Pittsfield Panel to Review 11 CPA Applications of More Than $700K

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Preservation Committee will review and vote on 11 applications for Community Preservation Act funds totaling more than $700,000.

There are $7,500 in recreation proposals, about $352,000 in historic preservation proposals, and $290,000 in housing proposals will be reviewed over two nights in late March and early April.

The committee member's scoring of the projects will be tabulated late next month and the City Council will tackle the proposals in June.

"I don't foresee any headaches where we need multiple meetings to make a decision but if you do, you have plenty of time," City Planner C.J. Hoss told the panel on Monday.

Among the applications is a $150,000 request from St. Stephen's Episcopal Church to repair its stained-glass windows that date back to the late 1800s, $7,500 to rebuild Kirvin Park's disc golf course, and $15,000 to move a Vietnam War memorial mural.

Hoss said he is getting verification from City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta in order to move forward in reviewing St. Stephen's application. The commission had to be cautious with the project because of a state anti-aid amendment that prohibits the use of public funds to private entities for private purposes.

"It's easy to argue that the stained-glass window is a part of what makes that building a contributing building to the historic district, that's not an issue," Hoss said.

"But that's one of the things on my end I needed to do."  

Elizabeth "Libby" Herland questioned if this project could be broken into two years, acknowledging the cost of it and saying she was not sure about the funding.

In November, the Parks Commission approved the disc golf project's application for eligibility. It aims to replace the nine chain baskets that make up the course and the rest is for tee boxes, or starting areas that mark where the first shot is thrown from, and signage.

That same month, the Historical Commission deemed the mural project "historically significant."

The committee approved all but two eligibility applications for fiscal 2022 in December. The two rejected applications requested monies for existing residential unit renovations and were found to be ineligible under CPA guidelines because they were not creating new affordable housing.

One was a $110,000 application from Michelle Manor Apartments at 40-52 Linden St. for needed renovations and the other a $100,000 application from G&W Rentals for 549 North St.

The committee will recommend an amended fiscal 2022 budget of about $865,000.

About $494,000 is a local estimate and about $211,000 is a state match.

"$106,000 has been appropriated already,"  Hoss added, referring to the monies that were awarded for projects at the Tyler Street Firehouse and Arrowhead.

"But still, even if all the money was committed we'd still have still have approximately $60,000 or $70,000 that you would likely carry over to the next the next fiscal year."

The FY22 CPA funding applications are:

• Berkshire Athenaeum/Tax & Vital Records digitization, $95,217
• Berkshire Theatre Group/Garage Facade restoration, $78,740
• City of Pittsfield Cultural Development/Lest We Forget mural, $15,000
• City of Pittsfield DCD/Clapp Park Little League Buildings, $9,000
• City of Pittsfield DCD/Kirvin Park Disc Golf, $7,500
• City of Pittsfield DCD/West Park Cemetery restoration, $13,325
• Habitat for Humanity/Francis Ave Lookout Park, $34,000
• Habitat for Humanity/266 Onota St, $140,000
• Habitat for Humanity/84 Robbins Ave, $150,000
• Morningside School/Playground Planning, $24,000
• St Stephen's Church/Stained Glass Window restoration, $150,000

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