The Town of Orange in Franklin County, MA Awarded Prestigious
American Institute of Architects/ Sustainable Design Grant
Erin Simmons, Director of the Center for Communities by Design
at The American Institute of Architects, Washington, DC has just
notified the Town of Orange that they were awarded the widely
sought after 2008 Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Program
Grant.
The SDAT Program focuses on the importance of developing sustainable
communities through design by bringing together multidisciplinary
teams of professionals to work with community decision-makers
and stakeholders through an intensive planning process. It provides
technical assistance and process expertise to help communities
develop a vision and framework for a sustainable future in a manner
that protects the environment.
The SDAT program provides broad assessments to help frame future
policies or design solutions in the context of environmental and
economical sustainability and help communities plan the first
steps of implementation. Orange is the third Massachusetts community
to participate in this nationwide program since the program was
launched in 2005. The other two Massachusetts communities that
have received the grant are Northampton and Pittsfield, both in
2005. Wendy Johnson, CDO Administrative Assistant for the Town
of Orange, wrote the grant with the assistance of Jonathan Schwartz,
Orange Innovation Center Environmental Officer, and Alec MacLeod,
Conservation Commission Chairman. A Steering Committee has been
formed to guide and implement the SDAT process for the Town of
Orange. Members of the Committee include Rick Kwiatkowski, Wendy
Johnson, Jonathan Schwartz, Alec MacLeod, Scott Maslansky, Dennis
Annear, Patricia Smith, Walt Owens, Brian Eno, Polly Bixby, Karen
Grzesik, Tim Cohen-Mitchell, Nancy Blackmer, Brian Spear, Jeffrey
Cooke, and James Young, Jr. If anyone is interested in becoming
involved with this program, they should contact Wendy Johnson
at the Orange Community Development Office at (978) 544-1100,
Ext. 105. William Austin, President of the Western Massachusetts
Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has committed
his chapter to oversee the project. U Mass (Amherst) Associate
Professor of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Robert
Ryan and his students will partner with Orange and the AIA team.
Students from Greenfield Community College are expected to work
on this project as well. The Steering Committee will be holding
a press conference in the near future at a date to be determined.
Contact: Wendy Johnson
Community Development Office
6 Prospect Street
Orange, MA 01364
Phone (978) 544-1100, X105
Fax (978) 544-1101 Town of Orange
