By Fred Wallace
Framingham Community Preservation Now
You may remember that I wrote a piece about the Community Preservation Act, or CPA, earlier this year. The CPA provides a way for communities to create a trust fund for use in “quality of life” projects such as open space preservation, outdoor recreation facilities (parks etc.), historic preservation, and community housing. A study group appointed by the City Council has been working to produce a report and make recommendations as to its adoption by Framingham. I am happy to report that in July the Council voted unanimously (11-0) to adopt the recommendations of the Study Group and place the matter on the November ballot, as required by statute.
Briefly, the study group has recommended that the city adopt CPA. Among its specific recommendations is a small surcharge on the real estate tax (about fifty dollars per year for the average homeowner) and several exemptions for certain at risk taxpayer groups (seniors etc.). The Study Group did its best to keep the impact on taxpayers to a reasonable, affordable level. There will be a virtual presentation of all the details on September 15th at 7:00 p.m. Please RSVP to fredericwallace@rcn.com and I will send you the Zoom link.
This year’s election will be like no other. Much of the voting will be done early by mail, so we must get our message out starting in early September. We need your help NOW! Like any matter before the voters, we must educate them as to the value of this program and urge everyone to vote yes on CPA. A citizen’s group called Framingham Community Preservation Now, or simply FCPN has been formed to meet the challenge.
Help will be needed for the many tasks that are involved in any political campaign. There will be mailings, telephone outreach, lawn signs to be distributed, posters and so on. We need volunteers! Please help us. We all have a common interest in the history of our community, and the preservation of its historically significant features. They keep alive the rich traditions of our community and the memory of the wonderful people who helped make it so. This is your chance to help out. If you would like to learn more about volunteering, please contact me at fredericwllace@rcn.com or 508-877-7104.
Thank you so much.