Click image for Haverhill City Council agenda.
Haverhill city councilors Tuesday are expected to hear plans for the estimated $3.6 million roof replacement at Golden Hill Elementary School, proposed changes to a Marshland Street condominium plan and approve a changing of the guard on the city Board of Health.
Councilors are expected to file the school roof request for the required 10 days—the first step toward seeking 77.47% state reimbursement under the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Accelerated Repair Program. The city would ultimately pay $803,000.
“The existing roof has exceeded its useful life and has experienced ongoing leaks and water infiltration. The roof replacement is necessary to address these conditions, protect the building. and prevent further deterioration,” wrote school Chief Financial Officer Clancy Main in a letter to councilors.
The city has already set aside $300,000 for a state-required feasibility study and design costs.
The developer of the proposed “Marshland Commons” three-condominium project at 27 Marshland St. is making changes recommended by city department ahead of a special permit request. As WHAV first reported two weeks ago, Matt Silva of Sterling Commonwealth Builders proposes to demolish a single-family house and replace it with three, attached three-bedroom townhouses.
Attorney Jonathan R. Stark-Sachs told councilors in a letter proposed changes would provide each residence with separate stormwater management, pitch pavement in front and rear for improved stormwater and seek a variance from the Haverhill Zoning Board of Appeals to allow for greater driveway coverage and closer spacing than normally allowed by city ordinance, among other changes.
Each unit of about 1,700 square feet would have three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and an attached two-car garage. The site is located in a high-density residential zone.
Councilors are expected to confirm Mayor Melinda E. Barrett’s appointment of Dr. Alexandra Filippakis of Haverhill to the Board of Health. Filippakis would succeed Dr. Romie Mundy, who has served about 10 years.
In a letter, Filippakis pointed out her day-to-day work as a physician relates to concerns reaching the health board.
“Much of what I see in the clinic begins upstream of the exam room,” she said. “Stroke outcomes depend on how quickly residents recognize symptoms and reach care. Concussions in youth and school sports often go unreported. Dementia increasingly shapes how families, housing and emergency services function. Childhood lead exposure, still a concern in older housing stock, causes neurological harm that cannot be reversed.”
Come January, Barrett has the authority to appoint two additional board members, for a total of five, after the city’s home rule petition was approved by the legislature and signed by the governor.
The Haverhill City Council meets Tuesday night at 7 p.m., 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.