Westborough Affordable Housing Trust approves purchase-option recommendation, small maintenance allocation and several administrative actions

The Westborough Affordable Housing Trust meeting July 11 produced several formal actions: the trust recommended the Select Board exercise the town’s purchase option on 24 Indian Pond Road and authorized an amount not to exceed $279,600 for related fees if the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) cannot identify an eligible purchaser within the prescribed 90-day window. The motion passed by roll-call vote with members present voting in favor.

Earlier in the meeting the trust approved allocating up to $2,500 for recurring maintenance at a trust-owned property after trustees reported persistent overgrowth and tree-limb hazards. The trust asked staff to coordinate with the Department of Public Works (DPW) for scope and costs.

Other votes at the July 11 meeting included accepting corrections to Ellington West’s compliance reporting and requesting that Maloney Properties issue refunds or tenant credits for calculation errors; approving a trustee recruitment skill-set document (amended to include people with lived experience in affordable housing); forming a technical working group to review the Post Road development (appointments: Ed, Alan, Steve); and approving a leadership slate that assigns Alan a financial-manager/leadership role and Steve as vice chair. All motions were approved by roll-call votes.

No subsidies or loans were authorized for the Post Road project at the meeting; the working group will evaluate financial assumptions and potential funding mechanisms and report back to the trust before any money is committed.

The trust adjourned after confirming staff next steps, including notifying the town manager and EOHLC about the Indian Pond item and posting updated trustee leadership information to the trust website.