Amesbury, Massachusetts

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 just living here short term. They feel invested in being part of Amesbury. People really care about being here.” By the end of the project, Cleveland says she hopes the city will have laid out a strong framework that represents not only Amesbury residents and businesses, but municipal departments, as well. She notes, “We are really trying to understand what the needs of our departments are and where they think they are going through ongoing conversations. Whatever actions come out of the IAMesbury 2030 effort are a product of those discussions. They can then incorporate the actions into their budgets to make it happen. That way it’s not ‘Oh you wanted me to do that? How was I supposed to know that?’ It’s part of their visioning already.” Included in their IAMesbury 2030 efforts, Gove and Cleveland are hoping to introduce conversations about sustainability and resiliency to the community. Amesbury staff are currently working with a consultant about resiliency within the city’s downtown and Lower Millyard. “We have broken it down to three types of resiliency: social, economic and environmental and we are really looking at the data to drive some decisions on the type of businesses that we could recruit or sustain and how we help people grow within the community, based on the decisions we know that people are making in their purchasing and where they are headed,” Gove says. They will be looking at how the city can withstand another economic disruption like what came with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as disruptions from environmental impacts like tornadoes. They are also discussing things like future-proofing the city by adding electric vehicle parking and tailoring future infrastructure upgrades to meet the coming demands. “We are looking at our zoning and our permitting processes and requirements that are in place and preparing for the future,” Gove says. As they move forward, Gove and Cleveland are hopeful that their efforts will prove fruitful for Amesbury. “If I could come away from this in two years and just look at how nicely all of those chips really aligned, that would be my dream,” Gove shares. “We really feel like we’re in the trenches now and I think there’s a lot of reward on the other side. There will be a lot to celebrate in the next few years.” NIGHTHAWKS ADULT EDUCATION Enroll in our NightHawks Adult Education Program and chart your pathway towards a rewarding career! The NightHawks Adult Education Program at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School provides high quality industry training and trade-related courses for licensing as well as programs of interest to our community members. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT https:\ \essex-adulted.coursestorm.com (978) 304-4664 www.essexnorthshore.org 565 Maple Street, Hathorne, MA 01937 AMESBURY , MASSACHUSETTS Photo Courtesy of Caitlin Thayer