Overview:
The Athol Selectboard has voted to apply for a $950,000 Community Development Block Grant to fund the Exchange Street improvement project. The project aims to improve the old infrastructure, including sidewalks, roadways, sewer lines, and stormwater drainage, and to create a defined pedestrian zone. The first phase of the project will focus on the sidewalk and walkability aspects of the streetscape, and the application must be submitted to the state Executive Office of Livable Communities by April 21.
ATHOL – The Selectboard voted unanimously to endorse the submission of an application for a $950,000 FY26 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
The proposal was submitted to the board during a public hearing held April 7 by Andrew Loew, director of community development and resiliency planning for the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission, and Athol Planning and Development Director Eric Smith.
Addressing the two newest members of the board, Alex Blake, Jr, and Russell Raymond, Smith explained, “For many years, Athol has been very successful in obtaining CDBG funds to do infrastructure improvements around the community.”
Smith said the town’s CDBG Citizen Advisory Committee has determined that work needs to be done on Exchange Street, from Main to Maple streets. Past projects included upgraded roadways and water and sewer infrastructure along portions of Maple, Walnut, Canal, Lumber, Freedom, and South streets.
Loew said he has been working with Smith, Town Manager Shaun Suhoski, and acting Public Works Director Paul Raskevitz for the past several months to develop a plan for Exchange Street. He pointed out the application is for a competitive grant which, upon its issuance, lasts for an 18-month period “which is sometimes extendable, but that’s what they want us to go for.”
“This year, we’re just looking for a single activity and that’s the Exchange Street improvement project,” Loew continued. “As one of the earlier developed parts of town, it does have some old infrastructure there. There are sewer lines from the 1880s. The sidewalks haven’t been touched some 30 years, the same for roadways.”
Smith added that much of the stretch of Exchange Street under consideration for this project has no sidewalk.
“That’s really the driver of the project in some ways,” Loew said. “The lack of a sidewalk and a defined pedestrian zone, mostly on the east side of Exchange, north of Main Street.
“Part of the application we’re putting together is to fund the design of a whole set of improvements in that area, and also funds to build the first phase of those improvements,” he added. “We expect there will be a second phase, which hasn’t quite been worked out yet.”
Loew said the first phase of the project would focus on the sidewalk and walkability aspects of the streetscape.
“There are other elements on the streetscape improvements – lighting, trees, crossing, off-street parking,” he said. “The places where the pedestrian zone isn’t well-defined also means that parking along the street isn’t well-defined.”
Loew added that plans also call for improvements to stormwater drainage infrastructure.
“Some of the structures underground are very old,” he said. “They need to be improved and capacity added. The sewer line there is also very old.”
Roadway paving, he said, would be part of Phase 2 of the project.
“Phase 1 will have some permanent patch put on at the end it, but a true repaving project would come in Phase 2,” Loew said. “The patch would provide a nice surface until you can get Phase 2 funded.”
The application must be submitted to the state Executive Office of Livable Communities by April 21. Funding for the program comes from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.