Beverly City Council approves $459,000 in CPA funds for four city projects

BEVERLY — May 3, 2021 — Beverly City Council unanimously approved $459,000 in Community Preservation Act funding across four projects at its May 3 meeting. The round eight CPA recommendations, presented by Community Preservation Committee Chair Heather Richter, include $237,000 toward a $735,000 emergency elevator modernization at Garden City Towers public housing at 20 Sawyer Road, $175,000 toward a $1,272,911 HVAC overhaul at Historic Beverly's Cabot House, $27,000 toward a $46,000 National Register nomination and master plan for Dodgers Row Cemetery, and $20,000 toward a $45,000 Wentworth Drive tot lot upgrade. Finance Director Brian Ailes confirmed roughly $1,064,000 will remain in the CPA fund after the approvals. The council also unanimously cleared an $18,000 transfer from the airport enterprise fund to match a MassDOT aeronautics grant and approved a $7,500 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant for a downtown Cabot Street artist-in-residence pilot. A vote to opt into the statewide PACE commercial clean energy financing program — already adopted by 41 other Massachusetts municipalities — was continued to May 17 after Councillor Scott Houseman requested time to consult privately with Mass Development program manager Wendy O'Malley on the financing mechanics.