MONTAGUE — The town has received nearly $1.33 million in Community Development Block Grant funding to support eight initiatives.

Montague is one of five Franklin County towns — with the others being Orange, Wendell, Charlemont and Bernardston — to receive money in this round of funding, which annually “supports community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities,” according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant will support installation of a new playground at Hillcrest Elementary School, housing rehabilitation, sidewalk upgrades and five social services through fiscal year 2024.

Playground installation

The Hillcrest Elementary playground renovation project received the funding round’s largest allocation at $486,717.

“It’ll just mean a major upgrade for what’s there now,” said Brian McHugh, community development director for the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority, the entity that applied for the grant on behalf of the town. “I’m just happy for the neighborhood and happy for the school.”

Hillcrest Elementary School Principal Sarah Burstein said at a public outreach meeting in October 2022 that the idea of constructing a new playground has been talked about for “several years.” She recalled discussions began around 2018 upon observation of the existing playground’s deteriorating condition. The existing equipment is not only outdated and decrepit, but is also not accessible to people with disabilities and is limited in its variety.

The proposed playground, which received a cost estimate of $431,582 in March, features equipment fabricated by Landscape Structures Inc. Some play equipment featured includes rocks for climbing, balance-challenging walkways, squiggly slides, ladders and brain-stimulating hands-on installations. In addition, the playground would include new gathering spaces, such as a clubhouse and a wood-chipped courtyard surrounded by boulders. Notably, some aspects of the current playground, such as a swing set and a shed, would stay.

Of the total $486,717, $465,317 will support construction and installation costs, as well as a construction contingency, according to the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority’s project description. The remaining $21,400 will support bidding and construction oversight.

McHugh said the project will go out to bid this winter, with construction scheduled to commence next summer and completion hopeful for the start of the 2024-2025 school year next fall.

Housing rehabilitation

Another $350,000 of the Community Development Block Grant funding will be put toward Montague’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, which offers deferred-payment loans to rehabilitate owner-occupied single or multi-family properties whose owners make 80% of the area median income. With this funding — which McHugh described as considerably larger than what was awarded in previous years — the program is primed to rehabilitate at least seven residences by addressing “moderate to serious code issues.” This is more than the typical three to five units rehabilitated per year, he said.

“It’s good news for the residents in Montague,” McHugh commented. “We’ve had a good backlog of folks on our waiting list that we’ve been waiting to serve with this round of funding.”

According to the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority’s project description, the Community Development Block Grant funding will be used for initial lead paint risk assessments or full lead abatement inspections, post-abatement compliance inspections and code violation corrections.

“Through a point system, the program will target the most distressed, substandard housing units with the most code violations that are occupied by [low- to moderate-income] persons,” the project description reads.

The rehabilitation projects must be completed by June 30, 2025, to comply with the grant conditions, McHugh noted.

Sidewalk improvements

A $70,800 portion of the grant will fund the Avenue A Streetscape Design Project, which predominantly entails sidewalk upgrades to “improve the visual appeal and walkability of the village center,” Montague Town Administrator Steve Ellis said previously. He expanded on this in an email to the Selectboard, stating that the project will “restore an [Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant], pedestrian-oriented streetscape in the heart of Turners Falls, which is Montague’s retail, dining and entertainment center, and a state-designated Cultural District.”

Community Development Block Grant money will specifically fund bid-ready plans and specifications for the sections of sidewalks between Third and Fifth streets on the odd-numbered side of Avenue A, and between Fourth and Fifth streets on the even-numbered side of Avenue A.

Social service programs

Lastly, $100,000 will be split into $20,000 allotments for each of five social service programs: Families Learning Together Strong, the Elder Self-Sufficiency and Stability Program, Peer Support and Advocacy Services for Residents in Recovery, the Youth Education and Prevention Program, and the Montague Home Delivered Meals Program.

Families Learning Together Strong, organized by Montague Catholic Social Ministries, is described in the grant application as a “program to provide early childhood literacy for children of Montague immigrant families” that “also provides a family-based learning environment for English-learning students enrolled in the [Gill-Montague Regional School District].”

The Elder Self-Sufficiency and Stability Program, organized by LifePath, serves “to assist Montague elders to remain independent in their homes with service provisions to address needs related to their housing, health, comfort, access to health care and financial stability,” the grant application details.

Peer Support and Advocacy Services for Residents in Recovery, organized by the Wildflower Alliance and the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium, provides “advocacy services to Montague residents in recovery … focused on individuals struggling with psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, homelessness, addiction and other life-interrupting challenges.”

The Youth Education and Prevention Program, overseen by The Brick House Community Resource Center, provides mentorship and workshops centered around “development of leadership skills and empowerment, anti-bullying training, social justice education, and art education and development,” the grant application states.

The Montague Home Delivered Meals Program, also organized by LifePath, “will provide meals to elder homebound residents of Montague, Monday through Friday, and will also provide well-being checks.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.