BOSTON — The state legislature passed a $3.76 billion relief package Thursday, that, if approved by Governor Charlie Baker, would funnel $2.25 million into a variety of Lynn projects, from ferry operation, to improvements to the Lynn Woods, and elder housing expansion.
In addition to the $3.6 billion that the legislation would bring to statewide investments, the bill includes a $3 billion tax relief that would be refunded to approximately three million taxpayers across the Commonwealth.
The $2.25 million to be allocated toward Lynn projects include $1million for ferry operation, $400,000 for improvements to the Lynn Woods Reservation, $250,000 for the Greater Lynn Senior Services Elder Housing Stabilization program, $200,000 for improvements to the Lynn Auditorium, and $100,000 for New Lynn Coalition’s Grocery Delivery program.
“This major funding will help tackle some of the most pressing challenges that our residents are facing,” said Sen. Brendan Crighton said in a statement. “It will make key investments to address a wide range of issues, including economic uncertainty, rising energy costs, workforce shortages, and transportation reliability.”
Lynn Woods Ranger Daniel Small, who also works for the Lynn Water Sewer Commission, said that the bill would provide the Lynn Woods with funds to help a number of projects, from the planting of a rose garden, to the repair of its stone wall, that he was not able to secure funding for in the city’s first round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
“We were going to look into doing something about the rose garden. A major problem we have up there now is that now we have deer in Lynn Woods. 20 years ago, when I started working here, we didn’t know they were a problem. You just can’t have rose bushes and deer, they eat them,” Small said. “We were going to look into some kind of deer fencing up there so that we could actually have a nice rose garden.”
Small said that he would also like to use the funding to renovate the basketball hoops and install metal fencing near the Pennybrook entrance. He said that by putting up fencing, the reservation would be able to expand its parking area with enhanced security.
$409.5 million of funding in this bill will go toward supporting affordable housing, $100 million of which will be allocated toward the state’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, another $100 million will go toward the Commonwealth Builder Program to support the production of below market housing to expand homeownership opportunities.
Additionally, the bill would put $50 million toward the development of new housing in underserved communities, and $20 million for housing options and additional support services and resources to address the needs of immigrants and refugees.
“This legislation provides significant investment into the areas of our community that were hit hardest by the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic, such as health and human services, housing, and food insecurity,” said Rep. Dan Cahill in a statement.
The proposed legislation dedicates $500 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), leaving a balance of $1.74 billion in federal resources for future use.
