The town has not received any funding from the state Department of Housing and Community Development for the past two years.
PALMER – Community Development Director Alice L. Davey is hoping that this year proves to be different when it comes to community development block grant funding in Palmer.
The town has not received any funding from the state Department of Housing and Community Development for the past two years. The state administered funds come from the federal government.
After the news came down last summer that again the town would not receive any money, Davey let her two coworkers go, and initially thought the entire department would have to shut down.
Davey was able to keep it going through leftover funds, but said there are not enough of them to sustain the department for another year, which is why this year’s grant award is so important.
She applied for $1 million back in December, and should know by late spring or early summer if Palmer receives it. The department is entirely grant funded, and receives no extra money from the town, she said.
The $1 million includes $247,000 for income eligible housing rehabilitation projects, $485,000 for infrastructure improvements on Crest and Hill streets, $33,000 for the design of Endelson playground in Bondsville, and $45,000 for the domestic violence task force. The remaining money is used for administration costs, she said.
Davey recently formed a community development advisory committee, and needs more members. She can be reached at (413) 283-2614.
When hearings are held about proposed projects, the state takes into account how many people show up, and that factors into whether they are funded. Davey said the advisory committee will help determine what the needs are in the community, and also will help with the public participation funding piece.
“They will be providing the voice from the residents saying, ‘Yes this program is important and this is where we’d like the money to be spent,” Davey said.
Julie A. Manning, a member of the new advisory committee, said she was amazed at the projects that have been accomplished over the years through community development block grant funds, projects one “would normally expect the town to pay for.”
“If there weren’t grants, these things would still have to be done,” Manning said. “If there’s no funding, then I feel bad for our taxes.”
Over the last 20 years, community development block grants funded the following projects: $1 million to renovate Memorial Hall, home to the Senior Center; $1.3 million to replace water mains; $1 million for sidewalk reconstruction in Depot Village; $151,000 to create the Depot Village Park; $97,000 to replace storm drains; $95,000 to upgrade the pedestrian crossing system at Thorndike, Park and Main streets; $72,000 for the parking lot at Walnut and Main streets; $50,000 for Chase Memorial Park, and $40,000 for sidewalks in Thorndike, among others.