ICYMI: Senator Markey Makes Stops in Central and Western Massachusetts to Highlight Federal Funding, Tour Local Infrastructure Projects and Workforce Programs

Federal funding will go towards climate resiliency, infrastructure, and economic development initiatives

Senator Markey joined by Craig L. Blais, President of the Worcester Business Development Corporation and local leaders (left) and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) (right)

Boston (July 19, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) this week made stops in Worcester, Springfield, Montague, Gardner, and Leominster to celebrate the delivery of federal funding that will support key climate resiliency, infrastructure, and economic development initiatives across the central and western parts of Massachusetts.

In Worcester, Senator Markey joined Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), Mayor Joe Petty, City Manager Eric Batista, and members of the Worcester Business Development Corporation to highlight $3.3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) secured in recent years to support the Greendale Revitalization Initiative, a Master Plan initiative encompassing 250 acres of land within the northern portion of Worcester known as the Greendale neighborhood, as well as the environmental remediation of 55 acres of brownfields located on the former Saint Gobain campus and the preparation of the area for future economic development.

In Springfield, Senator Markey met with recent graduates of the Connecticut River Valley YouthBuild Program and toured their newly renovated education and job training facility. The Senator sat down with recent program graduates to hear about their experiences and discuss his YouthBuild for the Future Act, which will reauthorize the YouthBuild program, a national program that equips young people ages 16 to 24, who are disconnected from school and work opportunities, with education, workforce development, and leadership skills. YouthBuild provides more than 5,000 young people with opportunities annually in more than 40 states, including Massachusetts.

In Montague, Senator Markey celebrated nearly $5 million in Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields grant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, secured in partnership withCongressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), to clean up the Strathmore Mill complex and address safety and environmental hazards. The buildings were formerly used for paper processing and are contaminated with heavy metals, petroleum, and other harmful materials.

In Gardner, Senator Markey joined Mayor Michael J. Nicholson to discuss federal investments for a thriving and accessible downtown, including through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, and the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program. The city will be using its $1.2 million RAISE grant and $230,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to increase the accessibility, safety, and sustainability of transportation opportunities downtown, further stimulating the city's economy.

In Leominster, Senator Markey joined federal, state, and local leaders to visit three sites that highlight Leominster's road to recovery since the catastrophic flooding in September 2023, including a home that remains damaged, a home that has since been repaired via the $6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program, and Monoosnoc Brook in downtown Leominster, one of several waterways that flooded during the September storms. As part of this visit, Senator Markey also announced $6 million for the Leominster-Monoosnoc Brook Resilient Redesign & Retrofit Project, awarded through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, to redesign the downtown channel of the Brook. In total, Senator Markey, in partnership with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), has secured over $12 million to assist impacted residents and mitigate flood risks in Leominster.

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