2024_09_12 CPC Minutes (pdf) City of Beverly Community Preservation Committee
September 12,2024
Meeting Minutes
1 CITY OF BEVERLY
2 PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
3
4
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6 BOARD OR COMMISSION: City of Beverly Community Preservation Committee—
7 Public Hearing& Launch of Grant Funding Round
8 DATE: September 12, 2024
9 LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, 3rd Floor, Conference
10 Room A
11 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Derek Beckwith,Vice Chair Robert Buchsbaum,
12 David Ershun, Jamie Jamieson, Suzanne LaMont,Nancy
13 Marino, Heather Richter, Christy Edwards
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15 MEMBERS ABSENT:
16 STAFF PRESENT: Jean Delios, Community Preservation Act Coordinator
17 RECORDER: Kristan Patenaude
18
19 1. Call to Order
20
21 Chair Beckwith called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
22
23 2.Welcome and History of Community Preservation Act
24 a. Massachusetts General Law/Beverly Local Ordinance
25 b. General Purpose of CPA/Local Community Preservation Plan
26 c. Brief Overview of the Range of Projects Previously Funded
27 d. CPA Budget
28
29 Beckwith stated that, on September 14, 2000, Governor Paul Cellucci and Lieutenant Governor
30 Swift signed into law the Community Preservation Act in Massachusetts. Beverly became a CPA
31 Community in 2012, following the passage of a ballot referendum where the citizens of Beverly
32 voted to become a CPA Community and to have a special 1% assessment added to the real estate
33 tax to help fund community preservation in the City. This is the City's 12th round of funding. The
34 fund itself is dedicated to community preservation for four specific categories: open space;
35 historic resources; recreation; and community housing. The 1% surcharge in Beverly brings in a
36 good amount, over$1,000,000 that that the CPC can put towards projects throughout the City. In
37 addition to the 1%,there is a State match depending on how much the legislature decides to
38 allocate. This fluctuates from year to year but is usually in the $200,000 range. 10% of the
39 money in the allocated funding goes to open space, 10% goes to historic preservation, 10% goes
40 to community housing, and the rest goes into a general fund. This is the basis for funding
41 projects. The CPC has the privilege of overseeing the process throughout the City. It handles the
42 application and evaluation process for each of the projects that organizations put forward for
43 funding and makes recommendations for funding to the City Council. The City Council makes
44 the final vote in terms of allocation of the funds. The CPC also develops the Beverly CPA Plan
45 and creates reports on the progress made on specific projects that have been funded. There is a
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City of Beverly Community Preservation Committee
September 12,2024
Meeting Minutes
46 CPC page on the City's website which has a wealth of resources. The CPC also holds this annual
47 hearing to receive input and ideas and talk to the public. There is also time at the beginning of
48 each CPC meeting for members of the public to speak.
49
50 Richter stated that over the last 11 rounds of funding, the CPC has received 99 applications. Of
51 those 99 applications, the CPC has funded 81. The CPC has awarded $9.4M projects in the City
52 of Beverly in total. For round 12, there is $2,621,618 available to spend on projects. Regarding
53 the categories that have been funded, 35% of the projects were under the category of community
54 housing, 34%were under historic resources, 16%were under recreation, and 15%were under
55 open space.
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57 Ershun reviewed the fiscal year 2025 budget proposal. Based on the available balances by
58 reserve, there is a total of$2,621,618 available for projects this year.
59
60 3. Public Hearing to Discuss Needs,Possibilities, and Resources in Beverly
61 a. Invite Public Input
62
63 Dan Richards, 29 Linden Avenue, spoke on behalf of the Friends of Gillis Park. The Park offers
64 many assets but is not accessible to all. Also,the playground equipment is out of date, there is
65 overgrown vegetation, a retaining wall that is in disrepair, safety fences that are in disrepair, and
66 other issues. The goal is to ensure people of all abilities can access the park. No major
67 renovations have been done to the park since 1950. A master plan has been created with the
68 voices of neighbors and users considered. He asked that this project be made one of the CPC's
69 items of consideration for funding for open space and recreation.
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71 Robin Luna Whitman, 12 Lothrop Street, stated that any possibility to gain access to the City's
72 waterfront areas, through improving public ways, could be considered. Along Lothrop Street,
73 there are a number of public ways that could be improved. Two of them, Ocean and Abbott, are
74 currently eye sores. Washington public way is a wonderful model of what the other streets could
75 look like. Improvements could be phased over time.
76
77 Michael Hakim, member of the Downtown 2030 Committee, stated that the Committee is
78 dedicated to making the Downtown a special, attractive place to all of those in the City. One of
79 the primary objectives is to promote a Downtown for All. Two groups, senior citizens and
80 children, could currently use more opportunities Downtown. The Beverly Common is a rich
81 resource that is currently underutilized. Honoring the history of the space is important. The
82 proposal is to introduce a bocce court,horseshoes, cornhole, and other game tables, along with a
83 small area for children's activities.
84
85 Ward 2 Councilor Danielle Spang, 16 Mulberry Street, addressed ideas from residents who
86 reached out to her prior to the meeting. One, from Diane Giardina, recognized restoring the
87 historic Abbott Street Cemetery behind City Hall. Other items dealt with a basketball court at the
88 Bartlett Gardens playground, a Congress Street pocket park, and the need of more affordable
89 housing.
90
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Meeting Minutes
91 Bruce Doig, 9 Cornell Road and Director of Parks & Recreation, spoke regarding ADA
92 accessibility and sustainability at parks. He noted that the Gillis Park playground equipment was
93 last installed 20 years ago and the Park itself has been renovated many times over the years. A
94 total renovation of the park would require a lot of funding.
95
96 Beckwith noted that open space projects tend to be fewer and farther between,but more
97 expensive than most.
98
99 4. How to Apply for CPA Funds
100 a. Examples of Successful Applications Described by the Applicants
101 b. CPA Eligibility Requirements
102 c. Important Dates and Deadlines
103 d.Application Forms and Ins tructive/Informational Materials
104
105 Marino introduced successful past applicants to speak on their application processes.
106
107 Jeri Gonyea, Director of Development for the Cabot Theater, explained funding was received
108 from the CPC in 2020 for a lobby renovation and restoration project. This project was funded for
109 $275,000 The funding led to an incredible transformation in the lobby area. As applicants, the
110 Theater went through a preapplication process, including creating a budget and receiving
111 testimonials from other groups advocating for the project. There was open dialogue with the
112 CPC at all times.
113
114 Bruce Doig spoke to the process for funding for the Gillis Park project. The Park previous
115 contained some older ADA compliant equipment that was broken. This was replaced with a new
116 ADA spinner which can be used by children and adults of all abilities. A new ADA compliant
117 picnic table and the water bottle filling station were also purchased. This was a small project that
118 used some CPC funding, for a total of approximately $35,000. He gave examples of other
119 successful CPC funded projects in the City. The application process is fairly simple, and the CPC
120 has always been flexible when extensions have been needed. Budgets should be precise and up to
121 date.
122
123 Lamont displayed the CPA funded projects geographically on a map of the City. It was noted
124 that there seems to be a deficit of projects completed in certain areas, along with a deficit of open
125 space projects. There was discussion regarding where new community housing projects could be
126 placed. She noted that historic resources can include non-physical items, such as restoration of
127 historic documents. She asked the public to consider how the map can be bolstered to make a
128 more even distribution of the categories throughout the City.
129
130 Buchsbaum discussed the application process. He explained that an application needs to fit into
131 one of these categories: open space, historic preservation, recreation, and community housing.
132 Discussion continued on the DOR allowable expense matrix.
133
134 Edwards explained that there is a two-step application process, including a preapplication to
135 determine eligibility. Applicants can then move to submit full applications. Simply because a
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City of Beverly Community Preservation Committee
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Meeting Minutes
136 project was determined to be eligible for funding, does not mean it will receive funding. She
137 noted that the CPC meets regularly the 3rd Thursday of every month. If someone is proposing a
138 project in the historic preservation category,that project needs to receive a determination of
139 historic significance from the Beverly Historic District Commission (HDC). A project would
140 need to be submitted to the HDC by September 18th in order to be heard at their September 26th
141 meeting for determination of historic significance. The preapplication deadline for all
142 applications is noon on October loth. If a project has not already received the determination of
143 historic significance, the applicant will have another chance to submit it for review by the HDC
144 by October 16th for a determination at their October 24th meeting. After October loth, the next
145 two regularly scheduled CPC meetings will take place on Thursday, October 17th, and Thursday,
146 November 21'. At these meeting, the Committee will be reviewing the applications to determine
147 eligibility. The CPC likes to keep an open dialogue with applicants in order to make the process
148 as easy as possible. If an applicant is applying for a historic preservation project, they will need
149 to secure a historic significance determination by December 2nd. Any project that is determined
150 to be eligible for consideration for funding will receive notice and then be invited to submit a full
151 application. The CPC will meet on December 12th for an informational session. Ultimately full
152 applications are due on January 15th by noon. The CPC will then review all of the full
153 applications and hold an exchange of information with applicants. By the end of May, the target
154 is to have a full set of recommendations submitted to the City Council for them to make a final
155 vote of determination. In June, formal announcements of projects and funding awarded will be
156 announced in order to execute a memorandum of understanding.
157
158 Beckwith noted the importance of determining ownership for any locations or items that
159 applicants will be applying for funds for.
160
161 5. Questions and Answers
162
163 Jay Butler, Echo Ave and Chair of the CPC in Hamilton, MA, stated that he is impressed with
164 the Committee's process. He asked if the City Council can reduce the scope of recommended
165 projects or funds proposed by the CPC. Beckwith stated that this does not usually occur, due to a
166 largely collaborative process between the two groups. There have always been leftover funds
167 each year. Buchsbaum stated that the City Council can reduce the amount recommended but
168 cannot increase it or propose their own project. Proposed CPA funded projects have to go
169 through this Committee.
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171 Robin Luna Whitman asked if the CPA funds can cover design fees. Beckwith stated that they
172 can.
173
174 6. CPC Members Invited to Mention Other Matters of Interest to the CPC
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176 Richter commended those who attended the meeting and presented potential projects.
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178 7.Adjourn
179
180 Beckwith adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m.
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