Several CPC requests raise controversy

LENOX – Conflict over the applications for Community Preservation Commission (CPC) funds has already begun to arise.

At the commission’s most recent meeting, concerns came to the forefront for several of the applicants.

The application that attracted the most attention was the request by the Village Improvement Committee for work in Roche Reading Park. The majority of concerns centered on what the commission saw as an incomplete application.

“It was not a complete application, and it appeared to have been done hastily,” said Town Planner Mary Albertson.

The vague description of the project, to work on “ingress and egresses” in the park, led many members of the board to question if the application could pass.

“This isn’t going to pass muster,” said CPC Member Kate McNulty-Vaughan.

The board decided to contact the applicant and offer to have CPC Member Anthony Patella work with them to file a more detailed description for the application.

Questions also arose over the application by the Lenox Fire Department, which is seeking funds to restore antique fire trucks, steamers and horse-drawn wagons.

Many of those questions again centered on process, including what parts of the project the CPC can fund. CPC funds can be used for restoration but not maintenance, and several board members raised concerns they felt parts of the request were to cover maintenance.

The request from The Mount, seeking funding to finish the stable restoration project it has been working on for several years, was also discussed critically by the committee.

The concern centered on the amount of money the project has already been given.

“I hear that this is only icing on the cake and that the project will be finished with or without this funding,” said CPC Member Albert Harper.

The commission discussed the possibility of giving the project a smaller amount than the requested $40,000 as a show of “the town’s good will.”

Again, the CPC is grappling with the issue of placing some sort of liens or claims on projects they finance for non-profits in the town, of which several have applied this year.

“We need to be good stewards of the town’s money, and I want to make sure it is protected,” said Mr. Harper. “I do not want to see any group turning right around and selling the property that we paid to repair.”

The issue of protecting the town’s investment in private projects was discussed in respect to the projects by The Mount, Ventfort Hall and the Lenox Fire Department.

Ms. Albertson agreed to contact the state commission to try and discover how other towns have handled their claims to private property restored with CPC funds, and she will report back to the group.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on January 17, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry