02/02/2023 COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT COMMITTEE Minutes

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6 Community Preservation Committee Minutes Thursday, February 2, 2023 Affordable Housing Trust; Request to Amend the Application: (continued) Motion made by Mr. Hyde to approve and recommend to the May 2023 Special Town Meeting the request of the Affordable Housing Trust to amend their application to $550,000. The $250,000 in additional funds shall derive from the Fund Balance to supplement $300,000 in previously approved funding from the 10% Affordable Housing Reserve. Motion seconded by Ms. Waygan. VOTE: Unanimous. 7-0-1. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Russell, yes Mrs. Thayer, yes Mr. Hyde, yes Ms. Waygan, yes Mr. Weeden, abstained Ms. Barbee, yes Mr. Klein, yes Mr. Colombo, yes Opposed, none Vote to Return CPA Funds Authorized by a vote of Town Meeting on 6/2020 for the Wetland Restoration of Abandoned Cranberry Bog project; $23,500 to Return to the 10% Open Space/Recreation Reserve: Andrew McManus indicated the Wetland Restoration of Abandoned Cranberry Bog project approved by a vote of Town Meeting in June of 2020 is not moving forward. This was a project initiated by the former DNR Director and the funding amount is significantly less that what would be required to restore this bog. Mr. McManus noted that he has been working on the restoration of the Chopchaque Cranberry Bog to restore the bog to its natural wetland state to improve water quality in Santuit Pond and in Shoestring Bay. This is a similar project with the same objective. The Community Preservation Committee through the CPA and a vote of Town Meeting in June of 2020 voted to purchase the Chopchaque Cranberry Bog and upland property to restore the bog to natural wetlands to improve water quality in Santuit Pond through freshwater restoration. The bogs would assist to capture phosphorus within Santuit Pond and mitigate nitrogen in the groundwater to diminish loading in Shoestring Bay. Grant funding has been secured to restore the wetlands with planning, permitting and construction. However, there has been a recent hurdle with DEP on how the resource area bog is categorized. This adds a notable change to the cost of the project. Mr. McManus requested consideration to utilize the $23,5000 in authorized CPA funding to conduct similar functions of wetland restoration on the same pond for the Chopchaque Bog for the benefit of Santuit Pond and Shoestring Bay. The matter was HELD to the next meeting to confirm the acceptable uses of the CPA funding as approved by a vote of Town Meeting.