As 2023 came to a close, Peabody City Council and School Committee officials shared their thoughts on the most significant events of 2023 in their respective departments. They also looked ahead to 2024 and how the impact of developments from this past year will carry on into the future.

Anne Manning-Martin has served on the City Council for more than 15 years, and the councilor-at-large cited the sale of the Rousselot property as one of the most important events for Peabody in years. In early 2023, Rousselot announced it would close its Peabody facility in December and move its gelatin production overseas. As one of the City’s biggest taxpayers, it was assumed its departure would have a tangible impact.

The council recently backed a proposal by Mayor Ted Bettencourt to purchase 135 acres of the Rousselot property to preserve open space. Manning-Martin believes that the health of the City’s economy depends on the future use of the remaining space, as well as the relationship the City establishes with the potential owner.

“In 2023, the mayor proposed two costly construction initiatives, a new high school and a new public safety complex,” Manning-Martin said. “The affordability of these initiatives, along with the cost of living increases, rise in the cost of groceries, soaring energy and gas prices, all hang in the balance… all eyes should be on this issue and all hands on deck.”

She added that she has no reason to believe Bettencourt and the City will not be successful in finding a buyer.

The new high school initiative mentioned by Manning-Martin is one of the highlights of 2023 for School Committee Chair Beverley Griffin Dunne. After seven years of applying, the City was finally selected to participate in the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s funding program.

“I worked on that statement of interest and was just so thrilled that our school was chosen to move forward,” Griffin Dunne said.

Much like the Rousselot situation, the process of implementing the new high school is far from resolution. One school construction project that was completed in 2023 was that of the Welch School.

“It’s a real innovative approach to fixing a school,” Griffin Dunne said. “It was incredibly intricate because this was done in an occupied building.”

She credited the school staff and the construction workers for making the project go as smoothly as it did. Griffin Dunne is also the chair of the Welch School Building Committee and says an official re-dedication and ribbon cutting of the newly renovated building will take place in the coming months.

One of Griffin Dunne’s goals for 2024 is to improve the school department’s website.

“God bless our parents who are able to find anything on there,” Griffin Dunne joked.