HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-12-14-CPC-min (Public Hearing)1
Minutes of the Community Preservation Committee
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Public Hearing
Hybrid Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 967 3459 7639
Parker Meeting Room – Town Office Building
1625 Massachusetts Ave
4:00 PM
Committee Members Present: Marilyn Fenollosa (Chair); Jeanne Krieger (Vice-Chair), Kevin
Beuttell, Robert Creech, Lisa O’Brien, Robert Pressman, Kathryn Roy (arrived at 4:08 PM), Mark
Sandeen, Melinda Walker.
Administrative Assistant: Thomas Case
Other Attendees: Suzanne Barry, Vice Chair, Select Board; Melissa Battite, Director of
Recreation and Community Programs (arrived at 4:38 PM); Sandhya Beebee, Liaison, Capital
Expenditures Committee; Edward Dolan, Town Meeting Member; Letitia Hom, 175 Grove
Street; David Kanter, Vice Chair & Clerk, Capital Expenditures Committee (arrived at 4:16 PM);
Lisa Rhodes, Capital Expenditures Committee (arrived at 4:20 PM);
Ms. Fenollosa called the meeting to order at 4:03 PM.
Needs Assessment – Ms. Fenollosa opened the public hearing on the 2023 Needs Assessment
Report (NAR), copies of which had been made available on the CPC’s webpage. She noted that a
public hearing is required by Section 5(b)(1) of the Community Preservation Act to determine
"the needs, possibilities and resources of the city or town regarding community preservation
possibilities and resources, notice of which shall be posted publicly and published for each of
two weeks preceding a hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town." Ms.
Fenollosa stated that the public hearing had been advertised in the Lexington Minuteman on
November 30th and December 7th and on the Town's " Link to Lexington" email service on
December 8th.
Mr. Dolan commented that he has been disappointed in previous years’ level of funding for
affordable housing, but noted his pleasure in this year’s greater emphasis on housing and
expressed support for the Community Housing section in the report. Mr. Dolan asked about the
discrepancy between the “Total” and “Total Requested” numbers for the AHT in the Looking
Forward section’s table. Ms. Fenollosa explained that the “Total” represents the AHT’s potential
funding requests from outside organizations, as provided by the AHT, and the “Total
Requested” represents the amount of CPA funding requested by the AHT. Mr. Dolan asked if
the Cary Memorial Library is considered a historical building. Ms. Fenollosa shared that it is. Mr.
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Pressman added “Regarding the Cary Library, the definition of Historic Recourse in Section 2 of
the CPA, includes all aspects of the historic building. The particular project, the Children's Room
and the meeting room and the ground floor, stem from 2004. So, they are not historic, but
because of the way Historic Resource is defined, they are included in the project as eligibl e, so,
it gets to be a policy choice.".
Ms. Fenollosa shared a comment submitted by Wendy Reasenberg, 16 Garfield Street, via email
which expressed concern for Japanese Knotweed and other invasive species in Lexington, and
requested that the CPC consider addressing this issue in the NAR. Ms. Fenollosa commented
that preserving natural resources is in the NAR, but that Town-wide or private land initiatives to
address this issue is not within the jurisdiction of the CPC. Mr. Beuttell agreed to share this
concern with the Conservation Commission. Mr. Pressman added that CPA and other Town
projects on Lexington’s conservation lands have addressed invasive species in the past.
Ms. Walker raised concern that the AHT’s listed projects in the NAR Looking Forward table are
hypothetical for FY25 and not actuals, like the other listed projects. The Committee discussed
ways to make the NAR’s Looking Forward tables, particularly the AHT’s section, more
comprehensible for readers. The Committee agreed to clarifying changes in the NAR, including
moving the AHT’s anticipated requests for AHT funding to a separate table in the Looking
Forward section and noting that these amounts are hypotheticals, adding the AHT’s planned
CPA requests for FY26-29 as listed in their FY25 CPA application, changing each applicant’s
request from “Total” to “Total Request”, and adding column headings on each page.
There being no further discussion on the 2023 Needs Assessment, the public hearing was
subsequently closed at 5:05 PM.
The following documents were used at the meeting:
1) 2023 Needs Assessment Report – Draft 2
2) FY25 CPA Funding Application - AHT Pre-Funding
3) AHT’s FY25 CPA Application Presentation
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas Case
Administrative Assistant
Community Preservation Committee
APPROVED: 2/15/2024