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Council approves CPC recommendation to move forward on Bartlett Mall Frog Pond restoration; bond intent passes 10‑1
Summary
After hours of public comment and council debate about alternatives and CPC equity, the City Council voted to approve the Community Preservation Committee recommendation to proceed with the Bartlett Mall Frog Pond restoration and the administration’s plan to seek a $3.5 million bond as part of a roughly $5.2 million project.
The Newburyport City Council voted to confirm the Community Preservation Committee’s recommendation to move forward with a comprehensive restoration of the Bartlett Mall Frog Pond after an extended debate on April 27.
Councilors approved the CPC recommendation to advance the project and the administration’s plan to pursue a $3.5 million bond as part of a funding package that also includes an earlier $700,000 state grant and approximately $700,000 in private fundraising. Budget & Finance described the full project as a dewatering and remediation plan that includes drilling a freshwater well, installing a liner, restoring the fountain, adding a pump house and dock and addressing sediments; the total project cost discussed on the floor was approximately $5.2 million including contingency. The council’s roll‑call vote was 10 in favor and 1 opposed.
Why it mattered: The pond sits in Bartlett Mall, a…
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