Berkshire County Towns Receive Community Planning Grants

Print Story | Email Story
BARNSTABLE, Mass. — The Baker-Polito Administration awarded Egremont, Lenox, and Lee Community Planning Grants to assist in various planning projects.
 
On Wednesday, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba, Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega, and Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Community Services Division Director Louis Martin were joined by state and local officials in Barnstable to celebrate the Community Planning Grant Program awards, which include $2,386,800 to 40 projects. 
 
"Our administration is proud to award over $2.3 million to help cities and towns undertake a variety of planning projects for green spaces, infrastructure, multi-modal transportation, housing and opportunities to promote private investment," said Governor Charlie Baker. "These projects are dedicated to increasing housing development across the state, including updating zoning to meet the new MBTA Communities zoning requirements and I look forward to seeing this future progress.
 
Egremont received a $54,000 grant to delineate and map new zones or overlay districts, draft new or update existing zoning bylaws, and gain public support/acceptance of same, in harmony with the Comprehensive Plan.
 
Lee received a $50,000 grant to update its 2000 Master Plan and Open Space and Recreation Plan to incorporate current and future housing needs of residents, invite public engagement, and plan for future development.
 
The town of Lenox received a $22,000 grant to support ongoing design and engineering work for sewer expansion in North Lenox to serve a 65-unit mixed-income rental housing project, developable land zoned for mixed-use, commercial or multifamily development, existing businesses, and at least 100 homes which are currently served by dated septic systems. This design and engineering work will consider feasibility, alternatives, partial design, and ID-ready documents.
 
"Congratulations to all of today's awardees who are pursuing long-term planning for community success with the help of a Community Planning grant," said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. "Here in Barnstable, a $75,000 award will help the town make informed decisions around zoning, development, and services to better support older adults who want to age in community."
 
"Over the past two years we have transformed the way the Commonwealth delivers economic development funding through the Community One-Stop for Growth model, and we are proud to see 40 communities utilize this resource to take on a diverse array of planning projects," said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. "Across the state, Community Planning grants will help municipalities address underutilized properties, update zoning, and plan for housing to meet community needs."
 
The Community Planning Grant Program provides funding for technical assistance for community planning projects. This competitive grant program awards funds based on the community planning or zoning project's nexus with housing, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and community development including funding for MBTA Communities seeking compliance with draft guidelines for M.G.L. Chapter 40A, Section 3A. Since creating the program last year, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded $3,386,800 to 56 projects. 
 
The program is part of Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal that provides a streamlined, collaborative review process of 12 state grant programs that fund economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, and infrastructure. Altogether, this round of the One Stop is awarding more than $143 million in grant awards to support 337 local economic development projects in 169 communities. The full list of grants can be found here.
 
Through this round of the One Stop, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development received 523 applications from 207 communities representing every region of the Commonwealth. Of the 337 applications awarded, 31 percent are located in a rural or small town; 32 percent are located in a Gateway City; and 43 percent are located in a Housing Choice Community. This investment is expected to directly support the creation of 6,950 new housing units across the Commonwealth, including 5,068 new market-rate units and 1,882 new affordable units.

Tags: grants,   planning,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Prima Music Foundation To Perform at Ventfort Hall

LENOX, Mass. — Prima Music Foundation returns to the Berkshires with a series of summer concerts at Ventfort Hall.

The first concert in the series will take place on Thursday, June 27 at 4 pm with. There will be a cash bar serving beer and wine and will open one half hour before the concert.

Join Artistic Director, Anastasia Dedik, and the Prima Music Foundation who will present Piano Extravaganza with piano works by J.S. Bach, F. Chopin, C. Chaminade and S. Prokofiev performed by pianists Victor Rosenbaum, Anastasia Dedik, Visha Nguyen and Anna Shelest.

According to a press release:

Anastasia Dedik, born in St. Petersburg into a family of distinguished musicians, holds degrees and honors from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and The Juilliard School. Anastasia’s transformative experience at Oberlin as a female Russian immigrant inspired the creation of the Prima Music Foundation—a non-profit dedicated to nurturing and showcasing talented pianists. Through PMF, Anastasia offers performance opportunities and educational guidance, including master classes with esteemed instructors. The annual Rising Stars Piano Camp in Berkshires is held at BMS from June 22 to the 29. The Camp provides an exceptional learning environment, fostering the growth of young artists. As the Artistic Director of the Summer Concert Series at Ventfort Hall in Lenox, Anastasia showcases both established and emerging talents, with ticket proceeds supporting scholarships for the Camp. PMF's primary focus is providing scholarships to those in need.
 
American pianist Victor Rosenbaum has concertized widely as soloist and chamber music performer in the United States, Europe, Israel, Brazil, Russia, and Asia in such prestigious halls as Tully Hall in New York and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. Recently retired from the faculty of New England Conservatory in Boston where he taught for more than fifty years, he chaired its piano department for more than a decade, and was also Chair of Chamber Music.
 
Nguyen Visha was born in Vietnam and holds a PhD from Moscow State Conservatory. She is the laureate of international competitions, including 1st prize at the Rubinstein international competition (Paris, 2008), 1st prize at the Russian Scriabin Conservatory (Paris, 2009), 2nd prize at the International Olympic of Art (Moscow, 2011) and 3rd prize at Scriabin’s International Competition in Moscow (2012). Due to the war in Ukraine she had to move to the USA with her husband, a renowned Russian pianist and teacher and their young child. She continues her musical path in New York City, teaching piano to kids, and at the same time, playing concerts with unique programs. She is the only Vietnamese pianist who played and recorded all 48 Preludes and Fugues, all 6 partitas and Goldberg-variations by Bach.
 
Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest has appeared at numerous venues including Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Wiener Konzerhaus in Vienna, and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Anna’s ongoing project, Donna Voce, started in 2019 as a series of recordings surveying music for solo piano and piano and orchestra by women composers from the last three centuries. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Anna makes her home in New York City with her husband and two sons. To learn more, please visit www.AnnaShelest.com


Tickets are $45 general admission. Reservations are required as seats are limited. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call  (413) 637-3206. Note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.

 

View Full Story

More Lenox Stories