2nd annual MassWorks infrastructure grant round announced

The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development has announced that application materials for the 2012 MassWorks Infrastructure Program are now available online.

The second annual MassWorks grant round will be open to new applications between Aug. 27 and Sept. 10.

The MassWorks Infrastructure Program provides a one-stop shop for municipalities and other eligible public entities seeking public infrastructure funding to support economic development and job and housing creation. Municipalities with a population of 7,000 or less may also seek grants for road improvement that enhance safety.

The program represents an administrative consolidation of six former grant programs: Public Works Economic Development (PWED), Community Development Action Grant (CDAG), Growth Districts Initiative (GDI), Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion (MORE), Small Town Rural Assistance Program (STRAP), and Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

A copy of the 2012 application, guidelines, scoring, FAQs and other relevant materials are now available at www.mass.gov/hed/massworks.

The electronic application system will open on June 1, providing applicants with more than 12 weeks to complete their application.

All of the data submitted during the 2011 grant round will be available for updating, providing for the reapplication of a project submitted in 2011.

All MassWorks grant decisions will be rendered by the end of October, according to Housing and Economic Development.

Also posted on the Housing and Economic Development website is an online mapping tool, created in partnership between HED and MassGIS, to assist municipalities with planning for growth. The mapping tool can be used to assist with the MassWorks application, enabling local officials to quickly and easily identify the boundaries of their proposed infrastructure project and share other details about the goals of the project with HED.

“MassWorks smoothes the road between municipal ideas and economic development, saving public time and money in the quest for good infrastructure, good development and a good economy,” said Buzz Constable, a developer and president of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies.

The first competitive MassWorks grant round was held in September 2011. HED received 158 applications for more than $400 million in infrastructure grants submitted by cities and towns from across the state. Applications were reviewed for consistency with the program’s priorities, including readiness to proceed with construction and the state’s sustainable development principles. In total, HED awarded grants to 42 communities throughout Massachusetts for public infrastructure projects that will begin this spring and summer.

A summary of the 2011 grant round is also available on the MassWorks website (www.mass.gov/hed/massworks).