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Peabody, MA POSTAL CUSTOMER
Vol. 3, No. 49
www.advocatenews.net
City Council backs Mayor’s proposal for water and sewer infrastructure
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Friday, December 7, 2018
Peabody Historical Society holds Holiday Open House
By Christopher Roberson
T
he City Council voted unanimously, during its Nov. 29 meeting, to approve a new water and sewer rate of $907 for fiscal year 2019. Although the new rate is 15 percent higher than last year, Mayor Edward Bettencourt said the breakdown only shows an increase of “less than $10” per month for the average ratepayer. However, that will still help cover the cost of his new $36.2 million Clean and Sustainable Water Infrastructure Plan. In contrast, Beverly has a water and sewer rate of $1,104, Salem has a rate of $1,202, Lynn has a rate of $1,270 and Swampscott has a rate of $1,428. “The city of Peabody has the lowest water and sewer bill in Essex County,” said Bettencourt, adding that the Clean and Sustainable Water Infrastructure Plan is certainly overdue.“I think we’ve kicked the can down the road a number of times, it is our shared obligation to do what is right today so that Peabody’s water is clean and viable tomorrow.”
Members of the Peabody High School Chorale brought some holiday cheer to the Historical Society’s Christmas Open House at Brooksby Farm, performing for the assembled guests during the December 2 event. See more photo highlights on page 7. (Advocate photo by Christopher Roberson)
Bettencourt said the City Council has already approved the first phase of the plan, which involves installing 5,700 feet of pipes and fire hydrants along one mile of Route 1 in the area of Red’s Kitchen + Tavern. Bettencourt said the objective of the first phase will be to improve water pressure for the surrounding homes and businesses. The second phase calls for a five-mile water transmission main that will link the Coolidge Water Treatment Plant with Route 1 and install a booster
pumping system near Peabody Veterans Memorial High School. The third phase calls for the overhaul of the Winona Water Treatment Plant, which Bettencourt said is “at the end of its life cycle.” He also said the Winona Plant provides water service to residents who live west of Route 1. The final phase will be to repave the sections of road that were disrupted by the project. Bruce Adams, vice president of Weston & Sampson, spoke about the age of the current water and sewer system. He said
the Coolidge Plant came online in 1996 and the Winona Plant came online in 1972. However, Adams said, there are sections of the system that are much older. “There are some pipelines that are over 120 years old,” he said. Councillor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin remembered that in April, Bettencourt was considering closing the Winona Plant and purchasing water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. “You reversed course; I commend you for taking a step back and rethinking your position,”she said.
Proposed FCC regulations could cut PAT funding By Christopher Roberson
P
eabody Access Telecommunications (PAT) is anxiously awaiting the decision of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding new regulations that, if passed, would greatly reduce the funding for local public access channels nationwide. PAT Executive Director Camille Bartlett said that in mid-December the FCC is expected to vote on the Declaratory Ruling and Third Report as well as the Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemak-
ing. Bartlett said the Declaratory Ruling and Third Report would “impose caps on permits fees, right of way use fees, municipal attachment fees [and] set arbitrary ‘shot clocks’ for approving small wireless deployments and restrict local control over the aesthetics of these deployments.” She said the Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would “allow cable operators to deduct from their franchise fee payments almost any cable-related franchise requirement, including PEG (public, educational and
government) channel capacity and limit local authority over cable operators’ non-cable services.” Although Bartlett said there is a “very real chance” that the FCC will pass the new regulations, she also said such action would trigger a flurry of appeals from entities such as the Alliance for Community Media in Minneapolis and MassAccess in Boston. However, if funding were completely cut off, Bartlett said, PAT would likely have one year to live. “We are among the lucky ones,” she
said, adding that other stations could run out of money much sooner. Bartlett said PAT’s annual operating budget is $940,000. The station also receives $120,000 a year for capital expenditures. “We are a place where young people can gather safely and create, where community members can express themselves freely, where people can learn new, employable skills,” she said. “The FCC’s actions are yet another blow to
PROPOSED | SEE PAGE 2
“These are the types of investments people want us to make. It makes sense to them; they do it with their own homes.” Councillor-at-Large Ryan Melville asked that the City Council receive quarterly updates once the project is underway.“It would really be helpful, especially with the rate increase,”he said. Lawsuit Settlement In other news, the City Council voted 9-1 to add $825,000 to the original purchase price of the O’Shea Mansion at 2 Washington St., thus bringing the total transaction to $1.2 million. In January 2016, the City of Peabody began the process of acquiring the property through eminent domain, paying property owner Michael Corsetti $425,000. Bettencourt said this was necessary to prevent the mansion, which was built in 1895, from being demolished. “It’s a gateway to our community. If we did not take this action, that building would be gone,” he said. In response, Corsetti filed a lawsuit against Bettencourt and the City Council, claiming that the City took the property for an amount that was well below its actual value. However, after two years, it was ultimately determined that there was “no evidence of wrongdoing by city officials.”