HATFIELD — A long-awaited project to construct a new pavilion for Smith Academy Park is being recommended for funding through the town’s Community Preservation Act account.
But while the Community Preservation Committee is supporting use of up to $234,000 that would go toward this building, it has not yet decided whether to move forward with $400,000 for restoration of a closed bridge over the Mill River in the Mill-Prospect Street Historic District.
The committee last week, in addition to recommending the necessary money for the pavilion, gave the go-ahead for $11,000 to the Hatfield Historical Museum collection and $10,000 for installing dugouts at Smith Academy’s baseball diamond, said Committee Chairman Bob Wagner. All are likely to appear on the annual Town Meeting warrant in May.
Action on the bridge, though, and $30,000 for walking paths at Smith Academy, were deferred by the committee until its next meeting in late February, when more information will be provided.
The CPA account has about $1.8 million available to spend, with the state increasing its contribution, with Hatfield getting a full match, and just one funded proposal last year for less $10,000. Some of the money in the account is set aside for affordable housing projects or historical preservation, but most could be used, Wagner said.
The town already has put forward some money toward the pavilion and the development of the quarter-acre site, next to Memorial Town Hall. The first phase, done a few years ago in advance of the town’s 350th-anniversary celebrations in 2020, included putting in new paths that mimic the original walkways at the 1871 Smith Academy building, which stood on the site until the early 1980s.
Before the anniversary was held, a large wooden birthday cake became the centerpiece of the park starting in September 2019.
Wagner said the hope is bids for building the pavilion will come in at a lower amount. He said the site has become more active in recent years, with the Council on Aging using it for performances and other community events during warmer weather.
Prospect Court Bridge, next to the Old Mill Inn, has been closed for a number of years to both foot and vehicular traffic. Wagner said Hatfield received a $185,000 grant several years ago that paid for an engineering analysis that would be used toward its eventual reconstruction.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
