Great Barrington — Work to a historic bell tower, agricultural preservation at two notable farms, and two affordable housing projects. These are just several among 16 applicants asking for a total of $1.7 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) money this year from an account that has just $800,000 to give out.
Most of the money requested is for affordable housing, something Community Preservation Committee Chair Karen W. Smith says is a “driving force for us because we need it.”
Tuesday’s (September 8) meeting determined applicants’ eligibility to move on to the second phase, one that requires all the details to go under the committee’s microscope.
Committee member Suzie Fowle said that for her it would boil down to which projects had the most “public benefit.”
“Is it needed, is it urgent, is it important?” Smith said, adding that projects will face more scrutiny and “heavy handedness” since the committee has only so much to dole out.
CPA funds are available for historic preservation projects, open space and recreation, and affordable housing. In the statewide program, each town’s CPA money comes from a small surcharge on real estate taxes, which are then matched by the state. This year seven applications were filed for Open Space and Recreation; five for Historic Resources; four for Affordable Housing.
The committee said all the applicants could move ahead with detailed “Step Two” applications, due at Town Hall on October 1.
But two projects are facing closer analysis than most, and one of those was given a “provisional go-ahead pending clarification.”
The committee had questions about an application to rebuild the old cowshed at the historic Great Barrington Fairground (GBFG) to the tune of $100,000. GBFG missed an application deadline by minutes last year, thwarting their request for $440,000 for work at the site and some of its structures.
GBFG volunteer Roger Reed explained that the cowshed was demolished after being condemned by the town, and that GBFG wants to rebuild it using traditional methods and repurposed wood to bring it back for markets and other events.
“Uh oh,” said committee member Kathleen Jackson. “I have a vague memory…that you can’t build anything new with CPA money except affordable housing.”
Smith and members Tom Blauvelt and Jessica Dezieck said they wanted more clarification from the state. Town Planner Chris Rembold said GBFG’s directors should contact him about the cowshed. “Why and when it was demolished,” Rembold said. “If it was demolished voluntarily, this may be out of our reach.”
Both Fowle and committee member Ed Abrahams said that since the entire Fairground was a historic site, then rebuilding a historic structure within it should be considered.
“The Fairground is what they’re restoring and this is a piece of it,” Abrahams said.
The other application that raised concerns was Community Development Corporation of Southern Berkshire’s (CDC) request for $250,000 to build 45 affordable housing units at 100 Bridge Street, a dioxin and PCP-contaminated 8-acre site in the heart of town that the CDC has tried to develop for 12 years. The housing units have been marketed as part of the larger $40 million 100 Bridge development that includes an anchor business surrounded by retail, offices, open space along the Housatonic River and even market rate housing.
But clearing the site of carcinogens has been a battle over the last year, and the state recently stopped a bioremediation effort, saying it wasn’t working. It is also unclear whether the Berkshire Cooperative Market will commit to the anchor slot, as talks over the last few years indicated it might. The Co-op says they are also looking elsewhere for expansion.
CDC Executive Director Timothy Geller said his request is an extension from last year, where the project was awarded a total $500,000 for both open space and affordable housing.
Including last year, the CDC will have asked for $750,000 for all elements of the 100 Bridge project. Geller explained that not all the money was asked for at once, and this $250,000 for affordable housing was given a “soft commitment last year.”
“Is there a chicken and an egg thing?” Smith asked Geller, wondering whether the housing project was dependent on the rest of the redevelopment.
“It’s an independent project with completely independent funding,” Geller said, adding that it would be worth more to the town and tenants to have the whole project go as planned. He said he also had funding commitments from the state.
Tom Blauvelt said he was concerned about the Co-op not being the anchor tenant, as was long anticipated.
“There’s a perception that the project as a whole has stopped or been delayed, and that’s absolutely inaccurate,” Geller said. He added that the CDC would go forward with the original idea of capping the soil at the site. “If we had commitment from an anchor tenant we’d be breaking dirt next summer.”
There are two other affordable housing applications, as well; one from the Town for $20,000 to start a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund, something suggested by the Master Plan which would have to be approved by Annual Town Meeting in its first year; and a request for $400,000 from St. James Community Housing & Berkshire Housing Development Corp. for land, housing and open space.
“We’ve got to start putting our money where our mouth is,” Smith said of the Town’s request for the $20,000 in seed money. “$20,000 isn’t going to do jack, but it’s a start. It’s a great idea. It opens places for matches once you activate it.”
