Letter: Support Article 37 at Town Meeting

I am writing to encourage Grafton voters to attend Town Meeting on May 7 and to support Article 37, which switches 1 of the 4 at-large seats on the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) that are currently appointed by the Select Board to a seat to be appointed by the Affordable Housing Trust.

The charge of the CPC is to allocate tax funds that are collected via the Community Preservation Act (CPA; see https://www.grafton-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4461/f/uploads/summary.cpc_.overview.pdf for more details)

Projects that can utilize CPA funds and which the CPC can decide to recommend to Town Meeting (or not ) fall within the categories: Open Space/Outdoor Recreation, Historical Preservation, and Affordable Housing.

Right now, there is no representation for Affordable Housing from any official Town Board/Committee/Trust. The other categories, Open Space/Outdoor Recreation and Historical Preservation have representation on the CPC via seats reserved for the Conservation Commission, the Recreation Commission, and the Historical Commission. The time has come to include a dedicated seat to advocate for Affordable Housing projects.

Adding more affordable housing will not only help existing Grafton families and young adults stay in town, but will also help create space for diverse people to be part of Grafton. Having affordable housing available is a prerequisite for fostering a diverse community and an important step towards the goal of equity for all.

With a housing affordability crisis in the Northeast, now more than ever the town deserves permanent, voting representation for Affordable Housing interests on the CPC, which is the Affordable Housing Trust’s main funding source.

Rachel Guerstein