Earlier this week, residents, historians and community leaders in Springfield, Massachusetts, marked a special milestone for the city.
It’s been ten years since voters in the City of Homes adopted the state’s Community Preservation Act. It’s not the only community in western Mass. to have done so, but after distributing $20 million dollars so far, its biggest supporters are celebrating its progress.
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Bells were chiming in the heart of Springfield Tuesday as officials marked progress on one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
“This is not only part of Springfield history; it's part of America's history. This is where people have come to worship, have come to celebrate, have come to mourn, have come to debate,” Mayor Domenic Sarno said in front of the Old First Church in Court Square. “You've had former President John Quincy Adams lay in state here. This was part of the Underground Railroad. John Brown… and many, many more people, famous people… came to the Old First Church.”
It’s been about two decades since the Old First Church was home to a congregation. Acquired by the city in 2007, the almost 200-year-old structure is part of Court Square’s scenery – and has also seen better days.
It survived a tornado in 2011 and has seen some repairs over the years, but ongoing deterioration involving the floors and roofing, rotting exteriors and other issues have added up, spurring an announcement back in July – a stabilization project.
“This … over-$2.5 million investment is just the start in terms of what we intend to go after in terms of funding for the complete restoration of First Church,” said city Chief Development Office Tim Sheehan at a July 1 press conference. “The time has come for First Church to shine and it's our intention to do that. This work is ultimately securing and tightening the building against the elements, making sure that we have it painted and ultimately beginning to put the capital stack together to do the full rehab and redevelopment of First Church.”
Crews and scaffolding have been all over the structure ever since, with the church’s clock now back to functioning and siding work coming along.
It’s work that’s largely being funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars – much of which was requested by Congressman Richard Neal – but also a chunk of change from residents themselves.
$300,000 in Community Preservation Act funding is expected to support the venture – an allotment by the state made possible by voters approving a 1.5% surcharge on city real estate taxes back in 2016.
The act itself has been around longer than that and Springfield was not alone in implementing it. But, ten years after voters passed Question 5, $20 million has flowed into various improvement projects of all kinds in the city – from restoring historic properties and facades, rejuvenating parks (and ponds) to helping breathe life into some of the city’s most unique properties.
That includes the city’s sprawling Forest Park, where CPA advocates and beneficiaries celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the act’s implementation.
Bob McCarroll is chair of the Springfield Community Preservation Coalition – usually the speaker at City Council meetings who lays out the annual recommended projects dubbed suitable for CPA dollars.
“The intent of CPA was to do ‘bubble-up projects’ - unlike the regular city budget, which is top-down -the mayor and the department heads decide,” said Bob McCarroll, chair of the Springfield Community Preservation Committee Sunday.
“In this case, it's the community preservation committee getting proposals and the proposals come from neighborhood groups and small nonprofits,” he explained to WAMC, standing outside the CPA anniversary event held at the Forest Park “Monkey House.” “Then, obviously, we choose, because there's not enough money and, ultimately, our recommendations go to city council… little projects that otherwise would never have been included in the main city budget because they weren't important enough.”
Whether it’s Springfield or Holyoke, Northampton or Greenfield or the dozens of other communities that have embraced the CPA, McCarroll says the act shines brightest when supporting small ventures.
It’s meant rebuilding the Forest Park Water Garden Gazebo, making exterior repairs to the Indian Orchard neighborhood’s fire station or, in some cases, helping create housing for those who need it most.
There’s also the matter of helping residents make needed repairs to the city’s many, many historic homes.
For a city as vast as Springfield, the funding - subject to City Council approval – goes a long way, even if it doesn’t cover an entire price tag. Pastor Piotr Calik of Immaculate Conception Church in the city’s Indian Orchard neighborhood said as much.
He told WAMC $45,000 from the CPA helped his historic church complete a much-needed paint job and exterior work. As he recounted Sunday, the money itself was more than a shot in the arm.
“It was enough to cover 40% of the project and the rest of the money I was able to fundraise with the community, but, for them to hear about it - that the funding is there and that other people of the city are going to support this whole project – [it] was amazing,” the pastor said. “[It] was truly a groundbreaking thing…”
There’s also been a number of larger-scale projects, as well. Often in annual increments of $300,000, the CPA’s biggest project recommendations often include work on some of the city’s most recognizable structures – like the Old First Church.
Springfield Museums President and CEO Kay Simpson tells WAMC her organization has tapped the CPA for assistance more than once – support that’s made a difference in restoring the many historic buildings on the Springfield Museums campus.
That includes the iconic Kilroy House - a Mission Revival that was once home to George Merriam of Merriam-Webster fame.
“It's really important to preserve the past - and when you invest in the past… it's a legacy for future generations, and I think that can't be overlooked,” Simpson said. “[There’s also] the economic impact … people coming to the community places like Springfield Museums - the historic architecture that they see becomes part of the experience… and a lot of the buildings that have been restored are irreplaceable. They just don't make buildings like that anymore!”
Earlier in June, the Springfield City Council approved about $3.2 million worth of SCPC-recommended projects for 2026 – including $300,000 for tennis and pickleball courts in Nahorniak Park, $300,000 for stabilization work at the city’s Gunn Block and $63,000 for renovations at the city’s Buckingham Triangle.
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Some audio for this story was provided by WWLP-TV and the City of Springfield
