Middleboro's wishes for 2025 Community Preservation Act Funds

MIDDLEBORO — A disc golf course. A new playground. A town beach. All of these are ideas Middleboro residents have to add value to their town and hope to receive funding for. 

They were pitched at the Community Preservation Committee’s annual meeting held Wednesday, July 17 to discuss how to use Community Preservation Act Funds in upcoming years. 

The Community Preservation Act enables towns to add a local surcharge of up to 3% on property taxes for projects that preserve the character and history of the community, according to Middleboro’s Community Preservation Committee. 

The town’s Community Preservation Committee is in charge of managing local funds and approving grants for projects that fall under the Act’s mandates. 

The Committee receives approximately $500,000 a year that can be used to fund projects in three categories: open space and recreation, historic preservation and community housing, said CPC chair Kimberly French.

However half of that money is already being spent on long-term open space projects such as the purchase of Piccone Farm over a year ago, French said. 

Resident Kevin Quackenbush inquired about using funds to create a disc golf course on town lands.  

Quackenbush said that ballfields make up a good portion of the recreational areas in Middleboro. He brought forth the idea of creating a public disc golf course, an activity that’s accessible to all ages and has very little environmental impact, he said. 

There are several parcels of land that would make “real good candidates for such a recreational endeavor,” he noted. 

Parent Teacher Association members Erica Adler and Tanya Rahwan asked if CPC funds could be used to help pay for the construction of a new playground at Henry B. Burkland Elementary School. 

French explained that CPC money cannot be used to pay for items that a government entity, such as a public school, is required to provide. 

However, Committee member Tracie Craig-McGee said she didn’t believe the school department is required to cover playground expenses in its budget.

“I think this would be a unique opportunity to consider something like this,” she said. She encouraged Adler and Rahwan to submit an application for preliminary review. 

Resident Barbara Chadwick asked if CPA funds could be used to restore the windows at the Chapel at Rock Cemetery, which are “in dire need of attention,” she said. She also inquired if replacing firepits at Oliver Mill Park would be a project eligible for CPA money. The fire pits are “falling apart,” she said. “It would encourage families to come and spend their picnic lunch there if they had a little barbecue they could work with.” 

The Community Preservation Committee advised Chadwick to file an application to restore the Chapel’s windows, though members warned that there are additional obstacles to receiving funding for projects affiliated with religious establishments. 

At the hearing, residents also inquired if funds could be used to remove sediment buildup that’s impeding the flow of the Nemasket River, build a town splash pad or for artwork restoration.

To determine a project’s eligibility for CPC funding, applications must be submitted to the committee by Sunday, Sept. 15, French explained. 

If the committee approves a project, applicants must submit additional documentation showing it meets state law and local eligibility requirements. 

Approved projects will then be presented to voters at the 2025 Spring Town Meeting, she said.