EASTHAMPTON — CitySpace, the prospective 350-seat performing arts venue in the center of Easthampton, is getting $3.5 million in congressionally directed spending to continue restoration of the historic Old Town Hall.
CitySpace is included in $124.58 million in federal earmarks going toward 116 community projects across the state announced recently by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Michael Tautznik, former Easthampton mayor and CitySpace’s treasurer, praised the work of the state’s congressional delegation on behalf of the city.
“It is truly transformative, accelerating the restoration of Old Town Hall’s second floor and securing its future as a vital public, cultural, and economic asset for Easthampton and the region,” Tautznik said in a statement.
“This project honors our past while building a more vibrant, inclusive future,
strengthening our downtown, supporting local artists and small businesses, and creating a
gathering place that will serve generations to come,” Mayor Salem Derby said in a statement.
Since 2014, CitySpace has led a series of restoration efforts to stabilize and improve Old Town Hall, including the second phase to add an elevator serving all four floors and expanding accessibility in the 157-year-old building.
Markey called this restoration and development a “shining example” of a community’s vision.
“CitySpace, local leaders and the Easthampton community have breathed new life into this
historic structure, transforming a stranded municipal asset into an anchor of the local economy and a nexus for community initiatives,” Markey said.
Fellow U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren described the restoration as building a better, more vibrant future.
“This federal investment is an important step in supporting new cultural and economic opportunities for artists and organizations throughout Easthampton and the surrounding communities,” Warren said.
Other area projects set to benefit from the significant federal financial support include the proposed Community Resilience Hub in Northampton that plans to offer services to the unhoused and those struggling with mental health issues, and a planned permanent 35-bed shelter and associated supportive housing in Amherst.
The $500,000 for development of the Community Resilience Hub, and $1 million to create a dedicated complex to serve homeless individuals, including veterans, at the former VFW site on Main Street in Amherst, are included in the list provided by Markey’s office, though there has been no formal announcement yet by U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, who made the requests for that funding.
The money earmarked for the Northampton and Amherst projects is short of the funding requests made by McGovern, who had requested $1.98 million for the Northampton project and $5 million for the Amherst development.
Markey’s list of projects supplements $92.78 million for 93 projects in Massachusetts that was announced previously, bringing total fiscal 2026 appropriations to $221.55 million for 209 projects.
The most recent projects are funded through the Consolidated Appropriations
Act and focus on areas relating to transportation, infrastructure, housing, health, education and small business development.
“I am proud to have worked with my colleagues to secure funding to construct affordable and supportive housing, expand early education programs and buy new equipment to expand patient access to care,” Markey said. “With so much federal funding under threat, direct funding to our communities is critical.”
There also is $2.45 million for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for operation and maintenance of the Knightville Dam in Huntington, $800,000 for the River Terrace combined sewer overflow Area 21B sewer separation in Holyoke, and $250,000 for the renovation of Farr Alpaca Mill, also in Holyoke.
In Northampton, $879,000 is going toward Stop It Now!, a program of the Klingberg Family Centers, to increase the awareness, availability and effectiveness of child sex abuse prevention resources, including expansion of helplines. Additionally, $101,000 will support All Out Adventures Inc. for its outdoor recreation access for veterans, seniors and people with disabilities, with the funding for two new vans and one box trailer.
In Franklin County, there is $1 million for wastewater system construction and improvements in Colrain, which will construct a shared disposal system for wastewater to service single and multifamily homes that may be condemned without a sustainable solution, $1.29 million for fire engines for Conway and Charlemont and $165,000 for facility improvements at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls.
McGovern said the projects being funded will improve the quality of life in those communities.
“It also includes critical resources to combat hunger and expand access to affordable housing and wraparound services in communities across my district,” McGovern said about the funding. “These are meaningful investments that make Massachusetts healthier, safer and stronger.”
Also benefiting the region is $1.2 million for positive train control for the Knowledge Corridor, money that will go to the state’s Department of Transportation.