Hubbardston open space committee reconciles MassTrails reimbursements, moves to pursue town and CPA funding for trail work

The Town of Hubbardston Open Space Committee on Thursday reviewed recent reimbursements from the MassTrails grant program and laid out next steps to secure town and Community Preservation Act funding for several small infrastructure projects.

Susan, the committee treasurer, summarized the grant accounting, saying the MassTrails grant had generated reimbursements of about $76,500, roughly $5,500 and $7,373. After accounting for a $10,000 CPC contribution and $15,000 originally earmarked from ARPA, she calculated a remaining committee balance of $2,626. “So without even looking at all those invoices and the general ledger to figure out where they get numbers from, we know what we submitted to them. We know what we got from them and the balance is 2,626,” Susan said.

The committee agreed the treasurer and town accountant would reconcile formal general ledger entries before the next meeting. Susan said she had provided a reconciliation spreadsheet and asked the town accountant to verify and report back at the July meeting.

Members also confirmed that town meeting had approved just over $6,000 for three line items — Gates Hill Bridge, Milpondon Bridge and Mount Jefferson fence posts — and that the committee should present vendor invoices to the town treasurer to receive reimbursement. “If we do an invoice for all the material and you present that to the treasurer that is what I understand to be the vehicle on how we get that money reimbursed,” a member said.

Beyond the immediate reimbursements, the committee discussed broader funding strategies. Committee members agreed they would refine a draft funding request to present to the parks commission and then to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) or the town warrant, depending on the project and timing. The group reviewed the mechanics and timing for CPA/CPC applications: CPA materials typically must be into the CPC by mid‑July to appear on a fall warrant, and applications should include a project description, budget, attachments and evidence that the project meets CPA criteria.

Committee members noted the open-space CPA bucket is modest — one attendee estimated roughly $40,000 in the open-space allocation — and that larger projects may require drawing on the undesignated reserve or combining multiple funding sources. “There’s a pathway to get funding through CPC, but you have to plan ahead and provide sufficient detail,” a member said.

The committee asked the author of the draft funding letter to revise language to clarify which line items would be submitted to the parks commission and to indicate the portion of some projects already covered by the MassTrails grant so CPC reviewers understand the committee is not requesting full funding for every item.

The committee concluded by agreeing to refine project-level budgets from its 10‑year open-space plan so applications to CPC or town warrant articles include cost estimates and supporting documentation. The group scheduled follow-up work to prepare invoices for reimbursement and to finalize CPC application materials.

The committee set its next meeting for the last Thursday in July at 7:00 p.m.