Photo: The Underwood Pool, finance in part with a grant from the Community Preservation Committee.
Do you or your community group have a great idea for a town-wide project but can’t think how to pay for it?
If that’s the case, your answer could be in applying for the fourth-round of funding from the town’s Community Preservation Committee.
According to Town Treasurer and CPC member Floyd Carman, the committee will have approximately $1.2 million to distribute to organizations or town agencies in the fiscal year 2017, beginning July 1, 2016.
“It’s roughly the same amount as last year,” said Carman after the committee’s monthly meeting on Aug. 12.
Using money from a 1.5 percent surcharge on property taxes and state contributions, the CPC supports a broad range of proposals involving:
- acquiring or improving open space and recreation land,
- rehabbing or preserving historic sites, and
- promoting community housing.
In the past, the CPC has provided funds for the new Underwood Pool, restoring the Pequossette Park tennis courts, first-time homebuyer’s assistance and the electrical upgrade of town-owned housing.
Individuals and groups interested in learning more about the process can attend a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Town Hall where the committee will answer questions and review the extensive process in which projects are evaluated.
Preliminary applications are due on Oct. 4 and final applications are expected on Dec. 4. The CPC will make its final decision on applications on Jan. 15, 2016. The accepted application will then go before the annual Town Meeting in April for final approval.
The new CPA applications are available on the Town of Belmont’s website.
For more information, contact the Community Preservation Hotline at 617-993-2774 or Michael Trainor at mtrainor@belmont-ma.gov
Agree 100% Belmont does very well with financing new projects and construction yet the maintenance falls to the bottom of the priorities. Belmont installs granite curbs all over the place but then doesn’t maintain the city strip then let’s weeds and grass grow through all the cracks which makes them deteriorate much quicker. One simple example but why install granite curbs for the aesthetic ppeal
We need to come up with a mechanism to maintain these new projects. I think it is bad business to build new and then not know where the funds are to then maintain our assets. This includes .roads ,buildings, vehicles,etc. The Underwood Pool is a good example.Here we have a beautiful completed project that will certainly require much more budgeted maintenance to keep it in pristine condition and we expect it to be funded with smoke and mirrors. Just sayin’