AMHERST — Outdoor gathering spaces will be created and enhanced in Amherst, a performance stage will go up at Forbes Library in Northampton and storefronts and walkability in a part of Holyoke will be improved, as the result of the awards of recent MassDevelopment grants.

Northampton and Amherst were among 12 recipients of Commonwealth Places awards

In Amherst, the $5,000 awarded to the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce will mean a partnership with the town, the Mill District in North Amherst and businesses in the Pomeroy village center in South Amherst to provide plantings, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs.

John Page, special projects coordinator for the chamber, said the idea is that this will lead to better outdoor places, encouraging social cohesion and increasing foot traffic in the neighborhood business districts.

The chamber has already achieved a mandated a $5,000 match for the award from local businesses, but is encouraging more support for the initiative, Page said. A hope is that the chamber will eventually be able to have the program brought to more village centers, such as East Amherst along College Street and Belchertown Road, and commercial districts in neighboring communities the chamber supports, similar to how the Amherst Business Improvement District enhances downtown Amherst.

At the Forbes Library in Northampton, a $2,500 grant will pay for developing a design and formulating construction documents to support electrical service and a performance stage to hold community outdoor events.

The west lawn of the library is used for community programs, but events are limited because there is limited infrastructure there.

Meanwhile, the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce is receiving $106,500 as part of $1.5 million going to organizations for small-business support programs in Gateway cities.

Through MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative, the chamber will use the grant to advance small businesses and improve walkability in Holyoke’s TDI district by offering technical assistance and grant funding for storefront improvement projects.

“Thriving small businesses are at the core of vibrant, walkable downtowns and main streets,” Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao said in a statement. Hao chairs MassDevelopment’s board of directors.

In western Massachusetts, the only other recipient was the Springfield Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., which will use its $125,000 grant for its “Branding, Storytelling & Placemaking Activation Program for Mason Square Small Businesses & Community.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>