Editor’s note: The Greenfield Recorder is beginning to publish stories about what Franklin County residents can likely expect to see happening in their towns in 2024. Details about projects in the western part of the county will be shared in two installments. This is the first.

As the calendar turns to 2024, western Franklin County towns are looking ahead to key infrastructure repairs, increasing their use of green energy and finding new purposes for unused buildings.

Shelburne

Green energy is at the forefront of town officials’ minds. In the coming year, Shelburne will embark on multiple projects to decrease fossil fuel consumption in town.

For one, the town will decide whether to switch to municipally owned streetlights or continue paying Eversource to manage its lights. Regardless of which option is chosen, the town plans to swap out the current light bulbs with LEDs that use less energy.

The town also plans to install a solar array on the new Highway Department pole barn to offset the cost of municipal electricity.

Having received a $1 million MassWorks grant for the reconstruction of Old Greenfield Road, the town will spend the next year working on the road between Route 2 and the Greenfield town line. This project should increase safety for travelers, with the road being one of the few bypass alternatives when Route 2 is closed.

Among other grant-funded projects, Shelburne plans to use Community Development Block Grant funding to redesign all the kitchens in Highland Village, an affordable housing complex for seniors and people with disabilities that was built in 1977.

“They desperately need an upgrade,” Selectboard Chair Bob Manners said.

One major change visitors to Shelburne Falls will notice in 2024 is the closure of the popular tourist attraction, the Bridge of Flowers, for extensive repairs funded by a $2.28 million infrastructure grant.

Work will entail stabilizing the northeast wall that was damaged during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011; repairing cracks and deterioration of concrete; making water main improvements; adding waterproofing, improving irrigation and improving drainage, since interior water damage was detected; and upgrading fencing. On the bridge surface, the renovation will include replacing rails, making the bridge more handicap-accessible, and improving the footpath and lamppost lighting. The Bridge of Flowers is expected to reopen to visitors in April 2025.

Buckland

Many road projects top the list of the most important projects residents are looking forward to seeing in 2024.

Two $1 million road projects will take place. A MassWorks grant will fund Phase 2 reconstruction of Charlemont Road starting at Avery Road and continuing up the hill. The town will also work on Depot Street and the freight yard parking lot on Ashfield Street using a Community Development Block Grant, and the state Department of Transportation will reconstruct Upper North Street with funding through the Transportation Improvement Program.

The town also received $116,000 more on top of its Chapter 90 allotment thanks to the Fair Share Amendment, a 4% tax on the portion of a person’s annual income that exceeds $1 million. The funding is then funneled to public education and road, bridge and public transportation projects. Town Administrator Heather Butler explained the town will use these funds to work on streets that would not typically qualify for grants, though officials haven’t identified which roads yet.

The Selectboard is also working on finalizing arrangements for the future use of the former Police Station on Conway Street. The building, which was constructed in the 1950s, has been mostly empty since the Buckland and Shelburne police departments merged over the summer. The Selectboard plans to sell the building and has multiple parties interested in buying it, including the Community Health Center of Franklin County and Great River Hydro.

The town also plans to construct two solar projects, one at the Buckland Recreation Area to offset the cost of the newly constructed pool and one ground-mounted solar project at the wastewater treatment plant. Butler said the ground-mounted solar project will offset the electrical usage of the facility by 50%.

Hawley

New infrastructure, between broadband, culverts and roads, is also the theme of the new year for Hawley.

In the spring, the town will complete a culvert replacement project on Sears Road. This project is part of a MassWorks grant for $800,000 and will be handled by Greenfield's Clayton D. Davenport construction company.

“The new culvert should significantly reduce the challenges of flooding in that area,” said Administrative Assistant Tinky Weisblat.

The town will use its $100,000 Small-Town Rural Assistance Program grant to improve Ashfield Road.

“There is a lot of work to be done,” Weisblat said. “We don’t think the grant will cover all the work but it will help.”

As many residents still don’t have broadband access in their homes and the town is one of the few municipalities left in the state without a complete broadband network, Hawley will continue focusing on broadband in 2024.

Right now, the town has a wireless system provided by WiValley. WiValley and Charter Communications have each applied for grants through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute to provide a broadband network to the town. If neither company receives a grant, Hawley plans to apply as a municipality later in 2024.

Charlemont

In Charlemont, town officials intend to focus on bridges as their major project for the coming year.

“Bridges are still a focus area because of the number of bridges in Charlemont,” Town Administrator Sarah Reynolds wrote in an email.

The town received a $380,000 MassWorks grant for the South River Road Bridge project that will continue into the new year.

With a $500,000 recreation earmark secured last year, the town is eyeing projects at the Charlemont Fairgrounds and Hawlemont Regional School, including their tennis courts there. Officials plan to use some of this money to install electric vehicle chargers at Hawlemont property.

Problems that the town hopes to find solutions for in 2024 include securing funding to install an elevator at Town Hall and finding a new, larger location for the emergency services buildings.

Reach Bella Levavi
at 413-930-4579 or
blevavi@recorder.com.