Community Preservation Committee
January 13, 2014
Minutes
Members present: Frederick Keator (FK), Kate McNulty-Vaughan, (KMV), Joe G. Strauch (JS), Eugene Chague (EC), Catherine May (CA), Channing Gibson (CG), Olga Weiss (OW) and Albert Harper (AH).
Members absent: Anthony Patella.
Also in attendance: Mary Albertson (MA), Town Planner.
FK called the meeting to order at 7:10 PM.
Minutes
JS made a motion to approve the December 9, 2013 minutes. Seconded by KMV and the Committee voted 8-0 to approve the minutes.
Review FY’ 15 Applications
The CPC received the following applications:
Project Amount
Lenox Antique Fire Truck Restoration $25,000
Town of Lenox - Roche Reading Park Restoration $10,000
Church on the Hill Cemetery Restoration $70,000
Lenox Community Center Backyard Restoration $75,000
Lenox Community Center Town Beach Architectural
Assessment $ 8,000
Discussion ensued regarding the use of CPA funds for town projects. Questions were raised regarding the role of Capital Improvement Committee. FK asked if the Community Center Board requested capital funds or would the projects be funded with CPA funds only. FK said that over the years the CPC has stressed that CPA funds should be a catalyst for other funding opportunities. He is concerned that the town projects do not have matching funds. KMV stressed the fact that town departments are always being asked to do more within their existing budget. CM asked if the Community Center Board has a history of applying to the Capital Improvement Committee. KMV asked if there was still a Town Beach Association.
EC asked MA why Open Space and Recreation are not separate categories. She explained that they are separate but the CPA places both in the same funding category. FK went on to explain that there are three “funding buckets”: 1) community housing, 2) historic preservation, and 3) open space and recreation. EC is concerned that recreation projects will deplete the bucket. He wants to make sure funds are available for open space preservation projects.
The Committee had a lengthy discussion regarding maintenance of town properties. AH suggested that the Department of Public Works (DPW) should be included in the discussions regarding maintenance. CG said that the DPW does not have the manpower to do extra projects and he suggested that private contractors might be a better option. AH suggested that the Town needs to consider additional manpower to ensure town properties are maintained.
JS suggested that organizations such as the Berkshire Botanical Gardens require endowments prior to accepting gifts. Too often well-meaning gifts become a burden. FK said that recently, Saint Ann’s Church reviewed and raised the plot rates for its cemetery. He suggested that Town should review the plot rates.
AH suggested that the Church on the Hill Cemetery is an example of a town property that suffered from deferred maintenance. This Cemetery is not very visible and there was not much interest in historic cemeteries in general. OW and AH said the Church on the Hill curator gave a lecture last weekend and it was very well attended. There is a renewed interest in historic cemeteries. There were at least fifty people at the lecture and many were from other towns hoping to do similar projects. AH said the curator was very complimentary regarding the way the Church on the Hill Cemetery was maintained by the DPW. Although there was a great deal of restoration work, it was very clear that the DPW was very careful and did not damage the stones.
CG said he thought FK should attend a Capital Improvement Committee meeting and discuss the CPC concerns. FK said he feels the CPC has been successful because of the diversity of interests. CM suggested that it is important to use CPA funds to get projects done. EC wants to ensure accountability. KMV would like input from department heads regarding maintenance.
Discussion ensued regarding the meeting schedule. It was determined that the project presentations could be done in one night. Currently, MA has January 27th and February 10th scheduled for project presentations. The consensus was that the February 10th meeting should be canceled. FK will not be able to attend the January 27th meeting. Currently, there is not a vice chairman. AH suggested that KMV serve as vice chairman and offered a motion. KMV declined because she has a number of other commitments. AH offered to serve as vice chairman for the January 27th meeting only. In February, FK will attend a Board of Selectmen (BoS) meeting to offer an update on potential CPA projectd. MA will make copies of the CPA
applications for FK to distribute at the BoS meeting.
Motion by OW and seconded by KMV to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 PM. The vote to adjourn was unanimous.
Respectfully Submitted
Mary Albertson, Town Planner
Approved: 1/27/13
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