Who is supporting CPA and why?
Note: Membership in a group does not imply that the group as a whole has endorsed CPA. These endorsements are made by citizens acting on their own behalf. Endorsements by groups are clearly indicated as such.
Please send me your testimonial.
Adam Bond – Chairman Middelborough Board of Selectmen
Tom Calter – State Representative
Brian Giovanoni – Resort Advisory Committee Chairman
Mark Belanger – Gazette columnist
Rick McNair – Trail runner
Patricia J. Reilly – Marshfield Selectman
Wally Glendye – Vice Chair of the Citizens Environmental Health Impact Committee
Adam Bond – Chairman Middelborough Board of Selectmen
“I wholeheartedly support the CPA being adopted by Middleborough as both protection for our future open space, and for the purpose of the Town beginning to have some access to funds for community preservation. We need to begin assembling the tools to protect our future.”
-Adam Bond, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, individually.
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Tom Calter – State Representative
“The Community Preservation Act is built on a partnership between state and local government which allows our cities and towns to preserve their natural beauty and historical culture. Although we live in difficult economic times, we must never lose sight of our obligations to preserve our natural resources, our heritage and to provide for the basic needs of our citizens. I would encourage every community to support the CPA.”
State Representative Tom Calter
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Brian Giovanoni – Resort Advisory Committee Chairman, Civil engineer
The Community Preservation Act is an opportunity for the people of Middleborough to control their destiny by having the financial means to purchase and protect historic, farming, recreational and open space lands, when they become available, without affecting our bonding capabilities for true capital expenditures. CPA funds are controlled locally in town. The state does not tell us what land to buy and our town meeting must authorize expenditures from the account.
Partnering with other organizations could result in our investment to be matched two to ten times over. Many of these partner groups will only partner with the communities who have passed the CPA (which shows a communities desire to preserve).
Even in this economic time, most people can spare that one lunch out a month they eat out to do their part for the community.
Brian Giovanoni
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Mark Belanger – Gazette columnist and geek
Whenever we need to buy property, we have to scramble at Town Meeting and borrow. CPA will give us the ability to be strategic about the things we are doing anyway. Since we won’t have to borrow money, our town finances will benefit as well over time. Not to mention that it will give us some free money in the form of matching state funds. Buying land that prevents even one unwanted housing development will save us huge sums of money in educational costs alone.
Mark Belanger
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Rick McNair – Blogger, Internet afficionado, and Trail runner
The CPA is not free money or a gift. Local and state funds are not received via a money tree but from our pocketbooks so we have to tread carefully knowing that this will be an increased tax burden. An issue such as that deserves to be on the ballot so that the voters can make a choice based on the evidence presented.
Myself I really am narrowed focused to one particular area and that is trail development and preservation and if the CPA is funded I would certainly like to see some of it diverted to that area. I am sure many supporters of the measure have their own areas in which they would like to see expenditures made so that process will certainly be interesting.
Rick McNair
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Patricia J. Reilly – Marshfield Selectman
When I first got on your mailing list I was “just” a concerned citizen from Marshfield who empathized with your fight and the fight of my friends Dr. Dave Parker and Ann Marie Jacobsen to keep big business from dictating the future of your town. Since then I have successfully run for Selectman here in Marshfield and I am now the “junior” member to our town’s three member BOS. Marshfield passed the CPA a number of years back. We have been able to purchase many acres of open land to help preserve and maintain the character of our quaint seaside community. We would not have been able to do this without the funds raised by CPA (which had been matched dollar for dollar up until either last or this year). There have been at least three unsuccessful attempts to overturn this town meeting vote. This year, however, due to the economy, I fear that if someone brings it up, it might be successful.
The big selling point for us was that presently the only sure way to prevent unfriendly 40B developments is to own the land. There are no other funds which the town can use to purchase open space (unless the purpose for the purchase is for water protection).
Clearly when it was voted in the vast majority of people did so for the purpose of preserving open space so I think the CPC is trying to recommend expenditures on open space and limit the historical preservation expenditures to the 10% which is required, although without a doubt the historical organizations have received and will continue to receive significant amounts for specific purposes, as well they should.
I would be glad to speak with you further about the CPA and our town’s experience with it. Don’t hesitate to either email me or give me a call at 781-837-7479. Our town has really benefited in a big way by having the CPC. I wish you luck in your endeavor.
Patricia J. Reilly
Marshfield Selectman
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Wally Glendye – Vice Chair of the Citizens Environmental Health Impact Committee
I am absolutely in favor of CPA.
Anything that protects open spaces or helps to keep or even add to our recreational facilities is a big winner for the town.
Wally Glendye
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