The city received two grants to address contamination at 140 Wilbraham Ave.
Photo credit: Google Earth
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Council accepted several grants, totaling $5.33 million, at its Jan. 12 meeting.
Among them, there were funds to pay for brownfields mitigation, sidewalks and gang violence reduction programs.
Two grants from the state One Stop for Growth program were received to address contamination at 140 Wilbraham Ave., a brownfields site.
Deputy Development Officer Brian Connors explained that $100,000 would cover the cost of environmental testing at the property, while the $300,000 grant would be used for site engineering so the property can be redeveloped.
A $3 million MassWorks Grant will pay for public way improvements, including sidewalks and tree plantings in the areas surrounding the 364-space parking garage at Willow and Cross streets. Sidewalks will also be installed on Roosevelt Avenue between Alden Street and Wilbraham Road, using a $269,749 Complete Streets grant. The project is designed to better facilitate children walking to area schools. Work is expected to take place this summer.
Springfield Police Lt. Brian Elliott presented the council with information about how the department plans to use the $860,688 Shannon Community Safety Initiative grant it received. The Shannon Community Safety Initiative is a comprehensive program to address gang and youth violence through social intervention, suppression and community mobilization, while also providing opportunities for young people. The city is responsible for a $215,172 match.
Elliott said 69% of the funding will be distributed to community-based organizations with missions that align with the Shannon program’s goals. The remaining funding will be used for “suppression and prevention.” Councilor Justin Hurst asked which organizations would benefit from the funds. The list had not yet been finalized, Elliott said, but some are “legacy partners” that the city has worked with in the past.
Elliott said that the department was unable to fund as many programs as it has previously because its Shannon allocation was reduced by 31% from last year. Hurst inquired whether the funding reduction was part of blanket cuts to the program. Elliott was only able to say that it was the first year Springfield received less than $1 million for the initiative, and that some other cities saw allocations above that threshold. Councilor Zaida Govan asked to see data on the efficacy of the community partners’ programming.
The council also accepted grants for state library aid and funding for the SHINE program administered by the Department of Elder Services.
