Sunnyside Learning Gardens ApplicationCOMMUNITY PRESERVATION
COMBINED SMALL GRANT
ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION FORM
SMALL GRANTS COMBINED ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Please familiarize yourself with the relevant portions of the CPC Plan 2012-2014 (at a minimum: eligibility (Appendix A, Allowable Use Table), general evaluation Criteria (Overview -
Page 6), and applicable program criteria (Historic Preservation – Page 14, Community Housing, Page 22, Open Space, Page 24, Recreation, Page 31)
Please consult with the CPC staff prior to submitting any application materials. Coordinating early will help ensure that your proposal is eligible for CPA funds, and increase the chances
of a favorable decision. CPC staff can be reached at 413-587-1263.
Complete the Combined Eligibility and Application Form.
We would prefer that you keep to the space provided. But if you need additional space, please continue on separate pieces of paper; number all the pages submitted.
Attach any letters of support, funding commitments or landowner permission
Attach any of the following if relevant:
photographs, renderings or design plans of the site, building, structure or other subject for which the application is made
USGS topographical map, assessors map, or other map as appropriate, showing location of the project
Information regarding Natural resource limitations (wetlands, flood plain) or zoning (district, dimensional and use regulations as applies to the land)
Mass. Historic Commission Historic inventory sheet
Historic structure report or existing condition reports
Names and addresses of project contractors, and consultants
Evidence that appropriate professional standards will be followed if construction, restoration or rehabilitation is proposed.
Project Title: SunnySide Learning Gardens
Project location, including address and parcel number:
557 Easthampton Road Northampton, MA 01060 / 44-032-001
Project Sponsor/Organization: SunnySide Child Care Center
Contact Name: Emma Lee / Maria Piepergerdes
Property Owner, if applicable: SunnySide Child Care Center
Mailing Address: 557 Easthampton Road Northampton, MA 01060
Daytime phone #: 413.727.3665
Fax #:
E-mail address: araliaberry@gmail.com / maria@sunnysidekids.org
For the following, please refer to the Small Grant Eligibility Chart: http://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4185
CPA Program Area (check those that apply):
� Open Space � Historic Preservation
� Community Housing x Recreation
Project Purpose (check those that apply) :
� Preservation
x Rehabilitation/Restoration
Applicant’s Signature: ____________________________
Date Submitted: ____ 2/8/2016 _____________
For CPC Use Eligible: _____ Not Eligible: _____ Date: __________ Reviewer: ____________________
Appropriate for Small Grant Process_____
Referred to Traditional Funding Round______
Total Project Budget (not to exceed $6,000.00): $ 1,194
CPA Funding Request (not to exceed $3,000.00): $ 1,194
Funding from other sources: $ 0
List any in-kind donations of labor or materials: Parents and friends of Sunnyside Childcare Center will be providing all labor in-kind, as fulfillment of our agreed upon requirement
for work hours, and as determined by the parent cooperative guidelines set forth by Sunnyside.
CPA Request as % of Total Budget: 100%
Budget Summary: Please specify how CPA funds will be spent. Itemize all projected expenditures. If budget is based on a quote, please attach it. List any additional funding sources
or donations of in-kind service. These funds must be secured at the time of application, as evidenced by a signed commitment letter referencing the content of the application, and
including any restriction on the use of funds.
+ Lumber and hardware for building 4 raised beds 8’ by 4’: $169
+ Fencing materials: $280
+ Topsoil and Compost mix, delivered, for initial fill and topping off next year: $545
+ Seeds for flowers, vegetables and herbs: $100
+ Vegetable and herb starts: $100
1) Please provide a brief description of the project.
We propose to construct four raised beds in the front play yard of Sunnyside Childcare Center and enclosing them with a small fence. The beds are for both educational and play purposes.
Through classroom lessons and projects, we plan to engage all our children, from ages 1.5 to 6 years old, in planting vegetables and flowers from seeds and starts and in caring for
the plants.
2) What Community Preservation criteria – both general and program-area specific – does this project meet? Please refer to the Overview CPA Plan Section, Page 6), and
applicable program criteria. (Historic Preservation – Page 14, Community Housing, Page 22, Open Space, Page 24, Recreation, Page 31)
Rehab/Restore/Recreation. This project is consistent with Sustainable Northampton 2008-2028, as it proposes to increase Community Garden Space as articulated in Goal LU-2.
3) What community need(s) does this project serve? If the project serves multiple needs and populations, please describe them. If the project serves a population that is currently underserved,
please describe.
Sunnyside Childcare Center is a not-for-profit parent cooperative with a focus on social and emotional development for children ages 1.5-6 years old. Community amongst parents and children
is built through Sunnyside’s commitment to collaboration between all levels of this community. We believe that the addition of a gardening space will provide a needed link to the natural
world and rhythms of the seasons for the children and will further increase community cooperation by providing an enjoyable project for parents and children.
4) What specific guarantees will assure the long-term preservation of the project?
Sunnyside Childcare is a year round operational facility with many staff overseeing the daily care of the building and grounds. Specifically, there is a grounds committee made up of
eight parents (rotating yearly) who are responsible for maintaining the grounds, into which these beds will be included. We have planned to put the beds close to our water sources (including
rain collection barrels) to ensure watering is an easy task. We will be including the gardens as a part of the curriculum for the children, and each classroom will take responsibility
for their own portion of the beds. We believe the size of the project is small and thus, manageable.
5) What community support does the project have? Explain the nature and level of the support.
The project has support inside of the Sunnyside community, that of the interim director, the assistant director, the teachers, and the parents on the grounds committee. We anticipate
the children will be delighted to have the opportunity to play with and in the gardens and learn about plants, edible plants in particular, and become more aware of the growing cycles
of plants.
6) How will the success of this project be measured?
Success will come from growing flowers, herbs and vegetables and weaving that work into important, memorable lessons for the children. If we get to eat some tasty, fresh vegetables that
would be an extra benefit for us all.
7) Is ongoing maintenance and upkeep required? If yes, please explain how this will be accomplished.
The beds will need to be watered and weeded, and this will be a collaboration between the grounds committee and the teachers with their classrooms. Each classroom has two (weather permitting)
outside periods each day, and these times can readily be used in rotation for the classrooms to tend the gardens.
Additionally, the beds will need to be topped off with the extra topsoil and compost mixture at the beginning of each growing season. This will be done by the grounds committee members
or other parents in the cooperative that need to fulfill their work hour requirements.
8) Explain the various steps of the project and when they will be completed
Arranging the delivery of soil: mid-April
Obtaining materials for building the beds: mid-April
Constructing the fence and the beds: last 2 weeks of April
Planting seeds: First 2 weeks of May
Buying and planting starts: First 2 weeks of June
9) Provide any additional information you think would be useful in considering your project.
From an earlier study completed by a parent, SunnySide has a plan for developing our eight acres into a learning environment for the children. We have carefully chosen the current site
for the beds through studying this Conway School of Landscape Design plan and believe the site proposed in the front play yard to be the most promising in terms of receiving optimal
sunlight, easy access to water sources, and accessibility for teachers and students. Placement in the front of the school will also improve the view from the street by adding a new
dynamic to the landscape.
B. Design Alternatives