Transportation & HUD

Proposed Recipient: Assumption College, Worcester, MA

Amount Requested: $1,500,000

Explanation of project, including purpose and why this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds:
Construction of a Parking Garage at Assumption College. Assumption College plans to construct a simple, economical and efficient parking garage between the Kennedy classroom building and the athletic fields in order to accommodate the ever-increasing number of people from the community who spend time on campus. In particular, the senior citizens attending the Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE) program are in dire need of parking that is not far from the location of the majority of their seminars and activities. When students, faculty, and senior citizens cannot find appropriate parking on campus, the cars overflow to neighborhood streets, dissipating some of the community goodwill generated by having activities on campus in the first place. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will allow senior citizens, students, and faculty to have convenient, safe parking options.

Proposed Recipient: City of Attleboro, MA

Amount Requested: $4,000,000

Explanation of project, including purpose and why this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds:                                                                                     Attleboro Green Energy Park Project. Funding for the Attleboro Green Energy Park Project will support the creation of the first renewably powered industrial park in Massachusetts that will have far reaching benefits to the community and to the Clean Energy Economy. The project will employ innovative technological solutions to reduce landfills and find beneficial use for waste material by converting waste to energy and chemical products using advanced gasification. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the Attleboro Green Energy Park project will help revitalize the existing Attleboro Corporate Campus property and create a new model for accelerated job growth and revitalization of dormant manufacturing and industrial infrastructure as a pathway from innovation to commercialization.

Proposed Recipient: Town of Clinton, MA

Amount Requested: $750,000

Explanation of project, including purpose and why this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds:
Safety Improvements on South Meadow Road, Clinton MA. Road improvements to South Meadow Road will include widening of the causeway to erect guardrail for motor vehicle safety and the replacement of a culvert under the road between two ponds to increase water capacity that will reduce spring flooding on South Meadow Road. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because motor vehicles traveling over the causeway on South Meadow Road currently encounter safety hazards due to the narrow width of the roadway with water from the pond on both sides. This project will result in reduced accidents, improved flood control, and increased pedestrian safety.

Proposed Recipient: Town of Hopkinton, MA

Amount Requested: $10,000,000

Explanation of project, including purpose and why this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds:                                                                                      Legacy Farm Roadway and Main Street Improvements, Hopkinton, MA.
With the continuous population growth in Hopkinton and the Metrowest corridor of Massachusetts, traffic and safety issues have placed excessive wear and tear on Main Street. Mitigations and improvements for this project will include safety shoulders, sidewalks, new curbing and pavement, and traffic light upgrades. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds as it will improve traffic flow, mitigate air pollution, and increase the overall safety of the road.

Proposed Recipient: City of Worcester, MA

Amount Requested: $750,000

Explanation of project, including purpose and why this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds:
Gardner-Kilby-Hammond Neighborhood Revitalization, Worcester, MA. The Kilby, Gardner, Hammond neighborhood Revitalization Initiative is a textbook example of public-private partnership. By working together, the Main South Community Development Corporation, Clark University, the Boys & Girls Club and the City of Worcester have demonstrated the possibilities for transforming blighted urban brown-field sites into vibrant, economically viable and stable neighborhoods. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds as this once polluted, 30 acre tract of land full of abandoned industrial facilities continues its transformation into an economically viable neighborhood.

Proposed Recipient: City of Worcester, MA

Amount Requested: $12,000,000

Explanation of project, including purpose and why this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds:
Southbridge Street Road and Bridge Improvement Project, Worcester, MA. The project includes the design and construction of a new structure and replacement of two existing bridges spanning 381 and 382 Southbridge Street in Worcester, MA. Since the recent completion of more direct access to Route 146 and the Massachusetts Turnpike from Quinsigamond Avenue, perpendicular to Southbridge Street, traffic along this major thoroughfare has intensified. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds as replacing the bridge, widening the roadway, and installing new sidewalks will improve motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic and safety.