MGC Awards $4.8 Million in Grants from Community Mitigation Fund

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) recently approved the award of approximately $4.8 million in Community Mitigation Fund grants to numerous municipalities and other eligible entities across Massachusetts.

Since 2015, the MGC has awarded nearly $28 million in grants from the Community Mitigation Fund. The fund, established by the gaming law, helps host and surrounding communities and other qualified applicants to offset costs related to casino construction and operation. Grant awards support a range of community needs including education, transportation, infrastructure, housing, environmental issues, public safety, and emergency services.

“The Community Mitigation Fund program exemplifies the Commonwealth’s commitment to maximize the benefits of the state’s gaming industry, along with the Legislature’s mandate to mitigate any unintended impacts potentially associated with the state’s three casinos,” said MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein. “The MGC is proud to support local communities in their efforts to improve government services and advance needs in road safety, tourism marketing, wellness and recovery services, public safety training and personnel, and job readiness programming. We congratulate the 2021 grant recipients and look forward to the implementation of the many innovative and tangible initiatives put forward through the MGC’s community mitigation program.”

The Community Mitigation Fund review team conducted a comprehensive review of all applications to ensure compliance with the 2021 Guidelines and made recommendations to the Commission over the course of several public meetings throughout the spring of 2021. After deliberation on those recommendations, the Commission voted to award the following grants:

 

GRANTS AWARDED 2021 TYPE OF APPLICATION AWARD DESCRIPTION
City of Everett – Lighting Specific $30,000 This grant will fund the installation of lighting controls, along with surveillance on Lower Broadway and surrounding areas.
City of Everett – Fire Department Specific $157,000 This grant will provide funding for EMT training and equipment costs.
City of Everett – Police Department Specific $70,000 This grant will provide funding for additional late-night patrols and additional equipment.
Town of Foxborough Specific $81,000 This grant will allow for specialized training for personnel in a variety of areas and equipment to enhance capabilities.
Hampden County DA Specific $75,000 This grant will continue funding for mitigating the impact of the casino and casino-related matters on the District Attorney’s Office.
Hampden County Sheriff’s Dept. Specific $400,000 This grant will continue funding for lease assistance for the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center, which was relocated due to its placement within the physical footprint of MGM Springfield.
Town of Plainville Specific $95,500 This grant will allow for the purchase of a transport van, along with an informational data collection sign board and enclosed traffic trailer, to house and transport traffic mitigation equipment.
City of Springfield – Police Specific $22,500 This grant will provide funding for equipment and the installation of improved technology in support of ongoing Metro Unit/MGM policing strategies.
City of Springfield – Fire Specific $22,000 This grant will provide funding for defibrillators for the apparatus that responds to the area of MGM Springfield.
City of Springfield – Blueprint Specific $400,000 This grant will fund advancements to the implementation of the strategic opportunities identified in the Springfield Blueprint Plan.
Town of West Springfield – EMS Specific $200,000 This grant will provide funding for additional Police and Fire/EMS personnel to address the increased demand for municipal services resulting from the opening of MGM Springfield.
City of Boston Transportation Planning $200,000 This grant will provide continued funding for the design of long-term improvements to Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown.
City of Chicopee Transportation Planning $200,000 This grant will allow for streetscape improvements to Chicopee Center. These will provide MGM Springfield employees and patrons safer and more equitable access to the casino.
City of Everett – Mystic Boardwalk Transportation Planning $200,000 This grant will be used to complete a missing section of the Mystic Riverwalk between Mystic View Park and Route 16.
City of Malden Transportation Planning $200,000 This grant will provide funding for transportation design services for the Broadway corridor from Everett to Melrose, and to prepare bid-ready documents for a portion of the corridor closer to Everett.
City of Boston – Lost Village Transportation Construction $239,000 This grant will provide funding for geometric changes to the intersection of Brighton and Cambridge Streets in Charlestown. This will create safer crossings and a better line of sight for turning vehicles, as well as a fiber connection from Sullivan Square to Parker Street.
City of Everett – Northern Strand Transportation Construction $135,000 This grant will provide funding for the addition of lighting on the Northern Strand Community Trail.
City of Revere and Town of Saugus Transportation Construction $800,000 This joint grant will be used for limited improvements to the Route 1 North right-of-way from the proposed exit-entrance ramps to the Overlook Ridge development to Route 99.
City of Springfield – Dwight St. Transportation Construction $200,000 This grant will help revitalize Dwight St. and Hampden St., including roadway resurfacing, sidewalk and median improvements, bicycle accommodations, guardrails, and safety upgrades.
Holyoke Community College (HCC) Workforce Development $400,000 This grant will provide funding for the enhancement of the collaborative effort of HCC, Springfield Technical Community College, and Springfield Public Schools. This will provide adult education, work readiness, and occupational skills training to connect the un/underemployed to opportunities in the region.
Masshire MetroNorth Workforce Board Workforce Development $400,000 This grant is a regional project aimed at addressing the workforce needs of the hospitality sector impacted by Encore Boston Harbor. A consortium of partners will provide career and employment services, ESOL, and digital literacy trainings target at hospitality industry workers who have been impacted by COVID-19.
City of Chelsea and City of Revere Community Planning $97,500 This grant will be used to develop tailored curricula for Contextualized ESOL Programs & Adult Digital Literacy classes. Curricula will be geared towards industries at the casino’s nexus, complimented by adult digital literacy programs for non-English speakers.
City of Lynn Community Planning $100,000 This grant will provide funding for a marketing campaign designed to mitigate the adverse effects on Lynn, its businesses, and the newly instituted cultural district as a result of Encore Boston Harbor’s operations.
City of Malden – Broadway Zoning Community Planning $50,000 This grant will be used to complete a zoning and land use review of the Broadway corridor to help remove barriers to development and allow it to attract specific industry clusters.
City of Northampton Community Planning $75,000 This grant will provide continued funding for the northampton.live marketing program for FY22.

 

Visit the Community Mitigation Fund page on MassGaming.com to learn more about the 2021 applications and guidelines.

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