Worcester’s Community Preservation Act: A Grassroots Investment in Open Space, History, and Housing

Community Preservation Manager Jacqueline Burmeister explains how the CPA program, funded by a local surcharge, empowers Worcester residents to support historic preservation, affordable housing, and public spaces.

By Hank Stolz

WORCESTER, Mass. This interview discusses the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in Worcester. Hank speaks with Jacqueline Burmeister, who is the Community Preservation Manager for the city of Worcester. She was hired in August 2022 to oversee the implementation of the city’s CPA program. The CPA is a local surcharge tax that Worcester residents voted for, which will raise around $4-5 million per year to fund projects in open space and recreation, historic resource preservation, and community housing. Burmeister says, “The Community Preservation Act is really a democratic program, and I think of it as democratic in a multitude of ways. First of all, the Community Preservation Act is something that the residents of Worcester voted for by majority and applies specifically to Worcester.” “This isn’t like a normal budget item, in which you don’t use it in a year. It disappears or is absorbed back into the general fund. This money is just for CPA, so it’s okay if we don’t spend money in the first year. It builds on itself, and we could use it next year.” The CPA funds could have been used to preserve historic buildings like downtown Worcester’s former Notre Dame Cathedral.