Scanlon Says Beverly Has Made Great Progress in Past 18 Years and Still More to Do

Bill Scanlon has covered a lot of ground in his 18 years as Beverly's mayor. He's retiring from the corner office at the end of his term.

Speaking at the North Shore Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the Region breakfast on Wednesday, Scanlon listed off a number of accomplishments the city has seen in his tenure: better schools, improved storm drainage, upgraded parks and playgrounds and higher bond ratings to name a few.

On the front education front, he said, improvements have been made at all the elementary schools, not to mention the new high school, and he hopes to the state will sign off soon on a new middle school.

He said enrollments are increasing, educational performance is improving and young families are continuing to move into the city to take advantage of low interest rates and reasonable housing prices.

Scanlon, glancing at fellow speaker Danvers Town Manager Wayne Marquis, joked that he's comfortable retiring now because he's served longer than half the time Marquis has been in office. And the joke didn't stop there: "Perhaps you don't know the story of how Wayne got started. He was a teenager and won a contest to be the Town Manager for a day. He came and he never left."

In terms of regional successes, Scanlon pointed to the new regional vocational school on the grounds of Essex Aggie as a "shining example" of one. He also thanked former Peabody Sen. Fred Berry, who was in the audience, and Marquis for working diligently on the project for the past 15 years.

Scanlon wrapped up his remarks, talking about what has become a controversial development project for Brimbal Avenue. He said new growth each year is "essential" to progress and "the people of Beverly have paid attention to that."

Scanlon noted the $5 million in traffic upgrades will be paid for by a state grant. What's at stake now is what he calls a "minor zoning change" needed from the City Council before swapping land with a private developer that wants to build a large shopping plaza on Brimbal Avenue.

The traffic changes are touted to relieve existing traffic problems in that busy connector area between Sohier Road, Dunham Road and Route 128. Redesigning the highway ramps will also open up land for future development, he says, and this proposed commercial project will create jobs and generate millions in revenue.

Scanlon encouraged those in the audience from Beverly to show up Monday for the continuation of the public hearing on the zoning change.