Milford Mainstreet - Oval Area Grants


	Milford Main Street Program 263 Union Square, Milford, NH 03055 Tel 603.672.4567

The Milford Main Street Program - DOIT has been actively pursuing grant money directly or indirectly for a number of years. Last year we received a grant to restore the bandstand and earlier this year were successful in our application through the NH Main Street Center for a HUD grant of $50,000.00 which will be used to renovate the old Boston Shoe Building on the corner of Nashua Street and Rte 13S. Just recently we were notified that we would be receiving grants totaling $4,125,000.00 for South Street and Oval area improvements. The Town has to provide matching funds in the amount of 20%.

Last year DOIT submitted an application for a Transportation Enhancement (TE) Grant for the South Street Project and earlier this year did a presentation to NHDOT/GACIT. As a result, the Town has been awarded $625,000 of which the Town match is 20% or $125,000. These funds will start to become available in 2009-10 with $50,000 available this year for the Design Phase. This money is from formula funding in which the Federal Govt. mandates that a certain percentage of Federal funding be set aside for grants to local authorities.

Milford has also received funding from the Federal Government Highway Bill which was accelerated by the vote in Washington at the end of last year. Funding, originally part of the 10 year plan scheduled for 2013, will actually become available later this year and is scheduled for Oval area improvements. The amount is $3,500,000.00 over 5 years and the Town’s match is 20% or $700,000. The first “installment” was voted in by the Town on this years warrant article 14 - $80,000 to match $320,000.00

Together these grants total $4,125,000 for a total cost to Taxpayers of $825,000 over potentially 8 years.

The execution of these projects needs to follow the NHDOT Context Sensitive Solution (CSS) project delivery approach – Excellence in Transportation Design which has several phases:

1. Problem/Need
2. Planning
3. Scoping
4. Design
5. Construction
6. M&O

Phase 1 – Problem/Need consists of

Identify problem or need
Identify Stakeholders
Public Outreach

Other Phases also have elements of Community involvement

The Milford Main Street Program, DOIT a non-profit organization involved in the preservation of Milford Downtown and surrounding area, Has been appointed to manage the public outreach phase (Phase 1) of the project and will take the lead as facilitator for the community/public involvement part of the project working with stakeholders, interested parties and the Nashua Regional Planning Council to ensure that the monies are spent according to grant requirements in the best interest of the Town.

This is an opportunity for the Town to address safety, traffic, aesthetic and parking issues relating to the Milford Oval area, at minimal cost to the taxpayers and use a dedicated community resource (DOIT) to help achieve these objectives efficiently.

NHDOT – NH Department of Transport
GACIT – Governor’s Advisory Council on Intermodal Transport