1 10 2019 Community Preservation Committee

The Fall River Community Preservation Committee met on January 10, 2019, to address several administrative and project matters, primarily focusing on an emergency funding application for the Fall River Public Library roof. Director of Facilities Chris Gallagher and City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros presented the severe water leak situation affecting the historic library building. Viveiros detailed the city's broader capital planning and fiscal challenges, explaining why municipal stabilization funds could not be used and why the city was seeking CPA funding rather than waiting for future fiscal year borrowing cycles. The committee discussed historic preservation standards, noting the proposed EPDM membrane roof did not meet Secretary of the Interior standards, and voted unanimously to grant Gallagher an extension to revise the application to include historic slate and copper restoration elements before returning on January 28.

In other business, the committee affirmed the project description for the FY19 Quequechan River Rail Trail easement acquisition and discussed the production, sizing, and placement of Community Preservation Act informational signs across city projects. Members also completed a review of ongoing and completed CPA projects, dividing oversight and liaison responsibilities among committee members to obtain status updates on construction and outstanding deed restrictions. Finally, the committee created a working group consisting of John Franco, Tony Dias, and Jim Sousa to explore hiring a preservation consultant rather than a lawyer to resolve long-standing deed and preservation restrictions on funded properties.

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