When the Community Preservation Committee met Oct. 26, members got their first glimpse of the total dollar amount of fiscal 2024 requests—nearly $900,000. Reactions ranged from “wow” to “uh-oh.” Three of the eight requests were responsible for about $700,000 of the total. The committee’s fiscal 2024 budget is currently estimated at about $386,000.
Each year the committee receives the funds collected from a 1.1% surcharge on property taxes and a variable contribution from the state from a portion of the revenues it collects from Registry of Deeds fees. The committee can spend the funds on projects in these four categories: open space, affordable housing, historic preservation, and recreation. It is required to spend a percentage of its funds on the first three.
This year the Open Space Committee is asking for $200,000 to acquire 39 acres on Littleton County Road, and the Parks and Recreation Commission is requesting $300,000 for pickleball courts and $200,000 to buy land for more athletic fields. The commission is also requesting $47,000 for baseball and softball field improvements on the Ryan Land and Ann Lees Road.
Other smaller requests include the Conservation Commission’s annual request for funds for invasive plant management, and preservation of historic documents, requested by both Town Hall and the Fire Department. The committee also contributes annually toward the debt incurred when Town Hall was renovated in 2015, about $47,000 in fiscal 2024.
Open Space Committee Chair Peter Dorward attended the Oct. 26 meeting to make his case for acquiring the Littleton County Road land. Dorward said his committee has prioritized unprotected open space in town using a score that not only includes factors such as ecological or agricultural significance, but also its likelihood of being sold. This parcel scored very high, he said.
The property is currently owned by the Carlson family and includes 12 acres of cultivated land, 8 acres of prime farmland, and 2 acres of wetland. It abuts parcels that make up about 330 acres of open space, including many owned by the Harvard Conservation Trust.
The land was appraised at $555,000, and the trust is currently negotiating the price with the Carlsons. If awarded, CPC money would be combined with $50,000 from an unused fiscal 2023 Conservation Commission award to pay for part of the purchase. Dorward said he intends to apply for a state grant to help pay for the property, but because applications are weighted heavily on demographics such as average household income, he thinks the chance of success is low. He said it would be up to the Harvard Conservation Trust to raise the remainder of the money needed for the purchase.
CPC Treasurer John Lee said his draft budget includes an estimated 35% state contribution for fiscal 2024, but the state will not announce that number until later in November. The committee will meet again Nov. 16 when the Parks and Recreation Commission will defend its requests.
