Loading...
CPC Meeting 2023-6-15 minutes_Final Beverly Community Preservation Committee June 15,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 5 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD: Community Preservation Committee LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, 3rd Floor, Conference Room A DATE: June 15, 2023 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Heather Richter, Vice Chair Derek Beckwith, Suzanne LaMont, Danielle Spang, Robert Buchsbaum, Nancy Marino (late), Marilyn McCrory, Christy Edwards BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Thomas Bussone OTHERS PRESENT: Planning Director Darlene Wynne RECORDER: Naomi Moca 1. Call to order Chair Richter opens the meeting at 7:04 p.m. 2. Welcome and remarks 3. Consultation and Q&A with the CPC There was no one present. 4. MOU Extensions a. Garden City Towers elevator replacement project- Beverly Housing Authority (BHA) Materials added to the record: Letter from BHA dated June 8, 2023 Wynne summarizes the BHA letter, stating that the work has been delayed due to expensive and time-consuming developments such as asbestos abatement, plumbing, and water damage, resulting in the Balch Street residents having to be relocated. Because of these delays, the BHA is requesting a one-year extension to June 30, 2024. McCrory: Motion to approve the extension of the MOU through June 30, 2024. Richter seconds. Motion carries (7-0) 5. Community Preservation Plan Status and Updates [to be continued in August] 7:17 p.m. Marino arrives. 6. CPC Funding Round 11 1 Beverly Community Preservation Committee June 15,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 a. Finalize application process and any changes in application materials The Committee discusses that there may be insufficient time for applicants between the public hearing and the pre-application deadline to obtain local approval from the controller or owner of the site or property. After the public hearing, applicants have three weeks to file the application. The Committee discusses whether four weeks is adequate after the public hearing, assuming the applicant is in attendance, which is usually the case. The Committee also mentions pre- applications during Round 10 to restore fire boxes, and during Round 9 to restore the Beverly Commons gazebo,neither of which submitted full applications; the reasons for this are not discussed. b. Finalize schedule for funding round 11 The Committee discusses leaving time between the public hearing and the regular Committee meeting to offer applicants the opportunity to consult with the Committee; thus, the Committee meeting will be a week after the public hearing, giving applicants the opportunity to receive Committee guidance as part of the regular Committee meeting. The Committee discusses accommodating September holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and determines that the public hearing will be on September 14, 2023 and the regular Committee meeting will be on September 21, 2023. Working backwards from those dates, the advertisement will need to be posted no later than August 30, 2023 to account for Labor Day. The Committee discusses how to pay for the advertising if the budget has not yet been adopted. Wynne states that this should be accommodated within the existing administrative funds. The Committee agrees that the 2022-2023 meeting schedule worked well, and that submitting an application right before Thanksgiving with a deadline right after the new year can be difficult for applicants, but that these dates are timed that way due to the budget year. The Committee discusses delaying the January 2024 regular meeting from January 18, 2023 to January 25, 2024,thus holding the meeting in the fourth week of the month. Given that Monday January 15, 2024 is a holiday, applications will be due January 17, 2024. The Committee discusses that some applications are likely to arrive earlier than the deadline,but the City will only deliver them to the Committee once all applications are received. The Committee discusses the pros and cons of evaluating paper versus digital applications and that when applicants attend meetings, a designated time slot in the meeting could be reserved for them. The Committee continues the discussion from the last meeting about the times and deadlines for written public comments. The Committee discusses not allowing the scope of projects to change after initial approval and the specific example of the evolving nature of the pickleball project being less than optimal. The Committee discusses adding language in the application to not allow applications for any work that has already begun,phrased as "eligible projects may not begin until funding is awarded." One of the reasons the exception in this case was made for the pickleball project was because the 2 Beverly Community Preservation Committee June 15,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 City, under the banner of the Recreation Department, was the applicant, and the members agree that the situation put the Committee in a tough position. The Committee discusses major versus minor modifications in post-approval projects, and that if a major modification comes to the Committee, it will need to be deferred to the next funding round. An example of a past minor modification is the mermaid feature at the Dane Street Beach playground. The Committee discusses the amount of funding requested for the sound mitigation for pickleball being large, and that the application can be seen as a learning experience to help keep situations like it from happening in the future. The Committee discusses preventing MOUs from being extended multiple times, potentially indefinitely, and how benchmarks and timelines are determined for projects. The Committee discusses that language in the MOU refers to the application, so the application should include a timeline. For example, the Carriage House application as it was voted on, is referred to in the MOU, and that application states the project shall be 50% complete in September of 2023 and 100% completed in June of 2024. The Committee discusses navigating awarding funding where a party that is not the applicant has to carry out the work. Wynne states that newly appointed Deputy Commissioner of DPS Eric Barber is working with Commissioner Michael Collins to help move along the pipeline of projects. The Committee discusses the pros and cons of milestone project reporting, such as quarterly reporting, tracking open projects with a spreadsheet or chart, the additional labor of chasing a report, and which City staff member would carry out that responsibility. The Committee discusses whether applicants read the MOUs, and that applicants that are City departments are in some cases not staffed sufficiently to read and analyze MOUs. The Committee discusses only accepting larger projects or one major project with broad impact per cycle per applicant. The Committee discusses having the Engineering Department, or other pertinent departments, present at future meetings to help determine the capacity to do projects, and to offer feedback earlier in the process. The Committee discusses putting projects out to bid, which can be time- consuming and costly, in certain cases. Wynne states that all projects' MOUs have been signed as of June 13, 2023 with the exception of Gillis Park. 7. CPC Policy updates a. Update grant criteria to address sustainability and climate resiliency The Committee discusses that the consultant that completed the City Equity Audit will present the findings at the June 22, 2023 City Council meeting, and that including diversity in addition to sustainability and climate resiliency in applications is appropriate. The Committee discusses adding a section to the application where applicants may articulate how their project meets the City's goals as found in Plan Beverly, Climate Resiliency, and Equity Audit. 3 Beverly Community Preservation Committee June 15,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 The Committee discusses how its decision-making can support sustainability and climate resiliency and the members refer to the Somerville CPC's application language,which asks whether the applicant's project will be in environmental justice neighborhoods, and whether it meets Somerville's values, among other criteria. The Committee agrees that this information may help in making final decisions between projects when there is not sufficient funding for all of them. The Committee discusses that most applicants do not have the skill set of a professional grant writer, and that providing examples of properly completed applications as guidance may be helpful. Edwards agrees to compose a blurb regarding sustainability, climate resiliency, equity, and diversity to add to the application to be discussed at the August meeting 8. Administrative Matters a. CPC staffing discussion continued from prior meeting Wynne states that an outline in writing of the responsibilities and duties of a supporting staff member would be helpful, that a full-time position is not feasible, and that a half-time position or a shared current City staff member would be a good option. The Committee agrees that following up on project milestones will definitely be one of the position's responsibilities. 9. Next meeting: August 17,2023 [no July meeting] The Committee discusses potential agenda items for the August 17, 2023 meeting such as continued discussion on a staffed position, including outlining responsibilities; election of officers; CPC Plan updates and status; and finalizing all Round 11 guidance and application documents. The Committee then discussed sending a letter to the project manager of the Carriage House project, copying all members and interested parties, confirming that 50% completion is expected in September 2023, at which time a progress report is expected. Wynne agrees to draft the letter and forward it to Richter to sign and send. Wynne states that she plans to reach out to Barber to better understand how he plans to prioritize projects, including CPC projects. Members discuss inviting him to a future meeting. a. Election of officers The election will occur at the August meeting. The Committee discusses that there are no term limits for at-large positions and that there must be a supermajority to re-elect a Chair. Edwards expresses willingness to stay on for another term and states that she will submit a letter to Councilor Flowers. The other at-large members are Spang and Richter. Richter announces that Bussone has resigned. Marino suggests she can replace him as the BHA role; however,this would leave her Recreation Commission seat open. Wynne will investigate if one person can fill both seats. The Committee discusses potential candidates for the open positions. 4 Beverly Community Preservation Committee June 15,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 10.Approval of minutes a. April 27,2023 Members review and offer edits to the April 27, 2023 draft meeting minutes. McCrory: Motion to accept the minutes as amended. LaMont seconds. The motion carries (8-0). b. May 18,2023 Members review and offer edits to the May 18, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Spang: Motion to accept the minutes as amended. Beckwith seconds. The motion carries (8-0). The Committee discusses where in the application the blurb written by Edwards will be placed. 11. Other business: a. Gillis stairs LaMont states that the masonry has been done but the handrail was not addressed, despite being approved as part of the application. LaMont states that she asked Bruce Doig of the Recreation Department to find out whether there will be one rail or two (one on each side of stairs), what materials the rail or rails will be made of,how they will be attached to the stairs, and whether the building inspector needs to be consulted. Wynne suggests that the Historic Districts Commission (HDC) send a letter to the Committee with its determination, and observes that the project came in under budget so there are funds available for an additional rail, should the Building Commissioner deem that a rail is required on each side of the stairwell.. The Committee agrees that the handrail qualifies a minor modification so it is not necessary for the applicant to go before the Committee again. Spang: Motion to delegate the decision regarding handrail(s)to the HDC on the condition that the HDC provides a letter of determination for the file. Beckwith seconds. The motion carries (8-0). Adjourn Buchsbaum: Motion to adjourn. Marino seconds. The motion carries (8-0). Meeting adjourns at 8:48 p.m. The next meeting will be Thursday,August 17,2023. 5