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Town Government & |
Committees: Community Preservation Committee 2007 Annual Report Nine members comprise the Community Preservation Committee – one each appointed by and from the Conservation Commission, the Planning Board, the Historical Commission, the Housing Authority and the Board of Selectmen, and four citizens at large, two appointed by the Board of Selectmen and two by the Moderator. The Committee reviews applications submitted by Town bodies and citizens at large for funding projects involving the acquisition of open space, historic resources, and low and moderate income housing and makes recommendations to Town Meeting regarding the use of the Town’s Community Preservation Fund for those purposes. That fund is composed of a 1.5% surtax on Town real estate taxes effective beginning July 1, 2001, state matching grants payable each October 15th based on the surtax revenues for the fiscal year ending the prior June 30th, and interest on the accumulated funds. The total amount that will have been collected by the Fund through June 30, 2008 will be approximately $6,837,423 including a total of $3,113,679 in state grants. The Community Preservation Act requires that at least 10% of each year’s Community Preservation revenues be spent or set aside for each of the three Community Preservation categories. The remaining 70% is available spending on any one or more of the categories as the Committee and Town Meeting see fit. The Committee recommended and the 2007 Town Meeting approved three historic preservation projects to restore and preserve notable town assets: the Iron Horse at Hingham Harbor ($57,500), eight (8) bronze commemorative plaques located at Veteran’s Park, Fountain Square, Town Common, and Ship Street ($7,000), and the Cyrus V. Bacon Fountain at Queen Anne’s Corner ($50,000). In the Open Space category, 2007 Town Meeting continued to support the efforts of the Bare Cove Park Committee to demolish and remove the park’s vacant buildings and to perform environmental remediation as necessary ($577,000). Town Meeting also approved a Community Housing project to repair the septic system at the Scotland Street residence acquired for use as an affordable rental at 2006 Town Meeting ($33,000). Finally, the Committee was pleased that the Annual Town Meeting agreed to fund a position of Administrator for the Community Preservation Committee. After interviews by the Selectmen, the Committee welcomed Andrea Young as its new Adminstrator. She has aided the Committee immensely in its efforts to communicate better with the various town offices and the public. As of the writing of this report, the Community Preservation Committee is near the conclusion of the process to make recommendations to Town Meeting for 2008 projects. By the end of FY07 Hingham’s Community Preservation Fund will have approximately $2.5 million dollars available with another $400,000 expected in October 2008 when the state match is delivered. The Community Preservation Committee will make recommendations at Town Meeting for projects in all three funding categories. The Committee wishes to thank Kenneth Soltys for serving as the Conservation Commission appointee for the past year. The Committee also wishes to convey heartfelt thanks to Valerie Talmadge, who was instrumental in the passage of the CPA in Hingham in 2002, was appointed its first Chairperson in 2002, and led the Committee through its developmental years until completion of ATM 2006. The Committee also thanks former Vice-Chair Judith Cole for many contributions during four years of service; of particular note is that in addition to her responsibilities as member and Co-Chair, Judith took on the Committee’s administrative duties. The Community Preservation Committee welcomes back Phil Edmundson, who served as the Selectman’s representative on the Committee, was appointed as a member in 2007 and now serves as Chairman. The Committee is also pleased that former Advisory Committee liaison William Reardon was appointed as a member also in 2007. Finally, the Committee welcomes the new Conservation Commission appointee Todd Bernstein.
Community Preservation Committee Questionnaire Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire regarding Hingham´s open space, affordable housing, historic places, .....and it´s future. Click here for the questionnaire, fill in the form boxes, print out the form, and mail your completed questionnaire to the Community Preservation Committee, c/o the Town Clerk, 210 Central Street, Hingham, MA 02043. Community Preservation Committee´s 2008-2009 Application for Funding of projects related to the Community Preservation Act. This application is available to all residents seeking to have proposals funded by the Community Preservation Committee.
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