Loading...
November 18 2015 Community Preservation Committee Minutes.pdfNorthampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 1 November 18, 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes November 18, 2015 Time: 7:00 pm Place: City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street Members Present: Brian Adams, Jack Finn, Toni Hochstadt, Debin Bruce, Linda Morley, Marlene Morin, David Drake, Dave Rothstein Staff Present: Sarah LaValley Brian called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. General Public Comment None Approval of Minutes October 21, 2015 Debin moved to approve. Seconded by Jack, the motion carried unanimously Chair’s Report Brian stated that new screens are being installed to replace the projector. The state match was significantly more than expected, so the Committee will have extra funds for this fiscal year. This will be Dave and Marlene’s last meeting; two new members were elected in November, and a new Recreation Commission representative will also be joining the Committee. Brian’s term will expire in January but he will contact his City Councilor about reappointment. Request for Contract Extension – Grow Food Northampton, Community Gardens Clem Clay, Grow Food Northampton (GFN) Executive Director provided an overview of progress at the garden, noting that he was hoping not to have to request an extension. GFN has active plans for completing the CPA portion of the garden work, but are having problems obtaining approval from the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) for the shed building pursuant to the Agricultural Preservation Restriction. An additional year is being requested to provide time to resolve and obtain approval. Sarah stated that there is approximately $36,000 remaining in the Community Gardens CPA account. A building permit is required for the shed, but that permit can be extended locally. Clem stated that the 198-year lease GFN has with the City is now raising concerns with the DAR about a subdivision of the property, although these were not raised when the gardens were initially created and approval for other structures was received at that time. Brian asked if there have been any price increases. Clem replied that there may be, but that GFN will make up any difference from other sources. David moved to provide a one-year extension, with a requirement that GFN report back to the CPC on the outcome of signoff under the Preservation Restriction. Seconded by Debin, the motion carried unanimously. Request for MOU Extension & Modification – Northampton Historical Commission, State Hospital Fountain Tom Riddell and Martha Lyon, State Hospital Memorialization Committee provided an overview of the project. Since the grant was received in 2012, the Committee has developed a plan for the park that received Planning Board approval, and also obtained a detailed work estimate for repair of the fountain. MassDevelopment is not ready to turn the property over to the City; requesting that all funds for the Park development be in-hand before that occurs. The Commission is requesting a three-year extension, as well as the flexibility to be able to spend the funds on the Memorial Park before the fountain is fully restored. Cost projections including the full Park buildout and fountain restoration are $285,000. David recalled that MassDevelopment was required to provide a park for memorialization and it does not seem as though that provision should be constrained. Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 2 November 18, 2015 Martha added that the Park is being held to the same standards prior to transfer as all properties at the State Hospital. Dave asked if the fountain restoration can be done now. Martha stated that what exists could be restored, but public access will not be able to be provided when it is complete, and that if the Park were a public asset, work could begin and be used as an enticement for fundraising. Sarah noted that the Historical Commission application requested funds for the full project, but the CPC funded only the fountain. Tom stated that the Park will also include historical information. Linda asked about plans for fundraising. Martha replied that there are a great deal of in-kind possibilities. Village hill will be growing substantially and the Park site will become more prominent. There are also a few potential grant opportunities. Dave asked about the cost increase from original estimates. Tom replied that the design for the park, which was finalized following the grant, included some items that raised the overall cost. Toni suggested returning the funds and re-applying. David noted that extending the existing award and pursuing an additional grant for the Park could also be possible. Martha stated that the fountain can be restored at any time, but that landscaping the Park site would begin to have an impact for fundraising. Debin asked if a smaller park could be proposed. Martha replied that the current design already has Planning Board approval. Dave noted that the Committee supported the full project, but required that the fountain be funded first to encourage additional leveraging. However, there is now new information about the project and he would support a new application. David moved that a three year extension be granted. Seconded by Marlene. Dave suggested that the Chairman contact the Mayor to discuss the Park parcel transfer. David amended the motion for a one-year extension. Seconded by Marlene. The motion carried unanimously. The CPC agreed that a new application could be submitted for the Park. Marlene moved to allow funds to be spent on the Park as well. No second. Complete Funding Recommendations for Round 2 2015 CPA Funds Jim Laurila, Northampton DPW provided additional information regarding DPW’s request to allow CPA funds awarded this round to be able to be spent on contingencies. Work has begun on burying utilities, for which the City will be responsible for some overruns, as well as the Park. Linda asked if prior CPA awards can be used for utility work. Jim replied that these are all assigned, so there is less flexibility than DPW would like. Brian stated that there is now $1,242,000 available for FY2016, with the additional state match received. Marlene moved to approve the shopping cart as discussed at the November 4 meeting, and discuss additional funding as necessary. Seconded by Linda. Marlene suggested that the Greenway project needs additional involvement with the Recreation Department and other programs. Dave stated that he would not support final paving until the public input meeting about the Greenway is held. Jack stated that the timing of some projects seemed less critical than others, and he is happy with the cart as voted. Dave suggested that the amount of the Pulaski Park project seems contingent upon the contingency flexibility request, adding that the funds could instead be tied to the utility work. Linda suggested that utility companies will charge for overruns regardless of any CPA conditions. The Committee reviewed information provided by Historic Northampton for barn renovation costs. These indicated that segementing stabilization of the barn is not possible, but provided savings in archaeological costs and segmenting the bathroom work. David suggested that he would support the full additional funds. Toni stated that she would be reluctant to provide the additional funds for new work on such a fresh organization. Debin suggested that funds for rehabilitation are an investment in the future of Historic Northampton. Northampton Community Preservation Committee Minutes 3 November 18, 2015 Linda suggested that the CPC could support the barn in the future, but that barn funds likely wouldn’t be immediately expended. The Committee discussed funding the Seth Thomas Clock. Dave suggested that postponing the award would allow some fundraising to take place. Linda suggested that it would not be appropriate to ask planning staff to conduct a full fundraising campaign. Marlene amended her motion to include an additional $30,000 in the cart for the Seth Thomas Clock. Seconded by Linda, the motion carried unanimously. Review and Approve Recommendation Council Orders Rocky Hill Acquisition Jack moved to approve the Order was presented by staff. Seconded by Debin, the motion carried unanimously. Connecticut River Greenway Dave moved to approve the Order, with an additional clause that a written agreement regarding the gate use shall be developed. Seconded by Jack, the motion carried unanimously. Pulaski Park Reconstruction Linda moved to approve the Order was presented by staff, which includes the language regarding contingencies provided by DPW. Seconded by Jack, the motion carried 5-3. Fitzgerald Lake Dock Debin moved to approve the Order was presented by staff. Seconded by Dave, the motion carried unanimously. Historic Northampton David moved to approve the Order was presented by staff. Seconded by Marlene, the motion carried unanimously. Seth Thomas Clock David moved to approve the Order was presented by staff. Seconded by Linda, the motion carried 6-2. Mineral Hills Habitat David moved to approve the Order was presented by staff. Seconded by Linda, the motion carried unanimously. Review and Approve MOU for Lathrop Community Invasives Small Grant David moved to approve the MOU as presented by staff. Seconded by Linda, the motion carried unanimously. Dave thanked the Committee for the experience, noting that opinions did not always agree, or come out to what applicants hoped, but that it is a thorough group that took its job very seriously. Adjourn On a motion and second, with unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM