PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Friday, Nov. 17 is the deadline for Community Preservation Act eligibility applications for historic preservation, open space and recreation, and housing projects.

 

From that time to Dec. 4, eligibility applications will be reviewed and accepted applicants will be invited to submit a funding application due in February.  

 

On Monday, City Planner Jacinta Williams pointed out that historical and open space projects need to be approved by respective committees but urged applicants to meet the Nov. 17 deadline regardless.  All eligibility applications are due by 3 p.m. in the Office of Community Development and should be no more than 5 pages in PDF form.

A virtual session was held to go over the timeline and answer questions from the public.

 

"If you are thinking that your project may or may not be historic preservation, or just the historic category or open space and rec., you definitely will have to go before either the Parks Commission or the Historical Commission for their approval and we are in the process now of setting up another Historical Commission meeting," Williams said.

 

"Be sure to turn in your application on the 17th because there is no way we are meeting in the next four days, either parks or historical, so don't let that hold you up. Your Eligibility Application will be approved pending the approval of either the Historical Commission or the Parks Commission."

 

The Community Preservation Act was created through legislation over 20 years ago for communities to create a stable funding source for projects involving historic resources, parks, open space, and housing.  It was adopted by the city in 2016 and in early 2017 was implemented with the formation of a Community Preservation Committee in early 2017.

 

The project evaluation process is held in the fall of every year and financial awards are made in the late spring and early summer.

 

In the first six years of CPA, $3.4 million was awarded to 71 Pittsfield projects, $1.6 million funding 36 historic preservation projects.  There were over $811,000 to 26 open space and recreation projects and $931,000 to 8 housing projects.

 

Housing projects have the most flexibility, as the funds can be used to acquire, create, preserve, support, or rehabilitate and restore residences.

 

CPA funds come from local and state matches.  The city will not know its fiscal year 2024 allocation for a couple of months but estimates that it will be around $850,000.

 

Last year's allocations included funding for a makeover of Park Square's tree canopy that includes a permanent Christmas tree, the restoration of historic piers at Springside Park, and a boat wash at Onota Lake.

 

In September the first tree through a collaborative effort with the Berkshire County Historical Society.  

 

The elm tree honors the Berkshires' first known environmentalist, Lucretia Williams.  The piers were constructed around the same time as the Springside House and were repointed by a mason to be watertight and preserved.  The boat wash project aims to protect the lake from invasive zebra mussels.

 

The fiscal year 2024 CPA schedule: