On January 3, the Mattapoisett Community Preservation Act Committee met to continue their review of grant applications received for FY24.
As they had at the beginning of December, the committee studied each grant application and supporting documentation in an effort to formulate questions that applicants will be asked to respond to during face-to-face interviews.
The five grant applications are: $38,000 for ADA-compliant modifications to the American Legion Hall, $85,000 for the purchase of land in the Mattapoisett River Valley by the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District, $47,648 Mattapoisett Museum/Historical Society for improvements to the structure, $150,000 for the Mattapoisett Housing Authority to upgrade glass panels on housing façade and $15,000 for continued historic inventory data collection and study for the Mattapoisett Historical Commission.
On the matter of questions waiting to be asked and answered, the committee members want better understanding of projects in some cases and in others, whether or not the applicants have sought other funding sources.
Regarding the American Legion Hall, the committee wants to know if other grant sources have been sought. A similar question is planned for the Mattapoisett Museum. Committee members wondered aloud if the museum applicants looked at using endowment funds. They were of a mind that some portion of that fund was most likely earmarked for care of the building.
The Mattapoisett River Valley Water District’s desire to purchase more than 240 acres inspired the question at to whether or not some portion of uplands could be “pealed away” for affordable housing. Members also wondered how the purchase price of $6,000,000-plus was arrived at and what happens if the participating MRV member towns (Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester) fail to contribute their portion of the purchase price. State funding in the amount of $4,500,000 will also be requested.
CPAC Chairman Chuck McCullough said that representatives of Massachusetts Housing and Community Development have been asked to help Mattapoisett define acceptable grant applications for state-run public housing. Once the committee has a full understanding of how grants may be used for this form at 5:30 pm, at which time the Mattapoisett Historical Commission, the Mattapoisett Museum and the MRV of public-housing renovations, it will be able to make a determination of the grant being sought.
The only grant application not eliciting questions was filed by the Mattapoisett Historical Commission.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Community Preservation Act Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, Water District will make their formal presentations to the committee.
Mattapoisett Community Preservation Act Committee
By Marilou Newell