Glocester gets $250K from feds for Chepachet Village revitalization efforts

GLOCESTER HAS received $250,000 from the Nationak Park Service for Chepachet Village revitalization and historic preservation efforts. / COURTESY R.I. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION & HERITAGE COMMISSION
GLOCESTER HAS received $250,000 from the Nationak Park Service for Chepachet Village revitalization and historic preservation efforts. / COURTESY R.I. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION & HERITAGE COMMISSION

GLOCESTER – The town has received a $250,000 grant from the National Park Service’s Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program to launch a preservation and economic-development program targeting the Chepachet Village area, the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission announced Friday.

The town is currently reviewing proposals for a Chepachet Village Revitalization Plan, which will be bolstered by the grant. The Chepachet Village Historic District spans more than 100 buildings from the 18th , 19th and 20th centuries.

“Chepachet is Glocester’s historic, civic and economic-development center,” said George O. Steere Jr., Glocester Town Council president. “The town has been working towards the redevelopment and revitalization of Chepachet Village for decades by investing in public infrastructure and regulatory reforms; however, several historic buildings in the village have fallen into disrepair. If we help local property owners to invest in their properties, the streetscape will be preserved and we will attract new economic development and new village residents.”

Focuses of the plan may include scouting opportunities for scattered site affordable housing paired with mixed-use development, preserving historic resources, strengthening small businesses, improving recreational resources, improving buildings and infrastructure, implementing creative reuse of property, increasing tourism and developing infill recommendations.

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The Glocester project was one of nine programs nationwide to be funded in 2019. The grant program was started in 2018 to support the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities. The town filed its application in collaboration with the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission.

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