Community Preservation Committee
Minutes of Meeting April 23, 2008
Wellfleet Town Hall Hearing Room
Present: Peter Hall, Chairman; Dorothy Dolan, John Ketchum, Barbara Gray, Victoria Pecoraro, Jan Plaue, Marcia Seeler, Judy Taylor
Absent: Elaine McIlroy
Chairman Peter Hall called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
Minutes of 3/19/08 and 4/8/08
Gray moved to approve the amended minutes of March 19, 2008. Seeler seconded, and the motion carried 8-0.
Plaue moved to approve the minutes of April 8, 2008. Ketchum seconded, and the motion carried 8-0.
Modern House Trust Funding
Peter Hall raised the question of promising Peter McMahon of the Modern House Trust (MHT) the $100,000 of CPA money in one lump sum. If his Article is approved at Town Meeting and other specified conditions are met, Mr. McMahon would prefer to receive the lump sum to accommodate his arrangements with the National Park Service. Hall moved that McMahon receive $100,000 as a lump sum contingent upon passage at TM and his meeting all future and present agreements with CPC. Gray said the motion should be more specific in a letter to Mr. McMahon. Seeler moved that if Article 18 is approved at TM, the $100,000 will be granted in one lump sum to the MHT. Plaue seconded, and the motion carried 7-0.
Article 17 Placement and Possible Amendment
Article 17 in the Town Meeting Warrant specifies that $60,500 goes to the Housing Trust. Hall suggested changing the position of housekeeping Article 17 on percentages to come after all other CPC articles. If the Housing Authority receives the $240,000 specified in Article 19, then Article 17 will be amended on the floor of Town Meeting to read that the $60,500 be put into the budgeted housing reserve fund as Housing’s 10%. Passage of Article 19 ensures that Housing gets its 10% allotment as specified by CPA law. Plaue moved to put Article 17 after the other articles. Depending upon how the other articles pass, Article 17 will be amended accordingly. Taylor seconded and the motion carried 7-0. CPC recognized that the housekeeping article has to come last in order of CPA articles at future
town meeting.
Wellfleet Forum Pre-Town Meeting & Town Meeting
Hall said he considered Pre-Town meeting a success. The MHT will give a much briefer presentation at Town Meeting. Gray said Harry Terkanian had done a good job at pre-Town Meeting. Peter Hall will give introductory and explanatory remarks on CPA funds at Town Meeting.
Staff Position Discussion
Hall reported discussions he had with Stuart Sanginor of the Community Preservation Coalition, who told Hall that the Town Administrator’s plans were illegal. The “Cannot Supplant Existing Funds” section in Article 6 of the Community Preservation Act deals with the situation. It states that CPA funds cannot supplant existing funds; they can only supplement them. Hall reported that charging overhead for Committee administrative purposes can only be done with a reasonable rationale. Hall said he had provided this information to the Town Administrator, who is referring it to Town Counsel for a determination. Hall suggested that if necessary, CPC approach the Selectmen individually with the situation. Seeler and Pecoraro suggested contacting the Coalition for legal counsel on the Community
Preservation Act. Taylor said other towns at the Coalition Roundtable meetings had discussed similar problems of illegal administrative attempts to gain CPA funds. Hall said he will contact Stuart Sanginor of the Coalition again.
Town projects that had been funded by CPA funds were discussed. The Uncle Tim’s Bridge complete reconstruction project was questioned. Seeler suggested holding any decision on the bridge until the administrative position was settled.
There was discussion of coming to a compromise with the Town Administrator. Dolan suggested that the Selectmen handle the situation.
Mail & Other Business
Representatives had received notification of expiration of their terms on the CPC. Pecoraro said she would no longer be on the Recreation Committee at the end of June; therefore, she couldn’t be its representative to CPC.
The next meeting will be held May 28, 2008.
The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 11:35 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
______________________ ________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Peter Hall, Chairman
________________ Date
CPC approved these minutes at the meeting of 5/28/08.
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