TOWN OF STOW
Community Preservation Committee
FINAL Minutes, April 25, 2005, Community Preservation Committee Meeting
Present: Community Preservation Committee Members David Walrath (Vice Chair), Ernie Dodd, Laura Spear, Corinne Green, George Dargaty, JT Toole and Pat Perry and Associate Member Jim Sauta
The meeting was called to order at 7:36 PM.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – None
BILLS AND MINUTES
Bills- None.
Minutes-
March 28, 2005: JT moved, Laura seconded, and all except David voted to approve the minutes as amended. David abstained.
April 11, 2005: The meeting was cancelled, so there were no minutes to approve.
NEWS AND VIEWS
· An email memo from the Community Preservation Coalition was distributed regarding the CPA budget. The House Ways and Means Committee decided to limit the number of outside sections that would have created or amended legislation unrelated to the operating budget, including any proposals that would affect the CPA Trust Fund. The Senate Ways and Means Committee will be releasing its own proposal in mid-May and is not expected to follow the example of the House. It was recommended that communities should remain engaged with their state senator on protecting the CPA funds in the budget proceedings.
· As of April 5, 76 communities have enacted the CPA with 26 more on the ballot.
· GH Gledhill, Superintendent of Cemeteries, spoke with consultants that day about restoration of Stow’s cemeteries. GH is to receive an assessment by the end of June. If the assessment is reasonable, he may formally propose to bring the request to a Special Town Meeting in the fall. The proposal would focus on redoing headstones in three cemeteries: Lower Village, Hillside and Brookside. The consultant is a local company and would only charge for time and not room and board as other remote businesses would do. Ernie asked about the multiple bid requirement. Any work proposed for under $10,000 can have a single bid; anything greater than $10,000 would require
multiple bids. It was recommended that GH speak with Bill Wrigley to understand the procurement process better. $25,000 has been reserved for perpetual care, but the work could go through that amount quickly. GH recommended that the Town take care of the headstones now to prevent bigger expenses in the future. GH has already spoken with the Historical Commission and would like the consultants to come in and present as well. Dave Said that the CPC would take their lead from the Historical Commission and see how this request fits with the historical needs of the Town. The work could possibly be done in phases as well. For next steps, GH will talk to the Historical Commission again to get their support in sponsoring this project for CPC funds, and he will talk to the Town Administrator to understand the procurement process.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT UPDATE
The committee has received one letter and resume in response to its advertised administrative position. The person is also interviewing for the ITAC and Finance administrative position. The applicant currently works for the Council on Aging and has good recommendations. It was recommended that Bob Wilber proceed with interviewing the candidate.
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING ARTICLES
Laura presented the proposed CPC warrant articles to the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee also held a public hearing on all of the warrant articles for Town Meeting, and Dave Walrath attended the hearing. One question came up at the public hearing: how much CPC money is available?
The committee also anticipated questions that may be asked at Town Meeting such as What happens to the Red Acre Road reserves? It was agreed to add this item to the next CPC meeting’s agenda. The right of first refusal has elapsed.
Three CPC articles are being printed in the warrant. Dave said that two will be placed on the Consent Calendar: the administrative article and the reserves article. The Finance Committee does not approve the administrative article as the committee has not used all of the administrative funds that were reserved for this year, so the article will get pulled from the Consent Calendar. The group discussed the rationale for the $30,000 article:
· It would pay for a full-time administrator, which the committee does not have this year
· It would pay for Legal and consulting fees relating to the affordable housing deed restriction program, which has been with DHCD since last Fall for approval
· It is anticipated that approval will be granted shortly, and the program will hit the ground running.
The group also discussed the rationale for the open space article for $35,000:
· It is a way to transfer to the Stow Conservation Trust so they can be more responsive to other open space opportunities
· The Stow Conservation Trust is well regarded and trusted with a good reputation in Town
· The land the deed restriction would further protect would be the first protected open space in that part of Stow
· There is potential for development on adjoining properties
· It is standard practice to have conservation restrictions on open space land
For Town meeting, it was decided that the following members would support the three articles:
· Overview and reserves: Bob
· Administrative funds: JT
· Open space: Laura will support, although Stow Conservation Trust will be presenting the article
Dave Walrath will be at the STOWS meeting on May 11 to inform the moderator who will be presenting the articles.
For the next CPC meeting, everyone is to review the exact wording of the articles and bring comments.
WEB SITE
The CPC FAQs are currently on the CPC section of the web site. It was recommended that they be added to the main Town site as well. Laura will check with Susan Hosier.
Ernie or Pat will provide a CPC plan to Susan for posting.
The last minutes were submitted for posting.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING UPDATE
Jim said that he had a very interested candidate in the affordable housing deed restriction program and who wants to leave her house to the Town. She already gets a rebate on her taxes and may be able to use the new affordable housing deed restriction program as well. It was recommended that the candidate get good financial advise.
Another interested candidate lives in a two-bedroom ranch on a 1-acre lot. There are others as well.
Bob had sent a note to the committee indicating that there are issues with DHCD in getting approval. He and the committee’s Legal consultant, Jon Witten, have been working with DHCD, who discussed using a lottery system to find a new buyer as opposed to having the home owner identify an eligible buyer. Those eligible for the lottery have already been pre-qualified. The Stow Housing Authority has a list of people who want a house (rent or own).
Many of the people who are interested in the program are elders and want their children to get the house if they are eligible. The state prefers a lottery.
Ernie said that finding buyers may be difficult. JT replied that Hudson’s new 40B development has a 300% overage already for the affordable housing units. These units are condo units, and they are lower in range than our housing would be.
Ernie had asked Jon if senior citizens sell their home and get considerable money, would they still qualify for affordable housing based on their annual income? Jon said that for the deed restriction program, they probably wouldn’t qualify. However, they may qualify for other Town programs, such as Active Adult Neighborhoods.
Dave had one comment regarding the word “perpetual”. The Elm Ridge Road LIP units used a similar process. The owner could sell at the market rate, but the seller would only get the limits of affordability. The rest of the money would go to the Town. To use this process, the language would need to be placed in the deed restriction. The Elm Ridge Road process may not keep units affordable. The CPC deed restriction would maintain affordability. However, perhaps the CPC deed restriction should include an exit clause like that used for Elm Ridge Road: add a guarantee that the Town would get back the original CPA funds paid for the deed restriction. The committee shared concerns that changes would affect the goals of the program.
The committee also discussed the role of the Stow Housing Authority. This organization operates under the auspices of DHCD. Should Town meeting approve the new Stow Housing Partnership, it would manage funds in the Stow Housing Trust Fund and operate under the Town’s governance. The Stow Housing Partnership would be able to purchase property for affordable housing.
OPEN SPACE UPDATE
No update.
NEXT MEETING: May 9, 2005
ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 8:46 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Laura Spear
Member, Community Preservation Committee
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