Published in the January 14, 2021 edition.
BY MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Two local businesses were recognized at this week’s Town Council meeting after they were honored at MassEcon’s 17th Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Awards.
Batten Brothers Signs in Greenwood and Carols Cafe on Tuttle Street were honored recently by MassEcon, a statewide non-profit alliance of private and public sector partners that champions Massachusetts as the best place to start, grow or locate a business.
Batten Brothers on Main Street in Greenwood was presented with the Corporate Hero Award after they pivoted their sign business to the manufacturing and installation of acrylic walls and shields to be used at checkout counters and customer service desks to allow businesses to operate safely and help protect employees and customers from the coronavirus. Batten Brothers has been a designer, fabricator, installer and provider of custom designed signage, awnings and flag poles since 1946.
At Monday’s Town Council meeting, company president Richard Batten acknowledged the award.
“It’s been our honor to be located in Wakefield,” he said. “It’s such a great town. We were grateful to be able to help businesses stay open in this unusual year. Our employees were phenomenal. They really stepped up. We are grateful to the community, our employees and our team.”
Carols Cafe on Tuttle Street was singled out for special recognition for their efforts to provide meals to first responders during the pandemic.
Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio intorduced Kim Ferrante, owner of Carols Cafe. He told the Town Council that Ferrante and her staff wake up every day at 2:30 a.m. to prepare meals for first responders, including hospitals, fire stations, National Guard units, police and nursing homes. To date, they have delivered over 14,000 meals, Maio said.
Ferrante said that she was glad to have moved the business from Everett to Wakefield, although the timing at the start of the pandemic wasn’t the best. She said that Wakefield has welcomed the business with open arms and she looks forward to being here for many years to come.
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The Town Council this week approved two recommendations from the Traffic Advisory Committee. Police Lt. Joseph Anderson, chairman of the Traffic Advisory Committee, presented the recommendations.
He said that the committee held a meeting on Friday, Dec. 18 and voted to recommend the installation of two “Stop” signs: one at the intersection of Nelly Street and Broadway and the other at the intersection of Plymouth Road and Broadway.
“There are currently no traffic controls at these intersections and driver’s unfamiliar with the area may be unaware that Broadway has the right of way,” Anderson said, noting that residents have reported numerous near-miss crashes in recent months.
The Town Council approved the installation of the “Stop” signs as recommended.
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The Town Council voted this week to accept the deed for a property at 94 Butler Avenue. The town recently agreed to purchase the land from a developer as part of the settlement of a lawsuit. The town also approved a “Determination of Uniqueness,” which Town Counsel Thomas Mullen explained was required because there was no public bidding process involved in the purchase of the land. The “uniqueness” of the transaction stemmed from the fact that the sale was part of a legal settlement, which allowed the bidding process to be bypassed.
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There was brief discussion of the Mystic Valley Charter School in Malden stemming from allegations last summer related to racial insensitivity. Chairman Ann Santos said that the Town Council has repeatedly asked for representatives of the school to come to a meeting and have a conversation in light of the fact that Wakefield has 66 students at the school and provides $825,000 annually in funding. Santos said that she and Maio would again ask to have a representative of the school attend a future meeting.
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The Town Council voted to approve a request from the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library to accept and expend $101.95 in gifts from various donors.
