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Council okays $45,000 to meet permitting deadline for Lynch Park climate resiliency work
Summary
Beverly approved a $45,000 transfer from certified free cash to complete supplemental MEPA permitting for the Lynch Park climate resiliency project; staff warned that missing the July 24 supplemental deadline could delay the project by about nine months.
The Beverly City Council voted June 25 to approve a $45,000 transfer from certified free cash to cover supplemental permitting work under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) for the Lynch Park climate resiliency project.
Ibrahim Lopez Hernandez, associate sustainability director, told the council the supplemental information requested by state agencies must be submitted by July 24 to avoid an automatic, longer permitting route that he said could delay the project by up to nine months. "This work has to be done by July 24th in order for us to keep within that permitting process timeline, and we don't get delayed," Lopez Hernandez said.
Lopez Hernandez said the project has been in development for several fiscal years. Initial vulnerability and design work was funded through a Coastal Zone Management grant; the city later sought $488,000 through an Eco One Stop grant to complete the remaining shovel‑ready design and permitting. He said the project team updated conceptual plans around the Rose Garden access ramp and carriage house seawall, finalized permitting packets, and kicked off the MEPA process in May.
Councilors expressed strong support. Councilor Housman called Lynch Park "the jewel in the crown of the park system in Beverly" and urged colleagues to approve the funding. Councilor St. Hilaire asked about total project cost; Lopez Hernandez said no final design means no final cost estimate yet and described the shovel‑ready deliverables that will include an engineer’s opinion of cost.
Budget analyst Jerry Perry presented free cash reconciliation and said that if the transfer is approved the city will maintain approximately $5,061,511 in free cash, down from an initial certification of about $10,496,162; he recommended adoption.
With no public speakers, the council referred the matter to the Committee on Finance and Property, which recommended approval and the full council adopted the order 7-0.
City staff said if the Eco One Stop grant is approved around July–August, construction work could resume in September/October and a final certificate could be expected by October 16. If the city cannot meet the July 24 supplemental submittal deadline, Lopez Hernandez said the permitting route could extend the schedule by up to nine months.
The council approved the transfer to allow staff to complete the supplemental permitting work and continue the project’s move toward shovel‑ready design.
