GREENFIELD — Several communities in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region received nearly $4.8 million in grant money to address needs in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
With funding through the competitive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the municipalities of Greenfield, Athol, Montague, Orange, Shelburne, Erving, Northfield and Warwick can support a wide range of projects and services aimed at assisting low- and moderate-income residents or to revitalize parts of town.
In Greenfield, the city’s $825,000 grant will go toward a second phase of infrastructure improvements on West Street, as well as continuing the city’s annual contributions to social-service projects.
“This is drastically needed,” said Lindsay Rowe, Greenfield’s community development administrator. “It helps so that the city doesn’t have to pay.”
The city undertook Phase 1 of the West Street project from Elm Street to Western Avenue last year and will continue infrastructure work from Elm Street to Conway Street this year.
Rowe said the work on West Street focuses on sewer, drainage and water mains, one of which burst during a string of water main breaks across Greenfield in July 2021. She said most of this infrastructure was installed in the early 20th century and needs to be replaced.
“Here we are over 100 years later,” Rowe said.
According to the project description, the West Street improvements will benefit the more than 2,200 people who live in the neighborhood, of which approximately 75% are low- or moderate-income residents. Construction is expected to begin in April and be finished by September.
Nearly $80,000 will go to several social-service programs in Greenfield, too. The Center for Self-Reliance will receive $50,000, while The Literacy Project and LifePath will both receive $15,000.
In Athol, Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said the town is “pleased” that its $775,075 award will help continue the rehabilitation of the Walnut Street neighborhood off Main Street.
“This project is going to complete a three-year, three-phase effort to improve the neighborhood,” Suhoski said. “It’ll cap off that whole neighborhood.”
Like Greenfield, Athol’s project is focused on the underground infrastructure of Walnut Street, but will also reconstruct a total of 845 linear feet of roadway, redo curbs and replace the “100-year-old deteriorated clay sewer system.” Suhoski said this project is another facet of the more than $6 million invested into revitalizing downtown.
“We’re really going to be able to do a lot of work downtown, which is a target area of improvement,” Suhoski said, adding that the funds are “vital” for towns like Athol.
“Some of the water mains we’re upgrading are 80 to 120 years old,” Suhoski said. “The cost is just well beyond the rate the municipal budget could do on its own.”
For Franklin County towns outside of Greenfield, the CDBG application is handled by the Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
Executive Director Gina Govoni agreed the CDBG program is “vital” to helping small communities fund a variety of essential projects and services for low- and moderate-income residents.
“I think they are really important funds,” Govoni said. “As a regional organization, we’re happy to bring these funds into the area.”
Govoni said the housing authority works with the towns to determine their needs over the course of a few years. In smaller towns like Northfield, Erving and Warwick, which received $928,267, the money will be used for housing rehabilitation, which she said is necessary for keeping people in their homes.
“We do a lot of homeowner rehab. This is really the only program that allows us to do homeowner rehab,” Govoni said. “There are a significant number of lower- and moderate-income homeowners who really need these funds.”
She estimated they work on “anywhere from 30 to 50 homes” throughout the county in any given year. Govoni said these projects are usually on an 18-month implementation schedule, which will begin in the summer, noting they’re “in the process of getting the ball rolling right now.”
Along with housing and infrastructure, Govoni highlighted the social-service aspect of the CDBG program, which helps fund a “nice range of programs.” She highlighted LifePath’s home-sharing program, which allows seniors to “age in place,” and a feasibility study on the Butterfield Elementary School in Orange.
“They’re great programs and continue to meet their goals,” Govoni said. “They’ve come to rely on CDBG funding.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.