COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING REQUESTS:
Chairman McGovern has submitted funding requests for important community projects in Massachusetts' Second District to the House Appropriations Committee.
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2023 – although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available here.
TRANSPARENCY:
All requests submitted by Chairman McGovern to the House Appropriations Committee are posted below. In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Chairman McGovern has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested.
PROJECTS REQUESTED:
Project Name: African Community Education Center Building Renovation
Amount of request: $3,000,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: African Community Education (ACE), 484 Main St., Suite 355, Worcester MA 01608
Explanation of Request: This project to renovate the new African Community Education (ACE) Center will directly benefit the African refugee and immigrant community in Worcester, MA, by expanding opportunities and access to educational support, workforce development and cultural exchange to serve more people. The City of Worcester has a large African population, estimated at 15,000 – 20,000 individuals. ACE was founded to serve this population of refugees and immigrants through education, social and cultural programming and outreach services to stabilize and strengthen families. The renovated building will allow for the expansion of programs and services that will serve the most vulnerable members of this population, extremely low-income English learners. This project also benefits the broader Worcester community through stabilizing families, increasing economic mobility and engaging refugees and immigrants in their new community. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center
Amount of Request: $500,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, 115 NE Cutoff, Bldg 2, Suite 200, Worcester, MA 01606
Explanation of Request: Kennedy Community Health is seeking funding to help expand access to health care with the opening of a new health center at 605 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA. Specifically, these funds would help cover the costs associated with the dental buildout and equipment required to grow a dental practice in Central Mass. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Jones Library Renovation and Expansion Project
Amount of Request: $1,110,661
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Jones Library, Inc, 43 Amity Street Amherst, MA 01002
Explanation of Request: This funding would enable Jones Library in Amherst, MA to become one of the most climate-friendly libraries in the Commonwealth by incorporating in a larger renovation and expansion project construction features that will eliminate the use of fossil fuels, use low-embodied carbon materials, reduce energy use intensity by 60%, and reduce total lifetime carbon emissions by 41% compared to the current building. The larger Library renovation and expansion leverages state, local, public and private funds toward multiple objectives including: full accessibility for those with mobility impairments; meeting the current and growing need for English language instruction space, for computer and internet access, for programs for children, adults and teens, and for safekeeping Amherst’s invaluable history; and restoring one of the Town’s iconic buildings, preserving the front façade and restoring its historic interior, including reopening parts currently closed to the public. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: North Star Family Services, Inc.
Amount of Request: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: North Star Family Services, Inc, 758 Main Street, Leominster, MA 01453
Explanation of Request: North Star Family Services is developing a 15- apartment unit building in Leominster that will provide supportive, subsidized housing for low-income/homeless families. 100% of the building will be affordable and staffing supports will be housed within the building to assist families. The project is estimated to cost a total of 8 million and a 40b comprehensive zoning permit has been approved by the City of Leominster. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Veterans Inc. National Guard Armory Renovation
Amount: $4,000,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Veterans Inc., 69 Grove St, Worcester MA 01605
Explanation of Request: The proposed renovation project will create a One-Stop Veterans Resource Center for veterans and their families where they can have all their various needs addressed. The priority is to make the front portion of the Armory a safe and pleasant work and meeting space for staff, veterans, and community members. The project is necessary to create a safe environment for homeless, at-risk, and in-need veterans and military services members and their respective family members, to get the needed support services required for them to lead healthier lives. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Avenue A Streetscape Improvement Project
Amount: $975,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Town of Montague, One Avenue A, Turners Falls MA 01376
Explanation of Request: The Avenue A Streetscape Improvement Project will restore an ADA compliant, pedestrian-oriented streetscape in the heart of Turners Falls, which is Montague’s retail, dining, and entertainment center, and a state-designated Cultural District. The project will connect smaller sections of the Streetscape the Town improved over the past five years with support from other sources. The scope of this bid-ready project includes replacing the aged brick sidewalks between First and Third Streets on the even side, and between First and Second Streets on the odd side of the avenue. Decorative brick features will be retained, but integrated into a concrete concourse to enhance longevity/accessibility. Pedestrian-scale lighting will be installed between First and Second Streets to match the existing downtown scheme. These improvements will improve the visual appeal and walkability of the village center, consistent with the Town’s comprehensive COVID “rapid recovery” and ADA Transition plans. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: NewVue Communities Riverbend-Bigelow Schools Project
Amount: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: NewVue Communities, 470 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420
Explanation of Request: Riverbend-Bigelow Schools Project is a new intergenerational living community celebrating Athol’s past in the preservation of local cultural assets, the Riverbend and Bigelow Schools. Fully permitted through the Athol planning board and ZBA, the project will provide families and seniors a collective residence comprising 53 units of affordable housing. The development will preserve the historic schools and add a new building which will extend off a central lobby extending to a wing of new apartments designed for an aging generation. The completed project will provide 20 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom, and 9 three-bedroom apartments. Project plans include both passive and active recreational spaces as well as communal garden plots that will make for an inviting community neighborhood. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc. Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center
Amount: $1,200,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc., 330 SW Cutoff Ste 203, Worcester, MA 01604
Explanation of Request: Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc will increase access to resources for grandparents raising grandkids in 26 cities and towns in the second congressional district, such as Worcester, Leominster, and the Town of Webster. CMAA will establish a Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center to hire/train community health workers (CHWs) from the (BIPOC) Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities such as African, Latino, Indian, and Asian. The CHWs will connect grandparents lead households to services such as language translations, housing, transportation, financial literacy, mental and behavioral health, culturally competent and medically tailored food, and educational opportunities. This resource center will work collaboratively with senior centers/councils on aging and other community-based organizations that focus on the well-being of older adults. Furthermore, the Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc. will engage the public-school systems in these efforts. These efforts will establish a Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center and Mental Health Initiative for Central Massachusetts. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, Inc.
Amount: $416,275
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, Inc., 19 Liberty Street Worcester, MA 01605
Explanation of Request: MAWOCC proposed SHELEADS Academy, is an intergenerational Leadership Academy for women of color and girls of color in grades 9-12. SHELEADS stands for Safe, Healthy, Environment, for Leadership Empowerment, Authentic Development and Success. This project will provide holistic leadership skills for women of color and girls of color who are more likely to experience marginalization, discrimination and gendered and racial stress. This project will focus on developing and supporting women of color leaders to help further advance their careers and provide them with the tools and strategies to combat systemic and structural racism that are often deeply embedded in institutions, systems, policies and practices. The girls of color leadership program is a one-week summer program for 9th – 12th grade girls. The first cohort of students will come from Worcester/Central Massachusetts, and over time the program will serve girls from other parts in Massachusetts. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Grow Food Northampton, Inc.
Amount: $413,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Grow Food Northampton, Inc., 221 Pine Street, Suite 349, Florence, MA 01062
Explanation of Request: Grow Food Northampton, a sustainable agriculture and local food justice organization, will redesign a parcel of 121-acre organic Community Farm to address the long-term, foundational aspects of ending food insecurity in the region. This project will: create additional parcels to welcome more small & beginning farms onto the Community Farm; add additional Community Garden plots to increase the number of community members growing food for themselves and their families; expand edible hedgerow for community education and foraging; create experimental plots for collaborative work with researchers on designing and measuring ways in which regenerative agricultural practices can enhance regional climate resilience while growing food for the community; create additional gardening and farming spaces for more hands-on educational opportunities for all-age learners; and construct a barn for farmer use, and community education and local food system events. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Voice Over Pagers for Firefighters and EMTs
Amount: $450,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Franklin Regional Council of Governments, 12 Olive St, Ste 2, Greenfield, MA 01301-3351
Explanation of Request: Franklin County’s analog public safety radio system was reaching end-of-life and literally falling apart. The Massachusetts Executive Offices of Technology Services and Security and Public Safety and Security agreed to allow county departments to use the commonwealth’s digital interoperable radio system. They also provided a grant to purchase radios for all system users so they could communicate on the new system. However, the grant did not cover the purchase of digital voice over pagers. Many rural parts of the county remain deprived of cell signal coverage. Pagers that work off the commonwealth’s digital radio system will soon be the only reliable option to reach many of Franklin’s volunteers. Without them, the county faces lengthier response times for first responders to arrive on scene because only old-fashioned phone trees can be used to notify them of an incident. This project would offset by 75% the $600,000 estimated cost to purchase digital pagers for all county volunteer personnel. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Anna Maria College Healthcare Professional Training and Education
Amount: $1,830,500
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Anna Maria College, 50 Sunset Ln, Paxton, MA 01612
Explanation of Request: Anna Maria College (AMC) requests $1,830,500 in community project funding to upgrade the clinical simulation lab for nursing, paramedic, and other health professional training and education. Funding will primarily cover the necessary construction and renovation costs to expand the space, allowing for the installation of a fundamental skill lab, obstetrics and gynecology skill lab, pediatric skill lab, paramedic skill lab, and ambulance box. Additionally, funding will go toward the purchasing of technology and equipment such as high-fidelity simulators, exam equipment, vital sign and monitoring equipment, and other needs that will be necessary to ensure an optimal training experience for the future health professional workforce of MA-02 and beyond. With AMC serving as a leader in the region for training and producing qualified health professionals, this funding request will benefit the community in ensuring that AMC can continue serving the region’s growing medical workforce needs. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: UMass Memorial Medical Center
Amount: $1,500,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: UMass Memorial Medical Center, 306 Belmont Street, Suite 120, Worcester, MA 01604
Explanation of Request: This project will add 87 inpatient beds to address a serious healthcare access challenge in Central Massachusetts. Central Mass has fewer inpatient hospital beds per-capita than other parts of Massachusetts and the U.S. average. This impedes timely access to care and forces some of the sickest patients to be treated distant from home. UMass Memorial Medical Center is the region’s sole provider of a variety of high acuity, tertiary services, and largest safety net hospital. Due to an inpatient bed shortage, the Medical Center persistently must decline patient transfer requests from community hospitals and its emergency department patients face exceedingly long admission delays. Expanding its bed capacity will improve access for the sickest patients. The project will cost approximately $143.5 million, and this Community Project Funding request is for $1.5 million to help fund essential information technology and medical equipment for the bed expansion. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Town of Northborough Municipal Sewer Project
Amount: $491,000
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Town of Northborough, 63 Main Street, Northborough, MA 01532
Explanation of Request: This municipal sewer project includes the Phase 2 of the Town’s migration of its water and wastewater facilities to current cybersecurity and technology standards for emergency alarms and communications infrastructure. The Town split the project in half due to cost constraints and is currently wrapping up Phase 1 of the upgrade which provided the backbone of the SCADA upgrade. This Phase 2 of the project will update controls for the six remaining sewer pumping station ensuring the Town is meeting current cybersecurity needs. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Project Name: Town of Spencer Fiber Optic Network
Amount: $604,750
Intended Recipient and Full Address: Town of Spencer, 157 Main Street, Spencer MA 01562
Explanation of Request: This project will connect through a fiber network seventeen municipal, educational, community television, emergency services, and emergency communications facilities to enhance interconnectivity, community communications, emergency communications, information security, and reliability of the communications network. This project will be the backhaul of the Town's emergency communication system, allow for greater speed and reliability in communications, and through a partnership with the Spencer Cable Access Commission reach more people through more avenues of communication rather than just the cable TV PEG channels. The fiber optic facilities, new emergency radios, telephones, and all the devices to connect the system together are included in the project. Click here for a signed letter certifying that Chairman McGovern has no financial interest in the project.
Click here for a list of FY2022 projects which were selected for funding.
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