Winthrop Council approves Pride and Juneteenth proclamations, refers $38.5M firehouse bond to finance

WINTHROP -- May 20, 2025, Winthrop Town Council approves Pride and Juneteenth proclamations and refers a $38.5 million firehouse bond authorization to its Finance Subcommittee. Council President James Letary was the lone dissenting vote on both proclamations, which designate June 7-14 as Pride Week and June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day and authorize their respective flags to fly at the E.B. Newton Cultural Center. The council also honored Officer Guy Pratt of the Winthrop Police Department for performing CPR on an unresponsive man while vacationing in Spain, and recognized 40-year Learn to Skate volunteers George Barker and Sean Donahue. Martin Pillsbury of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council briefed the council on the town's hazard mitigation plan update, warning that the federal BRIC grant program has been cut and urging the town to target the state's $25 million Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant once the plan is finalized this fall. Four additional spending motions, totaling roughly $1.8 million across stabilization and enterprise funds, were also referred to the Finance Subcommittee, with a free cash policy update and MBTA 3A public hearing targeted for June 10.