Yellow Lines Lead To One Resident's Frustration

A Letter To The Editor from Stoneham resident Deborah Turco Mirabella.

I reside at 72 Forest Street, Stoneham, MA 02180 and have lived there since the year 2006. On Tuesday, December 5, 2017 I attended my first BOS (board of selectmen) meeting. The reason for my attendance is back on June 21, 2016 I woke up to double yellow lines painted on Forest Street. I called the Town Administrator office at which this time this person was filling in gave me a response to as "I don’t know why lines were painted. I am filling in because the town administrator quit." I then called the DPW and they said someone in charge would return my call to give me an explanation. That never happened. I then turned to Facebook and come to found out other streets were painted as well. The sloppiness of those double yellow were atrocious. Stevie Wonder could have done a better a job!

On Dec 21st a BOS meeting was held and the vote was in favor to have the lines removed. How happy was I, I would have my neighborhood back. Well, that didn’t happen. Months went by and nothing. I call the town again and a response that “the truck is broken.” I let it go. I call again, in the winter, and their response is “the truck is still broken.” Finally after almost a year they come and paint it, time to laugh out loud, they use a paint that apparently is washable, because the next day it rained and washed away!

I bring you to the present, the month is November 2017, again I wake up Monday morning, can’t remember exact date only to find brighter lines painted AGAIN! Here we go. I call the Town and speak to two different people. It’s amazing how these people work in the same office and their desks are less than 10 feet apart, they look at the same sky, but one says the sky is gray and the other says the sky is blue. Everyone should be on the same page even if the page is filled with lies, make sure the stories are the same so you can turn to the end and close this chapter of the book.

My frustration then goes to Facebook; the page is Stoneham Community Group. Glad to see I wasn’t the only upset resident about this.

I find out there is a board meeting on the 5th of December. I figure I would attend; I am a mother with a child and one on the way. Might as well get my voice heard. The double lines are brought up. I listen to Mr. Anthony Wilson and he is stating how ridiculous that this has come up again. Well Mr. Wilson you are supposed to be representing the town not yourself. He doesn’t live on a street with lines so of course why would he care! A woman who actually lives on my street was the first one to speak on her behalf. She is also raising two small children that she used to walk to school before Forest Street became a speedway after those lines were painted. I spoke shortly after her. If you have a chance to watch the video, please do it's comical, worse than a soap opera. This is more than double lines now. Something is being covered up. They are stating that the state is giving this town money from 90 funds (which is reimbursable). They say this is a state mandate law. Mr. Bob Grover of the DPW stated in 2016 that any street that has 6000 vehicles a day or more needs these lines. Forest Street doesn’t have 250 vehicles per hour on it. He is covering his butt, no one knows who he answers to, everyone has a boss … does he answer to the state? I don’t think so. To me this is now bigger than these lines. Preschoolers have better communication than the town does to the residents. If I can receive an email when my water/sewer bill is due, why can't I get informed with proof that subjects on my street is changing!? Where is my state mandated letter? The state send Jury duty notification … that’s proof enough for me to attend, so why is it so hard for this town to work together and communicate to people that pay their taxes!

This is actually a nice town, it just not run in a nice way. You want to drive through the downtown everything looks pretty and intact on the outside, but it’s corrupted on the inside. I saw the drama unfold on the 5th of December. Drama is still going on social media, even selectman are chiming in, throwing politics in the mix, this isn’t personal … We need selectman that represent the people, the neighborhoods. I am not saying we should be getting everything that we complain about, but maybe if you listen to us and then follow through with the solution, people wouldn’t put their homes up for sale and move out.

Thank you,
Deborah Turco Mirabella