Boulderwood project work to resume

PEABODY – Developer David Solimine Jr. planned to resume site preparation work for his 110-unit Peabody subdivision this morning, after reaching an accord with the Peabody officials on Friday and the city lifted a cease-and-desist order.The city issued the stop work order last Wednesday, contending that a number of conditions for the ?Boulderwood? project that were established by the Planning Board had not been met. In an email response Saturday to questions from newspapers including The Daily Item, Solimine said all of the issues that promoted the cease and desist order had been resolved.?I would like to commend Mayor [Ted] Bettencourt and Peabody City Solicitor Michael Smerczynski for quickly calling a meeting of Peabody officials to resolve the issues raised by the Peabody building commissioner,” Solimine wrote. “I have always maintained that we have all the required permits and approvals in place for the work that we are currently doing and I am pleased that we have reached this agreement and will be moving forward.”As part of the agreement, Solimine deposited $1 million needed for water tank construction into an escrow account at Community Credit Union. Solimine also agreed to pay $2,000 for the services of former Peabody director of Public Services Richard Carnevale, who helped draft the original permit requirements for Boulderwood.?The cease-and-desist order was delivered to us Wednesday afternoon. We met [with the Planning Board] Thursday and reached an agreement that was finalized on Friday. The cease-and-desist order was lifted Friday,” Solimine wrote. “On Friday, our blasting contractor was issued a blasting permit by the Peabody Fire Department.”Solimine said blasting on the site will begin on Wednesday. He said Peabody Fire Chief Steven Pasdon placed conditions on the blasting permit, which requires the blasting contractor to hand deliver notices to homes that directly abut the project in Peabody and in Lynn and to place notices about the blasting in local newspapers.?We also are required to have a paid [fire] detail on site from the Peabody Fire Department on days when blasting occurs and provide for independent monitoring of our blasting activity. Any blasting within 250 feet of existing homes will require us to survey the existing homes at our expense,” Solimine wrote.A message left for Bettencourt at his home on Sunday seeking comment on the agreement with Solimine was not immediately returned.In addition to his comments, Solimine forwarded a copy of the agreement – or memorandum of settlement – with Peabody, dated July 13 and signed by Michael D. Solimine, trustee of MJ-II Realty Trust, Peabody Building Commissioner Kevin Goggin and Peabody City Solicitor Michael Smerczynski.?My son Michael and I look forward to working cooperatively with Peabody officials as we move forward with construction of this project that will bring a much-needed boost to the local economy,” Solimine wrote.Solimine said last week that he will meet with the Lynn Planning Board on July 24 to discuss his plan to extend Sunset Road and connect it to the 63-acre Boulderwood development.Sean Leonard can be reached at [email protected].