Governor Patrick Announces “Communities Count” Initiative
by Bill Dusty
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, in Springfield to preside over the transfer of municipal authority back to local leaders after five years of rule by the state-mandated Finance Control Board, announced on Tuesday the creation of a new statewide initiative to help coordinate and fund new and existing community redevelopment programs.
Governor Patrick meets with residents on Wendell Place, in Springfield’s South End neighborhood.
The new initiative, dubbed “Massachusetts Communities Count,” will bring in over $6 million in state and federal aid, as well as utilize existing local resources, over the next three years to help revitalize Springfield’s infrastructure and economy.
“Communities Count” will coordinate and help connect the services of various state and federal programs with local community organizations. The government/community partnership will include working with local businesses such as Bay State Gas and Western Massachusetts Electric in order to provide energy saving solutions to low income households throughout the city.
Working in conjunction with the Massachusetts Recovery Plan, “Communities Count” includes the following programs:
- $1 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds, to be used to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed and abandoned properties in the South End of Springfield.
- $5 million in Weatherization Assistance Program funds, averaging $5,000 per home for general weatherization and home heating upgrades.
- A Consumer Affairs foreclosure help workshop, which will connect homeowners with lenders to help resolve loan problems and prevent foreclosures.
- Workshop for small businesses on helping to survive the current depressed economy. This program will be a partnership between the Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and Springfield’s own Black Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Allied Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to those programs and workshops, “Communities Count” will also help out the city’s at-risk youth with programs targeted towards young people. Working in partnership with Springfield Partners for Community Action and YouthBuild, a “youth energy conservation/efficiency employment program” will be enacted in the South End of Springfield, according to a press release issued during Patrick’s visit. At the same time, the youth development group ROCA will be teaming up with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office to provide work and job readiness training for the city’s high-risk youth. [Click on image, above-right, for larger view.]
Also announced on Tuesday, Springfield has been accepted into the Gateway Cities Park Program, which will assist the city with park planning, construction and improvements.
Patrick toured a duplex home with Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno just prior to arriving at Emerson Wight Park to announce the “Communities Count” initiative. The home at 26-28 Wendell Place is currently being weatherized with funding made available through the initiative.
The South End of Springfield is in the midst of a multi-million dollar revitalization program aimed at restoring economic stability to the neighborhood after decades of decline. The community currently struggles under an estimated 50% poverty rate.
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5 Responses for “Governor Patrick Announces “Communities Count” Initiative”
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Congratulations, Bill.
As a South End resident, you must be thrilled to have these additional resources. I hope things work out even better than promised. If one neighborhood looks better, the whole city is uplifted.
It is encouranging when we have a govennor who comes to Western Ma. so often. I hope people understand that this has not always been the case. While we are still not on equal footing with the Eastern part of the state, the concerns of Western Ma. are being heard in Boston.
Did I just read: “If one neighborhood looks better, the whole City is uplifted”?
If you believe what you say, then what most of us have been saying all along is true! If one neighborhood declines because of low-income warehousing, the whole City declines because of it. If good ripples out to create more good and benefit the City, then a mess will ripple out to create more messes and harm the City.
Its great the South End is getting attention and funding to help it improve, but where it abuts Longhill Gardens and lower Ft. Pleasant Avenue, will ruin all the good work and effort.
Makes sense: spend millions to improve an area while trashing another area. Sure it does …
Quality rehab and responsible tenant selection contribute to good neighborhoods.
Quality rehab will never be achieved through Winn. Never.
Wasn’t it just 3 days ago that I read in the Globe that Deval Patrick ordered Winn to clean up the mess Winn left at his proposed Columbus Center project in Boston? Yep! Sure was!