SOUTH DEERFIELD — After 14 years of planning and searching for grants, downtown South Deerfield is getting a new look with repairs along Elm Street.
Since the drafting of initial designs in 2012, the town received a $500,000 Complete Streets construction grant in January 2025 and a $1 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant in November. With funds secured, the project is in the “final design phase,” according to Deerfield’s Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Alexandria Galloway.
Town officials aim to put the project out to bid in May, settle on a contractor in June and start the estimated four to six months of construction as early as July.
Once the town chooses a contractor and sets a schedule for construction, traffic flow through the downtown area will be discussed with Police Chief John Paciorek Jr.
The town plans to reconstruct the entire roadway, stretching from the railroad crossing up to the edges of the Leo’s Table building on North Main Street and the site of the former Cumberland Farms gas station on Sugarloaf Street. Along with repaving the roadway, the project entails replacing sidewalks on both sides of Elm Street; adding a concrete shared-use path spanning 10 feet on the north side of the street and another shared-use path on the south side of the street stretching 7.5 feet; and constructing a slightly raised crosswalk in front of the Leary Public Parking Lot.
“Bikers, strollers, people walking — people should have free flow going in both directions,” Galloway explained.
The town also plans to renovate the crosswalks at the intersection where North Main, South Main, Elm and Sugarloaf streets meet to “improve pedestrian visibility,” and remove the crosswalk outside Ciesluk’s Market on North Main Street after local businesses relayed “it’s not a terribly safe crossing,” according to Galloway. For smoother stormwater drainage, repaving will slope the street.
Construction will also involve shifting parking along Elm Street from angled to parallel spots to improve the walkability and accessibility of the “dense commercial corridor,” as Deerfield Town Administrator Christopher Dunne described.
Although Galloway said this switch will lead to the loss of 10 parking spots in South Deerfield’s downtown, she reminded residents at an informational session last week that the construction of the Leary Public Parking Lot nearly doubled parking in the village center. After the Elm Street project is complete, there will be 92 parking spots in downtown South Deerfield, including eight spots for electric vehicles.
Galloway described the project as a necessary next move for infrastructure in South Deerfield that is “at the end of [its] lifespan.”
“It’s construction — it’s going to be messy, but hopefully it’ll be beautiful,” Galloway said. “We need to really start fresh.”
