By PATRICK ADRIAN
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SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The select board has unanimously agreed to match a $50,000 grant for construction of a downtown riverside park.
The board voted Monday to accept a $50,000 grant from The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development from its Downtown Transportation Fund. The town will add $50,000 in matching funds.
The Downtown Transportation Fund helps municipalities pay for transportation-related improvements in downtown districts, which can include pedestrian and streetscape projects.
Town Manager Tom Yennerell said the money will pay specifically for construction of pedestrian walkways and paved areas.
The project, known as River Park, is included in the town’s Main Street Master Plan.
The plan, completed in 2017, is a guide for the town’s economic revitalization of the downtown district. It envisions redesigning the downtown to include more public spaces, art, cultural attractions, retail and dining.
The town plans to build River Park on the riverfront property occupied by the former VNA building, which the town purchased and plans to raze this year.
The preferred design, created by design company Greenman-Pedersen Inc. in White River Junction, Vt., features a terraced walkway along the Black River, an overlook, multiple congregation areas and a deck for possible outdoor dining. The town wants to attract community gatherings and a visual appreciation of Comtu Falls.
Yennerell said the park would include lighting and be visible from the road, in response to public concern about unwanted activity at nighttime.
While the master plan projected a cost of $450,000 to build the park, Yennerell said that Greenman-Pedersen is preparing an estimate for the preferred design, which the company presented to the community Feb. 21. Yennerell expects the estimate to be completed this week.
Acquiring the grant marks the beginning of the plan’s fundraising phase.
According to Yennerell’s administrative assistant, Brian Benoit, fundraising initiatives are being discussed by the Main Street Steering Committee — an informal panel open to anyone who is interested.
The committee meets once a month and includes many economic and civic leaders like Yennerell and Caitlin Christiana, executive director of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Yennerell believes this park’s creation would play an integral, positive role in the downtown revitalization plan.
He said he often hears from the community about a lack of green space.
The park would also provide the public a visual access to the river, including an excellent view of the falls.
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