New Bedford Community Preservation Committee Recommends 23 Projects for FY23 Community Preservation Act Funding

$2 million in total allocations recommended to City Council

New Bedford, Massachusetts– The City of New Bedford’s Community Preservation Committee has voted to recommend 23 projects to the New Bedford City Council for a total of $2 million in FY23 funding through the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

The recommended CPA funding would support projects in areas including affordable housing, outdoor recreational facilities, and historic preservation.

The Committee received 24 applications during the FY23 CPA application cycle, seeking a total of just over $2.2 million. In deciding how to allocate the $2 million in available CPA funds, the Committee weighed priorities in the FY23 Community Preservation Plan, whether the proposals could achieve full or partial funding through CPA support, and which proposals best met CPA criteria. One application withdrew from consideration and was invited to reapply during the FY24 application cycle.

The Committee has submitted the FY23 CPA Funding Recommendations to the City Council to be placed on its March 23, 2023 agenda. The City Council has the final authority to award CPA funds and approve projects as recommended, approve projects at reduced funding levels, or reject projects. Should the City Council vote to reject or reduce funding for a recommended project, the Committee will have an opportunity to respond and/or to adjust the project’s scope or terms prior to a final decision by the City Council.

Below are the projects recommended for FY23 CPA funding:

Affordable Housing

  • Temple Landing II $162,099

Historic Preservation

  • Capitol Theater $270,827
  • City Clerk Record Preservation Phase II $50,000
  • Coffin Howland House Feasibility Study $4,000
  • Ft. Taber Ft. Rodman Museum 212th Field Artillery Mural $12,000
  • Gallery X Stained Glass Windows $90,000
  • Historic Cemetery Public Tombs Structures Assessment $24,000
  • Historic Tea Kettle Restoration $12,000
  • James Arnold Mansion Mansard, Dormer and Cornice Repair $175,000
  • New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center Fishing Community History Archive $25,000
  • New Bedford Free Public Library Historic Paintings Conservation $15,000
  • New Bedford Free Public Library Mobile Archive Shelving and Cabinets $101,767
  • New Bedford Whaling Museum Digitization of Whaling Logbooks and Journals $26,655
  • Rotch-Jones-Duff House Masonry Roof Replacement $48,000
  • Rural Cemetery Gravestone Conservation $48,000
  • Rural Cemetery Office Building Restoration $100,000
  • Sgt. William H. Carney House Porch $27,500
  • Strand Theater Restoration $240,000
  • Thomas Department Store Restoration $191,900

Outdoor Recreational Facilities

  • Boys and Girls Club Playground $47,167
  • Pine Hill Park – Mill Interpretive Overlook $45,000
  • Ricketson Nature Center $34,085
  • Sgt. William H. Carney Academy Playground $250,000

For more information on the CPA program and the FY23 projects, visit: http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/planning/community-preservation/

Background on the Community Preservation Act

New Bedford voters adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) through a ballot question in November 2014. The statewide enabling legislation allows communities to create dedicated funding for projects that support open space, outdoor recreational facilities, historic preservation, and affordable housing activities in the city.

Oversight of this process rests with the Community Preservation Committee, the body established by the City to oversee the CPA program in New Bedford.

Since FY18, the Committee has recommended, and the City Council has approved, 79 grants totaling over $8.4 million in CPA funding for projects that have preserved historic resources and open space, created community housing opportunities, and improved and created recreational facilities throughout the city. In addition, these grants have enabled organizations to leverage an additional $7.2 million in funding from private foundations, state and federal governments, and other sources.