For the Gazette
The towns of Chester, Goshen and Williamsburg are getting a boost through a partnership with Healthy Hampshire to promote infrastructure projects, policies and maps that promote walkability and healthy town center designs.
A total of $27,856 in funding, in addition to staff time and technical assistance, has been committed to support the design of the Mill River Greenway in Williamsburg, the development of the town center in Goshen, and the placement of 100 trail signs for the town of Chester, as well conducting a road walkability assessment for that town.
Healthy Hampshire is part of the Mass in Motion statewide initiative through the Department of Public Health. Its mission is to reduce rates of chronic disease in its partner communities by helping to create policies and systems that encourage physical activity, access to healthy food, improved patient care, and links between health-care systems and community-level prevention activities.
In Williamsburg, the Mill River Greenway Committee will receive $9,999 to design the greenway, including accessible crosswalks, rest areas, viewpoints, river access points and safety features. Funding will also help the committee work with local partners to ensure that the final design is fully responsive to the needs of all users.
“We are so grateful for Healthy Hampshire’s support of the Mill River Greenway project, which will increase the recreational, economic, environmental and social health of our community,” said Gaby Immerman, who leads the committee.
In Goshen, the Hilltown Community Development Corporation will get $8,000 to study infrastructure changes to enhance the town center’s walkability and allow better access to recreational areas.
In Chester, Friends of the Keystone Arches, Inc. will receive $732 to print and post 100 trailblazing signs connecting the Chester Railway Museum to the Chester and Beckett Trail, to showcase the downtown business and historic district.
In addition, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, in partnership with Highlands Footpath, Inc., will use $9,125 to conduct an assessment of the barriers to walking and pedestrian safety on a number of priority road segments in Chester. They will identify infrastructure improvements to enhance the walkability of these segments, ultimately connecting back to the conceptual 40-mile Highlands Footpath.
Healthy Hampshire is administered by the City of Northampton in partnership with the Collaborative for Educational Services Healthy Families and Communities program.
Residents of Chesterfield are invited to attend a public meeting focused on creating a Community Development Strategy Review for the town.
To help set the community’s goals and priorities, participants will be asked to share their thoughts and ideas concerning things such as affordable housing, transportation, land use, natural resources, energy efficiency, health and human services and more.
The meeting will take place in the Select Board meeting room at the Davenport Building at 4:45 p.m. Monday.
A workshop on coiled basket-making taught by Elizabeth Whyte Schulze will kick off the Friends of Worthington Library cabin fever workshops for 2018.
This hands-on class will be held on Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Worthington Town Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Registration fee for the class is $85, which includes a materials fee. The fee is payable at the Worthington Library. Registration closes at 12 people.
The snow date for the event is Sunday, Jan. 28, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information contact Susan Van Buren at 238-5306.
