By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
(Greenfield, MA) A $200,000 MassDOT grant awarded to Greenfield through the Shared Streets and Spaces Program will help with extending greenspace along Miles Street as well as providing additional storm management drains and lighting improvements in that area.
According to the guidelines of the grant program, projects meant to repair existing parking areas or parks are not eligible for the grant funding. Projects that repurpose streets, sidewalks, plazas, curbs, and parking areas for eating, shopping, play, and community events are eligible for grant funding.
According to MassDOT, “The Shared Streets and Spaces Program is intended to support projects that promote health, safe mobility, and renewed commerce by providing new or repurposed space for socially-distanced walking, bicycling, dining, retail, civic activities and bus travel.”
This program, first launched in the summer of 2020, seeks to assist municipalities in meeting their needs for more and safer outdoor recreation, commerce, mobility access, and community activities.