NORTHAMPTON — A mile-long extension of the Rocky Hill Greenway shared-use path, and an expansion and renovation of the behavioral health pod at Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s emergency department, are targeted for significant financial support from the federal government.
Those projects in the city, totaling $4.27 million, along with $995,000 for researchers at the Energy Transition Institute at University of Massachusetts to continue their work focusing on resilience of the electrical grid and addressing the climate crisis, were announced as part of $82.7 million in Congressional Directed Spending for Massachusetts by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey on Friday.
In Northampton, the Rocky Hill Greenway would be in line for $3.6 million to extend the shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists that already runs 1.5 miles, but has sections isolated from each other.
The federal funding would lead to the connection of the two sections, extending from Route 66 to Florence Road and from Burts Pit Road to Sandy Hill Road, and pay for the design, acquisition and construction.
But Wayne Feiden, director of Planning and Sustainability for the city, cautions that the money will first go to the Federal Highway Department and then to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
When the money gets to Northampton, it will allow for building of the already designed project from the New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway shared-use path, where it crosses Easthampton Road (Route 10), up to Rocky Hill Road, and then extending along Route 66 to Ice Pond Drive. Currently, the project is in line for support from different money in 2025 or 2026.
“We hope that this allows that project to move faster, perhaps with construction as early as starting in 2023 or as late as 2024,” Feiden said.
At Cooley Dickinson, the expansion of the behavioral health pod will increase the quality of behavioral health care available at the hospital, and double the number of specialized rooms, from four to eight, for mental and behavioral health patients. That earmark is for $670,000.
The expansion is part of a $15.5 million project at the Emergency Department and Endoscopy Unit and, according to hospital officials, meets a demand in Hampshire County, where mental health hospitalizations amount to 1,037 individuals per 100,000 residents, compared to 853 per 100,000 statewide.
While the existing pod is state of the art, it is only half the size it needs to be, and the expansion will allow for more privacy and a healing environment.
Dr. Lynnette M. Watkins, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson, thanked the region’s federal delegation for the support.
“We are grateful for this critical funding that will support the expansion of behavioral health services at Cooley Dickinson as part of our comprehensive effort to transform emergency care,” Watkins said.
For the Energy Transition Institute at UMass, $995,000 will go toward its research and engagement efforts that center on vulnerable communities, working with them on developing solutions to grid resilience, heating electrification and clean power generation. The aim is to help communities already suffering from poor air quality and high asthma rates.
The researchers’ work will also include work with Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts to engage with Holyoke families on community-based planning for their local energy transition.
A partnership is being created with the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Corp. to benefit municipal utilities in towns in central and western Massachusetts as they future-proof their electric and broadband infrastructure. The goal is to have research and solutions developed for Massachusetts communities later adapted and scaled for use across the region and the country.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
