Nahant Meeting to determine CPA funding

NAHANT – Town Meeting will be asked to appropriate Community Preservation Act funds for three different projects in town.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said the Community Preservation Act Committee has received requests for funding for a community garden, a survey of public ways and for Nahant Housing Authority.The Community Preservation Act (CPA), which was signed into law in September 2000, allows communities to tack a surcharge of up to 3 percent of the real estate tax levy. The money generated by the 3 percent property tax surcharge goes into a town Community Preservation Fund. The CPA allows money in the fund to be spent for historic preservation, open space and affordable housing. It requires 10 percent of the money raised by the additional tax to be spent in each of those three categories and the remaining 70 percent could be spent in any of the three categories.The town Community Preservation Act Committee, which is required by the CPA, is made up of representatives from town committees including the Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, Planning Board, Recreation Commission, Housing Authority and the Open Space Committee. In accordance with the state Community Preservation Act, the committee can recommend how the money should be spent but it cannot spend any money without the approval of Town Meeting.Cullinan said $13,000 from the fund could serve as seed money for a community garden, which is still in the formative stages. Cullinan said he would like to see community groups, students, seniors and other groups get involved in the proposed project.”Right now I envision it as a true community garden,” he said. “I think we should start out as one large garden, not individual plots. We could try to get some high school students involved. We could also work with My Brother’s Table (a soup kitchen in Lynn) or a food bank.”Cullinan said he’s looking at a lot of options including operating a farm stand to help the garden become self supporting in the future.The Planning Board is requesting $50,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to survey all right of ways in town. Planning Board Chairman Richard Snyder said the committee is looking for the funding to complete a survey of the right of ways in town.”We would hire a surveyor and title examiner,” he said. “This would vindicate public rights. It would certify right of ways owned by the town belonging to the public.”The Nahant Housing Authority is also looking for CPA funding. The Housing Authority submitted three applications for Community Preservation Act funding. It requested money to replace windows and storm doors in family housing. It is also looking for money to replace the heating system at The Spindrift. The third application it submitted is for a proposed rental voucher program.In previous years, money from the fund has been used for repairs to Town Hall, the public library, The Spindrift, Ellingwood Chapel and the town wharf.