Pittsfield Begins CPA Process for Fiscal 2027 Allocations
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The committee that awards Pittsfield's Community Preservation Act funds has begun the cycle for fiscal year 2027.
With the city's reserves and state allocation combined, City Planner Kevin Rayner foresees a good year of funds to award.
"And going forward, it's going to be around, I think $800,000 to $900,000 each year, so we're going to have more money to allocate, and I really hope that we get a broader disbursement of applicants to give that funding to," he told the Community Preservation Committee recently.
"Because I like seeing the familiar faces every year, but I'd like to see if we could get some different people with different needs."
For fiscal year 2026, $474,098 was awarded to eight projects, and $524,967 was appropriated for the next fiscal year's CPA budget.
The committee on Sept. 10 discussed a draft timeline and advertising the availability of CPA funds. A public meeting will be held on Oct. 29.
Application materials will be released in October and will be due before Thanksgiving. There will be a public hearing, and then in the first couple of weeks of December, the committee determines if projects are eligible.
"Typically they usually are mostly eligible, but last year we had some that were we had a few that were not," Rayner noted.
After somewhat of a winter hiatus, applications are due in late February, and in March, applicants present to the committee over the course of a few meetings. Funding recommendations are made in April and sent to the City Council.
Pittsfield's Affordable Housing Trust is typically given $150,000 to award to housing projects.
Since 2017, the city has financed the fund in part by a 1 percent property tax-based surcharge on residential and business property tax bills. Funds can be spent on open space and outdoor recreation, historic preservation, and community housing.
One of last year's awardees, Williams Elementary School, has made significant progress with a brand new playground. The school received $25,000 of the $100,000 it requested for the effort.
Now, there is an expansive, colorful new playground in front of the school on Bushey Road. Next to the new equipment, the well-known metal horse and buggy remains.
The Parent-Teacher Organization members last year launched an effort to revitalize the playground and make it more accessible, citing safety concerns with the outdated play structures. Parents raised money internally for the $330,000 project and explored grant opportunities.
Last month, the City Council accepted $79,978 in grants from the Feigenbaum Foundation, Williams Elementary School PTO, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Pittsfield Rotary Foundation, and Lee Bank for the new playground. The Feigenbaum Foundation contributed $50,000.
Tags: CPA,
