May 20 2015 Community Preservation Committee Minutes.pdfNorthampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 1
May 20, 2015
Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes
May 20, 2015
Time: 7:00 pm Place: City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street
Members Present: Downey Meyer, Debin Bruce, Dave Rothstein, David Drake, Linda
Morley, Brian Adams Staff Present: Sarah LaValley
Downey called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. General Public Comment
None
Approval of Minutes
April 29, 2015
Glenn moved to approve the minutes. Seconded by Linda, the motion carried unanimously.
Chair’s Report
Downey stated that the CPA surplus funding legislation is currently being considered.
The CPA recommendation that provided funding for Pulaski Park, but specified that CPA funds
could not be used on a replacement evergreen tree received almost no discussion at Council,
but was reported in the newspaper.
Round 1 2015 Debriefing – Suggestions for Next Round?
Linda asked whether a time limit on application presentations should be considered. David
expressed support for this idea, bit suggested that public comment remain unlimited.
Downey stated that the applicant presentations are often the only opportunity for outreach to the
community, and stated that he would not be in favor of limitations, especially if there is a lot of
back and forth. The Committee discussed alternatives for the public comment session, including the possibility of
a signup sheet.
Debin stated that it’s helpful to receive the schedule for the funding round as soon as possible. Dave suggested that the Committee should be more consistent in its use of evaluation criteria.
Downey noted that it was an unusual round because so little funding was available. Sarah stated
that applicants were made away of funding limitations, and a number of potential applicants decided not to apply. Linda wondered whether the public was aware of how few funds were
available.
Dave suggested that the Plan could specify that the Committee reserves the right to cancel or revise funding rounds. Downey noted that funding rounds were decreased from three to two, and
that this could change again. Downey asked Committee members to send any suggestions to Sarah.
Small Projects Discussion Dave distributed a draft proposal. Linda noted that the plan is to make the application process simpler, and asked what the process would look like. Dave stated that he envisions presentations at the beginning of funding rounds, but that applications should be designed to be self-explanatory. Downey noted that it would be beneficial to have the decision made in one meeting, noting that most grants do not require in-person meetings. Debin expressed support for this paper-only approach. Dave stated that limiting the number of appearances by applicants provides a savings. Linda noted that if there is no limit on the number of small projects, funding decisions could become complicated. Debin suggested that the process could be changed if too many applications becomes an issue.
Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 2
May 20, 2015
Linda asked how small projects should deal with historic privately owned properties. Downey noted that many of these types of projects would not be stand alone projects, and the guidance is clear that small projects should not be components of larger projects. Sarah suggested that the Plan could specifically state that CPA funds are generally not to be used for historic projects on privately owned buildings.
The Committee discussed finalizing the procedures. Dave stated that the goal is to discuss at this
meeting, amend as needed, and approve at the next meeting.
Additional suggestions included addition of a requirement that staff must be contacted prior to submission, that Council approval should be combined with that of the existing rounds
recommendations, limiting narrative required, requiring support in writing instead of in-person,
and adding the applicant questions directly to the application form with blanks below. Brian asked if a minimum project size should be specified, and the Committee agreed that there
should not. Dave suggested that a small amount, like $5,000 could be used as a starting point. Linda stated that she would support review after the full projects have been considered. Dave
suggested that a set-aside for small projects could be created each funding round. Dave will make revisions to reflect the discussion, to be continued at the June CPC meeting.
Begin Community Preservation Plan Update
Each CPC member was assigned a section of the Plan to read and review. Additionally, representatives from other Boards and Committees will take relevant section back to those
Committees for discussion.
Adjourn
On a motion and second, with unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned at 9:02 PM