At its meeting Thursday, the Community Preservation Committee stressed that it is going to be tougher on applicants who are applying for funds for the upcoming fiscal year if they have not made progress on previously funded projects.

“I think we just have to start being more hard-nosed about getting projects done in two years,” said chair Ken Weismantel.

He noted that funding allocations are made with the expectation that projects will be completed within a two-year period. Over the past several years, the CPC has granted extensions. Examples Weismantel gave for extensions were for the Cemetery Commission’s gravestone restoration project and several Parks & Recreation Department projects.

“Every damn year we extend it,” he stressed. “One of the questions we should ask during our public hearing is, ‘Are you going to get it done within this time period?’ ”

“We need to make a case to take all the money away from them until they come in here with a plan to do this,” added vice chair Eric Sonnett.

Member Parker Happ said that strategy “feels a little punitive.” But he agreed that action plans with timetables are needed from applicants.

No applicants were present at the meeting to present their respective projects. The Cemetery Commission’s $20,000 headstone restoration project was on the meeting’s agenda. Its request for FY 26 for the same amount was denied because of lack of progress. Cemetery Commission members noted at that time that the person who does that work is only available a few months each year and has several projects in the works. Its funding requests usually are taken from the historic preservation bucket.

Shannon Isaacs, the Land Use Department’s administrative assistant, pointed out that the Cemetery Commission still has $19,800 left over from previous allocations dating back to 2021.

Under the Community Preservation Act that was signed in 2000, Massachusetts communities may add a surcharge on top of their local property taxes to fund open space, historic preservation, outdoor recreation and affordable housing projects. The current rate for Hopkinton is 2%. At least 10% of CPA funding must be spent on each of these four categories, or buckets, with the rest available for any category. The CPC administers the allocation of these funds based on submitted proposals and makes recommendations for approval at May’s Annual Town Meeting.

This meeting is the second one in a long process leading up to May’s Annual Town Meeting to determine which projects will be funded and from which buckets the money will be allocated.

Center School reuse project updated

Weismantel gave an overview of project requests received for FY 27. The largest request was for $6 million through FY 28 for the Center School restoration and reuse project as part of a $10 million public/private partnership with the Hopkinton Center for the Arts. It was requested as a “placeholder.”

The chair provided an update on this key downtown revitalization project. The HCA is in the process of trying to raise $4 million for its share of the work. It is expected to be the private partner, he said.

He added that the town did submit a request for proposals (RFP) asking for bids from a Hopkinton-based non-profit focused on the arts for the “arts floor.” Bids are due in early November.

Town Meeting unanimously approved Article 26 at May’s Annual Town Meeting for $600,000 to fund construction bid documents and engineering plans. It also approved Article 27, which “transfer[red] care, custody and control of the former Center School” to the Select Board so that it could issue the project RFP. It likewise passed unanimously.

“There is a possibility that we might just do demo this next budget cycle,” said Weismantel. He noted that the demolition of the two newer sections added onto the historic front structure is expected to cost about $2 million.

More information on this project would be available by mid-December, he added. The deadline for the CPC to complete its capital hearings and submit recommendations to Town Manager Elaine Lazarus is Dec. 19.

Request overviews trigger discussion

The other main requests discussed came from Parks & Rec and the Cemetery Commission. Also, there were several land purchase requests from the Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC) and a request to repair limestone at Town Hall’s front entrance. A Department of Public Works request for $37,500 was made for a conceptual plan for landscaping improvements to a town-owned parcel at Ice House Pond.

A new funding request from the Parks & Recreation Department for $250,000 for energy-efficient lighting for the pickleball/tennis courts on Fruit Street generated debate. The application noted that this request arose from “community feedback and observation of current usage patterns.”

Weismantel questioned whether the “brand-new courts” would have to be trenched to install the lighting fixtures. Sonnett asked about whether the lighting is needed, as night usage would be limited by seasonal and weather conditions.

“People like their pickleball,” countered Happ, who noted the sport’s popularity.

Weismantel noted that a new pickleball/padel facility is under construction on East Main Street and slated to open in December, and it could impact the usage at these public courts.

Parks & Rec also requested an additional $1 million for the cricket pitch/ball field. A $1 million request for the redesign of Pyne Field, which included the cricket pitch, ball field and parking area, was approved by the CPC in December 2022.

While Weismantel said he was “curious” as to how the Planning Board will vote on its design reconfiguration, his main concern was appropriating another million dollars to a project that is “three years behind.”

A $25,000 request for picnic tables and benches at the Town Common, Sandy Beach and the skate park also was reviewed. Weismantel said he plans to ask whether the benches will align with the Historic District Commission’s standards for the Town Common benches.

The Cemetery Commission’s request was rescheduled to the next meeting on Nov. 13. That meeting is expected to mostly take place in executive session, according to Weismantel.

“They are still spending on two cycles ago of funding,” stressed Weismantel. “Unless they can get their act together and find someone new for the $20,000 they’re currently at, I’m not inclined to give them more money until they spend where they’re at.”

Weismantel suggested that some of the lingering projects may need project assistance. Other members agreed.