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Holliston Gets Stimulus Funds, Begins Construction on Affordable Housing  Many of you have remarked upon the construction going on behind Holliston Town Hall. After many years of planning, the Cutler Heights affordable housing development, which I voted to approve as a planning board member, is finally under construction. Cutler is one of eight affordable housing developments that had been stalled due to the lack of equity available in the low-income housing tax credit market but was jump-started with an award of $4m in stimulus funding.
It's great to see stimulus dollars creating construction jobs right in our own back yard. If you'd like to be considered for one of the income-eligible units when they are ready, applications will be available in September. To put your name on the list to receive an application when they're ready, contact Brenda Farrell at the Holliston Housing Authority at 508-429-6266. A percentage of the units will be reserved for current Holliston residents. Project: Cutler Heights
Location: Holliston
Developer: Neighborhood of Affordable Housing
Award Amount: $3,929,910
Description: Project is a town-supported family development with 30 units with all affordable to households with incomes below 60% of median income, and three of the units affordable to households with extremely low incomes (at or below 30% of median). The project will have seven project-based rental vouchers from DHCD, allowing those households to pay only 30% of their incomes for rent. There also will be units for residents with disabilities. The Holliston Community Preservation Committee is providing $909,600 of funding, and the Holliston Housing Authority, a member of the development team, is providing the land through a land swap with the town. The project is expected to generate 46 jobs. -------------------------------------- |
For Hopkinton, Going Green Pays Off!
Last month, Hopkinton was one of only 35 communities in the Commonwealth to become a "green community" and then received $137,502 in state funding for improving energy efficiency in town buildings. Kudos to all the town boards and involved citizens who put in tremendous time to make it happen.  The signature program of the landmark Green Communities Act of 2008, the Green Communities Grant Program uses funding from auctions of carbon emissions permits under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reward communities that win Green Communities designation by meeting five clean energy benchmarks:
- Adopting local zoning bylaw or ordinance that allows "as-of-right-siting" of renewable energy projects;
- Adopting an expedited permitting process related to the as-of-right facilities;
- Establishing a municipal energy use baseline and a program designed to reduce use by 20 percent within five years;
- Purchasing only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use, whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practicable; and
- Requiring all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industrial real estate construction to reduce lifecycle energy costs (i.e., adoption of an energy-saving building "stretch code").
May 14 was the deadline for municipalities to apply for Green Community designation in order to qualify for the first round of $8.1 million in Green Communities grants.
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Steady Progress on Southborough's Nichols House
Representative Gregoire and I recently met with the Board of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to continue conversations about the reuse of the historic Nichols House, located on MWRA property by the reservoir in Southborough. For several years local residents, with the support of the town, have been seeking to make the house a museum to display one of the largest collections of Buffalo Soldiers memorabilia this side of the of the Mississippi.
After a very productive meeting, MWRA agreed to offer the town a piece of adjacent property which will not create security concerns for MWRA. Museum proponents are currently evaluating the property to determine whether it is a suitable site and can accommodate the house, which would need to be moved.
This progress is welcome news! This great project will help preserve a piece of Southborough history (the house was moved from property which is currently the bed of the reservoir) and help honor important American history as well.
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Upgrades Will Benefit Medway's Business District
On April 20, 2010 the Governor's office announced design funds for the reconstruction and improvement of Route 109 through the Medway business district.
The $300,000 capital allocation will fund the Town's initial design of the Route 109 project, which includes roadway resurfacing and safety-related traffic signal intersection improvements along with new sidewalks, street lighting and streetscape enhancements. The design funds are critical to moving the project forward to construction which is scheduled to begin in 2014.
The current road isn't designed to handle the volume of traffic and I'm thrilled that these funds will help address the growing concerns from residents and businesses around congestion and public safety.
This project is moving forward thanks to the active engagement of local officials and citizens, local legislators and Congressman Jim McGovern.
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Dykema Legislation Establishes Westborough State Hospital Commission
Legislation that I filed along with Reps. Peterson and Polito and Sen. Eldridge was passed and a new Commission established to help plan for the redevelopment of the Westborough State Hospital  Property on Lyman Street in Westborough.
The bulk of the property will be vacant with the recent closure of the state hospital and transfer of residents. In the coming months the state will determine whether any of the state property will be surplussed and the town will weigh in on how to properly zone any surplussed property for redevelopment consistent with the town's master plan.
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