BCA Awarded $30,000 in CPC Funding
We have been awarded $30,000 from a Community Preservation Committee Grant! This Grant was voted yes on at Belchertown’s Annual Town meeting! The funds will be used to replace windows and doors in 6 Berkshire Avenue, a former State School dormitory and our Capital Campaign Project with aesthetically historically accurate AND energy-efficient options. Currently about half the building has original single pane, wood windows dating back to the 1930’s, many of which are broken, leaking, and overall not efficient when trying to heat and cool an older building. The front entry door was later replaced with a very inauthentic and industrial looking piece which is not at all in keeping with the character and historical significance of the building.
6 Berkshire Avenue will be focused on providing high-quality AND affordable community coworking, artisan, and food prep space for Belchertown citizens and beyond, all while providing vocational opportunities for the Belchertown Special Education department and honoring the historic significance of the Belchertown State School.
Belchertown is unique in that it has the second largest footprint of any town in Massachusetts, which means that the residents often must travel quite a distance to reach certain amenities. 6 Berkshire Avenue is located in the center of Belchertown, making it one of the most reasonably accessible and convenient areas for all our residents. We are also located within a 30-40 minute drive of larger urban populations such as Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee AS WELL AS very small rural communities such as Pelham, Hardwick, Gilbertville, and Shutesbury. We believe all these communities, big and small, will be drawn to Belchertown for the cultural experiences provided by 6 Berkshire Avenue and the subsequent properties, increasing tourism awareness, and economic development within our community.
Currently the makers, remote workers, and food innovators of Belchertown must travel outside of the immediate area to find rentable coworking environments. This adds substantially to the costs of hosting a business and lowers the viability of a start-up in our local community. Some of the local coworking/ kitchen incubator environments have raised their costs in order to meet the increased demand as makers' markets flourish. Our goal is to bring these entrepreneurs back to Belchertown by providing an opportunity to thrive through a culturally and economically diverse environment with reduced costs needed for business startup.
Another underserved community we will be focusing on is people with accessibility needs. Students with disabilities in Belchertown who are participating in the vocational program must travel 30-40 minutes to access vocational training opportunities. Currently residents of Belchertown with disabilities are struggling to find local and sustainable employment. It is important for the health of the community to create meaningful, stable and accessible vocational opportunities for all residents. The utilization of the buildings of the former Belchertown State School, an institution for individuals with a range of cognitive and developmental disabilities, is especially meaningful.
We would like to thank all of our community partners that made receiving this grant possible including the Belchertown State School Friends Association, the Belchertown Historical Commission, The Selectboard, the Belchertown Economic Development Industrial Corporation, and contributing community members.