Award part of $26.8 million for community improvement projects statewide

June 12, 2012 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and Rep. John V. Fernandes, D-Milford, joined the Patrick-Murray Administration in announcing $500,000 for improvements to the Church Street neighborhood roadway, sidewalk and drainage system within the Town of Milford. The grant is part of $26.8 million in federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that will support housing rehabilitation, public service projects and local infrastructure statewide.

“I am pleased to once again share this good news with Milford, a community that has consistently displayed a serious commitment to investing in its neighborhoods,” said Moore. “This funding will go a long way to improve the Church Street neighborhood, and foster yet another opportunity to spark much needed economic growth,” he continued.

"I congratulate Sue Clark and Milford officials for another successful application that will allow the town of Milford to continue to upgrade infrastructure in need of such improvement,” remarked Rep. Fernandes. “They have done a terrific job in securing and utilizing these grant funds to improve the appearance and functionality of our services all over town. I am please to be of assistance in seeing this grant awarded," he said.

The CDBG program is the Commonwealth’s largest available resource for neighborhood revitalization projects and helps meet the housing and public service needs of low- and moderate-income communities while building and repairing infrastructure vital to the health and safety of all residents. The infrastructure projects help communities create and maintain jobs while providing important improvements to the lives of residents in each city and town. Historically, 40 percent of CDBG funds distributed have been used for these job-creating projects.

“These grants are critical investments to help communities fix-up homes and roadways and provide much-needed local services for residents while putting people to work,” said Gov. Patrick. “We thank the Obama Administration and our Congressional delegation for their continued support of our communities.”

The CDBG program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and funds are distributed by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to cities and towns in Massachusetts with populations of less than 50,000. Eligible communities with populations greater than 50,000 receive program funding directly from HUD. Communities may apply for CDBG funding for activities including: housing rehabilitation projects, infrastructure repair or replacement, construction or rehabilitation of public facilities, neighborhood improvement projects, economic development loans and other business assistance programs, social service upgrades, downtown improvement projects and architectural barrier removal and planning. The maximum grant for a single community is $1 million. Regional applications are accepted.

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