By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — Aggregate Industries has agreed to provide cash to improve the town’s parks.
In exchange for a land reclamation agreement for the quarry on Route 99, Aggregate will provide at least $36,000 annually, plus additional fees per truck load that may reach more than $100,000 annually, said Town Manager Scott Crabtree.
“These monthly gifts will be used to benefit outdoor and indoor park and recreation facilities, as well as help fund parks and recreation programs within the town of Saugus,” he said. “We have a special grant gift account that will be segregated only to use for those purposes, without need for appropriation.”
Last summer, the board of selectmen backed a plan to fill the 60-acre site at 1821 Broadway. The Saugus Quarry could be transformed into a commercial development with a mix of retail, office and housing space.
Aggregate has produced construction materials on the site since the 1930s. Today, it’s home to two asphalt plants, a ready mix concrete plant, quarrying and crushing activities, said Erik Muller, general manager.
For more than a decade, Aggregate has worked with the town’s Aggregate Post-Closure Committee to develop a plan to reclaim the quarry. The project, to be completed in three phases, will reuse 46 acres over the next 15 years.
The site will be filled using dredged materials, blasted rock and soil. Materials will be approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Saugus Board of Health.
Aggregate is working with town officials to develop a master plan for filling the quarry. The plan will lead to zoning amendments to encourage mixed-use development. Zoning for the site allows uses including contactors yards, auto body work, car dealerships, commercial garages, self-storage facilities and warehouse operations. Under the new agreement, Aggregate will not pursue any of these uses.
In addition to a master plan, a stormwater pollution plan will be provided as part of the agreement.
“They want to have a bigger involvement in the community,” Crabtree said. “It’s a huge benefit for the town and for our community.”
Selectmen, the finance committee and Town Meeting members all supported recent efforts to build a new playground at Veterans Memorial Elementary School, a park and playground at Bristow Street Park, and new tennis courts at Belmonte Middle School. The monthly grants will further similar efforts, Crabtree said.
“One of my biggest priorities as town manager has been to improve the parks and playgrounds within the Town of Saugus,” he said. “This partnership with Aggregate will help us achieve that goal. We are so thankful for their generosity and we look forward to working with them and further bettering our community over the next several years.”
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Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.