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FISCAL YEAR '07
GRANTS ANNOUNCED
The Executive
Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) is
pleased to announce grants for its UrbanRiver Vision Program.
Six new UrbanRiver Visions will be developed this year--the
first since the original eight plans were developed in 2002.
EOEA has selected Goody-Clancy, a nationally recognized design
and planning firm, to conduct visioning charrettes in six
communities. The planning exercises will result in a vision
and action plan for revitalizing underutilized and environmentally-degraded
riverfront sites in those communities.
"The UrbanRiver Visions Initiative is helping communities
create a vision for their riverfronts and then turn that vision
into reality," said former EOEEA Secretary Robert
W. Golledge, Jr. "By reconnecting downtowns with their
rivers and restoring the riparian environment, these places
are able to provide improved habitat, recreational and economic
development opportunities."
The project focus areas are in Greenfield, Haverhill, Pittsfield,
Buckland/Shelburne Falls, Grafton, and Northbridge. Read
Press Release for more specifics. (10-30-06)
IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS
EOEEA is pleased to announce Implementation Grants of $103,500
to the Town of Athol, $58,300 to the City of Chicopee, $57,000
to the City of Fall River, and $93,800 to the City of Worcester.
This is the third round of funding for implementation of the
Vision and Action Plans developed for Athol, Chicopee, Easthampton,
Fall River, Hudson, Lawrence, and Worcester in 2002.
Read Press Release for Athol,
Chicopee,
Fall
River, and Worcester
for more specifics. (10-30-06)
Fiscal Year '06 Update:
EOEEA awarded grants, totaling close to $589,000, to four
communities to implement recommendations from the UrbanRiver
Visions Plans developed by the communities and EOEEA in
2002. Riverfront revitalization is a primary objective of
these grants.
In Lawrence, a $75,000 grant is being used
for final design of a new public park at the so-called Covanta
Brownfield site which abuts Stevens Pond, the Malden Mills
property, and a busy commercial corridor in the Arlington
neighborhood. Read
Press Release (9/15/05).
In Athol, a grant for $185,171 is being
used for construction of a passive environmental park along
the Miller's River in downtown Athol near the Environmental
Center and Fish Park. The new park will provide walking trails,
picnic tables, rest areas, and access to the Miller's River
for canoes and kayaks. Two new parking spaces will provide
access for fishing. Read
Press Release (9/15/05).
In Easthampton, a $200,000 grant along
with $56,000 in matching funds is being used for Phase I construction
of the Lower Mill Pond Park providing a gateway into downtown.
The new park further anchors the revitalization of the Pleasant
Street area and enhances connectivity to the new Manhan Rail
Trail. Read
Press Release (9/15/05).
Lastly, a $128,500 grant to Hudson, along
with $36,032 of matching funds, is being used to construct
the Tannery Brook Canal Walk proximate to the Assabet River
Rail Trail. The Walk connects Main Street with a municipal
parking lot and the new South Street River Park on the banks
of the Assabet. Read
Press Release (9/15/05).
Fiscal Year '05 Update:
In spring 2005, EOEEA awarded six grants, totaling $600,000,
to fund a variety of actions and planning that advanced implementation
of the UrbanRiver Visions Plans. The responses were
competitive and each community documented many steps they
have taken over the past 2 years, building on the consensus
achieved through the charrette process and the development
of visual plans. Read
Press Release. (4/22/05)
Many of EOEEA's implementation grants will allow further
leveraging of funds from other partners and will greatly assist
in moving all six plans closer to realization, improving access
to local rivers, and achieving revitalization of downtowns.
Read more about
the FY '05 grant awards.
The UrbanRiver Visions Program:
In fall 2002, the Smart Growth
and Urban Environments team (formerly the Community Preservation
Initiative) launched a program aimed at revitalizing core
downtown areas of communities by using a natural resource,
in this case rivers, as a focus for redevelopment efforts.
Called UrbanRiver Visions, this sustainable development
approach aims to help redirect future growth to where it is
most appropriate - urban and downtown areas where infrastructure
is already in place.
UrbanRiver Visions
helps communities define a future for their downtowns and
the rivers to which they are connected.
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The program started with pilot projects
in seven cities and towns in Massachusetts, each chosen to
achieve a mix of size and geographic location: Athol, Chicopee,
Easthampton, Fall River, Hudson, Lawrence, and Worcester.
Under the program, people in each of the communities met and
created a unique plan based on their community's needs, including
housing, natural resource conservation, recreation, and commercial
development.
The pilot program concluded on December
19, 2002 with a wrap up event to celebrate the success of
each community. Artist renderings of each community's vision
were presented, each complete with action steps to bring that
vision to fruition.
Millers River, Athol
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Program Receives Awards:
UrbanRiver Visions was such
a success that it received three national awards. We wish
to thank all community participants who volunteered their
time and energy to defining UrbanRiver Visions. Additionally,
EOEEA would like to thank Goody, Clancy & Associates,
a leading urban and architectural firm, which provided invaluable
expertise as the coordinating consultant for the program and
with whom EOEEA shared the awards.
Congress for the New Urbanism
Charter Award Winner
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First, the program was selected, in the
Region category, as a 2003 national Charter Award winner by
the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). In total, 15 projects
received awards within three categories: the Region; the Neighborhood,
District, and Corridor; and the Block, Street, and Building.
CNU is a national non-profit organization that encourages
traditional mixed-use urban design concepts as a means to
improve quality of life and reduce sprawl. Read more on CNU's
website.
Waterfront Center Award
Winner
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The UrbanRiver Visions program also received a 2003
Excellence on the Waterfront Award, specifically an Honor
Award in the Plans category, from The Waterfront Center. This
national nonprofit education and urban planning organization
uses the annual award program to recognize best practices
among completed projects and comprehensive plans in the growing
urban waterfront regeneration movement. To learn more about
The Waterfront Center, please visit their website.
American Institute of
Architects Award Winner
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Lastly, the program was selected to receive a 2004 American
Institute of Architects Honor Award for Regional and Urban
Design, being one of five honorees to receive an Honor Award.
The award was presented in June 2004 during the AIA's annual
conference in Chicago. The AIA uses its awards to promote
exemplary architectural work within the profession and to
the public and this year's winners focused on revitalizing
urban areas within the context of addressing environmental
issues related to urban sprawl. Read
more.
For more information on the UrbanRiver Visions program, please
contact EOEEA's Smart Growth and Urban Environments Team at
community.preservation@state.ma.us.
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