Shelburne Falls Village Network

01/17/2024

ENHANCED FITNESS EXERCISE CLASSES

Franklin County’s YMCA will be sponsoring a new exercise program for people with arthritis at the Mohawk Trail Regional High School beginning on January 29th.

The YMCA is partnering with the University of Washington on a study of residents in West County who are dealing with arthritis. Enhance Fitness, an Evidence-Based Exercise Program, will meet three times a week for four months. There will be no class fee for participants who are enrolled in the study and complete the criteria outlined for the course. Also, Enhanced Fitness is available to participants who wish not to be apart from the study.

03/03/2023

SHELBURNE FALLS INITIATIVE

Thanks to photographer and videographer, Ben Barnhardt, Shelburne Falls has a great new video about its proposed mosaic murals and pocket park project on Conway Street. It tells you everything you need to know to help us raise the dollar-for-dollar match needed by March 31 to release a $50,000 grant from MassDevelopment.

Through the generosity of many contributors, plus a grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, we only have $16,200 remaining to raise for the initial funding of the pocket park and installation of new mosaic murals by Cindy Fisher along the RiverWalk from the Bridge of Flowers to The Mill at Shelburne Falls down Conway Street.

Please contribute via our crowdfunding campaign at Patronicity.com/SFPocketPark,
OR
Directly to the Franklin County Community Development Corporation by making a check payable to FCCDC/Shelburne Falls Initiative (SFI) and sending it to: 324 Wells Street, Greenfield, MA 01301.

All contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Hope you enjoy the video.

A bicycle-themed park for Shelburne Falls. To donate, visit Patronicity.com/SFPocketPark or make a check payable to: FCCDC/Shelburne Falls Initiative (SFI)an...

02/25/2023

SHELBURNE FALLS INITIATIVE

We want to remind you that we have until March 31st to match the $50,000 Commonwealth Places Grant for a pocket park and new mosaic murals along Conway Street to connect The Mill at Shelburne Falls with the rest of the Village’s downtown.

Please join this public/private venture (Town of Buckland and the Franklin County CDC) to strengthen support for local businesses and our economy, further interest in local arts and cultural activities, and increase enjoyment of the rural beauty of our historic village and surrounding hilltowns.

Donations should be made by March 31st
Online at Patronicity.com/SFPocketPark
OR
Make checks payable to:
FCCDC/Shelburne Falls Initiative (SFI)
Send to:
Franklin County Community Development Corp.
324 Wells St, Greenfield, MA 01301

02/13/2023

SHELBURNE FALLS INITIATIVE HALFWAY TO FUNDRAISING GOAL

Thanks to a very generous grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Shelburne Falls Initiative is more than halfway to its goal of matching a $50,000 grant from MassDevelopment for two place-making projects in the village.

Please help us raise the rest with a contribution directly to the Franklin County CDC or via our crowdfunding site at Patronicity.com/SFPocketPark.

Checks should be made out to FCCDC/Shelburne Falls Initiative (SFI). All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by the law.

01/29/2023

CONNECTING COMMERCE & LIFE IN
DOWNTOWN SHELBURNE FALLS

As the fiscal sponsor of the Shelburne Falls Initiative, the Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC) has been awarded a $50,000 Commonwealth Places Grant from MassDevelopment for two projects in the village: the construction of a new pocket park and installation of five to six new mosaic murals along Conway Street and the Deerfield River. The two linked projects are intended to boost the area’s arts community, support the local economy, and increase enjoyment of the historic village downtown and its rural region. The grant requires a one-to-one match from the community.

“The grant must be matched dollar-for-dollar through a crowdfunding/fundraising campaign that runs from mid-January through mid-March, or the village loses the entire amount,” said Whit Sanford, who is coordinating the fundraising effort. She said she hopes that people who love and care about Shelburne Falls will contribute online or directly by mail to the FCCDC. Sanford noted there will be a public information meeting Wednesday, February 1st at 7:00 PM at the Buckland Town Hall for those interested in learning more about the two projects.

Late in 2021, the Shelburne Falls Initiative group of village residents, entrepreneurs, bicyclists, and artists began planning the two projects to connect Conway, Depot, and State Streets with downtown from the Bridge of Flowers along the RiverWalk to “The Mill at Shelburne Falls.”

In the coming year, the Shelburne Falls Initiative’s group of activists will coordinate, fundraise and work with the Town of Buckland to implement the two-year mosaic and pocket park effort.

MOSAIC MURALS
Artist Cindy Fisher will create and install five to six mosaic murals along Conway Street to extend the reach of and complement the mosaics she mounted on buildings in the village along Bridge and State Streets.

The geographically and culturally relevant murals are intended to inspire residents and visitors alike to stroll along the village RiverWalk from the Bridge of Flowers to The Mill. The mill complex hosts over 30 artist studios, nonprofit groups, and small manufacturing facilities in addition to many indoor and outdoor cultural events.

Fisher has been working with business owners to design each mosaic and plans to have them up by early summer.

POCKET PARK
The bicycle-themed pocket park is slated to be constructed at the intersection of Conway, Depot, and State Streets converting a currently inaccessible steep piece of land into a gathering and viewing destination with a garden and its own mosaic mural and bicycling amenities. The project will help welcome and host locals, bicyclists, shoppers, and visitors to the village downtown.

The park land was donated by Mike McCusker and Polly Anderson to the Town of Buckland last year. Its ad hoc Bike Park Committee will focus on site preparation, building a covered pavilion and ramps, and installing picnic tables and a landing with bicycle racks and fix-it station in 2023. The following year, depending on the fundraising efforts of Buckland and the Shelburne Falls Initiative group, the committee will work with the town to install a spiral staircase, village viewing platform, and the garden.

* * * * * * * * *
The Shelburne Falls Initiative: Connecting Commerce & Life in Downtown Shelburne Falls crowdfunding website was launched on Friday, January 20th at Patronicity.com/SFPocketPark. It describes the projects and how contributions large and small to the Franklin County CDC will ensure the creation of the mosaics and construction of the pocket park.

For those wanting to donate directly to the FCCDC, mail a check to 324 Wells Street, Greenfield MA 01301. Please make your check payable to FCCDC/Shelburne Falls Initiative (SFI).

For more information on the Shelburne Falls Initiative and the two projects contact Whit Sanford at 413-489-3160 or by email at [email protected].

Shelburne Falls has a new plan that will support our local economy, boost our arts community, and increase enjoyment of our historic village and rural region.

11/30/2022

TOWN OF SHELBURNE RESIDENTS!

Open Space & Recreation Survey www.surveymonkey.com/r/ShelburneOSRP

Shelburne residents, please fill out the community open space and recreation survey, either online or on paper. Your responses will help bring new grant money into our community and provide recreation opportunities you would like to see in Shelburne!

This link to the online survey is the easiest way to complete the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/ShelburneOSRP

The other option is to pick up and drop off paper copies of the survey at the: Shelburne Town Hall; Arms Library; or Shelburne Center Free Library.

02/11/2022

HELP THE VILLAGE TO THRIVE AND GROW

FOLLOW-UP TO SHELBURNE FALLS VILLAGE SUMMIT
As recommended in the Village of Shelburne Falls Rapid Recovery Plan created last fall, the Shelburne Falls Village Summit was held on February 1st over Zoom.

The purpose of the Summit was to discuss ideas to help sustain a vibrant Shelburne Falls Village Center with a thriving business community. The current focus is on what can be achieved within the next 12-18 months regarding communication, events & activities, and the potential for creating a volunteer Village Task Force to move things forward in the short term.

The presentation slides from the Summit can be viewed at: https://frcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02.01.2022_ShelFalls_Village_Summit_slides.pdf.

Moving forward, if you would like to be engaged in discussions about developing the Task Force and the tasks they will be undertaking, please complete the following survey to sign up for the email list and/or let us know your willingness to participate in some of the actions discussed. Please be sure to include your name and email address. Survey to sign-up: https://forms.gle/YVPUU2JetYz6XTrB8.

This project is supported by Amy Shapiro of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation, and Jessica Atwood and Keith Barnicle of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, with project partners Andrew Baker, Heather Butler, John Taylor and Whit Sanford.

Please note that during the Summit, it was also mentioned that if anyone was interested in knowing more about or getting involved with Memorial Hall they should contact Jim Kessler at [email protected] or with the Bridge of Flowers they should contact Annette Szpila at [email protected].

10/31/2021

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT FORUM
NOVEMBER 3 AT 7:00 PM

Members of the Shelburne Planning Board, Open Space Committee, Select Board, Recreation Committee, and Finance Committee have formed a volunteer group to explore adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in Shelburne.

We will be hosting an online information session on CPA on November 3, 2021 at 7:00 pm.

Please join us to learn more!

Link to Join the Forum: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82250018753?pwd=ZS9XTFBNVkhmY1Z6U0NVQ0NQL1U2dz09
Meeting ID: 822 5001 8753
Passcode: 000216
Call-in: +1 929 436 2866

The attached information sheet, Community Preservation Act 101, provides many of the details of how CPA works, the impact it would have on property taxes, and the benefits the Town would receive.

The Community Preservation Act – CPA - enables towns like Shelburne to create a locally-controlled fund for open space, historic preservation, community housing, and outdoor recreation projects. Towns that adopt CPA receive annual distributions from the Commonwealth’s Community Preservation Trust Fund to help fund these projects. (For more Information on the Community Preservation Act, go to: https://www.communitypreservation.org).

186 communities in Massachusetts have adopted CPA, including our Franklin County neighbors: Conway, Deerfield, Greenfield, Northfield, Leverett, Shutesbury, Sunderland, and Whately. Because Shelburne has not adopted CPA, we have not been receiving these annual CPA distributions from the Commonwealth!

If you cannot make the information session on November 3, a recording will be available on the Town website afterwards. You can also attend the next Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 9, at 7:00 pm to continue the discussion.

A meeting agenda with zoom link will be posted on the Town website ahead of the meeting.
See you there-