The Maynard Community Preservation Committee is seeking your ideas! We encourage you to submit proposals that can utilize CPA funds to improve our community.
The Community Preservation Act (CPA) provides money, raised from a local surcharge and from state matching funds, to be spent on projects in four areas: Community Housing, Historic Preservation, Open Space, and Recreation. The Maynard Community Preservation Committee (CPC) reviews proposals requesting CPA funds and submits articles to Town Meeting recommending funding for some projects.
Some of the considerations the CPC uses when reviewing proposals are:
- Is the proposal eligible for CPA funds?
- Does the proposal fill a community need?
- Is the proposal consistent with Town goals, such as those described in the Community Development Principles?
- Is there widespread community support?
- Does the proposal include other sources of funds?
- Will the proposal be highly visible?
- Does the proposal include multiple CPA goals?
- Is the proposal complete and through?
- Are cost estimates backed up by hard data?
- Will the Town incur ongoing maintenance costs?
Examples of Allowable Projects
Community Housing projects could:
- Promote affordable housing.
- Encourage diversity of income, ethnicity, religion, and age.
- Ensure long-term affordability.
- Promote use of existing buildings and infrastructure.
- Give priority to local residents, Town employees, and employees of local businesses, to the extent permitted by law.
- Modify existing homes to allow disabled and elderly persons to continue living in their home
Historic Preservation projects could:
- Protect, preserve, or restore historic structures.*
- Protect, preserve, or restore historic sites.
- Protect, preserve, or restore historic artifacts.
* CPA funds can not be used for routine maintenance.
Open Space projects could:
- Acquire land for open space.
- Acquire land for well head or watershed protection.
- Rehabilitate brown fields for open space.
- Remove invasive plant species.
- Restore and landscape open space that has been acquired using CPA funds.
- Purchase conservation restrictions.
- Purchase easements for open space access.
Recreation projects could:
- Acquire land for recreational use.
- Preserve existing athletic fields.
- Convert existing non-recreational structures and land to recreational use.
- Improve parks, fields, and structures that had been acquired with CPA funds*
*At the present time CPA funds can not be used for improvements to recreational facilities that had not been acquired with CPA funds. The Massachusetts DCS has two grant programs that may provide funds. See www.mass.gov/eea/dcs
How do I get my ideas proposed?
We’re here to help guide your ideas into completed projects.
- You can send inquiries to the CPC via email: maynardcpc@gmail.com
- Feel free to attend our meetings. The Maynard CPC meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. at 7 PM in Room 101 (lower level) of Town Hall.
- Learn more about Community Preservation projects at the Community Preservation Coalition web site: www.communitypreservation.org
- Download the application process and forms. (pdf)
Important Dates
- 1st Friday in September – - 10 copies of Preliminary Applications due at Town Hall
- 1st Monday in November – - 10 copies of Final Applications for those proposals that the CPC considers eligible for funding under the CPA.
- November through February – - The CPC may request applicants meet with the Committee to discuss their proposal.
- March – - CPC submits articles for Town Meeting
- May – - Town Meeting votes on CPC articles.
