“We have these really eclectic businesses that have found a niche and are getting stronger, are getting bigger, and they’re really evolving to the times,” Mayor LaChapelle observes.“That captures another part of Easthampton. We’re capturing a specific niche. We are who we are. We’re not trying to put ourselves out there as something else. We win where we stand.” This philosophyisn’t mere rhetoric.The city’s economic development strategy focuses on supporting existing businesses rather than chasing relocations. With educational services and healthcare forming the employment foundation, the manufacturing sector adds diversity without dominating. The approach has sustained growth through economic cycles, with median household income rising 8.31% between 2022 and 2023 despite slight population decline. MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN EASTHAMPTON’S FUTURE A major state grant marks the beginning of Easthampton’s most ambitious infrastructure overhaul since the 1800s. The Transit and Infrastructure Project will reconstruct Main Street while preserving its historic character, balancing modern safety requirements with architectural heritage. “We just received from the Mass Department of Transportation a put aside for $13 million to redo that section,” Mayor LaChapelle confirms. “We want to keep the flavor of Main Street, but make it safer for pedestrians, for bicycles, and for cars. We won’t put actual shovels in the ground probably until 2027, 2028. We’re about 25% design, which then the state comments on.” The project connects three critical zones: the Cultural District, Main Street, and the mill district. Additional grants support complementary improvements. “We just started on a multi-use path that goes from downtown out to our brand new school that’s opened,” Mayor LaChapelle explains.“Getting smaller grants to touch up those neighborhoods across the city, whether it’s sidewalks or traffic lights, safer ways to cross the street for pedestrians. Those are little grants that we’re using for big impact projects.” Climate adaptation drives infrastructure decisions. 131 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 EASTHAMPTON, MA
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