Says preserve site, honor vet’s memories
By JOSH RESNEK
The mayor’s plans to sell Everett Memorial Stadium and to build a hotel or 300 units of apartment housing on the site, is being questioned and discouraged by candidate for mayor, Councilor Fred Capone.
The mayor and a developer have apparently agreed on a money deal, as reported more than a year ago by the Leader Herald.
How much will be paid and by whom and what will be built on the site remains in question.
Those questions are being pursued in earnest by Capone. He believes the stadium, which was built as a war memorial to the city’s fallen war dead, would be better left alone by the mayor.
“Relocating the stadium would result in the loss of one of our community’s most historical treasures. Additionally, without the stadium, the veteran memorials both outside the park and within it would be out of place, lose some of its significance or risk significant damage during a relocation effort. Moreover, if another large-scale construction project is proposed one more neighborhood would become overcrowded and engulfed,” Capone said during a recent Zoom meeting where he discussed the issue with voters and members of the city government.
The relocation of the stadium to Rivergreen would require a commute across the entire city rather than midway. This would result in increased traffic burdens on Main Street, Baldwin Avenue, Winslow Street, Tremont Street, Prescott Street, and Everett Street among others. This one endeavor would both destroy a piece of our city’s history and overburden other neighborhoods in the community,” Capone added.
The mayor’s intentions to relocate the stadium concern those who believe such a deal will be done not for the betterment of the community, but rather, for the mayor to possibly enrich himself.
The mayor’s well know mantra, “What’s in it for me,” concerns many voters and residents after twelve years in office.
“There is something to be said about preserving the integrity of neighborhoods. Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium, with its storied history, is and should remain part of the city’s sports legacy. Certain buildings and structures give a neighborhood and a community, character. Once you demolish a celebrated building or structure, you take a piece of the city’s history away that can never be replaced. Some, like the Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium, should remain intact as it is priceless and irreplaceable,” Capone said.
Capone’s statements caused a stir on his election Facebook site, with a spirited number of comments placed by Everett residents.