Posted on November 19, 2018
It was way too cold Thursday afternoon to take a plunge into Crystal Lake, but not to enjoy its transformation.
Now, Crystal Lake sports fishing and boating docks, a gazebo, and a fountain that lights up at night, following the completion of a $3 million project to dredge and create a park at the West Peabody pond.
And while the mayor was not intending to go into the water, a slight backward stumble on a path at the water’s edge as he spoke had him joking about it before the 100 or so people gathered for a ribbon-cutting.
“I’ve got to be careful,” Mayor Ted Bettencourt laughed. “That’s right. I didn’t intend to jump in there. We’ll see how it wraps up.”
The work to save Crystal Lake from becoming a weed-choked swamp had been mulled for more than three decades.
Bettencourt put the project in perspective, saying Crystal Lake used to be an eyesore for him as he drove by it every day. But it was not always that way.
“I think I’ve heard stories from many people, some that are here today, about wonderful moments they had in their childhood and with their families here at Crystal Lake,” Bettencourt said. “And, as all of you know, the last couple of decades in particular, things really started to slip here, and it was in danger of becoming a swamp.”
Last year’s dredging work involved hauling 46,000 cubic yards of silt and sediment that had accumulated on the bottom to the landfill off Farm Avenue. The material came from unfiltered runoff.
The lake had filled to a depth of about two feet. The dredging increased the bottom depth to about eight or nine feet.
“Before we did all the dredging work,” Bettencourt said, “you could have walked right across the pond and it might have come up to your knee, at best. We were able to do the dredging work, create this beautiful family area for everybody to enjoy and I’m so excited because all those memories that took place years ago, we are going to be able to create even more memories going forward, for families and for people to enjoy, people from across our city and across our area.”
“This is a signature moment,” said state Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers, whose district includes this portion of West Peabody. “And it’s a moment not just for people to be able to enjoy, but it is a huge selling point for this city.”
Giving credit
Bettencourt thanked the Conservation Commission, the Department of Public Works, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, the Community Development Department, including Brendan Callahan, the assistant director of planning, “who did a great deal of work to make this happen.”
Bettencourt said every vote in the City Council on the project was unanimous. He singled out councilors-at-large Dave Gravel and Tom Rossignoll; Ward 5 Councilor Joel Saslaw; Ward 2 Councilor Peter McGinn; and Ward 6 Councilor Mark O’Neill.
“We are here because of your vision and your work and your stick-to-itiveness,” O’Neill said of Bettencourt.
The mayor also thanked former longtime Councilor Mike Garabedian, state Rep. Tom Walsh, D-Peabody, and state Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, among others. Bettencourt also recognized SumCo Eco-contracting of Salem for its work on the project.
The mayor said getting money for Crystal Lake was not easy. He credited the late state Rep. Joyce Spiliotis for obtaining $800,000 in seed money. The city was also able to utilize grants and some money redirected from other environmental projects.
“Our Community Preservation Commission was a huge help in making this happen,” Bettencourt said. Peabody Municipal Light Plant also made an investment in the project.
“This all began over 31 years ago,” said former Ward 6 Councilor Barry Sinewitz. “It was a dream of a group of Peabody residents called Friends of Peabody Lakes. That was their dream just to get this done.” The project languished, Sinewitz said, until Spiliotis got the seed money. Sinewitz said he made Crystal Lake his priority when he was elected in 2007, but the project only got off the ground because Bettencourt was elected.
“He had a vision of what he wanted to see for Crystal Lake, and that’s called leadership,” Sinewitz said. “So, without his leadership and helping moving money around, being creative with the finances, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Others who went above and beyond included the city’s Director of Engineering Bob Langley.
“I think it’s beautiful,” said West Peabody resident Sandra Manning. “I can’t say that I was in favor of it in the beginning. I didn’t know what it was really going to look like or what they would really do, but I think they have done a great job. I love seeing the fountain lit up at night, and, hopefully, the paddle boats in the spring will be great.”
The intention is to stock the pond with fish and have paddle boats available in the spring, Bettencourt said.
Source: The Salem News
