State awards nearly $700,000 for green spaces in Gateway Cities

The Healey-Driscoll Administration on Aug. 28 announced $700,000 in grants to support community green spaces and remove concrete and asphalt in Gateway Cities across Massachusetts.

The funding is allocated via the Greening the Gateway Cities Program.

A total of $504,900 will be allocated through the Gateway Cities Program Implementation Grant Program, which provides funding to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for the planting and care of trees, removal of impervious surfaces, and enhancement of the urban tree canopy.

An additional $189,000 will go to six projects under the Gateway Cities Non-Profit Partnership Grant Program, focusing on grassroots outreach to ensure more trees are planted where they’re needed most.

The Greening the Gateway Cities Program is a collaborative effort among the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, and local governments and community organizations. The program supports tree planting in urban neighborhoods, improved air quality, reduced energy costs, flood prevention, and mitigating heat impacts during warm months.

Program implementation grants ranging from $54,900 to $75,000 were awarded to the cities of Lynn, Malden, Springfield and Westfield, as well as One Holyoke, GreenRoots in Chelsea, and Groundworks Southcoast in New Bedford.

Non-Profit Partnership grants ranging from $27,622 to $41,635 were awarded to Greenroots (Chelsea), Growing Places (Leominster and Fitchburg), Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, Raw Art Works (Lynn), Revitalize CDC (Chicopee and Holyoke), and Salem Sound Coastwatch.