DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS

The

City of Somerville has extended the application deadline to Friday, Sept. 27 for

the four public positions on the newly formed Community Preservation Committee,

which is tasked with evaluating Somerville's

needs in open space and outdoor recreation, affordable housing, and historic

preservation, and making recommendations to the Board of Aldermen on how Community

Preservation Act (CPA) revenues should be spent.

Somerville voters overwhelmingly approved adoption of the CPA in November 2012,

which will raise an estimated $1.5 million in funding annually via a tax

surcharge and state funds designated for those three specific areas.

The committee consists of nine volunteers, including

four members from the general public and a member from each of the following

bodies: the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, the Historical

Preservation Commission, the Parks and Open Space Department, and the Housing

Authority.

The City is currently looking to fill the four general

public positions. To ensure the most qualified applicants are selected, Mayor Joseph

A. Curtatone has formed a planning team of City experts and community members to

review applications, conduct interviews, and consider public feedback on

candidates. From the group of applicants, they will nominate candidates for

appointment for the Mayor to review. The Mayor will then submit candidate

finalists to the Board of Aldermen for approval.

Committee members serve three-year terms, but initial

appointments to the committee have been staggered, so the City is seeking to

fill two one-year term positions, one two-year term position, and one three-year

term position.

Though it is ultimately the decision of the Community

Preservation Committee to decide when and how often to meet, the City expects

that it will meet one to two times each month in the evening. The inaugural

meeting of the committee will likely take place in December 2013 or January

2014.

Being an effective committee member will require that

you:

• Familiarize yourself
  
  with Somerville's affordable housing, historic preservation, and open
  
  space/outdoor recreation policies and needs

• Familiarize yourself
  
  with the law (Community Preservation Act, MGL Chapter 44B) that governs the committee

• Attend meetings
  
  regularly

• Foster good relations
  
  with other city departments, boards, and commissions

• Listen to and be
  
  responsive to community feedback

• Use fairness and
  
  objectivity when making decisions

The planning team is seeking candidates who:

• Are supportive of all
  
  three programmatic areas of the CPA: affordable housing, historic
  
  preservation, and open space and outdoor recreation AND

• Have demonstrated a
  
  commitment to at least one of these areas.

In addition, the goal of the planning team is to

create a balanced committee that includes members who:

• Come from diverse
  
  demographic backgrounds

• Represent all
  
  geographic areas of the City

• Have financial
  
  expertise

• Have project
  
  management experience

• Are actively
  
  involved in the community

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested residents should complete the application available on the City's website or outside the SomerStat

Office at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Completed applications should be sent to

Candace Cooper (ccooper@somervillema.gov or 617.625.6600 ext. 3306) by Sept. 27, 2013. All

residents are welcome to apply, except for City employees or individuals

holding elected or appointed positions. No nomination is required to submit an

application.

Please note that if you choose to apply for the Community

Preservation Committee, your name and a portion of your application (a brief

summary describing why you are a qualified candidate) will be posted on the city

website for public review between

Sept. 30 and Oct. 13. All community members are invited to provide feedback on

candidates during this time.

To find out more about serving as a CPC member, please

visit the following websites:

http://www.somervillema.gov/cpa

http://www.communitypreservation.org/