Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 12/27/2021
EASTHAMPTON – Easthampton has plans to improve its infrastructure and after a meeting with the Secretary of Labor and the chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, Mayor Nicole LaChapelle told Reminder Publishing she has greater insight into the application process for federal funds.
LaChapelle recently joined other mayors and local labor officials in what she called a “very candid” meeting with Congressman Richard Neal and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh at Union Station in Springfield about the funds that will come to municipalities from the recently passed federal infrastructure bill, as well as from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
She was joined by the mayors of Springfield, Chicopee, West Springfield, Agawam and North Adams.
“It was really informative,” she said, and added, “we have a lot of projects identified.”
The bill, according to a position paper issued by the White House would “deliver clean water to all American families and eliminate the nation’s lead service lines; ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet; repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users; upgrade our nation’s airports and ports to strengthen our supply chains and prevent disruptions that have caused inflation … and make the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak,” among other goals.
In the meeting, issues such as the procurement policies on the federal level were discussed.
She said “the off-the-record session freed up our concerns [about the process.]”
When asked if there was a priority in Easthampton to use the infrastructure funds, LaChapelle didn’t hesitate: the Glendale Road Bridge. She said it needs to be replaced.
With ARPA funding, she is looking at necessary changes at the city’s wastewater treatment plant to meet federal guidelines. The city needs to spend $20 million over the next five years, she explained.
The plant last had an upgrade in 1967, she noted.
There are $39 billion in ARPA funds allocated to be used for childcare and Headstart, according to the bill’s summary. LaChapelle sees how the loss of family daycare centers in Easthampton has affected the employment opportunities for people. Unless childcare is strengthened the mayor believes that other efforts to restore the economy “will all be for naught.”
What LaChapelle would like to do is to establish a position in the administration that would monitor the availability of federal funds and how to apply for them.