Makes Pitch To Use CPA Funds For Fuel Aid

FALMOUTH- How do you define creativity? Jay Zavala of Hatchville gave his interpretation to the Falmouth Community Preservation Committee last night during a needs assessment hearing on the priorities the board should focus on.
His recommendation focused on one issue that, from outward appearances, may not necessarily fall under the criteria of funding for the CPC: heating fuel assistance.
Yet, that is where Mr. Zavala called on the CPC to use its creativity.
“Creative minds created the CPA [Community Preservation Act] and creative minds conceived of a warrant article to appropriate funds to a specific use,” he said in requesting that the CPC recommend an article be placed on the Fall Town Meeting warrant that would help low income families deal with the increased costs of heating fuel.
He said that the CPC could allocate a sum of money and work with an agency, such as the Falmouth Service Center, that would oversee the distribution of those funds intended specifically for fuel assistance.
His concern, he said, is “for the health and safety of Falmouth seniors and disabled citizens who will not be able to financially afford the heating fuels necessary to survive this upcoming winter.”
In order to be eligible for CPC funds, applicants must present projects that fall under four distinct categories: recreation, affordable housing, open space, and historic preservation.
Mr. Zavala took a cue from Stuart Saginor, executive director for the Community Preservation Coalition in Boston, who gave an in-depth presentation on the Community Preservation Act last night. As part of his presentation, Mr. Saginor explained how projects that fall under specific categories can be eligible for funding. With affordable housing, he showed that supporting this concept is one criteria for eligibility.
Mr. Zavala used this to argue that affordable housing is not simply about the creation, or purchase, of affordable housing, but the support of it as well. “Houses must be affordable to buy, but housing must also be affordable to live in,” he said.
He said the need is there, and this would be a positive way for the CPC to act in anticipation of what could potentially be a problem in many homes in Falmouth.
Affordable housing was also a critical need that Robert H. Murray, director of the Falmouth Housing Authority, identified as a priority for the CPC.
He noted that access to money to both acquire properties and to place deed restrictions on properties that could be saved from foreclosure is vital in Falmouth. The CPC has created funds specifically for these needs, he said, which now only need approval from selectmen in order to be utilized.
Erika R. Hahn of Trickett Street, North Falmouth, suggested that the CPC look closely at open space and preserving land. “I really am speaking for the plants and animals who are not able to be at this meeting because they cannot speak,” she said. “Since 1972, I have seen more and more land come into development and that is something for the CPC to take into consideration.”
Referencing one application that the CPC voted against recommending earlier in the night—a request by Rene N. Poirier, owner of Mostly Hall, for roughly $7,000 to restore the original wrought iron fence at the bed and breakfast near the Falmouth Village Green—Nancy Ann Hayward called on the board to better define their guidelines for private projects in the future.
Committee member Peter L. Clark argued that funding this project was not a critical need and did not represent a high priority for the town. If, however, Mostly Hall’s chimney was in danger of collapsing and posed a threat to the structure, he said, he might think otherwise. The fence, he said, is not essential to the historical significance of the location.
Committee members Melissa B. Freitag and Ralph E. Herbst disagreed, noting that Mostly Hall lies in a historic district.
Ms. Freitag termed Mostly Hall the typical quaint New England village landmark that makes Falmouth special and she called upon the committee to help preserve that part of the cultural fabric.
Beyond that, she said, “this is a minor amount of money we will be spending.”
Regardless, the committee voted against the project.
After the vote, Ms. Hayward suggested that visibility of a historic structure should be taken into consideration when considering applications. While there are many properties within a historic district, she said, Mostly Hall is quite accessible by pedestrians and that is a factor, particularly when looking at a project from a cosmetic point of view.
In addition to making a recommendation on Mostly Hall, the committee made positive recommendations to fund $48,500 for new windows for the Woods Hole Public Library; $20,000 toward the restoration of an ice house at Historic Highfield; $21,000 to put in an irrigation system to complete the athletic fields on Sandwich Road; and re-worded a previous Town Meeting article that would allow The 300 Committee to access funds for the engineering and other surveys of properties obtained both with Land Bank money and CPA funds.
The requested $50,000 from the Coastal Ponds Management Committee to conduct a shellfish habitat assessment of Bournes Pond and Eel Pond was cut in half after failing during an initial vote. As to which pond will be studied, Dr. Clark said, that will be up to the applicant.