From the Office of Senator Kerry

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

WASHINGTON – Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry and Congressmen Michael Capuano, Stephen F. Lynch and Edward Markey announced today, funding for the greater Boston area in the omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress for fiscal year 2005. 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 signature.

“I am very glad that we’ve been able to secure some funding for critical Boston-area education, transportation, and community development projects,” Senator Kennedy said. “From the Greater Boston Food Bank expansion to the East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center Workforce Development Programs to Cambridge Mayor Mike Sullivan’s Kendall Square redevelopment project, these are impressive local initiatives that we’re proud to support.”

“These investments in our community will make a real difference in people’s daily lives. These projects do everything from help families in need of food, shelter and health care to promote science education to pave the way for innovations in cancer care and treatment,” Senator Kerry said. “I am honored to have worked with Senator Kennedy and Congressmen Capuano, Lynch and Markey to help bring these important projects home.”

"This money will be used for a range of critical local initiatives, from training health care workers to providing services for homeless children and improving our transportation infrastructure. Through this funding we were able to provide assistance to a number of worthwhile local agencies, including the Fenway Community Health Center, the Museum of Science and the Urban College of Boston's educational programs," stated Congressman Mike Capuano.

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch said, "Every community in Massachusetts continues to face cuts in local aid. We need to provide as much federal relief as possible. This federal funding will provide critical support for affordable housing initiatives, homeless children and their families, and the thousands of families served by our community health centers and local hospitals. Importantly, this money will also provide crucial funding for the final phase of the MBTA's Silver Line project. This is not only important to the Building Trades people who work on the project but also to the state and the City of Boston as we try to complete improvements to our roadways, waterways and public transit system."

"These funds will help create new jobs while enhancing the health, education, safety and beauty of Boston and the surrounding area. Greater Boston has a health care system second to none because we continue to invest in cutting edge medical technology and services. I am particularly pleased to support the construction of the new Heller School and the Moakley Building at Boston Medical Center. All of these initiatives will help meet the growing needs of our community," Congressman Markey said. Federal Funding in the FY05 omnibus bill for the greater Boston area includes:

Greater Boston Food Bank Distribution Center Expansion .......................................... $310,000 This funding was provided to assist the Greater Boston Food Bank with its $15 million capital campaign designed to expand its regional distribution center. The expansion of this facility has been necessitated by a 100 percent growth in the GBFB’s services since 1997, which has strained current facilities. The Greater Boston Food Bank serves 87,000 a week and over 72 percent of those seeking food assistance in the Commonwealth. Jewish Vocational Services of Boston............................................................................. $400,000 Jewish Vocational Services of Boston will use this funding in concert with at least 8 partners in the health care, financial services, and hotel/hospitality industries in order to prepare low-income Boston residents for entry level jobs in these industries through its successful CALL program – Center for Career and Lifelong Learning. In the last year, JVS CALL program successfully partnered with 23 employers to provide work based education and training to over 600 entry level workers. Community Catalyst, Inc. Benefits Management Computer Programs ....................... $100,000

Community Catalyst will receive this funding to develop and expand its revolutionary benefits management computer programs that are designed to rapidly determine any individual’s eligibility for all forms of local, state, and federal government assistance, and to then guide the individual through the application process. Community Catalyst wants to make its computer programs more broadly available to social service providers across Massachusetts – those individuals who are tasked with securing assistance for Massachusetts residents in need of help. Horizons for Homeless Children Educational and Mentoring Programs ....................... $125,000 The bill provides $125,000 to help with the continued expansion of Horizon for Homeless Children’s innovative “Playspaces” program, through which kids get access to recreation, socialization, educational instruction, and counseling. Sue Heilman is the Executive Director of Horizons. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Clinical Care/Research Facility Development ............. $300,000 This funding will assist with the planning and development of a new clinical care and cancer research facility at Dana-Farber’s existing Longwood Medical Area Campus that will enable Dana-Farber to provide new innovations in integrative cancer care and treatment. It comes in addition to $575,000 secured last year for this same purpose. Boston Medical Center, J.Joseph Moakley Medical Services Building .................... $1 million The bill also provides funding for the development of the Boston Medical Center’s $80 million John Joseph Moakley Medical Services Building, which will provide BMC with a new ambulatory clinical building in Boston’s South End. BMC is one of the primary medical treatment centers for the region’s poor – over 50 percent of their patients have incomes below $17,000 and nearly 75 percent are minorities. This funding brings total project funding for the BMC Center to more than $20 million in recent years. Fenway Community Health Center .................................................................................. $150,000 This funding was provided to support and expand Fenway Community Health Center’s HIV prevention, mental health, and substance abuse programs to better serve the physical and mental health needs of the greater Boston community. Fenway, a non-profit health care facility, is a major provider of health care to gay men, women, and senior citizens in New England. Eugenia Handler is Fenway’s Director of Government Relations. East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center Workforce Development Programs $475,000 This funding will be used to assist in the development of training programs for health care workers, looking to improve their qualifications for professional advancement within Boston’s competitive professional health care community. East Boston CHC employs over 750 people and serves a patient population of approximately 45,000.

Visiting Nurse Associations of America National Clearinghouse ................................... $200,000 This funding is provided to help the VNAA establish a national clearinghouse and “best practices” information center at its Boston headquarters. VNAA envisions this clearinghouse as a resource for home health care providers around the country – and around the world. Doubletake Community Service Corporation (Somerville) Youth Documentary Programs $100,000

This funding is provided to assist Dr. Robert Coles of Harvard expand an innovative program designed to improve youth educational attainment by providing training in the field of documentary creation and journalism. Through this program, students will anlayze and report on the things in their daily lives, which will encourage them to share their knowledge with others and learn from other children’s experiences. Emmanuel College Center for Science Partnership ......................................................... $200,000 This funding will be used to expand Emmanuel’s Center for Science Partnership programs, where liberal arts and nursing students gain access to the technical skills training needed to secure employment in the fields of biotechnology, life science, and pharmaceutical research. Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Management ........................................ $1 million Brandeis will use this funding towards the completion of a $20+ million new health care and social policy research center at its Waltham campus, where it is conducting world-class research into the issues of endemic world poverty, public heath policy, and economic policy. Boston Museum of Science National Center for Technology Literacy ......................... $1 million This funding was provided to assist the Boston Museum of Science in its efforts to establish the National Center for Technology Literacy, $200+ million effort to establish the preeminent location of research devoted to improving youth science and technology skills and inspiring young students to pursue careers in science and technology. As part of this effort the national center will create a curriculum open to all public school teachers, and it is currently partnering with Boston public schools.

Urban College of Boston Educational Programs ............................................................. $1 million

This funding will be used to expand the educational programs at Boston’s Urban College, a two-year college, founded by Action for Boston Community Development. Urban College is a non-traditional, multicultural college chartered by the state’s Department of Higher Education to grant associate degrees in Human Services Administration, Early Childhood Education, and General Studies. Urban College serves 700 students a year. college serving 700-plus students each semester. Emerson College Educational Equipment and Technology Infrastructure..................... $560,000

Emerson College is nearing completion of a $52 million plan that has resulted in a an entirely new performance and production center and the restoration of a historic landmark theater, the Majestic. This funding was provided to assist Emerson in those efforts by providing funding for the procurement of audio-visual and information technology equipment necessary to conduct academic programs in the performing arts, media arts, and communications. Boston History Collaborative.............................................................................................. $50,000

This funding was included to assist the Boston History Collaborative’s efforts to expand its historically themed educational programs for Boston public school children. Robert Krim is the Executive Director of the Boston History Collaborative.

Boston College Irish Institute and Higgins Hall Science Center ................................ $1.5 million

Boston College received two appropriations, each for $750,000. The first was for renovations to the Higgins Hall Science Center and the second was for the continued development of programs of the Boston College Irish Institute. Juvenile Justice Center at Suffolk University .................................................................. $100,000

The funding provided here will help continue the innovation Juvenile Justice Programs at Suffolk University that focus on combining adjudication and law enforcement responsibilities, counseling, probation, drug treatment referrals, and education services under one entity to reduce juvenile incarceration rates in the city of Boston. Kendall Square Streetscape Improvements and Urban Redevelopment................ $1.05 million

This $9.5 million Cambridge Redevelopment Authority project envisions the transformation of underutilized properties in the Kendall Square into a mixed-use development that will result in improved transportation options, environmental remediation, and the creation of at least 1,000 new housing units – at least 15 percent of which will be set aside for low-income residents. It will also permit the construction of 850,000 sq feet of new commercial development and new parks and urban trails. City of Boston Traffic Monitoring and ITS Integration Systems.................................. $1 Million

This funding was provided at Mayor Tom Menino’s request to outfit major city intersections with traffic monitoring devices and to create an integrated information sharing system between the MBTA and the Boston Transportation Department for traffic management, security, emergency response, and incident management purposes. This project seeks to use real-time information systems to improve traffic flow, and reduce emergency response times through improved management of emergency and transportation services. Silver Line Phase III ......................................................................................................... $3 million

This funding will be used to recoup some of the expenses incurred in the production of plans and designs for the third phase of the Silver Line project – a one mile tunnel extending from South Station to the New England Medical Center station that will connect the South Boston Transitway (Phase I) and the Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit line that extends south to Dudley Square (Phase II). Plans for Phase III of the Silver Line are currently facing Federal review. If the plans are approved, Phase III of the Silver Line may be eligible for up to $571 million in federal funding for construction. Boston University Infrastructure Investment Research Initiative .................................. $300,000

These funds will be used to help build the institutes programs to analyze the enormous impacts of infrastructure on the US economy, which is particularly relevant as Congress prepares to take up the surface transportation reauthorization bill next year.

Somerville Land-Use Redevelopment Plan and Industrial Site Improvements $1 million

The City of Somerville will receive $1 million to undertake a plan to determine how underutilized and/or industrial spaces and brownfields might be transformed to meet new commercial uses and create jobs. The plan will look to see specifically how such properties might accommodate innovative Boston industries like biotechnology, that may be looking for expansion space in metropolitan Boston. Lechmere Station Relocation and Enhancements ........................................................... $1 million This funding is designed to assist public transportation improvements at the Lechmere Station that are critical to the success of the $100 million Northpoint development, which aims to establish a major biotechnology campus, more than 1,000 housing units, and 5.5 acres of green space on a currently underutilized property abutting the Monsignor O’Brien Expressway. When completed this development is estimated to generate between $17-20 million in property tax revenues annually for the cities of Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville.

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