OUR VIEW - COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT (CPA) FUNDING PLAN

The CPA funded $400,000 for a mountain bike park at Hill’s Hill woods with considerable public input. The proposal challenged the town to find the right balance between habitat preservation and recreation at the rare, undeveloped, wooded parcel. Save Hills Hill  supported the CPA Committee’s conditioned funding of the project, because of CPAC funding guardrails*  protect the site’s habitat. The article passed town meeting, with the conditions we desired.

The Park and Recreation Dept (PRC) now has the ball after July 1, 2023. They can proceed to design and build the project as long as they adhere to the intent and conditions of the funding agreement (below*). 

PRC has formed a working group with: 

4 PRC commissioners or staff

1 Open Space Committee member

1 youth mountain bike enthusiast

Public input will be sought via  the working group and the hired consultants. It remains to be seen whether working group meetings will be public. 

The Community Preservation Act Committee heard the public and acted accordingly. They voted unanimously to add restrictions to the funding to “provide additional assurance that the wooded, natural environment of Hill’s Hill will be preserved,” providing funds “…only if the following requirements are met: 

1) A member of the Open Space Committee be incorporated into the project's Working Group

2) A tree inventory be completed during the design process

3) The chosen designer be directed to advance at least two concept alternatives for the location of the pump track. If the preferred concept places the pump track in the woods, then the applicant will need to seek final authorization from the Community Preservation Act Committee prior to proceeding with construction; otherwise, no final authorization to proceed is necessary.”