GREENFIELD — As the Community Preservation Committee prepares to vote its funding recommendations in March, residents voiced their support for several proposed projects, including pickleball courts and an expansion to the Wells Street shelter.

Fourteen projects are up for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding and the Community Preservation Committee must make recommendations to City Council on how the $335,000 should be appropriated. For this year’s funding cycle, the committee has set aside $47,500 for each of the three categories of projects — housing, recreation and historical preservation — and the remaining $192,500 can be allocated at the committee’s discretion. The full list of project applications and their descriptions can be found at bit.ly/41rbKQb.

The majority of applications received this year were for recreation improvements around the city, with a proposal for six additional pickleball courts near Abercrombie Field leading the pack. Numerous residents spoke up in support of the growing sport, including Todd Boynton, who donned a pickleball costume — a pickle suit with plastic balls dangling from it — and spoke about how the sport brings people of all ages and abilities together.

“It’s coming, and we can be at the center of it,” Boynton said. “This is for everybody. … Every person that comes down gets involved and they want to help more. It’s a community-building exercise.”

The proposal seeks $300,000 of CPA money and additional funding from a Recreation Department capital request for fiscal year 2024 that is now pending, but is also not guaranteed. Included in the project’s proposal is a letter from Recreation Director Christy Moore, who said she is supportive of the idea.

Fellow pickleballer Mike Reddig, holding a sign saying pickleball is a “big dill,” echoed Boynton’s thoughts about the community aspect of the growing sport.

“What’s important is it’s a multi-generational community of people that reach out and invite people in. … You don’t have to be strong, you don’t have to be big,” Reddig said. “I have met more people on a pickleball court than I have in the five years before that.”

The other focus of public feedback Thursday evening was support for a $100,000 funding request for Clinical & Support Options’ expansion of the 60 Wells St. homeless shelter, which is currently managed by ServiceNet. CSO was awarded the state contract to provide emergency shelter services starting in April 2023.

The $23.37 million project would add a three-story building to the shelter with a total of 36 studio apartments serving low-income, chronically homeless individuals. The expansion would also allow for 10 more beds at the shelter.

“We’re putting it in a place where services are really robust and incredibly supportive. … It’s an opportunity to move people onto the next steps,” said Keleigh BenEzra, who works with CSO. “This is an opportunity to make sure that movement really exists so the next people who experience homelessness … have a bed to enter into and have services provided by an organization that is prepared to do that.”

Resident Carol Letson added that this is a chance for Greenfield to join several other agencies and organizations in creating a more robust system. Other funding partners include the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the Charlesbank Homes Foundation and a construction loan from Greenfield Savings Bank.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for this city to be able to be a part of,” Letson said. “There are many agencies working together to make this possible and I think the city of Greenfield would be a wonderful partner.”

Thursday’s meeting was for the Community Preservation Committee to gather public comments before its March 23 recommendation vote. Residents are encouraged to submit further thoughts on the project through a Google form that closes on Feb. 28 or at the committee’s March 9 meeting. The Google form can be found at bit.ly/3y8DJqt.

“The more, the better,” Community Preservation Committee Chair Travis Drury said of public comments, noting they’ve already received 300 responses to the survey. “We’ll crunch that data for our next meeting.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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