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Community Preservation Committee

The Community Preservation Committee is appointed by the Board of Selectmen and consists of nine (9) members as follows:

• One Member of the Conservation Commission
• One Member of the Historical Commission
• One Member of the Planning Board
• One Member of the Board of Park Commissioners
• One Member of the Housing Authority
• One Member of the Open Space Committee
• Three Members shall be citizens of the Town

Subject to any and all responsibilities set forth in Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter
44B, Sections 5(b)(1) through 5(b)(3)(c), the Committee studies the needs, possibilities and resources of the Town regarding community preservation. The Committee consults with existing municipal boards, including the Board of Selectmen, the Conservation Commission, the Historical Commission, the Planning Board, the Recreation Commission, the Water Commission, the Open Space Committee, and the Housing Authority in conducting such studies. As part of its study, the Committee reviews any current Master Plan or Open Space Plan and holds one or more public informational hearings on the needs, possibilities and resources of the Town regarding community preservation, notice of which are posted publicly and published for each of two weeks preceding a hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town.

Subject to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 44B, Sections 5(b)(2) through 5(b)(3)(c), the Committee makes recommendations to the Town Meeting for the acquisition and preservation of historic resources, for the acquisition, creation and preservation of open space, for the acquisition, creation and preservation of land for recreational use, for the creation, preservation and support of community housing and for rehabilitation or restoration of such open space, historical resources, land for recreational use and community housing that is acquired or created as provided in this section. With respect to community housing, the Committee recommends, wherever possible, the reuse of existing buildings or construction of new buildings on previously developed sites.

The Committee may include in its recommendations to Town Meeting, a recommendation to set aside, for later spending, funds for specific purposes that are consistent with community preservation, but for which sufficient revenues are not then available in the community preservation fund to accomplish that specific purpose or set aside for later spending funds for general purposes that are consistent with community preservation.

The Committee may be contacted through Town Manager Michael J. Coughlin, Jr. at (781) 383-4105 or at mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org

Documents:

CPC Fund Request Document   PDF 21k