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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20141120 - Community Preservation Committee - Meeting MinutesCPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 1 Approved on January 15, 2015 Community Preservation Committee Town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts 18 Main Street, Room 211 Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. MINUTES Members Present: Chairman Henry Kunicki, Vice-Chair Jeff Doherty-Open Space Representative, Ken Weismantel-Planning Board Representative, Jim Ciriello-Conservation Commission Representative, Eric Sonnett-Parks & Recreation Representative, Dianna Doucette- HHC Representative, Ron Clark-Member at Large and Al Rogers-Member at Large Member(s) Absent:  Mr. Alfred Rogers, Member at Large, left the meeting at 8:48pm The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chairman Kunicki. Chairman Kunicki announced that the committee will allow five (5) minutes for presentation of requests and five (5) minutes for questioning. He also stated that the committee will meet to discuss the funding requests on December 4, 2014 at 7:00 p.m., and December 18, 2014. Preservation of Town Records/Geri Holland, Town Clerk Chairman Kunicki noted that Ms. Holland has a conflict tonight; therefore, will not be available to speak regarding her request. The committee will take her request for the Preservation of Town Records in the amount of $15,000 into consideration. Mr. Weismantel announced that Ms. Holland’s request is a continuation of her endeavor of preserving all town hall records. NSTAR/Berry Acres (3) Parcel Purchases/Don MacAdam, Conservation Administrator Mr. MacAdam requested that the committee consider inserting a place holder in the amount of $254,000 for three (3) NSTAR parcels which bisect the town-owned Berry Acres open space area. He said that this request came before the committee last year and was denied due to the town not having their own appraisal done and was tabled until the Town conducted its own appraisal. The town retained an appraiser on February 24, 2014 who concluded that the property had a retail value of $250,000 versus NSTAR’s appraisal of $450,000 conducted in 2012. Mr. MacAdam noted that if the property were to be sold to a private developer the open space value of the Berry Acres portion of the land would greatly diminish and also noted that the negotiations are still ongoing at this time. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 2 Approved on January 15, 2015 Acquisition of Rail Bed South of Granite St/Kenneth Parker, Upper Charles Trail Committee Chairman Mr. Parker requested funding in the amount of $135,000 for the Acquisition of the Rail Bed south of Granit Street. He said that the property will be used to extend the multi-use trail from Chamberlain Street to the Milford town line and will connect with the bike trail in Milford in accordance with the Hopkinton Master Plan and will also be a right-a-way for the railroad. He said that this property contains two parcels and has at least 3 acres of land and that both properties are owned by one owner. Mr. Sonnett noted that there is state money earmarked for this purpose and wonder why Mr. Parker was requesting money from the committee. Mr. Parker agreed with Mr. Sonnett’s comment and explained that in conversation with the Town Manager and the Board of Selectmen it was their suggestion that he seek additional avenues of funding so they would be able to use the state money for other trail uses. Mr. Weismantel asked if there was a purchase and sale agreement in place at this time. Mr. Parker said that they do not have an agreement in place right now and that they are waiting to see if the committee would grant their request and also stated that the Town Manager is in the second round of negotiations to acquire this property. Mr. Weismantel noted that he has concerns regarding this request and also noted that Mr. Parker might not have a decision from the committee until sometime in March. Mr. Doherty asked if the title to the property was cleared. Mr. Parker indicated that the title was not an issue and that it was reviewed by the Town’s attorney. Chairman Kunicki asked if he was meeting with the Town Manager soon. Mr. Parker said that they do not have a date to meet as of right now. Chairman Kunicki suggested that he come back to the committee when there was a confirmed purchase and sale agreement in place. Trail Head Signage/Open Space Preservation Representative & David Goldman, Hopkinton Area Land Trust (HALT) President Mr. Goldman requested funding in the amount of $7,500 for five (5) signs. He said that the signs requested would be similar to the signs erected at Whitehall and other preservation areas around town and that each sign cost $1,500. The signage would be for the following areas: Two (2) signs for the Deneen-Austin Powder Conservation; one on Deneen Road and the other at the trailhead section. One (1) sign for the Sands Trailhead on Greenwood Road at the upper entrance to the trail One (1) sign at the Fruit Street north section of the trailhead One (1) sign at the DeGozzaldi Trailhead (on Cross Street adjacent to Brook Hollow Rd.) CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 3 Approved on January 15, 2015 Sylyan Way Conservation Restriction & Endowment/Open Space Preservation Representative & David Goldman, HALT President Mr. Goldman requested funding in the amount of $2,500 to place a conservation restriction on the Sylvan Way open space sections of the property. He said that this open space area ties the following open space parcels together:  Whisper Way  Cameron Woods  Phipps  Hopkinton Town Forest By placing the conservation restriction on these sections it will provide about 250 acres of contiguous open space on the East side of Winter Street and also provide access to the Whitehall State Park. Chairman Kunicki asked if this amount included legal fees. Mr. Goldman said no legal fees are included in this amount. Mr. Weismantel asked who owes the land. Mr. Goldman said that the land is owned by the Town and was donated by Mr. Myers. 203 Pond Street Conservation & Recreation Preservation/Open Space Preservation Representative & David Goldman, HALT President Mr. Goldman requested funding in the amount of $600,000. He said that the group leading the effort to see this property protected is called the Whitehall Woods Alliance and is made up of the following groups: the Hopkinton Area Land Trust, the Sudbury Valley Trustees, the Friends of Whitehall and the Friends of Upton State Forest. They are requesting that the Town purchase the piece of land between Whitehall State Park and the Upton State Forest and to place a conservation restriction to protect it from being further developed. It is anticipated that the owners of 203 Pond Street will be notifying the Board of Selectmen that they have a signed purchase and sales agreement with a developer and that the property will be subject to a 12-lot open space landscape preservation development permit. Mr. Goldman said that if the town would buy the piece of land it can create recreational opportunities for hiking, biking, walking and have it as a nature observation spot. He also informed the committee that ecological groups have indicated that this parcel acts as an essential wildlife corridor for plants and animals and needs to remain undisturbed in order to act as a buffer between these environmentally sensitive areas and surrounding communities. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 4 Approved on January 15, 2015 Mr. Goldman indicated that the Alliance recognizes that the full burden of the cost cannot fall entirely on the Town so to date they have received pledges totaling $55,000 toward a fundraising goal of $150,000 to help with the purchase of the property. He also indicated that some other funding sources would be coming from the Division of Conservation and Recreation for a total of 150,000 and that the Alliance recommends that the Town apply for a Local Areas for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant from the state. Chairman Kunicki asked Mr. Goldman if they do not get the funding from the State what would they do. Mr. Goldman said that the Alliance would find another source of funding. Mr. Sonnet asked for the exact acreage of the land. Mr. Goldman did not have the exact acreage. Mr. Doherty asked Mr. Goldman if the CPC turned down the request for the second year in a row, if that meant that they would only have the recourse to present to the Board of Selectmen and the substantial change in facts there would be to comply with the provisions of Chapter 61A which dictate meeting the terms of the Purchase & Sales with the developer which is $2,000,000. So, essentially the CPC approval would save the taxpayers $1.4M. Mr. Clark disagreed with Mr. Doherty’s arithmetic. After a lengthy discussion on the particulars of this request the Committee thanked Mr. Goldman for his presentation. MacFarland Sanger House & Train Depot Buildings Historic Repairs/David Daltorio, Town Engineer Mr. Roughan, Historical Commission Vice Chairman, spoke on behalf of this request. Mr. Mike Roughan requested funding in the amount of $100,000 for the emergency repairs to the MacFarland Sanger House and the Train Depot Building. Mr. Roughan said that this request is a joint venture with the Commission and the Town Engineer David Daltorio to make necessary repairs to two historical buildings that are in need of much work. The MacFarland Sanger House is a legacy of the Town of Hopkinton and along with the Train Depot Building need to have a lot of repairs done to upkeep their historical history. He also indicated that both of these buildings are part of the ongoing facilities assessment report of the Town. Chairman Kunicki asked if the amount requested would be enough to take care of the repairs and what type of repairs are the buildings in need of? Mr. Roughan said that the repairs for the Sanger house are various cosmic restoration and renovations to the building. The building is also unheated and is deteriorating with time and that the Commission would like to make the repairs and continue the upkeep of the building so the public would enjoy and understand the legacy of the house. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 5 Approved on January 15, 2015 Mr. Weismantel noted that he would like to know exactly what repairs are needed and also said that the Historical Commission needs to set aside a maintenance fund for ongoing repairs and renovations for these types of buildings and further added that CPA funding is not for maintenance. Mr. Roughan agreed with Mr. Weismantel’s comments and noted that this is the first step to move forward with establishing a maintenance fund. Fruit Street Parking Engineering Study/Robert Dobinski, Parks & Recreation Chairman Mr. Sonnet, CPC Parks & Recreation Representative spoke on behalf of this request. Mr. Sonnet requested funding in the amount of $75,000 to be placed as a holder to conduct an engineering study to expand parking near the Fruit Street athletic fields and on Front Street. He informed the committee that people are getting parking tickets issued due to the inadequate parking space available at that site and that the need for this request was identified by the Planning Board Subcommittee. Access & Parking for Legacy Farms Engineering Study/Robert Dobinski, Parks & Recreation Chairman Mr. Sonnet, CPC Parks & Recreation Representative spoke on behalf of this request. Mr. Sonnet requested funding in the amount of $75,000 to be placed as a holder to conduct an engineering study for parking and accessing the property at Legacy Farms. He said that a total of about nineteen (19) acres of property from the development of Legacy Farms will be deeded to the Town shortly and that the Parks and Recreation Commission would like to have access points and parking established for whatever the commission agrees to build in the future. Mr. Doherty voice his concern as to the high amount requested and suggested that the Commission hire a surveyor. Mr. Ciriello agreed with Mr. Doherty’s comments. Claflin Memorial Fountain Restoration/Robert Dobinski, Parks & Recreation Chairman Mr. Sonnet, CPC Parks & Recreation Representative spoke on behalf of this request. Mr. Sonnet requested funding in the amount of $10,000 to be placed as a holder to use to restore and repair the Claflin Memorial Fountain. He said that Mr. Annunziata, a Hopkinton resident, bequeath $10,000 for the restoration of the fountain. The Commission is unsure if the town will have access to the money due to the legalities of his Will. Fruit Street Athletic Complex Building/Daniel Terry, Parks & Recreation Vice Chairman Mr. Terry requested funding in the amount of $600,000 to construct an Athletic Complex Building at the Fruit Street fields. The building will serve as a shelter from the weather for children using the fields and other user groups; in addition, it will house and provide safety for all of the town’s recreational programs’ equipment and other user group belongings and will have restrooms, a vending area and an outdoor pavilion. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 6 Approved on January 15, 2015 Chairman Kunicki asked if the Commission has looked into other ways of allocating funding or invested in a study assessment for this project. Mr. Terry said that they have not looked for other funding options or invested in a study. Chairman Kunicki informed Mr. Terry that he would need to review the CPA funding criteria and guidelines regarding his request; he stated that he is not aware if this request would fall under their specific guidelines. Mr. Weismantel asked how big would the facility be and Mr. Terry said that he did not know, at this time, how big the structure would be. Mr. Weismantel said that they need more information as to the buildings specifics and requested that a priority list be made available to the committee with all of Commission’s funding requests presented tonight. Victory Fields Improvement/Daniel Terry, Parks & Recreation Vice Chairman Mr. Sonnet, CPC Parks & Recreation Representative spoke on behalf of this request. Mr. Sonnet requested funding in the amount of $7,500 to restore the lower Fruit Street playing field. He said that the field is used by the Recreation Department for their soccer and lacrosse programs and other user groups. Due to the field not having some type of irrigation in place it has fallen into disrepair. Mr. Sonnet said that users of the field need better quality fields and will provide a better rotation of the field so it won’t run down. Renovation Aspects for the Hopkinton Library/Scott Richardson, Hopkinton Library Building Committee President Mr. Richardson requested funding in the amount of $500,000 to renovate the historical portions of the proposed expansion of the Public Library. He said that the bidding for the project is estimated to be completed in late summer of 2015 and construction to begin shortly after that which will run until sometime in 2016. Mr. Richardson also noted that in their packet tonight are letters of support from the Town Planner, the Planning Board, and the Downtown Revitalization Committee. Mr. Weismantel asked Mr. Richardson if there was a separate contract for the historical aspects of the project and Mr. Richardson said no. Mr. Weismantel said that he wasn’t sure how the CPC funds would be administered to target just the historical aspects of the construction. Mr. Richardson noted that there would be an itemized list with specific documentation in the bidding documents to reflect what would be considered historical. Chairman Kunicki voiced his concern regarding whether the Community Preservation Act (CPA) would allow this type of funding project without a specific designation. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 7 Approved on January 15, 2015 Mr. Weismantel asked if the Committee did not approve their funding request would the project move forward and Mr. Richardson responded by saying that the project would move forward without the CPC’s funding request. Chairman Kunicki reiterated that the Historical Commission put a priority list together and submit it to the Committee with all of their requests submitted tonight Mr. Clark spoke in favor of the request and offered that the CPC Committee research the CPA guidelines and if the CPA does allow for this type of funding that it may come out of the miscellaneous fund and also indicated that if the request would move forward that the article for town meeting be written very clear. Cemetery Records Preservation/Claire Wright, Hopkinton Cemetery Commission Ms. Wright requested funding in the amount of $34,000 for the historical preservation and restoration of the cemetery records which are about 300 years old. The records are currently housed in a metal cabinet in the garage at Mt. Auburn Cemetery and are on brittle yellowing scrolls, dog-eared file cards, taped-up binders and ragged notebooks. Ms. Wright informed the committee that with this funding the records would be digitized, protected and placed on line. Toll House Historic Site/Michaelyn Holmes, Hopkinton Historical Commission Chairman Ms. Clair Wright, Historical Commission Member spoke on behalf of this request Ms. Wright requested funding in the amount of $30,000 for the historical preservation and restoration of the 1830 Toll House located at 123 Main Street. The house was once one of four toll stops on the old Central Turnpike which ran from Wellesley to Connecticut that began in 1824. This route later became known as Route 135. The building is slated for demolition under the Weston Nurseries’ plan for an expanded landscape yard. The Commission is proposing to restore and re-point the masonry and create a small open-air historical site leaving only the two early 19th century fireplaces and beehive oven and the visible footprint of the house’s granite foundation. The Commission proposes to use the building as an historical teaching site of the rural 19th century life and the development of the transportation system in the Town. This is contingent upon the Town purchasing the site. Mr. Weismantel asked if the exposed brickwork would endure the elements and suggested looking into the type of brick that would be able to survive the weather. Ms. Wright said that she will have the masonry look at them and have him suggest what can be used to protect the brickwork from the elements. Chairman Kunicki reiterated that the Historical Commission put a priority list together and submit it to the Committee with all of their requests submitted tonight CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 8 Approved on January 15, 2015 Pratt Farm/Open Space Preservation Representative, Thomas Pratt & Attorney Christopher Senie Due to a conflict Attorney Senie, Mr. Pratt’s attorney, was unable to attend the meeting and sent his apologies to the Committee in advance. Mr. Thomas Pratt, 102 Fruit Street, requested funding in the amount of $900,000 for the purchase of a portion of the estate. Mr. Pratt informed the committee that by purchasing the portion of land he will place a conservation/agricultural restriction that would preserved the area as farm land in perpetuity and that the only future housing development of the estate would be along Fruit Street which will have a maximum of three (3) ANR lots. He also indicated that there is a municipal well site on the property that would a benefit to the Town. Attorney Wayne Davies spoke on behalf of his client, Mrs. Maryanne Bilodeau the sister of Mr. Thomas Pratt and the appointed Successor Personal Representative of the Estate, and explained the following: Attorney Davies said that in the late Joseph W. Pratt’s last Will & Testament stated that the land be sold but left a caviar that if one or more of his children desired or have intentions to carry on the business of farming that they research any and all opportunities available to that respect. Due to that statement they are here before the committee to request that the town purchase a portion of the Pratt Farm as indicated by Mr. Pratt. Mr. Pratt has indicated that he has a desire to continue farming and will, potentially through various financial avenues, buy his siblings portions of the land to fulfill his desire. Attorney Davies supplied the committee with an aerial snapshot of the property and said that the land is sectioned in three parts and explained the following:  part 1- is a 16.5 acre parcel to the east which is reserved for a potential municipal well site  part 2- the middle section, is a 14.73 acre parcel that is the portion of this discussion and  part 3- is a 8.46 acre of land which could be subdivided into 3 lots. Attorney Davies stated that Mr. Pratt is offering this unique opportunity for the Town to purchase the middle section of land (14.73 acres) with the restrictions as stated, enter into negotiations with the Town for the potential municipal well site and continue having the land preserved as open space, wetlands and wildlife habitat as indicated as one of the Town’s goals in the Seven Year Action Plan of the 2013 Open Space Plan. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 9 Approved on January 15, 2015 Chairman Kunicki asked Attorney Davies to clarify exactly what would the town be purchasing and for what purpose. Attorney Davies said that the town would be purchasing the middle portion of the parcel for 14.73 acres and have it designated as conservation and agricultural farm land in perpetuity (M.G.L. Chapter 184, Sections 31 & 32 Agricultural Farm Land Preservation), have a potential well site for the town which saves that portion from development, not have the property sold to a developer and enable Mr. Pratt to keep the land, live in his homestead and continue farming. Mr. Alfred Rogers, CPC Member left the meeting at 8:48pm Mr. Weismantel asked if the Water Department had confirmed the site as having water and what other towns have gone through this process before and how much did they pay for a well site? Attorney Davis said that they have not pursued the avenue of confirming if there is water on the site as of yet and that there is no information as to how much a well site would cost from other towns or gone through this process since there are no more active farms in the surrounding area to compare. Chairman Kunicki asked where the farming would be done. Attorney Davies said the area of the funding request which is the middle area of the land (14.73 acres). Mr. Clark noted that he is not aware of any other town purchasing developing rights on land and suggested that they write a letter to the Board of Selectmen in regards to the potential well site on the property. Mr. Doherty suggested that a locust plan for the property be submitted before their December meeting. Attorney Davies noted that discussions with developers are underway for a possible 15 to 17 subdivision lot plan and requested that this item be further discussed with Mr. Pratt’s attorney Christopher Senie. Weed Management for Lake Maspenock/Michael Riley, Lake Maspenock Preservation Association (LMPA) Mr. Riley, Lake Resident, requested funding for the amount of $32,000 annually for the removal and maintenance of overgrown weeds in Lake Maspenock. He said that the lake has exploded with Native weed growths which are very evasive and has and is hindering the recreational use of the lake and is also causing lake health and water quality issues due to the decaying weeds in the sediment. CPC November 20, 2014 Minutes/CPA Funding Request Hearing Page 10 Approved on January 15, 2015 Mr. Riley explained that the LMPA has conducted and will continue to conduct once every 3 years, with the Hopkinton Conservation Commission since the Town took control of the dam, annual drawdowns for weed management maintenance; however, the evasive weed is growing uncontrollable and the LMPA have acquired the Aquatic Control Technologies’ (ACT) expertise and they recommend the usage of an herbicide treatment which is environmental safe and is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an aquatic herbicide. This treatment is the most cost effective way to manage the nuisance weed growth on a lake-wide basis (80-90 acres) and is done on a three year cycle. Mr. Weismantel asked for the name of the weed and noted that CPA funding might not be available for this type of weed or request and suggested looking into other avenues of funding. Mr. Riley said that the weed’s name is called the Large Left Pond weed and noted that other towns have funded this type of request for a specific weed but does not know the exact weeds’ name at this time. Chairman Kunicki asked how many times they anticipate coming back to request funding. Mr. Riley said they would come before the committee for three (3) years in a row then take a two (2) year break and commence the cycle again. Mr. Doherty asked how long the wait would be once the treatment is completed. Mr. Riley said the waiting time after the treatment is only 1 (one) day. Chairman Kunicki noted that he would research what could be done. The hearing was continued to December 4, 2014 and December 18, 2014. Other Funding Applications The Hopkins School Pavilion application for a playground pavilion was tabled for the Committee’s December 4, 2014 meeting. Adjourn Mr. Doherty motioned to adjourn at 9:45 p.m. Ms. Doucette seconded. All in favor.