The Community Preservation Committee has spent the last year working on updating procedural documents, site visits to proposed projects, and developing improved application forms with a new scoring system. But nothing is more important to the residents of the town than the projects that their tax dollars help to support.
In past years the CPC, with the Selectmen’s agreement, has asked voters to approve funds for the preservation of historic records and maps housed at town hall, the bike path project, study of affordable senior housing, repair of antique fencing at Cushing Cemetery, and most noticeably new tennis courts at Center School.
This year, the CPC will ask the Selectmen to include in the May town meeting warrant all seven projects that have applied for funding. These projects are: Barlow Cemetery, $3,627 for fencing repairs and general maintenance; Mattapoisett Historical Society/Museum, $16,000 for new cataloging system of historical documents; Buzzards Bay Coalition, $96,000 for land acquisition at Nasketucket Bay; town wharf, $49,000 for masonry repairs; Bike Path Committee, $39,000 in engineering fees for Phase 1B; town beach bath house, $50,000 for repairs including handicap accessibility structural improvements; and Recreation Department, $55,000 for a tot lot adjacent to the tennis courts at Center School.
Each project that receives final approval at town meeting will be required to install signage at the project site stating that the project is being funded by the CPC. Applicants will also be required to provide an annual financial report detailing how the money has been used until the full fund has been discharged.
The CPC will now request a meeting with the Selectmen to give their annual report that will include the seven applications they wish to have placed in the warrant. Once the meeting has concluded, the CPC members will suspend meetings until the fall when their work will resume for the 2016 budget season.
By Marilou Newell
