AMHERST — A new agreement with the state will allow Amherst to create an economic development plan for dealing with a changing economy and to implement a complete streets program that will make roads safer for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Community Compact, an initiative of the Baker administration, was signed by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Select Board Chairwoman Alisa Brewer at Town Hall the afternoon of March 27.
Brewer said she was glad to sign the agreement. “We know we need to come together to create conditions for strong and resilient economy through all communities,” she said.
Brewer added that Polito, as a former Select Board member in Shrewsbury, can appreciate town government, including a representative Town Meeting similar to Amherst’s. “I’d say she knows our pain,” she said.
The program asks communities to commit to completing plans for up to three projects of their choosing within two years. In return, they receive technical assistance from the state and preferential access to grants and other funding opportunities.
“This is a great program because it was formed by you and your peers,” Polito said, adding that it strengthens the relationship between state and local government. “You are doing what you want to work on in your community.”
Amherst is the 280th community in the state to sign a Community Compact.
“We really like this program,” said Town Manager Paul Bockelman, observing that it can help in 133 areas of best practice.
For complete streets, the compact will assist Amherst in dealing with the significant changes in how people move about and ensure better sidewalks and bicycle lanes, Bockelman said.
Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring said the complete streets philosophy has been many years in development.
Bockelman said the economic development plan will help Amherst move from a commerce center to entertainment and cultural districts. Geoffrey Kravitz, economic development director, said that the last plan was written in 1999, before the era of smartphones and Google.
The state provides technical assistance to communities that have signed the compact to ensure their needs are met. If the state cannot meet those needs, then it will pay outside consultants money allocated by the Legislature.
The grants that can be sought include the MassWorks infrastructure funding and others to pay for complete streets programs.
Before departing Amherst, Polito wished Amherst officials well during Town Meeting season.
“I cannot help you with your multiple Town Meetings, only you can help yourself with that,” Polito said.
Earlier in the day, Polito was in Bernardston, Whately and Pelham for similar signings. Pelham will be getting $5,000 from the state for website improvement.
In February 2016, nine area communities signed onto the state and local partnership program, including Northampton, Easthampton, Southampton, Westhampton, Goshen, Chesterfield, Deerfield, Williamsburg and Hadley.
Like Amherst, Northampton is working on a complete streets plan, and also aims to complete a climate-change adaptation plan and develop a disaster recovery plan for its computer system. In Easthampton, the compact is helping to study early education, economic development and regionalization of some services.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.