HUNTINGTON – A public hearing on the infrastructure work completed through the FY15 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding was held at the start of the Huntington Selectmen’s meeting on Wednesday. The CDBG grant is a program of Housing and Economic Development (DHCD).
Erica Johnson, senior planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) who wrote the Southern Hilltowns grant, reviewed the roadway improvements completed to date on Maple Street and those underway on Pleasant Street through the grant.
Johnson reported that deteriorated roadway on Maple Street was reconstructed with two new catch basins installed. The sidewalks on the east and west sides of the street were replaced with concrete walks.
Phase I of the Pleasant Street project is underway, with replacement of water, sewer and drainage lines. Work on Phase II of the project, which has been funded for FY16 (Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017) will include the final surface, paving and sidewalks on Pleasant Street. Johnson said the road will be patched with quality asphalt patches for the winter. “You’ll still be able to plow it. People will still be able to drive on it,” she said.
Johnson said they had requested two separate projects, but had bid the construction and engineering together for a cost savings, which will allow them to add an additional corner to Maple Street and Route 112, narrowing a giant intersection in order to slow traffic.
Following her report, Johnson said CDBG funding for FY17, which begins Oct. 1, 2017 through Sept. 30, 2018, remains in “super limbo.” The state has proposed sweeping changes to the block grant moving forward, which may have dire effects on the programs funded in the hilltowns, specifically the social service programs.
Among the changes is the switch to one town/one project funding, instead of the multiple towns, multiple programs that have been funded for over 25 years. That would mean in Huntington choosing between social services vs. paving vs. housing rehabilitation, according to Johnson.
She said the reasons given by the state for the changes are to get more towns applying, and to make the process easier for all applicants. However, the proposed changes disproportionately impact rural communities by pitting social services in small communities, which serve fewer people at a higher cost per person, against similar programs in larger communities, making rural areas uncompetitive.
“In the grand scheme of things, the money we’re getting provides so many services to the people of our town,” said Huntington Selectman Ed Renauld.
Some of the programs at risk of losing CDBG funding in FY17 are Hilltown Social Services, which operates the Hilltown Family Center and Health Outreach Program for Elders, the Southern Hilltowns Adult Education Center, which offers GED classes, the Huntington Food Pantry, and the Southern Hilltowns Domestic Violence Prevention Project. All of these programs have been funded for FY16.
”We have amazing social service programs out here,” Johnson said, adding that even though they may serve a larger proportion of the population, cannot compare to the numbers of people served in more densely populated regions in the state. She said the proposed changes “would mean real significant changes to programs we’ve built in the hilltowns.”
Johnson said the PVPC is actively fighting against the proposed changes, and has put together a letter signed by all the local legislators, discussing the impact of the changes.
She also said that the public comment period for the proposed changes ends this Friday, September 23. Interested parties should feel free to submit comments, in writing or via email, directly to the CDBG program. Comments may be directed to: Mark Southard, Community Development Manager, DHCD, 100 Cambridge St, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02114 or [email protected].
