Town Meeting did not approve the use of Community Preservation funds for two separate projects and debated and voted down the first of 40 proposed changes to the town's charter on Tuesday, the second night of the fall meeting.

Webster Hall

An article that sought $100,000 in Community Preservation funding to restore Webster Hall to its original design lost a majority vote. If it were approved, the funding would have been matched by the building's owners, and its exterior would have been restored.

A historic preservation restriction would have been placed on the property, requiring the current and future owners to keep the exterior historically accurate, and the building would have been added to the National Registry of Historic Places (www.nps.gov/nr).

Proponents argued that approving the funds would help improve a prominent area of Main Street.

"There's no doubt in my mind that in terms of the design, if this project goes forward, that you will see a dramatic visual difference," said Anthi Frangiadis, architect for the owners of the 207 Main St. building.

But opponents of the article argued that Community Preservation funding, which is generated through property tax revenues, should not be used to help private developers.

"Why should we, as taxpayers, fund a building that's going to look nicer and get more rent," asked Finance Committee member Dominic Cammarano, who also owns a Main Street building. "You people are going to spend money to help this gentleman make his business better. If you're willing to do that, then you can help me also," he joked.

Still, proponents urged Town Meeting to look at the bigger picture.

"Don't be so short-sighted that just because the building is owned by somebody, that we shouldn't take pride in our Main Street," said Selectman Steve Holmes.

The article was defeated, with 118 votes in opposition to 101 in favor.

Affordable housing

Echoing some of the same concerns voiced during the Webster Hall proposal, voters did not approve the use of $80,000 of Community Preservation funding for the purchase of two foreclosed homes that would be rehabilitated and submitted as deed-restricted affordable housing units.

Michael LaCava of Hold Em Realty, who requested the funding, said he is working on "restoring neighborhoods, one house at a time."

Voters approved $50,000 in funding for a similar project last spring. LaCava's company rehabbed a single-family home in Onset with the money ($5,000 was unused and returned to the town), and that house will soon be sold through the Wareham Housing Authority.

"The deplorable conditions of these houses do nothing to help our community, and I'm here to change this," LaCava said.

Though LaCava's previous project was seemingly successful, voters were not quick to approve the additional funding for two more homes.

Opponents of the article struggled for the second time Tuesday with handing money over to a private developer.

"For $80,000, we should be getting more than two affordable housing units," said Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue. "I urge you to think about how much more you can be getting for $80,000 and not be putting [the money] into a businessman's pocket."

Resident Ed Pacewicz agreed. "Are we getting the biggest bang for our buck?," he asked, pointing out that the proposed Westfield housing project, which appears later on in the Town Meeting warrant, would give the town more than 200 affordable housing units for less than $1 million.

Selectman Brenda Eckstrom voiced concerns that the process for getting the previous home approved by the state and added to Wareham's affordable housing inventory was not followed.

LaCava assured the body that he and his attorney are "following the process 100 percent" and did not anticipate any problems.

But the proposal needed approval of 2/3 of the body, and ultimately failed.

Charter changes

The first of 31 proposed charter changes submitted by the Charter Review Committee sparked immediate debate, as well as an effort to package the articles and vote them down in one fell swoop.

Precinct six resident Bob Brady argued that the Charter Review Committee should not have been allowed to return to fall Town Meeting with a list of proposals, after the committee's proposal to institute a mayoral form of government was soundly defeated at spring Town Meeting.

Town Counsel Rich Bowen, however, said the committee was lawful in its actions.

Brady then made a motion for the body to consider all of the charter articles at once, and indefinitely postpone them.

This was met with much opposition, with voters citing the time and effort the committee put into reviewing the charter and drafting changes.

But voters in favor of Brady's motion argued that the Charter Review Committee should have submitted charter changes such as the ones appearing in the warrant before proposing a mayoral form of government.

"All [the Charter Review Committee] is doing is coming back through the back door of what we voted down in the spring," said Finance Committee Chair Donna Bronk.

The motion ultimately failed. A motion to move all charter-change articles to a future date so that they could be discussed in length also failed.

Then it was on to the Charter Review Committee's first proposal, which was to allow residential property owners who live and vote elsewhere to serve on town boards and committees.

Proponents cited the lack of volunteers for many vacancies on committees as a need for the proposal's approval, as well as fairness to people who pay taxes but do not have a voice in the town's government.

"We welcome [property owners'] money, we take their taxes," said precinct five resident Lynne Burroughs. "Let's see what they have to offer."

But opponents argued that if part-time residents wanted to participate in government, they could become a resident and voter in Wareham.

"The only people who qualify under this are the people who are fortunate enough to own two homes," said precinct three resident Peter Balzarini. "If people want to serve on boards or committees and they own a home in Wareham, move to Wareham!"

The article failed for lack of a 2/3 vote.

Town Meeting will reconvene in the Wareham High School auditorium on Wednesday, October 27, at 7 p.m. Check WarehamVillageSoup.com for coverage of the meeting, which falls after Wareham Week's print deadline.