From the Office of Senator Kerry

Monday, November 22, 2004

WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry and Congressmen John W. Olver and Richard E. Neal announced that the omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress contains $37 million in fiscal year 2005 federal assistance for western Massachusetts.

The total $388 billion omnibus bill funds the majority of the federal government’s domestic activities and includes nine appropriations bills: Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-State, Energy-Water, Foreign Operations, Interior, Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Legislative Branch, Transportation-Treasury, and Veterans Administration-Housing and Urban Development. The omnibus bill now goes to the president’s desk for a signature.

“Senator Kerry and Representatives Olver and Neal and I have been working hard to bring federal investment to the region in transportation, social services, healthcare and education,” said Senator Kennedy. “These projects will strengthen our state’s ability to meet the challenges of the new century and continue to provide quality services to the people of Massachusetts.”

“These projects will help reduce commute times, expand access to quality health care and make other important investments in education and technology throughout western Massachusetts,” said Senator Kerry. “By making these investments in our communities, we are investing in western Massachusetts’ economic future and the people who live and work there. I am pleased to work with Congressmen Olver and Neal and Senator Kennedy to obtain funding for these important initiatives.”

Congressman Olver, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said, “Western Massachusetts deserves good, reliable transportation, high-quality health care and social services, and excellent and affordable educational opportunities. That is why Senators Kennedy and Kerry and Congressman Neal and I make it a top priority to do everything we can to secure federal funding for important projects in the region. I am pleased that this funding will provide a needed boost to the region and help maintain the vibrancy of western Massachusetts.”

“This federal assistance will benefit a host of important economic development projects throughout the Pioneer Valley. From transportation to health care, this money will help make a difference in the quality of life of those who live and work in greater Springfield. Today’s announcement is also a reminder that western and central Massachusetts continues to receive its fair share of federal funding,” said Congressman Neal.

Federal assistance in the FY05 omnibus bill for western Massachusetts includes:

• $4.8 million for roadway surface, roadway drainage and traffic control improvements to Route 5 in West Springfield.

• $960,000 for improvements to Route 168 in Southwick, which include replacing a culvert between Middle and South Ponds and improving road drainage and surface conditions.

• $3 million toward the renovation of the Gill-Montague bridge over the Connecticut River.

• $200,000 for the www.MassCountryRoads.com traveler’s information system.

• $265,000 for scenic and historic preservation along Route 2.

• $175,000 to enhance the scenic value and usage of Route 112, which runs from Colrain to the Jacobs Ladder Trail in Huntington.

• $100,000 for navigational equipment for Westfield-Barnes Airport.

• $700,000 to expand the (ongoing) New England High Speed Rail Corridor planning to include western Massachusetts, upstate New York and Connecticut.

• $4 million for new UMass buses.

• $4 million for new Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) buses.

• $1 million toward various PVTA technology upgrades, such as advanced communications, data management, vehicle locator, route information display, fare collection, paratransit operations and regional coordination systems.

• $640,000 for PVTA’s hydrogen bus program.

• $439,000 for a seafood safety research project at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

• $100,000 for Franklin Community Action Corporation’s (FCAC) substance abuse prevention programs for youth.

• $750,000 for climate system research at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

• $183,000 to complete the restoration of Nashawannuck Pond in downtown Easthampton.

• $500,000 to help establish the Center for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

• $175,000 to preserve the historic Old Academy Building in New Salem as a museum, library and learning center.

• $100,000 to renovate an aging building in downtown Orange using local forest products from the North Quabbin region.

• $300,000 for the installation of a new cardiac catheterization lab and multi-slice CT scanner at Holyoke Medical Center.

• $150,000 for Hilltown Community Health Center to expand its Huntington clinic.

• $485,000 for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Hatfield to expand its facility using energy-saving techniques, purchase new equipment and an education program.

• $500,000 for the New England Green Chemistry Consortium, a partnership of the University of Massachusetts system and five other land-grant universities for research, development and application of green chemistry technologies in industry.

• $750,000 for critical sewer overflow abatement to the Connecticut River in Holyoke, Springfield, South Hadley, Chicopee and Ludlow.

• $200,000 for redevelopment of blighted land in Northampton.

• $890,000 for Holyoke Community College’s new certificate program for students preparing for careers in law enforcement, government and private business as security specialists in information technology.

• $700,000 for Pioneer Valley Life Sciences at UMass, a partnership between UMass, Baystate Medical Center and the city of Springfield that includes plans to construct a new Integrated Science building on the UMass, Amherst campus.

• $275,000 for Mercy Hospital in Springfield.

• $1.345 million for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor.

• $850,000 for the Quinnebaug Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor.

• $145,500 for Springfield Public Market construction.

• $169,750 for the American International College in Springfield for more classroom space using Reed Mansion and Breck Hall.

• $ 6.9 million for Springfield Union Station.

• $1 million for State Street Corridor Redevelopment Project in Springfield.

• $182,000 for Milford Pond.

• $300,000 for Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for facilities and equipment.

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