Latest news with #PioneerValleyPlanningCommission
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gaming Commission grants Western Mass $3.2 million in casino mitigation funds
SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Tuesday more than $3.2 million in community mitigation funds for Western Massachusetts. Grants include $200,000 for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to do a traffic study on the impact of cars headed through Springfield and neighboring towns headed to MGM Springfield. Also on the list is $807,000 for Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools to continue their WorkReady program in the next year. WorkReady includes English for speakers of other languages, digital literacy and occupational training. Programs include preparing students for work as a line cook and focusing on jobs in the casino industry, according to the school's application. Gaming commissioners deferred votes on some grant requests, including traffic improvements in Longmeadow and public safety grant applications, because Commissioner Eileen O'Brien was absent and wishes to review them in detail at the June 17 meeting. The public safety applications included a $400,000 request from the Hampden County Sheriff's Office for the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center. The drug treatment facility had to move to 155 Mill St. when the casino was built and the state Gaming Commission has supported it with casino revenue for the past 10 years. But there are questions now as to how connected the congoing expenses are to casino. Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi led commissioners on a tour of the Mill Street facility a year ago. Also delayed until the June 17 meeting was the Hampden County District Attorney's Office's request for $100,000 to cover personnel costs related to cases that emerge from MGM Springfield. The commission, when it votes, is recommending a smaller $75,000 amount. State law set up the community mitigation fund when casinos were legalized. Gaming regulators warn, however, that while the money is available now, current state budget proposals from the governor, House and Senate don't guarantee any of it will be there next year. Also approved at Tuesday's Gaming Commission meeting were: Agawam: $321,000 to close funding gaps in the Suffield Street, Rowley Street and Cooper Street intersection project. The project is expected to cost $1.7 million. Chicopee: $341,000 for surveillance cameras and license plate readers along with supporting infrastructure. Funding will also go to streetscape improvements in Chicopee Center and the city's portion of the ValleyBike Share funding. East Longmeadow: $347,000 for conceptual planning of the Center Town District, for ambulance and police equipment including defibrillators, radar units and traffic cameras. Of that $347,000, $60,000 will go towards the possible redesign of the infamous East Longmeadow rotary. Hampden: $75,000 for a tourism marketing plan emphasizing the town's outdoor recreation. Northampton: $75,000 for a digital marketing campaign. West Springfield: $518,000 for improved signs in the downtown, EMS response bicycles, police training, emergency dispatch support, a prisoner transport vehicle and increased traffic enforcement. Wilbraham: $517,000 toward the expected $1.14 million cost of reconstructing the Springfield Street/Stony Hill Road intersection. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
PVPC working on two-decade plan for bikers and pedestrians
The rail trails now scattered throughout the four counties of Western Massachusetts were once just a thought. Twenty years later, the trails offer scenic escapes to bikers and walkers from the bustle of everyday life. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is embarking on its mission to encourage more pedestrians and cyclists to use shared paths and roadways over the next 25 years, as part of its Regional Transportation Plan. 'These plans are powerful, (and) we can't do that without people sharing their visions and dreams,' Jeff McCollough, principal transportation planner at the commission, said of converting the public's transportation visions into reality. The first plan was completed at the turn of the century in 2000, and revisions were made in 2008. A lot of the commission's immediate goals include improving safety and security measures for bikers and pedestrians, according to a draft of the plan. 'We are focused on removing barriers, so that all of us, depending on ability, can feel engaged in those activities,' said McCollough. 'If you can stay active, you can stay independent.' The plan will tackle major capital improvement projects — like connecting Northampton to New Haven, Connecticut, via the Columbia Greenway in Westfield. It also will ensure that both city streets and rural roads are safe for all people in transit, McCollough said. There also will be some smaller projects in the works. 'People tell us they just want to be able to get across the street from the post office to the library,' he said. In 2019, a statewide regional transportation plan encouraged increasing the number of bikers on the road, while also working to eliminate fatalities and injuries. Then, the pandemic, McCollough said, brought a surge of bikers who have remained on the roads and trails to this day. Anecdotally, he said, 'the number of bikers doubled and quadrupled in some locations, and we are still riding that curve.' McCollough pointed out that more bicyclists on roads — shared with passenger cars and other vehicles — means more people will be looking out for bikers down the line. 'There is safety in numbers,' he said. In that same vein, McCollough said rural roads can be just as dangerous as city streets for bicyclists and pedestrians. 'There are narrower roads, no shoulders and the lack of light are an invitation to disaster,' he said, urging the public to speak up about intersections or state highways that could use some guidance from the commission or the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The commission already has received several survey responses from the public, he said. Mostly, people have said that they mainly care about the maintenance of the roads. 'We have these pristine, beautiful trails, and people want them to stay that way,' he said. 'They want them to be just as exciting for the next generation as it is for them.' People are encouraged to weigh in on what they would like to see in this next plan through an online survey, or by emailing or calling the commission. The survey will be available until June 30. Wastewater overflow in Connecticut River falls to 543 million gallons in 2024 Big Y recalls made-to-order sandwiches for salmonella concerns Police, Fire Dept. contend with explosive munition at Memorial Hall in Northampton Trump administration policies creating 'chilling effect' on smaller colleges Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Holyoke mayor urges residents to voice support for downtown street upgrades
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia is asking residents to support what's known as the High and Maple Streets Corridor Improvement Project by sending comments to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Garcia wants residents to share a sense of urgency to improve the busy corridor, which is contending for money in competition with other projects — even though possible construction remains years away. A 21-day public review period ends May 23. 'This project is up for the resources needed for implementation in the year 2030,' he said. The project is important because it will fix aging traffic signals, make pedestrian crossings safer and add bike lanes. These changes will help reduce accidents and make the streets better for all, Garcia said in a post on Facebook this week. Intersections along High and Maple streets are heavily used and have been the subject of transportation audits, planning and evaluation since 2011. The junctions are on the state's Department of Transportation's 200 worst intersections list and are in the top 5% of problematic intersections in the Pioneer Valley. Both lists are based on state crash data. Gary Roux, principal planner and traffic manager at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said transportation documents were recently released for public review and comment. 'There is a clear need for the project in the area, but we have limited funds and many worthy projects,' Roux said. 'We are always interested in hearing which projects are supported by the region's residents.' According to Garcia, the corridor is home to obsolete traffic signals and non-compliant pedestrian crossings. The routes lack modern 'complete streets' features necessary for a vibrant and accessible downtown. Upgrades would cut down on accidents between cars and people, make intersections safer and encourage walking and biking, which fits with Holyoke's plan, he said. Part of the project area lies in the MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative District. This program helps neighborhoods grow by improving public spaces and working with local partners. Garcia said that making the streets better and easier to use will help attract private investment, support new businesses and make High Street a lively and welcoming place. 'Although the project has faced challenges and delays, including removal from prior Transportation Improvement Programs, the city remains committed to its completion,' he said. Garcia applauded the state DOT's recent decision to move the project forward to early design stages, aiming for construction in 2029-2030. 'It is essential that this momentum continue so that Holyoke can realize the full benefit of this critical investment,' he said. The regional Transportation Improvement Program lists the High and Maple streets project for possible federal funding in the 2029 fiscal year, said Roux, of the PVPC. The commission is required to provide a public comment period before the document can be finalized. Every year, the commission releases a five-year project schedule. 'Based on the status of each project through the design process, we will update it and make recommendations,' Roux said. Roux said many factors influence when a project can proceed. Funding is a key factor, as well as a project's readiness to be advertised for construction. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
For communities relying on federal funds, things changing ‘every 5 minutes'
SPRINGFIELD — The city will reapply for state money to rebuild West Street on the Springfield approach to the North End Bridge over the Connecticut River. The city hopes to replace $4 million in federal money that was to have gone to the street improvement, part of a $20 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that's been scrapped, said Christopher M. Cignoli, public works director. Cignoli said he feels confident not only in the state money but in continued federal support for such basic transportation projects as roads, bridges and culverts. He bases this on experience with the earlier Trump administration as well as faith in the state through whose hands much federal transportation money flows. But he was at the UMass Henry M. Thomas III Center at Tower Square for hours Wednesday along with heads of other city departments and leaders in other municipalities, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and heads of not-for-profits hoping to find out the future of federal funding for the Pioneer Valley from the state's director of federal funds and infrastructure, Quentin Palfrey. 'I'm just trying to get the lay of the land,' said Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The Food Bank, with its headquarters in Chicopee, is to date missing $440,000 in delivered food due to service cuts and budget restructuring ordered by the new Trump administration. 'We are fundraising. We are doing food collections, trying to get what we need,' Morehouse said. 'We are bracing for cuts to SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).' Mayor Domenic J. Sarno summed up the mood of the 30-or-so officials in the conference room. 'Things aren't changing daily now, they're changing every five minutes,' Sarno said. Palfrey, a one-time official in the Obama and Biden administrations and Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said major Biden-era legislation — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — raised funding in the state and are still on the books. The infrastructure bill alone allocated $6 billion in federal funds to support over 190 projects across the state. 'Yeah, it's a dynamic environment,' he said. 'And you know, that is a challenge, I think, for a lot of our partners in cities, towns and tribes. And one of the resources that I think that our office offers is really to work in partnership with communities to give good information on what's going on. ' Palfrey's office takes a whole-government approach to pursuing federal funds using MassDOT and MassTech, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. 'We have a number of issues around urban forestry, around water, around broadband, around clean energy and environmental justice, resiliency, decarbonization,' Palfrey said. 'So it really runs the gamut of programs that's been true in terms of the new resources that Congress has made available.' Major transportation projects, like the Cape Cod bridges and, in Springfield, west-east passenger rail, were also top-of-mind. For passenger rail, the federal government has already announced a CRISI — Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements — grant of $108 million in federal funding announced two years ago and another $37 million for rail improvements reliving a 'chokepoint' at Springfield Union Station announced in October. MassDOT also previously received a $1.75 million CRISI grant for preliminary engineering for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project. The Healey administration steadfastly says it's 'full steam ahead,' the governor's words, on west-east rail. 'And we're working hard to move those programs forward,' Palfrey said. But the Trump administration says it wants to link transportation funding to places with higher marriage and birth rates. More Western Mass. Content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PVPC kicks off National Bike Month with community events
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) is leading a region-wide celebration with a calendar of events in honor of National Bike Month. PVPC updates Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan This month-long initiative promotes bicycling as a healthy, sustainable, and accessible mode of transportation by partnering with local governments, businesses, and advocacy organizations. What began years ago as a modest Bike Commute Week has expanded into a full, vibrant calendar of events across the Pioneer Valley, reflecting a growing commitment to biking and active transportation in western Massachusetts. Throughout the month, PVPC and its partners will host a range of inclusive activities, from group rides and educational workshops to bike-friendly breakfasts and community festivals, designed to engage residents of all ages and skill levels. Here's a snapshot of events scheduled for the first week of May: East Longmeadow : Ladies Road Ride, Wednesday, May 7, 5:30 p.m., Competitive Edge Shop Springfield : Finish the Rail Trail Presentation, Thursday, May 8, 12:15-1:30 p.m., The Museums Amherst: Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Public Engagement Table, Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Sustainability Festival at the Town Commons Northampton: Birding By Bike, Saturday, May 10, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Veterans Field Northampton: (DIY) Bike Fixing Bike Lab, Saturday, May 10 at 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Northern Ave. PVPC hopes the events will inspire more residents to consider biking for transportation and recreation, and encourage long-term investment in bike-friendly infrastructure across the region. Residents are encouraged to participate in upcoming events and share feedback on local biking infrastructure. A full event calendar is available on Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
