Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. surprised attendees during his State of the City address Monday night by announcing that the city had reached an agreement in principle to purchase 80 acres of open space adjacent to Spring Pond, Cedar Grove Cemetery and the Meadow at Peabody Golf Course.
“Like many cities its size, Peabody struggles to achieve the right balance between growth and progress and the quality of life for our residents,” Bettencourt said, adding that while development brings new homes, businesses, jobs and revenue, it also brings traffic, congestion, added strains on schools and city services and “it encroaches on our precious open space.”
Bettencourt said the proposed acquisition will protect the land from development “in perpetuity with an option to increase capacity at Cedar Grove Cemetery,” preventing a developer who recently presented plans to build “hundreds of units of housing on a portion of this land” in an area that is “already heavily developed.”
This additional housing would have a severe impact on city services and “further stretch the already limited capacity of our school classrooms,” said Bettencourt.
Bettencourt highlighted the city’s open and recreational space — which includes 31 parks, playgrounds and athletic fields; an 8-mile bike path, which is slated to be expanded with two new trails in the next two years; the South Peabody trail, which connects 300 acres of open space for walkers, joggers and cyclists; the Meadow at Peabody Golf Course; four acres of open space off Bartholomew Street; and the city-owned Brooksby and Tillie’s Farms — which Bettencourt described as “unlike any other city or town in Massachusetts.
Bettencourt said Brooksby was once slated to be developed for condominiums when a small group of activists helped convince city leaders in 1976 to purchase the land and maintain it as a farm and that Tillie’s was privately owned and operated for generations.
“Great credit goes to my predecessor Mayor Mike Bonfanti for having the foresight to purchase the land using the land community preservation funds and keep it as the city-owned treasure that it is.”
The mayor began his address by recognizing his wife, Andrea, and children — Taylor, Ally, Avery and Brady — and thanking them for their love, support and sacrifices they have made to allow him to serve the city he loves.
He thanked the elected state officials in attendance and the members of the City Council, School Committee, Municipal Light Plant and Board of Library Trustees for their friendship, ongoing commitment to the city and the “hard work you do each day on behalf of your constituents.”
“By giving your time, energy and talent to the great calling of public service, you make our community stronger,” Bettencourt said, adding his thanks to city employees “for dedicating their professional lives towards improving our city.”
Bettencourt expressed his gratitude to the city’s volunteers serving on boards and commissions, military veterans and their families, and members of the police and fire departments.
“We are forever grateful to your commitment to public safety and for your sacrifice on our behalf,” Bettencourt said.
He also congratulated Craig Welton on his election as the City Council president and thanked outgoing President Ryan Melville.
“Craig is a strong voice for the residents of Ward 1 and continues to be a great advocate for those who live and work with physical and intellectual disabilities,” said Bettencourt. “During his term as president, Ryan demonstrated strong leadership and organizational skills as well as a willingness to work with my administration to help move our city forward.”
One of Bettencourt’s top priorities is rebuilding and preserving infrastructure.
“We have an obligation to future generations to leave our city in better condition than we found it,” Bettencourt said. “Investing in our roads and bridges, water and sewer, school and other municipal buildings will pay dividends for decades to come.”
Bettencourt touted several projects including completion of the final phase of the city’s Clean and Sustainable Water Infrastructure project with the rehabilitation of the Winona Treatment Plant, which, along with the previously restored Coolidge Treatment Plant, allows the city to “control our water rates for many years to come” and saves the city from having to pay its portion of a proposed $1.2 billion MWRA extension.
Bettencourt recognized the Department of Public Services, which was named the New England Water Works Association’s Water Utility of the Year.
Other projects highlighted by Bettencourt included the Welch School renovation project and the Central Street Project, which has received nearly $12 million in state and federal funds to rebuild the entire corridor from Walnut Street to Route 114 and will improve “the quality of life of tens of thousands of Peabody residents.”
Bettencourt said the Endicott Bridge project “will improve traffic flow and safety in this very busy area.”
Future city initiatives include a new public safety facility. Bettencourt has asked the council to approve a feasibility and preliminary design study.
“It’s time Peabody had a state-of-the-art complex,” Bettencourt said.
Bettencourt went on to review the state of the city’s finances, which he described as “encouraging” with local revenue from meals and hotel taxes up more than $500,000 over spring projections and reserves at their July 2018 levels at just over $14 million.
“These numbers allow us greater flexibility in the use of so-called ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funds,” Bettencourt said.
Bettencourt said Peabody homeowners “continue to get exceptional value for their tax dollar” and that city residents “enjoy a level of municipal care which meet or exceed those of nearby cities and towns” and that property tax bills are on average “hundreds and even thousands of dollars less than those communities” with residents paying the second lowest tax bill in Essex County. The average value for residential property in Peabody is $527,000, an increase of 11 percent over the last year and 40 percent since 2018.
“While some of this increase can be attributed to the real estate market … make no mistake that some of it is a result of the hard work we’ve done together to make Peabody a more desirable place to live and work.”
Bettencourt said the police and fire departments have rebounded to pre-pandemic staffing levels, saying they are operating “at or near full capacity and continue to do the heroic work of protecting our community.”
Bettencourt concluded by saying we have just lived through an historic period of uncertainty and that the city has “not only weathered the storm, but we have positioned ourselves for continued growth and prosperity.”
“Great things continue to happen in Peabody and we have a great deal to be proud of in our city,” Bettencourt said, citing the opening of the North Shore Children’s Museum and the 2023 opening of the Bell Inn at 2 Washington St. as examples of a “decade of tremendous growth and revitalization on Main Street and downtown Peabody.”
“I am committed to maintaining Peabody’s affordability while rebuilding our aging infrastructure and delivering the high level of municipal services that residents expect. I have high hopes for 2023.”
