City Council To Vote To Appoint Bizzoco & Tratchel To Framingham Community Preservation Committee

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FRAMINGHAM – Last month, 3 individuals resigned from the Framingham Community Preservation Committee.

At the July 19 meeting of the Framingham City Council, the legislative branch will look to appoint two women to the Committee – Jeanne Bizzoco from District 5 and Mary-Anne Tratchel from District 8.

The 9-member Committee was created by the City Council in 2021, after Framingham voters adopted the Community Preservation Act via a November 2020 ballot question – 19,078 to 11,414.

Framingham became the 178th community in the Commonwealth to adopt the Community Preservation Act. The adoption allowed the City to charge a 1% tax on property owners to pay for open space, historic preservation, recreation and community housing development projects.

The 9-member Committee is responsible for evaluating the community preservation needs of Framingham and making recommendations for appropriations from the Community Preservation Fund (CPC Fund) to the City Council as part of the annual budget process.

It is estimated there will be $2.1 million to spend in 2023 from the fund. The vice chair of the Committee said there is $1.6 million now in the fund.

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In her July 12 letter to the City Council, Tratchel wrote “I have a long history of community involvement, both in Framingham and abroad. I spent more than 20 years living in France, and during this period, I purchased and renovated a historic building in the village of Brantome in which I opened a restaurant. I became deeply involved in the local community and my restaurant became a social hub among the French and Europeans living in the area as well as tourists. I prided myself on being an integral part of the town. Since moving to Framingham in 2017, I have been inspired by the city’s community spirit to continue my commitment to supporting my neighborhood and local businesses in order to build pride in the city. I have been an active member of the Keep Framingham Beautiful group of volunteers who pick
up trash on streets and in natural areas, and I usually go out on my own several times a week to pick
up trash in my neighborhood and to help maintain the re-opened Waushakum Pond Beach. I have
also been involved in the Waushakum Pond Association, the Coburnville-Tripoli Neighborhood group.”

“Professionally, in addition to being a trained chef and business owner, I have been a project manager
in the telecommunications field and in international corporate benefits. I have strong
organizational, analytical, and managerial skills, and I pride myself on being able to inspire and
motivate people to achieve common goals. Having spent many years living and traveling abroad, I
am also culturally sensitive and believe that the diversity of our city is a tremendous asset,” wrote Tratchel.

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“I am writing to express my interest in the position available with the Community Preservation
Committee. I have lived, with my wife in Framingham, for almost 8 years and have such a love for our
city and its diverse community. The CPA represents an amazing opportunity, for the city of Framingham,
to fund projects so vital to our city in 3 core areas. The 3 core areas include community housing, historic
preservation, open space & outdoor recreation. I am committed to working collaboratively, with others on the Committee, to ensure funds and projects are the vision of the community. I have a desire to give back to the place I call home and feel this is the perfect opportunity to do so. In addition, I believe my professional skill set and leadership attributes would bring value to this committee,” wrote Bizzoco.