Page 8 - BusinessWest February 17, 2025

Deerfield
at a Glance
Year Incorporated: 1677
Population: 5,090
Area: 33.4 square miles
County: Franklin
Residential Tax Rate: $13.25
Commercial Tax Rate: $13.25
Median Household Income: $74,853
Median Family Income: $83,859
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Yankee Candle Co., Pelican Products Inc.
* Latest information available
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Deerfield Emphasizes Diverse Destinations
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
While Deerfield is home to Yankee Candle Village, Historic Deerfield, the Magic Wings Butterfly Con- servatory, and other tourist attractions, its economy is broad, covering sectors ranging from agriculture and man- ufacturing to retail, restaurants, and the arts.
That diversity is an asset, said Jessye Deane, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Deerfield. And the community continues to add assets, thanks to a series of developments over the past few months.
Like the Golf Club, a new, 24/7, membership-based indoor golf simulator.
“I’m an avid golfer,” owner Frank Messana explains on
his website. “When COVID forced-retired me from Comcast due to downsizing, I realized I wasn’t ready to sit around all day. So I decided to chase a dream I’ve had for many years of opening a state-of-the-art driving range when I retired. “Then, I thought, what golf in this area really needs is
a great place to go when the courses (and us golf nuts) are freezing cold for too many months. You know how it goes ... spend all the warm months playing, practicing, and improv- ing only to have to start at square one after the long, cold lay- off from the game we love. I want to help golfers of all skill levels stay sharp over the winter season, when those bitter nor’easters keep us off the course.”
On the municipal front, development plans continue around the town campus, a collection of buildings including the current Town Hall, two churches, and a former elemen-
tary school.
Last month, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted the
what’s known as the 1888 Building — that’s the former school, at 67 North Main St. — a variance to allow the struc- ture to exceed the town’s 35-foot height limit. That clears the
“Tilton Library is being renovated and is a very involved, very impressive project.”
way for the 136-year-old building to be converted into a mod- ern town hall, with a full renovation and a 2,600-square-foot addition. The $8 million project, funded by $3.8 million in Community Preservation Act money and a $4 million federal earmark, is expected to begin construction this summer.
Meanwhile, Deane said, “Tilton Library is being renovat- ed and is a very involved, very impressive project.”
The project at 71 North Main St. will nearly triple the building’s space to 12,784 square feet and include expanded teen and children’s rooms, meeting and co-working spaces on the second floor, and what’s being called a ‘nighttime suite,’ which will be accessible after library hours and fea- ture meeting spaces, a small kitchen, and bathrooms.
Nearby, Rivermoor Energy recently completed a new elec- tric-vehicle (EV) fast-charging hub in downtown South Deer-
8 FEBRUARY 17, 2025
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