The Town of Greenfield and the Friends of the Greenfield Meetinghouse have been working in partnership since 2019 to raise funds for repairs to the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse, and the Select Board recently voted to take over the grant application for the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority Community Center Investment Program.
The town will be asking for the maximum $1 million for repairs to the Meetinghouse.
“The town has a long and successful proven track record of managing large grants,” said Sheldon Pennoyer, chair of the FGCM. “The Friends are little bit different from most applicants to this program because we don’t own or manage the building and we’re a tiny organization; we don’t have experience with large grants. It makes a lot more sense for the town to be the applicant for this grant.”
The Friends of the Meetinghouse were awarded a $10,000 Moose Plate grant in 2021 and have raised over $100,000 for Meetinghouse repairs through fundraising events, private donations, item sales, and NH Gives.
After being turned down for funding in the first round of the CDFA grant, the FGCM was invited to apply for the second round of funding. With assistance from the Southwestern NH Regional Planning Committee, the FGCM board met with CDFA over the summer to assess the strength of their application. The grant would come in the form of a forgivable loan, which, if awarded, would have to be approved at 2024 Town Meeting.
In 2019, Greenfield received an New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) grant grant to assess the overall condition of the Meetinghouse. The Meetinghouse, completed in 1795, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “the oldest Meetinghouse in New Hampshire used by both church and state.” The building has not seen any major renovations since the 1980s, when a small kitchenette and an accessible bathroom were added to the main floor. The accessible restroom can be accessed only through the kitchen and is no longer up to code.
According the assessment completed by architects Misiaszek Turpin, the Meetinghouse needs up to $2 million of work, including structural repairs, foundation and septic work, electrical and plumbing upgrades, repairs and upgrades to improve energy efficiency and infrastructure to provide accessibility.
Several Monadnock region projects received Community Center Investment Program grants in June, including the Peterborough Community Center, the Jaffrey Civic Center, and the Hannah Grimes Center in Keene. The grants are designed to support facilities and programming that are inclusive, open to the public and support the health and well-being of the general community.
“We are a little different from other community centers because we don’t have a lot of active programming right now, but we don’t have active programming anymore because groups no longer want to rent the Meetinghouse because of the condition it’s in, so it’s kind of a Catch-22,” said Kathy Seigars, treasurer of the FGCM. “The basement has water damage and mold, the electricity shorts out when you plug in crockpots, the bathrooms are really in rough shape. When my kids were growing up here, the Meetinghouse was busy seven days a week with classes, events, programs – everything was there. This is our community center; the town does not have another building that the whole community can use. It has really negatively impacted our town and our community that we don’t have a place to gather.”
In announcing the second round of funding, CDFA Executive Director Katy Easterly Martey stated, “We saw tremendous demand for Community Center Investment Program resources and look forward to working with organizations across the Granite State to advance projects that are meeting the diverse, multifaceted needs of their communities. Projects awarded resources have demonstrated a strong benefit to their community by providing opportunities for residents to be active, receive essential services and engage with fellow residents in civic activities. These investments will help nonprofits and municipalities improve and create spaces that are incredibly important for the health and vibrancy of New Hampshire’s communities.”
Reporter Jesseca Timmons is the secretary of the Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse.