TOWN OF PROVINCETOWN
COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2006
Chairman Elaine Anderson convened
the meeting at 9:02 a.m. noting the following attendees:
Members present: Elaine Anderson, Chairman; Mona Anderson, Vice Chairman; Howard Burchman; Bill Dougal; Nancy Jacobsen; Stephen Milkewicz
Absent CPC Member: Eric Dray (excused absence); Tim Hazel
Other
Attendees: Keith Bergman, Town Manager; Terese Nelson, School Committee
Chair; Burt Wolfman; Richard Brothers; Elizabeth Aldred; Kate Macaulay
Recorder: Cynthia Curran
The following are meeting minutes, in
brief:
DISCUSSION: PROJECT UPDATE ON
APPLICATION 200601
Keith Bergman gave an update on the
project and distributed a written handout.
He said that the MHP has been doing a lot of work on the project. The Town Counsel and Cumberland Farms have
been revising the letter of intent specifying the conditions for the
acquisition of the site. The Town does
not want to close until the cleanup questions have been settled and a developer
has been chosen. Susan Connelly of the
MHP has prepared a draft application for a Priority Development Fund grant from
the DHCD and MassHousing. Up to $50,000
of the pre-development costs could be paid for by the grant. Susan Connelly had also been seeking a
proposal for a market study by John Ryan of the Development Cycle in
Amherst. The study would help quantify
how each income level needs to be helped with affordable housing and what type of
units are needed (number of bedrooms).
This information would be used with the Shankpainter Rd. project, but
would also help with future planning of affordable housing in
Provincetown. There is also the
possibility of working with The Cecil Group to come up with a conceptual design
for the project. They would help convey
to potential developers the Town’s vision for the site. The Town is planning on doing further
environmental testing of the soil on the site in regards to negotiating the
capping with Cumberland Farms. Susan
Connelly is also looking into getting funding from the state using the Smart
Growth Zoning Overlay District.
Elaine Anderson asked if any of the
members had questions. Bill Dougal said
he had a comment to make. He said that
he was still concerned about the waiting lists for affordable housing. He would like someone to be working on the
merging of the multiple waiting lists into one list. Howard Burchman said that he would like to know more about the
Smart Growth districts. He asked if
Susan Connelly could meet with the Planning Board to give them more
information. Mr. Bergman thought that
it could be arranged. Other members
said that they are happy with the progress that has been made. Mr. Bergman said that he was very glad that
they had found the MHP. The MHP is
very choosy about who they work with and they see a lot of opportunity here in
Provincetown.
Howard Burchman asked about low income
tax credits. Keith Bergman said that he
had no additional information at this time, but that Susan Connelly was still
working on the income level and funding issue.
He said that there is really no funding for middle income housing, so
the Town will have to find other ways to achieve that goal.
[Keith Bergman left.]
PUBLIC STATEMENTS
Bill Dougal introduced Richard Brothers,
President of the Cape and Islands United Way.
Mr. Dougal said that the CPC thinks that childcare is very important and
linked to housing concerns. He asked
Mr. Brothers to come, as well as members of the School Committee. Mr. Brothers said that the United Way can
help by creating partnerships between groups and providing funding. They foster collaboration. Burt Wolfman said that the School Committee
has been taking baby steps regarding childcare. He said that they have space at the elementary school for
pre-school extended daycare. They are
planning to start their program this summer.
Mr. Wolfman said that they would like a year-round after-school program
for younger kids. Elaine Anderson said
that the CPC was thinking about the possibility of a daycare center at the
Shankpainter Road project. Terese
Nelson said that there was a need in the community for daycare so that people
can work. Nancy Jacobsen said that
funding for daycare centers is very important, because without it, daycare will
be too expensive for some parents.
Elizabeth Aldred and Kate Macaulay from
the Cape Cod Children’s Place in North Eastham were also present for the
discussion. Ms. Aldred said that they
are involved in helping children from birth on, including parent education
programs. They have been working on
developing a daycare center in Provincetown for many years without
success. The goal is to establish a
program that would be self-sustaining.
Howard Burchman asked about home-based childcare versus facility-based. Elizabeth Aldred said that they have held
multiple meetings to help people set up home-based childcare, but nothing has
come of it. She said that there are
often problems with insurance, space requirements or landlord objections. She also thinks that many people here do not
like all the regulations which must be followed.
Terese Nelson said that they have the
space for a daycare center and maybe Cape Cod Children’s Place can help
them. Burt Wolfman said that they have
asked some employers if they would prepay tuition for their employees. He said that they can get state
reimbursement for Pre-K extended childcare.
Terese Nelson said that they will proceed in increments.
Elaine Anderson asked for final
comments. Bill Dougal said that he
hoped that they would not lose the energy of the discussion. He hoped that they would work together to
preserve the community. Burt Wolfman
said that they had already been in contact with the Cape Cod Children’s
Place. He said that part of the
equation is how many people are still working in the off-season. Mona Anderson asked if a CPC member should
attend the School Committee meetings.
Richard Brothers said that the United Way could help form partnerships
with businesses to get funding for programs.
[At 10:02 the other attendees left along
with Nancy Jacobsen.]
UPDATE CPC APPLICATION
Elaine Anderson said that she still did
not know the date for the September Town Meeting. She said that she could update the application which was used
last time. Howard said that the quality
of applications which they received last time was not very good. He thought that perhaps they should not have
another round of applications for September.
Bill Dougal said he tended to agree and that they still needed a
long-term plan. Elaine Anderson said
she would double-check, but she believed that they had to ask for applications
at least once a year. They don’t
necessarily need to approve any of the applications. Mona Anderson suggested that they ask that the projects be for forty
units or more. She thought that it was
a good idea to seek applications, so they could see what was out there. They don’t have to approve any of them. Steve Milkewicz said that they wouldn’t want
to miss a chance for a piece of property which might not be around next
year. Howard Burchman thought that
seeking forty units might be too high, because there might not be many sites
that would fit forty units. Mona
Anderson disagreed, but said she would accept specifying twenty-five units
instead.
Elaine Anderson asked that the members
think about the application for the next meeting on May 9th.
ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET INITIATIVE –
NANTUCKET
Elaine Anderson said that she has
learned that the CPA in Nantucket has a staff and budget which Provincetown
doesn’t have. She said that as parcels
of land become available in Provincetown, the CPC could partner with the PHA
and Open Space to buy them. Various
options were discussed. Elaine Anderson
asked the members to continue to think about this for the next meeting.
CPC BOOKLET
Mona Anderson said that many people do
not understand the terminology used around housing issues. She suggested adding a glossary to the
booklet. Elaine Anderson and Mona Anderson
will work on this.
REVIEW OF MINUTES
MOTION: Move to approve the minutes of April 11, 2006 as written.
Motion by: Bill Dougal Seconded by:
Steve Milkewicz Yea 4 Nay 0
The next meeting will be on May 9, 2006.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:38.