott, and I would hitchhike Lynnfield Street in Lynn to a grammar school gym in Lynnfield to 

play basketball. And I remember a kid from Lynnfield who loved to point out that every other letter in 

his name — Ara Sakayan — was an a. And 42 years ago I helped my friend Tom Dalton move. I can’t 

decide if the highlight of that day was when I ripped my hand open on a metal piece on a cardboard box; 

the blisters on the soles of my feet from playing basketball barefoot on a tar court; or getting the daylights 

beaten out of me during that game by his rugby teammates/moving-crew pals. 

That pretty much sums up my Lynnfield bona fides. Suffice to say, I was short on ideas for content for 

this, the inaugural edition of 01940. So I did what I always do: turn to our staff. 

I’m biased, but I think Essex Media Group’s editorial staff did a good job coming up with stories that 

capture the flavor of the town — once rural, but now decidedly affluent. 

Bridget Turcotte — fresh from earning a prestigious fellowship from the New England First 

Amendment Coalition — tried to track down the oldest resident in town to tell tales of Lynnfield past vs. 

present. No luck. The Town Clerk was on vacation and the assistant was unable to filter resident data by 

age. Then Bridget heard about a family with horses on Chestnut Street. Perfect. That reflects the town's 

rural history, and how hard could it be to find the horses? Hard. 

Bridget turned to 50-year resident and unofficial town historian Helen Breen, who spoke passionately 

about Lynnfield, and whose children went to school with the daughter of the family with the horses. A 

Google search turned up an address for the daughter, a neighbor of her parents — and the horses. 

With photographer Spenser Hasak in tow, Bridget knocked on a few doors. When they reached the 

property they were looking for, they knew it. The house sat on a large plot of land with an old barn and 

a sprawling field. At the end of a long driveway, a woman sat in a rocker on the porch, looping circles of 

yarn and pulling tight. It was picturesque. 

The woman was kind, and she agreed to a story about the horses and how they demonstrate the old and 

the new Lynnfield. But there was a problem. The horses were nowhere to be found. 

The homeowner, who boards the horses for their owner, said they’d be back the next week. 

The horses were on vacation in Maine. 

Please enjoy the first edition of 01940, and let us know what you think of it. Please also send along any 

ideas for stories you might want to see in future editions. 

Me? I’m still trying to erase the thought of the horses sunning themselves on Old Orchard Beach, 

wearing straw hats and a thick smear of white sunscreen over their muzzles, flipping through Mr. Ed's 

autobiography. 

COVER 

Cheryl Welsh, a teacher at Summer Street 

Elementary School, stands among Chinese 

empresses as she explores "Empresses of 

China's Forbidden City" exhibition at the 

Peabody Essex Museum. Welsh recently 

came back from China where she was 

participating in a teaching program with 

Chinese educators. 

PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK 

02 | 01940

Evelyn 

Direct 617-256-8500 

Evelyn.Rockas@NEMoves.com 

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When it comes to Real Estate, think of me with confidence. 

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tap into EMG’s publications: 

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Peabody Weekly News 

Suburban Real Estate News 

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01945 The Magazine 

North Shore Golf 

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For more info on EMG’s publications, 

please contact Ernie Carpenter at 

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ecarpenter@essexmediagroup.com 

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WHAT’S UP 

All you could want at 

MarketStreet 

MarketStreet offers a variety of activities 

through October including Fitness on 

the Green featuring Athleta Sunday 

mornings 10-11 through Oct. 21 and 

Lululemon Thursday evenings 6:30-7:30 

through Sept. 27. 

Don’t forget YAPPY HOUR 

for the pet lovers. 

Grab your four-legged friend and meet 

on The Green at MarketStreet Sept.12 

from 6-8 p.m. for complimentary doggy 

ice cream provided by JP Licks, dogfriendly 

vendors, a doggy kissing booth, 

giveaways and more! 

Celebrate National Play-Doh 

Day 

Come to the Lynnfield Public Library 

on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at noon for a 

Play-Doh party. We supply the Play- 

Doh and the tools, you supply the 

imagination. Snacks are provided. Ages 

up to 5 years old. 

Calling all book lovers 

Join us at the library on Thursday 

Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. for some great 

non-fiction conversation. Newcomers 

are welcome and books for discussion 

can be picked up on the day of each 

meeting. 

Click on “book lovers” on the Lynnfield 

library web page to see a full 2018- 

19 schedule and book list. For more 

information, call Nancy Ryan, 781-334- 

5411 or email nryan@noblenet.org. 

Get a running start on town 

fall sports on Sunday, Sept. 9 with 

the 1 p.m. grand opening of the track at 

Lynnfield Middle School, 505 Main St. 

It’s Video Game Vengeance 

day at the library on Monday, 

Sept. 10, 3 p.m. Test your video game 

skills against other tweens and teens 

with Mario Kart. Do you have what it 

takes to be No. 1? Tween and teens. No 

registration required. 

Thank you, first responders 

Lynnfield Rotary Club sponsors a 

salute to public safety first responders 

Tuesday, Sept.11 on the Common from 

6-8 p.m. 

Take part in the inaugural 

meeting of the ElderAct 

Club of Lynnfield, an independent 

service club for seniors with a kick-off 

luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 

11:30 a.m at 525 Salem St. 

Modeled after Rotary Club to allow 

participation in activities for the 

general good of the community, the 

club will choose its own officers, plan 


Lynnfield Public Library assistant Pam Griswold hosts storytime in the kids section. 

and execute projects and provide a way 

to meet new friends, do good work and 

have a great time. The luncheon is free 

but you must sign up in advance. 

ROAR Girl Empowerment 

MarketStreet is putting the finishing 

touches on this Sept. 16 event built 

around affirming and supporting girls 

to be all they can be. 

Pining for the old days and 

memories of famous area restaurants 

like the Colonial, Ship and Kernwood? 

Join the senior center’s featured 

speaker in a discussion with pictures of 

these restaurants and others that are 

gone but not forgotten on Wednesday, 

Sept. 19 at 9:30 a.m., 525 Salem St. 


THE ROSSETTI/POTI TEAM 

781-334-0100 

Frank and Martha Sold Over 1,000 Homes 

SOLD! 

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SOLD! 

LYNNFIELD $1,055,000 LYNNFIELD $337,500 

LYNNFIELD $762,500 

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SAUGUS $600,000 DANVERS $455,000 

LYNN $439,000 

SOLD! 

RENTED! 

SALE 

PENDING! 

MELROSE $915,000 LYNNFIELD 

$6,000/MO 

AMESBURY $569,900 

Martha.poti@nemoves.com 

Frank.Rossetti@nemoves.com 

REGGIE LEMELIN 

Frank Rossetti NH Broker’s license #07533 | MA Broker’s license #121539 

NICK SCOLA

LOCAL FLAVOR 

Sandwich satisfaction 

BY BELLA diGRAZIA | PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK 

In a town filled with families that have been here for generations, good 

food was born. For decades, these businesses have catered to the needs of 

Lynnfield residents. Whether you’re on the go for lunch or don’t have enough 

time to make dinner, these shops have you covered! 

WHERE: Family-owned 

Lynnfield House of Pizza 

has been in business for 

more than 40 years. 

15 Post Office Square. 

WHAT: George’s Grilled 

Wrap, $9.45 

F chicken, prosciutto, fresh 

mozzarella, roasted red 

peppers, tomatoes, mixed 

greens, finished with a 

balsamic dressing. 

WHERE: Countryside 

Deli has been catering to 

your deli needs for more 

than 40 years. 

12 Salem St. 

WHAT: The Super 

Italian, $9.50 

F a slew of fresh 

vegetables, provolone, 

mortadella, genoa salami, 

hot ham, fresh mozzarella 

balls, hots, oil and 

vinegar, and a sprinkle of 

seasoning. 

WHERE: Centre 

Court Pizzeria 

2 Centre Court. 

WHAT: Steak and 

Cheese Sub, $6.25 

F grilled and marinated 

steak with melted cheese. 


ELLEN SELLS LYNNFIELD 

$790,000 $800,000 

$760,000 $1,400,000 

ELLEN RUBBICO CRAWFORD 

617.599.8090 

ellencrawford18@gmail.com 

Read my reviews on Zillow 

FALL 2018 | 09

OPEN FOR BUSINESS 

[ 

New to Market 

Seven establishments move onto the Street 

BY THOMAS GRILLO 

Since its opening five years ago, 

MarketStreet has been the go-to open air 

shopping center on the North Shore. 

Need proof? Try getting a parking 

space in front of a store sometime. 

Since the New Year, a handful of new 

stores have opened, bringing the number 

of shops and restaurants to nearly 100. 

Here are the latest additions to what’s 

been called the region’s largest shopping 

village. 

Fit Revolution, calls itself a 

state-of-the-art studio with cuttingedge 

treadmill, bootcamp and cycling 

classes. The center, owned by Michelle 

O’Connor, offers adrenaline-pumping 

fitness options. Its training facility has 

recently been named Best Bootcamp, 

Best Personal Training Facility, Best 

Health Club, and Best Training Facility. 

The tailored experience is made for any 

fitness level and promises to challenge 

individuals to set personal fitness goals 

and achieve maximum results. Classes, 

held seven days a week, include Fit 

Tread, which combines high intensity 

interval training with strength training 

to challenge every muscle in the body; 

Fit Beat, an indoor cycling class that 

rides to the beat of the music with 

inspirational coaching; and Fit Ride, a 

challenging, fun, athletic-style indoor 

cycling class that focuses on endurance 

and strength. Studio amenities include 

cubbies and showers. 

Neem Medical Spa offers North 

Shore residents medical spa treatments 

to achieve optimal cosmetic goals, while 

using advanced non-surgical technologies 

for each wellness experience. Led by 

Dr. Rosy Sandhu, a board-certified 

internal medicine physician, the spa’s 

mission is to bring out the best in 

clients in the safest and most relaxing 

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARKETSTREET 

Club Pilates offers signature full-body, low-impact classes designed for various levels of Pilates mastery. 

environment, using the latest technology 

and techniques in aesthetic medicine. Its 

non-surgical technology is incorporated 

into every treatment and utilized by 

trained professionals. Procedures are 

customized to the needs of the individual 

client for age-defying treatments at the 

lowest possible price. 

Club Pilates joins an all-star lineup 

of fit-minded offerings at MarketStreet. 

It offers full-body, low-impact classes 

designed for various levels of Pilates 

mastery. Each class seeks to build a 

strong foundation of balance, strength, 

mobility, and flexibility through the use 

of specialized equipment, including the 

Reformer, EXO-Chair, Bosu Ball, TRX 

Suspension Trainer, and springboards. 

For something completely different, 

try Skeleton Key. The adventure 

emporium marries the fun of an escape 

room with a whimsical bar and lounge. 

Muse Paintbar’s co-founder, Ray Weaver, 

is behind the concept. The escape room 

has a carnival-like atmosphere and 

detailed, creative décor. Its three different 

task-oriented puzzles create immersive, 

narrative-driven experiences, each with 

their own distinct theatricality and code 

to crack. These include Starry Night, an 

art heist, Virus, a search to cure a global 

pandemic, and Scarab, where players go 

on a quest to end an ancient Egyptian 

curse. It also houses a lounge with bar and 

table seating for guests to enjoy before 

and after their experience. Each game 


s 

Your home is your castle. 

Let me treat you like royalty! 

Elaine Figliola 

Direct Line: 781-910-6454 

elainefig3@hotmail.com 

elainefigliola.cbintouch.com 

lasts an hour, and tickets are $24-$32 

per person depending on day and time. 

Roots, the Canadian lifestyle 

brand known for its apparel, leather 

goods, footwear and accessories, 

has opened its first location on the 

North Shore at MarketStreet. Roots 

has long been a stalwart within the 

Canadian retail landscape, offering 

a wide selection of premium apparel 

items and handcrafted leather bags in 

nearly 5,000 square feet of offerings 

for men, women, and children ranging 

from classic, smart-casual wardrobe 

staples to their world-famous sweats 

and Awards jackets. 

Southern Tide brings classic 

American style to MarketStreet with 

its colorful take on preppy coastal 

clothing for men, women, teens and 

children. The brand’s Lynnfield location 

will feature signature Skipjack polos 

to special-occasion wear like blazers 

and cocktail dresses. Southern Tide’s 

apparel and accessory offerings promise 

to take customers from the beach to 

cocktail hour, and back again. 

Scout & Molly’s Lynnfield 

outpost is the latest location for the 

growing boutique brand, offering 

an array of women’s fashion and 

accessories from well-known and 

newer designers. Customers will 

find brands to suit every style and 

silhouette, including offerings from 

Bailey 44, Sanctuary, Trina Turk, 

Tart, Black Orchid Denim and 

more. The location is equipped with 

dedicated stylists committed to not 

only assisting the customer find what 

they are looking for, but also helping 

them explore new trends and style 

approaches. 

• Specializing in the Lynnfield Market 

• Extensive knowledge of the Lynnfield, 

Peabody, and North Shore markets 

• Hundreds of homeowners have entrusted Elaine 

with selling their homes, with rave reviews 

• Full service marketing plan 

• Highly skilled negotiator 

• Honesty and integrity you can count on 

• Proud to be a long-time Lynnfield resident 

• 25 years serving on the North Shore 

Professional Standards Committee 

Contact Elaine for a Complimentary Home Valuation

Meeting 

up with 

history 

BY THOR JOURGENSEN 

Lynnfield residents pay just $200 to 

rent the Meeting House for weddings, 

birthdays and other events, but Linda 

Gillon said there is no putting a price on 

the historic building’s value to the town. 

“It’s rustic, but I love when people 

come in here and do fancy things. We get 

everything from sophisticated to a kids’ 

birthday party on a Saturday morning,” 

said the Lynnfield Historical Society first 

vice president. 

Plunked in the middle of the 

Common, the Meeting House has the 

classic spareness and simplicity of a 

Puritan meeting house. A local history 

referenced by Gillon said the building is 

“thought to be the third-oldest” Puritan 

meeting house in New England still 

standing. 

Listening to Gillon describe the 

Meeting House’s history, it’s easy to 

imagine long walks or horse rides to 

“Lynn’s End,” the parish encompassing 

modern Lynnfield 300 years ago, where 

worshippers spent all of Sunday in the 

Meeting House minus the comforts of 

heat or air conditioning. 

Known originally as the Meeting 

House of the Second Church of 

Lynn, the building has undergone 

transformations during its long history. 

It was enlarged in 1882 with carpenters 

cutting the House in half and adding 

another 14 feet of space. 

Fifty years earlier in a nod to 

separation of church and state, the 

Meeting House’s church balcony was 

transformed into a second floor providing 

upstairs worship space with Town Hall 

located downstairs. Church pews still 


fill the second floor, accessible by a steep 

wooden staircase. 

Big barn doors were installed in the 

building in 1903 to transform from a 

place of faith to a firehouse with a belfry 

and bell constructed on its roof. 

Today, the building is owned by the 

town but managed by the society with 

Gillon overseeing event booking. A 

town resident since 1983, Gillon and 

her husband, Bob, bought the Joseph 

Henfield House on Main Street in 2006. 

“We drove by it for years and years 

and just drooled every time we saw it,” 

she said. 

An antique lover, Gillon immersed 

herself in the 351-year-old home’s 

history and jumped into town historical 

preservation efforts, including the 

unsuccessful bid to save the Grant/ 

Perkins House. 

A bookkeeper for a local company, 

JogNob, Gillon credits the Historical 

Commission with crafting an ordinance 

placing a moratorium on teardowns of 

historic structures. 

“There’s a saying: ‘If you lose your 

history, you live anywhere,’” she said. 

She said the Meeting House is a 

centerpiece of town history showcased 

and preserved on the Common. With 

its rough-hewn ceiling beam work and 

sections of the original walls visible 

under Plexiglass, Gillon said the 

Meeting House is at once a peek into old 

Lynnfield and a modern place to carry 

on the building’s tradition as a gathering 

place. 

Weddings are held in the building’s 

main floor about every four months with 

a capacity of 80 people and a $250 nonresident 

rental fee. Gillon said bridal 

showers, anniversary parties and 

other gatherings are hosted 

in the Meeting House. Most 

people who book the space hear 

about it by word of mouth. 

“We’re so low-tech, we ask you 

to send us a check,” she said. 

The building is also a fixer-upper 

in need of a paint job and roof work. 

The society is helping to pay for the 

construction of a gazebo this fall on the 

Common near the Meeting House. 

“This is a priceless example of Puritan 

craftsmanship,” she said. 

To book the Meeting House 

for an event, send an email to 

lynnf ieldmeetinghouse@gmail.com. 

This is a 

priceless example 

of Puritan 

craftsmanship.” 

PHOTOS BY OWEN O’ROURKE 

The ceiling and pews on the second floor of the Old Meeting House on Lynnfield Town Common. 


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Cheryl Welsh, a teacher 

at Summer Street 

Elementary, returned 

from a teaching program 

with Chinese educators. 

Welsh stands in front 

of the “Empresses of 

China’s Forbidden City” 

exhibition at the Peabody 

Essex Museum in Salem.

EAST 

WEST 

meets 

LANGUAGE IS NO BARRIER FOR TEACHER CHERYL WELSH 

BY BILL BROTHERTON 

Many teachers take the summer off, relaxing at the beach or tending to 

their gardens. 

Not Cheryl Welsh. The third-grade teacher, who just started her 25th year 

at Summer Street Elementary School, journeyed to China. But it was not all 

relaxation and sightseeing for the Peabody resident. 

Welsh and 13 U.S. educators, including three others from Massachusetts, 

for two weeks worked side-by-side with teachers from China as volunteers 

for the Sino-American Bridge for Education and Health program. Classes 

were held through the Fujian Institute of Education in Fuzhou, China. The 

program’s objectives include introducing American culture and education 

with an emphasis on dynamic and creative instructional strategies to Chinese 

teachers, sharing educational philosophies and principles with the Chinese 

participants, and to relate collegially with those who teach English in Chinese 

schools. 

“The best part of my experiences this summer, besides the unique traveling 

opportunities and being an ambassador of the United States, was the honor 

and privilege to be able to collaborate with such talented and creative teachers 

from around the United States and to work with such enthusiastic and 

dedicated teachers in China,” said Welsh. 

This was the seventh straight summer Welsh journeyed to China. Before 

that, she taught five summers in Poland and two summers in Africa, where 

she did environmental research with the Earthwatch Institute. She credits 

Robert Simmons, science coordinator at Summer Street, for encouraging her 

to participate in these “summer vacation” programs. 

Welsh has two grown sons, Christopher and Matthew. “Matthew’s birthday 

is July 22nd. I’ve not been home for his birthday for many years now.” 

Welsh sent weekly blogs to her students in Lynnfield via WeChat, keeping 


them up-to-date on her adventures and 

promising to bring a bit of China to 

their classroom at home. She wrote: “I 

challenged my students on the first day 

with the cup-stacking activity we have 

done at our school in Lynnfield. The 

winning team stacked their cups to a 

height of 82 inches. 

“The teachers 

created amazing 

posters that I can’t 

wait to share with 

you about the way 

that the Chinese 

celebrate bringing 

in the new year, 

which they call 

Spring Festival. 

“I also assigned 

each of my three 

classes the task of 

creating an ABC 

book of China. … so, 

I will have a whole 

new set of books to 

share when we return 

to school in the fall. 

We worked with If 

You Give a Mouse a 

Cookie and then, to introduce turkeys, Ten 

Fat Turkeys, and then a nonfiction book, 

Wild Turkeys. There are no turkeys in China; 

so, they were quite interested in this odd 

animal.” 

“I look forward to going back to the 

classroom and sharing skills I learned 

this summer,” Welsh said. 

“The days were long,” she added, 

“8 a.m. to 4:30 

p.m. For me, the 

toughest part to 

get used to was 

the two-hour 

lunch. The Chinese 

teachers took a nap; 

we worked on our 

lessons.” 

Welsh was 

invited to one of 

the local teachers’ 

homes for an 

evening of tea 

and conversation. 

“There are really 

no houses to speak 

of in Fuzhou, just 

very tall apartment 

buildings. The 

apartments are much smaller than you 

would find in Lynnfield.” 

At the program’s conclusion, the 

Chinese and American teachers performed 

at a talent show. Welsh, a New England 

Conservatory grad and a cantor at two 

churches, including St. Ann in Peabody, 

sang a duet with a Chinese teacher 

about friendship. She uses music in her 

classroom, including a bit of hip-hop and 

rap. “Music is truly the universal language,” 

she said. 

Welsh presented Summer Street 

school book bags donated by the PTO to 

participants on that last day. 

One “fantastic” week of travel 

followed the intensive teaching agenda. 

Welsh received a Tai Chi lesson from 

an enthusiastic 70-year-old elder who 

lifted a 40-pound weight with just one 

hand, and convinced her to do the same. 

Another highlight was a visit to 

Tianmen Mountain and Cave. The group 

took a cable car to the mountaintop, and 

then hiked down the 999 stairs off the 

mountain. 

Welsh is also a soccer referee and 

a marathoner, having taken up the 

challenging “bucket list” item late in life 

and completing the Boston Marathon 

twice. She ran in China, as well, with 

many fellow teachers joining her in runs 

around the track. “I started my own 

running club,” she said with a laugh. 

The group also visited the Forbidden 

City. Welsh said she and the three 

other Bay Staters plan to visit the new 

“Empresses of China’s Forbidden Cities” 

exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum 

in Salem. 

“I get to train with these amazing 

teachers from China and the U.S., and I 

become a better teacher in the process. 

I’m ready to go back to my classroom in 

Lynnfield with more zip-a-dee-doo-dah 

and excitement. 

“Plus, I’m already planning my lessons 

for China for next year.” 

Bea 


22

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHERYL WELSH 

 

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The tale 

of the 


Lynnfield has everything. 

Great schools, three golf courses, and 

sparkling athletic fields that are the envy 

of other North Shore communities. 

But unlike 180 Massachusetts 

communities from Abington to Yarmouth, 

Lynnfield lacks a rail trail. 

It’s not for lack of trying. 

Efforts have been underway for nearly 

two decades to transform the former 

Newburyport branch of the Boston 

and Maine Railroad into the 4.4-mile 

Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail. 

The $9.2 million state- and federallyfunded 

project would be built on 2½ 

miles in Lynnfield and nearly two miles in 

Wakefield on land leased from the MBTA 

at no cost to the communities. 

A 10-foot-wide paved path would 

begin near the T’s Wakefield commuter 

rail station, pass two Wakefield schools, 

travel under Route I-95 into Lynnfield, 

wind behind the middle school towards 

the Reedy Meadow Golf Course and high 

school to the Peabody border. 

Also included in the proposal is 

off-street parking, safety improvements 

at road and railroad crossings, new signs 

and pavement markings, pedestrian and 

landscape enhancements, and screening 

from the trail for abutters. 

While construction of the path is at 

no cost to the communities, Lynnfield 

and Wakefield residents are on the hook 

to share the $500,000 tab for the project’s 

design. 

Proponents say trails offer another 

form of recreation and take cars off the 

roads; they allow for a glimpse into nature, 

improve public health, boost the local 

economy, and put an accent on community 

pride and identity. 

In a 2013 survey of residents about 

Lynnfield’s recreational needs, 72 percent 

said a bike path was needed, while 60 

percent said the community would benefit 

from a walking trail. 

“The most important perceived 

recreational need throughout the town 

of Lynnfield is for additional multipurpose 

trails for walking, biking, 

running, hiking and fitness,” the survey 

summary said. “It is recommended 

that a multipurpose trail/path network 

be considered as part of any new 

recreational path development.” 

But Citizens of Lynnfield Against the 

Rail Trail, organized in 2014 to oppose 

the project, say the trail raises safety, 

financial, and environmental concerns. 

“Did you know that the long-term 

goal of this project is for the path to run 

through Lynnfield and eventually connect 

through Wakefield and Peabody to a much 

larger network of bike and walking paths?” 

the group’s website said. “These connected 

paths would span the entire East Coast 

from Florida all the way to Canada. We 

are aware that this expanded trail system 

would encourage people from all over 

Massachusetts and even other states to 

travel through our neighborhoods. Based on 

our own research, we are convinced that this 

project will create new costs and dangers for 

Lynnfield...” 

Those for and against bike and 

pedestrian paths cite studies that suggest 

property values will rise or fall, depending 

on their point of view. 

Opponents said a 1980s survey by 

the nonprofit National Association of 

Reversionary Property Owners on homes 

near the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle 

found houses closer to the trail failed to 


increase in value at the same rate as other 

properties. The study revealed that for 

nearly two decades, homes closest to the 

trail saw median prices increase by 250 

percent compared to nearly 900 percent 

for the rest of the county. 

But proponents tout a 2006 survey 

by The Murphys Realtors, Inc., in 

Northampton. The study examined 

property values in the seven communities 

along the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway 

and the Nashua River Trail. It found that 

homes near the trails sold for an average 

of 99 percent of the asking price within 29 

days, while other homes fetched 98 percent 

of list price in 50 days. 

Nationwide, there are nearly 2,100 rail 

trails with a total of 23, 494 miles, according 

to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit 

with 160,000 members and a mission of 

connecting people and communities by 

creating a nationwide network of public trails. 

Today, the number of trail projects in the 

works total 797 that would add 8,506 miles of 

walkable, bikeable trails. 

Still, debate over construction of a 

rail trail has been contentious. Last year, 

Lynnfield voters approved a plan at Town 

Meeting to allow the Board of Selectmen 

to sign a lease with the MBTA to use the 

abandoned rail. The hotly debated article 

passed by a single vote. 

“Like anything new in a small town, 

people don’t like change,” said Selectman 

Philip Crawford. “There’s definitely 

opposition. Some homeowners along the 

trail route see it as an infringement on 

their privacy, and I get it.” 

Robert Almy, secretary of Lynnfield’s 

Recreational Path Committee, said in 

addition to providing residents with a way 

to get around town without a car, it will 

provide middle- and high-school teachers 

with teachable moments when they bring 

their students to the trail to study plants and 

wildlife. 

“I walk my dogs on Peabody rail trail 

now,” he said. “But if the Wakefield- 

Lynnfield rail trail gets built, I will use it.” 

There are still several steps that need 

to happen before construction can begin, 

he said. The Massachusetts Department of 

Transportation is planning public hearings 

that could be held as early as November. In 

addition, he said, Lynnfield voters will be 

asked to approve about $250,000 to pay the 

town’s portion of the design documents. 

“If all the approvals are in place, 

construction could begin in 2020 or 

2021,” Almy said. 

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Library 

turns a 

page 

RRuss Boekenkroeger and Nancy Ryan 

dream about a sprawling, light-filled 

building with Adirondack chairs on a 

terrace with a view of Reedy Meadow 

Golf Course. 

The pair aren’t architects or golfers, they 

are two of the people at the center of efforts 

to replace the town’s aging library with a 

state-of-the-art, 21st-century building. 

Financial challenges and public 

approval hurdles must be overcome 

before their vision can be realized, but 

Boekenkroeger — a town resident since 

1992 — and Ryan, the library’s former 

director currently serving on an interim 

basis while the search for a new director 

is underway, are optimistic fellow 

Lynnfield library lovers and residents will 

make the dream a reality. 

“We can make people understand 

this is not the library of your parents and 

grandparents,” Ryan said. 

Those words described the existing 

library on Summer Street. Built in 

1856, the building was modernized in 

the 1950s and 1960s, with additional 

renovation work in 1991. Smack in 

BY THOR JOURGENSEN 

the middle of town, it poses parking 

challenges to patrons, its technology 

offerings are not cutting edge and Ryan 

said the library septic system “is on its 

last legs.” 

The library sees 85,000 visitors a year, 

many of whom check out books from its 

75,000-volume collection. But libraries 

in 2018, as Ryan is quick to point out, are 

much more than buildings stuffed with 

dusty rows of shelves packed with books and 

a stern librarian standing behind a counter. 

A vision for a new town library 

providing space where parents with young 

children can attend story times; patrons can 

not only check out books, but also access 

music and visual resources as well as online 

research tools; and through modern library 

networking systems order books from a 

library in other communities that can be 

picked up in Lynnfield. 

“I love the concept of openness — the 

feeling of wanting to come in and stay 

there,” Ryan said. 

Modernization, said Ryan and 

Boekenkroeger, is a necessity, not a 

luxury, for the town and its library. 

“If we don’t keep providing services, it 

won’t matter: People will go somewhere 

else,” said Boekenkroeger. 

A long-time local library patron, 

Boekenkroeger met Ryan following his 

wife, Susan Christian’s, death in 2012. 

“I wanted to acquire the last three 

books she had read,” he said. 

Ryan’s efforts to make his wish come 

true led to a discussion about library 

needs and Boekenkroeger’s involvement 

in an emerging campaign by library users 

to look to the library’s future. Working 

with architect William Rawn, planners 

began to sketch a vision of a new library 

with 25,000 square feet of resource space 

compared to 14,000 square feet now on 

Summer Street. 

They envisioned a glass and clapboard 

one-story structure in keeping with 

prevailing town architectural styles and 

imagined what future library users will 

want and need. Suggestions included a 

110-person community meeting room, 

crafts construction space and a café, a terrace 

with a view of Reedy Meadow and online 

capabilities matching the needs of patrons 

who are still in elementary school. 

“We are virtually expanding the 

value of the library. You have to have an 

environment that is flexible,” Ryan said. 

A 22-year veteran of the Lynnfield library 


PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK 

Russell Boekenkroeger and Interim 

Librarian Nancy Ryan look through 

illustrations and plans for the proposed 

library in Lynnfield. 

who was director from 2008-16, Ryan said 

the town — not just library patrons — faces 

the challenge of sustaining the Summer 

Street library with its limited space and 

resources while determining how to design 

and build a new library. 

That effort has already involved 

talking to 300 middle-school students 

and focusing on the library needs of 

younger town residents. Boekenkroeger 

said that effort is important because 

making a new library a reality could span 

years and stretch into the next decade. 

“We are recruiting younger people 

who can appreciate what a library can 

provide,” he said. 

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STYLE 

FALLING INTO 

autumn 

A modest style with a touch of urban edge to get your mind off the 

summer heat. As the weather gets colder, fall in line with some layers. 

Cover up your silhouette, but don’t forget to keep it trendy. 

Scarves, faux fur jackets, sharp colors, tweed, fringe, leather, palazzo pants. 

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The dress 

Cupcakes and Cashmere 

striped ivory cotton dress with 

fringe bottom trim, $120. Available 

at Pia, 673 Market St. 

The top 

Cupcakes and Cashmere 

silver mauve bell sleeve sweater, 

$105. Available at Pia 

673 Market St. 

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The bag 

Mini brown leather cross body bag 

with braided strap, $55. 

Available at FatFace, 1110 Market St. 

The bling 

“Kiley” silver metallic and mauve bracelet, $28.50. 

Available at Scout & Molly’s, 1510 Market St., Lynnfield. 

Taylor and Tessier silver multi-chain choker with star 

pendant, $202. Taylor and Tessier long silver link 

chain necklace with gold star and heart pendants, $192. 

Available at Pia, 673 Market St.

The scarf 

Mustard pom pom wrap-around 

scarf, $35. Available at FatFace, 

1110 Market St. 

The 

white t 

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linen tee, $50. 

Available at 

FatFace, 1110 

Market St. 

The jacket 

Bishop + Young cropped faux fur 

jacket in cream, $115. Available at 

Scout & Molly’s, 1510 Market St. 

The 

statement 

necklace 

Lush brass pendant with 

black onyx beads, $72. 

Available at Scout & 

Molly’s, 1510 Market St. 

The pant 

Cistar cotton striped 

paperbag palazzo pants in 

cream and black, $89. 

Available at Pia, 673 

Market St. 

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night out 

CLUTCH: Vash “Jemma” cruelty free fur clutch in cream and hazelnut, $165. 

SKIRT: Bishop + Young leather mini skirt with exposed zipper, $105. 

BLOUSE: Bailey 44 scarf neck blouse in chalk white, $178. 

Available at Scout & Molly’s, 1510 Market St. 


Pumping help to Zambia 


PHOTO COURTESY OF 

THE LYNNFIELD CATHOLIC COLLABORATIVE 

Two Catholic churches 

showed their generosity 

across oceans and 

continents when they 

donated more than $13,000 

to provide Africans with 

new wells. 

The first of two wells 

is providing clean and convenient water 

to residents in a Zambia neighborhood 

where residents faced a water crisis. 

Existing wells were nearly nonfunctioning 

or unsafe and larger water 

sources were too far away. 

“They were in desperate need of 

water,” said Marie Lagman, the Lynnfield 

Catholic Collaborative director of media 

ministry. The collaborative is a faith 

community comprised of Our Lady of 

the Assumption and St. Maria Goretti. 

The lack of clean water nearby has 

many consequences for individuals and 

communities. 

In Africa, the job of collecting 

water from distant sources is the job 

primarily of women and children. That 

responsibility eliminates the chance for 

children to attend school and women to 

earn an income. It also makes them more 

vulnerable to rape and human trafficking. 

When drinking water is available, it 

must be carried and stored in uncovered 

containers near the home. That makes it 

a breeding ground for mosquitoes that 

carry malaria. 

The well initiative from parishioners 

in St. Maria Goretti and Our Lady of 

Assumption parishes, and Our Lady 

of Assumption school launched an 

association with the Society of African 

Missions (SMA). [Editor's note: The 

initials refer to the name in Latin: 

Societas Missionum ad Afros.] 

For several years, SMA priests have 

visited the Lynnfield parishes in summer 

and participated in parish ministries 

and activities. Society member Rev. Don 

Phiri encouraged parishioners to help buy 

soccer uniforms, Bible story books, and 

other items for the Zambian communities. 

When Phiri and other SMA priests 

outlined the need for water, Collaborative 

members lent a helping hand. 

Throughout Lent this year, the Lynnfield 

Catholic Collaborative’s social justice group, 

Justice for Jesus, assisted parishes to collect 

donations to fund the water wells. 

“Children had a special opportunity 

to donate,” said Lagman. 

The first well, located in St. Francis 

Kwama West, Zambia, is up and 

pumping. The community’s 16,000 

inhabitants have been barely surviving on 

the scarce supply provided by old, driedup 

boreholes. Construction has begun on 

a second well for St. Peters Kansuswa. 

“It shows that we are just all one 

community no matter if you live near or 

far away,” Lagman said. 


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HOUSE MONEY 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF COLDWELL BANKER 


A peek inside 

6 North Hill Drive 

SALE PRICE: $1,725,000 

SALE DATE: June 21, 2018 

LIST PRICE: $2,999,000 

TIME ON MARKET: 

251 days (October, 2017) 

LISTING BROKER: 

Louise Touchette, Coldwell Banker 

Residential Brokerage, Lynnfield 

SELLING BROKER: 

Stephen Conroy, Boardwalk Real 

Estate 

LATEST ASSESSED 

VALUE:$1,662,500 

PREVIOUS SALE PRICE: 

$700,000 (1995) 

PROPERTY TAXES: 

$22,876 

YEAR BUILT: 1988 

LOT SIZE: 1.38 acres 

LIVING AREA: 11,769 sq. ft. 

ROOMS: 10 

BEDROOMS: 5 

BATHROOMS: 3 full, 2 half 

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

In-ground heated pool, guest house, 

25 x 29 master bedroom, gated 

driveway, gourmet SubZero and 

Wolf kitchen, two-story great room, 

paneled library, zen room, and sevencar 

garage. 

Source: MLS Property Information Network. 


CLOSING THE 

PERLEY GATES 


Neighbors of the 

shuttered Perley 

Burrill gas station 

on Salem Street may 

not have to look at 

the eyesore for much 

longer. Following a five-year battle with 

the former owner to clean the site just 

off Route 1, the town is set to auction 

the 2.6-acre parcel. 

In July, the Planning Board approved 

a two-lot subdivision for the station that 

operated from 1932 to 2013. 

The board’s decision ends a number of 

court fights with the former owner, Joseph 

Pedoto, trustee of Little Joe Realty Trust, 

who lost the property to foreclosure two 

years ago after failing to pay $250,000 in 

back taxes. 

“We are nearing the end of the final 

chapter,” said Philip Crawford, a member 

of the Board of Selectmen. “I’ve been 

on the board for six years and I’ve been 

working on it that long. It’s been a real 

thorn in our side for many years.” 

James Coppola, a Marblehead 

attorney who is handling the sale for the 

town, said an auction will be scheduled 

this fall. Terms have not been worked out 

yet, he said. 

For years, the Perley Burrill Fuel 

Oil station boasted it was America’s 

oldest filling station, according to 

RoadsideArchitecture.com. Perhaps, the 

website says, the owners meant it was the 

oldest station still in operation. 

The distinction of America’s oldest 

gasoline station might go to Reighard’s 

in Altoona, Penn., which says it has been 

in operation since 1909, according to its 

website. 

Perley and Phillips Burrill sold the 

property in 2005 to Pedoto’s Little Joe 

Realty Trust for $1 million where it 

operated the gas station and Viking Oil Co. 

But in 2006, state Attorney General 

Thomas Reilly sued the company and 

Pedoto after the heating oil distributor 

abruptly stopped delivering to customers. 

Viking Oil ceased operations that year. 

Later, town officials alleged Pedoto 

leased the property to landscapers and a 

used car dealer. 

“All those uses are illegal, so we were 

constantly battling; it was a big mess,” 

Crawford said. “We had to take him to 

court multiple times to get anything done.” 

Pedoto faced a 30-day jail sentence in 

2015 for failure to heed a judge’s order to 

remove five underground storage tanks from 

the Salem St. property. He later complied. 

“He refused to cooperate until he 

was going to be arrested and jailed,” 

Crawford said. 

PHOTO BY THOMAS GRILLO 

All the while, the property and the 

building on it continued to deteriorate. 

“There was a dilapidated building 

falling down, it looked like a dump, so 

people tossed their trash there and we 

had to make the building safe and fenced 

it off,” Crawford added. 

There were three unpaid mortgages 

on the property from Bank of America, 

Global Oil Co., and Joseph Ricupero Jr., 

owner of Renewable Waste Solutions, 

totaling $1.7 million. 

Crawford said he expects there to be 

several bidders at the auction. 

“Let’s say the property cost $475,000 

and $125,000 to clean it up, or $300,000 

per lot. That’s a very good price,” he said.

01940 Fall 2018 web

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