To the editor:
Harborlight Community Partners supports the CPA question on the ballot next month. Personally, I support it, too, and hope you will, as well.
First and foremost, we urge you to vote Yes for CPA Question 4 on Nov. 6 for three main reasons: We love Beverly, we love keeping projects local, and we love to see the underdog win. CPA provides resources for projects that benefit our community that otherwise could not happen. In addition, CPA funding gives us leverage to bring in additional funding toward our community priorities. When a community can invest CPA funds in a project, other private, state and federal funders come to the table more willingly, and great things happen.
Here are some examples from surrounding communities:
Gloucester City Hall, a beautiful, historic landmark is undergoing major and much-needed rehabilitation. GLOUCESTER CPA DID THAT.
In Peabody yesterday, I took my 4- and 6-year-old daughters on a great new bike path. As we pedaled along, a large sign informed us proudly that PEABODY CPA DID THAT.
In Rockport, Harborlight Community Partners is just completing the Pigeon Cove Ledges preservation and rehabilitation project. CPA funding was used to save the homes of 30 low-income Rockport seniors from becoming market-rate housing. CPA funding was used to repair rotten siding and walls that were leaking rain into these homes. CPA funding was also applied to upgrade safety and handicapped access for these residents by funding a sprinkler system, a new fire alarm, a backup power generator and a power-operated handicapped access door among other things. ROCKPORT CPA DID ALL THAT.
So what does CPA mean to us in Beverly?
CPA in Beverly will foster the protection of our land for recreation and the protection of natural resources. We can save open space, make trails for walking and biking, or create parks, as some examples.
CPA in Beverly will facilitate the preservation, rehabilitation and creation of affordable homes for our neighbors, employees and families to live. These can be homes for fixed-income seniors, working families, first-time homebuyers and those with disabilities.
CPA in Beverly provides the ability to save and preserve historical places that are important to us. These may be places that are in danger of becoming parking lots or eyesores like the old railroad hotel at 45 Broadway or the GAR hall on Dane Street.
CPA is an opportunity for Beverly residents to invest together in community projects that add value to our lives and improve the overall value of our community. It is an investment with a great return for all of us.
Harborlight Community Partners is proud to be an integral member of Beverly and remain committed to our neighbors. We pay taxes and would willingly invest in the CPA with you.
Thank you for supporting CPA. If you would like to dialogue with us about CPA or other related topics, please feel free to give us a call at 978-922-1305, ext. 207, or send an email from our website at www.harborlightep.org. We would be glad to talk with you.
Andrew DeFranza
Harborlight Community Partners
Beverly
