The Town of Greenfield has chosen Milestone Construction as a construction manager for the upcoming renovations to the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse. 

“Milestone is a great choice. They have a proven track record and deep experience in working on historic buildings,” Sheldon Pennoyer, chair of the Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse (FGCM), said Monday.

In June, the town was notified that the Meetinghouse project had been approved for a $1 million Community Center Program Grant from the Community Development Finance Authority, a federal agency whose grants are administered by individual states. Town Administrator Aaron Patt, the Greenfield Select Board, Town Treasurer Katherine Heck, the Southwest Regional Planning Committee and the FGCM board all collaborated on the grant application.

Architects Sonia Misiaszek and Jared Guilmet of Misiaszek Turpin Architects and Mark Goldstein and Matt Beaulieu of Milestone Construction met with the Greenfield Select Board and Patt Monday evening to discuss the timeline, priorities and next steps for the Meetinghouse renovation project. 

“We’re excited to get the ball rolling on this project. We're really excited to have Milestone on board and to get this started, and we’re excited that the funding has come in,” Select Board member Mason Parker said. 

According to Patt, the CDFA grant funds must be used by August 2025. The funds will be used to renovate and repair the lower-level community center space in the Greenfield Meetinghouse, which includes a meeting room, storage and utility room, restrooms,  two exits and a community kitchen. The funds will also be used to create accessibility and to bring the building to code. 

Greenfield Select Board member Mike Borden said the first priority for the project is waterproofing the basement and foundation to eliminate the risk of further water damage. 

“We’ve got to get that foundation waterproofed. We’ve got to get the perimeter drainage installed, and we need to link the building to town sewer,” Borden said. 

Patt noted that accessibility and energy efficiency are also top priorities for the renovations to the 228-year-old building. 

“The elevator is at the top of the list. We need to be able to make three floors accessible, to provide access to the restrooms and the community center in the lower level,” Patt said. 

Goldstein said that currently, the electric supply to the Meetinghouse is not strong enough to power an elevator, and that the electrical supply to the entire building will probably have to be upgraded to 400 amps. 

In discussing the effects of the construction project on the town, Select Board member Tom Bascom said the town will take steps to find an alternative location to hold the September and November elections. 

“There may times when the building has to be closed to public,” Goldstein confirmed. 

In 2017, Greenfield received an LCHIP grant to assess the condition of the 1795 Meetinghouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest meetinghouse in New Hampshire used by both church and state. The assessment, which was completed by Misiaszek Turpin in 2019, identifies critical needs in the building, including an elevator and other renovations providing accessibility, energy efficiency, code compliance, structural repairs and replacement of sewer and electrical systems.

The Friends of the Community Meetinghouse, which was founded by a group of residents in 2019 to raise funds and build engagement in the Meetinghouse restoration project, has worked with the town on identifying funding sources and educating the public about the need for Meetinghouse repairs. The building has not has any significant upgrades since the small upstairs kitchen and accessible restroom were added in the 1980s.  The complete assessment is available on the town website on the Meetinghouse page. 

Reporter and Greenfield resident Jesseca Timmons is secretary of the Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse. For information about the Greenfield Meetinghouse project, go to greenfieldmeetinghouse.org.