TURNERS FALLS — A busy section of town known for its music venue, library, family park and other attractions is now recognized as a cultural district.
Montague officials announced Monday that the state approved designation for a district in Turners Falls that runs along Avenue A from the bridge to the Carnegie Library and from Unity Park to the canal. With this recognition comes a $5,000 grant to help cover signs and other promotion.
Town Planner Walter Ramsey and RiverCulture director Suzanne LoManto presented the district to the Selectboard during Monday night’s meeting.
Ramsey said there’s about 50 of these districts throughout the state, and the Turners Falls district joins those in Shelburne Falls and Greenfield in Franklin County.
Montague initially sought the cultural district designation for Turners Falls in 2011, but the state asked the town to refine the district. Ramsey said that when revisiting the application this year, town officials looked at the area with the most density of cultural attractions.
“There’s a lot of good things packed in there. That’s why we did it,” Ramsey said.
LoManto said the downtown area has also improved in the last six years, with less vacancies in shops.
“It’s kind of an affirmation of the work that’s been going into town over the past several decades,” Ramsey said.
LoManto said she’s starting a Facebook page for the district as well as a newsletter so people can stay up to date with events.
In the application, the town chose to include the Shea Theater, Carnegie Library, Unity Park, Great Falls Discovery Center and the Canalside Rail Trail as some of the main cultural cornerstones. The town has also highlighted all live music venues, public art and art studios in the district. LoManto had spearheaded the project with Ramsey.
The designation comes from the Massachusetts Cultural Council at the state level. That organization defines a cultural district as “a specific geographical area in a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities and assets. It is a walkable, compact area that is easily identifiable to visitors and residents and serves as a center of cultural, artistic and economic activity.”
The state approved the town’s application last Thursday at an event in New Bedford, where Gov. Charlie Baker announced additional state cultural funding.
“It was really showing really the importance of this money and how it can renovate and restore public properties,” LoManto said.
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