OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Beverly City Council Meeting: October 20, 2025 – Updates, Hearings, and Key Votes

City Council — Monday, October 20, 2025
BodyBeverly, Massachusetts
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, October 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:43:38

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And off and running so that our meetings are accessible for folks.

0:03

We appreciate that.

0:05

I'd like to just run through what's on our agenda before I officially call the meeting to order so that we can all be on the same page.

0:11

This evening we have two presentations.

0:13

We have one that is the uh regular quarterly update from Mayor Cahill and the city administration.

0:19

This is something that uh this city council has begun inviting requesting of the mayor, and so this is a regular quarterly update.

0:26

Um so we look forward to that.

0:28

Then we've got Tim Flaherty, director of the Greater Beverly Y and former Beverly City Councilor.

0:32

Nice to have you back, Tim here in the chamber with us.

0:36

And we've got a presentation from the Y on the McPherson Youth Center and things that are happening there.

0:41

So I see that you've got other members of your team, and we'll look forward to hearing from all of you.

0:45

Thank you so much.

0:47

We've got uh one resident speaker signed up to speak, and then we have three public hearings beginning at 8 p.m.

0:54

We'll take those at the times that they are posted.

0:56

We have some routine city business to take care of as well.

0:59

We'll take a brief break for some subcommittee work, and we'll come back and finish it all up.

1:03

So with that, I'll officially call to order this regular meeting of the Beverly City Council, Monday, October 20th, 2025, 7 o'clock PM.

1:12

Ms.

1:12

Kent, will you please call the roll?

1:14

Bowen here.

1:14

Crawley?

1:15

Feldman?

1:16

Here, Houseman?

1:17

Yeah.

1:17

Retundo?

1:18

Spang.

1:19

Yeah.

1:19

St.

1:19

Hilaire?

1:20

Here.

1:20

Sweeney?

1:21

Here.

1:21

And flowers.

1:22

Here.

1:22

Thank you, Ms.

1:23

Kent.

1:23

Counselor Bowen, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please?

1:27

Pledge allegiance?

1:35

One nation under God.

1:38

With liberty and justice for our hall.

1:45

Thank you very much, Councillor Bowen.

1:50

We can go right to presentations at the top of the agenda.

1:54

And I don't know, I think I saw the mayor in the hall.

1:59

All right, we'll see if he's ready to roll.

2:02

Um is Kelsey Litka here.

2:04

That's our resident speaker who signed up to speak.

2:08

Okay.

2:08

I'll just mention Kelsey may yet be coming because might have been expecting some presentations.

2:14

I'll just mention, as I usually do that, those public comment spots for residents to sign up to speak are available at all of our regular meetings of the city council.

2:24

And they can be signed up for.

2:26

There are five total spots, three minutes each at any regular meeting.

2:29

Signed up for by contacting the city clerk's office no later than 9:30 a.m.

2:33

the morning of the meeting.

2:34

And they are first come first serve.

2:37

And uh speakers have three minutes to address the council should they be signed up for that.

2:41

So we'll we'll hold and see if Kelsey joins us a little bit later in the meeting.

2:45

Um Mayor Cahill, thank you for being here with us.

2:48

Um we'd be happy to, when you're when you're ready here, we'd be happy to go to you and have the floor turned over for your quarterly update.

2:57

And thank you so much.

3:01

Sorry to make the why wait.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Procedural████████████████████20%
Youth Programs█████████9%
Grant Management█████████9%
Public Engagement███████7%
Community Preservation███████7%
Public Safety███████7%
Public Education████4%
Public Transportation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Beverly City Council Meeting – October 20, 2025

The Beverly City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, October 20, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The session included two presentations—a quarterly update from Mayor Cahill and the city administration, and an update from the Greater Beverly YMCA on the McPherson Youth Center—along with three public hearings, routine business, and subcommittee work. Key actions included approval of the CPA budget, passage of stop sign removals, and a recessed hearing on a National Grid project.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Taylor (41 Cole Street) addressed the council during the CPA budget hearing, urging a more proactive approach to budgeting. He referenced a 2003 council resolution that set expectations for financial planning and encouraged the current council to establish similar guiding principles ahead of the budget season.

Discussion Items

  • Mayor Cahill’s Quarterly Update: Mayor Cahill and Ibrahim Lopez Hernandez reported on numerous city projects:

    • McPherson Youth Center: Construction is on track; anticipated opening between January and March 2026. Funded by ARPA and a $1 million federal earmark.
    • City Hall Project: Design phase underway; project budget request expected by end of 2025. Construction may begin summer 2026, lasting 18–24 months.
    • Fire Station Project: Building envelope complete; HVAC work including air-source heat pumps anticipated completion this winter.
    • Library Project: $2.2 million budget; work includes new rooftop units and insulation. Construction expected 12–24 weeks starting mid-November.
    • Fuel Island at DPW: Replacements complete; operational soon.
    • Water Meter Replacement: 50% of meters procured; rollout begins late October, lasting ~18 months. Savings of $40,000 avoided tariff charges.
    • Bridge Street Project: $16 million state-funded project; majority complete (Danvers Line to Folger Ave). Remaining work on downtown side stalled due to National Grid 115 kV line project.
    • 2025 Paving Program: Over 40 streets repaved, including new sidewalks and ADA crossings.
    • Rapid Flashing Beacons: Grant awarded for five intersections; equipment arrived, installation expected within weeks.
    • Hall Whitaker Bridge: Temporary bridge construction started; contract timeline summer–fall 2027, but city pushing for earlier completion.
    • Sustainability Projects: Ecological restoration at Ober Park (archaeological survey underway); Lynch Park seawall and carriage house designs (CPC funded, state permitting by January 2026).
    • Municipal Aggregation: Program saved residents approximately $1.546 million through May 2025, with projected total savings of $2–2.5 million by contract end (January 2026). Avoided 3,100 metric tons of CO2.

  • YMCA Presentation: Tim Flaherty, former councilor, introduced staff who presented on the McPherson Youth Center and associated programs:

    • Youth Center: Collaboration with city since 1995; temporary location at 48 Park Street during construction.
    • Programs: Fuel Up Friday free food initiative, holiday meal program, bike safety, basketball leagues, and life skills courses (e.g., driver permits, budgeting).
    • PASS Program: Early intervention for suspended students; served over 2,000 students total, 363 last school year (72 from Beverly). Average suspension time under 3 days. Substance use is primary reason for referral.
    • Be Healthy Beverly Coalition: Focuses on substance use prevention, mental health, and community supports; funded through two federal grants.
    • Summer Literacy Program: 12th year with Mayor Cahill; serves rising 1st–3rd graders. Over 1,000 children served; includes free meals, books, and afternoon camp.

  • Council Rules Amendments: The Committee on Legal Affairs recommended several amendments to the council rules, including clarifying ordinance passage procedures (reducing from three meetings to two), removing gender-specific language, updating language on presiding officer (longest consecutively serving councilor), and allowing abstentions to be recorded as such. Approved by a 9-0 vote (two-thirds required).

  • Order 220 – Stop Sign Removals: The council debated removing stop signs at three intersections: Kernwood Ave at Harris Ave, and McPherson Drive and River Street at Federal Street. After a motion to bifurcate the vote:

    • Kernwood Ave removal passed 9-0.
    • McPherson/River removal passed 6-3. Concerns were raised about pedestrian safety with the delay of a planned traffic signal, but supporters cited improved traffic flow and minimal pedestrian traffic.

  • National Grid Petition – Tall Tree Drive: A proposal to install underground facilities to replace outdated direct-burial cables was discussed. Concerns included a projected 48-hour power outage for 12–15 homes, lack of generator support for non-medical residents, and National Grid’s history of delays. The public hearing was recessed to November 10, 2025, to allow for more information on mitigation and notification.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved:
    • Order 238 – CPA FY2026 budget ($1,280,070).
    • Orders 241–244 – Grants for road safety, digital equity, police radios, and derelict trap removal.
    • Order 239 – National Grid petition for Hale Street underground facilities.
    • Order 233 and 234 – Appointments to Commission on Disabilities and Parks and Recreation Commission.
    • Order 179 – Amendments to city council rules.
    • Order 220 – Removal of stop signs (Kernwood Ave and McPherson/River separately).
  • Received and Filed: Councillor Bowen’s letter of resignation, effective October 31, 2025.
  • Recessed: Public hearing on National Grid Tall Tree Drive petition to November 10, 2025, at 7:30 PM.
  • Referrals: Several grants and the Hale Street petition were referred to appropriate committees.

Next Steps

  • The next regular city council meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The recessed public hearing on the Tall Tree Drive National Grid petition will continue at that time.

Meeting Transcript

And off and running so that our meetings are accessible for folks. We appreciate that. I'd like to just run through what's on our agenda before I officially call the meeting to order so that we can all be on the same page. This evening we have two presentations. We have one that is the uh regular quarterly update from Mayor Cahill and the city administration. This is something that uh this city council has begun inviting requesting of the mayor, and so this is a regular quarterly update. Um so we look forward to that. Then we've got Tim Flaherty, director of the Greater Beverly Y and former Beverly City Councilor. Nice to have you back, Tim here in the chamber with us. And we've got a presentation from the Y on the McPherson Youth Center and things that are happening there. So I see that you've got other members of your team, and we'll look forward to hearing from all of you. Thank you so much. We've got uh one resident speaker signed up to speak, and then we have three public hearings beginning at 8 p.m. We'll take those at the times that they are posted. We have some routine city business to take care of as well. We'll take a brief break for some subcommittee work, and we'll come back and finish it all up. So with that, I'll officially call to order this regular meeting of the Beverly City Council, Monday, October 20th, 2025, 7 o'clock PM. Ms. Kent, will you please call the roll? Bowen here. Crawley? Feldman? Here, Houseman? Yeah. Retundo? Spang. Yeah. St. Hilaire? Here. Sweeney? Here. And flowers. Here. Thank you, Ms. Kent. Counselor Bowen, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please? Pledge allegiance? One nation under God. With liberty and justice for our hall. Thank you very much, Councillor Bowen. We can go right to presentations at the top of the agenda. And I don't know, I think I saw the mayor in the hall. All right, we'll see if he's ready to roll. Um is Kelsey Litka here. That's our resident speaker who signed up to speak. Okay. I'll just mention Kelsey may yet be coming because might have been expecting some presentations. I'll just mention, as I usually do that, those public comment spots for residents to sign up to speak are available at all of our regular meetings of the city council. And they can be signed up for.

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