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Date: 1/2/2024
NORTHAMPTON — During its Dec. 21 meeting, the Northampton City Council voted in support of funding for six CPA, also known as Community Preservation Act, projects that totaled over $1.4 million.
The funding includes $535,000 for the Connecticut River Greenway Multi-Use Trail; $420,000 for the Laurel Street housing project; $350,000 for the creation of pickleball courts at Ray Ellerbrook Field; $65,000 for Historic Northampton’s clothing collection; $75,000 for the Rocky Hill Greenway Multi-Use Trail and $18,000 for the Boggy Meadow Road Trail.
The process of funding these specific projects began back in September, when the Community Preservation Committee reviewed project proposals for CPA funding consideration. According to LaValley, there are $2.2 million in CPA funds allocated for the entire fiscal year, but project applications totaled over $2.5 million for the September round alone, which meant the CPC had to choose which projects would get money this round.
The CPC unanimously approved funding for these specific projects before the funding recommendations went before the City Council.
LaValley said the CPA funding this round will leverage more than $16 million in funding from other sources, and the city will allocate the remaining $750,000 in CPA funding for this fiscal year during the next round starting in January.
The council voted for the project funding unanimously. City Councilor Karen Foster had to excuse herself during the vote due to a conflict of interest.
Connecticut River Greenway Multi-Use Trail
For this project, the proposed $535,000 in CPA funding will help facilitate a full design of an accessible multi-use trail that will connect Hatfield, MassCentral Trail and the New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway.
“The [CPC] committee recognizes that this is a substantial ask for a trail design, but it’s a very complicated trail to design,” LaValley said. “There’s a highway, the railroad, the river, so there’s all sorts of issues to deal with.”
The multi-use trail will soon provide a continuous link from Boston to Northampton to New Haven and Hatfield.
“[The trail] will have absolutely amazing views that aren’t replicated anywhere else in Northampton,” LaValley said.
Below are the projects receiving the funding.
Laurel Street Housing project
The $420,000 for the Laurel Street project will be awarded to Valley CDC to help them construct 20 affordable housing units on the former State Hospital Campus parcel.
According to a release sent to Reminder Publishing, the apartments will range in size from one to three bedrooms and will be restricted to households earning 60% or less of the area median income.
“This Laurel Street housing application is one that the [CPC] committee is really enthusiastic about,” LaValley said, during the meeting. “It should be a great project.”
Ray Ellerbrook pickleball project
For this project, the $350,000 of CPA funding will be awarded to the city’s recreation department for the construction of six pickleball courts at Ray Ellerbrook Field, which was the preferred site identified in a CPA-funded assessment study conducted a few years ago.
LaValley said that the $350,000 does not represent the full funding request from the recreation department. They initially asked for $550,000, which is the cost of the entirety of the project, but the CPC and recreation department decided to lower that funding request by $200,000 to make use of some fundraising capability in the pickleball community.
During the Dec. 5 meeting, Ward 4 City Councilor Rachel Maiore said she is pro-pickleball but asked LaValley about noise levels since residents in another community expressed discontent with those issues.
LaValley said that Ray Ellerbrook is much more isolated compared to other locations and there has already been community support for the project. She also added that public meetings were conducted between the recreation department and neighbors in that area.
“The CPC heard a tremendous amount of community support for this project,” LaValley said. “There’s stories of how [the sport] bridges gaps in communities and generations.”
The courts will be within walking distance of Laurel Street housing and will be the first dedicated municipal courts in Northampton.
Rocky Hill Greenway Multi-Use Trail
The $75,000 allocated for the Rocky Hill Greenway Multi-Use Trail project will partially cover the process of engaging an engineer consultant to finalize and update the plans of the project so it includes design requirement changes, review bids and oversee construction.
The request for CPA funding comes after the city engaged a consultant several years ago to complete the 25% design of the project and secure all necessary environmental permits.
“The $75,000 … should allow the city to get to the final stage and go out to bid,” LaValley said. “At that point, we’ll be able to secure about $3.6 million in federal funding, so no municipal funding will be required at that point.”
LaValley added that the trail will be a direct link between Route 10 near the bike path bridge and Route 66 where the Hampshire County House of Corrections is located.
Historic Northampton Clothing Collection
The $65,000 for this project will fund the completion of critical “urgent care” to preserve its historic clothing collection.
The urgent care, which is necessary after the clothing spent centuries on hangers, includes archival cleaning, structural supports, repair work to hats and shoes so they maintain their shapes and covers to protect items from dust and UV damage.
LaValley said the clothes represent all different eras of local people and beyond.
Boggy Meadow Road Trail
According to the release, the $18,000 in CPA money will fund a design to be created for a universally accessible all-persons trail from the entrance of Cooke Avenue to the scenic beaver pond at Broad Brook Greenway.
“Although it’s a pretty small dollar amount, it should have a big impact to increase access to the Broad Brook Greenway,” LaValley said.
The Boggy Meadow Road is in need of repairs, so the proposed design for the trail will incorporate an everyday trail design for many types of non-motorized users and for periodic heavy machinery.
LaValley said the trail will be wheelchair accessible.