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Sept 16 2015 Community Preservation Committee Minutes.pdfNorthampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 1 September 16 , 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes September 16, 2015 Time: 7:00 pm Place: City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street Members Present: Brian Adams. Toni Hochstadt, Debin Bruce, Dave Rothstein, Linda Morley, David Drake Staff Present: Sarah LaValley Brian called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Welcome New Members The Committee welcomed Jack Finn, new representative from the Conservation Commission, and members introduced themselves. Jack’s appointment was not yet confirmed by Council, and did not vote at the meeting. Elect Chair and Vice Chair David nominated Brian as Chair. Seconded by Dave. Dave nominated David as Vice Chair. Seconded by Linda, the slate was unanimously approved. General Public Comment None Approval of Minutes David moved to approve the June 17 2015 minutes. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. Q&A for CPA Applicants None Financial Overview Sarah stated that the final state match has not yet been announced, but that the maximum available for projects will be $1,136,024. This includes deductions for administrative expenses and debt service that have already been made. The total project requests are $1,153,655. Review Small Grants Applications and Make Funding Recommendations Dave provided an overview of the process and reasoning behind its creation – it was intended to encourage new applicants, greater community engagement,and small discrete projects. The Committee decided when it approved the process to review small grant applications at the beginning of each funding round, making a decision during the first meeting, with resolutions sent to the City Council ahead of the traditional funding round recommendations Mineral Hills Shrubland Restoration – Office of Planning and Sustainability Debin moved to recommend $3,000 in funding, seconded by Toni. Linda stated that she is supportive of both Small Grants submitted, but noted that both applications were for the maximum $3,000 allowed, and the Committee may want to be careful of this in the future. Dave stated that he supports the project, but that it may be more appropriate for the traditional round to allow for discussion with the applicant, noting his questions about details of the habitat creation and how this project fits into the larger citywide management scheme given the recently completed Ecological Assessment, funded in part by CPC funds at the request of the Conservation Commission. David noted that successful acquisition also carries stewardship costs, and that this is a modest and responsible proposal. Brian asked about the report containing recommendations for open space management that was funded by the CPA. Sarah stated that it is complete, and will send the link to the CPC. Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 2 September 16 , 2015 Debin asked if questions can be asked of the applicants. Dave replied that the process was envisioned to be complete at one meeting, otherwise applications can be reviewed in the regular round. Linda noted that there is a lot of potential for repeat customers with invasives removal projects, and that additional prioritization information would be helpful. Jack noted that the project is not just about invasive removal, but also habitat restoration. David stated that the City has been making efforts toward reforestation, and asked how this project, which seems to do the opposite, fits in. Sarah stated that the Agricultural and Conservation Commissions identified areas where a return to agriculture would make sense, and this was one of them. Brian added that the reforestation efforts have an urban focus. Dave expressed concern about the lack of prioritization for these types of projects, and the CPC’s not knowing the full plan for stewardship on City-owned property, especially in light of the CPC Ecological Assessment, the intent of which was to help the Conservation Commission make holistic and informed decisions about priority invasive species control. He noted that when fuding the Ecological Assessment, the CPC chose not to award $30k for undefined “priority work” because those priorities had not yet been established. He expressed concern about peicemealing stewardship absent those priorities being formalized. Toni suggested moving to the full funding round to ask for additional information. Linda suggested that the Committee allow some flexibility in the process to allow for questions. Dave noted that pushing review to the full funding round would allow this to occur and would be consistent with the process developed for small grants. The motion failed, 3-3. Debin moved to consider the project in the full funding round, seconded by Linda. Debin asked if the CPC’s questions are primarily related to funding and prioritization of these types of projects. Dave replied that prioritization will be something the Conservation Commission will need to do. The motion carried unanimously. Lathrop Community Invasive Removal David moved to recommend allocation of $3,000. Seconded by Linda. David stated that he is impressed with the match proposed, but expressed concern about public access. While Lathrop is a large community it is still private land. Sarah stated that the City holds a conservation restriction on the property, but this does not require public access. Lathrop can, and has, chosen to allow public access. Lathrop may be unwilling to guarantee public access forever for a grant of this size. David moved to amend the motion to add that as a condition, public access to the trails shall be permitted for the duration of the project. Seconded by Debin. Dave expressed enthusiasm and approval for the projectand noted it garnered a great deal of community involvement and support He stated that this was the type of project we envisioned qualifying for small grants. The motion carried unanimously. Approve MOU for Round 1 2015 Projects Conservation Fund Linda moved to approve as presented, with minor grammatical edits. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously, Fitzgerald Lake Open Space Acquisition Linda moved to approve as presented. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. Pulaski Park Linda moved to approve as presented. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. Seth Thomas Clock Linda moved to approve as presented. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. Review Schedule for Round 2 2015 Application Review The Committee discussed site visits. Sarah will poll members via email to see what date works best. Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 3 September 16 , 2015 Review CPA Plan Discussion will continue through the fall. Other Business Linda asked about the length of applicants presentations to the Committee, and possible limits. David noted that a lot of the length is question and answer, which shouldn’t be limited, and that it’s also important not to limit public comment. Dave suggested communicating a 10-15 minute presentation, and encouraged staff to inform applicants that they should prepare assuming that the CPC members had throuroughly reviewed the applications. Others suggested a 5-10 minute timeframe. The Committee suggested a discussion with the Mayor regarding the technological issues in Council Chambers. David suggested a display of CPA projects at Forbes Library or another public space, which could coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the CPA in Northampton. Adjourn On a motion and second, with unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM