SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen hopes the third time’s the charm for a Community Development grant application it approved this week.
The town, in conjunction with the town of Granville, applied for the same grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development in 2014 and 2015 but was denied.
James Mazik of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) said after the first application was denied, the towns worked with PVPC to tweak the application and was able to gain points.
“Last year there was under $2 million available and only two applications were funded,” Mazik said.
Southwick fell just short of funding last year and Mazik and the selectmen believe the towns have a good chance this year.
The projects include road and drainage improvements to Veteran Street in Southwick, housing rehabilitation in both communities – four in Granville and five in Southwick – and a mobile food pantry to benefit residents of both towns.
Mazik said the estimated cost for Veteran Street is $84,000 and the mobile pantry is estimated at $90,000.
Our Community Pantry Director Sally Munson spoke in favor of the application during a public hearing Monday.
“Obviously we’ve applied for this before and the only thing that’s changed is we have even more need,” said Munson.
The mobile pantry would provide food to families in Granville and Southwick who are unable to pick up food at the pantry, located at 230 College Highway.
Resident Marcus Phelps also spoke during the hearing and asked if Fernwood Street was still part of the targeted area under the guidelines of the grant. Mazik said it was.
Phelps also asked about a sidewalk project that was discussed, that would bring a sidewalk from the Rail Trail down Powder Mill Road past Whalley Park.
“The issue with that Community Development Block Grant is it would be difficult to meet eligibility requirements,” Mazik said.
Mazik said that in order to do a street project with the grant funds, 51 percent of the residents on the street must be low- to moderate-income and he did not believe Powder Mill Road would meet that requirement.
Board members unanimously approved the application following the hearing.
