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| CPA Update |
March / April 2010 |
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| Greetings! We're pleased to announce that we're headed to Western Massachusetts for our next CPA conference, to be held in Northampton on May 8th. Read on for more information on this free conference, plus all the latest news on CPA. |
| CPA News |
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DOR releases updated FY11 trust fund
distribution projection
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) has issued an updated estimate for the October 2010 CPA Trust Fund distribution. DOR is estimating the first round distribution will be between 31% and 32% of the amount that communities raised from their FY10 CPA local surcharge.
This projection is slightly higher than DOR's previous estimate of 28%, due to the fact that CPA revenues collected at the Registry of Deeds are up from last year. Click here for an explanation of the formula used to distribute CPA trust fund payments.
CPA legislation is making excellent progress on Beacon Hill
As we reported last month, SB 90, An Act to Sustain Community Preservation, is currently before the Committee on House Ways and Means, and we are working hard for its passage.
Now more than ever we need your help to advocate for community preservation! Please contact your state Representative and ask them to urge Ways and Means Chairman Charles Murphy and House Speaker Robert DeLeo to bring SB 90 to a House vote.
* If you don't know the name of your representative, you can find out by clicking here. Enter your address, and scroll down to "Rep in General Court."
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Housing Trust Guidebook Now Available |
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This guidebook is an excellent resource for learning what a municipal affordable housing trust fund can do, figuring out if a trust can help your community, and learning how to set one up to fit your community's needs. Over 50 communities have established local affordable housing trusts, and many communities find that they are a good complement to their CPA housing efforts.
"Establishing a municipal affordable housing trust signals a community's readiness to address its housing needs. Communities with municipal housing trust funds have thought long and hard about what kind of affordable housing they need and are well-prepared to use local funds to achieve their goals." -Guidebook, introduction
Download the full Guidebook, here.
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| CPA Conference: Northampton, Saturday May 8 |
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This FREE conference will feature 8 targeted workshops, two CPA Roundtable discussions, and an engaging plenary session. Tentative workshop topics will include Evaluating the Significance of CPA Historic Resources; Municipal Affordable Housing Trusts; How to Run a Successful CPA Campaign; CPA Financial Q&A; and much much more.
Join us on Saturday, May 8, from 8:30am - 2:30pm at the Northampton Senior Center in Northampton, MA.
To read about CPA topics that we've covered at our past conferences, please see the CPA Conference Page on our website. |
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CPA Receives National Press Coverage |
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Do you know the history behind the creation of the Community Preservation Act in Massachusetts?
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has published a compilation of conservation finance innovations from around the world: Conservation Capital in the Americas, edited by James Levitt. Chapter 3 of the book presents a well-written overview of the history of the CPA, written by Matthew Zieper, Research Director at the Trust for Public Land.
* Download a PDF of the chapter on CPA: "The Massachusetts Community Preservation Act: A Case Study in Fostering Intergovernmental Partnership in Conservation Finance"
Antiques Journal report card gives CPA an
enthusiastic 'A' grade
Last month's issue of the New England Antiques Journal featured a several-page spread of CPA Historic Preservation projects from across the state. Demonstrating the work of CPA through colorful photos of restored town halls, historic barns, and other preservation projects, this article, "CPA: A Report Card on its First Decade", gives CPA an enthusiastic 'A'.
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| Featured CPA Project: Farmland Protection in Hadley |
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Both the photo to the left, and the newsletter banner above, depict The Great Meadow in Hadley, a 350+ acre agricultural area on the banks of the Connecticut River.
With more land protected by Agricultural Preservation Restrictions than any other town in the Commonwealth, the town of Hadley credits CPA as helping to achieve the community's #1 ranking.
Hadley is working to preserve its world-recognized agricultural landscape, having protected more than 2,400 acres of active farmland. But there is still more work to be done. Just this year, t he World Monuments Fund listed the "Cultural Landscape of Hadley, Massachusetts" on the 2010 World Monuments Watch List of Most Endangered Sites.
With over $1.18 million in CPA allocations to 45 projects in town, leveraging over $1.4 million in state and other funding, CPA has played an incredibly important role in Hadley's achievements.
Read more on the town's land protection efforts from MassLive.com.
Images are courtesy of the Kestrel Trust, a regional land trust serving the Pioneer Valley of Western Mass. | |
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