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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-04-23 ( COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES - APRIL 23, 2002 A meeting of the Community Preservation Committee was held on April 23, 2002 at 3:30 PM in the Board of Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA. Members present were: Barry Rector, Chair, Patricia Butler, Vice-chair, Frank Spriggs, Rich Brannigan, Ken Beaugrand, Norman Chaleki, Neville Richen and Virginia Andrews. Member Polly Miller was absent. Alice McWade was also present. I. The meeting was called to order at 3:35 PM, and a quorum was established. II. The agenda was approved. III. The minutes of March 19,2002 were approved. IV. No public comments were received. V. Post Town Meeting Update Article 33 That the Article wasn't called for discussion at Town Meeting was a testament to the hard work and excellent preparation involved. The question on the Ballot regarding the exemptions from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) act could be misleading. Many who voted for it might not have realized that this meant that Commercial and Industrial uses would not be exempt from the CPA surcharge. When the town voted in favor of the Community Preservation Act, (412001 Town Meeting, Article 46), it was as recommended by the Finance Committee. Their recommendation "to exempt from the surcharge the following: property owned and occupied as a domicile by a person who would qualify for low income housing or low or moderate income senior housing in the community" limited the number of exemptions that would be allowed. It did not include all that were cited in the Community Preservation Act. At that time (4/01) the Finance Committee commented, "Whether or not a ballot question for the Community Preservation Act is approved at the 2001 Annual Town Election, this motion will be put forward for the 2002 Annual Town Election warrant." ( Concern that voters don't realize the Finance Committee generated the ballot question and recommended the limited number of exemptions to the Community Freservation Act surcharge was expressed. The lack of communication between the Finance Committee and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) was acknowledged. In light of the position of oversight granted the CPC. more involvement with the Finance Committee in the decision making process was anticipated. A desire to bring this issue to {Jnc PJ' CfJc -"\ \ oD \~ the attention of the Finance Committee was discussed with no action to be taken at this time. The CPC's Public Meeting this summer could provide a forum for discussing the process leading to the question on the Ballot and answer inquiries regarding what the exemptions will do. That the Finance Committee acts on its own when it makes its decisions needs to be made known to the public. Whether there would be a ballot question each year regarding the Community Preservation Act was unclear. If there is to be a ballot question the Committee agreed it would be beneficial to prepare a press release expressing the Committee's views. The language in Article 33 regarding deed restrictions leaves the door open for other entities to hold the restriction. The Nantucket Housing Authority has accepted Habitat for Humanity's bid on a lot of land. Norman agreed to check with the Nantucket Housing Authority's lawyers to determine if the deed restrictions already in place from the Town are sufficient for the Habitat project as well as the two Nantucket Housing Authority projects. Pat knows the Methodist Church already has a restriction held by the State. Everyone was instructed to check with their respective applicants regarding deed restrictions and will make sure they are in place no later than June 30. ( Mr. Gaetner, from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, informed Barry that requiring a deed restriction from the applicant might not be a bad stipulation. Barry intends to continue investigating this matter. VI. Review of Applicants & Project Status Forms. Each project approved by the Committee received a designated Project Manager (2/27/02). No member was given more than one project to oversee. Since there are more Committee members than projects approved not everyone was assigned a project. Ginger Andrews presently has no project assigned to her. The Project Status Form (PSF) has been revised since it was first presented. The revised version was circulated and reviewed. It was agreed that the entries would be handwritten and become part of the file. Every time there is a meeting with the applicant regarding the project it will be recorded on a new PSF. In addition to recording the status of a project the PSF could also serve as a checks and balance monitoring system. ( When requesting disbursements the applicant's invoice, (on their letterhead), and the Project Survey Form(s) will be required. The Committee's approval of the request will be noted at the bottom of the form by the Chairman's signature. The PSF will site any major issue or concerns. In this scenario, the L3fnC' f'O:;t ~c. ~ I~ loa. Chairman's signature would be withheld and no disbursement of funds would be authorized until the issues or concerns were addressed. Once the Chairman's signature, reflecting the Committee's approval, is received a check for the authorized amount would be cut. The necessity of creating a timeline for disbursements between July 1,2002 and June 30, 2003 was stressed. VII. Con Com Appointment to CPC Ginger Andrews, the Conservation Commission's representative was present. Clark Whitcomb had filled in for her with the understanding that it was for a short time. Things have calmed down now and Ginger intends to resume her duties on the Committee. VIII. National Historic Preservation Week Barry Rector's presentation regarding the Community Preservation Act is scheduled for noon on Saturday, May 18,2002 at the Preservation Institute (29 Centre Street). This will probably take about 15 minutes. Barry is planning to arrive a little early and welcomes attendance by other members. He will have handouts with him regarding the Community Preservation Act. Pat Butler won't be able to attend since she will be in Wyoming. Ken and Neville will both check their calendars to see if they are free. Alice plans to ( attend and will assist in the distribution of information. IX. Sponsoring visit by State CPA Representative (update). Nothing new. X. New Business. The Board of Selectmen will be sending a notice to all At-Large Appointees to remind them that they need to re-apply. A discussion regarding the Town By-Law dictatirig the length of the terms assigned to the representatives of various Town Boards and Commissions was reviewed. The interpretation from the Town Administrator's Office regarding the election of the At-Large Appointees is that they will be appointed for another year. The election of the At-Large members for a term of three years is scheduled to appear on the ballot at the next Normal Town Election. Pat Butler agreed to place the issue of the Historic District Commission's Representative on their next Agenda. Her continued service as their CPC representative is in question. The form for re-appointment by the Board of Selectmen for the At-Large Members will be sent to Ken and Rich. A memo to the Board of Selectmen ( {)ne f~~ c..PC --4\~\~ . regarding the need to re-appoint the CPC At-Large members for another year will be drafted, if necessary. Ginger Andrews mentioned some of the Conservation Commissions concerns. The Committee hasn't yet received any projects addressing any of the concerns mentioned. It is the responsibility of members of the Community to request funding for projects. The Committee's role isn't to create projects and assign them to individuals. The installation of a sewer line in Monomoy Road will hopefully decrease the use of septic systems in that area which in turn will lower the ancillary run off into the harbor. A study to assess the community's harbor is presently being conducted by UMASS Boston. September 1, the deadline for next years projects, will be here before long. There is a lot to accomplish before then. To present the CPC article as a citizen's article it has to be submitted by the November deadline. To allow the Committee time to carefully review the projects and conscientiously make selections it is important to honor the September 1 cut off date. If an application is incomplete on September 1 it will be returned with instructions that it be completed and submitted next year. ( The annual Public Meeting will be scheduled for the beginning of August. The Community needs to know the Committee is looking for projects. Creating a folder listing the different types of projects that are being funded or could be funded was mentioned. The more advertising and exposure the Community Preservation Committee receives the better. Press releases, the public meeting and the presentation on May 18 at the Presentation Institute are some methods that can be used to spread awareness about the CPC. It was suggested that applicants, whose projects were approved for funding, be asked to mention the CPA when advertising. Language like "partial funding is provided by the Community Preservation Act" could run across the bottom of an ad. In addition to educating the Community about the existence of the CPC it could also provide information about what is done with the money the Act provides. Alice will draft a letter to the applicants suggesting that on future advertising or bulletins they acknowledge the CPA funding they receive. Rich Brannigan will not be able to attend the next meeting on May 21. The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 PM. ( ~pectfullY submitted, . ?Y1 r~ hce McWade Administrative Assistant, CPC ~ C' pj LJ C(>c -4 \ ~d \09-