The Community Preservation Committee on Thursday opened its hearing for funding requests for the upcoming fiscal year, noting that money is tighter than in the past.

“We have probably more requests than what money is going to come in this year,” said chair Ken Weismantel. But with funding reserves available, “we could probably figure out a way to do it.”

Under the Community Preservation Act, funding from the town’s local 2% property surcharge must be allocated among three categories — open space/recreation, historic preservation and affordable housing, according to the state website. The remaining 70% can be allocated to any of these categories.

There is $5 million in the undesignated fund, according to Weismantel. The open space bucket has $1.5 million, while the housing one has $1.6 million. The recreation fund is at about $750,000; the historic preservation reserve has $500,000.

Center School funding, demo work outlined

The Permanent Building Committee is requesting $2.8 million for the second phase of the Center School reuse project. This money will be used for the repairs to the original building’s exterior. They include installing a new roof to the nearly 100-year-old building, restoring the historic windows and performing painting and masonry work.

The project received $600,000 in 2025 for a design study for the reuse of Center School site with the intention of preserving the main building. This year, $2.4 million was appropriated for the demolition of the two rear additions.

Parks & Recreation Commission liaison Dan Terry pointed out that the town originally committed to funding $6 million of what originally was thought to be a $10 million project. The Hopkinton Center for the Arts is expected to contribute $4 million as part of its public-private partnership agreement.

Said Weismantel: “We cannot do it for $6 million.”

Terry said he felt the town will become “pot committed” to the project, using a poker term. The town will be forced to keep spending because it already will have invested a substantial amount, he explained.

He added that the town should be “transparent enough to say” that the cost has jumped and adjust what it will fund accordingly. The highest estimate of $16.6 million was received in March.

Weismantel said hazardous waste removal and demolition work will begin on Nov. 4. It should be completed by the first week in January, weather permitting.

Parks & Rec projects dominate requests

The Parks & Recreation Department submitted several requests, including $3 million for a new design for Pyne Field.

Parks & Rec had submitted a request last year for a cricket pitch and baseball field on the two fields off Fruit Street, with parking. This proposal was scrapped mainly because of safety concerns regarding crossing an easement used by trucks from JB Sawmill. The possibility for an alternate location for the cricket pitch also was raised.

There now are two designs for the cricket pitch, Terry said. The cricket community is hoping for “tournament sizes,” which are larger than “acceptable sizes.” The larger pitch would require more parking.

Weismantel said Parks & Rec should give it further study.

Another revised submission from the previous year was for the first phase of a lighting project for the pickleball/tennis courts. It would cost $250,000.

The measure went before Annual Town Meeting last year as part of Article 20, but it was pulled out and considered separately before being voted down by a narrow margin. Concerns were raised over the light’s effects on nocturnal wildlife.

Terry noted that there “was an assumption” that the lights would remain on overnight. The software system the lights use would allow for them to be turned on and off.

He added that the proposal would go before the Planning Board for a site plan review.

Another lighting proposal was for the retrofitting of lights at Carrigan Park at a cost of $99,000. Hopkinton Little League is slated to contribute $10,000. This plan also will go before the Planning Board.

At-large member Al Rogers noted that the current lighting is “antique.” The proposal is for LED lights.

“It’s a big maintenance issue,” he explained, “and it uses a lot more energy.”

Terry called the plan “a net positive.”

Library, OSPC seek funds

Smaller funding requests include:

• $15,000 for the Open Space Preservation Commission to have the Hughes property surveyed and staked;
• An estimated $25,000 from the Board of Library Trustees for an engineering study to refurbish the bell and belfry at the library;
• $15,000 from the Board of Library Trustees for the restoration of a plaque honoring Hopkinton’s Civil War veterans.

The hearing was continued until Oct. 29.

Issue raised on adaptive playground invoice

Weismantel called into question why an invoice for work on the adaptive playground did not come to the CPC.

The CPC contributed $300,000 toward the $1.2 million project. Work on the playground, which is located at the Marathon Elementary School, is nearly complete.

Weismantel sent a letter to the School Committee and Hopkinton Public Schools administration about an invoice for $250,000. He speculated that it was submitted directly to the town’s Finance Department to pay the contractor.

All invoices for CPC-funded projects should go to Land Use Department administrative assistant Shannon Isaacs on behalf of the committee, he stressed.

Isaacs noticed a couple of weeks ago that money was missing from the account.

This transaction means that “technically, they’re in default.” But Weismantel said that he is not enforcing it, citing HPS staff transitions as a probable factor.

“If that kind of thing can happen, it’s a bigger issue than us being miffed,” said Terry.

Weismantel said he will contact Kyla LaPierre, the town’s chief financial officer.

Rogers suggested using purchase orders in the future.

The chair added that HPS missed filing the last two CPC quarterly reports, which violates policy.

Board opposes elected at-large member

Weismantel told the committee that he spoke as a private citizen before the Charter Review Committee in opposition to making one CPC at-large seat an elected position. The three at-large members are appointed by the Select Board.

His rationale was that “they’re trying to fix a problem that ain’t broken.”

The Select Board appoints members to several committees, he pointed out, and can remove them if issues such as attendance arise.

It would cost money for a candidate to mount a campaign for what he termed as a relatively low-level position in government.

Members agreed that Weismantel would speak on the CPC’s behalf against the idea at May’s Annual Town Meeting.

Streamlined application form considered

Weismantel asked members to review the application form and bring recommendations to revise it to the next meeting. His concern was that some applicants are not filling out the questions that follow the first page.

For example, Isaacs called the library applications “very sparse.”