WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT (CPA)?
The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a well-established funding tool that helps communities develop outdoor recreational facilities, preserve open space and the historic character of a community, and create affordable housing. So far, 177 Massachusetts communities have adopted CPA representing half of the communities in the state, including Grafton, Northborough, and West Boylston. Shrewsbury has yet to adopt CPA. See this map for where it has been adopted.
Communities that adopt CPA create a local Community Preservation Fund exclusively for outdoor recreation, open space protection, historic preservation, and affordable housing. Monies for this fund are raised through adding a surcharge of not more than 3% of the real estate tax bill. As an incentive, the state rewards CPA communities with an annual variable state match on what was raised locally. The state gets its funding from fees on all real estate transactions at the Registry of Deeds. Shrewsbury property owners have been paying into the statewide fund without getting any of the benefits. Adopting CPA will ensure Shrewsbury benefits from the statewide CPA Trust Fund.
WHAT SORTS OF PROJECTS CAN CPA FUND?
The below tables represent CPA funded projects which were approved in other Massachusetts communities that have adopted CPA. They are provided as a sample of what could be funded with CPA. For a view of all past CPA projects, check out the CPA Projects Database: https://www.communitypreservation.org/databank/projectsdatabase/access
An official CPA allowable spending chart can be found here: https://www.communitypreservation.org/sites/macpc/files/uploads/dor-allowable-uses-2012.pdf
Outdoor Recreation
| City / Town | Project Name | Description | CPA Funds | Approval Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | Lions Club Property Recreational Improvements | Design and engineering work to determine costs for recreational upgrades (deteriorated road, parking design, ADA compliant restrooms, boat dock) at Grafton Lions Club Dauphinais Park. | $41,500 | 05/13/2019 |
| Grafton | Silver Lake Beach Improvements | Recreational improvements to the Town Beach at Silver Lake, including additional sand, grills, a canopy and improved handicapped accessibility. | $54,820 | 05/09/2016 |
| Ayer | Ayer Dog Park | To support the Ayer Department of Public Works endeavor to build a neighborhood Dog Park on Snake Hill Road, adjacent to the Pingry Hill subdivision. | $20,000 | 05/08/2017 |
| Acton | Jones Field Playground Renovation | To assist the Acton Recreation Department towards renovations for a fully accessible playground at 54 Martin Street. The current play equipment was installed in 1996 and has deteriorated to the point of being unsafe. | CPA: $269,000 Private: $41,000 | 04/01/2019 |
| Hopkinton | Sandy Beach Cameras | Security Cameras at Sandy Beach, Fruit Street and EMC | $50,000 | 05/05/2018 |
Open Space Protection
| City / Town | Project Name | Description | CPA Funds | Approval Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northboro | Town Common | Phase I of creation of town common in downtown area. | $480,000 | 04/25/2016 |
| Harvard | Invasive Species Eradication | Control and elimination of invasive plants on town owned conservation land acquired with CPC funds. | $26,000 | 05/05/2018 |
| Hudson | 481 Main Street | Trail signs for conservation land purchased using CPA funds | $3,500 | 05/06/2019 |
| West Boylston | Land Purchase-Goodale/Malden St | A grant for the purchase of 12.51 acres of land on Goodale and Malden Streets from the Greater Worcester Land Trust, administering a conservation restriction on the land in perpetuity and closing and legal costs associated with the land purchase. | $172,500 | 10/17/2016 |
| Ayer | Conservation fund | Requested by Community Preservation Committee, with support from Conservation Commission and Open Space Committee, this article would create a Conservation Fund of which funds would be used for the purpose of acquiring lands for the purposes of conservation, open space, and/or passive recreation. The Fund will be overseen by the Conservation Commission and the Town Treasurer is custodian of the funds. | $500,000 | 10/23/2017 |
Historic Preservation
| City / Town | Project Name | Description | CPA Funds | Approval Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkinton | Preservation of Town Records | Preservation of land records, books are dated from 1710-1843 | $25,000 | 05/05/2018 |
| Southboro | Olde Burial Ground Restoration | Funding the historic preservation of gravestones and monuments in the historic Old Burial Ground of Southborough | $26,450 | 4/10/2018 |
| Northboro | Historical Site Signage | Informational sign identifying the First Parish Church at 40 Church Street as the first Meeting House. Informational sign honoring deceased resident Mark Fidrych, former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. | $4,900 | 04/25/2016 |
| Southboro | Burnett House Historic Preservation Restriction | Preservation Restriction for historical preservation purposes, pursuant to M.G.L. c.184, งง 31-33, as amended, to be held under the custody and control of the Southborough Historical Commission | CPA Bond $970,000 | 04/11/2016 |
| Southboro | Southborough Historical Society Preservation of Documents and Artifacts | Monies will be used for the preservation of historic town artifacts and documents at the Southborough Historical Museum | $20,650 | 04/26/2017 |
Affordable Housing
| City / Town | Project Name | Description | CPA Funds | Approval Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayer | Former Central Fire Station Affordable Housing Project | To help fund the creation of six (6) affordable rental units at the Former Central Fire Station Located on Washington Street. The total housing funding request is $150,000 coming from the Housing Category of the Town | CPA: $150,000 Private: $400,000 State: $500,000 | 05/13/2019 |
| Northboro | Northboro Affordable Housing Corporation | Funds used by Northborough Affordable Housing Corporation and Habitat For Humanity for creation of 4 affordable units | $100,000 | 04/24/2017 |
| West Boylston | Housing Services-Sr, Vet, Affrd | A grant to pay for community housing services to assist with affordable senior and veteran housing needs. | $25,000 | 10/15/2018 |
| Grafton | Mill/Hud | Phase I: Research into the feasibility of creating affordable housing on town-owned land. Looking into concept plans and title research. The number of units that may be supported are between 48 and 60. | $4,000 | 08/21/2017 |
| Grafton | Transfer to Grafton Affordable Housing Trust | Transfer the CPA Affordable Housing Reserve to the Grafton Affordable Housing Trust. | $48,567 | 05/14/2018 |