Click image for Haverhill City Council agenda.
Two items set aside at previous meetings—the addition of 24 beds at the Haverhill Pavilion and the city’s five-year Housing Production plan—are back on the Haverhill City Council’s agenda Tuesday night.
Councilors scheduled a public hearing on plans by Acadia Health Care of New Jersey to add 24-bed addition to the 71-bed facility at 76 Summer St. The addition is intended to add more adult behavioral units because once the space is constructed, the current 21-unit geriatric unit would be converted to general adult beds, according to a letter in support of the project from the state’s Department of Mental Health.
Robert D. Harb, the Haverhill attorney representing Acadia, said in a letter to councilors the need for additional mental health beds is well-documented. The Haverhill Pavilion is running at 97.1% capacity and “deflected” 1,354 referrals in 2024, he added.
Haverhill Community Development Division Director Andrew K. Herlihy will give an overview of the draft of the 2025-2030 Housing Production Plan. The proposal notes that since 2000, rents in Haverhill have increased 86% and home prices are up 101%. The report recommends Haverhill create a “starter home” zoning overlay district to make it easier for developers to build smaller homes for first-time homebuyers. It also recommends activating an Affordable Housing Trust, which is already included in the city’s bylaws. Another suggestion is developing and supporting initiatives others have used that allow seniors to age in place. For example, if more one-bedroom apartments were available, seniors could downsize but stay in the city, leaving larger homes available to families.
Adam T. Jankowski, 251 Hilldale Ave., is requesting a waiver of the city’s maximum age for police recruits so he can take the state Civil Service exam because, at 41, he is technically too old. In a letter to the Council, Jankowski said he has lived in the city for 16 years, is currently a nurse and has worked previously as a security officer at a Boston hospital for 15 years. “I am prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for a career in law enforcement,” he wrote.
Alexandra Ponder, 25 Perspective Drive, has applied for a vacancy on the city’s Commission on Disabilities. The term would be for three years. And Roy P. Wright, 59 Woodland Park Drive, is up for reappointment to the Board of Assessors for a three-year term.
Essex County Greenbelt is requesting a license to use an easement at Hamel Field, 915 North Broadway, for pedestrian access to a 33-acres landlocked parcel on Parsonage Hill. Robert E. Moore Jr, the city’s environmental health technician for the Conservation Commission, said the private conservation organization acquired the land a year ago to preserve Parsonage Hill and the Fishin’ Brook watershed.
The Haverhill Historical Commission will ask that the council formally transfer eight boxes of records pertaining to the historic properties and the creation of historic districts in Haverhill to the Haverhill Public Library to be stored in the special collections department.
Susan Hatfield, the supervisor for fine and performing arts in the Haverhill schools, have been invited to talk about the upcoming Citywide Art Show on May 15. Eunice D. Zeigler and Al Hanscom are appearing to promote the Emmaus “Sip, Sample and Support Gala, also on May 15.
The Haverhill City Council meets Tuesday night at 7, remotely and in-person at the Theodore A. Pelosi Jr. Council Chambers, room 202, Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer St. As a public service, 97.9 WHAV plans to carry the meeting live.