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Fall Election Roundup
Open Meeting Law
CPA & Town Halls
CPA Conference in Southeastern Mass
Featured CPA Project
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CPA UpdateSeptember 2010
Greetings!      
 
In early October, the Department of Revenue (DOR) will announce this year's CPA trust fund distribution.  Although trust fund collections were almost identical to the previous year, a lower opening balance means that the distribution amounts for communities will decline once again.  Click here to see the month-by-month trust fund revenue figures, and read on for all of the latest news on CPA.
Five Communities to Vote on CPA in November 2010
  vote CPA sign on tractor
Voters in five Massachusetts communities will have the opportunity to vote on CPA this coming November 2, 2010: Belmont, Gosnold, Marlborough, Middleborough, and Sunderland. Citizens in Belmont, Marlborough, and Sunderland 
gathered petition signatures over the summer to place CPA on the ballot, while Town Meeting placed CPA on the ballot in Gosnold and Middleborough.  Citizen-advocates are hard at work right now in all five communities; contact the Coalition if you'd like to get involved, or see the campaign websites below. 
State Legislature Passes Updates to Open Meeting Law
Here's what your CPC needs to know!
 
State House Recent changes in the state's Open Meeting Law will affect how Community Preservation Committees operate.  The changes cover use of meeting agendas, email discussions among committee members, minutes of CPC meetings, conducting executive sessions, and use of documents and exhibits during meetings.  The new rules took effect in July 2010, so CPC members should spend a few moments understanding the changes.
CPA: Preserving and Restoring Historic City & Town Hall Buildings across the Commonwealth
 
Needham Town HallCPA funding has been used on the restoration and rehabilitation of an impressive number of historic City and Town Hall buildings across the Commonwealth. In fact, at least 67 communities have used CPA funds on these projects! This is especially significant in this time of fiscal constraint, as many of these projects would not have been able to happen without CPA. The Boston Globe acknowledged the critical role of CPA for these projects in an editorial last year.
 
Click here to view photos of several of these impressive town hall restoration projects from across the state.
CPA Conference in Southeastern MA
Save the Date: April 9, 2011
  
Bridgewater StateWe are forming plans for our next CPA regional conference to be held in Bridgewater on Saturday, April 9th, 2011. Check the conference page of the Coalition's website for more information as the date approaches. We'll also include an annoucement in CPA Update when registration opens in January.
Featured CPA Project: Vanderhoop Homestead   
Saving Aquinnah's Proud Wampanoag History   
 
vanderhoop constructionOne of the first communities in the Commonwealth to pass the CPA in the spring of 2001 was the town of Aquinnah (formerly Gay Head), a town of beautiful clay cliffs and scenic coastline at the westernmost tip of Martha's Vineyard. When one of its most significant historic landmarks - the Edwin Vanderhoop Homestead - suddenly went up for sale, the town quickly saw the wisdom of having passed CPA. 
 
Read on for photos and more information on this project...
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