As part of approximately $6.7 million in grants to several municipalities and other eligible entities across Massachusetts through the 2020 Community Mitigation Fund, the MGC recently awarded $1.2 million to the Town of West Springfield to fund transportation improvements and to address increased demand for local municipal services.

The town was awarded two different grants through the 2020 Community Mitigation Fund: a $1 million grant through the program’s new Transportation Construction Project category, and a $200,000 Specific Impact grant for the Town of West Springfield’s Police and Fire/EMS Departments.

The $1 million Transportation Construction Project grant will provide funding to enable Complete Street Transportation Improvements to the Park Avenue and Park Street (Route 20) corridor from the Elm Street/Union Street intersection to the North End Rotary.

“West Springfield has been working on design plans for the transportation improvements to Park Avenue and Park Street for several years, and has been fortunate to obtain funding to assist with the design of this project through the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Community Mitigation Fund program,” said Sharon Wilcox, the Town of West Springfield’s Chief Financial Officer.

“The West Springfield Transportation Construction Project Grant is among the first construction grants that MGC has awarded,” said Joe Delaney, Chief of the MGC’s Division of Community Affairs. “This grant follows the planning work that West Springfield conducted under an earlier Transportation Planning grant.”

Wilcox said the grant allows the Town of West Springfield to address transportation impacts related to MGM Springfield by “improving safety and overall operation of the Park Avenue and Park Street (Route 20) corridor.

“With design plans nearly complete, a Transportation Construction Grant to aid in financing the construction project makes it possible to advance this project sooner than the Town would have been able to in the absence of available grant funds,” said Wilcox.

The Complete Streets project design will address traffic impacts and encourage a shift to other forms of transportation in the area, including public transit, walking and bicycling.

“The project area is two miles or less from the MGM Springfield casino, and is situated to take advantage of alternative modes of transportation, complementing the Transportation Demand Management infrastructure to reduce single occupant vehicle trips,” said Wilcox. “This grant provides a great opportunity to enhance the Route 20 transportation corridor to the benefit of the entire region.”

“The MGC is pleased to be able to help West Springfield in addressing casino-related impacts, while also realizing significant improvements to the local community,” said Joe Delaney, Chief of the MGC’s Division of Community Affairs.

Since 2015, the Town of West Springfield has received seven Community Mitigation Fund grants, totaling approximately $2 million. The MGC has awarded approximately $23 million in grants from the Community Mitigation Fund since its inception.

To learn more about the Community Mitigation Fund, click here.