[Adopted 6-7-2021 ATM by Art. 34]
A. 
There is hereby established a Community Preservation Committee consisting of nine voting members pursuant to MGL c. 44B, § 5. The Town Administrator shall appoint all members of the Committee whose appointment is not otherwise provided for, subject to confirmation by the majority vote of the Board of Selectmen. The composition shall be as follows:
(1) 
One member from the Conservation Commission as designated by the Commission, for a term of three years.
(2) 
One member from the Historical Commission as designated by the Commission, for a term of three years.
(3) 
One member from the Planning Board as designated by the Board, for a term of three years.
(4) 
One member from the Recreation Committee as designated by the Committee, for a term of three years.
(5) 
One member from the Open Space Committee as designated by the Committee, for a term of three years.
(6) 
One member of the Sturbridge Municipal Affordable Housing Trust as designated by the Committee, for a term of three years.
[Amended 6-6-2022 ATM by Art. 32]
(7) 
Three additional at-large members to be appointed by the Town Administrator, for terms of three years.
B. 
Should any of the commissions, boards or committees listed above no longer exist for whatever reason, the appointment shall become an at-large appointment in addition to the three listed above.
A. 
The Community Preservation Committee shall study the needs, possibilities and resources of the Town regarding community preservation, including the consideration of regional projects for community preservation. The Committee shall consult with existing municipal boards, including the Board of Selectmen, Conservation Commission, the Historical Commission, the Planning Board, Recreation Committee and the Housing Partnership Committee. As part of its study, the Committee shall hold one or more public informational meetings on the needs, possibilities and resources of the Town regarding community preservation possibilities and resources, notice of which shall be posted publicly and published at least two weeks before the public meeting in the official newspaper.
B. 
The Community Preservation Committee shall make recommendations to the Town Meeting for the acquisition, creation and preservation of open space, for the acquisition, preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of historic resources, for the acquisition, creation, preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of land for recreational use, for the acquisition, creation, preservation and support of affordable housing and for rehabilitation or restoration of such open space, and affordable housing that is acquired or created as provided by this article. With respect to affordable housing, the Community Preservation Committee shall recommend, wherever possible, the reuse of existing buildings or construction of new buildings on previously developed lots. With respect to recreational use, the acquisition of artificial turf for athletic fields shall be prohibited.
C. 
The Community Preservation Committee may include in its recommendation to the Town Meeting a recommendation to set aside, for later spending, funds for specific purposes that are consistent with community preservation but for which sufficient revenues are not then available in the Community Preservation Fund to accomplish that specific purpose or to set aside for later spending funds for general purposes that are consistent with community preservation.