Administration awards $900,000 for local infrastructure projects

The Healey-Driscoll administration on July 21 announced $900,000 in grant awards for local infrastructure projects through the Municipal and Tribal Technical Assistance grant program.

The program, administered by the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office, provides technical assistance for projects that have received, or are pursuing, federal funding.

Building local capacity is essential to moving infrastructure projects forward, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in a prepared statement.

“I know firsthand that local officials often have to balance many competing needs with limited resources, and these grants will give communities the tools they need to advance key projects,” Driscoll said.

Several local officials expressed gratitude for the assistance.

Woburn Mayor Michael Concannon said a Municipal and Tribal Technical Assistance grant will support a new fish passage that will “serve as a beacon of nature-based education for visitors of all ages.”

Becket Town Administrator Katherine Warden said a turbine project funded through the MTTA grant will provide renewable energy for Becket Town Hall and parts of the town’s highway garage.

Whately Town Administrator S. Peter Kane said that without the grant funding, the town “would have struggled to update its Hazard Mitigation Plan, leaving residents more vulnerable to future disasters.”

Needham Town Manager Katie King said her town’s funding will go toward updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan, which will help the town “better prepare for future hazards by improving risk assessment and planning strategies to protect our residents, infrastructure, and essential services for years to come.”

Receiving between $4,000 and $200,000 in Municipal and Tribal Technical Assistance Awards were the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Becket, Bellingham, Clarksburg, Conway, Deerfield, Franklin, Gill, Hatfield, Marion, Montague, Needham, Northampton, Pelham, Plainville, Rowe, Shelburne, Tyngsborough, Walpole, Whately, Woburn and Worthington.

More information about the programs is available online.