Nahant preservation panel welcomes Allison Netto as town administrator, sets CPA grant schedule and reviews project updates

Lynn, chair of the Nahant Community Preservation Committee, opened the meeting by thanking Allison Netto for joining the session and noting her new role: “I’d like to start by thanking Allison Netto for joining us.”

Allison Netto, who has been performing both town administrator and finance director duties since July 1, confirmed she will continue in both capacities while the town posts the finance director vacancy. “I’ve been doing both jobs since July 1st,” Netto said, and she said she will post the finance director position after negotiating her contract as town administrator.

Committee members reviewed a condensed spreadsheet of CPA accounts that Allison shared, showing projects with remaining balances and recent FY25 spending. Committee members noted the town paid off an old library borrowing this July and discussed oversight for ongoing projects.

On the library masonry renovation, Netto said the general contract was awarded to Campbell. A first-choice subcontractor later declined after inspecting work in the stack room; the committee moved to the next-lowest subbidder, Marmelo, which is in the process of signing a subcontract. Vicky Mason, who provides town engineering services, will serve as project manager on site and certify work before payments are released; Richard Smith, who has handled prior library projects, is also assisting.

Members heard an update on Little League field lighting: fixtures are purchased, Little League has pledged $30,000 toward the work, and installation is estimated at about $50,000. Because of that threshold, the installation will likely be put out to bid and, weather permitting, completed in the spring.

The committee discussed other projects with little recent activity, including beach accessibility work, the Heritage Trail (Goddard Drive), tree plantings at Kelly Greens and Fort Ruckman, and a recently installed restoration panel at Lodge Park.

An invoice resurfaced from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) for an open-space master plan, dated July 18, 2022. Netto said the MAPC message stated, “Our finance team is auditing accounts receivable and realized that we never receive payment.” Committee members recalled that the item had been clawed back previously and agreed to file and investigate the unexpected billing.

Members also addressed a procedural issue after a full grant application arrived without the required preliminary eligibility step. The committee agreed to return the submission and to remind applicants of the two-step process at an outreach meeting proposed for Monday, Nov. 17, to explain eligibility and answer questions.

The committee set an accelerated calendar for the grant round: eligibility forms should be due on Friday, Dec. 5 (to allow review at the Dec. 8 meeting), and full applications are due Jan. 30. The group noted that the CPA match percentage appears lower than in recent years (around 48%), so available funds may be limited.

Separately, members noted a special town meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19 to consider planning-board work related to the MBTA Communities Act and said the CPC schedule does not affect that warrant. The committee also discussed whether to fund preliminary planning for a Veterans Park flag display redesign rather than installation, and members agreed Allison will follow up with the select board if the administration considers it a priority.

The committee set additional dates to review finances and recruitment (Nov. 10, Nov. 17 and Dec. 8) and agreed to reach out to the planning board and conservation commission to recruit additional members. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and the meeting ended.