The Massachusetts House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would make Lynnfield eligible to receive $414,236 in road and bridge funding for fiscal year 2025.
If the bill passes the Senate and Gov. Maura Healey, the funds would come from a $375 million bond bill that would provide statewide Chapter 90 funding, funding for the rural roads program and other transportation-related state grant programs, according to a statement from the office of House Minority Leader Rep. Bradley H. Jones, Jr. The Chapter 90 program, established in 1973, would provide municipalities with annual funding for construction activities such as building ADA-accessible ramps, repairing roads, improving traffic signals, building bridges and installing street lighting.
“The Chapter 90 program is an important state-municipal partnership that provides a vital revenue source to help cities and towns maintain local roads and bridges,” Jones said. “With this funding, communities like Lynnfield can address their transportation infrastructure needs and priorities on an annual basis. This bill also provides funding for several municipal grant programs that offer additional resources to assist our cities and towns in carrying out critical transportation-related initiatives.”
Under the conditions of the Chapter 90 program, communities are required to pay for the work upfront before being reimbursed by the state, and the funding is based on a formula that takes local road mileage, population, and employment into account.
A part of the fund will go towards the Complete Streets Program, which aims to create safe and accessible transportation options for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers. In a recent Select Board meeting, Director of Public Works John Tomasz said that the department will have two projects under the same program, at Summer Street and Salem Street, and Lowell Street and Main Street.
“Those are two that were highly rated intersections where the Complete Streets Program felt we should do work there,” Tomasz said.
In addition, Lynnfield Public Schools was awarded a $40,000 Genocide Education Grant by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grant provides the tools necessary for educators to obtain skills relevant to genocide education, so that it becomes embedded in the curriculum and provides meaningful learning experiences for students, according to DESE.
According to a statement released by Jones’ office, Lynnfield’s application for the grant had great support from the Lynnfield School Committee.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. Jones for their work in helping the Lynnfield Public Schools to secure this grant,” Interim Superintendent Tom Geary said. “The funds will ensure that our students receive a more in-depth education on pertinent historical and current events related to genocide. In addition, the funds will allow for customized professional development for teachers and the opportunity to acquire curriculum materials, books, technology, and other resources to best align our teaching practices. We’re thankful for the opportunity to partner with DESE on this grant, and are excited for the opportunities that this grant will provide for our students.”
The Select Board also strongly endorsed the grant application, which was one of 42 applications for the competitive grant program which was open to public school districts, charter schools, and education collaboratives.
“On behalf of the Select Board we are grateful to Rep. Jones and state Sen. Crighton for their advocacy in securing this important grant for our schools,” Select Board Chair Joe Connell said. “We stand with the School Committee and fully agree that education is the key to stopping hate in our society and this grant will ensure that our students get that education to become better citizens of Lynnfield and the world.”
Massachusetts is required to teach middle and high school students about genocide under standards laid out by the state since legislation was signed in 2021. According to the statement, the fund comes from the Genocide Education Trust Fund, a fund that consists of legislative appropriations and revenues generated from fines for hate crimes and civil rights violations.
