Do you want to be part of the Community Preservation Act Committee? Be a part of the decision making process for allocating funds for affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space/outdoor recreation! See press release below!
Boston — The Boston City Council’s Special Committee on the Community Preservation Act has announced the application process for recruitment of individuals to serve on the City of Boston’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC). Beginning Thursday, October 19, 2017, residents can apply to be one of the four members that will be appointed by the Boston City Council by December 2017.
The Community Preservation Committee, which was created by ordinance, is a board consisting of nine total members. Five members, by statute, represent City boards and commissions. The remaining four members are appointed by the Boston City Council with the following requirements for each of the seats: one seat requires expertise in open spaces, housing and/or historical preservation; one seat requires expertise in development, business, finance, and/or construction; and the two remaining seats will be for individuals with a history of community involvement. CPC members serve a three-year term in a volunteer capacity, and must be residents of Boston who are not City of Boston employees.
“As the first citywide elected official to have supported the Community Preservation Act, I am thankful for the partnership of Mayor Walsh, my City Council colleagues and the numerous advocates and voters across Boston in achieving last November’s results,” said Boston City Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty, Chair of the Special Committee on the Community Preservation Act. “I look forward to this next stage of the Boston City Council appointing residents of our city to be part of the process of how we allocate the revenue that is consistent with the goals and ideals of moving Boston forward. Further, as we are going through a period of rapid growth and displacement, I want to focus on the creation of more affordable housing – particularly senior housing, veterans housing, and workforce housing.”
The Community Preservation Committee’s primary responsibilities include: approving an administrative budget for the City’s Community Preservation program; developing an annual Community Preservation Plan; reviewing project applications and making recommendations for funding approval. Further, CPC members are required to meet with regularity and engage with community groups throughout the City as needed.
“I am honored to continue partnering with Councilor Flaherty as we establish the Community Preservation Committee,” said Councilor Andrea Campbell, Vice Chair of the City Council’s Special Committee on the Community Preservation Act. “This group will be instrumental in realizing the benefits of the Community Preservation Act, and making sure those benefits reach every neighborhood in the City of Boston. I encourage residents to apply, and look forward to working with my colleagues to select a diverse group of experts and community-involved leaders to serve on the CPC.”
Alongside the Boston City Council’s Special Committee on the Community Preservation Act, the City of Boston has appointed Christine Poff as the Director of the City’s Community Preservation Program. In this role, Director Poff is responsible for determining community needs, ensuring transparency in the funding allocation process, and completing annual reports on CPA projects and expenditures.
“My hope is that community members from every neighborhood will apply to be on the Community Preservation Committee. We are estimating that we will have about $20 million annually to allocate to parks, historic preservation, and affordable housing. It’s a big task and we want a large, diverse group of applicants for the Committee,” urged Director Poff.
Applications can be found on online on the City of Boston’s website or by contacting the Boston City Council’s Special Committee on the Community Preservation Act at 617-635-4205 or by emailing [email protected] The deadline to submit your application is Thursday, November 9, 2017.
Only application requirement: Are you a NIMBY? Yes? Ok, welcome to the club.
Exactly HOW are the residents who apply picked for the committee and by who? There’s plenty of need for community improvements, the youth sports fields are an absolute disgrace, the community center gym is an embarrassment, and the youth boxing club was closed due to a lack of funding, while a brand new boxing facility was built over in Roxbury. The kids in Old Colony and students at the Perkins school can’t even play basketball, because after all of the money spent to improve the schoolyard and basketball court, the backboards and rims were removed (permanently?) . A voice is definitely needed for the “lower middle class” residents, who have suffered the brunt of the overdevelopment, more so than for the “upper class” residents who have gotten nothing but the benefit of incredibly increased property values.
To new to the hood. Its not NIMBY its about a say what goes on in your backyard. BTW why did you move here with a negative attitude.
And in your case if it’s ANYTHING that is not nothing, then you’re not on board. “We must preserve the neighborhood”…more like “I don’t want to hear any construction near where I live ever”