Community Preservation Committee prepping for applications

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) met last week and discussed the opening of the pre-application season for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding.

The CPA is a Massachusetts law that allows municipalities to have a dedicated fund for historic preservation, affordable housing and open space and recreation. The legislation allows municipalities to enact a 1 percent surcharge on property tax bills – that’s 1 percent of the taxes owed, not 1 percent of the property being taxes – for their own CPA funds. The state then also grants access to a statewide trust fund, funded by a flat fee on every real estate transaction in the state, that matches the funds raised through the surcharge based on how the fund does that year (more real estate transactions mean a higher matching percentage).

The matchign percentage has been going down over the years as more municipalities have adopted the CPA, and Norwood last year receieved about $155,000 at a 16.87 percent match.

Back at the meeting, CPC Coordinator Kristen Phelps gave the CPC members an update on the application itself – several revisions and frequently asked questions – to make the process easier for both the applicant and the CPC.

She said basically that applications have come in with several extra pages of questions that they could answer upfront for a more efficient process all around.

We’re just trying to consolidate and make it a little more user-friendly, while also making it easier for you all to digest it,” she said.

The CPC members will look over the changes and vote at the next meeting.

“You could kind of digest it over the next couple of weeks and finalize it on your Sept. 2 meeting,” Phelps said.

Phelps said the application itself isn’t due anytime soon, and the elibiligity and pre-application forms are what they want to release to residents right now.

The eligibility form, which is kind of the first step of the process, is due by October 1, with the final applications being due by Nov. 13. It should be noted that CPA money is open to anyone with an eligible idea for the three categories: historic preservation, affordable housing and open space and recreation. While Norwood does have some requirements around residency and Phelps said that churches need to spend it only on pieces that can be appreciated by everyone and not just worshipers (so basically things outside the physical building like stained glass) if they apply.

“A few years ago there was a court case where Citizens for the Separation of Church and State sued the Town of Acton over CPA funding of a church,” Phelps said. “There are very rigid guidelines about what you can and cannot fund when it comes to a church that came out of those court findings. So often it’ll be the steeples or the stained glass windows. It has to be visible to folks on the outside to be funded and they have to present a public benefit.”

If you have questions, Phelps will be at Norwood Day sharing a booth with the Conservation Commission. You can also go to the CPC’s website at https://gvimes.link/nrwdcpc

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In other news, Phelps gave an update on projects approved this past May by Town Meeting and before. She said the Guild Pond Feasibility Study has awarded a contractor a bid and will start work soon. The feasibility study is a $200,000 endeavor that will look at the Guild Pond Dam, which keeps water in the pond for the Norwood Sportsman’s Club to fish and boat with youth to get them started in their outdoors life.

The dam is breaking down, and so the feasibility study is looking at the best way to replace it, or if it’s worth replacing at all.

“That was a fiscal year 2026 (last year’s Town Meeting) project but it took a while to get it out to bid, but that’s plugging along,” she said.

Phelps also said the $32,280 feasibility study for Shattuck Park and it’s stone wall is also on the way that will look at whether it’s worth fixing the stone wall there. Phelps added that the state budget approved $100,000 for the construction, so there’s already money appropriated if the feasibility study finds it’s worth doing.

Lastly, Phelps said the Parks and Recreation Department will start construction on the Father Mac’s Playground this fall, since it was being used for camps all summer. That project was approved at $100,000.