Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Downtown Development Committee chair says group brought nearly $800,000 in grants; chair to step down after eight years
Loading...
Summary
The Downtown Development Committee reported achievements including complete-streets work and grant awards (DLTA, TAP, LLRP) and said its longtime chair will step down after eight years; committee brought nearly $800,000 to the town but faces a leadership gap.
The Downtown Development Committee (DDC) told the Board of Selectmen that the volunteer group — started in October 2018 — has advanced a range of downtown projects and grant awards but now faces a leadership transition.
The committee’s chair (Speaker 6) recounted partnerships and grants secured since 2018, including a $21,000 DLTA planning award, work with the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) on a strategic plan, TAP and LLRP awards that supported a complete-streets sidewalk project, and later engineering work to advance a shared-streets project. The chair said the DDC helped secure roughly $800,000 in grants to the town over its eight-year run and accepted a community development planning award from CMRPC for 2020 work.
The chair said the complete-streets sidewalk was installed in 2024, that some grant funds may remain, and that the committee is considering whether to dissolve or recruit new leaders: the chair announced they will step down from the chair role and said the committee can continue for two or three more meetings while new leadership is sought.
Board response: the selectboard thanked the DDC for its work and noted the committee’s accomplishments; no formal action was requested that night beyond acknowledging the update.
Next steps: the DDC will hold another meeting in March to decide whether new members will take on the chair role or whether the committee should be dissolved. The board asked to be kept informed and offered assistance in outreach to recruit volunteers.
