Community Preservation Committee

CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD: Community Preservation Committee LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, 3rd Floor Council Chambers DATE: September 21, 2023 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Derek Beckwith, Vice Chair Robert Buchsbaum, Suzanne LaMont, Danielle Spang, Nancy Marino, Christy Edwards, Heather Richter BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: Director of Planning and Development Darlene Wynne, Director of Parks and Recreation Bruce Doig RECORDER: Naomi Moca 1. Call to order Chair Beckwith opens the meeting at 7:01 p.m. and conducts a roll call. 2. Consultation and Q&A with the CPC Ellie Filyaw is present on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Girdler House and expresses appreciation for the public hearing at the September 14, 2023 meeting. The Committee advises Filyaw on various aspects of the pre-application process, including the categories the project may qualify for such as preservation or support of community housing and/or rehabilitation, restoration, or historic preservation. The Committee encourages Filyaw to include the punch list of potential project details such as a new refrigerator, new sink, replacement countertops, new windows, exterior work, a full generator, and air conditioning, in the application. Filyaw states that she plans to apply to the Historic Districts Commission to have the site determined historically significant in the hopes that it may qualify the organization to apply for grants. Filyaw expresses the Board’s desire to get the Girdler residents more involved in the community by hosting a tea or inviting public figures for visits. Filyaw clarifies that Girdler House has a low- to middle-income requirement for the residents. The Committee further advises Filyaw on the pre-application process, such as composing a narrative of the project’s objective and including supporting photographs. Filyaw states that the timeliest portions such as the new fridge, new sink, and replacement countertops have been deferred to Spring 2024. The Committee explains the timing of the funding cycle means that the full application is due in January of 2024, the Committee makes funding recommendations to the City Council in May, and thus projects may start after Council’s vote around Summer 2024. Filyaw anticipates that, if approved, the work will start around Summer 2024. The Committee agrees that the kitchen renovation may or may not qualify for CPA funding, but it is appropriate to include it in the application for consideration regardless. The Committee advises Filyaw that if the entire project does not get funded, it is possible to apply again for a  Beverly Community Preservation Committee September 21, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 future funding round. The Committee points out that there is no statutory deadline for spending the funding once it has been approved – the project deadlines control the timeline. 3. CPA Funding Round 11 a. Discuss September 14, 2023 public hearing feedback and outstanding questions Beckwith suggests that the matrix grid for the funding determination be presented at the beginning of the meeting. LaMont suggests presenting the map illustrating the projects across the City before the question and answer portion of the hearing. Spang suggests presenting the budget and numbers at the end of the meeting. Vice Chair Buchsbaum suggests that more detail be given about what the Committee has done to support housing projects, as it was such a predominant topic at the hearing. Central Cemetery and Gillis Park were the only non-housing projects mentioned. Beckwith observes that at previous years’ meetings, the topics were broader, such as sustainability. The members note that the Salem News published an article about the public hearing. The members agree to share their hearing notes with Director Wynne to keep on file for the 2024 public hearing. The City Council public hearing for the CPC budget is scheduled for October 2, 2023. 4. Out-of-Cycle application: Anchor Point Phase II – Harborlight Homes – request for additional funding in the amount of $450,000 to support the proposed project (request is in addition to $400,00 already awarded by CPC) – received on August 28, 2023 Senior Project Manager Andrew Leonard of Harborlight Homes is present. Beckwith observes that the out-of-cycle application process needs to include a narrative explaining why the project meets the criteria for an out-of-cycle application. Wynne clarifies that the instructions were missing from the City website and that she has since added it back to the website. Leonard states that due to the increase in the cost of the project as a result of escalating construction costs, the applicant is asking for $1.2 million from the State, who in turn requires proof of additional local funding, hence this application. Wynne states that the project has already been determined to be eligible, which is step one in the out-of-cycle application process. Beckwith clarifies that this application is not amending or updating a past application. Leonard states that the $450,000 requested is due to updated construction numbers, which is the biggest cost factor, in addition to some updated choices such as energy efficiency. The Committee discusses that there was an out-of-cycle application for the Briscoe project for the same reasons. Leonard agrees to submit the application with the narrative, the budget breakdown of what the funds are needed for, and other additional information. The members agree that the out-of-cycle application process would benefit from being streamlined. Spang: Motion to find the Anchor Point Phase II out-of-cycle application eligible under the CPA Community Housing category for the purpose of creation. Buchsbaum seconds. The motion carries (7-0). 5. Other items not known in advance of the posting of this agenda a. MOU extension request – Gillis Park / Pleasant View Beach staircase restoration – Bruce Doig, Parks and Recreation Department 2  Beverly Community Preservation Committee September 21, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 Director of Parks and Recreation Bruce Doig is present and summarizes the status of the project, stating that the railing end pieces have not been created, thus he is requesting an extension of the MOU from September 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023. LaMont clarifies with Doig that the ends of the railings will have a curved return. Edwards: Motion to extend the Gillis Park stair project MOU to December 31, 2023. Marino seconds. The motion carries (7-0). Buchsbaum clarifies with Doig that the project falls under the Historic CPA category. 6. Approval of Minutes a. August 17, 2024 Members review and offer edits to the August 17, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Spang: Motion to accept the August 17, 2023 draft meeting minutes as amended. Marino seconds. The motion carries (7-0). b. September 14, 2024 Members review and offer edits to the September 14, 2023 draft meeting minutes. LaMont: Motion to accept the September 14, 2023 draft meeting minutes as amended. Edwards seconds. The motion carries (7-0). 7. Administrative Matters a. Accept final Community Preservation Plan updates Wynne states that she updated the document. Members review and offer edits to the document. LaMont: Motion to accept the Community Preservation Plan as amended. Spang seconds. The motion carries (7-0). b. Review and approval of Community Preservation Coalition annual membership dues Beckwith states that the invoice states that the annual membership dues are $3,500. Edwards: Motion to approve payment of the Community Preservation Coalition annual membership dues in the amount of $3,500 from the Administrative Fund. Marino seconds. The motion carries (7-0). c. CPC staffing discussion continued from prior meeting – discussion of anticipated responsibilities The Committee voted to increase the amount of administrative funding from 2% to 5% in anticipation of creating a part-time support staff position. Wynne states that she is of the opinion that the duties would occupy fewer than 19 hours per week, which is the maximum weekly hours permissible to remain a part-time position. Wynn states that hours needed can fluctuate with busier times throughout the budget year. The Committee discusses the anticipated responsibilities such as: proactive tracking of projects’ milestones and phases of completion, 3  Beverly Community Preservation Committee September 21, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 contacting project managers to check on progress, conducting site visits, constructing MOUs, assisting with the extension of MOUs, posting post-completion signage, physically confirming project completion, providing administrative support for all phases of the application process, posting the funding round press release, and functioning as a point person for Committee communication, all with the goal of lowering the number of projects outstanding per year. The members agree that getting an update on all open projects each month was helpful when there was a dedicated staff person in the past. Wynne observes that, ultimately, the completion of projects is dependent on the people doing the projects, not the staff person. The Committee discusses that there are currently 19 open MOUs. The information on how much funding is outstanding that has not been spent can be found on the spreadsheet. The members note that, as things are now, projects will be either 1) successfully completed without the Committee’s knowledge or 2) be delayed and the Committee will only learn about upon receiving an MOU extension request. The Committee discusses that the position is not appropriate for an internship. Beckwith and Wynne agree to collaborate on a list of duties to share at the next meeting. d. Project Closeout – Beverly Golf & Tennis architectural and systems analysis – final report and budget shared for CPC review and approval Beckwith states that the Committee funded $500,000 and the budget came to $485,000 so $15,000 was unused. He noted that amount should return to the CPA budget. This project was supposed to be closed out in January 2023. Wynne states that the invoices were paid out by the Purchasing Agent without her knowledge. A final report is required within 30 days of the final invoice and it was determined that the report, which the Committee has now received, did arrive in January 2023 despite a misunderstanding. The members discuss that the Mayor has taken an interest in historic preservation projects such as the Beverly Golf and Tennis and the Lynch Park Carriage House. The Committee agrees to invite Bryant Ayles, Finance Director, to discuss the $15,000 remainder for the closed out Golf & Tennis design project. The Committee held off on approving the final report. The Committee also discussed the emergency funding for the Carriage House and the project’s status. Wynne explained that she had a meeting with Eric Barber, Deputy Commissioner of Public Services and they had entered the project into the City’s new Asset Management software. She noted that the CPC funding came later than was originally expected in Round 10, but to her knowledge the project has not yet started. 8. Adjourn Buchsbaum: Motion to adjourn. Marino seconds. The motion carries unopposed. Meeting adjourns at 9:20 p.m. Next regular CPC meeting: Thursday, October 19, 2023, 7 p.m. 4