Treasurer Goldberg Announces Over $107.3 Million in Grants for 43 Municipal Water Projects at the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Board of Trustees December Meeting
BOSTON - State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (Trust) Board of Trustees, announced on December 14, 2022, that more than $107.3 million in grants were awarded for 43 projects in 35 communities across the Commonwealth. The grant funds are awarded to cities, towns, counties, and water utilities to help pay for improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
A list of communities and approved projects that are receiving grants may be found at https://www.mass.gov/doc/2021-loan-forgiveness-project-descriptions.
"These grants will support vital water infrastructure projects throughout the state," said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. "This investment furthers our commitment to ensuring the health and safety of all Massachusetts residents by providing access to clean drinking water in even more communities this coming year."
"Many communities across the Commonwealth are implementing important water infrastructure projects in a cost-effective manner thanks to a significant infusion of funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)," said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. "I am thankful to our federal partners and to the Clean Water Trust for their diligent efforts to ensure that these funds are put to work expeditiously to enhance and protect the environment and the health of our residents."
The grant amounts are to be provided as loan forgiveness and are awarded by project category to provide much needed financial assistance towards high priority projects. The following table shows how the funds are being distributed to specific types of projects.
Loan Categories Grant Percentage
PFAS Remediation Projects...........................20%
Loans to Small Drinking Water Systems...............15%
All Other Drinking Water Projects...................10%
Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Projects..............15%
All other Wastewater Projects.......................7.5%
Additionally, communities that qualify as "Disadvantaged Communities", determined by an affordability metric that ranks each community in the Commonwealth, will receive additional loan forgiveness funds to ensure that subsidy is given to the communities that need it most. The Trust understands certain communities face exceptional environmental and financial challenges. By utilizing loan forgiveness, this can minimize the fiscal impact of these vital water infrastructure projects.
"All Massachusetts residents should have reliable access to safe drinking water and structurally sound water resources in their communities," said Administration and Finance Secretary Michael J. Heffernan. "We are pleased to put federal American Rescue Act funds to work toward financing infrastructure initiatives that will bring long-lasting benefits to water systems in these 35 municipalities."
The Trust, in collaboration with MassDEP, helps communities build or replace water infrastructure that enhances ground and surface water resources, ensures the safety of drinking water, protects public health and develops resilient communities. It accomplishes these objectives by providing low-interest loans and grants to cities, towns and water utilities through the Massachusetts State Revolving Funds (SRFs). The SRF programs are partnerships between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. SRFs function like an environmental infrastructure bank by financing water infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
For More Information
For more information on our different loan programs, please visit the Programs page at https://www.mass.gov/programs and for more information on our Loan Forgiveness Program, please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/loan-forgiveness-calculation-and-distribution. To learn about past meetings or find project descriptions, please visit https://www.mass.gov/service-details/2022-board-of-trustees-meeting-information. For information on how to apply for an SRF loan, please visit MassDEP's website at https://www.mass.gov/lists/state-revolving-fund-applications-forms
About the Clean Water Trust
Since its establishment in 1989, the Trust has loaned nearly $8.1 billion to improve and maintain the quality of water in the Commonwealth. An estimated 97 percent of Massachusetts' residents have benefited from the financial assistance of the Trust.
Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Division Looks to Return Funds During the Holidays
Reminding Non-Profits to Check the List Twice
Boston - Twice a year, the Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Division (UCP) announces the latest group of names that have been added to the state's list of unclaimed property owners. During the holiday season, the team wants to remind the many non-profit organizations in the state that they too may have unclaimed property. So just like Santa, they should be checking the lists twice.
Non-profits have millions in lost or misplaced property. Like individuals or businesses, filing claims is fast, easy, and free. A quick search at Find Mass Money can tell you if there is something waiting for your organization.
"All we want this holiday season is to return what is rightfully yours," said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. "You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout we're telling you why. Just give us a call today!"
Unclaimed property includes forgotten savings and checking accounts, un-cashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, dividends, and the contents of unattended safe deposit boxes. Most accounts are considered abandoned and are turned over to the state after three years of inactivity.
Non-profits should also be aware that unclaimed property might result from an individual leaving an organization money or property in a will.
The Treasury releases an updated list of unclaimed property assets every six months as the new accounts are turned over to the Commonwealth. There is no time limit for a person, business, or non-profit to claim this property and, in many cases, claimants will receive interest.
Last year, Treasury processed over 122,000 claims and returned over $163 million in property to its rightful owners. Treasurer Goldberg urges everyone to check the comprehensive list for all amounts at www.findmassmoney.com or call our live call center at 888-344-MASS (6277).
Nonprofit CSO Tapped by State to Provide Crisis and Urgent Mental Health Services in Greater Gardner
Clinical & Support Options awarded state CBHC designations for 'North County' effective Jan. 3
GARDNER - As the outgoing Baker-Polito Administration celebrates its overhaul of the community behavioral health care system in the Commonwealth, local community-based resources in the Greater Gardner area are poised to significantly increase.
As of Jan. 3, local nonprofit community behavioral health agency Clinical & Support Options (CSO) has been designated by Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to be the official "Community Behavioral Health Center" (CBHC) for residents in the towns of Gardner, Ashburnham, Westminster, Winchendon, Hubbardston, and Templeton.
As part of its long-unfolding agenda to improve access to mental health care and substance use treatments, the Baker-Polito Administration's "Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform" has created 25 different CBHCs across the Commonwealth, all taking effect with the new year.
The CBHCs serve as the "front door" to the MassHealth program's mental health care offerings. The agencies overseeing these key CBHCs were officially named in the fall by the Mass. Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP).
Local agency CSO was designated the CBHC provider for three regions: Hampshire County (Northampton), Franklin County (served in both Greenfield and Athol, and the Greater Gardner region of North County (in Worcester County). In each location, CSO will expand its already-existing clinics to integrate the new state model.
"We made the case to state officials that Gardner and its surrounding towns would be best served by having a more local provider," explained CSO President & CEO Karin Jeffers. "We're eager to grow our clinic in Gardner and serve more people in the North County region. Having a local CBHC in Gardner will help eliminated barriers of access and ensure a rapid response to people in need."
Jeffers went on to explain that her agency has long provided successful mental health crisis and urgent behavioral health care services in Franklin and Hampshire County as well as in Athol and theNorth Quabbin region. Moreover, she said, CSO already has the infrastructure in place to take on the new CBHC model.
"At CSO, we've been successfully operating an 'Open Access' clinic model for years at this point, with a broad range of holistic, wraparound supports," Jeffers said. She added that CSO's clinics (now known as CBHCs) serve as an entry point for flexible, person-centered, mental health and addiction treatment services both on an urgent and ongoing basis for children and adults alike.
Jennifer LaRoche, CSO's Vice President of Acute and Day Programs, says the new CBHC designation in Gardner will reinforce community ties already established. "We work closely with local police departments and hospitals as well as countless community partners and schools to assure our role as the designated community provider is one that is consistently reliable and provides quality, evidence-based, trauma-informed care," she said. "Being the official provider now in Gardner will only help to further fuse those relationships."
According to MBHP and EOHHS, CBHC providers must offer integrated mental health and addiction treatments to all ages (with the ability to meet a variety of language needs and to serve individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds) using evidence-based practices. Moreover, CBHC providers must offer:
- Extended hours, including evenings and weekends.
- Same-day access to urgent and crisis treatment (including medications), and drop-in treatments/support (e.g., group sessions, peer supports).
- 24/7 mobile and community crisis response with Community Crisis Stabilization for both youth and adults.
- Telehealth and flexible service delivery locations (e.g., home, school, etc.)
- Peer supports.
- Care coordination.
"This is among the greatest investments I've seen from the State in terms of establishing parity between physical health care and behavioral health care," Jeffers said. "At a time when community behavioral health is facing a critical shortage of licensed providers, it's reassuring to see MassHealth making some adjustments to its model. It's critical that this field be able to attract and retain new talent with the promise of salaries that are competitive with those of other vocations."
The Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) agrees. It calls the Commonwealth's launch of CBHCs "a very promising step in terms of new investment and alternative payment approaches."
In a statement, ABH goes on to say, "We need healthy, robust outpatient clinics that not only deliver treatment services but that teach and train the future workforce."
To learn more about CSO's urgent-access mental health services in Western Mass., visit CSOInc.org/help. To find your nearest CSO location and contact information, visit CSOInc.org/locations.