Font ResizeGROTON -- The Planning Board voted Thursday to approve a letter of support to the Community Preservation Committee.
Conservation agent Barbara Ganem asked for the board's support in the commission's effort to add more cash to its dwindling conservation fund.
Ganem said the money being sought will come from Community Preservation Committee coffers and be used to supplement the $10,000 to $20,000 remaining in the fund.
Used for the purchase of open space in town when parcels become available, the fund should have at least $750,000 to $1 million.
The amount being sought from the CPC comes to $150,000, Ganem said.
Previously, the commission has usually applied for and received $200,000 from the CPC, but in light of current economic conditions, it decided to seek the lesser amount.
According to Conservation Commission member Bruce Easom, who spoke on the same issue to the CPC on Feb. 11, the conservation fund was so depleted due to the recent purchase of two parcels, including the Walker property, consisting of 49 acres, along with another 59 acres owned by Marjorie Cox.
The cost of the two parcels is $716,000, of which 60 percent is to be covered by a state grant.
Speaking in favor of the board's recommendation, local attorney Ray Lyons said when dealing with developers, it's important for them to know that the conservation fund has plenty of cash available, giving them confidence that offering open land for purchase by the town
"It's a whole different conversation" when clients know there's money in the fund, Lyons said.
Also Thursday, the board met with Community Opportunities Group Inc. representative Judi Barrett, hired to help update the town's master plan.
With a process that had been going on for almost two years, work on "Phase I," including identifying changes needed since the plan was last worked on in 2002, were completed and presented to Town Meeting for endorsement.
Despite some reservations, the measure passed by a majority vote.
Since then, efforts have moved on to "Phase II," or how to implement the approved changes, including those related to parking issues downtown, as were discussed Thursday.
Over the years, town planners have struggled with parking issues downtown, with the issue being highlighted in recent weeks when local businessman George Pergantis applied to the board for a new seafood restaurant off Main Street and when a suggestion to move voting on election day to Town Hall resulted in the need to close off Station Avenue to provide enough space for all the cars expected.
In looking over current regulations, board member Russell Burke suggested that they might be "too robust," calling for too many spaces for different businesses.
It was suggested that new ways be found to calculate how many spaces particular businesses really needed while changing regulations dealing with curb cuts that could be reduced to create more spaces along Main Street.
Work on the Master Plan is expected to continue into the spring, integrating both COG's work and that of Flinker in the final package.
