TOWN OF STOW
Community Preservation Committee
FINAL Minutes, June 13, 2005, Community Preservation Committee Meeting
Present: Community Preservation Committee Members Bob Wilber (Chairman), David Walrath, Ernie Dodd, Laura Spear, Corinne Green, John Bolton and George Dargaty
The meeting was called to order at 7:38 PM.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - NONE
BILS AND MINUTES
Bills - Corinne moved, John seconded and approval was unanimous to accept bills from the Stow Highway Department in regards to work done for the West School parking. The CPC received a bill for $347.12 for sidewalks and $229.80 for signs.
Minutes-
May 9, 2005: George moved, Corinne seconded, and approval was unanimous to accept the minutes from May 9 as amended. There was no meeting since then, so no additional minutes needed to be approved.
NEWS AND VIEWS
· 100 communities in Massachusetts have now enacted the Community Preservation Act, including 25 out of 27 communities who proposed it for approval this spring. The quantity of municipalities is good for the Act as it will help protect the Trust Funds from being redirected to other funding purposes.
· The Senate budget bill did not affect the CPA Trust Fund.
· Dave submitted an email message to Senator Resor, proposing that the CPA be modified so that communities could use CPA funds to preserve town documents and artifacts. There is a committee hearing the next day, and Dave is only submitting the written testimony. Laura moved that the Stow CPC also send a letter to endorse using CPA funds for preserving town documents and artifacts. Ernie seconded, and approval was unanimous.
[Bob Wilber joined the meeting at this time.]
· Ernie shared documents showing that the latest affordability levels for Stow are unchanged from the previous year: $82,600 is the medium income for a family of four. Low income is $66,150 or less for a family of four; moderate income is $82,700.
· Ernie brought up the situation of what the committee should do with the funds if a project is cancelled. He thinks that the committee has the authority to move the funds from the specific project back into the town’s general CPA funds. Legal guidance from the Department of Revenue is that a motion should be made at Town meeting. The committee stills needs clarity.
FY06 COMMITTEE
The committee must reconfirm its membership and suggested sending a letter to every sponsoring organization as a reminder. In return, each sponsoring organization must send a letter to the Town Clerk, copying the CPC. The committee agreed to target September 1 as the final deadline.
In regards to defining membership terms, there is an opportunity to modify the town’s general bylaw to that sponsoring organizations do not to reconfirm members every year. The CPC discussed three options a sponsoring organization may have:
1. The organization names a representative to the CPC until that person’s term expires.
2. The organization’s CPC representative remains until the organization appoints a new representative.
3. The CPC could ask for a replacement from the sponsoring organization.
A question was asked whether a CPC member could delegate a representative to attend a meeting on his or her behalf if the official member could not attend. In other words, could a member or organization assign an alternate, and if so, would that alternate be able to vote?
It was recommended that the CPC create some rules and regulations to address membership, attendance and voting ability.
Another option would be to have the chairman of each sponsoring organization be the default CPC representative. However, many thought that should be up to the sponsoring organization.
Laura said she would investigate the deadline for input into the general bylaw review committee and when the group would be meeting.
Dave said that having the Selectmen select open membership is in conflict with the town’s charter, which says that a committee should appoint people to fill open slots.
It was noted that the Conservation Committee will need to appoint a new member as the current representative is moving out of Stow. Appointing a new representative is on a Conservation Committee meeting agenda.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
Pat, Ernie and Bob interviewed three candidates the previous week. Although all three candidates were capable and could do the job, the top candidate is Deb Seith, whose experience, skills, flexible schedule and research about the CPA impressed the interview team. The interview team was unanimous in its selection.
Bob will extend an offer to Deb and invite her to start at our next meeting.
BUDGET
Bill Wrigley and the town accountant are looking for the CPC administrative budget for FY06. Laura will send the information to Bill, copying Jacquie Cronin and Susan Flint Hosier. It was noted that an account number for the conservation restriction approved at Town meeting would be needed as well.
TOWN MEETING REVIEW
The CPC presentation at Town meeting seemed to have gone well. There is still a concern about whether a simple majority is needed versus a 2/3 majority for purchase of land. The CPA specifically states that a 2/3 majority is only needed for eminent domain and bonding.
The committee agreed that its goal is to get more good projects that it endorses into the pipeline. Bob committed to going to different meetings (Conservation Commission, Recreation, Historic Commission and Historic Society, for example) to solicit projects. Other towns initiate projects, and he recommended that the CPC be more proactive. Bob will let the CPC know when he is visiting other groups to see if anyone else wants to attend. It was agreed that the committee will brainstorm project ideas at its next meeting.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
DHCD still has not responded to the letter that the committee sent about the affordable housing deed restriction program. Jon Witten recommended just moving forward; he has virtually no doubt that housing under this program would count towards the town’s 40B affordable housing requirement. The units would have to go through the LIP program to count, and the committee would find out for sure with the first unit.
The committee did get a response from the DOR legal counsel, the only person to respond. That person had 6-7 issues, most related to not understanding the model the committee is proposing to use. The DOR counsel kept trying to steer the program to an existing model: using a lottery system with the LIP program.
DHCD did provide a verbal response initially that the housing units should count. Bob will send a letter to Senator Resor to see if the committee can get resolution. Dave will contact Representative Walrath.
Bob said that he has requested a face-to-face meeting with DHCD for months, but there has been no response. Bob will talk with Jon about implementing the LIP program, which the committee will review at the next meeting.
OPEN SPACE UPDATE
A draft of the Open Space and Recreation plan is nearing completion. The sponsoring groups will have a public comment period. This plan is required for urban self-help grants. Bob will meet with the groups to see if there is a role for the CPC.
HISTORICAL UPDATE
The committee will be receiving a proposal for a sprinkler system for the old Town Hall. The goal would be to present it at the special Town Meeting, expected to be held in the fall.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Laura Spear
CPC member
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