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Agenda and Minutes 2012-09-19 City of Northampton Community Preservation Committee 210 Main Street, City Hall Northampton, MA 01060 Community Preservation Committee DATE: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 TIME: 7:00pm PLACE: City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street (BEHIND City Hall) Contact: Downey Meyer, Chair, Community Preservation Committee downeymeyer@gmail.com Sarah LaValley, Community Preservation Planner slavalley@northamptonma.gov (413) 587-1263 Agenda  7:00 - General Public Comment  7:05 - Minutes June 6, 2012  August 15, 2012  September 5, 2012   7:10 – Chair’s Report  7:15 – Public Hearing: 2012-2014 Draft Community Preservation Plan, including needs, possibilities and resources of the City regarding Community Preservation  Continue working session on Plan  Discussion of possible Small Projects procedure  Review Site Visit Schedule  Adjourn For additional information please refer to the Community Preservation Committee website: http://www.northamptonma.gov/cpc/ Next Meeting: October 3 Community Preservation Committee Minutes September 19, 2012 Time: 7:00 pm Place: City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street Members Present: Brian Adams, David Drake, Dave Rothstein, Debin Bruce, Marlene Morin Staff Present: Sarah LaValley Brian called the meeting to order at 7:10 PM. General Public Comment None Minutes - June 6, 2012 Minutes – August 15, 2012 Dave moved to approve both sets of minutes, seconded by David. The motion carried unanimously. Minutes – September 5, 2012 Postponed until October 3 meeting. Chair’s Report No discussion Public Hearing: 2012-2014 Draft Community Preservation Plan, including needs, possibilities and resources of the City regarding Community Preservation Brian opened the hearing and asked for any comments about the Draft Community Preservation Plan, or the needs and possibilities for Community Preservation in Northampton. Joanne Campbell, Valley CDC, stated that the change to enabling legislation clarifying what can be included in the definition of ‘support of community housing’ will help to address the community’s needs, and provided examples of some direct-support programs that are conducted by Valley CDC. There were no additional comments, and Brian closed the hearing. Discussion of possible Small Projects procedure The Committee discussed Dave’s potential small projects discussion and provided feedback on an elaborated plan. Marlene suggested that small project applicants be groups that have not yet applied for CPA funds, and suggested that funds could be allocated to assisting applicants. David noted that staff serves as a guide for those seeking CPA funds so a separate process is not needed, but the availability of staff for assistance could be specifically noted in the small projects procedure. Dave suggested that a larger question may be how to market the availability of funds. Marlene suggested increasing the maximum dollar amount. Debin noted that projects with larger budgets would require additional information and planning that might not be appropriate for a smaller application. Brian suggested that the Committee review the rest of the Plan and return to the small projects for discussion if time allows. Continue working session on Plan The Committee reviewed amendments and changes made to the Plan following the version approved at the September 5 meeting. Staff noted that comments were provided only on, the application review and procedure section, so other sections have not changed. The Committee agreed to follow the same procedure used at the September 5 meeting, to review changes made and discuss as warranted. Dave noted that the Committee considers a number of factors, like past performance, financial stability and other, that are not listed in the application review criteria, and these should be Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 1 September 19, 2012 noted for information of both applicants and the CPC. The Committee also does not go over the review criteria satisfied for each project when making funding decisions. David noted that different weight are provided to some criteria, and that these can vary by application and by funding round. Debin noted that each round is different since the funds available and requests vary. Dave suggested that the Plan try to capture the approach that is actually used. Brian suggested expanding the section to include more criteria. Dave moved to amend the ‘Application Review’ paragraph to note that the Committee also considers past performance and ability to carry out a project. Seconded by Debin, the motion carried unanimously. Brian moved to include a statement in the application instructions requiring applicants to prioritize aspects of the project. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. Debin moved to accept the glossary. David asked whether a definition of urban greenspace should be added. Staff will provide a definition, and the Committee will consider during the next plan review discussion. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. David moved to approve the section with proposed changes. Seconded by Marlene, the motion carried unanimously. Dave suggested that staff provide comments about the plan and review process. Sarah suggested that staff could potentially provide input on oversight of projects and different procedures. The Committee discussed the timeframe of the plan, including removing the two-year timeframe. The CPC will re-visit when more members are present. Small projects discussion: Sarah suggested that she work with Dave on a more detailed outline. CPC members provided additional ideas: About $5,000 budget Reduced requirement for demonstration of support Shorter application form and process Requirement for sign (could be provided by CPC) Reduced emphasis for matching funds, greater emphasis on in-kind services Same financial oversight as larger projects Should demonstrate long-term impacts Outreach for projects both large and small will be a future agenda item. Other Business Not Foreseen When Agenda Was Published None Adjourn On a motion and second, with unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 2 September 19, 2012