Saugus Select Board approves karate studio permit and school no-parking zone

Select Board · Meeting of March 3, 2026

Saugus Select Board votes unanimously to extend school-zone no-parking and permit a new martial arts studio. The four-member board, meeting without Selectman Federico following his father's death, voted four to zero at its March 3 meeting to establish a no-parking zone on both sides of Pierce Memorial Drive from Main Street to the school parking lot, addressing a bottleneck at dismissal time that school and town officials have tracked since October 2024. School Committee member Dennis Gould said police and fire had both signed off on the change; Middle High School Principal Carlos Gazzarella, who spoke in favor, warned that "the issue is always trying to enforce it." In a separate four-to-zero vote, the board granted a special permit to Master O'Karate Academy, LLC, owned by Herman Ocasio, to operate at 327 Broadway, Suite 351, in the Kohl's Plaza, with Selectman Ciccolini securing broader operating hours so Ocasio would not need to return to the board for schedule adjustments.

The board also honored student-athlete Peyton DiBiasio with a town citation for breaking the Saugus High School all-time basketball scoring record, which had stood since 1966.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of March 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.