By Theresa Knapp

Hopedale has received a $75,000 Rural and Small Town Grant from the Commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development as part of its Community One Stop for Growth program.

The Select Board accepted the grant at its meeting on Oct. 25, at which time Town Administrator Diana Schindler said the grant will be used to address current and future traffic-related issues in the village center and in anticipation of redevelopment of the Draper area. 

“We applied for a traffic, parking, and circulation study for the village center primarily to focus on the redevelopment in the village center, but also to deal with our current traffic and circulation issues including [the use of] feeder streets for parking, [and] where our parking lots are versus the traffic flow.”

According to www.mass.gov/, the Rural and Small Town grants are awarded to towns with populations less than 7,000 or with a population density of less than 500 persons per square mile. 

Grant proposals are scored on achievable project scope, ability to execute, timeline, budget commitment, outcomes and impact, progress to date, and more. 

According to the site, awards can range from $50,000 to $400,000 and can be used for pre-construction, survey, design and engineering; construction costs; construction administration (project management, traffic control, public safety details, etc.); feasibility studies related to future capital projects; land acquisition; and projects that create or support housing. 

Schindler says the grant will be used to hire a consultant. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2023.