Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (left) and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
HILLTOWNS – Last week, Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash, and Housing and Community Undersecretary Chrystal Kornegay awarded 39 Community Development Block Grants, totaling $30.5 million, to 58 communities across Massachusetts.
Among the grants to be awarded is $1,183,165 to Russell, Huntington, Middlefield and Chester for housing rehabilitation assistance, infrastructure improvements to Main and Old Westfield roads in Russell, an engineering study of two roads in Chester, and funding for social services.
“$1,183,165 is the full amount we requested,” said Erica Johnson, senior planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission who wrote the grant. Johnson said they have not yet received official notice of the grants or the contract, but is judging by the amount to say that all program requests will be funded.
One of the larger infrastructure projects in the grant ($466,565) is for sidewalks and curbing on both sides of Main Street and on Old Westfield Street in Russell, which follows the Memorial Day parade route from the Gazebo, past the cemetery and out to Route 20.
The engineering study grant of $51,000 in Chester will be for Prospect Street and Soifalo Road, to look at redoing those two roads.
The housing rehabilitation assistance grant of $222,400 will be open to residents of all four towns, and is expected to rehabilitate 8 units. Johnson said the program provides a no interest loan to low-to-moderate income eligible residents on a first-come, first-served basis. She said typical repairs can include fixing code violations, deck rebuilds, new wells, new septic, kitchens, bathrooms, and flooring. Residents interested in applying for the loans may call PVPC at 413-781-6045 and ask for Shirley Stephens for more information.
Susan LeBarron, Hilltown Family Center coordinator, playing with Elayna Dowd of Middlefield and Noah Monfette of Huntington. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Regional social services that will be funded include $68,500 for the Hilltown Social Services, which also operates the Hilltown Family Center; $75,643 for the Southern Hilltowns Adult Education Center; $40,000 for the Huntington Food Pantry, and $40,000 for the Southern Hilltowns Domestic Violence Prevention Project. These programs also serve all four towns in the grant.
The town of Chester will also receive a separate grant of $800,000 for infrastructure improvements on Hampden Road. Johnson said they would be connecting the last piece of water main downtown, and redoing the road.
The announcement by Governor Baker on July 20 came as a relief for the programs being funded.
Southern Hilltowns Adult Education Director, Michele Kenney, said she was very pleased to hear that the grant was fully funded. “We look forward to a great year, once again being able to offer a full course of GED/HiSET prep classes, beginner and intermediate computer classes, and classes to support the many small businesses in the Hilltown Region,” Kenney said.
Michele Kenney of the Southern Hilltowns Adult Education Center, teaching a GED class funded by CDBG grants. (Photo submitted)
Last fall, funding for the FY17 CDBG program was in “super limbo,” according to comments made by Johnson at a meeting at the Huntington Board of Selectmen. According to Johnson, the state had proposed sweeping changes to the block grant which could have had dire effects in the hilltowns, specifically the social service programs that rely heavily on the CDBG grant to stay open.
Among the changes being proposed was a switch to one town/one project funding, instead of the multiple towns, multiple programs that have been funded for over 25 years. She also said the proposed changes would have disproportionately impacted 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.
Funding for the program for FY2018 remains uncertain. “We’ve been lucky. We’ve been successful. I’m still feeling happy about this year,” said Johnson when asked about FY18. “We’ll figure it out. We always do,” she added.
Massachusetts’ Community Development Block Grant Program is a federally funded, competitive grant program designed to help small cities and towns meet a broad range of community development needs. Assistance is provided to qualifying cities and towns for housing, community, and economic development projects that assist low and moderate-income residents, or by revitalizing blighted areas
