Peabody, State Government Sign Community Compact

Peabody Mayor Edward Bettencourt signed a Community Compact Tuesday morning in an effort to strengthen the partnership between the state and local government.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joined Bettencourt as they signed the agreement at an event at the Middleton Town Hall, according to a press release.

The Community Compact Cabinet was created by an executive order signed by Gov. Charlie Baker. The Cabinet allows local governments to work more closely with the state administration.

"The Cabinet champions municipal interests across all executive secretariats and agencies, and develops, in consultation with cities and towns, mutual standards and best practices for both the state and municipalities," said the state government's website.

The Peabody Community Compact will help the city promote local agriculture, develop unused sites to maximize economic potential and allow the local government to coordinate efforts with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, according to the press release.

"This is an exciting day which represents a new chapter in our ongoing partnership with our colleagues in state government. I am confident that Peabody’s Community Compact will bear exceptional fruit and that our city and the Commonwealth will be better for it," Bettencourt said in a statement.

Here's a detailed explanation of the Peabody Community Compact's goals from the Mayor's remarks:

• Continue to promote local agriculture. As exemplified through our ownership and management of the historic 275-acre Brooksby Farm, which contains over 120 acres of orchards, vegetable gardens and small fruit plantings, we in Peabody are committed to locally grown food.
• Next year, the City assumes control of Tillie’s Farm, a family run farm that dates back to the 1700’s. The City has applied for a U.S. Department of Agriculture planning grant to determine the best use for this 16 acre parcel.
• The Community Development Department has been working to site a shared commercial kitchen that would house local artisans and entrepreneurs, many of whom would use local produce to prepare their products. With proper resources and planning, the City can play a major role in the “farm to table movement” to benefit residents of Peabody, the North Shore and the Commonwealth.
• With state assistance for infrastructure and feasibility study, the city seeks to create a formal plan to develop unused or underutilized sites in order to maximize their economic development potential. (2 Washington Street and 12 Washington Street example)
• To share best practices between our Department of Public Services and the MassDOT relative to planning, design, compliance, safety and operational information.
• Peabody’s Department of Public Services also plans to actively participate in the Complete Streets Funding Program through MassDOT. I am pleased to announce that I recently filed our Complete Streets Policy with our City Council, and anticipate adoption in June of this year.\

[Photo courtesy of Office of Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt, Jr.]