The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) recently approved the award of approximately $4.8 million in Community Mitigation Fund grants, including an additional $239,000 grant for construction of traffic mitigation in the Lost Village area of Sullivan Square.
Charlestown received two grants during the most recent vote of the MGC on its Community Mitigation Grant process, including an annual grant for Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue reconstruction and the second Lost Village grant.
“The Community Mitigation Fund program exemplifies the Commonwealth’s commitment to maximize the benefits of the state’s gaming industry, along with the Legislature’s mandate to mitigate any unintended impacts potentially associated with the state’s three casinos,” said MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein. “The MGC is proud to support local communities in their efforts to improve government services and advance needs in road safety, tourism marketing, wellness and recovery services, public safety training and personnel, and job readiness programming. We congratulate the 2021 grant recipients and look forward to the implementation of the many innovative and tangible initiatives put forward through the MGC’s community mitigation program.”
The various grants for Charlestown include the following:
•Rutherford Avenue/Sullivan Square – $200,000 – This grant will provide continued funding for the design of long-term improvements to Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown.
•Lost Village – $239,000 – This grant will provide funding for construction of geometric changes to the intersection of Brighton and Cambridge Streets in Charlestown. This will create safer crossings and a better line of sight for turning vehicles, as well as a fiber connection from Sullivan Square to Parker Street so it can be hooked into the City’s video Traffic Center.
Since 2015, the MGC has awarded nearly $28 million in grants from the Community Mitigation Fund. The fund, established by the gaming law, helps host and surrounding communities and other qualified applicants to offset costs related to casino construction and operation. Grant awards support a range of community needs including education, transportation, infrastructure, housing, environmental issues, public safety, and emergency services.
The Community Mitigation Fund review team conducted a comprehensive review of all applications to ensure compliance with the 2021 Guidelines and made recommendations to the Commission over the course of several public meetings throughout the spring of 2021.
Other grantees from the fund included:
•City of Everett
•Town of Foxborough
•Town of Plainville
•City of Springfield
•Town of West Springfield
•City of Chicopee
•City of Malden
•City of Revere and Town of Saugus
•City of Lynn
•City of Chelsea and City of Revere
•City of Northampton
•Hampden County District Attorney
•Hampden County Sheriff’s Department
•Holyoke Community College
•MassHire MetroNorth Workforce Board