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CPC Meeting 2023-4-27 Minutes Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 27,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD: Community Preservation Committee SUBCOMMITTEE: None LOCATION: Beverly City Hall Council Chambers DATE: April 27, 2023 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Heather Richter, Vice Chair Derek Beckwith, Suzanne LaMont, Danielle Spang, Robert Buchsbaum, Thomas Bussone, Christy Edwards,Nancy Marino (by phone), Marilyn McCrory (late) BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: Darlene Wynne, Planning Director; Bruce Doig, Beverly Parks and Recreation Director; Andrew Leonard, Harborlight Homes; Joscelyn Ruelle-Kersker,Mayor Cahill's Chief of Staff, Robert Gates of 61 Trask Street RECORDER: Naomi Moca 1. Call to order Chair Richter chairs and 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. Review of Round 10 CPA Funding Applications a. Birch Plains pickleball courts Materials added to the record: • 2022-2023 CPA Project Funding Application, Project Budget Form—Updated 4/27/2023 Director of Parks and Recreation Bruce Doig presents the application on behalf of the Parks and Recreation Department requesting that the CPC provide $44,200 to cover soundproofing mitigation. Doig states that the project has changed due to Mayor Cahill's decision after considering the input of the adjacent residents. The project has reduced the number of courts from eight to four, and will include sound deadening equipment. The total project budget in the original application submitted to the CPA was $456,600, and the winning bid received pursuant to the RFP was $275,000. However,the construction budget has since increased from $275,000 to $379,000 due to the need for additional digging, fill, and site work. Doig describes the stages of the project, including the step of adding sound deadening panels, with a target opening of June 2023. The Committee discusses that the mitigation will be done by the contractor and not by the City. 7:12 McCrory arrives. 1 Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 27,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 The Committee discusses that although the number of courts has been reduced, the cost of construction has increased due to finding more loam than anticipated that needed to be excavated, leading to the need for more compressed gravel. Doig states that due to wind and weather conditions affecting stability, the fence post footings had to be enlarged, which then made it necessary to install more compressed gravel to elevate the level of the courts. Doig clarifies that the loam excavation and subsequent gravel installation has already been done, and the funds for this work did not come from the CPC. The Committee discusses the timing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)potentially affecting the timing of the funds being released. Doig states that the change order is included in the packet. Doig states that picnic tables will not be installed. The Committee discusses whether there will be a pavilion with seating to somewhat control any gathering and lingering at the site, and also whether a pavilion would even be beneficial due to pickleball being an activity with quick player turnover. The Committee discusses concerns about spending CPC funds on anything unrelated to sound mitigation, that benches and picnic tables do not appear on any quotes, whether the sound mitigation would be installed without CPC funds, the fact that the project will move forward regardless of tonight's vote, that there is no written report on the second meeting between the Birch Plains residents and the Mayor's office, and the feeling that citywide the project is favored but that neighborhood-wide it is not favored. Doig states that the sound is reduced by 20%with the use of the sound deadening panels, and that an engineering solution has been found for installing the equipment to avoid puncturing the cap on the fly ash site. The Committee discusses different types of equipment to bring the decibel level down, a possible acoustic study in the future, various potential rules for hours and parking at the courts, and how earmarking funds for sound mitigation may be enforceable. Robert Gates of 61 Trask Street states that he attended the second Birch Plains neighborhood meeting with Mayor Cahill and states that the Mayor presented a plan with a promise to mail it to the residents, but that the plan was not mailed. Gates states that the plan presented at that meeting is different from the plan that the CPC is looking at tonight. Gates observed that in the field there is no place to take cover, that there are no restrooms,that the digging thus far was possibly louder than pickleball will be, that the location of people lingering is more important than whether they gather before or after the pickleball matches, and that he favors the idea of the sound study. Gates advocates for fewer rules over the pickleball courts and compliments the open-mindedness of the CPC. Mayor Cahill's Chief of Staff Joscelyn Ruelle-Kersker states that the facts as presented are correct. The Committee discusses a number of issues related to the project, including the evolution of the application being less than cohesive and organized, that the project has changed significantly since the original application, that the search for a site has taken years,whether or not the additional funds should come from the Recreation Department's budget, and whether sound 2 Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 27,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 mitigation offers false hope for the neighborhood around Birch Plains Park. The Committee also discussed the relatively quick speed of the project's construction timeline, that at the January meeting it would have been inappropriate for the CPC to vote because the public comment period was still open, and at the February meeting it would have been inappropriate to vote because there was a group of neighbors in attendance who had just learned about the project for the first time and raised many questions. The Committee also discussed that materials requiring a vote are usually received at least five days in advance, and that voting on materials that are received at the meeting, with no previous chance to read them through, is not optimal for applications in the future. Buchsbaum: Motion to grant$44,200 to the Birch Plains pickleball project sound mitigation from the General Fund. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries (5-3, LaMont, Edmonds, McCrory against). Spang abstains. b. Finalize letter to City Council on Round 10 Funding Awards The Members discuss edits and corrections to the draft letter. 5. MOU Extensions a. Cabot House HVAC System Upgrade—Historic Beverly Beckwith: Motion that the CPC extend the MOU grant for Cabot House HVAC project to November 30, 2023. Bussone seconds. Motion carries (9-0). b. Gillis Park/Pleasant View Beach Staircase Restoration—Department of Public Services c/o Parks and Recreation Department Doig states that the project is due to be finished in the middle of May, and the extension is just to allow for margin of error. Beckwith: Motion to approve the extension of the Gillis Stair project to September 30, 2023. Spang seconds. Motion carries (9-0). c. Tennis Court Replacement at Kimball-Haskell and Cahill Parks—Parks and Recreation Department Doig states that the project has been delayed due to other priority projects and because work cannot be done during the summer due to heavy use,hence the extension request. Beckwith: Motion to extend the MOU to May 25, 2024. Bussone seconds. Motion carries (9-0). d. Anchor Point II—Harborlight Homes Andrew Leonard of Harborlight Homes expresses gratitude for the CPC's support thus far. He discusses the need for an extension due to the timing of the funding award from the State and the timing of the completion of the Anchor Point Phase I project. 3 Beverly Community Preservation Committee April 27,2023 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 Beckwith: Motion to approve the extension of MOU Harborlight project to June 1, 2025. Bussone seconds. Motion carries (9-0). 6. Project Budget Review and Funding Release a. Garden City Towers Elevator Replacement Project—Beverly Housing Authority On behalf of the Beverly Housing Authority (BHA), Bussone states the elevator is working and now the BHA is waiting for new generator. A funding request will be forthcoming. Bussone: Motion to receive and place on file the budget report for the elevator replacement project. Beckwith seconds. Motion carries (9-0). 7. Approval of minutes a. March 16,2023 Members review and offer edits to the March 16, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Spang: Motion to accept the March 16, 2023 meeting minutes as amended. Bussone seconds. The motion is approved(7-0). Richter and Edwards abstain. 8. Other items not known in advance of the posting of this agenda The Committee discusses potential items for future meeting agendas, including reviewing the funding criteria and the current ordinance; term limits for officers; and keeping public comment open while project applications are being reviewed and considered because projects often evolve over time. 9. Adjourn Bussone: Motion to adjourn. Marino seconds. The motion is approved(9-0). Meeting adjourns at 9:00 p.m. The next meeting will be May 18, 2023. 4