The future looks a bit grim for the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission unless funding sources can be found to keep it operating.

Chair Louise Theberge, who represents Gloucester on the regional board, told fellow commissioners at last Wednesday night’s meeting that the MPPDC isn’t in an immediate financial crisis, but that it can’t continue to exist on the current fee system. Grant funds are declining, she said, and the money will run out unless new revenue is found to sustain the body.

The commission does a lot for local government, said Theberge, providing programs, initiatives and grant management that localities would otherwise be unable to afford.

"They manage grants so we don’t have to hire someone for a year and a half to do it," she said. "When we call, they answer our questions. They don’t charge for the calls, and they don’t charge for projects."

Most commission members realize that the money each l...