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Date: 3/16/2023
PALMER – Gov. Maura Healey released her fiscal year 2024 (FY24) budget proposal which includes a $4 million line item to fund rail projects in Palmer and Pittsfield, however, it still needs to make it through the legislative process.
When Healey shared her FY24 budget proposal on March 1, the line item explained that it would be used “for one-time expenses for rail projects in Palmer and Pittsfield; provided, that not less than $8,500,000 shall be expended for track improvements at the Pittsfield station; and provided further, that not less than $4,000,000 shall be expended for study and design of a Palmer station.”
For Palmer Rail Steering Committee Chairman and Co-Founder of Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop Ben Hood, the announcement was vast. He shared that he is “thrilled and grateful that Gov. Healey is proposing a Palmer [rail] station in [her] first budget.”
Hood believes it is crucial that Healey and her administration understand the importance of this.
He went on to say that the Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop has already begun working on a campaign to get members of the House and Senate on board with the budget proposal. If not, $4 million could be gone.
“The budget needs to be reconciled,” said Hood.
He shared that the campaign will be worked on over the next several months.
Another person who has been heavily involved in the process of obtaining a train stop in Palmer is state Rep. Todd Smola. Smola is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and knew about the $4 million line item before the governor’s proposed FY24 budget was released.
When Smola found out about it, he shared that he felt “absolute excitement.”
He continued, “It demonstrates the commitment that Healey [and her] administration has to the east-west rail.”
As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Smola attended a hearing at the State House in Boston on March 7, where Healey testified about the budget. When he had the opportunity to speak, he brought up passenger rail service with a particular focus on Palmer.
Smola said he also mentioned the issue with connectivity, especially in more rural parts of the state that make accessibility difficult.
At the end of the budget process, Smola will be one of six committee members who will reconcile the proposals. However, the concern lies in whether this proposal will make it there.
“We want to make sure it survives the budget process and gets to the final budget for the governor to sign,” said Smola.
“[This is the] first step … It’s an important step, but it has a long way to go,” he added.
He noted that this “compliments what we have been doing” and the Rail Steering Committee is doing its job.
“Kudos to Ben Hood and [the] local rail advocates,” said Smola.
At this stage in the process, he believes the most important part is advocacy. He encourages people to be advocates and engage others.
Even with the possibility that the funding could not go through, Hood said a feasibility and site plan analysis study needs to be done. He shared that Town Planner and Economic Development Director Linda Leduc, also a member of the Rail Steering Committee, completed a request for proposal (RFP) for this site analysis study.
“The RFP is now in the hands of Town Manager Ryan McNutt, awaiting action by the Town Council,” said Hood.
On Jan. 9, Hood went before the Town Council to ask to be added to its February agenda to discuss this matter. As of February, the council “has delayed taking any official action on this,” said Hood.
Without the studies that need to be done, Palmer will not qualify for grant money that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is going for. Hood believes it is a “stretch” without the study.
He went on to say that he thinks the town needs to prove to Healey that her proposal is justified.
Smola noted that another crucial step is for citizens, including Hood, to reach out to state senators among other officials, to get those conversations going.
Reminder Publishing reached out to McNutt for comment but did not hear back as of press time.