On Dec. 18 the council voted by roll call to approve eight Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding recommendations that cover a range of open-space, recreation and preservation projects. The package included support for Crafts Avenue affordable-housing-related items, a veteran’s field pump track, and open-space acquisition in the Mineral Hills, among others.

Discussion centered on the pump track proposal, which some councilors and residents supported as a long-engaged community project with private fundraising and a maintenance plan. Councilor Rothenberg opposed the full package because she said many existing recreation facilities lack basic maintenance and argued CPA funding should prioritize under-served needs; she voted no on the full package while saying she supported other items in it.

Councilors noted that CPA projects undergo their own vetting and that private fundraising and maintenance commitments were part of the pump-track proposal. The council approved all eight CPA orders by roll call (8 yes, 1 no).