Municipalities welcome Chapter 90 funding boostDate: 4/19/2011 April 20, 2011
By Debbie Gardner
Assistant Editor
GREATER SPRINGFIELD — Some communities are planning to use their allotment for projects this construction season. Others have already elected to wait until next year. But to a person, all were glad to see an increase in the state's Chapter 90 allotments for road construction and repairs in the fiscal year 2012 (FY12) budget.
On April 11, Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill providing a record $200 million in Chapter 90 funds for road and bridge construction repairs to cities and towns in the Commonwealth, an increase of 29 percent over the allotments in the FY11 budget. According to materials provided by the Patrick-Murray Administration, each community's allotment is determined using a formula based upon community road miles, population and employment. The monies will become available to all communities on July 1.
Agawam
Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Christopher Golba said his town was going to split its Chapter 90 allotment of $823,716, using some of the money to complete projects already on the books this construction season, and some for projects next year.
"There's a lot we can do with that money, I assure you," he said.
Golba added that the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has just started updating its tri-annual assessment of town road conditions, and he was waiting for the results before beginning the task of prioritizing projects, primarily for the 2012 construction season.
He also noted that if the cost of oil — a major component in the asphalt paving materials used for road construction — rises unexpectedly, the increase in Chapter 90 money might simply offset the cost of materials and not allow the town to undertake additional road repairs.
Chicopee
Stanley Kulig, superintendent of the Chicopee DPW, said he had just started the process of determining how best to utilize the city's approximately $1.2 million allotment of Chapter 90 money for FY12.
"I'm putting together a list of potential projects for the mayor and the City Council to review," Kulig said. "We have a long list of requests for street work, road work and sidewalk work, certainly more requests than we will have funds for with just the Chapter 90 money."
He added the DPW already had a number of projects scheduled for this spring and summer construction's season, but that some of the work funded by the FY12 monies could be done "in late summer or fall."
Springfield
City Engineer Chris Cignoli said Springfield's Chapter 90 allotment for FY12 — a little more than $3.6 million — represented a 29 percent increase in the funding it would have for road repairs over what the city received in FY11.
As Springfield had just begun the bidding process for spring and summer construction projects, Cignoli said his dilemma was deciding whether to add monies from the FY12 allotment to this year's anticipated work, or save the funding for next year's construction season.
"We're trying to decide where to get the best bang for the buck," he said. "Our intent is to use it on the roads that really need it, if not this year, next year."
Noting that this is an election year meaning there is no guarantee that the city's allotment will be as generous in the next budget cycle — Cignoli said there might be some merit in using a good portion of the money during this year's construction cycle, if possible.
Westfield
DPW Director Jim Mulvenna said his city plans to spend its approximately $1.2 million in Chapter 90 monies for FY12 during the coming construction season. The allotment would be added to the $1.5 million already earmarked to the DPW for work this summer.
"The mayor has a pretty aggressive road paving plan for this summer and this fall," Mulvenna said. "We have some long streets that are costly and we're going to use that money to take care of a couple of streets we didn't plan on doing this year."
He said the complete paving plan was still in the development phase, and that Mayor Daniel Knapik had asked the six ward City Councilors to provide a list of the streets in their areas which needed the most attention. He said the final decisions on which additional projects get funded would come from the mayor and city councilors.
West Springfield
According to Jack Dowd, director of the DPW, West Springfield will be putting the $876,226 it's slated to receive in Chapter 90 monies for FY12 aside for projects in the summer of 2012.
"Our construction schedule is set one year in advance [so we can] let the utilities, such as the gas company and the electric company, know [which roads will be worked on] a year in advance," Dowd said.
He added that the monies would be added to whatever the town allots for repair projects in 2012.
"We have $10 million worth of road work in town, so clearly it will be put to good use," Dowd said.
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