SUBSCRIBE TO THE ADVOCATE
SEE PAGE 4 ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #67
Peabody, MA POSTAL CUSTOMER
Vol. 3, No. 29
-FREE-
www.advocatenews.net
Info@advocatenews.net
Peabody Chamber of Commerce hosts networking event
978-777-6397
Despite gains, city’s affordable housing remains under state requirements By Christopher Roberson
D
Jenna Coccimiglio, the new executive director of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mark Robichaud of Vivint Solar are shown during the PACC’s Third Annual Networking/Cigar/ Cocktail Party at Breakaway in Danvers. See more photo highlights on page 6. (Photo Courtesy of Maria Terris)
Rousselot Peabody selected for IRAP grant By Christopher Roberson
R
ousselot Peabody was recently chosen by the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to receive a $221,640 grant to help fund the company’s Gelatin Rail Extension Project. According to MassDOT officials, the project’s objective is to increase the number of product deliveries by train. Bolstering rail deliveries will also allow more products to be stored at Rousselot, thus reducing the freight activity through Pea-
body Square. Councillor-at-Large Thomas Gould said the grant will benefit the city as well. “This is great news for Peabody; the mayor and his team have put a lot of time and energy into this rail spur,” he said. “This shows that Peabody is literally on the move.” Ward 2 Councillor Peter McGinn said the project will streamline freight service and thus, which will allow for additional passenger service. “This should be a positive factor in the study currently under-
way evaluating trolley service from Downtown Peabody to Salem Station,” he said. The grant itself is part of a $1.8 million effort by MassDOT’s Industrial Rail Access Program (IRAP) designed to “increase rail and freight access, economic opportunity and job growth.” In addition, IRAP grants were awarded to fund similar projects in Littleton, Upton and Wilbraham. “These awards will help support economic develop-
ROUSSELOT | SEE PAGE 14
Peabody West Little League District 16 Champs
espite the successful push from the Community Preservation Committee to construct an affordable housing development on Park Street, the city is still shy of the 10 percent threshold required for affordable housing under Chapter 40B of the state’s housing regulations. “We’re short 132 units,” said committee Chairman Michael Schulze. “We shouldn’t be; the state should be counting the mobile homes.” Therefore, during the committee’s July 10 meeting, he proposed the idea of applying for a Brownfields Grant from the state Office of Housing and Economic Development. “Jay Ash has a whole ton of money for affordable housing,” said Schulze. If Peabody received the grant, Schulze said, affordable housing could be built on the site of the “old city garage” on Berry Street. Schulze said he originally wanted to have single-family homes as well as duplexes on the three-acre site. “I thought it would be nice,” he said. “The housing would be just like the housing that’s there.” However, Schulze said that during his meeting with Mayor Edward Bettencourt, he was
told that the proposed development should only have duplexes. Schulze said Bettencourt’s response was representative of Peabody’s overall reluctance to add more housing. “Peabody is a very parochial city,” said Schulze, adding that the only developments he was ever against were those proposed for Buxton Hill and Brooksby Farm. He also said that homes in the city, which are not classified as affordable housing, are put on the market for at least $500,000. As a result, Schulze said, it is“very difficult” for young people to purchase homes in the city. Schulze also said Peabody used to have a housing rehabilitation program that awarded $20,000 to qualified homeowners to fund improvement projects. “We were doing great with that,” he said. Crystal Lake, Bikeway and Middle School fields In other news, Schulze said he was impressed with the progress that has been made with the dredging effort at Crystal Lake. “I went up there, it really looks good, it’s up high, too,” he said. However, Member Michael Rizzo said the number of
HOUSING | SEE PAGE 5
Abandoned bikes cause citywide nuisance By Christopher Roberson
A
The Peabody West All-Stars posed with the District 16 championship banner after a big 17-2 win Lynnfield last Thursday at Reinfuss Field in Lynn. See story and photos on page 8. (Advocate photo by Greg Phipps)
Friday, July 20, 2018
t 10:57 a.m. on July 14, Peabody Police were notified that two bicycles owned by the Cambridge bike-share company Ant Bicycle were discarded on Home Street and had been there since the beginning of July. The anonymous resident who reported the problem said one of the abandoned bicycles was left on the sidewalk and the other one was left in the middle of the street, thus creating a traffic hazard. Capt. Dennis Bonaiuto said that although the problem of abandoned bicycles has “just started to surface” in Peabody, it has be-
come a growing trend in a plethora of communities in the eastern part of the state. He said the problem could be solved by having additional drop-off locations that are easy for users to find. “It appears that it needs to be structured better,” said Bonaiuto. “More thought needs to go into the operational end of things.” According to the Police Log, Sgt. James Harkins said the bicycles would be moved to Marrs Park. He also said that Ant Bicycle would be told to remove the bicycles within 24 hours or they would be thrown away. Representatives from Ant Bicycle could not be reached for comment.