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Date: 12/26/2023
SOUTH HADLEY — During their Dec. 19 meeting, the Selectboard provided some new updates to the establishment of a Buttery Brook Park Building Committee that, through grant funding, would focus on making improvements to the accessibility of the beloved park.
Town Administrator Lisa Wong shared the town has received a $500,000 state grant after a previous Town Meeting vote where the town committed $710,000 if they were able to secure the grant and be reimbursed.
“We received a maximum award, all the contract documents have been executed, and now the next step is we want to form a building committee and move forward with obtaining a design firm for the next step,” Wong explained.
Wong added the town has formed a similar committee in the past, last happening about a decade ago. She said from her understanding, the committee was made up of three Recreation Committee members, three Friends of Buttery Brook Park members and a town official.
“I’d like to expand the committee and also get your approval to have this be three members from the Rec. Commission, three members from the Friends of Buttery Brook, somebody from the Parks Department, someone from Recreation, and the last one I say a town employee but I think very specifically this could be somebody from a board so I am thinking of reaching out to the Commission on Disabilities,” Wong said.
The Selectboard carried out a vote to give Wong the power to begin work on forming this new committee.
Selectboard member Jeff Cyr asked if the estimated $15,900 was enough to cover the designing process of potential park additions, as that number is typically supposed to be within 10% of the overall budget of the project. Wong explained that this project is less complex than past projects at the park for structures and added accessibility was a key component of what is looking to be accomplished through this funding.
“The last time I think there was more complexity. When you’re getting into built structures you get into another whole set of this and this is a much simpler design than the previous round,” Wong said.
Selectboard member Carol Constant asked for clarification on if this was more about the landscape of the park as opposed to building new buildings, to which Wong confirmed that was the idea.
“Yes and making pathways ADA accessible. So, I think it’ll be a huge enhancement. Just because there isn’t a building doesn’t mean it’s not going to be absolutely beautiful,” Wong said.
Cyr asked if they did need more money for the design process, where would it come from. Wong said it could still be pulled from the grant funding they are receiving.
With the Selectboard vote, Wong will now begin forming the committee that will begin work on the overall scope of the project and what will be added to Buttery Brook Park through this grant. She added she has already received interest from the boards she is targeting to help form this new project committee.
Selectboard adopts HPP
The Selectboard also spent time during its meeting to vote to adopt the town’s Housing Production Plan that the Planning Board voted to adopt earlier this month in a joint meeting between the two boards.
With both boards voting to adopt the plan, it now will be submitted to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing Livable Communities for their approval, as is the process set out by the state.
The HPP provides analysis and discussion on South Hadley’s population, housing stock and housing affordability under current demographic market data. The existing conditions, as well as public comment from multiple community forums and a survey, have informed the community’s goals for housing and strategies that can be implemented to achieve these goals over time. Municipalities maintain HPPs to comply with a state law known as Chapter 40B and to address the goal of 10% deed-restricted affordable housing.
Hitting this 10% threshold of affordability puts South Hadley into a safe harbor with the state law. According to the summary of the HPP, the town is just under 7,400 year-round housing units, and 424 of those are on the subsidized housing inventory, which count toward the 10% threshold. The plan is an update from the last time the town reviewed and adopted an HPP in 2016.
“It’s intended that the Housing Production Plan will guide housing policy and development in South Hadley over the next five years,” Director of Planning and Conservation Anne Capra explained during the joint meeting earlier this month.