Community Preservation Committee

About the Community Preservation Committee and the Community Preservation Act

The Community Preservation Act (CPA, MGL 44B) was signed on September 14, 2000. The Westport 2001 Annual Town Meeting adopted the Community Preservation Act and voters approved it at the 2002 town elections. The CPA allows a town to adopt a property tax surcharge. Westport approved a 2% surcharge on real estate taxes which began on July 1, 2002. The state provides a match of varying proportions.

A minimum of 10% of the annual revenues of the fund must be used for each of the three core community concerns: historic preservation, open space and affordable housing. The remaining 70% can be allocated for any combination of the allowed uses, or for land for recreational use. This gives each community the opportunity to determine its priorities, plan for its future, and have the funds to make those plans happen. Town Meeting must approve all appropriations including for reserves and administrative expenses.

CPC consists of nine members appointed by the Board of Selectmen representing the Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, the Planning Board, Recreation Commission, the Housing Authority and the Finance Committee and three at-large members. The CPC makes recommendations to Town Meeting for expenditures from the surcharge and state match.

For more detailed information, please see the report of the Community Preservation Committee in the Westport Annual Town Reports. Information on CPA may be found at: http://www.communitypreservation.org/index.cfm.

Information on other participating communities see http://www.communitypreservation.org/CPAVotes.cfm.

Information on Municipal Affordable Housing Trusts can be found here: http://www. mhp.net/community_initiatives/resources.php?page_function=list&resource_category_id=74

Meetings:

Monthly, at Town Hall generally on the second Thursday at 7 pm.

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Appropriated Funding as of March, 2012

• Forge Pond Property Preservation $240,000
• Wood Farm Preservation $260,000
• Gonet Farm Preservation $200,000
• Estuaries Project (OS/HP) $120,000
• Waterways Restoration (OS/HP) $ 95,000
• Dunham Brook Conservation Area $250,000 (- $140,000 state grant)
• Brookside Property Conservation $75,000
• Brunswick-Desjardin Property Conservation $100,000
• Strawberry Frields Conservation $130,000
• Estuaries Committee Project $30,000

• Len Santos Farm/WYAA playing fields $500,000
• WYAA Youth Athletic Fields $522,000
• WUYS Soccer Fields $67,000

• Town Hall Restoration $220,000
• Wolf Pit School Preservation $57,590
• Town Farm Preservation $10,850
• Friends Meeting House Preservation $22,500
• Bell School Preservation $19,775
• Town Historic Signs $9,156
• Westport Point Church Preservation $9,000
• Town Farm Research $3,500
• Historic Cemetery Restoration $6,023
• Hicks/Handy Records Preservation $3,075
• Town Historic Maps $2,500
• Town Historic Makers $1,308
• Town Corner Signs $1,200
• Waite-Potter Chimney Preservation $16,118
• Preservation of Windows in Historic Handy House $6,930
• Preservation of Historic Sanford Road School #15, $42,000
• Restoration of Town Hall Annex, $34,000
• Preservation Sea Walls and Clean-up of Contaminated Soil at Historic Head of Westport $32,000
• Oscar Palmer Farm Buildings Historic Preservation $200,000
• Automatic Door Openers ADA for Historic Council on Aging Building, $2,825
• Restoration of Historic LIfesaving Station $70,000
• Historic Photo Collection Preservation $2,000
• Historic Linden and Maple Grove Cemetery Records Preservation $10,200
• Waite-Kirby-Potter Archeological Dig $8,970
• Westport Historic Inventory Update $20,000
• Historic Town Records Preservation I $35,000
• Grange Building Historic Preservation $57,250
• Town Library Historic Records Preservation $20,000
• Cadman-White-Handy House and Property Acquisition and Preservation $415,000
• Preservation of Town Records II $20,000
• Town Hall Annex and Council on Aging Accessibility $23,813
• Preservation of Town Records III $20,000
• Westport Point United Methodist Church Preservation $23,470

Community Housing

• Perry property Purchase $750,000 (2 yrs)
• Community Housing $ 55,000
• Planning Board/New Housing $5,000
• Community Housing New Site Project $42,750
• Community Housing Support $25,000
• Central Village Sidewalks and Safety Project $40,000
• Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund Projects $110,000
• Greenwood Terrace Range Hood Replacements $6,500
• Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund Projects $136,450
• Greenwood Terrace Asbestos removal $17,000
• Affordable Housing Trust Fund $566,791

State Match is awarded in October each year to become available in the next fiscal year.

• $285,139 (October, 2003)
• $296,150 (October, 2004)
• $310,535 (October, 2005)
• $324,421 (October, 2006)
• $339,198 (October, 2007)
• $242,421 (October, 2008)
• $126,347 (October, 2009)
• $103,501 (October, 2010)
• $104,917 (October, 2011)

$2,132,629 Total monies received from the state to date through CPA.