Ayer CPC sends $237,000 in preservation and housing aid to Town Meeting

AYER -- March 4, 2026, Ayer's Community Preservation Committee unanimously forwarded two CPA funding requests totaling $237,000 to the April 27 Town Meeting. The larger request, $212,000 from the Ayer Affordable Housing Trust, includes $84,000 to expand the Ayer Rental Assistance Program from 12 to 14 families, a change driven by what the trust's CPC liaison Colleen described as an unusually large pool of high-need applicants, plus $128,000 for an affordable housing acquisition fund modeled on the town's Devon's Crest commitment. The second request, $25,000 from the Sandy Pond School Association, would fund a mini-split HVAC system at the National Register-listed Sandy Pond Schoolhouse, enabling year-round programming for elementary students; a first contractor quote from J.A. Healy and Sons of Westford came in at $22,647.91, excluding electrical work estimated at $2,500. The committee also noted a long-stalled preservation restriction on the schoolhouse remains unsigned by the town and asked the association to consult with the Ayer Historical Commission on equipment placement once all three bids are in hand. Developer Mark Gallagher of Steel Harbor gave an informational update on the conversion of 18 Washington Street's former fire station into eight rental units, disclosing that thieves posing as contractors stripped the building of all copper last summer; no CPA application was filed.