Community Preservation Committee - Regular Meeting

Okay, 7 o'clock, call the meeting to order. If you have guests that you'd like to introduce, let them come speak. Ray? I mean, I don't know who else. You said there were a couple people that were coming. Yep.

So we have a lot of guests here. We have our new member that's here with us tonight. We have Ray. We have Erica. We have Jax presenting. then I don't, he's with Erica. So I don't know if you guys want to, we'll have ladies first. Erica, why don't you come up and present your.

Thank you. so I don't look at a paper, but I did know to reach out to Colleen, so she invited me here. We're here to get some assistance on a potential application we're working on. We are looking to potentially get funding for a scoreboard at the baseball field at the high school. All of the other fields right now have scoreboards. Obviously, the football field has a really nice one. The softball field had one installed, I think, in the last couple of years. Yeah, last couple of years. And then the ancillary boys lacrosse field has one. But the baseball field does not have one. And anyone who's watched a baseball game, it's very challenging to know what's going on if you don't have a scoreboard. So I happened to notice that when I was at a game, Talk to a few other parents. I know that it's been something folks have been working on for a while, but funding is challenging to find. We have a very active boosters club over the last couple of years. We've done a great job cultivating an array of sponsors, but they use that funding for a lot of other things. So they're not sitting on quite enough to help with this, but they would be a participant in this for sure. So we've got a quote. We want to just know what else we need to do. So Steve is here to talk baseball scoreboards. All of that, that's outside my area of expertise. To date, we've gotten a quote. It's looking at about $35,000. We modeled it after the softball scoreboard, which is solar. So it's nice because it doesn't require any electricity to it. We have been working with the AD at the high school as well, who would be obviously a big participant in this. She said it's working great. There have been no challenges with it. I worried that sometimes it wouldn't get powered, but that hasn't been challenge at all so we modeled it after that there's space for sponsorships a big part of this would be going after local sponsorships and we're still we're starting to pursue that angle but haven't gone too far because we want to make sure we can get some other funding as well and we're thinking of the $35,000 cost ten to fifteen thousand dollars through a combination of sponsorships and booster club support so that's where we're at and we just want guidance on How best to present the application? What else we should be thinking about? Does this fit within the mandate? The reason we're here is I was literally sitting on my couch one morning and said, what could I do? And I looked up grants and I, it came to me that this has been, this CPC funding has been used in other towns in the state for this purpose. It was one of the first things that chat GPT popped up to me. So hence we're pursuing this. And we noticed that the deadline was on seven one. Ideally, we're starting to run, we've been doing it for just a few weeks, running fast, because if we can get it approved, then we could get this in place before the next baseball season. So anything you want to add as an actual baseball dad?

No, I think she just hit that as they hosted a state district game this year, and there was no scoreboard, and one of the moms actually did a dry erase board and had the score for the, and it was actually well attended, and the AD did turn on the far scoreboard, I think. Yes, the Far, far. So that people that were watching lacrosse and stuff, they could watch it. And there was over a couple hundred people there. So just to have a scoreboard for a game like that, I think, would just be helpful. I mean, the kids know, but there's always parents asking, who's doing game changes? So people are always looking on their phones. And this way, they could just look up at the scoreboard and see what's going on.

Have you talked to the school department? Do they have any input?

They would definitely be able to help with, I think, the coordination potentially they're not interested in funding it they you know it's hard to find the funding i think they they took the lead in the softball one but right now with what's going on right like we're looking at potentially going to fees they've got money everybody got raises the other day it's not yeah well i don't know if this unfortunately is going to hit the top of the list of funding priorities to come straight out of the school department One of the things that's happened in the last couple of years because of the funding environment has been the boosters. The boosters bought jerseys for my daughter's hockey team this year. They were brand new. Boosters have been amazing, but $35,000 out of the boosters would hamstring their ability to support the other things. So I think parents are recognizing that there is a lack here, and we're trying to fill the gap as well. The school, we certainly can see if there's any funding, but early indications would be that what they'd be able to do is just provide the logistical support for this.

I would go back to them following how this turns out and say, we can get this much from Boosters, we can get this much from CBC, what can you provide now? And asking for a much more limited scope of funds may make them more willing to put a piece in. potentially and I can also attest I didn't play baseball but I played basketball before there was a scoreboard in either of those gymnasiums and we each team always had a runner to go into the stands and find someone who'd been keeping score because we just didn't we had no idea so I can only imagine how challenging it is in baseball yes well as a parent it's easy to lose track of the slow moving sport as players we never had any idea so has this

been the case obviously since the baseball field has been there they just decided we're not going to put in a scoreboard when it was built that's my presumption i think along with no you know no turf like the other fields and no scoreboard i think it was just the decision probably funding at the time too with everything else that was going on yeah the reality is of all the fields i think it is the least attended to right we've got a couple of turf fields they have scoreboards they added the softball scoreboard if you go to it looks like the grass isn't that well maintained right so The reality is we're pushing more the school department on the maintenance piece of it.

Yeah, the school department, they close the field down for the rest of the summer, so Little League can't use the field this summer like we do for a couple games. They close it down because they're going to try and bring it back because the outfield was in tough shape.

So how do we think? I'm glad to hear that because I didn't know the answer to your question of is this fundable by CPA, and if other towns are funding it, obviously it is.

So, yeah, so I was just trying to look that up, and so it's kind of, I know that CPC has weird kind of little things. It does fund outdoor scoreboards. It will not fund indoor scoreboards. Sorry for your basketball. Probably because it's part of the building.

Like if we can't pay to have the football field, we can't pay for that.

It's weird.

Maybe because there's a shorter lifespan, but still that's like... Yeah, outdoor recreation is okay. I'm just wondering, you know, if it's like you said that it was used partially for you know little league and stuff because that's another and they do host middle school soccer games there in the outfield so they could use the scoreboard for soccer games as well yeah you definitely identify that there's a need that this would be a need um i'm looking for the the avenue to say yes right opposed to right

And it's also a reasonable cost, even if it was a whole thing.

I just would hope. I mean, I don't have a problem with this at all. I think it's a good thing. And I think it's unfortunate that you don't have one and that you have to put your hat out. But I think the school needs to say, OK, we will commit X dollars to this.

We'll see what they can, right? And we may still put it forward, because I do worry that there's a chance.

And I'm happy to go to the school committee and make that. I mean, I know they don't respond. statements or I would be happy to go to say I'm a member of CPC. We've had an application come in and we feel like the school needs to participate in this because as part of our grant process, we want everybody to have a little bit of the skin in the game because the boosters are, you know, they're not even there to be paying for this, but you're doing a lion's share of all the work. So you're, you've got a lot of commitment on your part. So I think the school needs to, because these are school teams, correct? Correct. That the school needs to say, we support this as well.

How do we think about the timing? Because the school budget is set, and I'm not sure if there's a line item that neatly applies to this, right? And it's trying to sync the two up. So what if tomorrow, we'll follow up with the AD.

What is your timetable to get it in? Because it's October town meeting that's coming up.

Yes. So the ideal would be that we get approval in October town meeting so that we can get going on it so that by next spring we have it right so it seems so far off but I feel like we just missed the boat on the school budget absolutely tomorrow first thing we'll talk to Ashley Paulson the AD she's been our contact see what might be doable but I do worry that there is no line item that naturally will line up to being able to give funding for me personally which unfortunately I won't be here after tonight I wouldn't

hold this application up if the school isn't providing a monetary amount because the school is going to be maintaining it going forward so the school is going to have skin in the game in that sense they're going to have to maintain it they're going to have to make sure it stays nice once it's in so there is a little bit of skin in the game when you look at it that way and it does sound like there are other resources like the boosters could probably give a little bit absolutely maybe even reach out to little league and see if they can give a little bit so now you have Multiple funding sources that it isn't but both probably will be CPA, but now it's it's checked all the boxes, right? And I would I'd be excited.

It's to vote on this at October town meeting So and I think this what's unique about a scoreboard is it has permanent real estate for a sponsor? so we've already working with the boosters reached out to a big sponsor of the boosters giving them the right of first refusal right there certain people that get tapped a lot so we don't want to pass over them but we stop there and there's interest already and I think We have to double-check with Ashley how much they've sold other real estate for, but it's reasonable to think we could get $10,000, I think, for that space and even do it for a limited amount of time so that in five years you have to re-up and there's money there for maintenance.

I'm sure it's going to have to have certain upgrades. Exactly.

But I think that the sponsorship could be the avenue by which we have additional money for ongoing maintenance. right the scoreboard has a five-year warranty so if we could set that first thing as five years potentially we can get another influx of cash and again the boosters are absolutely planning to put some skin in the game and would be there as well for support plan a little spot to say um paid for by cpa too because we love being recognized and having our name up there and great

One other thought I have that would be good just to have with the application is a letter from the school department that basically says yes we're in favor of it, yes we're going to take it on. I can't imagine they would say no. And I imagine they've already aware you're trying to do this. Yeah, yeah, we've most having something in writing with the with the application would be useful saves your question.

You don't want us like yeah, in the middle of the night putting this up and then they're surprised. Like again, we've been coordinating directly with the ad, but we'll broaden it now to the entire school committee.

And it's the application that come from the boosters.

It's a great question. I was thinking it is a combination of the boosters and the school again, the school I didn't anticipate could give a lot of cash. but they're the ones who need to coordinate.

But whoever's doing all the work. If you're doing all the work, I would say you're the applicant, not the school. Okay. I don't know if there's room on there to say that they're providing technical assistance.

There's a coordination section where you can say who's doing what.

But in terms of the contact person and that, I would say it sounds like the boosters are the one that's... They're driving the bus.

I think they should be. I'm not even on the boosters. I don't even have a child who plays baseball or goes to ground. But somehow I'm driving this bus. So I'll figure out who the right person is to take over.

Maybe give you a little more breathing room. I mean, unless people tell me I'm out of line. The applications are actually due in July. Great. The initial application, which gives you an opportunity to make corrections, additions. Our meeting is not until the 23rd. Great. I would say the 16th. If you could get it to us, that's a week in advance because people are not going to sit and read them on July 1st if you send it. Don't worry. I know.

Colleen's like, I was planning on doing that. I would also suggest that make sure you use that contingency aspect of the application. Ask for more than you're going to need. We are going to be shortly implementing and working on a policy about how CPC funds come in after initial funding. So don't worry about asking for a little bit more and then thinking, oh, we've got to find a way to spend this. Oh, yeah. It just comes back, so it's great. Okay. Yeah. So build yourselves in a little bit of cushion.

Okay, great. And I would start now in, I'm sure you've talked to the AD, but talk to the school and talk to whoever the appropriate person is to give you permission to do it. Right.

Because if it's, you know, they're going to, it's their real estate that this is going to.

Yeah.

whatever things they're going to ask you, you know, as far as an agreement.

Trying to time it all, right? I don't want to get them too excited, but if you feel like there's a path.

Tomorrow might not be the best day. I think they're going to be closed tomorrow. But I like the eagerness.

Well, to be honest, I would like to get through this, get the process underway. So it was almost good that there was a deadline coming up so quickly.

You said you have one estimate? Yeah, we have a firm.

We have one firm estimate. I think it was with different options. You know, this is going with a solar option. I think there was, if we wanted to have pitch counts on it, we got rid of that.

And again, it's like, don't pinch yourself. If you feel like, what is it you need? Don't say, oh, well, we don't need that. We can do without that. If that is something that would be helpful, especially to the players, the parents who are watching the game, Don't say, oh, well, it's $500 more, $1,000 more. You know, if it's $20,000, I get it. But I think the solar is probably a good idea, even if it costs more. Because it's not going to cost electricity. You don't have it hooked up. I think you're going to have savings.

You have long-term savings with the solar.

So that's, I think, a bonus, even if it has a little bit higher initial cost.

And it sounds like it's going to match the initial scoreboard that's already down there.

Right. Without solar anyway, you'd have additional costs for running conduit. Oh, you're correct.

that could also be that's why we look at mounting it onto the school because it could have went right on it would look perfect day but we figured that's probably a big ass so that's why we're done with you might want to make sure that's a little battery backup so that you could get through days like today

All right. So the 16th, if you can, and it's a digital application, it's all online. So hopefully that, and it's worked our first round. Okay. So if there are problems, please, I think there's a link where you can say, Hey, I'm having a problem.

Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much. Yeah. I could not come back to the next meeting, but does it make sense to have someone to plan to come back to the next meeting after I'll be on vacation? We'll see who else can come and answer questions at that point.

Yep. Okay. Because that way, there are questions they can take it back to the group and yes then you guys can chase down more numbers or get more answers that right so that in August when we actually do vote you've got a full we have information all the information we need right because we still have a little bit of wiggle room because we have to our deadline is pushed because of town meeting yes and our things have to be to the town administrator by 40 days prior to yeah so that kind of That's why this gets backed up so soon. It seems it's crazy. It's the middle of the summer.

Whoever else you loop in, you guys have to plan to present this at town meeting. We don't present it. You guys have to field all the town meeting questions. We just say, yep, we support funding this, and that's it. Okay, sounds good.

We can do that. And we can help with that because Colleen has been real good with helping.

Yeah, I can make a PowerPoint even though I won't be on, but just send it to me. I'll get it done.

Okay. I'm great at PowerPoints.

Oh, perfect. So you can do it.

You can crush it.

PowerPoints all the time. And I would ask if there's any permitting or any regulations. Great. It's a scoreboard. I can't really think of anything. I don't, but it'll be something.

But you would think that the selecting can weigh any kind of fee.

Yeah, it'll be something. No, I'm just wondering, just to make sure that you don't do something that's too big or something. I have no idea about the sign regulations.

That's where we're going to be looping in the AD and whoever else she thinks should be to make sure that we're following all of that. We will think of that as well. Thank you. This has been super helpful. Thanks for coming in, guys. Thank you. Thank you so much.

All right. I'm going to have Ray go before you.

I anticipate some questions.

Mr. Meade, if you don't mind stepping forward. I'm not sharing, sorry.

How are you, sir?

I'm good, thank you. How is everybody?

So you sent a few photographs.

Yes.

I think everybody...

So let me let me before I get into the pictures I just want to do a little history and a lot of you who are on the board the last time the The last time I came before you for for money for Rony bridge we actually the members of engine company to Association started the project ten years ago this month by clearing the the brush and poison ivy and all of that stuff so that we could excuse me so that we could get the get an engineer engineer in there to to do the work that they had to do a year later we completed the project with the help of CPC funds and donations it's it's been it's been actually pretty good. It's a great place. Um, we keep it up. It is totally maintained by engine company to association free of charge to the town. Um, we signed an agreement with the town to maintain that the, uh, the property for 10 years, uh, that is up next May. Uh, we plan on re re upping that for another 10 years. Um, so it hasn't cost the town a dime, to do anything down there. And we've done a lot of work. We've done granite bollards with the chains and work on the bridge, landscaping.

I'm sorry? Christmas decorations.

And I got to tell you, they're not as good as I want them. And maybe this year they're going to be even better. So going through the bridge. We have a few issues. One is the drainage. So it wasn't anticipated during the initial project that all of the water that came down Mill Street was going to end up in the park. And that all of the water that comes down North Main Street was going to end up in the park. And that has happened. So in one section where it was designed to have trap rock and an overflow into the Quinsigamon River, it was supposed to filter through the trap rock. And we went before conservation for this. That has turned into an issue. And it's filled with sand, and it's So far we've been able to stop the water or the sand and all of the stuff that comes off the road, road salt and everything like that, going into the river. Because we've cleaned out the trap rock and shoveled out all of the stuff that goes down in there. So that's an issue. This winter we had two of our granite posts, two of them broken right off by a loader. uh... and we've had numerous granite post bumped into uh... tractor trailer hit one car hit one uh... and so you know i mean it's kind of a it's kind of a pain for us that you know to repair all of this stuff fortunately with the two that got broken uh... an insurance company took care of that one and and everything but they didn't put them quite in the right spots and so one chain is tighter than the other chain we're gonna take care of that so But we have spent a lot of money. We raised $50,000 for the maintenance of the park, and we have spent almost all of that. So that's with plantings, flowers, mulch every year, all of the work, all of the other stuff that we do, all of the granite posts, all of the chains, everything. So what we'd like to do, is we'd like to put in six-inch granite curbs everywhere. Right now we have Cape Cod berms. So Cape Cod berms are very easy to drive up onto and everything, and it's cars, as I said, cars have driven up. Plows has driven up on one side and then over in the handicap spot. They drove right up and hit two of the bushes that were up in there. So originally in the project, we wanted to put granite curbs. It was just way too much money with the amount of money that we were spending to try to renovate the whole park and everything. So we'd like to put in granite curbs in the entire park.

um is it just on the one side or is it partially on the side of the restaurant or is all of that oh no no so this would be only on the north main street side there's no we're not proposing any additional work on on the north main street side i mean on the bridge street side okay because that's your property pretty much stops in it at the end of the path or and it's correct

restaurant yep yep and we have we have trap rock over there because they push all their snow that way and we wanted the trap rock so they didn't damage any of the park and that's that's their works fantastic so we wanted to put in granite curbs we also need to repair the bridge pavers from the edge of the bridge in three feet so what has happened is The bridge itself was crowned originally so that water would go off the bridge. So on the edge from the corner of the abutment, the edge of the abutment to this abutment, three feet in, the pavers have dropped about an inch to an inch and a half. And I think that that was in one of the pictures or something. I'm not sure. We need to reset all of those papers, which is really not a big deal. But the big thing is that I've spoken with a couple engineers and some other people about installing a drop inlet where the handicap space is. And it would be off to the side. six-foot deep drop inlet with a outflow pipe that would be at two feet so as the water as the water comes up it slowly goes out but you're only taking what comes off the top but but the idea is to get the sand and all of the debris and everything like that all the road salt into the bottom of the drop inlet so that in the springtime the highway department can come in and clean that out so work with sand

It won't work with the salt. But that's fine. Nothing works for the salt. So, I mean, yes, it's good to think about it. Unfortunately, standard drainage is not going to ever. It's soluble. It doesn't take it out. And if you ever discover either replacement of a salt or how to remove it, You'll be a millionaire if not a billionaire.

Well, I'll work on that tonight.

But as far as the sand, the particles, all that kind of floatables, put just a trap on it, that all works great.

There is an enormous amount of material, again, that comes down Mill Street and comes off of North Main Street that dumps right on the edge.

If they sand it, it's great.

Dumps right on the edge of the curve right at North Main Street, and then it carried in tonight. We got all that rain So now that's all washed down into that handicap spot, and it's sitting there Yeah, and it's it's just you know the granite curbs or can they be installed in a way to help and Yes.

Deflect some.

Well, that's one of the advantages of the granite curbs. Right now, water goes up over the Cape Cod berms.

Yeah, it basically routes it. I mean, so it controls it. You know, it's a little there, so it's just a channel.

The photo three, the photo taken from furthest away, really illustrates how from the kind of like edge of the – straight on the other side, it just goes right over. It goes right through. And it's not just the sand and the dirt and whatever the road's kicking up. It's whatever mulch is down too. Takes it right with it.

Yes, it takes all the mulch off and everything. And the other thing that the granite curbs are going to help is when you're pulling out of Bridge Street or pulling out of the park and taking a right onto North Main Street, They drive right across the landscaping. And, you know, I understand that if you, you know, you cut the corner too hard or something like that. But we've had them come within two feet of the plantings. And it's like, you know, they start turning right after the traffic light. And then, not the traffic light, but the street light. And they go around the corner and granite curbs stop that. Yep. Very quickly.

Yeah.

And the other thing is that the truck traffic from out of Washington Mills, again, we've had one of the tractor trailers hit the granite posts.

So that will – Those heavier trucks may not stop driving over the granite curving as easily, but it still helps.

It doesn't happen that often with the trucks. They're actually pretty careful. It's just people driving it. And we've been out there pulling weeds, and it's like, wow, you're coming pretty close. I have a question.

Have you talked to anybody at DPW out of town?

Because we're doing road work, and they're all... Yeah, as far as... I talked to Kevin about this, about the drop inlet, so that we'll be able to clean it. Originally, what we were talking about was putting in almost a... A trench, a big trench drain, like a four-foot trench drain. Don't go there. No, that's not going to work. It doesn't.

They clog very easily.

Yeah, yeah. A six-foot drop inlet will be able to be cleaned, and it will allow the water to run.

Have you checked with DPW to see if they have any granite curbing? Almost all DPWs save granite curbing when they take stuff out. They didn't say that they did so depends upon the town, but yeah, I can go in it And this is my personal opinion.

I think an older granite curb looks so much nicer one thing Well, they do do look because it's still they're rounded.

What's the the guy on South Grafton at Farnhamsville, there's a bunch of granite up there that was from the mill when it burned. And they're long pieces. They may be too big or too massive, but it may be better than a curb because it would almost be almost like a planter that, it's instead of six inches it might be eight or ten inches yeah those things are based like those things were put at the base of the of the building to put the brick on so those things are anywhere between 12 inches now but they're different sizes it's not like this thick but it's there are some because I think didn't we get some from that's what we were some spread the plaque down on the common yeah but when you're that close to the road I don't think within the travel way there's a reason six inches

Unless you want to pay for a bunch of cars getting their bumper all messed up.

Right. You don't want to do something higher. They may have some there. I mean, I don't know in terms of smaller. Because that's the old stuff.

But he probably has to use like road spec ready.

It's like 6 by 18 inch.

And the Main Street project did do a bunch of granite curbing. So the idea that there's stuff. But that was a state project. So I don't know if they left any behind. But any town that. That's not cheap.

Yeah. No, that's why. No, it's not cheap.

No kidding.

Yeah, it's very expensive.

That's why we took it out of the first one.

But truly my biggest concern is doing road work. with this kind of project and having it you know get approved everything but then something you know, the town level or state level say, no, no, no, you can't, but you're sure.

Oh yeah. No, there's no, there's no issues on that at all. No, it's just, it's, it's replacing curbs. Really? You're just pulling up one and you're putting the other one down.

And that spot is not, um, state managed road.

Anyway, part of it is, that's why we can't get that stupid. That's how we were able to do it because it is the town.

So that, so the, the bridge itself on North main street.

Yeah.

is under state jurisdiction. Right, yes. And that's why nothing can be, well, it's not, you know, the bridge abutment, the railing, which is just flapping in the breeze. You know, I've asked many times to people to get it fixed, and it just sits there. The issue is that the entire bridge needs to be rebuilt when you do that, so it's not a fix anymore. That means closing down North Main Street.

Oh, please no. I live on East Street.

You just lost some votes. So, I mean, that does, you know, that has a nice curvature to it. It's not falling apart. I'm amazed at one end, right at the corner of Bridge Street and North Main, that it's not falling apart, but it's still in pretty good shape. Yeah. So I can just go over the numbers for you. So we're looking at six-inch granite curbs, asphalt patch. We're going to repair the bridge pavers, the new drop inlet and piping, repair the landscaping because there's going to be some that's going to be damaged, and then the engineering. And we're looking at $195,495. Does that include a contingency? That it does include a contingency correct and that would be $20,000 of in-kind coming from from engine company to association

Does the DPW have any in-kind services? Any equipment there or anything like that?

So, again, I talked to Kevin about this. Yeah. It's very possible that the highway department can do the install of the drop inlet. Okay. Purchase the drop inlet and get all of that. So I've got it in here. I've got it in here so they're not doing it. So it's very possible that they could do it.

Are you having a pipe come out of the inlet or are you just? Yes. Okay.

Yeah.

then you're going to have to trench that to where it's going to disappear.

Correct. There's a pipe that is down almost touching the river. No one knows where that's from. It's a concrete pipe. No idea where it's from, what it's connected to. There are no catch basins in that area at all. Nothing comes out of it. Nothing comes out of it.

There used to be a house that's no longer there.

No, this is a 12-inch concrete.

It's probably not a house-related thing. It could be. Or an old road.

Yeah, I don't know.

You can always have it cambered, and that's pretty inexpensive. But if nothing's coming out, it's like it's closed up on the other end.

Yeah, there's no water. There's nothing that comes out.

But the key part of that is... I'm talking more permitting. It's an existing discharge, whether you see water coming out. It's an existing pipe. If you connect to that further away, it doesn't have the same implication as putting in new. If you can cheat into that. If you put a new discharge into the river, then there's a series of water quality that you have to do. Again, this is an improvement maintenance type of thing and not new.

If you can find a way to connect to that pipe that's not that's quote not a new discharge so we have the we have we have technology to find that pipe yeah i mean i'm sure you do it's just yeah um yeah so um are you looking to apply this summer for october town meeting yes so i would say that same uh data um july 16th if you can You know, before then, by July 16th, that way we have a little bit of time to review it. And then at the meeting the next Thursday to come and present and have us the 23rd.

And in the meantime, I'll find out from the highway department if they can do the work. But I would say budget it like they can't. That's how I have it budgeted.

And then if they can, then that just gets returned.

Yeah.

That way you're not coming up short if they're busy with a billion other things. So you, you, you want it funded. Yep.

Yep.

I really don't do leverage. It's just a gem driving by every time. You guys, I don't know how many times. Yeah.

It's, it's, it's a lot of work. Um, you know, the, the, the weeding is the, I mean, my wife and I are there all the time weeding because we don't use sprays or we don't do anything like that. And I brought my grandkids down there, my 10-year-old grandkids, and told them that I would pay them a nickel for every weed that they pulled out. They pulled out a lot of weeds. I had to pay them 20 bucks a piece.

They earned it.

Yeah, so it's really nice. It's a great place to go and sit and relax.

It really is. We have several really good projects in town. very publicly visible, and I think that's one that commuters see daily, that that is something that people see and appreciate. I think it's great. It's the oldest bridge in town, is it not?

It is the oldest bridge in town, yes, which is amazing. When you go down on the lower level and you look into that bridge and you just look at it and you go.

It's amazing what they did.

How is that staying together? There's no blue in there.

Go back to the Romans. That's what they did. Right, right. As far as the pavers, you say you've got to replace them?

I don't have to replace them. We have to just pull them up. We have to put in more material because it's sunk down right next to the bridge above me.

Because you might want to just see what caused it.

You might want to change the material. I'm a big compaction guy. It's even on both sides all the way down. And I look at that as operator error.

Okay.

So that, but because if it was, if it was doing it in one spot and then, then I'd say it's, it's silting down through the, through the rocks and stuff, but it's even on both sides all the way down.

Yeah. And I'm just thinking, so it doesn't happen again.

Yeah.

When you pull it up, just take a look at it and you might want to change your material or something just so it doesn't. Yep.

We did find a sluice wave when we were building that in that inside of that. Um, that uh that we ended up capping okay because i didn't want that to yeah you don't want to use all your soils yeah all your bedding and stuff yeah okay yeah all right so thank you okay well thank you appreciate the time right all right and lucas to introduce lucas um he is starting july july july 16th or july 23rd i know your mother-in-law

Oh, yeah. She's on our district.

Oh, my God.

His mother-in-law or mother? Mother-in-law. Mother-in-law.

I call her mom. Yeah, I'm sure you do. Your wife used to babysit my kids.

Oh, sorry.

She was. Sorry. Don't worry. I got you. What are you going to do without me?

I'm ready to go. You're going to be lost. All right.

John Kelly, 900 Side Road.

Thank you.

Is it John or Jack?

My legal name is John.

Because in the minutes, she had John, and I'm like, where did she get that?

There are certain boards where I'm referred to solely as Jack. I mean, I changed it.

You're like, that's me. I'm John. No.

And it's even John Paul is how I appear on ballots and stuff, which is even more exciting.

I like Jack. Thank you. Jack's a good name.

I know. And I also didn't get to pick it.

It's Jack.

Was your father John?

No. My grandfather's John. And my other grandfather's Paul. So the Grafton Housing Authority is requesting $200,000 from the Community Preservation Commission to establish the Grafton Ready Program, a standing preservation fund designed to ensure that GHA units can be turned over promptly, responsibly, and without interruption. For a little background on why we're doing this at all. When long-occupied units become vacant, bringing it back to a rentable condition typically costs anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000. We just got more renewed estimates. Our staff can perform this for a more reasonable cost of $12,000 to $15,000 per unit, but having them do it pulls them away from their primary responsibilities. There's operational risk, and if they go over $20,000 on any of these returns, we risk running into procurement policy. I don't have to explain to you guys what that is, but for anyone watching at home, it means we have to go get three bids, get letters of recommendation, hold a board vote, and We have a 60-day deadline to get people back into these units. So we run a pretty considerable risk if we go that route. And that's just one of the many catch-22s built into local housing authority funding formulas. We do have a partnership with the Worcester Housing Authority. They've recently created a vacant unit task force, which can be contracted out to local housing authorities. They have all tradesmen who come out and do all the specifics. They've done two for us already, and it did cost quite a lot of money, but they were in a week and a half. They got two units, top to bottom, completely done. So we're very happy with that partnership. and what it means for us. This Grafton Ready Fund will cover the cost of these turnovers when they fall outside the GHA's operating budget or available EOHLC reimbursements, ensuring that no unit sits vacant due to funding gaps. At $200,000, we anticipate this fund would cover between 8 and 10 turnovers in the lifetime of the fund. And with this program, we can eliminate gaps, keep residents housed, and our benchmarks met so that we can keep a standard for our most vulnerable residents in Grafton. That is where my spiel was going to end. But I saw that we had included a 2013 DHCD letter in the packet. So I had taken a look at that. and looked at how EOHLC has maybe moved beyond those interpretations that were made over a decade ago. And here are some examples since EOHLC has become the agency handling these housing authorities. Provincetown received funding to rehabilitate a single unit from its CPC. Maynard installed energy efficient doors, which that letter explicitly says they don't think funds should go to. Stockbridge replaced all of their sidewalks and walkways. And in one of the first years during the transition, we saw Essex repair all of their exterior walkways as well as paint their buildings and pave their parking lots with CPA funding. And going back into the DHCD days when this letter was still that agency's policy. We had Hull install generators for their buildings. Duxbury restored some of their units in 2019. North Andover also installed generators a year prior. And East Hampton made improvements solely for the purpose of getting their unit up to ADA compliance. So a lot of the things that that letter says there are examples of, and I think that falls more under the moniker of there's no CPC police, even if one agency says, hey, maybe you shouldn't do this. If a board votes for it, a town meeting votes for it, the money gets spent, it can still happen. But since this letter is not from the Community Preservation Coalition and it was from DHCD specifically, I can point to many EOHLC priorities that may have shown that they have moved on this position a little bit especially because their directive to housing authorities has explicitly been If we tell you you shouldn't build, don't build, just maintain and improve the units you actually have and make sure that we can keep them for as long as possible. EOHLC has just started a vacant unit program where they are incentivizing housing authorities to make more upgrades more rapidly with the promise of more reimbursements the better they perform. So I did include... in the application specifically, that while I can't give a specific number, there is great potential that EOHLC will see the money we're using, the speed at which we're turning over these vacancies, and they will be more willing to give us reimbursements, because they're checked on an application basis every single time. So this will not only be helping the Housing Authority, helping our residents, helping our future residents that we bring in, and helping the community as a whole.

Ken's the one that found, I guess, this letter and forwarded it to me. So that's why that got added to the packet. I definitely think there are some in this letter, and you do say it's dated 2013. I'd love to know what the Department of Housing and Community Development or whatever they call it these days, what their current thinking is on this. Yes. What they're saying is what we've always said is we can't do maintenance. And like it said, you can't do kitchen cabinets, but you can do hardwire or fire alarms. I mean, there's certain things that, yes, we could fund, and you could split it out. And I think, you know, like with the Congregational Church, we're splitting their project out because there's certain parts that they're doing that is maintenance, certain parts of it's preservation. So if the project could get split out, if we feel like it's not – 100% allowable use to split it out, then whatever is allowable could be used and funded.

Yeah. And I even looked at some of the ones in this that it said, like, we think this is appropriate funding. And some of it to me, like the difference between changing siding roofing and windows for water tightness versus energy efficiency. And I look at the timing and I'm like, well, if you're replacing the windows anyway, because they're on a lifetime and you're just doing it, I feel like that would be maintenance. But again, this is where you get into splitting hairs. And we can certainly look into that. We did reach out to EOHLC to see what their current stance is. We didn't get anything formal, but from our, uh, accounting liaison and our legal liaison both of them said that this would be an appropriate use of funds on our end we did the same process for the rental assistance program and they had a much more like simple yes like we have a lot of other towns that have that especially down once you get to the cape a lot of those places have rental assistance programs so at least from our end eohlc has said that we would be allowed to spend the money for all of the aspects of our unit turnover which includes ripping up carpets, which is both getting us up to sanitary code and making it safer for tenants, appliances across the board, countertops, and I believe some bathroom appliances as well.

I think a lot of it's that the law is just so bizarre. These are politicians that are making these horrible decisions and why? There's a reason why they're excluding that. Either they were mad at a certain industry and they didn't want to help them. It's just like, why can't you replace the grass on a field or the turf on a field?

But but to your point, that's that's an old document.

So but yeah, has it been updated? Or if it if it hasn't? Is this there's whoever is in what's to the current state to speak to that even more.

And like I said, I, we can go back, we'll have a meeting before our next CPC meeting, I can ask for a more formal letter and opinion from EO HLC. But what confused me even more than the date of it, and the way it's written out is this is not The Community Preservation Association – it's not their opinion. This is from DHCD. It's what we think.

But the coalition also is not the legal authority. They're just a support agency. They're not – there is – even at the state, I don't know that there really is somebody at the state that will – I mean it would be if you go to court, like the acting case. That's how the state gets involved is you have to go to court.

And also, by the way, when I was looking through some of these projects, Acton, they play it fast and loose. They were getting money for like painting interiors of units.

If you're doing other work, painting is okay. But if you're painting just because it needs new paint, that's maintenance.

That's what these projects were for.

It's like if they had replaced the drywall or the windows were being replaced because they were defective and they were leaking. again it's and that's why again it that's hard not a hard decision to make but some of these are just like where where are these rules coming from because it just doesn't i i would say yes having a written opinion from eohlc having reaching out to stewart from cpc if it's still stewart but i think yes

and just getting written opinions would be useful for us that said absent a recent written opinion my my belief is the project as proposed is a valuable and valid use of cpa funds so yeah i look at you know the intent is to create units well right if you take a unit off the list you know i understand it was part of the

account at the beginning but it's not there anymore and if you're doing that work and you're adding it back I mean we are splitting hairs but it's like they've got to be some common sense it's like with the parks that initially you could not renovate parks but the problem was Boston Cambridge all these urban areas had no areas to buy or create a new park so then for that for recreation they allowed you to go back and do rehab

For whatever reason, this didn't get caught up in, you know, that rewrite whenever they did. And they are working on, that's something that Stuart's working on. Is there other issues that we've had that I've talked with them this year that in the next year or so they're hoping to have another go at doing some changes to tweaks to make it more user-friendly?

Can I make a suggestion? When you do reach out to EOHLC, send that letter specifically and say, hey, what about this has changed or are you guys, do you stand by any of this still or all of it or where is it that way?

That's a great idea. We'll send that. And I'm also going to have our executive director send a itemized list of like, when we do a turnover, these are the things we look to do. Is all of this good?

Fantastic.

Because like you said, if it's not, we're going to be going in depth on how our procedure and policy of when we would use this money. Because like I said, some of it's going to come from our budget. Some of it's going to be reimbursed.

But if you have $12,000 that you can spend without creating a hole or getting in trouble, that could buy your appliances. That could do the things that are either questionable or definitely no-no.

So we can get that down. Just to the adjectives, as Sammy was mentioning, I firmly see this as preserve and support because we need to do these to keep them as high quality as we can, which is the director from the state, but also to the create. I had it in as kind of like an asterisk create, but it really is like no asterisk needed creating housing because when someone leaves these apartments, they have to be 65 or older to move in or having three plus – people living in the unit. And if you're in there for 20 years, we have to gut a lot of this.

And when they live there that long, along the way, do they ever get painted, updated, nothing? Do the people sometimes do it themselves?

Can they do it themselves?

I'm not positive. I don't think we've ever had a case where someone has done something like that.

I imagine somebody living there doesn't have the budget to do that.

There are like some people.

Yeah, yeah.

We Oh, they disabled. They do much more. They do much more creative. They don't plant stuff and do tapestries. Very interesting. I mean, for the specific housing we have, you must be making less than a certain amount. And then we take 30% of your fixed income as rent every month. So a lot of them are very much sedentary in their lifestyle and in their spending. They're just kind of keeping track and keeping pace. So when they do want to do more creative stuff, it tends to be more... less basic than like the paintings and the appliances and stuff and they certainly are out of the price range to have those appliances and uh for convenience sake also you mentioned purchasing them we generally keep a good stock of appliances on our location so that when one of these units becomes vacant we are ready right away because if we get it re if we get it inhabitable in 30 days we don't have to even mention to eohlc we just keep the ball rolling if it gets up to 60 we need to request a waiver otherwise we get dinged on our funding and this fund would be especially useful because Our operating budget isn't built to be doing all of these vacancies. It's considered a typical maintenance expense. And when we get down to July and we have four vacancies like we just did, we have some that we're like, we just have to sit on this. And we just finished a $2 million safety electrical wiring project that the state gave us the money to do and told us, you're doing this right now. Push everything else. But they still consider that as Grafton being granted $2 million. So for the next three years, our capital spending is going to be $90,000 total.

Used all your money.

Yes. We're in a big crunch right now because without us having any say. So this is something that would really help us stay. on track for what kind of funding we've been allocated, and it would be, you know, I also want to say this wouldn't be something like the rental assistance, even if this goes swimmingly and we go right through it. I've been told that there is estimate 50 units out of our 170 that would need something like this, unit turnover like this, and so we think that with EOHLC, with our budget, and with this fund, we wouldn't at the end of this come back, unless something extraordinary happened with this program, and say, hey, let's fill it back up. Unless maybe if there's only a couple left, and we say, hey, if we spend some on these, EOHLC spends some on these, and this fund fixed that, we can get them all done. And the other caveat to mention is, if there is a unit that is offline due to mold or any other like huge project we wouldn't spend this money on that that would be a request eohlc this unit is offline because it needs long-term maintenance to turn it back on they will then cover that but these units don't this won't happen unless the units are vacated so it could be if this it could be 20 years and none of these 50 get updated and then in year 21

Twenty-two of them need to be done.

Potentially, but we're also – the units that need to be done need to be done because someone who – I was trying to talk around this, but it's because someone who moved in at 65 has been living there for 20, 25 years. So theoretically, those units could stay occupied for a long time, but realistically it's not.

It's just the reality of it. It's when you're doing – You know, estimates for schools. You talk about younger kids going through it. Exactly.

And also our family units, I can get an exact number, but generally, I would say 90% of the time, the reason people vacate a family unit is because the kids have aged out of the accepted ages. And so... I can figure out exactly what we're on timeline-wise for that, and that could mean that right away I can say, hey, in the next three years, we're going to have three family units become vacated. And we don't know exactly when, but it's going to happen. So this is a perfect time for these funds to come in for that if it happens at a bad time.

Do you have an average of – units each year that you typically have to do a total it completely fluctuates because so you might have one this year and five next year no we we had four last month yeah so it's just it's all hit and miss it's completely all over the because i mean we had a a tenant

who was incredible, who was helping out businesses, walked all around town. He passed just last week, and he was completely healthy walking around town. We have no idea. It can happen at any time, and it is the nature of senior public housing. But what we do know is at least in the nine years I've served on the board, these vacancies, they pile up. Because when you take your maintenance men offline to go do them, other stuff falls behind, which means that when they get done with the vacancy, they have to run catch up. One more vacancy pops up, now you're behind. So having these funds ready with this partnership with Worcester is going to make sure that we never get into a position again where we're worried about these vacancies piling up.

So just a question, like you're saying that you have to turn it over. You have to turn it over because they're not livable, right?

Yes, there are two things that are required for us to turn them back online once a vacancy comes in. These both come from EOHLC. The first one is just a general standard rule, which isn't – it's not a rule. It's not a law. It's not a mandate. But it just says up to your general standards. So if all of your units have carpet and old appliances and it becomes vacant, you can leave it. But all of our units have been modernized to have hardwood floors and newer appliances and newer countertops. And so that now has become our general standard. So while this isn't a rule, if we were really down to the wire on like a 60-day timeline, we could try and force it out. But the second part is a sanitary code inspection which needs to be done. And that a lot of the times – like that's why the carpets have to come up. That's why a lot of these appliances have to be changed. And I could see why a letter from UHLC or DHCD from a couple years ago saying like – if it's just energy efficient appliances, you can't change them, just leave them in there. But it's like, if you've been using the same oven for 20 years, it's a sanitary thing at this point, that's got to come out. So the only thing I can I really want to pay for their own utilities, or is that part of all baked in 100% of me that gives us again, that's another.

That makes sense. Newer, more efficient. Say you're not going to have a fire.

We just put in range hoods in all of our units, too. So we're all on board with that. We get rebates from solar and stuff.

How many bacon units besides the four?

As of right now, we had six total, four needed rehab, two didn't.

Okay. So two will come back online pretty quick.

Because the only thing that it takes then is just running. We have to run – we first run a list – solely of minority groups because we don't meet certain criteria. No one ever comes back from those lists, unfortunately. And it's not as simple as just pulling a list and then counting down and seeing. You pull a list of 50 names, and you have to track down each one of those 50 people and see where they're at if they want it. And then if that doesn't happen, you pull another list of 50. It's a program called CHAMP. It's run stateside. Every town's connected. And as soon as you just get a hit, which just means you call someone, they're available, they can move in, then it's set to come in. So like you said, we had two that were ready to move back in, four that needed work. And the work does range. We can have some times where... Say a vacant unit popped up 10 years ago before I got there, and we pulled up the carpets, but the appliances were good, the countertops were good, the carpets were good. We left them like that. That's a unit that's not going to need as much. But for the most part, these units that have inhabited for 15, 20-plus years, they need top to bottom.

So because there is an exception just kind of searching for stuff, is that if it's, quote, unlivable, then you have to really do a lot of work. That's an exception to using CPA funds.

Yes. And like I said, we had three units go vacant. One of them was standard maintenance. One of them had a black mold issue. And one of them had a fruit fly infestation. So right away, we called the OHLC. And they said, put those offline. We'll send in people. We'll send in hazard material and do that. So this would never be used for stuff like that.

Okay, I'm just telling you what it is. It's an exception. It's a CPA exception. You could actually use it. Is that in the letter or is that somewhere else? This is basically me doing a little AI stuff, and it comes from Massachusetts Housing or something.

It's a baby mass narrow. I bet they do a lot of stuff. But the thing about that is I wouldn't want to use this money for that because EOHLC will pay for that entirely.

I'm just looking for it.

That's my understanding.

I can say it out loud. Officially, eOHLC requires these to be updated and turned over to be to put anyone in them. So in a way, at least for, again, wordplay, they're unlivable because they're not allowed to be used until they are updated.

They're unlivable because someone says no one can live in them. Yes. Not always condition-wise. And yet, if you're already living in it, you can stay in it. Exactly. That's another big thing.

Even though there's black mold.

Yeah. That's another one of the frustrating things. When I was going through the database for this to see if there were any exceptions, seeing how many towns are like, CPA funds to purchase property for the purpose of building 70 new units. And I was like, oh, my God. I wish. But we are not in that spot. EOHLC has told us.

Ten cents on the dollar for those units.

EOH is telling us your sole focus should be to keep these units as good as you possibly can.

And so that's what we're doing. Every which way we can attack the problem. Yeah.

We think they would allow updating them if people have been living in them for a certain period of time.

Because to me, it's like, again, it's like a refrigerator. It has a useful life of 10 to 20 years. That's more than a year or two, which is maintenance.

But for long term. doing things more efficiently, getting things in there more efficient, is all going to help towards the bottom line. So rehabbing, whatever you want to call it, there's not just one benefit. There's multiple benefits, and it's short-sighted not to look at the whole picture. I think that's because this is a political thing. I know. Thanks.

And I should mention just for the record, if someone has something break, an appliance break, we obviously come in right away and replace it no expense. But if everything works, even if it's old and dirty, we are told you leave it in there. Yep.

And in the black mold or fruit fly situation, just to say if someone's still living there, yes, they don't touch it. But the other point to that, though, is if – Addressing the problem would require them to be spending evenings and nights elsewhere. If we're telling them we have to fix it, then we also have to find another place to put them. Yes. And which would be either extremely disruptive if they have to move their stuff and fruit flies can also stay with their stuff.

Those took minutes to rehab those units.

Yep.

Or like hotels is also expensive. That person has a.

playing a part of that yeah exactly just something else it's probably gonna and there are also there are also instances like eohlc tells us like like for that exact reason you have to pay to house them you're gonna pay for a hotel to keep them overnight you're gonna pay to move the things we are not going to cover that for you so we look well we can't swing it but there is also an element of if you don't call the maintenance people to come into your apartment we have no like not even just as board members, we're not in tenant relations at all, but Amanda and our staff have no ability to just kick in the door and do like a check. So a lot of times what happens is someone passes and we say, okay, time to look at their unit. And we walk in and we go, oh my God, like how has this been happening? And then it's just, that's how quickly we realize like, okay, this is a huge situation now. And then I get to show up to the next meeting and Amanda goes, okay, so we have an update about something that we'll put in your radar. And That's why I come for funds like this.

Okay. Well, let's hope this all works out. E-H-O whatever. Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. and I'll send something to the coalition. The coalition. Okay. Perfect. Stuart.

I can't read. I've got my glasses.

They're right there. It's right there.

I can't see your glasses. My only recommendation, John. Where are they?

I've got my glasses.

John, my only recommendation when you send this to Stuart is to include that letter from the DHCD as well as his application. Right.

And for the application, there was a lot of stuff in there that I felt was... not difficult but it was a bit awkward to answer the questions because it's not a project like it's not like i'm taking this money and doing something right away it's kind of like we're going to be using it when it pops up and i can say what we're using it for but it's not like like for the questions about project completion time it's like whenever the funds run out yeah But then, you know, the rental assistance program has been so successful, we haven't had any issues there. And this philosophy behind taking money out of this and spending it is going to be very similar.

I mean, it will be the same thing. Whatever the work is, then it's an invoice. Exactly. Yes. Okay. Thank you very much. Sure. There were four sets of minutes, two baby ones and two real ones. Did everybody have a chance to review them? Yes. Comments, questions, changes, corrections?

I admittedly did not actually notice they were in the meeting materials, so I pressed out.

Dang it, Justin.

I'm sorry. The minutes are from 4.30, 5.9, which is town meeting 5.28, and then 5.11. One of them was maybe 5.9 is when we canceled the walk.

I think 5.9 is blank, or it's.

I just opened it because we didn't meet I move that we accept the minutes from April 30th May 9th May 28th and May 11th of 2026 second

You didn't even read it.

Maybe I'll second that. I can still second it. I don't have to vote yes on a second.

Those are hilarious minutes. I didn't read the minutes. Second.

Okay, so minutes from 4.30, 5.9, 5.28, and 5.11. Jack, may the motion. Justin, we're sticking with Justin. Sure. Seconded. Any discussion?

All those in favor?

Aye. All those opposed? Abstain. I'm just entertaining you, Colleen. Yeah, you are.

Thank you. Passed by the required majority vote.

Treasurer's report. I don't know why Ken isn't here. I didn't hear about it.

He's at Grafton Land Trust.

Oh, is he?

Yeah.

Well, they're not supposed to meet on our night.

We moved that night.

This isn't our night.

Oh.

Well, it is our night because we're meeting. Next week. No, he didn't say.

No, but you're away. Okay.

But he didn't say he couldn't come. I didn't know.

Oh, oh, oh. That's why. He usually goes to the land trust on the third Thursday of every year.

I think he did say that. If he was at our last meeting, I think he did. Did he? I can't remember 10 seconds ago, so sorry.

I went ahead and pulled up the last report. But I'm sure nothing has changed because nothing has changed.

Changed.

I was just using it when we had the people coming up trying to think number-wise, and we're still one point.

We're totally good. No.

So keep moving. Project updates.

Any news on the archives? Yeah, I had some correspondence with Amy today. So in addition to the work that she had done by Green Dragon, she is now having digitization. Is that how you say it? Digitalization. She's having them made digital. So they're with the Boston Public Library right now, so she couldn't be here to share them with us. She's paying for that. I think it's free. It's a free service.

Which you could send the building inspector's office is looking for that too. Our point is we can't spend CPCA money.

That was mine. So at any rate, she said that she'd be happy to come next month. I gave her the date. I think it was the 23rd. So she'll come and talk about what she's been doing with the Boston Public Library as well as bring the most recent documents that were restored for us to look at.

okay good um same uh no update for abner stowe it's you know gonna be a year-long process to wind its way through the system um kristen's not here i don't know if anybody else has heard anything about they're they're

The plan's coming together. They're just waiting for all that final compassion and everything, but we should be having a ribbon-cutting soon.

How soon? I can't wait to get over there. It's within walking distance.

I actually went by today, and it's got the barriers up, because I wanted to walk through it, because the last bill I approved was snow fencing around the planting area.

Maybe next month? I'm eager.

I don't want to disappoint you and give you a date. So I'm going to stay with you soon. Fair is fair. But, yeah, I mean, it seemed like it was going to be – I think everybody wants it open.

Yeah, everyone wants to use it because it's the season to use it. It's the time to be used.

Yeah, it's one mile away.

By the time it's open, you'll be at a go-palt. It's even closer to me. Yes, I understand that. What's that? By the time it's open, you'll be able to go on these hikes. I'm kidding. Yes.

I can hike now. That's the thing. You don't have your little – you don't have your – The swing is gone. I am able to drive again. You're not having to drive me tonight.

Congratulations.

The physical therapy is really painful. I just started that on Tuesday.

Suck it up.

Buttercup.

Just because I work out with his wife. I get all the background stuff.

I saw Lisa the other night. I appreciate the sympathy.

Thank you. That's a long recovery. That's not fun.

We'll get data. Any update on Gallagher Rental Assistance?

I do not believe that we had any requests last month, but everything is still going swimmingly.

Good. Any updates for Cisco homestead nothing since last meeting Okay about Congo Church followed up again with Andy.

I haven't heard back from him yet the last follow-up I had was right after we met and they were in a holding pattern waiting to hear back from the contractor and they're hoping to schedule something but The fact that we haven't heard anything yet is not very promising.

Well, I think what my last conversation was is that they're coordinating with the RhinoShield people and the local contractor that are doing it. So that was the sticking point. It's getting those two on the same page so that it could get started.

I'm sure I'll hear from them, and I'll share it with you as soon as I have.

And I have an update for has some as it would bridge project they finish. I just got a the email today that blue and she could walk on. I said you know some pictures some kept bills to pay but it's well under budget but that's a soon to be finished project.

I just take it off the list.

Courier and Ives hasn't started. Blackstone Greenway hasn't started.

No, it has not. Thank you for volunteering me.

That's what happens when you miss a meeting. I did reach out to Skip for Courier and Ives, and I didn't get anything back. I was hoping to see him at the last charter review, but he wasn't able to make it, so I'll reach out again. I'm sure it's just that he's waiting too long.

And Christian was waiting for stuff for the Blackstone.

From the Blackstone or from, because I still don't have the agreement on it.

Well, so Skip said he still hadn't received his agreement letter yet. Have we sent them out? Why have we not sent them out yet?

I've asked three times.

So I'm working on it. What department is it blocked on?

it's our department our department it's our department is not it's department i don't know why but we did have a nice conversation about it and we're in touch yeah so we're good but i also think that that's contingent upon the other grant first yes yes so i think that's even if you had the money in hand in agreement yesterday until that gets resolved because that has to happen before they come after our right

Also, Christian's had quite a bizarre first couple of months of his time here. Yes, he has, by the way.

So he hasn't been, like, on it for that long.

Yeah. No. I mean, I don't think there's any rush at this point because it's neither plan nor commission.

But that's fine. It'll work out.

Providence Road property, Ken is doing the baseline, and then, again, name suggestions. Again, we're going to have to have it tomorrow.

The lock walk.

The lock walk. I love it. It's got a ring to it.

Isn't it fun?

Colleen's lock walk. How about that? I will take it.

What is it?

The lock walk?

Because there's locks in there. Yeah, no, there is. No, I like that. I know. It's so fun.

I just like looking up history and seeing why it was.

I know. I can't wait to do. I want to go see them.

Well, you're not going to be on the board when we do it, so you're not allowed. I told her she would get such a dispensation.

I vote no. I vote no. I would have to remember and send her an email.

I'm not going.

That will remember. Cool. No update. Are you going to be still the one to communicate updates on affordable housing?

What are you all going to do?

Who else is on that committee? Is it

Nobody on this committee. Right.

But anybody like, I think it technically should be my job because I'm on here as the housing. Yeah, yeah, like delegate agreed.

So Jack just agreed to do that that solve that problem.

Oh, going on here. Shoot you little bits.

Thank you. The CPA project signed they have put stakes in the ground for the Upton Street property. And I don't know, the goal was to get it done before the end of the fiscal year. And Ken went out there and he said, how about six inches further away from the road? So I mean, he really did check. Because my concern was rather than having, because they originally had decided it to be parallel to the road, but you couldn't see it. Yes, you could when you drive by. And so Ken said, how about perpendicular? And so we got the approval for $1,000 extra, which we don't need all of that. Because it's double-sided. And so then they've gone and... put stakes in and I asked him, since he's the one that knows what he's talking about, to go check and he did and he did, I think he went a little bit further away from the road, which, because that was my big concern because of so many problems that I've seen for all kinds of signs in the Common and Granite Post, whether it's at Rowney Park, that you have cars that kind of veer off the road because either they're asleep, they're tired, or other reasons, and crash into your signs. The one good thing about this is there is a guardrail right up to the point to where that sign is going to be. So I think that will protect us. Will perpendicular only be viewable from one angle?

What? Will perpendicular be viewable only from one angle, like gumming?

No, because it's going to be like perpendicular. So you can see either way, coming and going. Because it's two-sided. Yeah, it's two-sided. You don't have to like...

There's only 11 days between now and the end of the fiscal year, if you include the holidays and weekends. So, well...

I'm leaving town tomorrow, so it's not my problem. It doesn't matter if it doesn't. I'm trying to get it in on this fiscal year for our admin budget. Not that it matters.

I have a suggestion for you guys for your old and new business section. You've got to just throw policy on there. You have a couple policies that you need to... Um, be thinking about and talking about and just having like a little reminder on there. Like, well, which policy are we doing now? Um, you know, the spend our money last policy really needs to get commemorated. I think Jack referenced a policy tonight. Um, I just don't want to see those fall off the radar.

Okay. So that, I know that one is an issue that may need to address. It's been policy last spend money last.

What was, and can you check with Stewart? Is that, are we allowed to make that a policy?

That was the one I referenced earlier, was the spending money last time. Okay.

Oh, okay, yeah, yeah.

I started working on a first draft of that, and then I started doing my proposal.

Okay, so that's right. You were kind of working on that. Okay. He knows we do that because we talked about it.

But knows we do it and then commemorating it.

But he didn't. I mean, I'll ask him when we had that workshop. He didn't poo-poo it.

He didn't poop. Okay.

Yeah. He didn't like, so right. Yeah.

Cause once we make it a thing, now people can look at it and, and then I just make sure we're still in the good.

If we, what were the other policies that were on our docket?

Um, about borrowing. We wanted to have a financial borrowing policy, like how, what percent of borrowing, like we have it in our mind, but like anything kind of financial that Ken kind of holds onto that we need to commemorate somewhere. So, you know, the next iteration of this board or, can follow what we've got in place.

So you mean like the length of the bond and stuff like that?

The percentage of the bond of our total money. We don't want it like our debt. I got you.

And I think it's based on our revenue, not the state. It does not include that at all because it could be zero. I mean, that's the way Ken has always done it.

Be very conservative.

So we don't want to have all our budget spent on bonding.

Exactly.

We need current money providers.

Exactly. So those are the two right off my head that I think we need to get. That's going to be next year. And then get it right on the website so that people can find it and it doesn't get lost. Okay. I'm not going anywhere, so just ask me questions.

Is there any sort of standard format that these policies have to fall into?

So William's really good at formatting them. If you come up with a rough draft and then hook up with William and say, hey, what do you think? He might be able to, sorry, William. But no. It's just some basic stuff.

Yeah. Because the rough draft I wrote was pretty rough. It was essentially a couple sentences.

Go look at our sunset policy. Perfect. And then just follow that template.

I don't have to do the whereas, da-da-da-da-da, whereas.

It's a policy. It's not law. I mean, it's meant to be updated. It's meant to be adjusted as time goes on.

Mm-hmm.

Okay, and then Wildwood, Lampard, just no update. Ken's not here for me to follow up to say that it's because that was the discussion last meeting. He would be the one that would do that.

Yeah, no.

I'm trying to, like, push all this off my plate.

Wildwood's pretty cool, though.

No, but it's a good thing, but it's like. Is it ever going to happen?

Right.

It's just a matter of, well, the family has to decide at some point.

No, it's the family. They did a big thing with Touchstone. I mean, it was a long process. It was a long process.

Because the longer they sit on it, they have to pay taxes and their holding costs. Holding costs, yeah. And maintenance, if they have any issues of any of that kind of stuff. Insurance liability.

Insurance liability. Like the whole thing.

So they've lost the whole, oh, we're going to get top dollar, they're going to get bottom dollar, and then they've lost all the money along the way. So eventually they're going to say, we need to fish or cup bait. Okay.

Do we know what their, I don't know this personally, but what's their price?

Because the guy that came from. Upton had done all the slug work and had worked with them. And Upton was going to, I think, pay the lion's share because the lion's share is in Upton. We were going to pay very small, $30,000 to $50,000, no more than $100,000, not a whole lot of money for the Grafton piece. But to do both of them together, both towns would benefit. So that's why we wanted to do it because we're taking advantage of them paying the lion's share and we still would benefit. And it's a good thing. the land it's it's the area it's a good place to i don't remember the amount but it was grossly overpriced but what they wanted it's like five times what it really is worth because and i can't remember the exact what the reasons that they feel like it's worth so much Oh, is it landlocked?

I mean, there's... Yeah, there was a landlocked. It was like the railroad, I feel like, somewhere over there. Oh, there's a lot of problems.

I feel like maybe the railroad would buy some of it and develop it.

Even if it's a railroad right away, you can't develop it to... No.

But like the railroad, the Upton Railroad could come in and, like they did in Grafton and North Grafton.

True. The problem is they have access to that property from the road.

Right.

And trust me, there's a lot of cars that go in there.

It's like Paul said.

They're pricing themselves out of it. Someone told him something and he believed it.

Move to adjourn.

Second.

Second.

We got a second already.

She was so fast on it. He wasn't even finished saying it.

She was seconding. Second. Second. all those in favor aye all those opposed no abstentions it's checking basically the motion carried we are adjourned thank you all for coming