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Date: 10/19/2022
BLANDFORD — Town Administrator Christopher Dunne just applied for funds through the new Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant program, to support the plan to reconfigure the Town Common and Veterans Memorial Park.
The town had hoped to connect the two public spaces and reroute North Blandford Road, a major connector in the town, to meet Otis Stage Road (Route 23) farther west, by turning at the town’s highway garage. Currently, North Blandford Road runs between the two parks and meets Otis Stage Road closer to North Road. The town would also have to get MassDOT approval for the reconfiguration, because Route 23 is a state highway.
Dunne said Veterans Memorial Park is a small triangular strip of grass with flagpoles, a monument and a cannon.
“The idea is to combine it with the Town Common across North Blandford Road,” he said.
The town hired GZA consultants to work on the plan, called the Town Common Rehabilitation Project, which is in its final preliminary design.
“Now we have to figure out next steps,” Dunne said.
The new grant is being funded by a federal infrastructure law and is meant to reconfigure or remove roadways that serve as a barrier to community life. Blandford applied for $200,000 for surveying and permitting work to bring the plan to final design.
“I’m always looking out for grants to help the town,” Dunne said, adding, “I caught [this one] a little late — it’s been out there for a few months, but I was able to get it in on time. It was due on midnight Oct. 13.”
Dunne said he submitted it through grants.gov, but is not clear when the town might hear back.
According to the description of the program by the U.S. Department of Transportation, it is the first-ever federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. The bill is funded with $1 billion over the next five years.
“Our ask is relatively small. I believe they’re anticipating funding 200 projects,” Dunne said.
The town is not yet sure what it will do with the current highway garage at 114 Otis Stage Rd. Originally, town officials had proposed building a new garage for the Department of Public Works elsewhere in town, and to reconfigure the current garage for use by the Fire Department. Now they are thinking of building one garage to house both departments, and decommissioning the one next to Veterans Memorial Park.
The highway and fire garage project, along with a library expansion project, will be considered at a special Town Meeting on Nov. 14. That agenda for that Town Meeting will be posted by Halloween, Dunne said.