LEVERETT — A request for use of Community Preservation Act money to help fund the town’s portion of a $4.7 million track and field overhaul at Amherst Regional High School will not come before annual Town Meeting this spring, though an effort to protect 91 acres of mostly wooded land near town center will be brought for a vote.

The Leverett Community Preservation Committee recently voted unanimously against the $101,400 request to help fund the track and field project submitted by Douglas Slaughter, the finance director for the schools.

Leverett joins Pelham in opting not to use CPA money for the project, in part because of the preferred use of artificial turf for the playing field that would be put inside the eight-lane track.

In December, Pelham’s committee nixed spending $53,380 for the project.

The four towns that make up the region, including Shutesbury, have already approved $1.5 million in borrowing, and another $957,500 is coming from Amherst’s CPA account, representing most of the $1.2 million that was being sought from CPA.

While the committee voted against the spending, Chairwoman Danielle Barshek said the committee is recommending using $81,000 so that Kestrel Land Trust can move forward with a Conservation Partnership state grant for what will be known as the Heronemus Forest Conservation Project.

The application from Bridget Likely, conservation manager for Kestrel, states the project off Long Hill Road is an “opportunity to protect the area for its important climate resilience and habitat value, and the chance to open the land to the public and provide under-represented recreational opportunities in the region.”

The town’s Conservation Commission would hold a conservation restriction on the property that is within the greater Mount Toby and Joshua Hill forests, and ties into a woodland corridor west of the Quabbin Reservoir.

Other projects

No decisions have yet been made by the committee on whether to recommend projects related to the North Leverett Sawmill and the historic Moore’s Corner Schoolhouse. Its next meeting is set for Monday.

The Friends of the Leverett Sawmill are seeking $82,082. In the application from Friends members Cynthia Baldwin and Sam Black, the Heritage Park and Nature Trail would be on 2.6 acres next to the 18th century Slarrow sawmill, and serve as an extension of trails and interpretative signs through the neighboring 2 acres of town land, managed by the Conservation Commission.

Leverett Historical Society President Sara Robinson submitted the application for $187,000 to preserve, renovate and restore the schoolhouse, built in 1810 and already historically restricted by the Community Preservation Committee in 2014.

The money would go toward exterior renovations and a plan for the interior restoration, with matching funds from the society, grants and donations. The first phase, which could be complete by December, would include the roof, the foundation and the chimney, as well as the corner boards and other rotten boards, and replacement of windows in keeping with U.S. Department of Interior standards. There would also be replacement of external stairs, execution of Americans with Diabilities Act-compliant access, and upgrades to insulation, heating and electric.

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