APPROPRIATION / COMMUNITY PRESERVATION FUND 

To see if the Town will vote to make appropriations from the Community Preservation Fund for eligible community preservation projects; for community preservation reserve accounts for historic preservation, open space and recreation, and affordable housing; for Community Preservation Act Committee administrative expenses or other eligible expenses; or take any action related thereto.

Inserted at the request of the Community Preservation Act Committee

Recommended votes on this article are divided into three sections: (a) votes to transfer funds to temporary dedicated reserves, as explained in the vote comment; (b) votes on the thirteen CPA projects, and (c) a vote on administrative expenses. The moderator generally elects to address all of the sections in a single vote.

COMMENT – Section 1 – transfer funds

These transfers, taken immediately prior to the CPA project appropriation votes that follow, ensure that the Town complies with the state legal requirement to either appropriate or reserve at least 10% of estimated annual CPA revenues (est. $2,119,458) in each of the three CPA project areas.

Although these transferred funds are immediately recommended for appropriation in their entirety in the next vote, this action ensures that the Town maintains compliance should Town Meeting reduce or reject the recommended appropriations, or does not become retroactively out of compliance with state law should any approved project not proceed as planned. (In such an event, the reserved funds would remain in or be returned to the dedicated account for future appropriation in that CPA project area.)

COMMENT - Section 2 - Specific Projects

The CPAC recommends the above CPA projects to Town Meeting for FY2025 funding, having carefully vetted each application for compliance with the CPA law, feasibility, importance, cost justification, sustainability and other criteria.

COMMENT - Section 3 - Administrative Expenses

These expenses are explained on page 9 of the CPA Committee Report in the Additional Materials section.

(1) That the Town take the following actions regarding dedicated CPA project area reserves:

(a) Transfer the sum of $211,945 from FY2025 Community Preservation Fund revenues to a CPA Open Space and Recreation Reserve account, for later Town Meeting appropriation for open space and recreational land purposes;

(b) Transfer the sum of $211,945 from FY2025 Community Preservation Fund revenues to a CPA Historic Preservation Reserve account for later Town Meeting appropriation for historic preservation purposes; and

(c) Transfer the sum of $211,945 from FY2025 Community Preservation Fund revenues to a CPA Community Housing Reserve account for later Town Meeting appropriation for community housing purposes.

(2)        That the Town take the following actions to appropriate funds for FY2025 CPA projects, with each project considered a separate appropriation:

(a)        Appropriate the sum of $200,000 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Special Needs Home Creation project for the support of community housing, subject to the condition that a grant agreement between the Arlington Housing Authority and the Town be executed, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Arlington Housing Authority and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(b)        Appropriate the sum of $500,000 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the 10 Sunnyside Avenue project for the support of community housing, with $211,945 being appropriated from the Community Housing Reserve Account and $288,055 being appropriated from Community Preservation Fund revenues, subject to the condition that a grant agreement between the Housing Corporation of Arlington and the Town be executed, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Housing Corporation of Arlington and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(c)        Appropriate the sum of $50,000 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Homelessness Prevention Program project for the support of community housing, subject to the condition that a grant agreement between the Housing Corporation of Arlington and the Town be executed, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Housing Corporation of Arlington and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(d)        Appropriate the sum of $16,800 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Leasing Differential for Arlington Tenants project for the support of community housing, subject to the condition that a grant agreement between the Somerville Homeless Coalition and the Town be executed, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Somerville Homeless Coalition and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(e)        Appropriate the sum of $30,000 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Shea House Roof Repair project for the preservation of community housing, subject to the condition that a grant agreement between the Salvation Army (Cambridge Corps) and the Town be executed, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Salvation Army (Cambridge Corps) and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(f)         Appropriate the sum of $40,000 from Community Preservation Fund revenues for the McClennen Detention Pond Survey project for the preservation of open space, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Department of Planning and Community Development and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(g)        Appropriate the sum of $25,000 from Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Public Land Management Addendum project for the preservation of open space, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Department of Planning and Community Development and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(h)        Appropriate the sum of $50,000 from Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Minuteman Bikeway Redesign at Ryder Street and Ed Burns Arena project for the preservation of open space, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Department of Planning and Community Development and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(i)         Appropriate the sum of $150,000 from Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Crosby Park Court and Park Renovation project for the rehabilitation of recreational land,, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Arlington Parks and Recreation Commission and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(j)         Appropriate the sum of $400,000 from Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Menotomy Rocks Park Play and Picnic Area project for the rehabilitation of recreational land, with $211,945 being appropriated from the Open Space and Recreation Reserve Account and $188,055 being appropriated from Community Preservation Fund revenues, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Arlington Parks and Recreation Commission and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(k)        Appropriate the sum of $77,597 from Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Digitizing and Preserving Arlington’s Marriage Records project for the preservation of historic resources, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Arlington Town Clerk and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(l)         Appropriate the sum of $115,506 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the Winfield Robbins Memorial Garden Restoration Planting project for the restoration of historic resources, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Town and the Community Preservation Act Committee;

(m)       Appropriate the sum of $450,000 from the Community Preservation Fund revenues for the “Foot of the Rocks” Battlefield Memorial project for the rehabilitation and restoration of historic resources, with $211,945 being appropriated from the Historic Preservation Reserve Account and $238,055 being appropriated from Community Preservation Fund revenues, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Town and the Community Preservation Act Committee.

(3) That the Town take the following action regarding administrative expenses:

Appropriate $74,181 from FY2025 Community Preservation Fund revenues to the CPA Administrative Expenses account for eligible FY2025 administrative expenses, such funds to be expended under the direction of the Community Preservation Act Committee.

CPA Committee Report
REVISED CPA Presentation Slides (pg 18 updated) 

CPA Committee Presentation Slides

Amendment by Xavid Pretzer, Precinct 17

Pretzer Presentation Slides