Community Preservation Committee - Regular Meeting

We do have a guest, the treasure from the affordable housing trust. Correct.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. I think some of these a while ago, but thank you. Thank you. Becca, these are our meeting materials as well. I don't think they made the packet. Okay.

So, yeah, thanks for having me. Um, I guess, uh, by way of a quick introduction and some history, um, so I'm the newest member of the Affordable Housing Trust. Um, I came on board last July and when the trust found out that they had a a CPA in their ranks, um, Colleen was quick to stop serving double duty as as treasurer and and vice chair, and I took over as treasurer. And so Colleen and and Mary Laura had started down a path of trying to segregate CPA and nonCPA funds from the trusts um cash accounts for a while. Um and the the genesis of that really dates back to some legislation that was passed in 2016 that changed some of how um affordable housing trusts and CPAs uh C were using CPA funds. Um the three main areas that they impacted um our usage was it aligned allowable uses for the trusts with what CPA would allow. Um it required CPA funds to be tracked separately and it authorized trusts to enter into grant agreements both with um CPCs and um and with other third parties. So fortunately, like I said, that legislation was passed in 2016. Fast forward a little bit, as of the beginning of FY20, going through some of the historical records, um there was a segregation that was done in the accounting records to bifurcate out CPA funds and nonCPA funds as of July 1st, 2019. So that predated Mary, obviously predated all of us. Um but we didn't really have any reason to not think that that was a a valid breakout. So that was what we used as our starting point. And then from there um we kind of ran through all of the

funds activities from then to present. Um really making three key assumptions. One, um obviously our funds just like yours are are invested through the town. Um we had to allocate that interest um between CPA and nonCPA funds. So that's currently being allocated um based on the then current account balance you know if um the if we have a million dollars and we say you know at as of any point in time 400,000 of it is CPA funds and 600,000 is nonCPA funds the CPA side of the house gets 40% of our interest income for any given month. Um the second was that since um the allowable uses were now aligned um we made the choice to um to say that we were going to first spend CPA funds um to the extent that there was any any choice. And really the only place where that, you know, kind of has a little bit of an asterisk is the grant agreement that was entered into last year caps our admin expenses at 10% of each annual grant. We decided to push that all the way back. Um, and so from 2019 forward to present, any year when we have more than 10% of what we've received from CPA funds in that year, um, in admin expenses, anything exceeding that 10% number comes out of the nonCPA bucket. Um,

when you say admin, so primarily for us, it's we get an allocation of our But who are what staff? Who are we paying? It's primarily Amber. So it's an allocation of town staff. Okay. So it's not Fiona, it's strictly for Amber's time that she has.

So we just see a line item for payroll. Um it could be, you know, Fiona had attended our meetings. it could be a piece of her time as well, but um you know, Amber's our primary staff, but um so yeah, so that so that allocation um I only kind of printed out the the current year to date in the the landscape file, but this is it gives you the gist of um how we kind of rolled things forward from from FY20 to to present. Um I have a question. um

stipulation of uh CPA funds is that they be spent last. You're saying you spend them first? I know it's a different arrangement with you guys because it's not set aside for a project per se. It's put in to reserve until something crops up. But doesn't that still apply, John, that CPA fund should be used last? Uh, I noted that too and I looked into it and determined that that rule is not in the CPA itself. That rule is something is like it's it's our rule. It's our rule. It's not it's not a law. It's a town of No, it's CPC rule. Town of CPC rule.

I was wondering if it's in the bylaws and it's not even in the bylaw that created CPA. Interesting. So, it's not written any place. Interesting. When did we discover that? Because that's all news. I discovered it yesterday. Yesterday. All right. It's good. Okay. Very good. Joanne Duncan has known it from for years. Really? Oh, yeah. It's interesting. It's uh it's sort of our rule, but it's not it's not it's not a law or anything. It's our practice. That explains that. And so, please proceed. Yeah. And really, so even that aside, I think our thought process was um especially when we get into the the reporting that that we've done, um we want to be able to report to you that we're using the money, right, rather than just having it having it sit there. Um which is great. So

um so that's that's mainly it. And so these um these reports both the the semiannual reporting that um that we'll be doing for you now and going forward and these you know kind of the current uh roll forward of those funds all sits on our website. Um there's a financial reports tab under the affordable housing trust web page. Um and you can see going all the way back to that first allocation from FY20 forward. Um and we keep it updated. you know, we um we meet monthly and once we report on the prior month to the the trust, Amber throws it up on the website.

So, I do have a question on this small snapshot of a print out you gave me. Again, not not a concern, it's curiosity. What was the $90 spend to stop and shop in December? So, we had a uh and I know some of you attended um we had a forum um where we had a couple speakers come in um and we had refer short. The other point on that one just to say I'm assuming you didn't have a time traveler involved that says 125 2026. No, that's fair. No, we'll get that fixed. Figured I caught that and let you know. Thanks.

So, I know you guys had funds from PY too. Um I don't see those in here. Is that because it predates this? So yeah, that um that predates all the periods that we started rolling forward um last year. So FY25, we also got a a small settlement 100,000 110 maybe um related to the High Point um estates. There was another settlement there. Uh so we got some pieces of property and and I think it was $110,000 in cash. Um but yeah, that makes up the bulk of the nonCPA side of the house. um with those funds rolling forward and the the interest that's built up on them. So there's still PY funds left. Is that what you're saying?

Yeah, as far as I'm aware, the PY settlement and like I said, the small one from last year are the only nonCPA sources of funds um that I'm aware of. Um so I think that would make up the the entire side of the nonCPA side of the house.

Were py funds being used to pay off any of the uh the Grafton Street rather the Upton Street project payments? So, we hadn't really done I think you know um Colleen can speak to to before I joined um but there really hadn't been any explicit kind of what side of the wallet those funds were coming out of until we went through this exercise. And then going through this exercise, like I said, when we made that assumption that we were going to assume that CPA funds are being used first, that's the purse that that those funds have been coming out of. And so you'll see that in the the reporting that we did for for FY25, the the first half of the year for FY26, we hadn't had any grant draws um in that period, but you'll see that in the F FY25 report. Um both what was spent in that year and I think down at the bottom in the caption I have what was spent in prior years um for that project. and your fiscal year follows calendar year for this.

Uh, so these we're using the the town's fiscal year. So the grant agreement requires semiannual reporting. Um, so I wanted to give you guys the the full view of FY25 even though it's obviously, you know, long past when you you've had to report to the state. Um and then as as part of that semiannual reporting I did the first half of of FY26 um through December. So this with the timing of this um it doesn't show a very large payment that I understood was made to GSX um last year.

So we've had in that's you're not going to see that in the Excel. Um those reports are are obviously on the on the website. Um during FY25 we spent a total of 510,000 um on 1727 Upton and 564,000 um had been spent before FY25. So and those now now reported to be from the CPA side of the account. Yes. Yep. Yeah. and those totals. So that sounds like almost the bulk of the uh of the contributions to date.

Um so through January there's $189,000 left on the CPA side of the house. Y okay so because I don't understand accounting at all. I think I do but I don't. So it says cumulative balance 198,000. So that's how much money you have in the bank. That's CP CPA funds. Yes. Originated CPA. Y and then you also have $1.6 million 1.4 1.4 1.6 is the total so it's less so it's sorry one column 1.4 and and that's py and the high point and accumulated interest. Yeah. And this is after the million dollar was was paid. Yes.

Yeah. So is a lot of this just interest because I thought that that was only a million dollars from PY. Yeah. As I know, you know, you guys have noted in in recent years, too. Um, interest, especially the last couple years, has been through the roof. Um, there have been a couple years when we've generated well over six figures in in interest income. So, whoever's investing the money for the town is doing a doing a bangup job. Bartholomew's done very well. Yeah, I assume we've done well for them. Yeah. Trying to find draw requests. I know it's somewhere on the website where you can see all 23 draw requests and the amount just can't remember where that is right now.

Could we see a statement and you don't have to do it tonight obviously, but um just with those two large payments that went out so that we could see that too. So they're not individual. So those I think it's so the payment we made in January um of 26 was draw request 23. So there aren't individual draws. I mean, some of them are, you know, right around six figures or so, but there isn't like one $500,000 payment. It's it's trickled in, you know, 50,000 here, 20,000 there, you know, 100,000 and is probably about the top. But

yeah, the total amount that was uh uh the total of the 10%s and a few other things with just about a million dollars in aggregate and then there was interest on top of that and then that along with the debits that you're talking about. Sound right? getting I'd like to to say to the committee that uh uh that Colleen and I have been struggling for a couple of years now, I think, trying to separate these uh the CPA funds from the uh from the unrestricted funds, working very hard and not making a lot of progress until you showed up.

Yeah, we needed a professional. Yeah, I'd also like to say is that I have a bunch of old spreadsheets back from like 2020, 2019 that were done by Anita Patel that uh show the uh the two funds. Okay. Uh from 20 whenever it was that the first one was Yeah. That that might have been the genesis of the the breakout we saw. Yeah. The first bi was a and it was it showed up to 2019. Okay. And I took a look carefully at what Brian did and it all makes good sense. Okay. Yeah, it all

I think it all it all made good sense and the only thing that surprised me was the uh CPA funds first uh rule. But uh then I discovered that that's fine. And if I guess if we were the you it makes sense for the CP for the uh the trust to do that just as we often use our reserves first and our unre our unrestricted second when we're granting making grants. It's the same rationale. Yeah. It's not like a individual project that we're right. And so not having not being uh granted as individual projects makes that rule not make any sense.

Yeah. And I would say, you know, I certainly don't want to speak for the the trust, but I'd say if I I think Brian's done a great job doing it, and everything he's done, I think things to me makes sense. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, I was just going to say if if the committee ever felt that a change um to that policy, you know, made sense to the to the committee. Um I say, you know, certainly bring that to us. I don't think we were married to one or the other. We just had to choose one. Um, you know, your choice makes sense. Sure.

Um if I may to Paul's point where he wanted to see the breakout of all the GSX payments, it is on the town website. If you go into the affordable housing trust, click the 1727 Upton Street. um on the left and you scroll down and then it's like the second or third one it says every like all the draw requests are all broken out into it. Um thank you for that. You're welcome. And if you wanted to see it in this format, like I said, I think those payments started in FY24. Yeah. So on the website there there are separate files for 24 25 and then this small one for 26 so far. So you can see it that way too.

Thank you. All right. So, if the committee ever has anything that they want to um to ask about, feel free to reach out to me directly. Um go through Colleen. Um we're happy to to be responsive. Great. Thank you for coming. Thank you. Thank you for doing this. Yes, for sure. It's a huge lift and really appreciate it. Yes. Agreed. Okay. Um, back to the uh, since you were here, do you I only came because I got the agenda, so I said, "Well, I better go to see if they have any other questions." Okay. Um, that's my sole reason for coming. We just kind of out of

remember seeing that preuncter invitation to people that have an application in front of us since yours was cut and dry. Didn't need any changes at the last meeting. Um, I don't know. Does anyone have any questions? No. Push Kip. So, I mean, I'm happy to stay. We can Are you guys expecting me to do a dog and pony show for this? No. You did. No. Are you asking a town meeting? Because the answer is yes. At town meeting that you may have people that ask questions. it. We can certainly support why we we, you know, speak to why we support it and

but the little blurby thing, but I would think that if if you can that if you could and I'm sure there are people here that would help you if you needed to put your slides into uh PowerPoint that people could see these. Yeah. the pictures I think because that that's kind of it's a very visual project that I think would help they'll understand

I didn't so I was trying to remember I know that we we as in the town meeting has tried to do a couple of u presentations but was my recollection that the screen wasn't very good so that's what I was trying to think of is you know going to project those pictures somehow and that's why I kind of said is I can't even really you Besides seeing them on my little screen at home, I don't even know what they look like if you blow them up. Is there enough resolution there that they don't just kind of like I don't know, fade away. Yeah, you'd have to look at what the resolution was. But, um, it usually does a pretty good job. Um, yeah,

as far as showing things because, you know, I've done presentations up there before and photos translate well and I agree that, you know, it would help you to sell the project people. Um, you know, it is very visual. Nice to have one of them done so I could show a before and after. But one thing to remember is you want to coordinate that with the town moderator. Make sure that um she's aware. And I'll have to What do they usually do it on or what? It's powerful. Do you want help? Cuz I will help you. Just tell me what you want. I've never I've never done one of those. All right. I'll I'll shoot you an email and I'll get you all figured out. Okay. Okay. I think if you can get her the pictures, she can drop them into PowerPoint and that's in they're on they're on the CPA.

Yeah, we already have those. But I mean, however you need to get Yeah, that and that that's how I have them. He emailed me those pictures. So, yeah. Yeah. So, then then I would think those would be really good quality. So, that that that should do well. Should do. Okay. I'll I'll make it for you, but you got to reach out to Don and make sure Don's okay with it. All right. Y'll have no choice. And she'll want to put it into the rest. That's a lot of choices, too. So, I think it's um who actually does he need to coordinate that with getting it into the town presentation? I think William, I think, but they have a whole logistics meeting. They It's a whole thing. They'll it'll get figured out as long as it's Okay. Yeah. A guy called me the other day. God, it's hard to get him off the

So, Skip, you probably need to come to the mic at this point. I feel like you've participated a bit at this point. I was just asking you guys if you wanted anything else. Not really to have a big long second. Now you have nothing left to say. Just wanted you to get up and walk up there. So just to recap, you're going to reach out to um Colleen to help you with doing the PowerPoint. um you need to reach out to Dawn who's town uh moderator to get permission to actually do the um presentation and then also William to

get it sent to him so he can then whatever he needs to do to get it in the the lineup. I think that's and then just be ready for questions that may not happen. But if you're not, then you will have them and you won't. But I think what you've told us it's this isn't tricky. It's it's pretty straightforward and it's not a lot of money and it's something that's very interesting. Um for sure so you can be one of the stars. Dress nice.

Just so long as I come back, I talked to the guy the other day. says, "Well, I said, you know, I'd really like to be there and watch you do it to just to see how it goes." He, "Yeah, I think the first one's probably going to take longer. I'm going to be really a little nervous about doing it just to make sure that it's coming out." He's done them before, but just not Yeah. Just show the pictures. Yeah. One thing he says, I'll give you a call once there's a couple of them are done, and then you can come and sit and watch me do them. the town clerk town meeting have the strangest questions that you did not expect

the town clerk and the books that she's had preserved and conserved it's typically sending one or two not everything so I don't know how if you can send him one at a time if that's oh he's on a comfort level for him and for you so that if something horrible happened you would only lose one not all of them that's so that's he It's my recollection that the table that he works on is about six of these. Mhm. And it's about that deep. So he can do all kinds of different things. He's going to do one. His plan he's thinking one a day. So it's going to take him eight days to do this.

I'll tell you that's quick though. I mean process them all. Okay. Yeah. So, I'm kind of thinking from talking to him, the first one might be a day and a half and he may be down to four hours by the time he's done it. I may get the four hour. Mhm. But I can't wait to see what they look like. Okay. No, they look great. I mean, as is, but they'll look even better once this is finished. They're all set. Yeah. Framed. Skip. Any other questions? I don't think so. Thank you very much. Thank you, Skip. Have a good night.

Okay, so our guests have finished um minutes. Did everybody have a chance to take a look at the minutes? Do I have move to accept the minutes as submitted? Do have a second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. those opposed. Declare the mayor. Motion carried unanimously. Treasures report. Can we Okay. Uh um can I plug in?

Yes. But what? There's a button I could to press to switch it to the screens if they're even on. I don't know which button it is. There's a red light I can see. So have power. If I have to play a button. Okay, I'm plugged in. Let's see. Now we have to figure out how to turn the TV on. There we go. Something going on there. Okay. Uh couple changes. Uh one

one is that the This is uh got the right page here. Right. One is that the uh just after uh we we came out last month with the uh the CPA budget that includes the revenue projections that and a guess at the state match uh and and the interest that just after we did that and we had the meeting uh last month, the uh coalition came out with a recommendation with their recommendation for what we should use for a state match and it was about a uh uh just a little about a percent lower than we had than we got last year, which was the number we used. So, the uh one change is that the state match estimate is 15.5% instead of 16.9, it's about $10,000 less. Uh the other change in here is that the on line 11 the uh uh Blackstone Greenway feasibility study uh was changed from the original ask of about I forget what it was

15 $15,000 up to and now it's going to be the full ask of $90,000. They're still looking for the grant, of course, and uh if when you know when they get the grant, they will spend that money first and we'll get uh we won't spend uh $90,000. Well, they'll likely spend $15,000. And can you make that bigger? You can just Yeah. Uh let's see. There you go. Just click that. Let me see if I just If you just click I just do this. You can do that, too. Just make it full screen. first do the full screen, but that doesn't make it bigger. Okay,

I don't think you had to make it that big, but that's all right. I can see it now. Helps with my eyes.

Okay, so that's the major change. So just rolling down the net of that is that uh uh on the bottom line it's a uh we have uh a million1 144962 available for anything else and it's a uh with those two changes it's a decrease of about 84,000 from what I showed last month. No big deal. And uh we all know that when the uh fiscal 2026 closes, we're going to see an uptick based on our always low estimates being made real. So uh the committee has more than enough funds to do whatever we contemplate.

Good news. That's it. I move we accept the treasures report. Can I ask one question? I never understood the uh premise behind on line one the actual search charge plus 5.1%. How what where did 5.1 come from?

Uh the rule and I think it might even be in the act is that uh we go back to the most recent uh actual closed uh revenue received and which would be actually two years prior. It's 2025 was closed last fall. 2026 is still in progress. So, we don't know what the result of 2026 is going to be. And we're guessing what 2027 is going to be. And the uh the the rule is that you increase each year you can increase by two and a half%. So, we go back to the 2025 most recently closed uh searchcharge amount. We raise it by two and a half percent to get to 2026 and another two and a half percent to get to 2027. And so, you know, two and a half plus two and a half actually turns out to be 5.1.

We I thought is that common core math? I didn't learn that. But we raised it by two and a half% twice. Yeah. Okay. Because Yeah. Doing it once by 5% was not is not the same as doing two and a half% once because then you're raising the next amount that you multiply by two and a half% compounding. Okay. Compounding interest. There you go. But no, that thank you for explaining it. That makes more sense. I just didn't know. But hearing it explained, it makes total sense. Very. Yeah. Yep. Anyway, so that's the answer. Okay. I have a motion by Justin to a second. Yes. You have a second by me. Jack, you gota be louder than that. I I gotta get out.

Be faster. As soon as he mouth time and Paul so have a motion, a second. Any other further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? I All those opposed declared.

Motion carried unanimously. Project applications. Um, do we need um Courier and Ives? Any further discussion about the 10,500 for the eight um original Korean IV prints project? How about the 90,000 for the Blackstone um Greenway feasibility study? Do we have any further questions that did the um one article was changed to reflect that? I have no questions we're going to get an answer to tonight, but I with Fiona having been the proponent for the town on this in front of us at the last meeting and it's unclear to me at the moment who from the town is going to spearhead and own this project both from a town meeting answer Q&A perspective as well as going forward. My suspicion will be it will be whoever's hired as a new planning director will take on that role for

they've had zero applicants to whoever will become the new planning director will probably will most likely take on the role for doing it but we do need someone for a town meeting that will kind of or my suggestion for this committee since we it did seem from the last meeting that we were the committee was in favor of this project is that we continue as if it is happening. We reach out to town administrator staff like William in particular to find out what the plan is as far as presenting at town meeting and going forward with this project. If there if the plan is they do not want to continue to pursue it, we just pass it over at town meeting and do nothing.

I I don't think that's the case. I I don't believe that's the case. But it's a good plan. Yes, I did have a brief conversation with Natalia and I think this was, you know, a week or so ago that it was in the hallway that she's going to keep tabs on deadlines and responses and those kind of things so that things don't fall between the cracks and that working with with William. That that is my exact understanding. I would just It's William that's going to do the do the application. I

I mean that's I need to I have a note to Yep. So due to the extenduating circumstances of all of this, is there any reason why one of us couldn't do it? I mean, we have to explain that we're funding this for a reason. It met all of the requirements. We don't have to go into the nitty-gritty detail that Fiona would have, but it's, you know, we're up here because of extenduating circumstances. Typically, we wouldn't be presenting. However, we think this is a lotable project. We've decided to put it, you know, for a vote for these reasons. and if you have any questions, we'll we'll do our best kind of thing. That's all they're going to do, too. Um, but is there

My main my main thing is that we just get confirmation from, you know, the town administrator and just everybody's on the same page. Everyone's on the same page on someone else is doing. I totally agree. Is there someone here that would might be interested in adopting this project at least in the interim? Um, I think a planning board member makes total sense. I knew you were going to say that. I thought you just to jump right. Yeah, I can I can make sure I touch base with planning and if you don't feel comfortable, I can do it, too. It's totally fine. I have no issue standing up and talking about it. I just don't remember all the details enough to talk to it yet, but I will get that in place for me.

Yeah, this one is it's important that this one be done successfully at town meeting because it's a not trivial amount of money. Yes. And it's uh and the catch is the uh the fact that it's a you know funds you know there should be $75,000 worth of external funds taking you know subtracting from this amount. So it's important absolutely so it's important to communicate that having improved biking in town has also been a select board goal since they started doing the select board goals meetings. Yeah. Yep. Also leveraging the property purchase we just Exactly. Yep. Connectivity, all of it.

You know, give a shout out to the pan mass challenge coming. Wasn't the woman who was here, but next the greenway. Oh, Donna Williams. I don't know. Anyway, it's Donna used to be the go through that property forever. You got to see the property. So she's a long time town volunteer and she's on the quarter commission. But anyway, it's a nice piece. But you're suggesting maybe reach out to her to present, you know, if she'd be willing to stand up at town meeting because she knew about the project. Who is this? Donna to advocate for it. Yeah. Donna Williams. Donna. Yeah.

Certainly knows about it. Should probably stand up anyway, right? To speak to it. Um, let me check with William, see what his official response is and say that Justin and or Colleen andor Donna may be able to be of assistance at town meeting to speak to the article because I know William he's usually running the like it just and and Evan obviously he speaks to a lot of him more overall in terms of after town meeting assuming it passes that he's going to correct in the lurch until there's that makes sense. replacement. Um, but the question that we're discussing right now is basically town meeting. Who's going to speak?

Okay. Or be the lead speaker. So, okay. Just riding on my bike helmet. Okay.

One thing I want to back up real quick. I went right over and um should have done it with um Skip here. I did talk to um Ken about it briefly and he kind of dismissed it because this is not a whole lot of money but uh historical commission because the historical commission which that was in the packet we met a couple weeks ago discussed this which we have to do because this is not owned by the town and does made the determination that this has historical significance to the history of town of Grafton but since we don't own it we don't have a legal interest in it what happens if they decide they're worth $10 million and they want to sell them.

So, can we prove we don't own it, though? That's that was the thing. Like, if all we own the fire department, so while it was a private company, at some point, the town took it over and all of its that part I don't know. I mean, that's I think it's worth uh double checking, but I would operate under the assumption that we own it. We

But we did the the letter on the off chance that to make sure that we're fully covered in case it's technically not owned because Skip was saying that he believed that these things were owned by um engine house 2 which is a separate 501c3. Yeah, I think I think we do need further clarification on that

before I mean we can't get it before we vote, but um like do you want legal to have Evan asked legal what their opinion is? Well, and we might not be able to vote like uh get obviously for tonight, but we can find out for our April meeting and then, you know, May like we have

just because if it comes up at town meeting, right, we're going to want to have a solid answer for that. We're not going to want to be wishwashy, which is what we are right now. If it one thought I have is that if that is a problem, one feeling I like if it's a co-ownership so to speak that they own it but the town also sort of does or even if it's just they own it fully. We've funded projects that we don't have ownership in many times. But to his point like they sell it, but the the point that Ken made which I said I it was brought up at historical so I said I will bring it up and I agreed with Ken for $10,000 it's not worth

Can I ask you a question? What would we do if the Baptist church sold? That's just it. Um that part of what with the religious institutions is we can't have entanglements with them. That's what we were advised by town council. Okay, do not do that because then you're going to run into that actin problem. Okay, but we can but we so we knowingly do that anyway when we're funding all of these church projects because but we're not putting strings on it like that. We're not saying if you we did that intentionally not to put strings on it for the churches. Okay.

It's more akin to the um funding that we gave for the um historical society with their like embroidery things that we paid to restore. you don't own those and that's why we needed to have the certification that well at the time we didn't know but we didn't we didn't say to them okay well if you ever if this turns out to be worth a lot of money and even if it doesn't you know if we gave you $1,000 you know it's $1,000 but this is $10,000 is you know it's a little bit more money but if this gets sold do we then say okay well we would like our money back and if we do that

how long do you go out and who's going to keep track of that you know this isn't like a conservation restriction on a piece of land that's recorded in a deed book and that you have town staff that's monitoring this. Is this a grafting rule or is this in CPA? The this was just a question raised. If we're giving them the money and it turns out this item is sold because it's not owned by the town, do we get that money back? Cisco. Yeah, but I know I get the question. But if it's not like explicitly spelled out in the law, I don't know that the law addresses that specifically that that money has to come back,

right? Just like the law doesn't say they have to use CPA money first. That's a graft and specific thing we just learned. So is are we creating a graft and specific problem that doesn't exist? That's what I'm granted problem. I'm just trying to That makes sense. They could turn around and do a fundraiser and use all the money for a fundraiser after we just funded the restoration. So yeah, my my kind of thinking which is a lot more money than this and stuff is the Cisco Homestead. It's owned by the Nmucks. We're doing all it. We spent a lot of money on the exterior restoration. They're currently doing the interior restoration.

Nothing in theory stops them from selling to some other third party to maybe maybe it's the Smithsonian. Who knows? I'm just use that as example. And it's still used for public good, but now they nipmucks made a ton of money because they sold it after it was refurbished. Don't we have a preservation? We we have one plus an upgrade plus it was updated. Yes, but we have the restriction on how it can be used, but doesn't mean that they can't make money off of selling it. But it was only for like 10 years. But also to me, and this is something I can ask Mass Historical because Mass Historical has also given them money in this round. Yeah. My main

sizable amount of money. What is Mass Historical doing? Do what do they, you know, follow what their lead might be? My my main point is I think two two things is for $10,000 just to reverberate some stuff that we believe the town owns or at least will benefit the town where we've also spent a ton of money on other projects that the town doesn't own but does benefit the town which is in general process. Why would we burden this particular thing to as of to try to figure it out before town meeting on what what do we do if they sell it and they make millions off of it?

Well, I think that's I mean I I really shouldn't that was a one of those I shouldn't have said $10 million. They're not going to be worth they're priceless though. He that was on record last time that these are they're not repable. There aren't any out there. Priceless means you cannot go out and buy them on the market because there's only one. They're like either unique, one of a kind, only one or two that survive, you know, someone's willing to pay whatever somebody's willing to pay and somebody might going to pay $10 million. He told us. So, right after he wins the lottery and gives me the cut, but but I think it's worth having the answer because you don't know what's going to get asked at town meeting, right? Yep. Fair. Totally agree with that. Yeah.

And there's like three people that are going to watch this meeting and they're going to get up and ask because we're asking it. You always have this ambitious idea of who watches meetings. Well, I like to hope it's everybody. Is this like Facebook and you can see nobody's No, you can on YouTube. I think there's about eight views we get or almost double digits. Somebody fell asleep watching it. It autopopulated. Um, hi to the viewer. So, I will ask Evan his thoughts and um and I will let him decide whether the town council is brought in on this to make a determination.

When you're talking to him, ask him if he wants to speak to it too. That way, if it's all buttoned up just at town meeting, see who we're assigning it to. And if he says no, then we'll start going down the list. Okay. I was going to talk to William about Okay. However you want to handle this. No, I just want to make sure I'm I'm not missing what you're saying. Yep. That um William in charge who's going to speak to um the um feasibility study. And then this one Evan is more who owns this who do we need to make a determination of whether the town owns it?

Okay. and do we need to involve town council or is he comfortable with for $10,500 we don't need to really be too worried about it but is that an acceptable answer that say a town meeting for 10 but that's what I'm saying I'm letting him make that decision and that will come back to us I think I see where Colin's coming from I think we want the answer as an independent thing from how much we're spending right because it's 10,500 now but next year they could come back with a 100red pictures you know just kind of I I don't know what they have but you know hundred or thousand pictures they want to do the same thing with and then we're just doing 10 20 times the amount and that might be the significance. I don't want to make the choice on what is worth the

be well attent town meeting too. So you could just get all kinds of questions when there's a packed room. So you just want to be prepared. Okay. Yeah. the the nipmuck uh restriction did effectively preclude sale. Okay. For the 10 years that it was in effect for 10 years, but after 11 on the 11th year, they could sell it. Yeah. Right. That's what for $1 trillion. questions. Um, John, do you know of the the template that applicants after the grant that when we went back and forth with so much with is there any language in that that describes what happens if they sell or there's maybe is there

because that just got put on the website. I just retweaked that this week. All right. And there was a name language about we might want to revisit that like after town meeting to to figure out a clawback provision for for exactly what we're discussing. On that what's that document called? The agreement letter. The agreement letter. Okay, that makes sense. So that that can just be a condition that we add. Correct.

Yeah. But again, it's I think it's depending on the amount, the dollar amount. And again, it's like town money is town money. We're trying to be careful with it. But it's who's going to monitor this? That's the, you know, this if this sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars, I think everybody will know. But if somebody the historical society, we're gonna we're not going to have um the task the needle work anymore. We're just going to sell them and it's sold for $500. You know, we could

it's going to go under the radar. We're not going to know it. Nobody's tracking that. We could make it similar to uh the capital plan like if it's over 25,000 it qualifies for. So if it's if you sell it for more than 25,000 or whatever number over percentage of our get grant spent grant or whatever we'll we'll put agreement letter on there and we'll figure out language later. Um we try to make it as simple and you know so this is a summer

right and I mean these projects are all available on the database so if something did come down the line in 50 years I guess but again the law doesn't say they have to it would be a graft specific Okay. All right. So, those are the two um applications. Um we have six articles in total. Um the three reserves are 88,100. Let me make sure I'm not jumping ahead. That's just the projects. Okay. So we are moving to um town meeting warn articles which are due tomorrow by the way.

Can I um we have to get these in tomorrow morning. The 10% for the affordable housing trust and the 10% for the other reserves is not the same number. Give me a second. Um, so it's 88129 and then it's 8915. Oh, right. I forgot to update that. Good catch. Thank you. Why did they pay me? Glad she's here. Yeah, I updated the other numbers. So where? So I'm just looking because these are all the 10% reserves. So this one and then when you go to the affordable hous

Oh, the second one. So it should be 129, correct? Well, there one's 88, one's 89, and no, but they all should be 88129. 88129 is the correct number. That is also the current number on the treasures report. That's correct. Okay. So that's all right. We got to redo the six. Yeah. You want me to I'll reissue that if you want? Yeah. Okay. So, so we'll have to I'll make I'll make the motion that the

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Um, we also have the PEL bond payment that's $55,000. The townhouse bond payment, that's $71,425. Um, the reserve for the um admin expense of $24,000. Now you

I'll move that the CPC submit to the warrant the six warrant articles as listed in our meeting materials with the edit on the CPC affordable housing trust transfer to adjust the dollar amount from 89,151 to 88,129 second. Okay. So Paul, can I ask another uh treasure typing question? Sure.

These 10% are estim estimates, right? And our estimates are always lower than the actual number. So how do we make up the difference? Let's say like it was really supposed to be 93,000. How do we get those? Uh in the past it's they said if it's dimminimous if it's not a lot you just go with it. One year it was significant. So we did make it do a catch up didn't we?

Uh no that's not quite the way it was. one in for the first couple of years, the committee always re-uped uh the reserves, all the reserves when we got the final number because the final number used doesn't didn't come in in time for to for the meeting. And so the committee used to always re-up it in the spring special town meeting, correct? Which doesn't exist anymore. And so but then the coalition uh it told us that that was not required. No one else did it but us and so we stopped doing it. When we first started, we were getting this information before town meeting and then slowly got pushed further and further.

I think what Colleen is saying though is that not only the only not in addition to the estimate we make for the state match, we also are estimating the revenue and she's actually specifically talking about the revenue and that's again not required and not done by any committee in the state. And so uh the because the law only says that you have to do the reserves based on estimated the estimates. Okay. And it and then it it prescribes how the estimates are done. Okay. Is there a way to just get a breakout of the last like maybe two years of of what that difference would have been?

The revenue. Yes. That chart that I publish uh with you know that the chart that I publish of the revenue plus state matches has that information in it. Not this. I didn't publish it. I published it a couple months ago, but I I don't Where do you publish it? I don't publish it every time. I I'm sorry, but where do you publish it? Where where would I find with the committee notes? It's in It's in one of the uh the It's in one of the uh information packets in some prior month. I don't remember when when it's like a two-page treasures report. Uh in addition to it, uh at least once a year I publish it. Usually it's about the it's usually kind of when the uh uh it must be in the fall when the accountants closed the prior year.

Yeah, that's when I publish it. Okay. Uh and so if you if you look back at the uh agenda material for the, you know, the latter months of the last calendar year, you'll probably find it. Or I could just send you a copy. I would love that. Thank you. That would be that would be easiest. Okay. Okay. Can you humor me and send me a copy of that as well? Or send sure to the committee maybe? I'll send it. Yeah, I'll send it to everybody. Okay. I remember I sent it last sometime last fall. Okay.

But I do keep track of that and it's you know the estimates are low by sometimes by really material amounts but it's there's no requirement by material amounts or unmaterial. Yes, by material amounts. a couple hundred thousand dollars. Not ours. Yeah. Sometimes the corrections to the estimates, right, are, you know, can be No, I mean the in terms of the the 81,000, it might be 82,000. But you're talking about the He's saying, let's say right now we're saying 750,000, right? I'm talking about the

But let's say it comes in at 900,000. That's $150,000 that could be divvied up to those pots. It doesn't. And when I'm put my affordable housing trust hat on, I'd like to get that divvy as you know, our one and only funding source. Um, and you know, we do have a CPA now. Well, then who in order who may have, you know, want to track that. So, the way that would work is that the trust could make an additional request for more money based on whatever they they want to base it on, including

Well, the trust can But I think the the big point here is the reserves themselves like in theory we could spend be spending a lot less on you know recreation or even open space and because we don't put the reserve in there that we in theory could have if we matched it. Right. We're we're unrestricting money that may have been intended to be restricted if it's that big a number.

Yeah. But but but and and I I don't mind having an additional request, but rather than making us guess, like you know, when we're doing our taxes with the IRS, we'll be able to figure that number out. So could you pass it along each year to say, "Hey, this was the difference. Go request this." We know what the number is. I publish it. Yeah. Because if it's, you know, 10,000, great. I don't want to request 25. But if it's, you know, whatever the number is, uh I think it would be a a good idea to do. Okay. I'll I'll uh dig that up and send it around. Okay. Thank you.

So, there is a motion on the table. Okay. I have a second a motion by Justin, second by Paul um to accept the treasures report with I'm sorry, sorry, sorry. Um the war art Justin and Paul um motion and second to accept the warrant articles with the exception of a correction in the six warrant article for the affordable housing trust transfer

to correct the dollar amount to $88,129. Any further discussion hearing? None. All those in favor. All those opposed to declare the motion carried unanimously for sure.

All right. So, this is just getting teed up for the next meeting. Um, if we not a ton has really changed significantly to to do like new pictures. I like these pictures, but Paul says he's might got one of the comments, so I could flop them around easily enough. And then Ken has some um suggestion for new language on the back if you don't mind. Uh yeah, thank you.

Yeah, the new language is uh is my thoughts on that when I saw you know a comment mentioned uh I happen to think that the Grafton Common is one of the uh you know the jewels of the uh uh projects that we have funded. I think it's gorgeous and I think they did a fantastic job and I think that it's there for everyone to see and we should call it out spec specifically and this is a good spot to do it. Okay.

And so I would suggest that it's something like uh the restoration of the Grafton uh town common uh was funded by the CPA as well as several nearby projects. just to just call it out. That was my suggestion. So you wanted just more more fluff. Yeah. Just more text. More text. Just to change the text to say that. But do you want to call them out specifically to say

just say say the text just leading with the fact that we did the comment and we al and plus other things. But do you want to call out that we did the library that we I mean again I think you want to say we did all these things not just another building that's a good idea including the library congregational church the townhouse the okay you know so it's like everybody can see right yeah you know you could say including you know other projects including the the the library yep and the three you know the facade you know and various projects on the three churches exterior here. You could say exterior projects on the three churches. Yeah, there's a lips including and that'll speak to different people.

There's a picture of it in there. Yeah, that'll speak to a bunch of different people like at town meeting. Yeah, everyone has their own little agenda. Like if you like the library, I love that. I wasn't paying attention. Right. Yeah. Okay. I can update that, bring it back to April for everyone to stamp it, and then I'll get copies made for May. The other person that wants them, because when I went to pay my taxes, um, they used to they picture of the picture and they would love to have them to give out to people who wants this. People that pay their bills that the the count's the wrong um, the treasur Oh, treasur collector wants this. Yes. Because when people come in Yeah, the treasure collector can have this. I will definitely drop whenever you're Yeah.

Yeah. finished. I said we were in the process of updating. Christine is the one I talked to. You got it. Um the only other potential comment I have is these pictures on here are great. They are great. Oh, they copy.

They don't have any dates. I don't know if it make if it will fit or look right to add either date the fixture was taken or date the project was approved kind or even year the project was approved or something like that. I'm more saying that and just it's the kind of thing I sometimes think about like how old is that picture, how old is the project, but I don't know if it makes sense to try to fit that on here. I don't know how it'll it'll look out of place. I agree. Good answer.

I'll I'll take uh all the input. I will update it in April. You guys can uh love it or tweak it more. I'm not going to have dates.

And after historic graves, I would just say project. I don't want to have it be too long because I would give you a bunch of stuff. But I like the deer Abner stone. I might update to that. I tweaked these the other night because I was like this is more descriptive. This is what our agenda used to say. So now I can I changed the instead of 95 North Street, we all know it as that and I it's going to mess up the accounting because that's what they call it. But so I just put because the sign says Ainsworth Ingvall Farm Memorial Park. So we need to kind of get used to that's the real name because 95 North Street is is is the address.

I gotcha. No, I like that. That that when this version came out, we used what was on the agenda. Now the agenda is looking more So we will update that. No problem. No, the more you look at stuff, the more I mean, don't I'm a I will edit to death stuff. And the contact us is all still the same. Beth, you haven't changed your email or anything like that? No. Okay. Oh, wait. The contact phone number and the extension shouldn't be I have to change it on the It just says it doesn't have an extension. It doesn't have Does it need an extension? Just the phone number. Yeah. Okay. So we have it like that. Um the phone

unless you want it to go to the um to Cindy or Amber like the cuz that's who kind of fields this kind of stuff. We can send it to them if you want to do that. So the phone number as it exists is what I lean toward. Yeah. The main phone number because that will go right to them, right? Uh, usually you have to hit like like for treasure collector hit blah blah blah. For town administrator hit blah blah blah. Should it say your email at graft mass? Because that was something I caught in the agreement. It said the contact person addresses join Duncan. I'm like no it's not.

Didn't put we have CP admin. Yeah, we have to put CPC. So I would write CPC admin because Yeah. And then it will always stay the same no matter because then you don't have to keep changing if things change. So CPC admin at Grafton. Yeah. Okay. Right. No, you got it. It's like and then it's like you know you're going to miss stuff. But that's something that at least it's cuz you get two emails. She gets both. There's She gets them both.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I can uh No problem with that. Um uh the other thing that I just noticed it says approved funding 2003 to 2024. Do we want to update that pie chart dates? Yeah. Yeah. Uh Ken, I don't know. It I'll change a little bit. But so the way I made that pie chart, which Ken made fun of me,

was I looked at the database on CP and I made my own Excel sheet, which was exhaustive, and Ken was like, I have that. And I was like, oh, so maybe we'll use Ken's so it's accurate to what, you know, the Treasury report here has and it's not uh for that chart. Are you looking for uh I noticed that that one is labeled saying it was 200. Oh. Oh. All it was up to date up to Yeah, I could give you the uh most up to date one if it's in the project file that's called project file searchable.

And you could just it's on you know you could copy it from there if you wanted to. And project file. Where's the project file? I don't know. I send it around every once in a while. No, but it's it's an email that he sends out when he sends treasures reports. Yeah. I don't remember seeing I don't think I've seen that. Ever seen that? Maybe you just sent it to me.

Maybe. All right, I'll send it around. It It's a a file that uh has all the projects uh mostly up to date, I think, up to the last town meeting. And it uh allows you to select uh what groups of files you want to look at by uh many categories including uh you know you know which class they're in, which of the four classes, you know what uh where they're located physically located, who you know who is the sponsor of them, and a whole bunch of different categories. You can just search and whether they're open or closed. And uh at the bottom it's got that chart.

Okay. I might just keep my Excel sheet. Yours just sounded very intimidating. Okay. Anyway, you can go to the bottom of that file and just copy it. Okay. I will. And if you mouse over it, it'll tell you what the amounts and percents are. It's if I mess with it, it's not going to mess you up though, right? Like I'm just getting a copy. No, I'll give you a copy. Thank you. Definitely do that. Thank Okay, I'll send it out to everybody. Okay, you saying it's only a copy. Make sure you send it back, right? Okay, we don't need a vote on that.

Um, the next thing is the open meeting law complaint. There was a response back from Natalie Ray Reyes from the Attorney General's office um regarding the open meeting law complaint from last October. Um they said currently our office has no record that Mr. Hadith had requested review of the complaint. Therefore, we consider this matter closed. So wanted to pass that along. We satisfied the he did the training and that satisfied the concern. So

that's that. Okay. Project updates. Paul town records. So she was in a couple months ago to us. um she had sent those um documents to Green Dragon Boundary and uh they are working on them and she hasn't presented any more to me at this point. So I think she's going to wait till those come back before she moves on to anything else. Okay. Um for the Deacon Abner Stow historic gravestone reproduction recolocation project. I don't know. It seems like I did send an email out and you responded. I did

that. I was like fell out of my chair. I finally got an answer cuz I kept calling. I kept calling. I could send emails, send pictures, didn't get anywhere. And he goes, "Oh yeah, this is really in danger." So he agreed. And I then Evan, you said, "Do you still say we can put this in the municipal center? You and Cindy are going to not be happy." I know. in where the um lockers used to be and he said yes. So wait, it's happening. It's going in the municipal center. Well, that's in the coffin. He agreed.

It's art. You need to look at it like art. It's calledaryary art. I can't because I've been to the cemetery and visited it in a cemetery. It is no longer art to me. It is It is just It's very much art. Yes. I mean, that was very artistic. I mean, that's James New was a No, I know. I know. teeth. It's a It's It is haunted. It is not haunted. Anyway, but that even makes it better, does it? Yes, of course. Don't come walking everybody on a Friday night by yourself.

So, that's move along, but it's more than yes, it's okay. I still have to fill out another application from Mass Historical to formally agree with what? Because it's more than just the staff members. Somewhere else. Can you tell? I am My face cannot control itself right now. Can it be put away from these rooms? Oh, yeah. On the other end of the building, but that's near the senior center and that's like a bad vibe, too. Like, don't do that. They probably would appreciate it more than you. Yeah. everyone's going to appreciate it more than me. Let's be very clear.

And then I also have to then start working with the um carver that's going to replicate it. So again, this is so the replica is going in the beginning. Seriously, John, how is it being moved? Do do you have to get a professional at the moment? Um no, I would think how I could do it. I mean, I would certainly want to be involved. I wouldn't want like to have that. What if it breaks? You know, I mean, that's something that I will talk to my I think it's kind of cool though. I We rideed all those stones years ago. We had No, not break was one of them. Mary Flynn, there was a group of us that every Wednesday night or whatever. We would go over there. We would clean the stones

and we would write them. Some of them we could lift up. And because that one is so big, it's probably got this much underground. Just the sheer size of it, you've got to have that much or it will tip over. Um, so so this is this is a beginning of probably I would say another six months to a year of paperwork, red tape, and then actual fabrication and then the actual relocation. So

this is it's but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's no longer the train coming at me. It's the end of the tunnel daylight. So Roger and that's and and when we do this I want to have Monday Roger Omen's wife do something and have her there because Roger's the one that said spe this was the very first CPC project. He spearheaded this. So, I think this might please her to see that this is finally weird when we have an agenda without it. Um, the 95 North Street last time we're going to call it that. When does it open? That's what I wanted.

Yeah, that's the big question. We had our recck meeting in the beginning of the month and we didn't have an update and Adam's been at a conference um all week so he didn't have anything to give to me for tonight. So, Um, I'm assuming, you know, the excuse before was that the snow and the winter and now that that seems to be gone and not coming back. Um, I would assume they're going to be able to wrap it up the next month or so, but so it's still likely on track for this year.

They they don't have any more invoices left. So, I think it's just a matter of like the closing checklist and any kind of last minute inspections and things, but um should be good. So, I told them that, you know, if there's a ribbon cutting or some kind of opening ceremony that we definitely want to be involved, so we need to know. Um, were you able to clarify if both of the original planned loops were done or if it was just I think it's just the accessible one. Are there plans to complete the the larger loop? Is that

Well, they had the design plans done originally and those don't go out the window. We just couldn't fund it. So, at some point, if they want to do a second phase, I'm sure that would be a possibility because that would be just essentially marking trails and stuff, right? And maybe clearing a little bit. I don't know exactly what would be involved in what the cost of that. It seems like didn't it have some wetlands and they had to have some isn't that it was larger. So it was a larger footprint and it did go through that was more I thought it was the trail that you had to a raised trail which all the expense would have gone to. I thought that was for the accessible one only. No, I thought that was the accessible one was like an inner loop, like a smaller loop,

but I thought that's what needed the um the raised part. I don't know. It may be like a the top of my head. They need something, but they could come back to us for that. Right. Right. Hopefully someone does that because that's really what makes it um you know, it's great for people that don't have access anyways, but it's a very small loop um for other people to be able to enjoy it. Um it would be nice to have that bigger loop completed.

Have to go twice in the meantime. Um Jack did not give me a new update, but um at the last meeting there were several families that they were moving in with the assistance of the Gallagher rental program. So that continues to do good work. Um do you have any information from any new information from Ray? Nothing that you weren't in the loop for. Okay. Any update from Congregational Church?

I haven't been able to connect with Andy yet, so it's mostly on my end because I've been incredibly busy, but I have that on my to-do list. So, I will get in touch with him shortly. And Sue Howell is the new moderator for the church. So she's kind of going to be the new contact person. Her name Sue Howell. Sue a reading teacher. What? She's the new moderator, which is kind of like the who was the old one? Um Rob. Oh, so Rob's not involved with the project anymore. went you I think you do it for two years and then so he won't be involved in

he still said he wants to be involved but she formally she is the moderator so she's officially kind of the that person and has woods um that's another spring project that we were waiting for them to do that final bridge and we did at the last meaning um extend the sunset for that for another year so they could get that done. Um we had do you have any additional moving on to the affordable housing trust?

Should I pull up the agenda just to jog my memory second? So, we met obviously we're the affordable housing trust is going through a big uh shift right now with the big loss of Fiona which is a huge hit and our council is uh retiring. We got a couple more months with her. So, we're in the process of trying to find new council. Um and then that's pretty much it right now. Uh there's potentially a ribbon cutting happening with 1727 Upton Street. So, we're working with Brandon Properties to do that. Obviously, if anything gets,

you know, formalized, you guys will be invited to go do that. Um, not a ribbon coming. Um, a groundbreaking. Yes. Sorry, RI. That's where my head was at. But other than that, um, am I missing anything? Not really. No. In the high fields, did a feasibility study that still works. Okay. Yeah. So mostly just for the one person that watches our recording, he just said high field lots feasibility study. Yeah. So we got microphone is why repeating myself. Two or three. Oh. Oh, I was like, you know about that, right? You're not asking me. You're just repeating, Brian. Thank you.

Yes. Okay. How many lots they get? Two or three? Three. Three. Okay. All right. Um CPA project signs. Um Bri at Sunshine Sign is working on the design for the Silver Lake Conservation Area that we just most recently bought that land, but it's going to have one sign for that will um be for all the properties that we bought on the north side of that um of the lake. And Ken is going to help site where that sign will be located. spot that we can do it.

Is that going to be like our traditional sign with the granite and the And I'm also working on a placement sign for the one that was stolen at South Graffton Elementary Playground. And that's going to be more or less um I hate to say it like a to it's called a tombstone that sh I know you won't

detect the theme. But they look like that. It's called a tombstone. Um, but that's the kind that it was a smaller one. Um, but it will be there's a little ramp that's kind of right in the middle and it will be right there. So, this is where people will see it going up and down and it'll be more or less the size of um like a speed limit sign, not huge and just on a a pole. So, and a metal sign, not granite, nothing fancy, not expensive, but just something that's tasteful and that, you know, honors Dorian Parker, who is the principal, and recognizes um our contribution.

Nice. So, John, you said good. You said it was stolen. Yes. Well, it was the the sign was done like very quickly, I guess, that they were doing this and they didn't have one. And Jay, I think Jay just ordered it or the principal, I don't know who did it. And it was just a metal small metal sign, not any bigger than this, that had metal clips that you screw in to a chain link fence. So, anybody with a screwdriver could say, "I like that, or I'm going to take that, or I'm going to vandalize that." So they never the kindergartenner that did it. I don't think it was a kindergartener because I don't know the other the kindergarter because it backed up to there's a wall. That was a joke.

No, no, it's like it's it's somebody really had to go to a little effort to get to it because there's a wall and you have to crawl around the fence to get to it and it was somebody, you know, was determined. It's the same thief that was taking the apples from North Street. Yeah. Oh, for the sign. Remember that happened a few years ago? how the apples kept disappearing on the top of the North Gra. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or North Street school. Yeah. Yeah. So, but this is like this isn't like I'm like, "Oh, this is cool. I want to keep and it's like I should go call go visit Dorine." That's what that's my number one suspect is Dorine. Put that in your garage. That's nice.

No, I think she would be appalled to know that it was gone. It's like she wouldn't believe it. So, and anyway, um and then Lake Wildwood is on the uh the final and still no update on that. And um there's never any update on that though. Kind of it's it's more of an Upton project that spills over into Grafton and it's the it's Upton that has actually set aside money to do it.

And the problem is is that the family, their two sides, I guess they're cousins that are fighting. Yep. And I don't know if the children of the man who died are more in favor of being more favorable to selling it to be preserved. And then their cousins or other relatives that are more I want top dollar and the the land itself I guess is not as desirable as they think it is. And so this is just one of those. Have you been over there? The lawyers are getting all the money kind of and nothing's happening. Yep.

So, I mean, you drive past it when you go down 140 towards Upton and it's and you see Wildwood Street or whatever it is, it's just right there. Well, Touchstone Community School has across Yeah. They have a little piece of that. Mhm. So yeah, you know, the the the the goal is good and I think our contribution would be rather small, but it's it would make that project happen and you know, so um

cool wildlife over there actually like in that vicinity, you know, turtles and I don't know, fish, ducks, turtles, cool stuff. All right. I move we adjourn. Second. Second. Three-way tie. But it's all done. Who was second? Were you second? No. Jan, give it to Give it to Jan. Give it to her. Jan. She wants to name it. So, we'll let Jan. So, I have a motion to adjurnn by Justin, second by Jan. All those in favor? I.

Motion carried. We are unanimous. So we are returned at 8:23. Not bad.