Sen. Moore announces PWED Grant for West Main St. improvements in the Town of Webster

July 1, 2009 ... As part of Governor Deval Patrick’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state’s economic future, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined Transportation Secretary James A. Aloisi Jr. today at a press conference announcing that the Executive Office of Transportation has awarded a Public Works Economic Development (PWED) grant worth almost $1 million for a lighting and intersection improvement project in downtown Webster.

The $994,415 project announced today allows for completion of the Main Street Lighting Project that was begun with a 1999 Phase I PWED award of $1,151,500. The Phase II lighting improvements will enhance the mixed-use business district on Main Street while improving safety for downtown residents and visitors. The project also entails traffic signal replacement, sidewalk reconstruction, and pedestrian improvement at the intersection of Main Street/South Main Street/Lake Street.

“Given the very difficult economic conditions, it is great to be able to help bring good news to the people of Webster. This grant will help provide some short term job opportunities and long term improvements to public safety in the center of Webster,” stated Sen. Moore.

“This project will make important investments in infrastructure in Webster that will improve pedestrian safety and accessibility,” said Secretary Aloisi. “This is a perfect example of the Patrick Administration’s commitment to regional equity and our goal of using transportation funds to support economic growth and vibrant communities.”

“The revitalization of the Webster Main Street has been a primary focus for both state and local officials for quite some time,” said Representative Paul Kujawski. “I am very thankful to Governor Patrick, Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, Sen. Moore, and all of the Webster contributors who have had a part in making this grant possible. It is my hope that one day Webster’s Main Street will once again be the vibrant, active center of the community that it once was.”

“We are very excited about this exceptional news,” said Town Administrator John McAuliffe. “This investment in Main Street will generate a lot of revitalization efforts. We would like to thank the Governor’s Office and staff and Representative Kujawski for all of their efforts. This will be a sparkling new project for our downtown.”

The Executive Office of Transportation provides PWED funding awards to municipalities for transportation infrastructure improvements that will spur economic development, job creation, smart growth and better pedestrian access.

The PWED program has a long history stimulating job growth and commercial development for cities and towns in Massachusetts. Since 2000, EOT has awarded $99.6 million dollars of PWED contracts for 98 projects in 66 municipalities across the Commonwealth. This EOT funding has leveraged hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment and helped create thousands of local jobs, both permanent jobs and temporary construction jobs.

These infrastructure investments are a critical component of Governor Patrick's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, which combines a range of state and federal funding sources to provide immediate and long-term economic relief. The Massachusetts Recovery Plan positions the Commonwealth for recovery in the following ways:

• Deliver immediate relief by investing in the road, bridge and rail projects that put people to work today and providing safety net services that sustain people who are especially vulnerable during an economic crisis;

• Use public infrastructure improvements to leverage private investment and broad-based economic development;

• Build a better tomorrow through education and infrastructure investments that strengthen our economic competitiveness, prepare workers for the jobs of the future and support clean energy, broadband and technology projects that cut costs while growing the economy; and

• Reform state government by eliminating the pension and ethics loopholes that discredit the work of government and revitalize the transportation networks that have suffered from decades of neglect and inaction.

The Public Works Economic Development (PWED) Program is an important part of the Commonwealth’s overall infrastructure investment strategy, and targeted to support private sector investment. The PWED Program was created by the Legislature to assist municipalities in funding transportation infrastructure for the purpose of stimulating economic development.

Established in the 1980s, the PWED program is part of the Commonwealth Capital program for Fiscal Year 2009, and is coordinated with other discretionary state spending programs that affect development patterns in Massachusetts. This coordination allows the state to leverage investments, economic development, housing growth and environmental sustainability.

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