CommunityPreservationCommittee seeks input on funding proposals

GREENFIELD — The Community Preservation Committee is seeking public input on 12 projects to help it determine which will receive funding this year.

The committee will meet on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the John Zon Community Center to collect public input on the 12 proposals. The public may also provide feedback at any Community Preservation Committee meeting during the public comment period. In addition, the committee has developed an online survey to gather comments until the end of February at bit.ly/cpcfy24.

Applications were received for three affordable housing, four historical preservation and five outdoor recreation projects, totaling more than $1.4 million in requested funding. The committee has $300,000 to allocate this year.

Over the last few months, the committee has met with applicants to delve deeper into their proposals. All applications are available for review on the Community Preservation Committee’s page on the city website at greenfield-ma.gov/cpcfunding.

“We want the public to let us know which projects they do or do not want to see funded this year,” Community Preservation Committee Chair Travis Drury said in a statement. “The CPC received a nice variety of applications this year and we want to make sure the projects most important to people are the projects we recommend to City Council for funding. Any project that isn’t funded this year is eligible to reapply in future years.”

Following the public input process, the Community Preservation Committee will meet on March 21 to discuss the feedback that was received. On March 28, the committee will meet to decide which projects to recommend to City Council for funding.

Virtual panel features three romance novelists

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Public Library invites residents to attend a virtual panel discussion featuring romance novelists Ali Hazelwood, Nikki Payne and Denise Williams on Monday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m.

Hazelwood is the best-selling author of “Love, Theoretically” and “The Love Hypothesis,” as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science. Her latest novel is “Bride,” a paranormal romance published on Feb. 6.

By day, Payne is a curious tech anthropologist seeking to help deliver better digital services. By night, she dreams of ways to subvert canon literature. Her latest is “Sex, Lies and Sensibility,” a contemporary diverse retelling of Jane Austen’s “Sense & Sensibility” that was published on Feb. 13.

Williams wrote her first book in the second grade. “I Hate You” and its sequel, “I Still Hate You,” featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. Her latest is “Technically Yours,” the story of a second chance romance set in a STEM-industry workplace, published in December.

This program is free, but registration is required by visiting tinyurl.com/GPLRomanceAuthors. The program will be recorded and all registrants will receive the recording via email within a week of the program. The panel discussion will be followed by time for questions from the audience.

Interfaith Council presents panel on climate emergency

GREENFIELD — The Interfaith Council of Franklin County’s next event is “We Are All in This Together: An Intergenerational Package of Hope.” The program will be held on Monday, Feb. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at All Souls Church, 399 Main St.

The event will feature a panel of speakers, responding to the question, “How do we use our gifts to address the climate emergency?” Panelists include Claire Dacey, an ecological songwriter; Sadie Forsythe, a climate-aware therapist based in Amherst who offers individual therapy and monthly climate cafes, as well as consultation for organizations looking to add a psychological lens to their climate work; Aaron Nelson, a project manager at Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust in Athol where he works with communities and landowners to conserve land critical for climate resilience and biodiversity; and Sadie Wilson, a fifth grader at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School.

Time for audience questions and discussion will follow the panel. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 413-695-4367.

Dog licenses available for 2024

GREENFIELD — Dog licenses for 2024 are available to purchase through the City Clerk’s Office.

All renewals and new dog licenses must be submitted with proof of rabies vaccination and being spayed or neutered. If this is your first time licensing a new dog, it is important to show the chain of custody for ownership. For example, the rabies vaccination paperwork should either have your name as owner or the dog’s name on the rabies certificate should be the same as your request to license.

Households with more than three dogs must acquire a kennel license. Residents should contact the Planning and Development Department to begin this process.

The cost for each dog license is $10 for spayed/neutered dogs or $15 for unaltered dogs. Checks/money orders should be made payable to the City of Greenfield. As of June 1, there will be a $25 late fee assessed per dog if registration is late.

Residents can get a dog license through three methods:

■In person: Dog licenses may be obtained in person at the City Clerk’s Office, Room 104, City Hall, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., other than posted holidays.

■By mail: Use the request form available at bit.ly/49a397H. Send your request in writing with proof of rabies vaccination and being spayed or neutered, payment and a self-addressed, stamped envelope (or add $1 for postage and envelope) to the City Clerk’s Office, 14 Court Square, Greenfield, MA 01301.

■Online: Order your dog’s license online at doglicenses.us/MA/Greenfield. Online orders will include a processing fee and $1 for postage. If you are having trouble logging in, email support@doglicenses.us for assistance.

With additional questions, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 413-772-1555.

Crossroads Cultural District Committee seeks funding proposals

GREENFIELD — The Crossroads Cultural District Committee is accepting proposals from organizations seeking funding to support cultural events and art projects that will take place in the state-designated Crossroads Cultural District, an area that encompasses downtown Greenfield, before Sept. 30, 2024.

The committee has approximately $12,000 to distribute. Submissions are due by Friday, March 1, at noon. To apply, visit forms.gle/2e9qafSLLpjHa4X8A.

“The Crossroads Cultural District Committee is looking to partner with local organizations to provide events that draw residents and visitors to our downtown,” Crossroads Cultural District Chair Caitlin von Schmidt said in a statement. “We’re hoping to maximize the funding received from the Mass Cultural Council to help put on an amazing slate of events this spring and summer.”

The committee has previously funded events like the Winter Carnival and Bee Fest, as well as the installation of light pole banners and bee sculptures throughout the district.

For more information, contact Economic & Community Development Assistant Christian LaPlante at 413-772-1548, ext. 4 or CrossroadsCulturalDistrict@greenfield-ma.gov.

‘My Inner Joy’ on display in March

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will present an exhibit by Nese Uysal, titled “My Inner Joy,” throughout March.

Uysal, an Amherst educator who works in an elementary school, uses materials such as fabric, paper, small objects and the like when creating art. Embroidery is one of the main techniques she uses in her creations.

Uysal will host a reception for her exhibit on Saturday, March 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gallery hours starting in March will be Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m.

Local author to discuss ‘Away Up the North Fork’

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Public Library welcomes local author Annie Chappell on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 3 p.m. in the Conference Room to discuss her book, “Away Up the North Fork: A Girl’s Search for Home in the Wilderness.”

In the 1970s, a girl dreams of a life where the world is simple, like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House in the Big Woods.” If she can get to that place, then the trouble she faces with alcohol, sexual abuse and the sorrow of the modern-day issues will disappear. Home in Denver for break from boarding school in 1973, she meets a Vietnam veteran on his way back to his cabin on the Canadian border in Montana. She later runs away from boarding school to find him, so he can teach her the wild ways.

When the plan fails, she goes back to school to graduate, but corresponds with him for the rest of the school year, and after graduation, with her parents’ blessing, makes her way to Montana to live with him. Homesteading with an older man in the wilderness presents a set of challenges, pushing her to face her own strengths, fears, and the relationship with her parents and Colorado home.

Copies of Chappell’s book will be available for purchase.