Mayor Cahill: ‘State of our city is strong’; $3.75M secured for Brimble/Dunham roundabout, reserves top $23.7M

Mayor Cahill delivered Beverly’s State of the City address on May 19, outlining recent investments in infrastructure, services, and community programs and saying, “Tonight, the state of our city is strong.”

Cahill said the city will have invested “well over $100,000,000 in 12 years” in roads, sidewalks and intersections and announced the administration had secured $3,750,000 in state funds for a roundabout at the Brimble Avenue and Dunham Road interchange. He said the city is working with state officials to obtain additional funding and expects construction in late 2025 or spring 2026 if funds and permits align.

Budget and reserves: the mayor said Beverly’s stabilization fund holds $23,700,000 and the administration expects about $9,500,000 to be certified as free cash later in the calendar year; together, he said, those reserves would represent about 19 percent of the proposed FY 2026 operating budget, inside the city’s policy target range of 13 to 23 percent.

Housing, economic development and transit: Cahill noted Beverly is in full compliance with the MBTA Communities Law after planning department zoning amendments and said the Economic and Community Development Council (ECDC) will guide an economic development action plan funded in part with an $85,000 state Housing Choice grant. He also said ridership for the Salem Skipper on-demand transit service doubled after the city joined an expansion a year ago: “over 10,000 trips into Beverly and/or Danvers as of February,” and, he said, “nearly 1,000 new riders have registered each month.” Cahill attributed the pilot expansion funding to a congressional earmark secured by Congressman Seth Moulton combined with local ARPA funds.

Youth and facilities: construction continues on the new Miles McPherson Youth Center, a 4,000-square-foot facility funded entirely with federal funds and expected to open later this year, the mayor said. The city also installed lights and stands at Beverly High School’s turf field using a mix of cash reserves and remaining school COVID funds.

Climate and transportation: Cahill said Beverly will take delivery of five full-size (Type C) electric school buses this spring and three Type A buses later this year, bringing the electric fleet to 13 vehicles, funded by a mix of federal and state grants. The city has also converted lighting to LEDs in seven schools and the senior center. Cahill described ongoing coastal resilience work: O’Brien Park will be ready to file for remaining permits in early June to install erosion controls; Lynch Park design and permitting have begun and will address seawall repairs and carriage-house protections.

Community programs and services: highlights included a move of the community garden to Moraine Farm (now 90 plots in use), library statistics (about 161,000 visits and 301,000 physical items checked out in the past year), expanded digital-literacy programming through a partnership with UMass Lowell and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, a new social-services navigator position funded with opioid settlement funds, and a push to install 37–40 automated external defibrillators in city parks with over $55,000 from the city and more than $22,000 in private donations.

Public safety and risk reduction: Cahill said crime in Beverly had decreased and noted regional leadership by detectives on scam reduction. He also described a recent period of large brush fires across the region and said the fire department is starting a wildland-urban-interface committee to reduce long-term risk and maintain fire roads and access.

The mayor closed by calling for civic kindness and noting upcoming community observances; no formal council action was requested on the address.