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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-10-25-CPC-min Minutes of the Community Preservation Committee Thursday, October 25, 2012 3:00 pm Ellen Stone Room Cary Memorial Building Present: Board Members: Wendy Manz,Chair; Marilyn Fenollosa, Vice-Chair; Joel Adler, Norman Cohen, Jeanne Krieger, Leo McSweeney, Sandy Shaw, Betsey Weiss, Dick Wolk. Administrative Assistant : Nathalie Rice Also in attendance were David Kanter of the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC), and Town resident, Robert Pressman. The meeting was called to order at 3:04 pm. by Ms. Manz. 1.Minutes – Approval of the minutes of 2/28/12, 2/28/12 Exec. Session, 4/9/12, 4/20/12, 5/02/12, 7/24/12, and 7/24/12 Exec. Session were approved with small changes requested by Ms. Weiss to the 4/20/12 and 7/24/12 minutes. The Committee will review the minutes from the Executive Session of 7/24/12 to see if they can be released. 2.Receipt of State Matching Funds – Ms. Manz informed the Committee that the State Match had been received in the amount of $929,507. This represented $44,044 more than the FY 2012 amount, and $161,597 greater than estimated. The Match represented a 27.79% match, where the Town had conservatively estimated a 22% match. Ms. Manz explained that the additional $161,597 would need to be returned to the CPA fund, and could either be returned to the Undesignated Fund or could be apportioned in 10% increments to the various buckets ($16,159 per bucket) with the remainder going to the Undesignated Fund. Ms. Manz said she had sought direction from the Community Preservation Coalition on this matter, and had been told that if the amount to be returned was “de minimis” it would not need to be returned to the individual buckets. Ms. Manz had also discussed this matter with Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, who felt either action would be acceptable. The CPC discussed this matter, and after a motion by Ms. Fenollosa, agreed by a vote of (8-0) to return the State Matching Funds to the Undesignated Fund Balance. 3.Town Report – The CPC voted to approve the Town Report, which had been distributed previously to members. 1 4.Application for LAND Grant funds for Wright Farm – Ms. Rice informed the Committee that in the Conservation application for CPA funds for the Updating of the Open Space and Recreation Plan, Ms. Mullins, the Director of Community Development, stated that the Conservation Commission anticipates being awarded a $400,000 LAND grant for the acquisition of Wright Farm. The Committee will ask Ms. Mullins to report on this further, when she comes before the CPC at the next meeting. 5.Update on 33 Marrett Road – Ms. Manz updated the Committee on the progress of the evaluation of 33 Marrett Road for purchase by the Town. She said that two appraisals had been commissioned by the Town and were under way. Mr. Kanter added that the Cecil Group had been hired to evaluate the Scottish Rite Headquarters for various Town purposes. He said the Ad Hoc Townwide Facilities Master Plan is reviewing all facilities needs in Town and has prioritized the review of 33 Marrett Road as part of their charge. There was a general discussion of the opportunity for public input in this process, relative to 33 Marrett Road, and Town resident, Bob Pressman stated that he felt affordable housing should be included in the recommendations made to the Town by the Cecil Group. Ms. Weiss also raised the issue of affordable housing, noting the carriage might be a suitable site for senior housing. 6.Receipt of CPC Project Applications – Ms. Manz noted the receipt of 15 project applications for FY14 CPA funding. Ms. Rice had previously distributed a list of the projects, and she noted that there were an additional 7 st to 8 applications that were likely to be in by the November 1 deadline. The Committee will review the applications in preparation for presentations by the applicants in subsequent CPC meetings. Mr. Cohen noted that Town Counsel, th Kevin Batt is out of town until November 11 and therefore will be unable to conduct his customary eligibility review until later in November. 7. Future Meetings – The CPCset their meeting schedule for November, nd scheduling meetings for all Thursdays in the month, except the 22. Meetings will be held from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm generally, with locations to be th determined. The date of November 14 was set for a Public Hearing for the Needs Assessment Report, (this has since been postponed.); and December th 19 was set for the Public Hearing/Information Session for the presentation of thth the CPC project applications. The dates of December 6 and 13 were kept on hold for meetings as needed. Ms. Manz noted that the League will not be featuring CPC projects in their “First Friday” in March as has been the custom in the last two years. There was some discussion of not having the CPC Public Hearing on the project applications, but rather including presentations at the TMMA Information Session prior to Town Meeting. A motion was made and voted on (8-1) to have the Needs Assessment Hearing be conducted as part of th a regularly scheduled CPC Meeting in November. The date of November 14 was set after this vote. (see above) 2 Ms. Manz informed the Committee that elections for the Chair and Vice-Chair st will be held at the November 1 meeting. 7.Policies Related to Land Acquisition – As a follow-up to discussions in the th meeting of July 24, Ms. Manz raised the issue of clarifying the process in which stakeholders in CPA land acquisitions are given the opportunity for public comment. There is the belief on behalf of some members of the CPC, that the some interests, particularly housing and recreation, have not been adequately considered in recent land acquisitions. Ms. Manz suggested that there were two actions that could be taken; one to write the Selectmen and request specific considerations for land acquisitions, or two, to include a line or two on the capital request form which asks applicants to state if they have considered the other interests of the Act in their proposal. This issue sparked a debate among CPC members, some of whom felt requesting the Selectmen to adopt new prodcedures might be interpreted as being too cumbersome. Some members felt that conservation acquisitions should be considered simply as open space, while others felt that the appropriation of CPA funds obligated the CPC to consider all purposes for the acquisition of land. Mr. Kanter noted the importance of making an “audit trail” in order to ensure that an applicant had considered all four purposes of the Act. Ms. Weiss moved that the CPC set a policy that various committees (stakeholders) have the opportunity to comment in written form as part of the application process for a land acquisition, and that applicants demonstrate proof that such comment had been considered. The Committee discussed the logistics of such a process, and ultimately Ms. Weiss withdrew the motion. Ms. Manz agreed to draft a letter to the Selectmen for review at the next meeting, and the CPC will consider making a change in the Capital Request form. The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 pm. Respectfully submitted, Nathalie Rice Administrative Assistant Community Preservation Committee 3