OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Peabody City Council Meetings – February 26, 2026

City Council — Thursday, February 26, 2026
BodyPeabody, Massachusetts
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, February 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:51:48

Transcript — Verbatim
4:02

Good evening.

4:03

I'd like to call to order the PB City Council Committee of the Whole.

4:08

Tonight we have two subjects that we're going to be discussing on the agenda.

4:12

The first subject is that is to be discussed is Doe versus Tolls, Clickstein versus City of Peabody, and Bernard Correspondence.

4:20

This part of the meeting will be held in executive session.

5:00

Yes, Damash.

5:02

Yes, Turko.

5:04

Yes, welcome.

5:06

Yes, Rosignal.

5:07

Yes.

5:08

Let off.

5:08

Yes, Corvo.

5:11

Yes.

5:11

Higgins.

5:12

Yes.

5:14

Thank you.

1:14:36

Make a motion to go back into regular session.

1:14:42

All in favor and opposed vote.

1:14:56

Yes.

1:15:00

Meaning Mark?

1:15:00

Yes.

1:15:00

Welton.

1:15:01

Yes.

1:15:01

Rosak Nall.

1:15:02

Yes.

1:15:02

Laddoff.

1:15:03

Yes.

1:15:03

Korovo.

1:15:04

Peach.

1:15:05

Higgins.

1:15:06

Yes.

1:15:06

Motion carries 11 to 0.

1:15:09

Thank you.

1:15:09

Now that we've returned, we'll turn it over to the mayor to talk about item B, which is uh the North Shore Children's Museum update.

1:15:18

Okay.

1:15:19

Thank you.

1:15:20

Uh good evening, Mr.

1:15:22

President.

1:15:22

Good evening, Council.

1:15:23

Hope everybody's doing well.

1:15:24

Uh, very happy to be here today to provide a little update on the North Shore Children's Museum.

1:15:30

Uh it's hard to believe, but we've been now in operation over three years.

1:15:33

We opened up in October of 2022.

1:15:36

And uh it's amazing to say that um and appreciate the council uh working with us to have this presentation today.

1:15:44

Um I'm gonna turn it over shortly to Jen Cowell, our executive director for the presentation.

1:15:50

Um she has a number of uh of slides to present uh some information that I think all of us will will want to see.

1:15:56

And um uh, but just a couple of comments I wanted to make before I do that.

1:16:01

Um the Friends of the North Shore Children's Museum uh have played a strong role in this work, uh, as you recall.

1:16:08

Uh they organized in their 501c3 text exempt status was approved in April of 2024.

1:16:16

Uh key members on that friends group uh all people that you're familiar with that have been part of the organization pretty much since its exce inception, even before that, uh, as we put together the plans and did the pop-up children's museum over at the George Peabody House Leather Workers Museum.

1:16:32

Uh Camille Bartlett, Tim Brown, Martha Holden, Kathleen Walsh from the YMCA, Sarah Searle, and Chris Pesci from North Shore Bank, which I just learned now is called True North Bank.

1:16:44

Um, so it's now true North Bank.

1:16:46

Um but they've been excellent team.

1:16:48

We've had other people assist along the way, but that's been the core team uh from the from the very beginning.

1:16:54

I certainly can give more of a history if uh people would like uh in terms of the history, what brought us to the museum, uh, but I think everybody knows its location, and uh we just wanted to provide some information to you.

1:17:05

We'll be coming back to you shortly in May, June with uh the budget updates, and uh we're working on that now with the Friends Group in terms of how uh that is going to work and what we ultimately present to the council as well as some uh work we're doing to the organizational structure uh of the North Shore Children's Museum, uh which I think will be a cost savings to the city as well as provide some greater efficiency and provide more of a focus on what we think uh the next step would be for the children's museum.

1:17:38

So still some work taking place that we'll be bringing to you in May and June that I think will be important information to provide.

1:17:46

Uh but in terms of of the uh update and some numbers, um Mr.

1:17:52

President, with your approval, I'll turn it over to Jen for her presentation, and I'm certainly here to answer any questions now or at the conclusion of the presentation, whatever the council thinks best.

1:18:04

Sure, I would move forward with uh bringing forward anyone you'd like at this point.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████23%
Pending Litigation████████████████████20%
Arts And Culture███████████████████19%
Licensing█████████████13%
Zoning Changes███████████11%
Community Engagement██████6%
Economic Development█1%
Personnel Matters█1%
Education Funding█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Peabody City Council Committee of the Whole, Finance Committee, and Regular Meeting – February 26, 2026

The City Council held a Committee of the Whole, a Finance Committee meeting, and a Regular Meeting on February 26, 2026. The Committee of the Whole began with an executive session to discuss pending litigation (Doe v. Tolls, Clickstein v. City of Peabody, and Bernard Correspondence) and then received an update on the North Shore Children's Museum. The Finance Committee approved two fund transfers. The Regular Meeting included public hearings on two special permit applications, approval of appointments, and several motions.

Consent Calendar

  • Transfer of $41,195 from the police detail admin fee account (100-000-43629) to the capital police vehicles account (3000-58322026-000-002100) – approved by Finance Committee 5-0 and by full council 9-0.
  • Transfer of $17,200 from the CPC Historic Preservation fund (270-00000-33022) to the CPC plaque and stone restoration account (2701811-58563-2026-000505) – approved by Finance Committee 5-0 and by full council 9-0.
  • Entertainment license renewal for 535 Lowell Street (In the Game) – approved.
  • Limousine license new application for Sunshine Cast Service LLC at 153 Newbury Street – public hearing scheduled.
  • Letter from Park Place Cooperative regarding fence at 274 Newbury Street – continued to April 1, 2026.
  • Special permit application for 106 Lynn Street – public hearing scheduled.
  • Entertainment licenses for Daniela's Suites and Bourbon Street – public hearings scheduled.
  • Inholders license for Alto Suites LLC – public hearing scheduled.
  • Special event application for Frost Lounge (March 7, 2026) – approved.
  • Appointments to various boards and commissions (Cemetery, Disability, Community Preservation, Facilities, Historical, Recreation, Planning, Rent Control, Zoning Board of Appeals) – approved 9-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made in person or via Zoom for any of the public hearings.

Discussion Items

North Shore Children's Museum Update (Committee of the Whole)

  • Mayor and Executive Director Jen Cowell presented a detailed update on the museum's operations, finances, and community impact. Key points included:
    • The museum opened in October 2022 and has served over 33,000 visitors in its first full year (2023), with a slight decline in 2024-2025 aligning with national trends.
    • Over 875 distinct zip codes have visited; Peabody residents account for 11% of known visitors, but up to 57-89% of total visitors are from outside Peabody (due to 32,000 untracked transactions).
    • The museum offers reduced admission (WIC/EBT at $3, library passes at 50% off) and free days, saving families nearly $100,000.
    • Staffing: two full-time and seven part-time; a marketing associate will be hired. The museum reduced full-time staff from three to two to save costs.
    • The Friends of the North Shore Children's Museum (501c3) now handles fundraising and grants. The museum received $30,000 in grants out of $271,000 applied for in 2024-2025.
    • Exhibits have been upgraded with custom elements. New additions planned for 2026 include a car racetrack, sound machine, and fiber optic light cloud.
    • Challenges include weather dependency, staffing turnover, and need for more marketing. The museum aims to reduce reliance on city funding over time.
  • Councilors expressed support and asked questions about break-even point, mobile van use, Peabody resident attendance, and field trip funding. The mayor indicated a budget update will come in May/June.

Special Permit Hearing – 180 Newbury Street (Automotive Repair Shop)

  • Applicant John Kelty (attorney) represented DCL Fleet Services, a hydraulic repair company that performs most work off-site. The property previously had an illegal upstairs apartment, which has been removed. The request was for office hours only (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday–Saturday) with no on-site repairs. Five vehicles would be stored on site. Councilor Gamash supported, noting the need for such services. No opposition. The public hearing was closed, and the special permit was approved 10-0.

Special Permit Hearing – 0 Hardy Street (Contractor Bays)

  • Applicant John Kelty represented Hardy and Monroe LLC, seeking to build six contractor bays (reduced from seven) for storage of commercial vehicles and light office/shop use. No outdoor storage. The site is in a floodplain and adjacent to a car wash. Councilor Peach, the ward councilor, presented conditions after extensive work with the applicant and neighbors. Conditions included: no commercial vehicles on Monroe Street, no parking outside, no auto repair or detailing, vehicles backed in at night, hours 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., ADA sidewalk, and snow storage compliance. Councilor Turko and Hockman opposed, citing concerns about neighborhood impact, safety in flood zone, and enforcement. Councilor Gamash supported, noting the alternative of a ghost kitchen (allowed by right) could be worse. The motion to approve with conditions failed on a roll call vote (Daigle yes, Gamash yes, Hockman no, Turko no, Welton yes, Rosignal yes, Ladoff yes, Corvo no, Peach yes, Higgins yes). The transcript states "Motion fails" despite 7 yes votes, possibly due to a supermajority requirement or a recording error. The permit was denied.

Snow Operations Briefing

  • Councilor Peach moved to have the DPS director and snow management staff appear before the Public Services Committee to brief the council on snow removal operations and challenges. The motion was approved.

Key Outcomes

  • Committee of the Whole: Executive session held; Children's Museum update received; no vote taken.
  • Finance Committee: Two transfers approved (5-0) and subsequently ratified by full council (9-0).
  • Special Permit – 180 Newbury Street: Approved 10-0 with conditions (office hours 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Mon–Sat, no on-site repairs).
  • Special Permit – 0 Hardy Street: Motion to approve with conditions failed (7-3, but declared failed; see note). The permit was denied.
  • Ordinance Amendment (Billboards): A motion to reconsider a previous vote on an ordinance amendment (7A) passed 9-0, and the item was sent to the Planning Board for a public hearing.
  • Snow Management: Motion to invite DPS director to Public Services Committee – approved.
  • Temporary Fence: Motion to request the mayor install a temporary fence at Chestnut and Lowell Street for snow mitigation – approved.
  • Appointments: All 14 appointments to various boards and commissions approved 9-0.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call to order the PB City Council Committee of the Whole. Tonight we have two subjects that we're going to be discussing on the agenda. The first subject is that is to be discussed is Doe versus Tolls, Clickstein versus City of Peabody, and Bernard Correspondence. This part of the meeting will be held in executive session. Yes, Damash. Yes, Turko. Yes, welcome. Yes, Rosignal. Yes. Let off. Yes, Corvo. Yes. Higgins. Yes. Thank you. Make a motion to go back into regular session. All in favor and opposed vote. Yes. Meaning Mark? Yes. Welton. Yes. Rosak Nall. Yes. Laddoff. Yes. Korovo. Peach. Higgins. Yes. Motion carries 11 to 0. Thank you. Now that we've returned, we'll turn it over to the mayor to talk about item B, which is uh the North Shore Children's Museum update. Okay. Thank you. Uh good evening, Mr. President. Good evening, Council. Hope everybody's doing well. Uh, very happy to be here today to provide a little update on the North Shore Children's Museum. Uh it's hard to believe, but we've been now in operation over three years. We opened up in October of 2022. And uh it's amazing to say that um and appreciate the council uh working with us to have this presentation today. Um I'm gonna turn it over shortly to Jen Cowell, our executive director for the presentation. Um she has a number of uh of slides to present uh some information that I think all of us will will want to see. And um uh, but just a couple of comments I wanted to make before I do that. Um the Friends of the North Shore Children's Museum uh have played a strong role in this work, uh, as you recall. Uh they organized in their 501c3 text exempt status was approved in April of 2024. Uh key members on that friends group uh all people that you're familiar with that have been part of the organization pretty much since its exce inception, even before that, uh, as we put together the plans and did the pop-up children's museum over at the George Peabody House Leather Workers Museum.

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