Cocoanut Grove Burned in Memory 75 Years Later
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 Lynn Cocoanut Grove to feel burned in memory pain in the tax 75 years later By Bridget Turcotte By Thomas Grillo ITEM STAFF ITEM STAFF LYNN — It was 75 years LYNN — The good ago today that 492 people news is home values were killed in a re at the are on the rise in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub city. The bad news is it in Boston, but for many in will bring higher taxes. Lynn, the memories of the Thanks to strong day are still painful. demand, residential The club, between property values in- Piedmont and Shawmut creased by an average streets, had false walls of 9 percent this year of arti cial leather, cloth and the surge is ex- covering the ceilings, ar- pected to boost real ti cial palm trees, a dance estate taxes, according oor, the longest bar in the to the city’s Assessing city, and an electric roof Department. that rolled back to provide Under the new val- a glimpse of the sky. uations, single-family ITEM PHOTO | OWEN O’ROURKE Most of the doors and home values increased Joan Spofford and her hydrangea exits were illegally locked by 9.3 percent, condo- bush that was cut. or blocked, and the main miniums 8.3 percent, entrance was a revolving two-families 9.1 per- door that quickly jammed cent, three-families 8.2 when crowds rushed out, percent and apartment Controversy causing people to fall and buildings 10.5 percent. pile up, inches away from Commercial values safety. increased modestly The club had a capacity by 2.4 percent while blossoms in of 460 people, but on Nov. industrial properties 28, 1942, it was packed saw a 1.8 percent in- with more than 1,000 crease. Swampscott dancers and diners. ITEM FILE PHOTO “Residential prop- The Daily Evening Item erties appreciated at reported on Nov. 30, 1942 a much higher rate By Gayla Cawley that several Lynn resi- ITEM STAFF than commercial or dents were at the Cocoa- industrial properties, SWAMPSCOTT — One Ocean View Road nut Grove on the night of continuing the re- couple has a strange problem. They say some- the re. cent trend,” said Peter one has come onto their property at least Twenty-three-year-old Caron, Lynn’s CFO. twice to trim a signi cant portion of their hy- Leigh Sudnovsky, a gradu- “Unfortunately for drangea bush. ate of Lynn Classical and homeowners, they will David “Dewey” and Joan Spofford live at 23 Burdett College, was there take on a greater share Ocean View Road. David said his wife planted with her sister Hilda and of the tax burden next a hydrangea bush 30 to 40 years ago right in cousin Norman Zeitsoff year.” front of the house. when she was killed. Hil- For Jose Alvarez, who Last November, David said they went to da, who excused herself bought his 107-year- Maine for four to ve days and when they from the table to wash her old single-family home came back to their home, they noticed that 50 hands in the bathroom on Essex Street in percent of the bush’s branches had been cut. when the ames broke 2009 for $100,000, the He said they thought it was a “little bit funny” out, survived. increase in home val- and gured that someone around the neigh- “I left the table located ues is not necessarily borhood might have trimmed it. close to the entrance and good news. Around the middle of this month, David said went to the ladies’ room,” His two-bedroom the couple went to Maine again and returned she told the Item in 1942. COURTESY PHOTO home is assessed at to nd that two thirds of the hydrangea had “I was in there only a min- $220,700, but that been cut. ute. As I opened the door, Boston Globe staff photographer Harry Hol- number is expected brook captured this scene at Cocoanut Grove to rise by more than BUSH, A7 COCOANUT, A3 of a man carrying a woman from the re. $20,000 next year and will likely increase his real estate tax bill. “It’s great that my home’s value has in- Saugus, Malden, Medford down for the recounts creased, but it’s mak- ing it much more By Bridget Turcotte Riley said with the closeness of the results, The recount took eight hours on Monday expensive to live in ITEM STAFF she owed it to her supporters to ensure the and changed Mitchell’s results by two votes. Lynn,” he said. “Some process was not awed, especially because the He nished with 1660 votes, closing the gap of us can’t afford to A recounting of the votes in the Saugus voting machines were new. between his nal count and Riley’s to 14. Riley stay here and that’s Board of Selectmen race resulted in a differ- The town spent $55,000 on 11 new voting nished with the same amount of votes. why people are moving ence of a handful of votes, but candidates re- machines in September to replace tabulators “The recount con rmed what the election out.” mained in the same order. And in Malden and that were more than two decades old. results were three weeks ago,” said Mitchell. The city raised Medford, recounts didn’t change the outcome Debra Panetta nished rst with 2,314 “We now see there weren’t issues with the $121.5 million last in either school committee race. votes, followed by Jeff Cicolini with 2,055, new machines as was stated in the papers as year in real estate tax- Corinne Riley, the sixth place nisher in the Jennifer D’Eon with 1,935, Scott Brazis with reasons for a recount. Honestly, I was a lit- es. For scal year 2018, race for ve Board of Selectmen seats in Sau- 1,905, and Mitchell with 1,662. Riley nished tle surprised that Corinne Riley, who asked that number will rise gus, trailed fth place nisher Mark Mitchell behind Mitchell with 1,646 votes. Michael Se- for this process, didn’t have the class to by 16 votes in the Nov. 7 election and led a rino nished with 1,609. Michael Coller se- TAX, A7 petition for the recount. cured 995 votes and Assunta Palomba got 984. RECOUNT, A7 STEVE KRAUSE COMMENTARY It’s time to punt on MIAA playoff system Item Santa I’ve refrained from writing this system is a joke, it’s dangerous, while the season was in prog- and should be abolished as soon ress. as enough people coalesce in warms hearts, It’s simply not fair to cast as- their outrage to do away with it. persions on anything involving State high school football has raises hope kids who are going all out, week been broken for a long time, and after week, to achieve goals. the reason for it is simple. The By Harold Rivera And adults who throw cold wa- Massachusetts Interscholastic ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK ITEM STAFF ter on the positive accomplish- Athletic Association insists on ments of the kids in their com- treating football just like any Caitlin Merrill, left, of Nahant speaks with A single mother is hoping to nd help munities deserve a special place other interscholastic sport. This artist Mary Jo Mitchell about her prints for this holiday season. The mother was re- down below. is absurd. Football is not like sale at the Nahant Holiday Fair. cently relocated because of domestic vi- But the season’s over (except any other interscholastic sport. olence and is unable to provide for her for Lynn Tech’s game Thursday First of all, football players INSIDE 12-year-old daughter because of a health in the state vocational nal at need time to rest and recover reasons. Nashoba Valley Tech in West- after increasingly-brutal games “I am writing to ask for any assistance ford), and that has nothing to do on Fridays and Saturdays. The In Opinion In LOOK! with what I’m about to address. Bill Brotherton: Nahant fair kicks off ITEM SANTA, A7 Simply put, the state playoff KRAUSE, A7 Giving thanks. A4 holiday shopping. A8 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 POLICE/FIRE .............................A6 COMICS/DIVERSIONS ........... B4-5 HIGH 42° VOL. 139, ISSUE 301 LYNN .........................................A3 LOOK! .......................................A8 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 LOW 39° OPINION ...................................A4 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 BUSINESS ................................B8 PAGE A8 ONE DOLLAR A2 THE DAILY ITEM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 OBITUARIES MBTA: Blue Line Theresa J. Fee, 92 Joan R. Deveney, 85 1925-2017 1932-2017 seen as model for LYNN — Mrs. There- member of St. Mary’s HAMPTON FALLS, and her sister-in- sa “Terry” J. (Barnes) Parish in Lynn. An N.H. — Joan R. law Shirley Caproni Fee, 92, a lifelong avid golfer, she was (Caproni) Deveney, of Peabody. She subway service resident of Lynn died a member of Gan- 85, of Hampton Falls, also leaves her nine on Sunday, Nov. 27, non Country Club. passed away peace- grandchildren, Lisa By Andy Metzger the reliability of the fleet 2017, at the Ka- She and her hus- fully on Sunday, Nov. DiPietro, Sean Rudd, STATE HOUSE itself, so ultimately that plan Family Hospice band loved ballroom 26, 2017, with her Brian Deveney, Scott NEWS SERVICE will be what our custom- House in Danvers. dancing and traveling loving and devoted Rudd, Pauline Fabia- ers will be able to feel,” BOSTON — For a view of She was the be- together to tropical family at her side. no, Erin Stromski, Su- Gonneville told reporters.