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.