Agenda and Minutes 2011-05-04
City of Northampton
Community Preservation Committee
210 Main Street, City Hall
Northampton, MA 01060
Community Preservation Committee
DATE: Wednesday, May 4, 2011
TIME: 7:00pm
PLACE: City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street (BEHIND City Hall)
Contact:
Katharine Baker, Chair, Community Preservation Committee
bakerkg@comcast.net
Sarah LaValley, Community Preservation Planner
slavalley@northamptonma.gov
(413) 587-1263
Agenda
7:00 - Public Comment
7:05 - Chair’s Report
7:10 - Minutes
April 6, 2011
o
Complete Funding Recommendations for 2011 Round 1 CPA Applications
Project Updates
Other Business Not Foreseen When Agenda Was Published
Adjourn
For additional information please refer to the Community Preservation Committee website:
http://www.northamptonma.gov/cpc/
Community Preservation Committee Minutes
May 4, 2011
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: City Council Chambers, 212 Main St.
Members Present: Katharine Baker, Brian Adams, Downey Meyer, Bill Breitbart, Jim
Durfer, David Drake, Fran Volkmann, Joe DeFazio
Staff Present: Sarah LaValley
Katharine called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM.
Public Comment
Debin Bruce, Columbus Avenue, Northampton Planning Board, urged support of the City Hall
Park. The Park will create green space, serve an important transportation function, and will
be a magnet for people downtown.
Glen Connolly, Platinum Circle, Northampton Little League and Recreation Commission, urged
support of Florence Fields. Playing space in Northampton is limited, and many tames are
forced to play home games elsewhere.
Steve Gilson, Maple Ridge Road, Northampton Planning Board, expressed support for the pocket
park. The Planning Board will be using the study completed as part of the recent charette
process to consider how King Street is being rezoned. The planned road dieting will make the
roadway safer and will be an improvement. The park is a great opportunity to invest CPA
funds in downtown and is a great place to begin the larger roadway project.
Fran asked about public support for the park. Steve noted that unless a targeted meeting with a
lot of proactive outreach is held, public input is difficult to receive.
Bill noted that he would like to hear more about the greater Main/King roadway project and its
financing.
Jen Dierenger, Planning Board, stated that in front of City Hall is already a heavily used space;
since Pulaski Park can’t be funded with the CPA, the pocket park is a good opportunity to
bring additional greenspace to downtown.
Ann-Marie Moggio, Northampton Recreation Department, stated that the Recreation
Commission met and discussed suggestions from Fran and others to obtain a cost estimate
for the complete build-out of Florence Fields. Ann-Marie distributed an estimate from
Berkshire Design (filed with Florence Fields application) estimating the total project cost at
$2.5 million.
The Committee agreed the estimate can be used in the next round for a new application.
The Committee discussed bonding, and the procedures for bonding for CPA projects.
Lilly Lombard, Grow Food Northampton, stated that the Community Gardens project recently
received support from the Agricultural Commission. A grant has also been received from
Xeric, and a public input session for garden design is scheduled for May 17. CPC members
were invited to a May 22 groundbreaking ceremony.
Downey asked if any donations have been received for the project that are restrictive to particular
elements, as this may require a change to the CPA budget. Lilly noted that they had not, and
fundraising will be targeted to other elements not budgeted in the CPA application.
Art Larson, Fort Hill Terrace, expressed support for the Community Gardens, noting that new
plots will help make gardens available to everyone who wants them.
Chair’s Report
Katharine noted that a hearing before the Joint Committee on Community Development and
Small Business was held on April 13 regarding An Act to Sustain Community Preservation.
Jim asked whether the CPC should think about the additional eligible expenditures that the Bill
provides when considering awarding funds for current applications.
The Committee agreed that a vote on this Act could take a great deal of time.
Minutes of April 6, 2011
David moved to approve the minutes as presented with minor corrections, seconded by Bill. The
motion carried unanimously.
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May 4, 2011
Complete Funding Recommendations for 2011 Round 1 CPA Applications
The Committee agreed to discuss the recommendations in the Order established by the
preliminary ranking sheets filled out at the April meeting.
Recreation Department – Florence Fields
Fran moved to recommend full funding as requested in the application, seconded by Downey.
Jim noted that the $2.5 million estimate provided is the first solid number on which a plan can be
based. People consider playing fields an essential service, so requiring additional fundraising
is not very practical.
Fran noted that other applicants conduct fundraising in difficult economic times, and the
Recreation Department shouldn’t be immune. Downey added that the fundraising audience
can be extended to the community at large.
The Committee reviewed conditions included in the recommendation and added that the CPA
funds can only be used as matches for other grants.
The motion carried unanimously.
Leeds Civic Association & Northampton DPW – Hotel Bridge
David moved to recommended full funding as requested in the application, noting that it is a good
value for a relatively small investment. Seconded by Downey.
The Committee reviewed the recommendation, and the motion carried unanimously.
Grow Food Northampton – Community Gardens
Fran moved to recommend full funding of $104,500 as requested in the application and a follow-
up budget change. Seconded by Brian.
The Committee reviewed the recommendation. Jim suggested release of funds on a per-year
basis.
Sarah noted that payments will only be issued following presentation of invoices for work
completed.
The Committee noted that the specificity of the budget could create some difficulty, but agreed to
address this in specific contract conditions.
The motion carried unanimously.
Conservation Commission – Conservation Fund
Downey moved to recommend full funding as requested in the application, noting that
development is beginning to pick up and important open space areas could be lost. Seconded
by Brian. The motion carried unanimously.
Conservation & Recreation Commission and Planning Department – CT
River Greenway
Katharine noted that the area seems like a great place for a bike trail. It has views of the river,
and will lead to Hatfield and bike-friendly roads.
Downey stated that he applauds bike trail efforts in Northampton, but there are other routes to
Hatfield.
Jim noted that additional funds to complete the design will also be needed. He suggested this
route would not receive the high ridership seen on other routes.
The Committee discussed partial funding.
Fran suggested the current round may not be the best time to fund the project.
Brian moved not to fund the project, seconded by Jim. The motion carried unanimously. The
Committee agreed that the applicant could submit another application in an upcoming round.
Northampton Planning Department – Downtown Park
Fran moved to allocated up to $5000 for two public meetings, seconded by Bill.
Bill expressed concern about the road dieting idea in the downtown as a whole.
The Committee discussed the charette conducted in March.
Jim suggested that the primary objective is to address traffic, and the park is secondary.
The Committee noted that there seem to be some concerns surrounding the idea, and that
additional support and public input would be helpful before funds are awarded.
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May 4, 2011
Fran withdrew her motion.
Brian moved not to recommend funding, but suggest that the applicant provide a format for
public input and then submit a proposal in an upcoming round. Seconded by Joe. The
motion carried unanimously.
Fran moved to finalize the ‘shopping cart’ recommendations, totaling $367,076. Seconded by
Bill. The motion carried unanimously.
The Committee discussed the process of making recommendations to the Mayor and City Council;
the recommendations will be on the agenda for the May 19 Council meeting.
th
Project Updates
None
Other Business Not Foreseen When Agenda Was Published
The Committee discussed times to make a site visit to the Academy of Music to see the work
completed. Sarah will work on an evening time for a visit.
David noted that a possibility for an expedited application may exist in the Erastus Hopkins
House, which is scheduled to be demolished.
Adjourn
On a motion and second, with unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned at 9:40 PM
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May 4, 2011