GREENFIELD — A $56,775 grant awarded to the Friends of the Franklin County Fairgrounds through the Office of Grants and Research’s Massachusetts Nonprofit Security Grant Program will help improve security at the Wisdom Way fairgrounds.

“As we continue to grow in size and have some larger events, it’s of particular interest to us to make sure that we’re protecting our guests in [the best way] that we can,” explained Mike Nelson, president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society that runs the fairgrounds.

The organization has been working for several years to assess security weak points, Nelson added. One recommendation was to improve security around the perimeter of the property.

In 2019, severe weather led to a mudslide that destroyed 480 feet of fencing. A smaller fence was erected to serve as a temporary barrier, but Nelson said the organization had concerns about security that it were unable to address due to a lack of funding.

“It’s really only 5 feet tall, so really the height that a 10-year-old can jump over or climb over easily, so it really wasn’t efficient at keeping people out,” Nelson explained. “Those who really wanted to get in could get in easily, which wasn’t good.”

The $56,775 grant, part of a total of $4.75 million awarded to 85 Massachusetts nonprofits earlier this month, covers the cost of replacing the temporary fencing, as well as an ill-constructed back entrance that often leads larger vehicles to damage neighboring properties while attempting to enter. It also covers the replacement of several other sections of fencing damaged by vehicles, vegetation and rust.

Saladino Property Maintenance was tasked with conducting the fence replacement. The finished product is an 8-foot-tall chain-link barrier with three rows of barbed wire.

“With this funding, nonprofits will receive vital resources to implement security improvements that ensure their ability to safeguard those whom they serve,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

According to a statement from the Healey administration, the Office of Grants and Resources assessed applications from nonprofits that are considered to be at high risk of a hate crime or terrorist attack, and awarded grants on the basis of alignment with the Massachusetts Nonprofit Security Grant Program’s priorities, availability of funds and whether the organization had previously received nonprofit security grant funding. The Friends of the Franklin County Fairgrounds is the only nonprofit in Franklin County to receive a grant during this round of funding.

“We have not received any extremist attacks, thankfully, but we are just very aware of the world around us,” Nelson noted. “We have in the past had things such as bomb threats during the County Fair, all of which … came up to be hoaxes, but nonetheless, it’s a reality that people are out there and willing to at least try to cause a little bit of chaos … even here, in our little tiny corner of the world.”