By Lorna Garey
At its April 21 meeting, the Malden City Council recognized Gina Hayes, who was recently named the 2025 Safe Routes to School Crossing Guard of the Year by MassDOT. Hayes, who serves at Ferryway, teamed up with Allie Durak of the advocacy group Malden Safe Streets to address hazardous winter conditions at city intersections.
“For several years I’ve been trying to shine light on getting our cross guards’ corners safer, because when the snow and ice come, no one seems to come out and clear the corners,” said Hayes, noting that plowed snow was often piled high against crosswalk buttons, making them unreachable.
Through collaboration with Traffic Department Supervisor Kathy Hannan, Department of Public Works Director Paul Myers and Facilities Director Eric Rubin, and with mentorship from Councilor at Large Michelle Luong, Durak, Hayes and the Malden Safe Streets team mapped the locations of all 48 crossing guards in the city to help get the spaces cleared after storms. Malden Safe Streets volunteers delivered buckets of salt to each location.
Durak also thanked Malden PD’s Evan Tuxbury for helping monitor some of the more dangerous intersections.
“Today’s about celebrating Gina and the other nominees,” said Durak. “Gina has exposed me to all these awesome crossing guards in our city … it makes a lot of sense why Gina was Crossing Guard of the Year. The more I’m with her, the more I understand why she got such a large number of votes.”
Malden Safe Streets is a proponent of MassDOT’s Safe Routes to School initiative. With help from parent volunteers, the group has launched supervised “walking buses,” which bring groups of children together to walk to school along safe, preplanned routes. But Durak told Neighborhood View that this program is about more than just reducing traffic around schools. It’s a way to empower children to navigate their neighborhoods with confidence and build community.
“Everybody should feel like they can be part of the walking bus,” she said. “We hope that everybody feels safe, and this is an easy way to give back to the community.”
MassDOT selected Hayes as the top crossing guard in the Commonwealth from a pool of more than 450 nominations spanning 120 guards in 43 communities based on an online nomination form and uploaded photos of the guards in action. MassDOT Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt addressed the council and praised the profession, stating that guards like Hayes are essential to the safety of students who walk to and from school.
“Their dedication, vigilance and kindness give families peace of mind and make them trusted pillars in our communities,” said Tibbits-Nutt.
She also announced that the Linden STEAM Academy won the bike rack grant from MassDOT, making Malden one of six communities in the state to receive that funding. Looking ahead, the Salemwood School has three walking bus maps that were created by the Safe Routes to School program that will be unveiled in May.
“One of the things that we look for at Massachusetts Safe Routes to School, when we’re designing these walking school bus routes, or really any walk to school route, is we look for the placement of crossing guards, because they offer such a huge safety benefit for students,” said Tibbits-Nutt. “Malden is such a strong community for our program.”
While five-foot snow drifts are thankfully behind us, Hayes reminded the council of the daily dangers crossing guards face from impatient drivers while trying to protect children.
“I’ve had a car roll right up under my arm so far that my STOP sign hit the windshield — and he yelled at me for hitting his car, even though I have kids crossing in the crosswalk,” said Hayes.
Council remembers beloved city worker Wayne Martineau
While the meeting celebrated community safety improvements, the council also took a moment to mourn the loss of Wayne Martineau, a longtime Malden city worker who passed away following a battle with lung cancer.
Councilor Chris Simonelli, who shared that he grew up with Martineau in the Newland Street housing projects, led a moment of silence and delivered an emotional tribute to his lifelong friend.
“He took his work seriously, and he worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Simonelli, highlighting Martineau’s vital role as clerk of the works on the city’s new school project. “It wouldn’t have come online on time and on budget if it wasn’t for Wayne’s enthusiasm and his ability and leadership to have people work together.”
Martineau was remembered not just for his professional contributions but for his resilient spirit. Simonelli noted that Martineau continued to push for community improvements and help others despite severe personal tragedies, including the loss of a son and a daughter within a couple of years of each other.
“Wayne had that magic and ability to get people working together,” he said. “Everybody that has had an encounter with Wayne has always walked away feeling just a little better.”
Following the tribute, Council President Amanda Linehan echoed the sense of loss in the community, summarizing his legacy simply: “Wayne truly was the best of the best.”
License renewals
The council unanimously approved the reappointments of John P. King to the Board of Appeals and William Hurley as the labor member of the Malden Housing Authority Board. Members also granted favorable action on more than a dozen business license renewals, including extended hours for several local Dunkin locations and permits for lodging houses, auto dealers and gas stations.
Personal privilege
Councilor at Large Carey McDonald, who serves as chair of the Finance Committee, announced that the city’s budget process will commence soon, with the committee planning to hold frequent meetings.
“Our city budget process is going to be starting a little earlier than usual this year, because we know there’s going to be a lot of need for conversation,” McDonald said, urging the community to prepare for a rigorous review process. “We want to make sure that we have a chance to talk with every department about how the cuts that you’ll see in this budget will be impacting their work.”
Other councilors praised recent volunteer efforts. Councilor Jadeane Sica celebrated the success of Ward 8’s recent Earth Day cleanup, noting an unprecedented level of neighborhood pride.
“This was probably the first year that, as I was driving around with the DPW, I actually saw people cleaning their sidewalks,” said Sica. “It was amazing … people were planting tulips in their tree boxes in front of their houses. They were sweeping the sidewalks.”
Environmental stewardship remained a theme across the wards. Councilor Stephen Winslow thanked National Grid for sending 41 employees to clean the Malden section of the Northern Strand Community Trail alongside Bike to the Sea volunteers. Councilor Ryan O’Malley highlighted a recent cleanup at Waitt’s Mount and thanked a local resident for donating a tree in memory of Joe Puciloski, an active member of the Malden Run Club who recently passed away.
Linehan also announced a series of weekend volunteer cleanups in Ward 3, including efforts at Fellsmere Pond and the Middlesex Fells.
Councilor Karen Colón Hayes plugged the 20th anniversary of the FOOGI plant swap, happening May 2 at Coytemore Lea Park.
“If anybody’s ever been in my garden backyard, that’s all been from plant swaps over the years, because they’re native plants, so they really take to your garden,” she said.
This is a recap of the April 21, 2026 City Council meeting. The full meeting is on YouTube.
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