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Date: 11/27/2023
BELCHERTOWN — State Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) and state Rep. Aaron Saunders (D-Belchertown) announced that Belchertown was awarded several One Stop for Growth Grant awards for fiscal year 2024.
The four grants total more than $1.3 million for various needs and projects.
The grants include $470,000 for Phase 2 of the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail, $320,000 for the installation of a pressure-reducing valve at Carriage Grove $281,000 for a survey of land being transferred to Belchertown’s Economic Development Industrial Corporation and $275,000 to the Belchertown Community Alliance.
Town Administrator Steve Williams was excited to learn about the grant money to continue to work on economic development in the Carriage Grove area.
He said, “All of these projects are within that Carriage Grove development area within close proximity, and they all support each other. They are all going to provide economic development here in town and we are very grateful the state was able to allocate all four of these.
The redevelopment of the former Belchertown State School property, dubbed the Carriage Grove project by MassDevelopment, is intended to bring new mixed-use developments to the former site of the infamous institution for the disabled.
“I am very happy, and I want to thank you legislators Aaron Saunders and Jake Oliveira for their support with these projects and the state for the awards. We are going to put the money to good use and hopefully promote some more economic development and recreational opportunities and an overall benefit to the town,” Williams added.
The One Stop grant portal has 12 different state grant programs that fund economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, and infrastructure.
The $470,000 for the second phase of the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail is set to connect the trail back to Carriage Grove’s housing.
In 2022, Phase 1 linked the trail to the town’s schools, Lampson Brook Farm, a recreation area next to Christopher Heights assisted living and a pending 100-unit mixed housing by Brisa Development LLC.
Right now, the trial ends at a little cove at Lake Wallace.
According to Town Planner Doug Albertson, the plan for Phase 2 is to build a bridge over Lake Wallace and continue the trail along the edge of the pond, go around the back side of Foley Field Athletic Complex and loop back to itself, go up to a field overlooking the Lampson Brook farm and the Mount Holyoke Range and connect back to Carriage Grove.
Albertson added that Phase 2 will finish the project and the town already has the plans entirely ready to complete the project and are about to get the final permitting done.
“We think it should start this coming year. There is a little bit more money we need to raise but we can make some substantial progress on it in 2024. We hope to get it started then,” Albertson added.
The Belchertown EDIC was awarded two grants it applied for.
The first grant is for $320,000 through MassWorks and will be used to buy and install a pressure-reducing valve to continue the mastered planned economic development growth at Carriage Grove.
Developers have identified the need for a PRV from the new developments at Carriage Grove into the existing old water system piping.
Albertson added, “It’s strictly technical but it’s also necessary to continue with the development of the site.”
The $281,000 will be for surveys in Parcel D of Industrial Park and will survey two new lines of the 10-acre lot being transferred to the EDIC as part of the site-readiness grant.
The EDIC had a survey of the original Parcel D in the past, including site engineering work and layout.
A constraint and best-use analysis must be conducted to better develop and market the entire Parcel D, and an appraisal must be made of the new configuration.
The site is undeveloped with no access road and challenging topography but with substantial private sector interest.
Albertson said, “It was part of the old State School property, but nothing was ever developed on it. They want to develop that with a small street for some business properties and will use the money for design work.
Finally, the Belchertown Community Alliance was awarded $275,000 in underutilized properties grants and will support providing ADA-complaint access to the 6 Berkshire Ave. building, currently being reutilized into a Creative Economy Hub for the town.
Once a dorm on the former Belchertown State School campus, the grant will support providing ADA-compliant access to the building by reconfiguring the first-floor entryway, constructing first-floor ADA-accessible bathrooms and adding an elevator.
The BCA has worked with Kuhn Riddle Architects to develop a plan for adding a new exterior elevator serving all levels of the building, accessible restrooms and entrances.
BCA President April Jasak-Bangs said, “This is the largest grant the Belchertown Community Alliance has received to date, and we are very excited to be able to bring these funds to our community. While the whole ADA accessibility project for 6 Berkshire is slated to cost around $750,000, this grant is an excellent starting point and has certainly started the much needed momentum to get this project completed.”