DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS

The
City of Somerville has extended the application deadline to Friday, Sept. 27 for
the four public positions on the newly formed Community Preservation Committee,
which is tasked with evaluating Somerville's
needs in open space and outdoor recreation, affordable housing, and historic
preservation, and making recommendations to the Board of Aldermen on how Community
Preservation Act (CPA) revenues should be spent.
Somerville voters overwhelmingly approved adoption of the CPA in November 2012,
which will raise an estimated $1.5 million in funding annually via a tax
surcharge and state funds designated for those three specific areas.

The committee consists of nine volunteers, including
four members from the general public and a member from each of the following
bodies: the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, the Historical
Preservation Commission, the Parks and Open Space Department, and the Housing
Authority.

The City is currently looking to fill the four general
public positions. To ensure the most qualified applicants are selected, Mayor Joseph
A. Curtatone has formed a planning team of City experts and community members to
review applications, conduct interviews, and consider public feedback on
candidates. From the group of applicants, they will nominate candidates for
appointment for the Mayor to review. The Mayor will then submit candidate
finalists to the Board of Aldermen for approval.

Committee members serve three-year terms, but initial
appointments to the committee have been staggered, so the City is seeking to
fill two one-year term positions, one two-year term position, and one three-year
term position.

Though it is ultimately the decision of the Community
Preservation Committee to decide when and how often to meet, the City expects
that it will meet one to two times each month in the evening. The inaugural
meeting of the committee will likely take place in December 2013 or January
2014.

Being an effective committee member will require that
you:

• Familiarize yourself
  with Somerville's affordable housing, historic preservation, and open
  space/outdoor recreation policies and needs

• Familiarize yourself
  with the law (Community Preservation Act, MGL Chapter 44B) that governs the committee

• Attend meetings
  regularly

• Foster good relations
  with other city departments, boards, and commissions

• Listen to and be
  responsive to community feedback

• Use fairness and
  objectivity when making decisions

The planning team is seeking candidates who:

• Are supportive of all
  three programmatic areas of the CPA: affordable housing, historic
  preservation, and open space and outdoor recreation AND

• Have demonstrated a
  commitment to at least one of these areas.

In addition, the goal of the planning team is to
create a balanced committee that includes members who:

• Come from diverse
  demographic backgrounds

• Represent all
  geographic areas of the City

• Have financial
  expertise

• Have project
  management experience

• Are actively
  involved in the community

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested residents should complete the application available on the City's website or outside the SomerStat
Office at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Completed applications should be sent to
Candace Cooper (ccooper@somervillema.gov or 617.625.6600 ext. 3306) by Sept. 27, 2013. All
residents are welcome to apply, except for City employees or individuals
holding elected or appointed positions. No nomination is required to submit an
application.

Please note that if you choose to apply for the Community
Preservation Committee, your name and a portion of your application (a brief
summary describing why you are a qualified candidate) will be posted on the city
website for public review between
Sept. 30 and Oct. 13. All community members are invited to provide feedback on
candidates during this time.

To find out more about serving as a CPC member, please
visit the following websites:

http://www.somervillema.gov/cpa

http://www.communitypreservation.org/