City Council Minutes 2-1-2021 City of Beverly b
City Council Regular Meeting
Public Meeting Minutes
Monday,February 1, 2021, 7pm
This meeting was conducted under the `Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the
Open Meeting Law G.L. c.30A, §20', signed on March 12, 2020. This remote meeting was held
over Google Meet and live streamed by BevCam. Public access information for the hearings was
provided on the meeting agenda.
Paul Guanci, City Council President, called the meeting to order at 7:00pm over Google Meet.
City Clerk,Lisa Kent,took the attendance by roll call.
Members Present: Stacy Ames,Dominic Copeland,Kathleen Feldman, Timothy Flaherty, Julie
Flowers, Scott Houseman,Estelle Rand, Todd Rotondo, Paul Guanci
Members Absent: None
Houseman led the councilors in the pledge of allegiance.
Guanci made a statement about the meeting being recorded by the City of Beverly and streamed
by BevCam on channel 99 and BevCam's YouTube channel. He confirmed that all members
present could hear him and noted the remote meeting format and process due to Covid-19.
Guanci read Rule 22 of the Beverly City Council. He introduced a vote to allow items to be
taken out of committee and voted on the floor. Kent took a roll call vote and the motion carried
(9-0). Guanci read the guidelines for virtual public hearings.
Comments by Citizens
Sean Leach, a member of the Clean Energy Advisory Committee, spoke on the electric school
bus. He stated that he works in the electric vehicle charging industry. He noted it's important to
not think of it as a diesel or gas school bus,which sits in a parking lot for much of its existence.
The EV bus can be used to make our local grid more resilient and increase value. The bus is
performing duties for its entire life,unlike a diesel bus. Everyone involved in the supply chain
for these buses wants it to last at least ten years. Highland Electric is in this with us. The
company that made the bus designed it for heavy duty transit.National Grid wants this to work
for all ten years because it is a local grid asset to them. The people in the supply chain of the
battery want it to work for ten years;these batteries are also incredibly recyclable and are very
advanced technology. This is not only state of the art technology,but it is designed to last as long
as possible.Beverly has climate and energy goals, and we need to make these changes. Children
should not breathe diesel emissions; adults should not breathe diesel emissions. The sooner we
can get this to work the better for them, for us, for the whole town.
Acceptance of Minutes of Previous Meetings: January 19, 2021
Rotondo motioned to approve. Feldman seconded.A roll call vote was taken, and the Qotion
carried(9-0). - -s C-)
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Public Hearings
7:15PM-Order#018-National Grid Petition-Plan#29762820 for the intersection of Church St,
Briscoe St and Essex Street
Michael Byrne from National Grid stated the YMCA is renovating their building, and their need
for electricity exceeds what can be supplied in the street, so they need to put in new conduits.
Rand asked the difference between connecting from a structure that you see on the street and a
conduit underground.
Byrne noted the structure that feeds the existing load in the area is also underground. The
existing transformers feed about 100 customers; there's just not enough capacity to serve the
increased load that the YMCA is going to see.
Houseman asked if the work being done is renovations for the affordable housing.
Byrne stated it came through on the paperwork as the affordable housing portion of the project.
Guanci closed the public hearing.
Houseman motioned to approve. Flowers seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
7:20PM-Order#019-National Grid Petition-Plan#29848216 for the intersection of Brimbal &
Dunham Road.
Byrne stated this was because of the exceptional growth at the Dunham Road business park.
National Grid has to put a large electric circuit breaker up on a pole. The pole will be going
behind the guardrail and behind the sidewalk, so there will be no excavating of the sidewalk.
Feldman confirmed the location of the pole is between two existing poles on the street.
Rotondo asked who would need to be contacted to have an abandoned pole removed. He stated
there was one near the Bridge Street and Giles Avenue intersection.
Byrne said he would look into it, and see if it could be removed or if anything was holding it up.
Feldman asked how much bigger the new equipment is.
Byrne gave the measurements and said the first two poles on the way into the business park have
those devices on them if she would like to see what they look like.
Guanci closed the public hearing.
Houseman motioned to approve. Ames seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Guanci brought the resolution next since it was not time yet for the next public hearing.
Resolutions
Order#027-Support of Bicycling Infrastructure and Safety in Beverly
Jonathan Salt, a member of the Beverly Bike Committee (BBC), spoke on some of the programs
of the BBC. Nearly 10 years ago, the BBC was founded as an ad-hoc citizen advocacy group.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 2 of 13
Over the years the BBC has created and conducted many events, including the Mayor's Ride, the
Waterfront Roll and Stroll on Lothrop Street, winter socials at Atomic Cafe, historical bike tours,
and monthly Sunday rides. They also have held or supported education safety programs, annual
bike rodeos at schools, smart cycling workshops, and commuting by bike workshops. The BBC
holds ongoing public monthly meetings. City departments, boards, and elected officials have
been very supportive and involved with the BBC. 2020 was a year of significant
accomplishments. In February, the BBC with the City's involvement submitted a Bicycle
Friendly America assessment of Beverly to the League of American Bicyclists. In the spring, the
committee with support from the Centraal Cycle shop launched a smart cycling campaign via
social media. In June, the City of Beverly received the Bicycle Friendly Bronze award from the
League of American Bicyclists. This was primarily due to two things - Beverly is a Complete
Streets City and has a proactive bike advocacy group working in close collaboration with the
City. In the fall, the proposed conceptual GIS BBC bike infrastructure map was presented to the
City. Roland Adams and Eileen O'Rourke were thanked for their help. The resolution is a
formalization of the BBC's already established long-time relationship with the City.
The resolution was paused for the public hearing; Guanci asked the Council to recess the hearing
so the resolution could be completed first.
Public Hearings (continued)
7:30PM-Order#020-Transfer of$23,160 from Airport Enterprise Fund Balance to match a
Grant from DOT.
Houseman motioned to recess the hearing to 7:50pm. Ames seconded. A roll call vote was taken,
and the motion carried (9-0).
Resolutions (continued)
Order#027-Support of Bicycling Infrastructure and Safety in Beverly
Carl Kooyoomjian, a member of the Beverly Bike Committee, read the resolution.
Rand thanked the committee for all its work even though it is not an official city committee. She
asked about upcoming events.
Kooyoomjian stated there are a few rides they are planning for later this year. He noted how in
the P1anBeverly master plan, it said there are approximately 21,000 people who work in Beverly;
3,300 of those live and work in Beverly and the vast remainder live in adjoining communities.
We should be able to enable people to commute to work by bicycle. We are focused on how to
put together a comprehensive overview to make it a viable transportation alternative.
Copeland confirmed that the resolution does not appropriate any money at this time,but it does
help make it a priority to focus on.
Kooyoomjian said there will be a lot more funding available for transportation that doesn't create
greenhouse gases. Communities that have plans will do better receiving funding than those that
don't have plans in place.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 3 of 13
Flowers complimented their engagement with not only the adults in the community but also with
young people. She highlighted that when we're talking about making Beverly a more bike-safe
community, it's also about teaching our children and empowering our children to get around in
ways that are not just cars. She spoke of her experience as a volunteer at the Hannah Elementary
School bike safety rodeo and stated that it seemed some kids were hesitant to participate because
they didn't have a bike or had outgrown the bike they had. She asked if they are working on or
have thought of a way to create access to bikes. She offered to help with a program like that.
Kooyoomjian stated they have had some discussions about that. They also had a discussion with
a school safety officer about a program for the middle school.
Salt noted Sgt. Henebury is looking into a grant that would allow for a bike safety event at the
middle school in the spring. There are a lot of bikes in Beverly that aren't being ridden, so if we
can come up with a program it would be great.
Houseman commended the committee on their work. He asked if Mr. Salt was on the Parking
and Traffic Commission as a member of the Beverly Bike Committee.
Salt said he happens to be on both,but he is not there just representing the BBC.
Ames noted she works in South Salem and sometimes will commute by bike and she appreciates
the work they are doing to educate people on safety. Bicycles equal economic independence and
freedom for many people, and she is happy that they are working on this. It's phenomenal to hear
there's a coordinated effort.
Kooyoomjian thanked Erina Keefe, Darlene Wynne, and Stephanie Williams for their help with
the wording in getting this resolution together.
Houseman motioned to approve. Rotondo seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried (9-0).
Feldman moved to return to the public hearing. Houseman seconded. A roll call vote was taken,
and the motion carried (9-0).
Public Hearings (continued)
7:30PM-Order#020-Transfer of$23,160 from Airport Enterprise Fund Balance to match a
Grant from DOT.
Ayles stated this item requires both acceptance of a grant and approval of the match component.
Gloria Bouillon, airport manager, noted this was some of the consulting fees for the permitting
process and a construction grant should be coming in the spring.
Feldman asked if this is a joint project with Danvers and Wenham, then what the financial
obligation of the other towns is.
Bouillon stated there is no financial obligation for the others since it is from the Airport
Enterprise Fund balance and the City of Beverly is the sponsor. The revenues for the airport in
technicality stay on the airport, and the enterprise fund is for capital construction projects.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 4 of 13
Rand thanked Miss Bouillon for answering her questions during the week and asked her to share
about the funding for capital improvements. She stated she looks forward to taking a tour of the
airport.
Bouillon stated there are other capital projects coming,but there is enough in the enterprise fund
for what is being looked at for the five-year capital projects. The larger project will be the
runway reconstruction in 2024. With matches from MassDOT and the Federal Aviation
Administration, the airport typically has about a 5% share if it's both a state and federal grant.
With MassDOT sometimes there is a 20% match for the grant.
Copeland asked if Beverly owns the airport profit wise, are we leasing land from the surrounding
areas.
Bouillon state the airport resides in the surrounding areas. The City of Beverly is the sponsor to
the Airport Commission, and through state law is in charge, care, custody and control of the
airport. The airport pays taxes to Wenham in lieu of commission representation. Danvers has two
representatives appointed by Mayor Cahill, and that is in lieu of taxes or fees for the land use.
We have businesses in Danvers and Wenham. Everything required for the businesses in Danvers
goes through Danvers, but still gets approved by the City of Beverly, so we have a lot of
municipal coordination with every project. The finances typically go through the airport and the
City of Beverly, and the land leases all go through the City of Beverly for approval, even if the
property boundary itself is in Danvers.
Houseman moved to approve. Ames seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken, and the
motion carried(9-0).
Communications from His Honor the Mayor
Order#024-Grant-$85,965 Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Program Grant for pedestrian
infrastructure improvements, outdoor dining equipment and promotion of public health with safe
mobility.
Catherine Barrett stated this grant is from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and is
for short term projects designed to help downtown businesses during the pandemic. It's for
pedestrian infrastructure improvements, some heaters for the restaurants and other safety
measures. Barrett gave credit to Darlene Wynne, noting that the grant was initially denied, but
they worked to reapply.
Wynne stated it is a relief to have the grant and the next step is figuring out how to implement it.
We have until May 31 st to implement it. There is a bit of procurement that is involved first then
working with the restaurants to figure out their plans.
Michael Cahill, Mayor, asked Erina Keefe to speak to the grant process as well.
Erina Keefe, Sustainability Director,noted her previous position was to help other municipalities
apply for funds, so she was glad to participate in this process. The grant is not just about
businesses but also about making the streets safer for pedestrians.
Wynne spoke about some of the bump outs that would be added for pedestrian traffic. Some
locations noted were at Federal and Cabot, possibly Pond and Cabot, and a crosswalk at Park
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 5 of 13
Street, as well as some flashing lights, while the Cabot Street work is being finished in the
interim; it's not intended to be a permanent measure.
Rotondo thanked Darlene Wynne, the mayor, and the administration for the pivoting and the
work they have done with the restaurants. He thanked them for being so responsive to the local
small businesses, including holding off on the paving downtown for the businesses.
Rand said she is looking forward to seeing the effect this grant will have on the downtown. She
asked to be kept informed on changes so she can communicate them to constituents.
Houseman motioned to approve. Flowers seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Order#025-Reappointment-Parking and Traffic Commission, Leslie Gould and Darlene
Wynne.
Referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.
Order#026-Five Year Electric Bus Lease Authorization.
Michael Cahill, Mayor, apologized that this was overlooked right as the pandemic came on. He
stated they are working on updating the contract review form to add sign offs for the appropriate
department heads to ensure that if it is a contract over three years it gets before the Council.
Hopefully it won't ever happen again,but these safeguards will be in place to make sure it goes
through the proper channels.
Guanci noted mistakes like this can be overlooked due to the circumstances and what we were all
going through in March of last year.
Flaherty thanked Mayor Cahill for coming to the Council and stated he thinks it would be good
to move forward.
Copeland asked for a few specifics on the lease as far as pricing. He noted what it says in the
lease if the City goes over mileage or usage and asked if the City has seen any of those additional
costs go into effect.
Cahill said the City took delivery on the bus late September/early October; it took a few weeks to
get the Registry of Motor Vehicles to approve all the paperwork. It has been out on a regular
route for Cove School, then the middle school and high school from that part of town. There was
a hiccup with one of the charging stations,but Duncan and the team took steps quickly to rectify
that. To turn to the bigger conversation about both buses, the annual payment on the first bus is
$24,000, and the annual payment on the second is $26,000. There are a lot of people at the
meeting here that can dig into the details.
Duncan McIntyre from Highland Electric introduced himself and stated there have been no
additional fees over the annual lease fee, which includes electricity (fuel for the year) and all
repair costs. The mileage was set based on the duty cycle of the average school bus in Beverly.
The surcharge was put in the contract in the event that it goes over, but it is expected that it
would never go over in terms of the mileage. In terms of time of use, we plan for three to four
hours of charging time per day, and we put operating hours in the contract just so we can plan
around blocks of time to charge; they're more guidelines. When COVID hit, it was no problem
to just shift charging to a different period during the day. We're a local company and this is the
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 6 of 13
first project of many. There are more than 25 school districts around the country who have
looked at this first project as a model for how to do this. We've very much appreciated the
partnership and look forward to continuing.
Guanci asked if the company was located on the North Shore.
Duncan stated the business is based in Hamilton today but has outgrown the office space,
embarked on an effort to move, and may end up in Beverly.
Ames noted she represents the part of Beverly that has the middle and high school and that sees
the most diesel fumes from the buses because they are housed in Ward 3 and they run through
Ward 3, so she sees this as a great opportunity. She stated she understands the lengths the
company has gone to invest in this project and that this is really a world class first in the nation
kind of project to try to bridge the infrastructure costs that are so prohibitive for so many
communities to transfer into electric buses. Ames thanked him for the investment made in
Beverly, and expressed her support for it. Back to the city side of this, one thing that would be
particularly helpful to understand is the big picture. Rather than take these as a one-at-a-time
kind of understanding,what is the picture for the next ten years for school buses for the city of
Beverly?
Cahill said it is a good question maybe not for tonight,but they met last week internally on that
last week, and one of the questions is what model they will pursue. Duncan and his company
applied for and secured grants for each of the first two buses to help bridge the cost gap. Cahill
noted that with a fleet of 47 vehicles,we need to order a few more every couple years. This
transition to all EV fleets likely can't happen wholesale right now.
McIntyre stated that he thinks in four or five years it will be cheaper to replace a diesel bus with
an electric bus unsubsidized. That will not mean the upfront cost to purchase the bus will be less,
but the combination of purchasing and the operating expenses, the total cost of ownership, will
be less. Today it is not; even with those subsidies or those incentives, the upfront cost is still
considerably higher, and the company is covering the extra cost by making a bet on operational
savings in the future. We hope to be a long-term partner with the city.
Ames stated the point had to be made about the people driving those buses and how they are
compensated, and they can't make a living wage. Most of them make less than$25 an hour; most
of them have no benefits. Ames stated she is supportive of the project,but we also need to be
cognizant of those individuals who are paras and cafeteria workers and maintenance personnel
and bus drivers who care and feed and protect the most precious thing we have in this city, our
kids, and long term think about trying to compensate them somehow a little more justly.
Houseman stated in economics there is the concept of externalities, things that are actually a cost
but not factored into the price of things. One of the externalities of the petroleum based vehicle
fleet are the emissions, so he was happy to see that in the analysis between diesel and electric,
what's been labeled"social cost of CO2" is factored in because that is an externality that
typically is not captured. It is legitimate to factor it into the comparable cost. He asked what kind
of access the city will have to what Mr. McIntyre might consider a proprietary piece of
information around those costs that are presently going to be taken on within the confines of the
lease for maintenance and repairs and those associated running costs. Houseman also asked
about how the calculation is reached to assign a value for the social cost of CO2.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—Februmy 1,2021,page 7 of 13
McIntyre stated his company does not view the costs independent as very proprietary. Highland
r h first an ill a 2 500 for the second bus. In terms of the
Electric aid $324 000 for the f s bus d w $ 99,
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risk taken on,they take on the fluctuations in electricity prices,because the company committed
to fuel the bus for 10,000 miles per year. Maintenance costs are maybe the biggest unknown.
One of the biggest obstacles around this transition is municipalities typically don't want to pay
two or three times more in capital expenditure for the promise that it will be cheaper to operate
because they don't know yet if it will be cheaper to operate. Highland Electric has taken on the
approach of reimbursing for repair costs so that is not a risk that needs to be borne by the
taxpayers,but it can be shared on an annual basis what is paid in repairs. The premise of the
business is to put up capital and then make some bets- some of them are operational cost savings,
and then some of them are vehicle to grid income streams. It is a combination of those added
values that help bridge the incremental cost. McIntyre stated he would be happy to share that
data with Beverly over time. In terms of the second question about the social costs, he deferred
back to the team who came up with that calculation.
Keefe stated the social cost of carbon is referring to the annual dollar value of those long-term
effects of CO2 in the atmosphere, and the figure that was used is referring only to the US. There
is a lot that would go into a calculation like this, and the most straightforward and simple way to
do the calculation is to use the social cost figures that are developed by federal agencies. During
the most recent administration, that only considered the domestic cost, which was set to about$7
per ton of carbon dioxide emitted. The previous administration was looking at the global cost of
CO2, that was at$50 per ton, and we kind of went the more conservative route,but really we can
expect for that true cost to be a lot higher than$7 a ton. We looked at the estimated tailpipe
emissions based on the fuel use for the diesel bus and assumed 10,000 miles per year. This does
not include the social costs of other types of pollution. A diesel bus has particulate matter and
nitrogen oxide, so there is that kind of other cost out there that we have not incorporated,but this
is just to give a sense of what that calculation might look like.
Houseman asked if the carbon footprint to manufacture either a diesel or electric vehicle or
school bus were not included in that calculation, and if it is based only on emissions.
Keefe confirmed that was not included, and stated she expected this number to be a lot higher if
looking at the global costs for emissions.
Rotondo asked if going forward this is something the city continues with,will the city side
municipal budget continue to pay, or will it eventually go under the school budget.
Cahill stated he offered initially to carry the cost on the city side of the budget, and is following
the same model for the second bus, but it will probably stop there. School transportation costs
have traditionally been in the school budget.
Flowers asked if it would be possible for someone to speak about the impact on the local grid,
local resiliency, and what this means about how electric vehicles enhance and add to the grid.
McIntyre stated electrifying municipal fleets can be cost-prohibitive, but part of the thesis around
the company is to creatively find ways to use the batteries as stationary storage to help the grid
and to help communities with backup power. There is supplemental income to be earned, and if
that income goes to pay for the bus, then it makes it cheaper for the municipality. He gave the
example of National Grid,which has to have a certain amount of power that they plan hourly for
Beverlv City Council Meeting Minutes—Februa?y 1,2021,page 8 of 13
the year. In July, when it is hot and everyone has air conditioning running, that is going to be a
time of peak demand. Peak demands used to be met by building more power plants, but today
more renewable energy is being built, and coal and nuclear plants are being shut down for the
most part. The problem is in the evenings when the solar power stops producing but air
conditioning loads are still high. If communities have lots of little batteries spread around, they
won't need distribution system upgrades as often, and on top of that Beverly will be able to
integrate more solar. Some parts of the country have actually overbuilt solar or over built wind,
and that results in curtailment, where the grid operator has to call a solar plant and say stop
producing because the grid can't handle the power. We're not in jeopardy of tripping that type of
an event right now,but as renewable energy continues to be part of the mix,batteries are a way
to integrate more renewables. So we're making a bet as a company that fleets can act as reliable
grid resources to act as reliable backup sources. In June, they are going to try at 502 Cabot St. to
backflow power to the grid to help that evening's solar ramp down, and hopefully that will
persist through the summer.
Cahill noted that with smaller vehicles at this time the battery may not be as helpful since it
would be smaller and less powerful.
Flowers said this potential is one of the more exciting pieces of what it could mean to electrify
the fleet. She stated she is very supportive and excited about this component of it.
Flaherty motioned to approve. Rotondo seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Communications, from other City Officers and Boards
Order# 028- City Clerk-Second Hand Junk Dealer License for Beverly Coin, Jewelry, Records
and Estate Appraisals. Current license was approved in June for 457 Rantoul Street they have
moved to 38 Rantoul Street
Houseman moved to approve, Flowers seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Order#029-Airport Manager-Assignment of an existing Lease at Beverly Airport
Bouillon noted this is an existing lease.
Houseman asked what year this would take the lease out to.
Bouillon stated if it is renewed and extended, it would put it at a total of a 50 year lease.
Houseman asked for the background or purpose behind the assignment and what kind of business
it is.
Bouillon stated this is just for the storage of small aircraft.
Houseman asked what kind of due diligence was used to look into the financial viability of the
business and what the process is for evaluating someone who will be the assignee on any lease.
Bouillon stated the Airport Commission reviewed the lease, the letter of intent, and the
individuals were present at that meeting. This goes through the city solicitor and any lessee has
to meet minimum standards. Bouillon noted when it is a commercial enterprise, financial
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—Februmy 1,2021,page 9 of 13
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documents are required,but when it is for personal use or storage of aircraft, financial reports are
not taken.
Copeland asked if when the lease is renewed the price is revaluated.
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Bouillon said for a lease assignment the payment is transferred. For any new lease there is an
evaluation of the parcel with an appraisal and formal process that has to be approved by the
Federal Aviation Administration,but not for an assignment, so this one did not require an
appraisal.
Copeland noted that a lot can change in 50 years and asked if the lease went 50 years,would they
be paying exactly what they paid in the first year for the last year.
Bouillon said they would pay the same with CPI adjustments, and if the FAA found that it was
well below market value, it could be looked at putting it at fair market value. In this case, it is
not. She noted that this is one of the longest leases she has seen and stated it is not typical or
standard practice.
Rotondo moved to approve, Feldman seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Old Business
Order# 011-10 Year Lease with Highland Electric Transportation for$26,000 per year for
electric school bus
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Houseman moved to approve. Flowers seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried (9-0).
Order#011A-Additional information regarding Electric School Bus (Order#011)
Houseman to receive and place on file. Rotondo seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the
motion carried(9-0).
Order#016 -Reconsideration of Communication from Councilor Houseman on Order#279 and
Order#016A - Communication from Darlene Wynne on Order#279
Houseman asked the council to reconsider the vote at the last meeting on Order#016 to receive
and place on file. He sent the request for reconsideration to the city clerk the day after the last
meeting. He noted he was not able to be present at the last meeting and would like his questions
to be held open until receipt of a written response from the planning department.
Houseman motioned to reverse the decision at the last meeting to receive and place on file his
letter and instead to hold#016. Copeland seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Wynne mentioned the written response she provided for the council to Councilor Houseman's
questions since the last meeting and said she was available for questions.
Houseman noted when he filed the motion for reconsideration it was filed because of the
ambiguity around the vote and wanting to make sure there were responses received back. He
sincerely thanked Ms. Wynne for her thorough responses to his questions and comments. He
stated there would be further dialogue as time goes on, when the time comes to actually consider
Beverly City Cottncil Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 10 of 13
proposals for the implementations of some of the plans that are laid out in the master plan. He
stated he would prefer that the city's budget dependency on new growth to not unduly
compromise the ability of citizens to have an effective voice in shaping the nature of that
development. He stated he has a particular interest in the design review process,but does not
intend to pick that up and try to have more discussion on that tonight. Houseman stated he is
strongly in favor of developing resources to provide equity,particularly around affordable
housing. What can be done as a city is really mitigation around a state and regional problem. He
stated he looks forward to engaging with the administration when the time comes to consider
what those steps are.
Guanci asked what Councilor Houseman would like done with Ms. Wynne's response.
Houseman stated on January 22 Ms. Wynne submitted a full and thoughtful set of responses and
he would like to see that incorporated as Order#016A with Order#016.
Guanci suggested he submit it as a late file.
Houseman submitted Order#016A Ms. Wynne's response as a late file to the council, which was
received by the councilors and city clerk by email on January 22.
Houseman motioned to accept Ms. Wynne's response as a late file and give it#016A. Rand
seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried(9-0).
Flowers motioned to receive and place on file together#016 and#016A. Flaherty seconded. A
roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried(9-0).
Order# 279-A Comprehensive Master Plan of the City of Beverly
Flaherty commented that he had similar questions and concerns to Councilor Houseman. He
recommended receiving and placing on file so they can continue to discuss later.
Copeland stated the biggest thing is going to be the execution and implementation. A couple
things he would like to see addressed is space for teens in Beverly and for enterprise funds to be
able to drive revenues and other ways to help ease money off the budget itself. The way it is set
up now, new building drives revenue, and at some point we are going to get ourselves in trouble
if that is the main proponent and there is nothing else to buffer the situation.
Rand stated she appreciated the process and sees it as the end of a really thorough public process.
She stated that she views this plan as guidance to land use, land policy, and how we grow as a
city. An affirmative vote for this plan won't lock us into a mistake. The comprehensive plan was
a public process that thankfully went on longer than expected so it could include an equity and
justice plan. It's not perfect; it's supposed to be guidance. Rand stated she would be happy and
proud as a councilor to support this affirmatively.
Houseman stated the master plan and the public process was extremely comprehensive and it is a
well written document. He complimented the planning department on the work they did on this
and it is a broad statement of principle. He stated there are specific things in it that warrant
further discussion and his own preference would be to receive it and place it on file for that
reason. However, he didn't think any councilor should feel that a decision to endorse it would
necessarily bind them to a position.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page]]of 13
Feldman echoed Councilor Rand. She stated a lot of the things that made her pause in endorsing
this plan have been worked out in neighborhood meetings, so at this point the planning
department and everyone that worked on the committee have done such a good job of meeting
people where they're at and making changes to this living document, that it gives full confidence
to support this. She stated she would like to support the plan.
Flowers stated on the whole she viewed endorsing the plan as an endorsement of the community,
of every person who showed up to a meeting. Affirmation of the plan would be a powerful
statement of the work the community has done together.
Ames stated that for herself personally this has been one of the most fraught votes because she is
quite conflicted. She was impressed with the amount of people who were excited about this and
came out, came to meetings, gave their opinions. Many of the ideas in it are wonderful,but it is a
document of ideas, it is not a document of plans. She stated she would struggle to endorse this if
the endorsement meant that she endorsed the plan as a plan to move forward. Ames said she
endorses the effort, the ideas that were presented,but thinks that this is a beginning.
Flowers paraphrased a Henry David Thoreau quote that if you've built your castles in the sky,
your work doesn't need to be lost; you put your foundations under them. She stated that to her, a
master plan like this is exactly that. It represents where the city wants to go, to guide decisions as
a city. It couldn't possibly include every piece of how to build the foundations. The work that we
are now going to do together is the work of putting the foundation underneath this master plan
that we've collectively built, that our community has built. It's not the instruction manual so
much as it is the roadmap.
Flaherty stated he would receive and place on file because the council did not get this document
formally. That's what they did back in 2000/2002-they did not endorse it; it was received and
placed on file. The councilors were not formally involved in this. The mayor and Darlene did a
great job. Flaherty stated he feels more comfortable receiving and placing on file so it can be a
working document.
Houseman stated disagreements about certain things in the plan should not detract from the
commendable effort that is evident in the quality of the work. He asked the mayor what
endorsement by the council means to him.
Cahill stated endorsement is embracing the overall values, the basics of the plan; it doesn't mean
that this body is embracing and endorsing every single recommendation,but the city council
views that the process undertaken, the investment made by the community as a whole and the
basic values expressed in the plan as on balance. It seemed like a good idea at the time; the
council doesn't have a formal requirement of any particular action. We worked together to
ensure that there was as much participation and involvement and impact in shaping those values
expressed in the plan as we could get out of the community. That was really the goal in coming
to the council, to endorse the plan for its totality and the shared values and the shared
commitment to try to put that roadmap together for our next 10 years.
Houseman stated statutorily the city council has no role in the process; it is a planning board
vote. He stated that he appreciated the mayor coming to the council and talking about it,but the
council has no formal or technical role in it at all.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 12 of 13
Flaherty stated that was why he thought the council should receive and place it on file; it is not
the council's role as it is set up, and it is the right way to go procedurally.
Flaherty motion to receive and place on file. Ames seconded.
Cahill stated he did not want to be putting things before the council that causes a split vote
unnecessarily, and at the end of all this we have a tool, and we are going to work with it together.
Cahill stated he was perfectly comfortable with the thought of the council receiving and placing
it on file.
A roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried (9-0).
Reports of Committees
Committee on Public Services
Order#022-Appointment-Ms. Jan Pierce, 1 Neptune Court to serve on the Veterans'
Advisory Board
Houseman moved to approve. Ames seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(9-0).
Ames thanked fellow councilors at large and the mayor for putting forward a resolution where
residents are going to sit at the table and figure out what comes forward for the community. She
thanked those that volunteered.
Copeland asked if pay as you throw would come back to the council.
Guanci stated it may come out as a recommendation,but something like that would come from
the mayor as part of the sanitation contract.
Rand thanked the council for the discussion and stated she was happy that the council could
come out with a unanimous vote even with differing opinions. She announced it is Black History
Month and reminded everyone to celebrate and learn something new.
Guanci acknowledged and praised the efforts of the Master Plan Committee and all the residents
that participated in the process. He noted the next Council meeting would be Tuesday, February
16 due to the holiday.
Flowers motioned to adjourn. Rotondo seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried (9-0). The meeting adjourned at 10:09pm.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—February 1,2021,page 13 of 13