Worcester City CPC discusses grant agreements, reimbursement hurdles and fall application changes

The Worcester City Community Preservation Committee on Sept. 16 received updates from staff about implementation of the pilot round of Community Preservation Act funding, interim measures to allow organizations to submit reimbursable expenses back to the City Council approval date, and proposed changes to the fall application process intended to reduce applicant burden.

Jacqueline Burmeister, community preservation manager, told the committee that all recommended projects except one (the Salisbury House Ballroom Restoration by Preservation Worcester) moved forward to City Council and were approved on July 15, 2025. Burmeister said those awardees "have agreed to the signage and reporting requirements, as well as the clawback clauses recommended by the CTC." She said the city has learned it can set the start date for grant agreements as the City Council approval date, which "allows the organizations to submit eligible reimbursable invoices back to the city council approval date." Burmeister cautioned, however, that recipients will not be reimbursed until the formal grant agreement is signed.

William Eddy, committee chair, described "learning moments" in the pilot round, saying "a lot of us [were] unfamiliar with the grant process" and that the reimbursement-only model has been difficult for smaller organizations. He said the mayor filed a letter asking the city to explore a contingency fund to bridge projects that demonstrate hardship until formal agreements are in place. Deputy and committee discussion noted that CPA funds cannot be used as an upfront contingency and that some other municipalities keep separate bridge or revolving funds to front costs; the committee agreed further follow-up with the city manager and finance staff is needed.

Committee members highlighted one local example: Belmont AME Zion Church, which had been awarded $278,695 but learned late in the process that the program is reimbursement based. Committee member Barry said he had arranged a conversation between church representatives and local lenders; he reported that Baystate Savings Bank and a credit-union loan officer expressed interest in exploring a bridge-loan solution for that project.

To reduce applicant confusion in the fall round, Burmeister proposed a two-step application process. The first step would be a short pre-application to confirm eligibility and allow staff to troubleshoot eligibility and documentation questions before applicants prepare full proposals. She said the pre-application would be brief, intended to be completed in a few minutes, and that the city aims to launch the pre-application on Oct. 21 with the pre-application window open about six weeks and the full-application deadline in early January.

Burmeister also described other implementation items: continuing outreach and monthly newsletters, tabling at community events, communicating signage requirements with awardees, and drafting grant agreements with the law department. On signage she said the city communications team has "ruled out the use of a special logo for CPA" and that projects must use the city seal; sites may include an approved slogan beneath the seal and the city may produce promotional materials about CPA-funded work.

Committee members asked staff to provide routine status updates on each FY25 award at future meetings and to include the revised rubric and application guidance for committee discussion before the pre-application launches.