Restoration of Elmer’s Store in Ashfield, roadwork around the region and downtown management services in three towns around Franklin County are on the way thanks to more than $10.3 million in grants coming to Franklin County and the North Quabbin, including $6.3 million allocated to the redevelopment of the former Wilson’s Department Store in Greenfield.

Gov. Maura Healey announced $161 million in Community One Stop for Growth awards last week, as 313 projects in 171 municipalities received money from 12 grant programs to address economic development projects relating to planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, infrastructure and housing development.

One of those projects is the revitalization of Elmer’s Store, as Elmer’s Community Center Inc., the nonprofit that owns the store, was awarded $381,232 from the Underutilized Properties Program to restore the historic building, which has been in Ashfield since 1835.

Ariel Brooks, the president of Elmer’s Community Center’s board, said the nonprofit has raised money in the past to address structural issues and this grant will help pay for repairs such as repairing siding or addressing the basement, which would take significantly more time if they had to raise the money themselves through activities like bake sales.

“This grant is literally 20 years of bake sales … it’s going to enable us to move really fast on what we want to do,” Brooks said. “We were really grateful … We’re hoping to get the work beginning as soon as possible.”

The ultimate goal for the building, Brooks said, is to “restore occupancy and get the building open as a community center.”

Alongside grants to communities, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) received $100,000 to support its Rural Downtown District Pilot Project, which will execute downtown district management services in Turners Falls, Northfield and Shelburne Falls.

Montague received two separate grants, as it was awarded $62,000 from the Community Planning Grant Program and $25,000 from the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative.

The Community Planning Grant Program money will be used to help Montague explore zoning changes for a mixed-use, campus-style project on the former Farren Care Center site in Montague City. Town Planner Maureen Pollock will convene a working group during the redevelopment process, which will look at potential zoning amendments.

“We’re excited to keep this process moving, and glad to have funding support from the state to make it happen,” said Town Administrator Walter Ramsey.

Northfield also received $25,000 from the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative to support creating a regional district management entity.

Roads and infrastructure

Several communities in the region received grants to address road repairs and other infrastructure concerns through the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Hawley received a $317,000 grant – its operating budget for fiscal year 2025 is $614,292 – that will be used to address a corroded culvert on Ashfield Road and replace it with a new one that meets state Stream Crossing Standards regulations.

Selectboard Chair Will Cosby said the culvert is the second aspect of an Ashfield Road reconstruction project, which is still in progress and funded by a grant received last year.

“This culvert is expensive enough that it requires a separate grant,” Cosby said. “It’s a very significant award for us, and it’s a big project for us. We’re hoping we will do it next year, probably summer or maybe fall.”

In Orange, the town will use $275,000 to replace aging water lines and repave the road surface and sidewalks along West Main Street, which also serves as Route 2A.

Leverett received $1 million to improve drainage issues on Dudleyville Road, a gravel road that has been plagued with challenges for residents in recent years due, in part, to climate change.

Conway, too, received $1 million to renovate Shelburne Falls Road with a larger culvert. The town, though, is evaluating its options, as it conducted emergency work on the road earlier this summer.

Several towns also received money from the Rural Development fund. Shelburne received $121,000 to assess the Shelburne Falls Wastewater Treatment Facilities Pump Station, Wendell received $156,000 to design and repair the 122-foot-long Erving-Wendell Bridge deck over the Millers River and Whately received $75,000 to help fund the creation of a new comprehensive plan.

Buckland was also awarded $60,000 to support its Charlemont Road reconstruction project, which will reconstruct roadways, upgrade bioswales and replace culverts, while Deerfield was awarded $100,000 to upgrade the Deerfield-Whately Road and its wastewater connections.

Two Collaborative Workspace Program grants were also awarded. The Franklin County Community Development Corporation was awarded $52,000 to establish a 500-square-foot kitchen in the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center to support early-stage food entrepreneurs, caterers and food truck operators. Deerfield Railyards LLC received $10,549 to establish a collaborative workspace in a large commercial building under renovation, focusing on utilizing a fiberoptic cable in a region with low connectivity.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com. Staff writer Erin-Leigh Hoffman contributed to this story.