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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-25-CPC-min Community Preservation Committee Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Legion Room 4:00 pm Present: Betsey Weiss, Chair; Marilyn Fenollosa, Vice Chair; Joel Adler, Norman Cohen, Jeanne Krieger, Wendy Manz, Leo McSweeney, Nathalie Rice, Admin. Asst.; Sandy Shaw and Dick Wolk. Also in attendance were Charles Lamb, Chairman, and David Kanter of the CEC, Joyce Miller, Chairwoman and Stew Kennedy of the Conservation Commission, Carl Valente, Town Manager, Maryanne McCall-Taylor, Town Planner, and David Williams of the Board of Appeals. The meeting was called to order at 4:05 pm. The purpose of the meeting was to receive an update from the Conservation Commission on the progress of the negotiations for the purchase of the Leary land, to discuss payment options for the acquisition, to receive an update from the Recreation Department on the Pine Meadows project, and to have discussions on several finalized projects. 1.Update on the Leary Acquisition – Mr. Wolk updated the CPC, stating that the amount of the request to the CPC had been decided upon at $2,753,100. He said this was $7,000 less than the appraised value, and that a lot of $30,022 sq. ft. for affordable housing had been established that encompassed the Leary home. He said it represented a legal lot, and that based up the appraisal of the lots, he would suggest its value at $720,000. This, he continued, would mean that $720,000 of the purchase would be delegated to the community housing “bucket”. Ms. Fenollosa brought up the point that if the lot is a legal lot, it might not come back to the CPC for funding. Ms. Weiss asked Mr. Valente about splitting the land up in this manner and if there were requirements to tie the value of such a lot to the appraisal. Ms. Fenollosa brought up the question of the threshold for affordable lots, asking if the lot were valued at a million dollars, for instance, whether it would qualify as an “affordable” lot. There was a great deal of discussion on the topic of the valuation of the affordable lot. Mr. Valente suggested that it might be better to look at the value in terms of the whole property. With 5 lots at the price of 2.7 million, this would bring each lot to roughly 550,000 in value. Ms. Shaw voiced her concern at the figure of $720,00 commenting that it did not seem reasonable, but added that she felt the appraisal of the entire property seemed fair. After considerable discussion, Mr. McSweeney made a motion to “support the purchase of the Leary land as explained by Mr. Wolk, of which $720,000 will be for affordable housing”. Ms. Kreiger seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. 1 2.Paying for the Leary land, Bonding vs. Cash - The Committee discussed the options of paying cash or bonding the Leary purchase. Mr. McSweeney made the argument that since the CPC had the funds, the purchase should be paid in cash. The Committee discussed the fact that with rates low at the moment, the Town might actually make money on the bonding in future years. Mr. Lamb objected to this possibility, stating that the Town was not in the business of arbitrage, and felt that the Town would not make money through bonding. After further discussion, Mr. McSweeney made a motion that the CPC pay cash for the Leary land. The motion was seconded and unanimously passed. 3.Update on the Pine Meadows Project Relative to Questions about the Enterprise Fund – Ms. Shaw updated the Committee on the Pine Meadows project, and specifically addressed questions that had arisen about the use of the Enterprise Fund to pay for drainage improvements at the golf course. She reported to the Committee that most recreation projects undertaken by the Recreation Department are not CPA eligible. She said the Rec. Department also pays for insurance, staff salaries, etc., and that the Fund has been decreasing over the years. She noted that there would be an upcoming presentation on the Enterprise Fund to educate Town Meeting members and the public about the Fund. Ms. Krieger asked Ms. Shaw if the Rec. Department would have to go to the Town if it was unable to have the Pine Meadows project funded by the CPC, to which Ms. Shaw replied affirmatively. Mr. Lamb, Chairman of the CEC, said he was opposed to the Pine Meadows project, but that his Committee had voted 4-1 in support. He questioned Ms. Shaw about whether the project was beneficial to other wetland resources surrounding the golf course. Ms. Shaw replied that the drainage work proposed at the golf course was designed to be beneficial to the surrounding wetlands. The dredging of the pond, she explained, would increase flood storage for the larger watershed, thereby reducing impacts of flooding. Mr. Cohen reminded the Committee that the golf course is a significant “money maker” for the Town. 4.Final Discussion of Projects for Public Hearing – Ms. Weiss asked for a updates on remaining projects which would be discussed at the CPC upcoming hearing scheduled for the following night. Mr. Valente updated the Committee on the progress of the Stone Building, for which the present request was $180,000. Mr. Valente said this would include the initial completion of an Historic Structures Report, which would come in at approximately $50,000. Based upon the results of the report, he said steps would be taken to protect the building using the additional monies in the appropriation. Such repairs might include repairing windows, siding or roofing, in order to keep 2 the building interior from being damaged. Mr. Lamb spoke to this project, saying that he supported the article, felt that the approach was reasonable, and that he assumed that the financial committees would be consulted along with the Library Trustees as the project progressed. Discussion then returned to the Leary property, with Ms. Manz suggesting adding money to the requested amount for the purposes of an historic structures analysis of the Leary home, (built in the 1840’s). Ms. Fenollosa said a detailed report would not be necessary, and that what was needed was simply for an engineer to walk the house and do an analysis of its suitability for renovation. She said $10,000 would be sufficient to cover this cost. Mr. Wolk made a motion to include such monies in the request for the Leary acquisition, the motion was seconded and unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 5:06 pm. Respectfully submitted, Nathalie Rice Administrative Assistant Community Preservation Committee 3