PEABODY — The Peabody City Council approved three grant matches that will be used for water-related projects, including cybersecurity upgrades to both of the water treatment plants and work on the dams at both Winona and Spring Pond.
Prior to the meeting on June 11, Department of Public Service Director and City Engineer William Paulitz spoke to the Finance Committee earlier that evening and clarified that the cybersecurity project entails updating the computers and the software programming at the city’s water treatment plants to ensure they have “adequate cybersecurity so that they can’t be hacked into,” he said.
Paulitz said that the dams at both Winona and Spring Pond need both engineering and construction work to make sure that they don’t fall.
“We pay for a private inspector to come out every two years and get an inspection report and there’s items on that inspection report that need to be taken care of at this point to make sure that these dams stay in compliance,” he said.
At the City Council meeting, Ward 3 Councilor Stephanie Peach presented the account transfer request of $296,525 in funds for the grant matches, which was passed, 10-0.
The council also voted on a motion for an account transfer of $221,000 in funds for bike path easements from Lieutenant Ross Park to the bridge over Route 1 under 95, which passed, 10-0.
They also passed an account transfer of $150,000 for equipment for two new fire pumper trucks, which the fire department is expecting to receive by August.
“There was a question regarding why this wasn’t included in the original purchase, which we approved in 2023 for two fire engines,” Peach explained. “There was a discussion of how sometimes it’s better for us to wait instead of buying them fully equipped because we can go to different vendors, so that was the route that was decided on between the committee that does the work for these POs.”
Lastly, Peach presented the motion for a cable fund expense transfer of $186,131.46 to be used for Peabody Access Television, which the council also passed.
“This is for the Comcast fee, and 90% of these funds are earmarked for Peabody Access Television,” Peach explained. “This transfer allows us to move that money over to them.”
