Great Barrington — In its final stretch of decision-making for this year’s allocation of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding, the Community Preservation Committee Tuesday (December 30) nixed two applications, one from the town to repair the Wetherbee Vault in the Mahaiwe Cemetery, and the other from Berkshire South Community Center for a new pavilion and trails.
The Wetherbee Vault was immediately turned down after the committee learned from Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Joseph Sokul that the Cemetery Commission all along had enough money to take care of the deteriorating vault, and had, in fact, voted last April, by a unanimous 4-0 tally, to spend up to $30,000 to do the work. Repairs to the vault were estimated to cost around $27,000.
But the Selectboard, and possibly the Finance Committee, decided to hold off until Town Meeting in May to see if the project could be funded by CPA monies instead.
“I find this abhorrent…upsetting,” said committee chair Karen W. Smith, after she told the committee that as of last April, the Cemetery Commission had a current balance from lot sales of $244,178, and $72,832 in perpetual care interest money. “I think they hid this,” Smith added, noting that in future she would start asking more pointed questions about how much money was tucked away in the bank.
“It’s not exactly in the spirit of CPA,” said committee member Thomas Blauvelt. Member Suzie Fowle wondered, however, if it “met the letter of the law.”
Smith said it did, but rather that it went “against the spirit. We have so many [projects] that need doing that may not have access to other resources.”
It was unanimous. Seven-zip. No CPA money for old Wetherbee, no matter how gorgeous and historic his resting place.
Agonizing, the committee turned down Berkshire South Regional Community Center in their request for $30,000 for the creation of handicapped-accessible paths and a new, accessible open-air pavilion. This was a hard decision, one that resulted in a split 4 to 3 vote (Members Jessica Dezieck and William Nappo were not present). The “organization does a lot for recreation,” member Ed Abrahams said, adding that it troubled him that the committee was “second guessing the Center on this.”
But there were problems with the application that sunk the Center’s request for funds, according to those who voted against it. The concerns had to do mostly with what some committee members felt was a lack of coherence and consistency in the application, the lack of leverage, deferred maintenance on the existing pavilion, and confusion over why so much money was needed for the creation of “340 linear feet of trail,” as Smith said.
The committee voted to recommend full funding for all nine remaining projects except one: the Trustees of Reservations’ request for $52,000 to improve trails at Flag Rock, add signage and a parking lot to the entrance area in Housatonic Village. The reason for the reduction was that a study to gauge community support for a possible 20-car parking lot near the trailhead in the Grove Street neighborhood had not been performed, and the committee worried that the Trustees might not be able to do the project if they faced community opposition. The committee agreed to recommend $20,000 instead, for the Trustees to begin trail work while seeking community input and support.
The committee voted mostly in agreement to recommend to the May 4 Annual Town Meeting that the remaining projects receive their requested funds:
- The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. $30,000 for drainage remediation;
- The Historical Society. $50,000 for phase one of the preservation of the Wheeler Farmstead. The Society is to receive a match from the Fitzpatrick Foundation for this work.
- DPW: Town Hall. $20,000 for an investigation into leaks and decay at the southwest corner of the building.
- Mason Library. $65,000 for repairs to the widow’s walk and the resulting leaks.
- St. James Place. $150,000 for roof preservation. The $11 million project is funded by other sources.
- Historical Commission. $31,640 to repair and preserve the Newsboy fountain.
- Community Development Corp. of Southern Berkshire. $200,000 in this years funding cycle for affordable housing at 100 Bridge; with a soft commitment for $250,000 in 2016.
- Community Development Corp. of Southern Berkshire. $300,000 for creation of a park and riverfront restoration at 100 Bridge.
Suzie Fowle expressed concern over this last item, and the committee was split. As a wildlife conservation biologist, Fowle wanted “more attention to the [Housatonic River] riverbank restoration,” at 100 Bridge, the site of a $40 million mixed use development —with an expanded Berkshire Cooperative Market as anchor — on what will be a former, highly polluted brownfield, and is now in process of bioremediation. Fowle did not think the work to the riverfront described in the application was “ecologically sensitive.”
Ed Abrahams simply felt it was “a large chunk of money for a small chunk of public space.” He wanted to reduce the allocation to $200,000.
Though the project was carried forward by the 4-3 vote, Smith said Fowle’s concerns could be added to the terms of the agreement as “criteria to be met.”
The committee meets again at the Great Barrington Firestation, on Saturday, January 3, at 10 a.m.
