Town moving forward with streetscape projects

At Monday’s selectboard meeting on Monday, several projects were approved that promise to beautify the town, including two projects that will directly follow the streetscape master plan.

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2017-07-12 / Front Page Town moving forward with streetscape projects By KELSEY CHRISTENSEN kchristensen@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — At Monday’s selectboard meeting on Monday, several projects were approved that promise to beautify the town, including two projects that will directly follow the streetscape master plan. The town master plan recommends, among other things, a central turning lane on Clinton Street, the implementation of stormwater gardens, the opening of the downtown to the Black River, greater connectivity to surrounding areas, and the lining of downtown streets with trees and greenery. Town Manager Tom Yennerell and the Springfield selectboard made two first-steps in implementing the plan on Monday. First, the selectboard agreed to match a VTrans grant of $47,926 to build a curb extension and green space on Main Street between Summer and Valley Streets. If the grant is awarded, VTrans will match the municipal contribution. With the selectboard matching funds, Yennerell can move forward with the grant application. The total cost of the project, with VTrans matching the town contribution, will be $95,852.54. The funding will pay for excavation, a subbase of crushed gravel, a vertical granite curb, cement sidewalks, a detectable warning surface, traffic control, topsoil and fertilizer, seed, traffic signs, sign posts and crosswalk markings. The town’s award will be financed through the municipal highway fund. A larger scale pedestrian project grant application was also approved, this time with the town agreeing to make a 20 percent match to the VTrans grant contribution. The project is estimated at $195,366, meaning the town will contribute approximately $39,000. This grant will make pedestrian and bike improvements along South Street. Additionally, the town agreed to allow Yennerell to use $20,000 from the Springfield revitalization fund to hire a feasibility consultant for the purposes of determining if the town can earn a designation of a Tax Incremental Finance [TIF] district, which uses state funding to allow townships to mount large-scale improvement projects in a dense downtown area without having to pay it back until it’s completed. Yennerell says he wants to get moving on the process. The state of Vermont has made funds available for the creation of six new TIF districts. Because Springfield has already developed a detailed master plan for the downtown, the municipality is particularly poised to pursue the designation. “It’s really incumbent upon us to get in there early,” Martone said. “It would be a sad day if we didn’t get our application in time for one of those six slots,” said selectboard member Michael Martin. At Monday’s meeting, the town also greenlit a community art project, pending the approval of the Springfield Plaza and the school district. Spearheaded by Mona Frye of the Springfield Art Gym, a community art space where members can go to create a variety of art projects at a low cost, the art project, entitled “Gearing Up Springfield,” would bring gear-motif stencil designs to the faces of several steps around the town. All of the artists are volunteer, with Michelle Stinson of the Springfield Library bringing library volunteers to the stairs from Clinton Street to Furnace Street, SHS students and Turning Point Recovery Center volunteers painting the stairs from the Springfield Plaza to the foot bridge, and Tamara Stagner and the All4One afterschool program in charge of stairs at Riverside Middle School. The project, which will involve the stenciling of a gear pattern with metallic paint, will take place on July 29. “Each one of these small projects has an overall effect on the town,” Martone said. “It’s contagious.” The selectboard also appointed five members to the Springfield Greenways, Trails, Byways, and Rural Economy Advisory Committee, the formation of which was approved by the board at last month’s meeting. Randy Gray, Hallie Whitcomb, Charles Gregory, Betina Grady, and George McNaughton will serve on the committee that hopes to advise the selectboard on means of improving and developing nature trails, increasing byway connectivity, and initiating rural economic development.