Beverly Subcommittee Sends Pickleball Court Proposal to Full City Council

BEVERLY — November 29, 2021 — Beverly's Public Services Subcommittee unanimously advanced a proposal for dedicated pickleball courts to the full City Council at its November 29 meeting. Councilor-at-Large Julie Flowers, chair of the subcommittee, relayed a commitment from Mayor Michael Cahill to meet with local advocates before year's end and identified Birch Plains Park as the leading candidate for what Cahill envisions as an eight-court facility. Community Services Director Bruce Doig, who said the city is "100 percent committed," cautioned that Birch Plains carries conservation restrictions from a National Grid fly-ash remediation, requiring state-level administrative action before any construction could begin. Doig also noted a prior grant shortfall — a $100,000 award that fell nearly $200,000 short of construction bids — as evidence that funding remains a central obstacle. Ward 6 Councilor Matt St. Hilaire pushed advocates to file a Community Preservation Act grant application immediately, calling pickleball infrastructure "exactly the type of thing it was designed for."