First ever batch of CPA projects headed to ATM floor
By Jay TurnerThe town’s Community Preservation Committee (CCPC) took a big step earlier this week toward realizing the first fruits of the Community Preservation Act in Canton, voting on Monday to recommend more than $350,000 worth of funding for six “shovel ready” projects.
“Now the fun begins,” declared committee chairman Lisa Lopez, who is looking forward to the May town meeting, where participants can opt to approve, reject, or reduce — but not increase — the suggested expenditures by a majority vote.
Adopted by a ballot initiative in the November 2012 election, the CPA enables participating cities and towns to set aside funds for the preservation of open space, historic resources, affordable housing, and outdoor recreation. Funds are raised locally through a surcharge on property tax bills and matched annually at a certain percentage through a statewide CPA trust.
As a first-year participant in the program, Canton is not yet eligible for the state matching funds, although it still has enough through surcharge revenues to fully fund the CCPC recommendations while leaving approximately $100,000 in reserve, according to Lopez.
Ultimately, the committee elected to recommend reduced amounts for a few of the projects, including the Canton High School tennis court renovation and the grave marker restoration project at Canton Corner Cemetery.
For the tennis court project, the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen had requested $260,000 and was instead approved for $200,000. The cemetery project, submitted by the DPW and Historical Commission, was approved for $25,000 after an initial request of $74,000.
Under the category of affordable housing, the committee voted to recommend spending nearly $100,000 for two safety upgrades — deemed critical by the fire chief — at the Canton Housing Authority property on Pequit Street: replacement of the external electrical boxes ($30,000) and an upgrade of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors ($63,700).
The remaining two recommendations were for historical preservation projects: restoration of the Civil War statue at Canton Town Hall ($30,000) and preservation of a 19th century friendship quilt housed at the Canton Historical Society ($2,705).
In making the recommendations, Lopez said the CCPC weighed a number of factors, including the ability of some project advocates to “couple CPA funds with other sources of revenue,” as well as the committee’s own desire to be fiscally prudent and to “hold some money back for possible future projects.”
“We reviewed each project based on all of the information we had from project proponents, who did an excellent job advocating on behalf of their projects,” Lopez said, “and we tried to be good stewards of our community funds.”
Lopez also wanted to remind Canton voters of the ballot question up for consideration at the April town election, which would extend the CPA tax exemption — currently applicable to the first $100,000 of residential property — to commercial and industrial property owners. Although not an option at the time the CPA was first considered in Canton, the commercial exemption was later added to the statewide CPA legislation and subsequently approved at the 2013 annual town meeting.
Lopez said she personally supports the exemption, in part because she thinks it is fair, but also because she wants to see a strong partnership develop between the town’s public and private sectors. That way, she said, the town can leverage that partnership, along with the annual infusion of CPA monies, to increase financing opportunities for a variety of worthwhile and beneficial community projects.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=24096
Posted by Jay Turner
on Feb 6 2014. Filed under News, Town Government.
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