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Open Space Committee narrows town-meeting funding request, seeks mix of town and preservation-trust support
Summary
Committee reduced a proposed ~$20,000 composite funding request to a smaller, safety-focused package (about $6,300) for upcoming town meeting Article 19 and discussed using the Hubbardston Preservation Trust and split-year requests so as not to deplete the trust.
The Hubbardston Open Space Committee narrowed an initial composite funding request that had approached $20,000 and agreed to submit a reduced package in Article 19 at the upcoming town meeting, while also preparing a backup plan to request partial reimbursement from the Hubbardston Preservation Trust.
The Chair described a pared list focused on safety priorities — two bridges and trail posts at Mount Jeff — that he estimated would reduce the ask to roughly $6,300. The chair said he had circulated a composite list of projects previously and had since extracted the two highest-priority items to make a smaller, more palatable town-meeting request.
On the trail grant, a committee member reported that the state final payment "came in" and "was $7,300 and change," but that the committee had not yet received a written confirmation showing whether roughly $2,700 remained in the account; members asked the treasurer to provide the final balances so the committee can confirm actual available funds before finalizing requests. "The final payment from the state ... was $7,300 and change," a member said during the discussion.
Members discussed funding strategy: if town-meeting Article 19 passes, that amount would reduce what the group asks from the Preservation Trust. Committee members recommended a phased approach — request half from the town in year one and submit additional pockets in year two, while drawing a measured amount from the Preservation Trust so the trust is not depleted (members cited a trust balance discussed in the meeting as about $22,000). The committee also flagged several large, ill-defined line items — including a "beaver deceiver" and an "OHRV mitigation" line that appeared in the draft at a large figure — and agreed to remove or defer those items until specific proposals and cost estimates are available.
Next steps: the Chair and clerk will assemble clearer line items, request formal account balance confirmations from the treasurer, and prepare the pared Article 19 to present at the town meeting. The committee also asked members to be prepared to explain that the projects are material costs only (labor will be volunteer-provided) so voters understand the ask.
