The Beverly City Council approved a $350,000 transfer from the Golf and Tennis enterprise retained earnings on Jan. 6 to fund planned improvements to the 18th fairway and associated drainage at the municipal golf course.

Why it matters: the work is funded from enterprise retained earnings (fees generated by the golf facility) rather than general-tax revenues and aims to restore playability and reduce recurring damage caused by river overflow and standing water on the fairway.

Project scope and permitting: William Loud, chair of the Beverly Golf and Tennis Commission, and commission member Arthur Themis described the plan to raise parts of the fairway above the water table by moving material downslope, expand irrigation and drainage, install a retaining wall, replace the pedestrian/maintenance bridge and adjust the cart path. The project team consulted environmental engineers and the conservation commission; the commission reported that permitting and conservation review occurred during project development.

Cost, bids and contingencies: bids came in under the commission's budget and the $350,000 request includes a roughly 10 percent contingency to cover unforeseen conditions such as unanticipated ledge. Jerry Perry, the city council budget analyst, corrected a figure in the report and said the retained-earnings balance is $672,310; he told the council he was comfortable with the transfer and recommended adoption of the proposal.

Funding mechanics and alternatives: City Finance staff explained these are enterprise-fund retained earnings and not general-tax funds. Councilors asked whether Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funds had been considered; staff said CPC is an eligible source but competition for CPC funding is strong and the commission chose to use retained earnings for this work.

Vote and next steps: the finance committee recommended approval, and the council adopted the transfer order by voice vote. The project will proceed to contract-award procedures managed by the city; the commission said construction scheduling will depend on contractor timing and permitting logistics.

Ending: the transfer funds a site-specific repair intended to restore the 18th fairway's playability and reduce future repair costs; councilors and staff said they will continue to monitor larger clubhouse and facility funding needs separately.