A brief but effective public meeting of the Marion Community Preservation Committee was held on Wednesday evening at the Town House. A handout of the Community Preservation Act was passed out, and the committee was available to answer questions. “To date, we haven’t had any applicants,” Chair Norm Hills said, “and we want to get the word out.”
The Community Preservation Act is a state law that allows participating cities and towns to adopt a real estate tax surcharge of up to 3% in order to fund four community preservation purposes: open space, historic preservation, community housing, and recreation. Marion adopted the CPA in May 2005 and charges a 2% surcharge.
Since CPA’s enactment in 2000, the state had matched the city and town surcharge every year, but then the match decreased over time. In 2013, the expected match by the state will be approximately 26%.
The committee has a $700,000 budget. Past approved projects include replacing the windows at the Marion Women’s Clubhouse and the replacement of the bell tower at the Marion Art Center.
“We will work with applicants and help them understand that the applications contain a narrative section and a financial section,” Hills said. “The more complete it is, the easier it is for us to determine if it fits the guidelines of the act.”
Applications can be picked up at the Marion Town House. The deadline for applications for consideration is Aug. 23. This will allow the committee to review applications and make recommendations on the funding at the Fall Town Meeting in October.
By Joan Hartnett-Barry
