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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-11-17-CPC-min 1 Minutes for the Community Preservation Committee 11/17/2022 Remote Zoom Meeting Meeting id#:922 6395 1418 Committee members present: Marilyn Fenollosa (Chair), Jeanne Krieger (Vice Chair), Kevin Beuttell, Bob Creech, David Horton, Lisa O’Brien, Bob Pressman, Mark Sandeen, Melinda Walker Other Attendees: Carol Kowalski (Assistant Town Manager for Development), Kathryn Roy (Chair, Affordable Housing Trust Study Committee), Gretchen Reisig (Vice Chair, Affordable Housing Trust Study Committee), Jeri Foutter (Chair, Lexington Housing Partnership), Betsy Weiss (Vice Chair, Lexington Housing Partnership), Carol Rose (consultant), Steve Poltorzycki (Lexington Council for the Arts), Althea Yates (Town Archivist), Sandhya Beebee (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison) Administrative Assistant: Christopher Tierney Ms. Fenollosa called the meeting to order at 4:02. Affordable Housing Trust Prefunding: Kathryn Roy presented a request for pre-funding the Affordable Housing Trust in the amount of $1,500,000. The pre-funding of this Trust is consistent with the goals established in the Lexington Next Comprehensive Plan of increasing the stock of subsidized housing. Ms. Roy went on to describe the next steps for the Trust once it has been agreed to by the Town Meeting as well as the benefits of pre-funding, specifically the ability to purchase property given the dynamic real estate market, along with providing renters’ assistance and first-time homebuyers’ assistance and other programs designed to enable affordable housing. Ms. Roy also explained that of the consortium of surrounding communities with similar housing trusts, six have pre-funded AHT’s through CPA funds and have also granted project-based funds to those organizations as well. Ms. Roy also assured the Committee that any money used to fund the AHT is still subject to CPA rules and that purchased property will be placed under a permanent affordable housing deed restriction. Mr. Creech commented that the Town needs to act quickly in regards to the Trust and commented that the price of tear down homes is increasing. He then asked if the $1,500,000 would be used to purchase only one single-family house. Ms. Roy assured Mr. Creech that the Trust would not purchase only one property with the requested funds. Mr. Pressman asked if the amount requested was based off of the price of a single-family home in Lexington or if it was based off of previous balances in the Housing Bucket. Ms. Roy stated that the amount was based off of a single-family home’s average price in Lexington from the previous year and that they used that metric for the basis of their funding request. Ms. Weiss explained that LexHAB recently lost out 2 on two opportunities to purchase property, one costing $629,000 and the other $779,000 and also commented on the $1,500,000 being based on the average price of a single-family home in Lexington. Ms. Walker mentioned that Affordable Housing Trust monies could be allocated for other uses besides the purchase of small single-family homes. She referred to initiatives which were funded in neighboring communities, such as providing emergency rental assistan ce for those in need, assistance to first time homebuyers, small grants for seniors to upgrade their homes, or contributing ‘seed money’ for non-profits who have responded to RFPs issued by the Town for the development of affordable housing projects. There are many uses for this pre- funding beyond the purchase of single-family properties. Ms. Fenollosa asked if the Trust would have access to Town Counsel for their decision-making processes. Ms. Kowalski stated that the Trust would have access to Town Cou nsel because it would become a Town entity just like the CPC. After a motion was duly made and seconded the Committee conducted a roll call vote in a straw poll (9-0) to support the project. Transforming Trees into Art: Carol Rose, a Lexington resident, came to the Committee with a proposal to turn 24 stumps near the Center Recreation Complex tennis courts into artistic works of birds from around New England. Ms. Rose described how she met with several different artists who shared their visions for the remains of these century old pine trees and that the cost of work per tree is around $2,500 for a total of $20,000 for eight sculptures. Ms. Rose also went to describe how the sculptures can be used as an educational opportunity for students but also as a way to promote art, passive recreation and education all in one project. Mr. Beuttell commented on the scale of the overall project and whether or not it was not large enough and that the path where the project was going to be located seemed out of the way and not currently fit for the purpose. He also asked whether or not the sculptures could be moved once they are completed. Ms. Rose commented that the sculptures could not be moved since they are stumps and that Dave Pinsonneault is working with the Recreation Department on accessibility to the site. Mr. Beuttell asked if these path improvements would be funded separately and within the time frame of the project. Ms. Rose said that she did not want to speak for the DPW but she believed that this eventuality was included into their designs for the tennis courts. Mr. Creech asked about the height of the stumps and that he was concerned about the potential for vandalism. Ms. Rose stated that right now the stumps range in height from 10-12 feet. Ms. Walker asked if the proposal was vetted by Town Counsel; Ms. Fenollosa stated that Town Counsel has all the current project proposals and that he is reviewing them now. Mr. Horton asked if the stumps were left standing in anticipation of such a project. Ms. Rose said that they were and that in the event the project does not go forward, the stumps will be ground down. Mr. Horton asked who the stakeholders in such a project would look like. Ms. Rose stated that the stakeholders for this project would include one member from every department that has supported the project , including a member of the Community Preservation Committee if the Committee wished. Mr. Pressman stated that he wanted to wait until Town Counsel decided on whether the project falls under the open space or recreation 3 category. Mr. Sandeen also expressed a desire for Town Counsel to give his opinion on whether the project falls under the legal framework of the CPA. After a motion was duly made and seconded the committee voted by roll call vote in a straw poll (6-1-2) to support the motion. Archives and Records Management: Althea Yates, the Town Archivist, presented the Town Clerk’s annual request for Archives and Records Management funding, but noted that she is asking for a little extra this year as opposed to the past for the specific reason of preserving three bound atlases from circa 1850-1912. The drawings in these volumes include street plans for the Town of Lexington, and cemetery plot layouts and plot agreements, among other documents. Ms. Yates also described how staff in the Engineering Department (where the volumes were originally located) still consult these old drawings and schematics today and that the conservation of these documents not only preserves history but still serves a practical purpose. Ms. Yates also described how the cost of the request for document conservation also includes digitization and mentioned the Town’s contractual relationship between Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover. Ms. Fenollosa asked for confirmation that the funds will not be used to conserve or preserve any of the documents pursuant to the Town’s mandatory records retention efforts, as opposed to using the funds for historic preservation purposes. Ms. Yates stated that they were for preservation. Ms. Fenollosa also stated that the Historical Commission had found the volumes to be “historic resources” as defined under the CPA. Mr. Horton asked if the price for conservation included digitization, and Ms. Yates confirmed that it does. Mr. Horton then asked if any other organizations were interested in the contents of these volumes. Ms. Yates stated that the volumes were more of a historical curiosity and that the books themselves belong to the Engineering Department. Ms. Yates then followed up by stating that past scanned and digitized documents have been uploaded to the Town’s public records portal, but this may prove too difficult for these documents based on the size of the digital file. After a motion was duly made and seconded, the Committee voted by roll call vote in a straw poll (9-0) to support the project. Minutes: The Committee conducted a roll call vote (9-0) to approve the minutes from the CPC meetings on 10/20/22, 10/27/22, 11/03/22 and 11/10/22 (open meeting and Executive Session). Committee Business: The next meeting will take place on December 1st at 4:00 over Zoom. The Committee continued to discuss the status of the Needs Assessment report and Ms. Fenollosa stated that she would be distributing a working draft to the Committee the following morning. Mr. Tierney then mentioned that during the meeting Stuart Saginor and the Community Preservation Coalition announced the State match information: with all three rounds of CPA funding complete, Lexington will receive a total of $1,828,980 or 31.5% (30.3% being distributed to all towns during the first round of funding). 4 Mr. Pressman had some lingering questions for David Pinsonneault regarding the Lincoln Field request, specifically with the warranties of the fields and their use beyond their lifespan. Mr. Pinsonneault responded that the manufacturer warrants the fields for eight years and the Town purchases two additional years of warranty. Mr. Pressman requested to be informed of the year when each of the three soccer fields at Lincoln Park was first utilized. Mr. Sandeen also stated that he had some concerns about that project, specifically with the amount of PFAS in the turf and its proper disposal. He felt that the answers given during their initial presentation did not provide information regarding the plan for disposal of the PFAS in the existing turf or whether the proposed new fields would contain PFAS. It was agreed that both Ms. Battite and Mr. Pinsonneault would be invited to return to a future meeting to address these matters. After a motion was duly made and seconded, the Committee voted by roll call (9-0) to adjourn the meeting at 5:30. Respectfully submitted, Christopher Tierney Meeting Materials: Affordable Housing Trust Pre-Funding request Affordable Housing Trust Presentation Transforming Trees into Art CPA Request Transforming Trees into Art Presentation Archives and Records Management CPA Request Meeting minutes 10/20/22, 10/27/22, 11/03/22 and 11/10/22 (open meeting and Executive Session) Minutes Approved 12/01/22