The Revere Commission on Disabilities (COD) held its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday, August 11, via Zoom. On hand for the session were chair Ralph DeCicco, vice-chair Pauline Perno, Jason Barone-Cichocki, and Mario Grimanis.
Perno provided an update regarding the Revere Beach crossing safety concerns. The commission has sent a letter to State Rep. Jeff Turco and has spoken with city officials about the problem. However, Perno said she has heard nothing back.
Perno and DeCicco provided a list of the vendors and agencies that were slated to come to the third annual All Ability Beach Day at Revere Beach, which was scheduled to take place this past Saturday, August 15.
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay once again awarded a grant to the COD that provided the funding for the All Ability Day, which is being held in conjunction with the Revere Rec. Dept.
DeCicco gave a report of the July meeting of CODA (Commissions on Disabilities Alliance) that was held on July 1. He said the representative from the Newburyport COD mentioned that they will be working on their COD page on the town's website.
He noted that the Newton COD rep mentioned that they were scheduled to have a Disability Pride event on July 19.
He also said that the Boston COD representative stated that they have created a letter to send to Secretary of State William Galvin regarding the issues with the Automark voting machines and gave reasons for why they need to be replaced.
DeCicco said there were no items received from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB) during the month for local variances. He also noted that there was no business pertaining to Chapter 40, Section 22 handicapped parking funds.
DeCicco at the end of the meeting brought up that the commission often receives queries about housing, noting that the COD has no direct connection to housing resources.
Perno concluded the meeting by reading the COD's monthly reminder:
The Commission on Disabilities office number is 781-286-8267. Residents can also call Revere 311 directly and speak to their staff Monday through Friday. They will answer most questions, but if they are unable to assist you or if you prefer to talk with the commission directly, please ask to be transferred to the Commission on Disability direct number. Please leave a detailed message, and we will respond to you shortly.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss or add something to our monthly meeting agenda. You can also let us know if you want to discuss any concerns. The commission is here to help and assist all residents with disabilities and their families in Revere.
The next meeting of the COD (via Zoom) is set for Tuesday evening, September 8.