SPRINGFIELD – The Community Preservation Act (CPA) provides grants for park departments, nonprofits, conservation commissions, neighborhood organizations and more in many cities across the state. Applications for the Community Preservation Act are now open until April 1, 2021 in Springfield.

CPA was established in 2000, though Springfield didn’t adopt this act until the Nov. 2016 election. Many local communities such as Westfield, West Springfield, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Wilbraham and Agawam established CPA in their communities before 2016.

CPA has to be voted into a community during a general election. If the state program passes, there is then a small surcharge added onto city residents’s property tax bills. The surcharge can be as high as 3 percent. In Springfield, it is a 1.5 percent surcharge. This surcharge stays within the city, and the state offers some degree of match to the amount of money collected. This money is then administered locally.  

Every city that has CPA is required to have a Community Preservation Committee. These committees will meet, deliberate and recommend applicants for CPA to a city’s legislative body. The legislative body, usually a city council, will then decide which projects should receive CPA funding. There are three eligible areas of projects when it comes to CPA: open space and recreational uses, historical resources and community housing.

“With Springfield, it’s given us an additional revenue source especially in the area of historic preservation where there’s a lot of money being spent,” said Bob McCaroll, chair of the Springfield Community Preservation Committee (SCPC).

Previous years of CPA funding in Springfield have helped create a bike and walking path on an abandoned section of the Highland Vision Railroad, has paid for a small green space near a veteran’s monument and has stabilized the historic Gunn Block on the corner of State Street and Walnut Street. Some projects are still in progress, as COVID-19 has halted work on many of them.

“Certainly with COVID it slowed a lot of things down. There are projects that were funded, but you haven’t seen any activity on them,” said McCaroll.

In previous years, SCPC has hosted in-person workshops for community members interested in seeking CPA. Due to COVID-19, two workshops will be held virtually in 2021 instead. The first workshop will be on Feb. 2 and the second will be on March 2.

“It’s basically to introduce them as to what CPA is, how to make sure that their project is eligible because, you know, not every good project meets the criteria, and what the application process would be,” said McCaroll.

After the April 1 deadline for applications, SCPC will then meet with every applicant. Applicants will have time to make a presentation followed by questions from the committee. Beginning in June to July, the SCPC then starts their deliberations and votes on who to recommend to the city council. Proposals will be presented to the council around September, according to McCaroll.

“Then it’s city council’s prerogative to how quickly they move on it,” he said.

Those interested in learning more about CPA and the virtual workshops are encouraged to visit https://www.springfield-ma.gov/finance/index.php?id=community-preservation. Interested applicants can also contact the committee by emailing cpc@springfieldcityhall.com or calling 530-1268.