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Selectboard narrows UPWP grant priorities; debates hours and budget implications
Summary
Planning staff and the Planning Commission prioritized four UPWP applications — 1705 outreach, grant writing, a pedestrian-path rescoping, and town-plan outreach — and the board debated consultant-hour estimates (suggestions ranged from 120 to 500 hours), tentatively approving 380 hours while raising budget concerns.
Zoning Administrator Harmony Cism updated the Selectboard on the Planning Commission’s top UPWP priorities and sought confirmation of application order and estimated consultant hours.
The four priorities identified were: 1705 outreach, grant writing assistance, a rescoping study for a Common-to-school pedestrian path, and public outreach for a town plan update. CCRPC preliminarily described Westford’s 1705 outreach draft application as "strong," Cism said. Board members debated the number of consultant hours to request: Pat Haller suggested 120 hours, Julia Andrews suggested about 300 hours, CCRPC’s initial estimate had been much higher, and the board landed on a tentative 380 hours while expressing concern about budget availability.
Max Tyler, Planning Commission chair, supported deprioritizing the town plan outreach until municipal planning grant prospects are clearer. Board members also discussed that hiring a town planner could reduce the need for CCRPC-billed hours. Harmony Cism will confirm hour estimates and verify that requested hours match available budget before final submission to CCRPC.
The Selectboard did not vote to lock final hours or spending at the Jan. 8 meeting; it provided a tentative direction for Harmony to continue application work and to pursue verification with CCRPC.
