Beverly City Councilors: Vote Against Plan Not A Vote Against Library

Beverly City Councilors Brendan Sweeney and Todd Rotondo submitted this Letter to the Editor to Patch in response to an opinion letter that Mayor Michael Cahill recently submitted about the proposed library renovations:

A vote against the Mayor's proposal was not a vote against the library itself

Dear Beverly residents,

As two of the five city councilors who voted against the mayor's proposal to authorize a loan order to pay for the costs of building renovations and the installation of a geothermal HVAC system at the Beverly Public Library, we want to inform you of the process that took place and why we ultimately voted against the proposal. We understand the importance of maintaining our public facilities and ensuring that they are up-to-date and efficient, especially with the growing needs of our community.

More specifically, we understand the important role that the library plays in our community and will continue to play going forward. That's why we joined our colleagues in unanimously approving a $2 million free cash transfer on June 27, 2022 to support what was originally estimated to be a $3.7 million project to replace the library's HVAC system with geothermal technology. The proposed project before the Council in June 2022 would have combined the $2 million in free cash funding with $1.7 million in state and federal grant and earmark funding, as well as other third-party incentives, to support the full cost of the project. During that same meeting in June 2022, the City Council also unanimously approved the use of $1.25 million in free cash for much-needed repairs to the Central Fire Station.

By the time the City Council received its next update on the proposed library HVAC project on January 16, 2024 — 19 months after the initial $2 million free cash transfer to support the project was approved — the estimated cost of the project had ballooned to $18 million, a nearly 400% increase from the estimated project cost that the City Council had previously reviewed. While it is understandable that the cost of labor and materials had increased in the intervening 19-month period between project updates, it was clear to the City Council that those economic factors alone did not explain the nearly fivefold increase of the estimated project cost; that could only be explained by a drastic increase in the scope of the project itself.

With this new information, the City Council could not consider this proposal in a vacuum; it needed to be weighed against the other priority capital projects that the city needs to address, including:

• Making major repairs to Central Fire Station, where only minimal work has taken place since the City Council approved the initial $1.25 million free cash transfer in 2022. Aside from that transfer, no additional funding for this work has been identified by the administration yet in either the latest general fund debt schedule or in any proposed free cash transfer, even though the total cost of the work is likely to exceed $1.25 million;
• Planning for a potential renovation of City Hall, which is estimated to be a $26 million project at this point in time, though a final estimated project cost has yet to be determined. Factored into this project is the future use of the recently acquired "Family Dollar" parcel on Cabot Street, around which there is still some uncertainty; and
• Addressing our road and sidewalk infrastructure, which will require an intentional, sustained investment over multiple fiscal years in order to bring our city’s most important asset up to the condition that residents demand, among other projects.

When considering the full picture of the city's capital needs and the limited funding available to the city to address them, we decided to vote against the mayor's proposal. This vote does not close the door on future renovations to the library, however; federal and state earmark funding and some of the other incentives secured by the city could potentially be used to address the immediate roof replacement and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades that are necessary to ensure that the library is safe for patrons in the short-term. This approach would give the city time to complete the repairs at Central Fire Station and finalize the projected cost estimate for any renovation of City Hall (if that project is ultimately approved by the City Council) before we revisit plans to install a new HVAC system at the library. Fortunately, the $4.3 million in "tax credits" available under the federal Inflation Reduction Act do not expire until 2032, so Beverly will still have the opportunity to utilize these incentives, if it chooses to do so.

As city councilors, we are tasked by residents with effectively utilizing our city's resources to address immediate needs and challenges while being mindful of the long-term impact of our decisions. It is especially important that the City Council take this responsibility seriously now, as we are entering a time of uncertainty regarding state revenue collections and available funding for municipalities. This period of uncertainty coincides with the ongoing negotiation of all of the city's expiring collective bargaining agreements with its unions. We remain committed to working with our fellow councilors, the mayor, and all of Beverly's stakeholders to find the best path forward for our city with regard to all of our needs, including the library.

Sincerely,

Brendan Sweeney, Beverly At-Large City Councilor

Todd Rotondo, Beverly Ward 1 City Councilor