Community Preservation Committee Meeting

Upload file: 
File cpc_mins_app_5.12.16.docx
Meeting date: 
Thursday, May 12, 2016

Approved Minutes 7.14.16

 

HARWICH Community Preservation Committee Meeting

May 12, 2016, Harwich Town Hall, Griffin Meeting Room

 

Present: Chair Bob MacCready, Vice Chair Kathy Green, Cindi Maule, Daniel Tworek, Walter Diggs, David Nixon and Robert Bradley (joined shortly after meeting began).

Absent: Jim Atkinson

Vacant: Housing Committee representative

Guests: Michel Lach, HCT and Ilene Brady

 

  • Meeting called to order by Chair Bob MacCready at 7:00 PM.

 

  • A motion was made by Cindi Maule and seconded to approve the April 14, 2016 CPC Meeting minutes. 

VOTE:  Yes  5;   No  0;  Abstain  1.   Motion passed unanimously.

 

New Business

  • State Land Grant preparations costs request:

Article #38 Marini Property Land Acquisition, some 17 acres, was unanimously supported at the May 2, 2016 Harwich Annual Town Meeting.  The town will be acquiring a Conservation Restriction on the Marini Property.  To help offset the cost of the property, the town can apply for a state land grant, maybe as much as $400,000 of the $800,000 purchase price.  Michael Lach of the Harwich Conservation Trust came to request funds for the work necessary to apply for the grant, some 40 hours application prep time and another appraisal.  This would cost about $5,000.  The CPC Admin funds, which has about $35,000 on balance currently, is available for this purpose.  The Selectmen funded one appraisal that drove the cost of the property.  This appraisal would determine the land value with a conservation restriction.  Currently there is no signed P&S, but there is a deadline we are working against.  This wouldn’t be the first time we have gone forward without a signed P&S (Hall property project).  This property should qualify for the very competitive field of land grants.  There is a lot of focus in this area; it’s just down the road from Muddy Creek.  It was suggested on future land acquisitions the cost of potential state land grant costs should be included in the warrant article request.  The town will contract the work for the appraisal, prepared by a qualified real estate appraiser, and a second person to prepare the application work.  If the town receives the grant, that money will reimburse the cost of the purchase, not for this work. 

A motion was made by Walter Diggs and seconded to approve up to $5,000 for administrative costs for the preparation of the town’s state land grant application and appraisal costs for the conservation restriction appraisal in support of the 17 acres of Marini Property, Article #38 approved at the May 2, 2016 Harwich Annual  Town Meeting.

VOTE:  Yes  7;   No  0;  Abstain  0.   Motion passed unanimously.

  • Recap of the Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting:

All the CPC articles passed except the West Harwich School project. There was much discussion on the Bike Path Crossing Warning Lights project.  Safety wasn’t the focus but rather the current warning lights aren’t operating properly.  A new system will be researched.  The WHS project in the end did have the support of the Selectmen, but not FinCom and was defeated by just 6 resident votes.

 

Other

  • April Payroll for Board Secretary:

A motion was made by Dave Nixon and seconded to pay for the submitted three hours.

 

VOTE:  Yes  7;   No  0;  Abstain  0.   Motion passed unanimously.

 

Old Business

  • CPC application to be discussed at a future meeting.

 

  • How could the CPC contribute financially to the Town Planner expanded duty for CPC needs?

Prior to this meeting Chairman MacCready sent all committee members the Alliance’s reply to the inquiry regarding paying for town staffing.  CPC Admin funds can pay for a contracted employee, new or current.  They cannot pay, supplement, or finance a town employee for a town job.  An employee, town worker or not, can be paid for CPC work, extra to the current employment.   Other towns have volunteers for CPC work.  This committee will have to be careful with advance arrangements. 

It is still unknown the source of the payroll funds for the CPC board secretary. 

 

  • Committee staffing vs. a paid consultant preparing the Community Preservation Plan (CPP):

Going forward this committee would like to have an employee with a full working knowledge of the State Community Preservation Act and accounting experience to keep track of the CPC accounts. 

 

Consultant Goldson could be paid to prepare the CPP.  But what does this committee really want in a CPP?  There was a sense that this committee doesn’t find much value in what the consultant will produce for our CPP; questioning the cost of her time to compile historical data and her tools aren’t the most robust to ferret out the town’s priorities.

 

The other Harwich town plans were discussed: the historical plan, the housing production plan, and the open space plan.  How will these other Harwich town plans work together in the CPP?  Affordable housing and open space land acquisitions receive a lot of CPC funds. 

 

The town planner recently requested CPC admin funds to pay for an update on the five year old housing production plan.  He will be invited to the next CPC meeting before he retires to give the CPC a presentation on this plan. 

 

The Open Space and Recreation Plan was completed within the last 9 months by the Harwich Conservation Trust, Harwich Real Estate & Open Space Committee, and the Harwich Conservation Commission.   Dave Nixon, the CPC Harwich Recreation & Youth representative was not aware of this plan.  Vice Chair Kathy Green will review the plan and see how it relates to the town’s goals and objectives and report back.

 

The Alliance says after a town adopts the Community Preservation Act, they must create a CPP, see Sec. B1.  Harwich hasn’t done this.  The plan should be reviewed annually.  The governmental doesn’t spell out details required for the plan.  How consistent should the CPP be to the other Harwich town plans?  What should be done first - the plan or take care of staffing?  It was questioned if we really have to re-invent the wheel to accomplish the committee’s needs.  Many towns have their CPP online.  The CPPs vary in detail from simple at 20 pages long to very detailed at 80 pages in depth. 

Ilene Brady reminded the committee that recreation wasn’t an original primary beneficiary of the CPA.  Open Space was for passive recreation.  It didn’t mention conservation, that thought has gotten stretched. 

 

  • For the next CPC meeting on June 9, 2016:

Kathy will forward the current CPC applications to committee members for review. 

David Spitz, the Town Planner, will be invited to report on the Housing Production Plan.

 

  • If any CPC member knows of any town committee reorganization, please let Bob know.

 

Adjournment: 8:24 PM