Beverly City Council Votes 8-1 to Authorize $750,000 High School Turf Field Loan

BEVERLY — March 15, 2021 — Beverly City Council authorizes $750,000 loan to replace end-of-life high school turf field. The council voted 8-1 at its March 15 meeting to approve the loan order for replacement of the artificial turf at Beverly High School, with Councilor Ames dissenting; Finance Director Brian Myles confirmed the city will seek to retire the debt using next year's certified free cash rather than direct borrowing, echoing the method used for a recent ladder truck purchase. Mayor Michael Cahill said the field, installed in 2010, has exceeded its eight-to-12-year life cycle, and Commissioner of Public Services Mike Collins reported crews have been gluing down peeling lines and hash marks ahead of the spring season, warning the field is "literally falling apart at the seams." Budget Analyst Jerry Perry, who opposed direct free cash spending on the project a year ago, endorsed the loan-order approach, telling the council he expects the follow-up free cash transfer request to come before a new council is seated after the November 2021 election. The council also unanimously accepted two complementary electric vehicle charging grants — $21,630 from MassDEP and $112,050 from National Grid — covering roughly 95 percent of the cost to install five dual-port charging stations at Beverly High School and Ayers Ryal Side Elementary School.