On Wednesday, February 24, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) collaborated with our office and the offices of Representative Natalie Blais and Senator Adam Hinds to host an information session and discussion about available funding for water and wastewater infrastructure for municipal leaders and water & wastewater facility directors. Click here to view the recording.
The workshop was attended by town officials from the four western counties and brought together state and federal agencies to share funding opportunities available for municipalities to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs. Funding opportunities discussed included those through the:
- Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
- Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program
- MassWorks Infrastructure Program
- Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Water/Wastewater program and Community Facilities loan program
We were grateful for welcoming remarks offered by Secretary Kathleen A. Theoharides, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Secretary Mike Kennealy, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.
This workshop was part of an ongoing collaboration between the regional planning agencies and our legislative offices to raise awareness of and find solutions to the high costs associated with operating, maintaining, and adapting aging water and sewer infrastructure (as well as challenges associated with a lack of infrastructure) in rural towns.
More information is available here on our 2019 water and sewer forum and state and federal collaborations.
