LYNN — The state delegation has secured $6.85 million for local investments out of a $3.82 billion spending bill passed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
State Reps. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn), Peter Capano (D-Lynn), Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead), and Donald Wong (R-Saugus) all voted in favor of the $3.82 billion spending bill that utilizes American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and surplus funds from fiscal year 2021. The bill aims to facilitate recovery through one-time investments in housing, environment and climate mitigation, economic development, the workforce, health and human services, and education.
The Lynn delegation was able to secure $6.85 million of funding in total for a number of important local causes and issues.
“As a delegation, our primary focus for distributing ARPA funds was to ensure that our constituents and businesses get the support they need to rebound from the devastating effects of COVID-19,” said Cahill.
Ehrlich successfully advocated for $300,000 worth of amendments to the bill for Lynn and Swampscott to help clean up King’s Beach.
“For my constituents, this is their home, their beach, where they go every summer with their children and families to make memories, not to get sick,” said Ehrlich. “The ongoing issue of combined sewer overflow causing contamination of the beach is an unnecessary disgrace and an environmental justice issue at the only public beach for a densely-populated city of about 100,000 people. It must be resolved.”
King’s Beach was deemed unsafe for swimming more than one out of every five days due to sewer overflows in 2020, according to a report from environmental advocacy organization Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Two outflow pipes sit side by side at the Lynn and Swampscott border on King’s Beach, one from each community.
The funding will allow for the replacement of a sewage pump station in Swampscott and encourage cooperation between the two communities and the Lynn Water & Sewer Commission, a quasi-public organization responsible for remediation in Lynn.
Capano said that the delegation worked very hard on securing the funding.
“I look forward to the next round of ARPA funding so I can continue to work to address the needs of the whole district,” said Capano. “I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Speaker Mariano, Chairman Michlewitz, and the entire leadership team for their understanding and guidance in focusing resources on communities most severely impacted by COVID-19.”
“As a delegation, our primary focus for distributing ARPA funds was to ensure our constituents and businesses get the support they need to rebound from the devastating impacts of COVID-19,” added Cahill. “I want to thank Speaker Mariano and Chairman Michlewitz for their historic investments in infrastructure, housing, healthcare and local aid.”
The funds will be allocated as follows:
- $5 million for The Health Equity Institute, which will be a hub for research focused on racial-health disparities, equitable access to health care, social drivers of health and clinical quality inequities, and workforce recruitment and retention strategies. This will accelerate the ability of community health centers to engage in research and expand research innovations.
- $300,000 for the Lynn Department of Community Development for climate resiliency initiatives, which will help enhance public accommodations at parks across Lynn.
- $300,000 for Greater Lynn Senior Services (GLSS) for an elder mobile health program, which will help ensure that seniors get the important health care they need without having to go into a busy doctor’s office.
- $300,000 for the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) for small-business grants. This investment will allow small businesses, with a preference to women- and minority-owned businesses, to apply for a grant through EDIC to help combat the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- $200,000 for the replacement of pump stations in Swampscott to address combined sewer overflow and water-quality issues in Swampscott.
- $150,000 for the E-Team Machinist Training Program, a precision manufacturing program that provides a well-rounded training to underemployed and unemployed individuals and fills the urgent need for qualified machinists across the North Shore.
- $100,000 for the Lynn Water & Sewer Commission to address combined sewer overflow issues and improve the water quality at King’s Beach for Swampscott, Lynn, and Nahant.
- $100,000 for a flooding alleviation study to address collapsed underground culverts along Strawberry Brook.
- $100,000 for energy-efficient lighting upgrades to Keaney Park in Lynn.
- $100,000 for tourism and cultural enhancements to the Lynn Memorial Auditorium, which will help the auditorium with improvements to continue its success as a tourist attraction and help local downtown restaurants.
- $100,000 for Boston Street Green Infrastructure for the installation of green infrastructure elements on Boston Street consistent with designs developed as part of a pilot project on Boston Street in Lynn. The project will improve water quality, mitigate flooding, and reduce the “heat island” effect.
- $100,000 for a Lynn Waterfront Coastal Resiliency project to support development of plans for shoreline restoration in Lynn Harbor to mitigate current erosion, create a more resilient shoreline adjacent to critical infrastructure, and support the transformation of a landfill into a signature park of more than 30 acres.
