House OK's $3.8B ARPA/surplus plan

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House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
Vol. XLVIII, No. 10               A Publication of the Massachusetts Municipal Association | www.mma.org                                November 2021

House OK’s $3.8B ARPA/surplus plan
By Jackie Lavender Bird                                       for the Community Preservation Trust           ing production.
On Oct. 29, the House unanimously                             Fund.
                                                                                                             Environment and climate
passed a $3.82 billion bill to spend a sig-                   The House bill (H. 4219) targets seven         The bill includes $350 million for
nificant portion of the state’s multi-bil-                    major spending categories: housing,            environmental infrastructure and
lion dollar fiscal 2021 surplus and its                       environment and climate change mitiga-         development spending, with a focus on
allocation from the American Rescue                           tion, economic development, workforce,         environmental justice communities. Tar-
Plan Act’s State and Local Coronavirus                        health and human services, education,          geted investments include Marine Port
Relief Fund.                                                  and food insecurity.                           Development and Offshore Wind, envi-
During debate, the House added $174                           The Senate is expected to take up its          ronmental infrastructure projects aimed
million to the bill released by the Ways                      own surplus/ARPA spending bill in              at bolstering communities’ climate re-
and Means Committee on Oct. 25,                               the coming weeks. It is unclear if the         siliency, water and sewer infrastructure
mostly in the form of legislative ear-                        Legislature will be able to get a final bill   improvements, greening the Gateway
marks.                                                        to the governor before the end of formal       Cities, and upgrades to state parks and
                                                              legislative sessions on Nov. 17.               recreational facilities.
The House included funding for a
number of programs supported by the                           The following are the highlights of the        Of the $350 million, $100 million would
MMA in the areas of housing, water and                        House bill:                                    go to low-income, environmental justice
sewer infrastructure, and environmental                                                                      and urban communities to improve
infrastructure, but did not include two                       Housing                                        climate resiliency. A $100 million water
amendments that were strongly backed                          The $600 million proposed for housing          and sewer infrastructure component
by the MMA: one to provide $50 million                        programs includes targeted investments         also prioritizes projects that support
in supplemental funding for the Chapter                       in supportive housing production,              environmental justice populations and
90 local roads and bridges program and                        public housing maintenance, homeown-           those disproportionately impacted by
one to provide an additional $10 million                      ership assistance, the CommonWealth
                                                              Building Program, and affordable hous-                                n ARPA continued on 32

  Inside                                                      Anthony Everett to be Annual
                                                              Meeting’s Friday night speaker
  Congress continues talks                                    By Jennifer Kavanaugh                                                    “As we travel the
  on infrastructure bills...............5                     Drawing from his travels around Massa-                                   351 cities and
                                                              chusetts, Emmy-winning journalist and                                    towns of the
                                                              television host Anthony Everett will help                                Commonwealth,
  EPA announces national
                                                              members celebrate the Bay State on Jan. 21,                              I am constantly
  PFAS strategy........................... 6                                                                                           amazed how many
                                                              2022, as the Friday evening speaker at the
                                                              MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show.                                         incredible stories
  State names 34 Cyber                                                                                                                 each one holds,” he
  Aware Communities.................7                         Everett has hosted WCVB Channel 5’s                                      said. “It really is a
                                                              “Chronicle,” the nation’s longest-running,                               testament to the
                                                              locally produced newsmagazine, for 16           Anthony Everett          ingenuity, creativity,
  MassDEP releases Solid                                      years. On the show, Everett explores the
  Waste Master Plan................... 9                                                                                               resourcefulness
                                                              “Main Streets and Back Roads” of the           and inventiveness of the people of Massa-
                                                              region, serving as part storyteller and part   chusetts, and it is one of the main reasons
  Around the Commonwealth............ 18                      ambassador for its best offerings. From        ‘Chronicle’ is celebrating its 40th year on
                                                              patrolling the Nantucket coast in a boat       the air in 2022. Having the chance to visit
  People.................................................24
                                                              with the town’s harbormaster to exploring      their communities and tell their stories is a
                                                              a haunted covered bridge in Greenfield,        privilege.”
  Classifieds..........................................28
                                                              Everett provides viewers with vicarious ex-
                                                              periences of the hidden and not-so-hidden      A native of New York City, Everett first
  Calendar.............................................33
                                                              gems of Massachusetts.
                                                                                                                                 n EVERETT continued on 26
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
2021 MMA
Board of Directors                               Executive Director’s Report
The MMA Board of Directors holds regular
meetings in Boston, followed by a meeting of     Incivility on the rise, another harmful
                                                 symptom of the pandemic
the Local Government Advisory Commission
with the administration. For information on
the board’s activities, call the office of MMA   Local leaders have presided over                          may find the going very slow and
Executive Director Geoff Beckwith at 617-426-
                                                 a remarkable period of disrup-                            take longer to get momentum.
7272.
                                                 tion and uncertainty, navigating                          Systemic problems that persisted
Executive Committee                              their communities through a                               before the pandemic have been
Adam Chapdelaine, MMA President                  devastating pandemic that has                             exacerbated. The wealth gap has
Town Manager, Arlington                          touched every person. Decades                             increased, and the health gap has
Ruthanne Fuller, MMA Vice President              from now, when historians docu-                           widened as well. Historically dis-
Mayor, Newton                                    ment the major lessons learned,
Cecilia Calabrese, MMA Immediate Past
                                                                                                           advantaged populations, primari-
                                                 I believe that local government          By Geoffrey      ly our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous,
President                                        and unheralded officials in their
Councillor, Agawam                                                                         Beckwith        and people of color) neighbors,
                                                 hometowns will be recognized as                           who have been on the short end
Michael Bettencourt, MSA President
Select Board Member, Winchester                  true difference-makers who responded            of the wealth and health spectrum, were
Lisa Blackmer, MMCA President                    with extraordinary speed and innovation         hit much harder by COVID and we now
Councillor, North Adams                          to save countless people from illness and       find that there is much more ground to
Brian Boyle, ATFC President                      death, and kept the fabric of our society       make up in the pursuit of a more equitable
Finance Committee, Bolton                        stitched together during the most difficult society.
George “Bud” Dunham, MMMA First Vice             of times.
President                                                                                        The pandemic has caused so much pain,
Town Manager, Sandwich                           We are only beginning to understand the         and yet we’ve seen so much resilience,
Scott Galvin, MMaA President                     long-term impact that the past 20 months and so much adaptation. Science has
Mayor, Woburn                                    will have on the U.S. and the world going       given us vaccines and testing, health
Julie Jacobson, MMMA President                   forward. Like an axe that strikes but does      professionals have given us treatment and
Town Manager, Auburn                             not fell a tree, the wounds and scars of        guidance, technology has given us Zoom
Jeovanny Rodriguez, MMCA First Vice              COVID-19 will be visible for many years,        and WebEx, and government leaders
President                                        and will shape the way we grow. For some, have used all these tools to create a new
Councillor, Lawrence                             the tragic loss of family members, friends
John Trickey, ATFC First Vice President                                                          normal, with most of society finding
                                                 or loved ones will be acutely painful           more stable ground to stand on, and more
Finance Committee, Pelham
                                                 forever. For others, the stark isolation        balance in daily life. Most businesses are
Linda Tyer, MMaA First Vice President
Mayor, Pittsfield                                and separation required for our physical        reformatted and open, schools are back
Michael Walsh, MSA First Vice President
                                                 health have led to depression and mental        in person, Fenway Park has hosted record
Select Board Member, Westwood                    health struggles. Many have been or will        crowds. City and town halls, local boards
Geoff Beckwith (non-voting)                      be forced to shutter their businesses,          and public agencies are opening back up
MMA Executive Director                           transition to different vocations, and face     to in-person engagement, following new
                                                 the prospect of lower incomes and fewer         protocols. People are finding their rhythm
Brian Arrigo, Mayor, Revere
                                                 opportunities. Those at the end of their        and making do.
Steve Bartha, Town Manager, Danvers              careers may cease working earlier than
Lisa Braccio, Selectman, Southborough            they planned, and those just starting out            n DIRECTOR’S REPORT continued on 27
Ralph Figy, Councillor, Westfield
Andrew Flanagan, Town Manager, Andover
Claire Freda, Councillor, Leominster
Jill Hai, Select Board, Lexington
Andrew Hogeland, Select Board, Williamstown
                                                         TheBeacon                                       Periodicals Postage Paid at Boston, MA, and
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                                                 November 2021 | Volume XLVIII, Number 10                TheBeacon (ISSN 0199-235X) is published monthly,
Donna Holaday, Mayor, Newburyport                Copyright © 2021, Massachusetts Municipal Association   except for a combined July-August issue, by the
Thomas Hutcheson, Town Manager, Dalton           Manager of                 Communications &             Massachusetts Municipal Association, 3 Center
Kim Janey, Mayor, Boston                         Publications & Digital     Membership Director          Plaza, Suite 610, Boston, MA 02108. The MMA
Diane Kennedy, Select Board, Cohasset            Communications             Candace Pierce               is composed of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s
Afroz Khan, Councillor, Newburyport              John Ouellette             Publisher                    Association, the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association,
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                                                 Digital Communications Full Circle Design               Councillors’ Association, and the Association of
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                                                                                                         We encourage readers to send comments, story ideas, news
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2 • The Beacon • November 2021
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
Registrations pour in for in-person MMA Annual Meeting
By John Ouellette                                executive
A flood of registrations indicates that MMA      director of
members can’t wait to get together again in      the National
person for the 43rd MMA Annual Meeting           League of
& Trade Show, which will be held on Jan.         Cities
21 and 22, 2022, at the Hynes Convention        • Friday dinner
Center and Sheraton Hotel in Boston.              speaker
The largest conference for municipal offi-        Anthony
cials in the state features:                      Everett, the
                                                  longtime
• Informative and timely workshops on top         host of the
  municipal issues                                “Chronicle”
• Compelling and inspiring speakers               newsmagazine
• Member business meetings and                  Over two days,         Members network during the 2020 MMA Annual Meeting & Trade
  important policy discussions                  18 workshops           Show at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The event will
                                                will cover key         return in-person this January.
• A robust Trade Show featuring the latest      municipal issues
  services and solutions for cities and towns
                                                such as climate
• Countless networking opportunities            change adaptation and resilience, a mu-         The Trade Show will be open on Friday,
The MMA’s Annual Meeting website has            nicipal law update, a state and local fiscal    Jan. 21, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday,
the very latest information about this          outlook, advancing diversity in public safe-    Jan. 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Compa-
dynamic, timely and engaging conference,        ty, community engagement, cybersecurity,        nies, nonprofits and government agencies
which is a forum for learning and a celebra-    energy, placemaking, housing, labor law,        interested in exhibiting at the meeting can
tion of the innovations and best practices      wellness and energizing your workforce,         find details and contract information on
in community governance.                        board relations, recycling, Community One the MMA website.
                                                Stop, transportation, the future of work,
The 2022 MMA Annual Meeting theme is            adult-use marijuana, and police reform.         First-time Annual Meeting attendees
“Recover. Renew. Reimagine.”                                                                    will get a special welcome during an
                                                Workshop titles, descriptions and panelists event-opening orientation session from 8
The speaker lineup includes:                    will be published later this month. De-         to 9 a.m. The session is an opportunity to
• Opening keynote Eric Termuende, a             scriptions of Learning Lab sessions, to be      learn from seasoned MMA members about
  globally recognized speaker, author and       held on the Trade Show floor, will also be      the best strategies for making the most of
  podcaster on the future of work               published in November.                          the Annual Meeting experience as well as
• Former Gov. Jane Swift at the Women           The MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show             MMA membership.
  Elected Municipal Officials Leadership        attracts well more than 1,000 local leaders     The MMA is taking precautions in order to
  Luncheon                                      and more than 225 exhibitors. The last          host a safe, in-person event, and is closely
                                                in-person event, in January 2020, was           monitoring health and safety guidance
• Closing session speaker Clarence              attended by a record 1,300 local leaders.
  Anthony, a former mayor and current                                                                    n ANNUAL MEETING continued on 21

MMA Trade Show is opportunity to learn about municipal products
By Karen LaPointe                               A series of educational Learning Labs
Trade Show vendors are looking forward          will be held in the exhibit hall on Satur-
to meeting local officials during the           day, Jan. 22. (Details will be available on
in-person MMA Annual Meeting &                  the MMA website in December.)
Trade Show at the Hynes Convention              The exhibit hall will also feature the new
Center in January.                              MIIA Simulator, with new training mod-
The Trade Show is a great place to meet         ules — an entertaining and educational
with vendors that you haven’t seen for a        opportunity to test your driving skills.
while, as well as new vendors who have          The MMA is taking precautions to host            Members will be able to interact with
products and services to help you run           a safe, in-person event and will closely         exhibitors in person again at the 2022
your community.                                 monitor health and safety guidance               Trade Show on Jan. 21 and 22.
The Trade Show will be open on Friday,          from public health officials. (See related
Jan. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on         story or MMA Annual Meeting web-
Saturday, Jan. 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 2          site for details.) By signing the MMA          they have COVID-19, any symptoms of
p.m.                                            Contract for Exhibit Space, vendors            COVID-19, or recent contact with
                                                agree that they will not attend should
                                                                                                            n TRADE SHOW continued on 27

                                                                                                      November 2021 • The Beacon • 3
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
Under new law, Legislature adopts district maps
By Dave Koffman                                                                            their reprecincting process, as long as
On Oct. 3, Gov. Charlie Baker signed                                                       they finish by Dec. 15.
legislation to make a one-time change                                                      Normally, cities and towns use data
in the decennial redistricting process by                                                  from the U.S. Census Bureau every 10
letting state lawmakers draw legislative                                                   years to update their precinct lines,
districts first and then giving municipal-                                                 which are then used by state leaders
ities 30 days to finalize their own voting                                                 to redraw federal and state legislative
precinct lines.                                                                            districts. Because of the federal govern-
Facing a truncated timeline to pass                                                        ment’s pandemic-related delay in gener-
redistricting legislation affecting federal                                                ating official Census numbers, cities and
and state legislative districts, lawmakers                                                 towns have been unable to finalize their
sought to reverse the conventional order                                                   reprecincting process.
and have the state enact redistricting         In the House district map, 33 of the 160    Throughout the legislative process, the
legislation prior to new municipal pre-        House districts would be majority-mi-       MMA made the case that legislation to
cinct maps being finalized.                    nority districts, an increase from the      shift the reprecincting process to after
On Oct. 28, the Legislature finished its       current 20.                                 redistricting could add significant confu-
work on new House and Senate district                                                      sion and complexity to the electoral pro-
boundaries, set to be in effect for the                                                    cess in areas where legislative districts
2022 state election cycle.                    from the House and Senate.                   bisect precincts. This is particularly
                                                                                           important in cities and towns that use
The House and Senate maps both                Legislative leaders released draft maps      precincts to elect city and town council-
propose an increase in the number             of new congressional and Governor’s          lors, school committees, town meeting
of majority-minority districts, where         Council districts on Nov. 1.                 members, or other officials. Members
non-white residents make up a majority        Though the so-called reprecincting law       are strongly encouraged to work closely
of the district’s population. Out of 160      delays the official municipal reprecinct-    with their state legislative delegation to
House districts, 33 will be majority-mi-      ing process until after the Legislature      reconcile any potential issues to their
nority districts, an increase from the        concludes its mapping of state and           local reprecincting process. ●
current 20. For the 40 Senate districts,      federal districts, it does not require
the figure will double to six (from three).   precincts to follow legislative district
Gov. Baker has 10 days to review the          lines. Once the Legislature has complet-
new district legislation. It’s unclear if     ed the state and federal districts, cities
he has any concerns with the proposals        and towns will have 30 days to complete

Senate passes comprehensive election reform bill
By Dave Koffman                                                                             eligible individuals on election day and
On Oct. 6, the Massachusetts Senate                                                         during early voting periods
overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive                                                      • Direct sheriffs and corrections officials
election reform bill (S. 2545) to codify                                                     to assist eligible incarcerated voters to
many temporary election allowances                                                           learn their electoral rights and apply
implemented due to the COVID-19                                                              for and cast ballots by mail
pandemic, such as vote by mail and early                                                   The bill now heads to the House, where
voting in-person.                                                                          there is strong interest in passing an
The bill includes new provisions as well,                                                  election reforms package this legislative
such as same-day voter registration and       • Codify early voting in person for at       session.
increased ballot access for incarcerated        least two weeks before regular state       In July, the Legislature passed a sup-
individuals and voters with disabilities.       elections and for one week before          plemental budget that included many
The bill would:                                 state primaries and special elections      extensions for temporary election
                                                (including weekends with the               provisions, such as no-excuse absentee
• Permanently allow no-excuse vote-by-          exception of the final weekend prior to
  mail for all elections                                                                   voting and in-person early voting. These
                                                each election)                             allowances were first instituted due to
• Provide a local option for                  • Provide a local option for early voting    the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of
  municipalities to set up secure drop          in person for municipal elections          2020 and are currently set to expire on
  boxes for collection of mail-in ballots                                                  Dec. 15, 2021. ●
                                              • Allow same-day voter registration for

4 • The Beacon • November 2021
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
Talks continue on 2 major infrastructure bills
By Jackie Lavender Bird                      and $5 billion for a competitive National   Congressional leaders are looking to
On Oct. 28, following weeks of negoti-       Infrastructure Project Assistance pro-      pass the Build Back Better plan using
ations, President Joe Biden announced        gram to allow communities to complete       the budget reconciliation process, which
a new framework for his $1.75 trillion       critical large projects that would other-   provides for expedited consideration of
Build Back Better infrastructure plan,       wise be too expensive.                      high-priority fiscal legislation. Under
one of two major spending bills before       Two existing formula programs, the          reconciliation, amendments are limited
Congress right now.                          Clean Water and Drinking Water State        in scope, and the bill is not subject to
                                             Revolving Funds, would each receive         filibuster in the Senate.
The other bill is the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, a $1 trillion       $11.7 billion over five years (49% for      Democrats do not need Republican
bipartisan plan that has passed in the       principal forgiveness and grants, 51%       support in order to pass the reconcilia-
Senate and is now before the House.          for loans).                                 tion bill, but they do need support from
                                             The White House has released a fact         every Democratic senator and all but a
The Infrastructure Investment and                                                        handful of Democratic House members.
Jobs Act includes $550 billion in new        sheet about what the bill would mean
                                             for Massachusetts.                          This has resulted in lengthy negotiations
spending for public transit, passenger                                                   over what the final bill will include, as
rail, bridges, water and sewer systems,      The $1.75 trillion Build Back Better        well as the grand total.
high-speed internet, electric vehicle        spending package includes investments
infrastructure, and investments in the       of note to municipalities including         Centrist Democrats objected to the
electric grid to support the expansion of    workforce development, climate change       initial price tag, and progressive Dem-
renewable energy. The bill would provide     mitigation and resilience funding, and      ocrats objected to removing any of the
infrastructure support to municipalities     affordable housing initiatives. The plan    proposed investments. The progressive
in the form of direct grants as well as      also includes funding for technical         caucus has stated that its members will
funds that would pass through existing       assistance to local governments through     not vote for the Investment and Infra-
state programs.                              a new Rural Partnership Program that’s      structure Jobs Act without Congress
                                             intended to help small and rural com-       first passing the Build Back Better plan.
New programs that would provide direct
funding to municipalities include $5         munities that are often excluded from       The House could take a vote on one or
billion for a Safe Streets for All program   federal grant opportunities.                both plans in the coming days or weeks.
                                                                                         ●

MMHR Labor Relations webinar features diversity and inclusion expert
By Isabelle Nichols                                                                      feeling stuck, being open to answering
Malia Lazu, an award-winning, tenured                                                    loaded questions, creating spaces for
strategist in diversity and inclusion,                                                   ally work to happen, and supporting
was the keynote speaker during the first                                                 employee resource and affinity groups.
session of the Massachusetts Municipal                                                   Following the keynote, MMA Legisla-
Human Resources association’s Labor                                                      tive Director Dave Koffman provided
Relations webinar series on Oct. 22.                                                     a legislative update, including recent
Lazu focused on the importance of                                                        actions in the area of police reform,
organizational culture in creating an                                                    COVID-19 related paid sick leave, and
inclusive workplace and tools that mu-        Strategist Malia Lazu discusses how        state and federal vaccine mandates for
                                              municipal human resources directors can    employees. Koffman discussed a number
nicipal human resources directors and         foster effective culture change during
department heads can use to foster ef-                                                   of areas to watch on the 2022 legislative
                                              the first session of the Massachusetts     agenda, including the open meeting law
fective culture change. In order to take a    Municipal Human Resources associa-
diversity, equity and inclusion plan from                                                and remote/hybrid meetings, cyberse-
                                              tion’s Labor Relations webinar series on
intention to impact, she said, employ-        Oct. 22.
                                                                                         curity, elections, and state-level ARPA
ers must focus on goal setting, systems                                                  priorities.
change, and a shared understanding                                                       The webinar concluded with a labor law
across the organization.                     and history; learning together with         update from attorney Katherine Feodo-
Lazu reviewed the history of culture in      colleagues about the current culture and    roff, a partner with Mead, Talerman &
the United States, pointing out that cul-    problems within the organization; and       Costa, who reviewed recent legal cases
ture change must start from an under-        taking loving action to make changes.       and guidance related to the Massachu-
standing of where we are and where we                                                    setts Domestic Violence and Abuse
                                             Lazu emphasized the importance of cul-      Leave Act, sexual orientation and gen-
are coming from. She shared a number         ture change leaders getting buy-in from
of tools that can be used by leaders of                                                  der identity, and discrimination based
                                             other managers and department heads.        on age, race, and disability. Feodoroff
organizational culture change, includ-       This can be accomplished by regularly
ing the Three Ls: listening to diverse                                                   addressed a number of COVID-related
                                             sharing the work that is being done,        issues, including guidance from the
communities about their experiences          being open about places where you are
                                                                                               n LABOR RELATIONS continued on 26

                                                                                               November 2021 • The Beacon • 5
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
EPA announces national strategy to confront PFAS
On Oct. 18, U.S. Environmental Protec-                                                           these critical resources will enable the EPA
tion Agency Administrator Michael Regan                                                          and other federal agencies to scale up the
announced a strategic roadmap to con-                                                            research and work to meet the scale of the
front PFAS contamination nationwide.                                                             PFAS challenge.
The roadmap is the result of an analysis                                                         Over the coming weeks, the EPA will be
conducted by the EPA Council on PFAS,                                                            engaging with a wide range of stakehold-
which was established six months ago. It is                                                      ers to continue to identify collaborative
centered on three guiding strategies:                                                            solutions to the PFAS challenge. The
• Increase investments in research                                                               agency was scheduled to host two national
                                                                                                 webinars, on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.
• Leverage authorities to take action now
to restrict PFAS chemicals from being                                                            There are currently no federal standards
released into the environment                                                                    for PFAS contamination in drinking water,
                                                                                                 but Massachusetts has been working to
• Accelerate the cleanup of PFAS contam-                                                         regulate the chemicals statewide. A year
ination                                                                                          ago, the Baker-Polito administration an-
“For far too long, families across Amer-                                                         nounced final drinking water regulations
ica — especially those in underserved                                                            establishing a maximum contaminant
communities — have suffered from PFAS                                                            level of 20 parts per trillion for the sum
in their water, their air, or in the land their                                                  of six PFAS compounds. The regulations
children play on,” Regan said in a prepared        under the Toxic Substances Control Act        require public water suppliers to test for
statement. “This comprehensive, national           to address those that are insufficiently      the six compounds, called PFAS6, and
PFAS strategy will deliver protections to          protective                                    to take remedial actions when amounts
people who are hurting, by advancing bold                                                        exceed the limit.
                                                  • Increased monitoring, data collection
and concrete actions that address the full          and research so that the agency can          The Massachusetts Department of Envi-
lifecycle of these chemicals.”                      identify what actions are needed and         ronmental Protection maintains an inter-
PFAS, or per and polyfluoroalkyl substanc-          when to take them                            active web portal that tracks PFAS testing
es, are also known as “forever chemicals.”                                                       results, remedial actions taken by public
                                                  • A final toxicity assessment for “GenX        water suppliers, and funding opportuni-
Because they are water soluble, over time           chemicals” that can be used to develop
these chemicals from firefighting foam,                                                          ties for both testing and treatment.
                                                    health advisories that will help
manufacturing sites, landfills, spills,             communities make informed decisions          MassDEP also maintains a comprehensive
air deposition from factories and other             to better protect human health and           webpage that covers other efforts to man-
sources can seep into surface soils. From           ecological wellness                          age PFAS in the environment, including:
there, PFAS can leach into groundwater                                                           requirements related to waste site cleanup;
or surface water, and can contaminate             • Continued efforts to build the technical     testing for PFAS in wastewater; a study
drinking water.                                     foundation needed on PFAS air                of the presence of PFAS in Massachu-
                                                    emissions to inform future actions under     setts rivers; and information about PFAS
The roadmap commits the EPA to quickly              the Clean Air Act
setting enforceable drinking water limits                                                        detected in the packaging for mosquito
for PFAS, as well as giving stronger tools        The EPA also announced a new nation-           control pesticide products used by the
to communities to protect people’s health         al testing strategy that requires PFAS         state in aerial spraying.
and the environment.                              manufacturers to provide toxicity data and     In July, the MMA hosted a webinar on the
                                                  information on categories of PFAS chemi-       PFAS issue. Attended by more than 175
The strategic roadmap lays out:                   cals. The PFAS to be tested will be selected   municipal officials and employees, the
• Aggressive timelines to set enforceable         based on an approach that breaks the           webinar covered the human and environ-
  drinking water limits under the Safe            large number of PFAS today into smaller        mental health implications of PFAS; the
  Drinking Water Act to ensure that water         categories based on similar features and       state’s regulations regarding testing and
  is safe to drink in every community             considers what existing data are available     detection in drinking water; treatment
                                                  for each category.                             options and sources of funding; local
• A hazardous substance designation
  under the Comprehensive                         The EPA reports that its initial set of test   case studies and experiences with PFAS
  Environmental Response, Compensation            orders for PFAS, which are expected in         contamination; and information about the
  and Liability Act, also known as                a matter of months, will be strategically      Legislature’s PFAS Interagency Task Force.
  Superfund, to strengthen the ability to         selected from more than 20 different           For more information on the EPA’s strate-
  hold polluters financially accountable          categories of PFAS.                            gic roadmap for PFAS, visit www.epa.gov/
• Timelines for action on Effluent                President Joe Biden has called for more        pfas. ●
  Guideline Limitations under the Clean           than $10 billion in funding to address
  Water Act for nine industrial categories        PFAS contamination through his Build
                                                  Back Better agenda and the Bipartisan
• A review of past actions on PFAS taken
                                                  Infrastructure Deal. The White House says

6 • The Beacon • November 2021
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
34 recognized as Cyber Aware Communities
The Baker-Polito administration recog-                                                            ogy and is supported by capital funding
nized 34 municipalities and public school                                                         secured in last year’s general governmen-
districts from across the state as Cyber                                                          tal bond bill, intended to invest in the
Aware Communities during a virtual event                                                          Commonwealth’s cybersecurity posture
today featuring local and state cybersecu-                                                        and IT infrastructure modernization
rity leaders and hosted by the Executive                                                          initiatives.
Office of Technology Services and Security                                                        In the first two years, 62,000 municipal
as part of National Cybersecurity Aware-                                                          and public school employees have enrolled
ness Month.                                                                                       in the program, gaining access to critical
Those recognized were the top performing          Curt Wood               Edward Augustus Jr.     end-user training, evaluations and threat
participants in this year’s round of the                                                          simulations. Participating organizations
Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant                                                           include large cities, small towns, and
Program.                                         defend against potential cyber threats.          school districts from across the Common-
Cyberattacks on municipal government             “Buy-in and awareness on cybersecurity           wealth, according to the EOTSS. Results
and education systems are on the rise na-        from an organization’s leadership team           have shown that participants receiving
tionwide as cyber threat actors are using        is critical to its success,” said Gov. Charlie   the cybersecurity awareness training on
common threat actions such as phishing,          Baker. “Congratulations to each of the           average saw a 6-point improvement on the
smishing, hacking, and ransomware at-            municipalities and public schools that           final assessment of the training course.
tacks to gain access to an organization’s IT     have earned recognition as a Cyber Aware         “Threats posed by cyber-attacks are so
networks and sensitive data, according to        Community for their leadership in better         great today that cybersecurity can no
the EOTSS. Recent high-profile ransom-           securing their organization from potential       longer be viewed as a problem for the IT
ware attacks and hacks have disrupted            threats.”                                        department alone,” said Curt Wood, secre-
operations in both the public and private        Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said the state’s           tary of Technology Services and Security.
sector.                                          cybersecurity and IT grant programs are          “The municipalities and public schools
Employee cybersecurity awareness train-          vital resources “to enhance a local gov-         being recognized today are stepping up
ing, identified by the National Governors        ernment and community cybersecurity              to ensure that [employees are] properly
Association as “the single most effective        posture.”                                        trained to identify and avoid attempts by
factor in preventing security breaches and       The Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness            malicious actors to gain access to critical
data losses,” is a critical tool for organiza-   Grant Program is managed by EOTSS’s              systems and data.”
tions to prepare their workforce to best         Office of Municipal and School Technol-                     n CYBER AWARE continued on 23

MassCyberCenter releases free online training for cities and towns
By Jennifer Kavanaugh                                                                             to restore their networks and services
The MassCyberCenter has released new                                                              to the public. The MassCyberCenter,
online training materials to help local                                                           established in 2017, seeks to “encourage
leaders implement cybersecurity best                                                              municipalities to improve their ability
practices and attain a “minimum base-                                                             to protect and defend themselves from
line of cybersecurity” to protect digital                                                         a cyberattack, inspire collaboration
assets and information against cyberat-                                                           and strengthen cybersecurity resilience
tack threats.                                                                                     across Massachusetts.”
The MassCyberCenter at the Massachu-                                                              The MassCyberCenter’s training seeks
                                                   New online training modules from the           to establish a “minimum baseline” of
setts Technology Collaborative unveiled            MassCyberCenter describe a cyberattack
the free, interactive training modules                                                            cyber preparedness for municipalities,
                                                   on the fictional community of “Massboro.”      by relying on their people, processes and
on Oct. 7 during the first-ever Munic-
ipal Cybersecurity Summit, which was                                                              technology.
attended by about 300 government                 statewide, including the Cyber Resilient         The MassCyberCenter has aimed the
officials from around Massachusetts.             Massachusetts Working Group, to en-              modules at achieving four goals:
MassCyberCenter Director Stephanie               gage with municipalities directly about          • Reduce the number of cybersecurity
Helm said the summit reflected the               their cyber preparedness and to high-              incidents by having better-trained and
state’s partnership with federal and             light the resources, grants and technical          more cyber-secure employees
state agencies, organizations including          experts that can help them bolster their
the MMA, and with its regional Home-             defenses,” Helm said.                            • Encourage greater sharing of threat
land Security councils.                                                                             information and improving regional
                                                 Municipalities across the country have             awareness
“The launch of these online training             increasingly been targeted with cy-
modules builds on the work of the                berattacks, exposing them to ransom                      n CYBER TRAINING continued on 26
MassCyberCenter and our partners                 demands, lost data and costly IT work

                                                                                                        November 2021 • The Beacon • 7
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
MassDEP drafts rules for public notification of CSOs
By Ariela Lovett                             permittees responsible for more than 100
The Department of Environmental Pro-         separate outfall locations.
tection has released draft regulations to    The draft regulations include the follow-
establish requirements and procedures for    ing:
notifying the public of sewage discharges
                                             • Description of types of discharge events
and overflows into surface waters of the
                                               requiring public notification
Commonwealth.
                                             • Requirement that notifications be issued
MassDEP was tasked with developing
                                               within two hours of their discovery
the regulations under legislation signed
                                               to specific local, state and federal
by Gov. Charlie Baker in mid-January. To
                                               government agencies, as well as to any          Draft regulations would establish rules for
help protect public health and the envi-
                                               individual who has subscribed to receive        notifying the public of sewage discharges
ronment, the law requires wastewater op-
                                               such notifications                              and overflows into surface waters.
erators to notify the public when a sewer
system discharges untreated wastewater       • Requirement that notifications be sent
into a local body of water.                    to news organizations that report on           will require municipalities to significantly
                                               local news in nearby communities and be        expand existing services, employ addi-
The regulations would require permittees
                                               published on permittees’ websites              tional personnel, realign organizational
to issue public advisory notifications for
the release of certain types of untreated    • Requirement that follow-up reporting be        structures, or limit discretion exercised by
or partially treated wastewater, including     provided to MassDEP on a monthly basis         local officials.”
discharges that fall into the categories     • Requirement that CSO permittees                The MassDEP stated, however, that it
of combined sewer overflows (CSOs),            maintain signage at CSO outfall                “anticipates that the requirements of the
sanitary sewer overflows, and blended          locations                                      Act and the regulation will significantly
wastewater.                                                                                   alter administrative and work procedures
                                             • Requirement that municipal boards
Unlike modern systems that keep sewage                                                        for municipal entities subject to the new
                                               of health or health departments issue
separate from stormwater, combined                                                            requirements … and that municipalities
                                               public health warnings under certain
sewer systems, many dating back more                                                          will need to increase disbursements which
                                               circumstances
than a century, combine wastewater and                                                        are not reimbursed by the federal or state
stormwater. High stormwater volumes          In line with its obligations under Exec-         government.”
caused by heavy rain events can over-        utive Order 145, the MassDEP assessed
                                                                                              The MassDEP held two public hearings
whelm combined systems, causing them         the municipal impact of the proposed
                                                                                              on the proposed regulations, on Oct. 27,
to discharge into rivers.                    regulations. The department stated that
                                                                                              and the department will accept written
                                             it “does not anticipate that the regulation
As of 2018, Massachusetts had 19 CSO                                                          comments through Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. ●

Human services group discusses dealing with difficult people
By Isabelle Nichols                                                                           examining the facts of the situation and
Dealing with difficult people was the                                                         the roles played by each party, using
focus of the MMA Human Services                                                               high-road communication without
Council’s final meeting of the year, held                                                     judgement or anger, and relying on
virtually on Oct. 20.                                                                         objective measures to track performance
                                                                                              when dealing with a difficult employee.
Daphney Valcinor, an organizational
development training specialist with                                                          When dealing with difficult people, she
AllOne Health, led an interactive                                                             said, it’s important to remember that
training to help members enhance their                                                        we can only control ourselves. We never
interpersonal skills to more effectively                                                      really know what is going on with some-
                                              Daphney Valcinor, an organizational de-         one else, and it’s important to remain
manage difficult situations at work.
                                              velopment training specialist with AllOne       professional and avoid behaving in a
Valcinor began with an acknowledge-           Health, leads an interactive training for the   defensive manner.
ment of the challenging and unique time       MMA Human Services Council on Oct. 20.
we are living and working in, and the                                                         The training concluded with an examina-
impact that it has had on the mental and                                                      tion of different types of difficult people
emotional well-being of many people.         Valcinor asked attendees to share exam-          that might be encountered at work, and
While it is important to recognize and       ples of difficult interactions that they         specific strategies for communicating
understand the context of the times in       have encountered at work. She then               with each type. Valcinor encouraged
difficult interactions, she emphasized       provided practical strategies that can be        attendees to make use of their employee
that the pandemic should not be used as      employed when dealing with difficult             assistance program when additional
an excuse for bad behavior.                  people, including taking time to phys-           support is needed for handling difficult
                                             ically calm your own emotions, closely           situations. ●

8 • The Beacon • November 2021
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
New solid waste plan emphasizes waste reduction
By Ariela Lovett                              waste combus-
On Oct. 18, the Massachusetts De-             tors. This goal
partment of Environmental Protection          helps to align
published the Commonwealth’s policy           the 2030 Solid
framework for reducing and managing           Waste Master
solid waste that is generated, reused,        Plan with the
recycled or disposed of by residents and      Baker-Polito
businesses over the next decade.              administration’s
                                              2030 Clean En-
The 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan:             ergy and Climate
Working Together Toward Zero Waste            Plan and 2050
sets a waste reduction target of 30% by       Decarbonization
2030 and 90% by 2050. Using a 2018            Roadmap, as
baseline of 5.7 million tons, the plan        well as with the
calls for reducing waste to 4 million         emissions re-
tons per year by 2030. (MassDEP’s             duction require-
previous Solid Waste Master Plan, for                              Among other priorities, the new Massachusetts 2030 Solid Waste
                                              ments in climate     Master Plan emphasizes the importance of reusing goods and
2010 through 2020, also targeted a 30%        legislation enact-   materials. Numerous Massachusetts libraries now offer a “Library
reduction over the decade, but data           ed in March.         of Things,” such as this one at the Peabody Institute Library in
indicate that the actual reduction was                             Danvers, where patrons can check out objects. (Photo courtesy
about 16%.)                                   A “major new
                                                                   MassDEP)
                                              and expand-
At the plan’s unveiling, Gov. Charlie         ed initiative”
Baker said it “will significantly improve     identified by MassDEP in the master
the Commonwealth’s waste manage-              plan is its commitment to work with the      Amendments to 310 CMR 19.000: Solid
ment system and provide important             Legislature and its Zero Waste Caucus        Waste Management Facility Regulations
environmental, climate and economic           and other stakeholders to develop an         will lower the commercial food waste
benefits.” He noted that the plan sets        effective approach to reducing single-use    ban threshold from one ton to one-half
“new, aggressive state-level waste re-        packaging; advance extended produc-          ton of generation per week and add mat-
duction goals that align with our carbon      er responsibility (EPR) systems for          tresses and textiles to the list of mate-
emission reduction programs, invest           paint, mattresses, electronics and other     rials banned from disposal or transport
in innovation, and enhance ongoing            products and packaging; and continue         for disposal in Massachusetts. These
engagement with communities across            to administer and enhance existing EPR       amended regulations are due to go into
the Commonwealth.”                            programs (such as for certain beverage       effect in November 2022.
The plan outlines several strategies to       containers and mercury products).            In response to MassDEP’s initial pro-
achieve its waste reduction goals, in-        In testimony to the Joint Committee on       posal to implement a disposal ban for
cluding diverting more food waste (the        Environment, Natural Resources and           mattresses and textiles, the MMA sub-
largest single source of divertable waste)    Agriculture in June, the MMA endorsed        mitted written comments last December
and reducing or phasing out materials         EPR legislation for a range of products      expressing support for the intentions
that are difficult to recycle, such as sin-   and for packaging.                           but concern about whether there is suf-
gle-use plastics and packaging.                                                            ficient recycling infrastructure in place
                                              In December 2019, the MMA submit-            statewide to support municipalities in
The plan sets a secondary goal of reduc-      ted written comments on a draft of           diverting these materials from landfills.
ing the toxicity of the waste stream by       the Solid Waste Master Plan. MassDEP
improving the availability of household       reopened the public comment period be-       In testimony to the Environment
hazardous waste collection programs           tween July and September 2020 to en-         Committee in June, the MMA expressed
and implementing producer responsibil-        courage additional feedback on issues of     support for passing extended producer
ity approaches for targeted materials.        environmental justice, climate change,       responsibility legislation for mattresses
                                              and the impacts of the COVID-19 pan-         this legislative session in advance of a
The plan notes that reducing waste can                                                     full waste ban. The legislation would
lead to a significant reduction in green-     demic on solid waste management in
                                              Massachusetts.                               expand mattress recycling infrastructure
house gas emissions. Achieving the 2030                                                    and shift the cost and materials man-
waste reduction goal could prevent more       MassDEP plans to conduct a mid-course        agement burden for these bulky items
than 1.7 million metric tons of carbon        program and policy assessment by 2025,       from municipalities to manufacturers. ●
dioxide from entering the atmosphere,         which will report on the progress in
based on a model from the U.S. Environ-       implementing the programs and policies
mental Protection Agency.                     identified in the plan.
By reducing the disposal of plastics,         MassDEP is also promulgating reg-
MassDEP aims to achieve a reduction           ulations to expand its current waste
of 300,000 metric tons of CO2-equiva-         disposal bans for commercial organic/
lent emissions annually from municipal        food waste, mattresses and textiles.

                                                                                                 November 2021 • The Beacon • 9
House OK's .8B ARPA/surplus plan
New Massachusetts Municipal Directory now available
By Jennifer Kavanaugh                          financial data for each of the state’s
On Oct. 13, the MMA published its              cities and towns. There are also sections
2021-2022 Massachusetts Municipal              devoted to regional school districts,
Directory, a comprehensive resource for        state and federal government agencies,
municipal officials that helps them con-       and relevant professional organizations,
nect with colleagues, as an online PDF.        as well as a guide to products and ser-
                                               vices for municipalities.
MMA members and those who pre-or-
dered the 2021-2022 directory received         All recipients of The Beacon receive
emails with login information and              access to the directory. For members,
instructions for accessing the document.       the cost is covered by their MMA dues.
Members and those who have purchased           Other readers interested in receiving
the directory can also click here and log      access to the Massachusetts Municipal
in to view it.                                 Directory can order it online.
The Massachusetts Municipal Directory          As always, the MMA greatly appreciates
PDF has live web links allowing users to       the help of local officials who updated
access online state, federal and associ-       their communities’ information by using             m a s s a c h u s e t t s   m u n i c i p a l   a s s o c i a t i o n

                                                                                               2021-2022 | Massachusetts Municipal Directory
ation resources that are critical to the       the MMA’s online tool earlier this year,
work of local government.                      and who have continued to report more         For more information, contact Directory
                                               recent personnel changes.                     Editor Jennifer Kavanaugh or Database
The guide includes contact information                                                       Administrator Ruby Sadoques at
for local officials and demographic and                                                      directory@mma.org. ●

Governor signs scaled-back FY21 closeout budget
By Jackie Lavender Bird                        In August, Baker filed a year-end spending    has advocated. ●
On Oct. 21, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a        proposal that would have used $1 billion
$333 million supplemental budget bill to       of the surplus to
officially close the books on fiscal 2021.     bolster the state’s
                                               Unemployment
The scaled-back spending bill delays deci-     Trust Fund and
sions on how to spend much of a $5 billion     $568 million for
state surplus. In announcing the com-          relief programs,
promise bill on Oct. 13, House Ways and        mostly targeted at
Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz and Senate        housing insecu-
Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues         rity and human
referred to it as a “bill-paying” budget and   services.
said unobligated fiscal 2021 surplus funds
would be considered “later in the fall.”       Legislative leaders
                                               did not address
Comptroller William McNamara can now           the governor’s
close the books on fiscal 2021 in advance      proposal or any
of an end-of-October reporting deadline.       new spending
During the public health emergency, the        of the surplus,
                                               instead opting to
administration and the Legislature used
revenue estimates that reflected the un-       place the surplus       Management Association holds
certainty of the times to create the fiscal    in a special fund       ‘boot camp’
2021 budget. Subsequently, state revenues      for further deliber-    Four veteran town managers — Southborough Town Adminis-
far exceeded expectations, leading to a        ation.                  trator Mark Purple (top left), retired town manager John Petrin
higher-than-usual budget surplus.              An outside section      (top right), Brookline Deputy Town Administrator Melissa Goff
                                                                       (bottom right) and Brookline Town Administrator Mel Kleck-
The surplus is enabling the state to avoid     of the budget
                                                                       ner — discuss the importance of relationships between town
a $1.1 billion withdrawal from the state’s     bill increases the      managers and assistant town managers during the Massachu-
stabilization account that had originally      allowable number        setts Municipal Management Association’s annual boot camp
been anticipated as necessary to balance       of hours a retired      for new town managers on Oct. 14. The half-day session also
the fiscal 2021 budget. The surplus is also    public employee         covered developing relationships with elected officials, manag-
adding $1.1 billion from above-benchmark       can work per            ing staff, community participation, and establishing work-life
capital gains tax revenue to the fund. At      calendar year           balance. More than 100 attended the meeting, which included
the close of fiscal 2021, the stabilization    from 960 to 1200,       a discussion with three communications directors/public infor-
fund balance stood at a record $4.63 bil-      a provision for         mation officers and a Finance 101 session.
lion, according to the administration.         which the MMA

10 • The Beacon • November 2021
MassWorks and One Stop grants announced
Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito    up a dialog al-
and Housing and Economic Develop-            lowing commu-
ment Secretary Mike Kennealy joined          nities to work
state and local officials from Lowell on     with members
Oct. 25 to announce $66.5 million in         of our team
2021 MassWorks awards to 50 commu-           to refine and
nities.                                      improve upon
The administration also kicked off           their ideas.”
the first series of grant awards made        The largest pro-
through the Community One Stop for           gram among
Growth program, which total a com-           the One Stop
bined $88.7 million for projects in 122      portfolio, the
communities across the Commonwealth,         competitive
including the MassWorks awards. First        MassWorks
announced at the MMA Annual Meeting          Infrastructure
in January, Community One Stop for           Program, now
Growth is a single application portal and    six years old,
streamlined, collaborative review pro-       offers cities        Gov. Charlie Baker announces the first rounds of the 2021 Mass-
cess that replaced multiple application      and towns            Works and Community Planning Grant program awards in Lowell
processes for separate grant programs        flexible capital     on Oct. 25. Pictured behind him are Lowell City Manager Ellen
that support local economic develop-         funding to sup-      Donoghue (left) and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. (Photo courtesy Joshua
ment initiatives.                            port and accel-      Qualls/Governor’s Press Office)

The administration also announced $1         erate housing
million for 16 communities through the       production and
Department of Housing and Communi-           job growth. This year, the administra-
                                             tion is awarding 56 MassWorks grants           for sale to first-time homebuyers with
ty Development’s Community Planning                                                         household incomes ranging from 70% to
Grant Program, one of the many pro-          to 50 communities, the largest number
                                             of awards in a single year. Fourteen           100% of the area median income.
grams available through One Stop.
                                             communities are receiving their first-ev- “We are confident that the Acre Cross-
In One Stop’s inaugural round, the Ex-       er MassWorks award.                            ing project will mark a continuation
ecutive Office of Housing and Economic                                                      of the high-quality development that
Development received 267 Expressions         This year’s MassWorks projects include
                                             29 to reactivate underutilized sites,          has been supported in Lowell through
of Interest from 178 communities.                                                           MassWorks,” said City Manager Eileen
Nearly one-third of the grant awards         27 to support transit-oriented devel-
                                             opments, and 29 with a mixed-use               Donoghue.
are in rural or small towns, half are in a
Housing Choice Community; and one-           component.                                  Lowell was also awarded two grants
third are in a Gateway City.                 See the list of this year’s MassWorks       through the One Stop process. As a
                                             grant recipients.                           Housing Choice community, Lowell was
“MassWorks and the programs accessed                                                     awarded a $250,000 grant to update its
through One Stop support local infra-        The administration has now awarded          2012 Master Plan to address housing
structure projects that spur housing,        326 MassWorks grants to 181 com-            affordability issues and assess how new
workforce development and private            munities, investing more than $608          policies can be aligned with sustainable
investment,” Baker said.                     million in public infrastructure projects   growth.
Polito said One Stop “has transformed        throughout Massachusetts. The ad-
                                             ministration reports that these grants      Lowell also received a $75,000 Com-
the Commonwealth’s role from simply                                                      munity Planning Grant, a One Stop
a patchwork of funding sources into a        have directly supported the creation
                                             of 21,000 new housing units and tens        program that provides technical assis-
true partnership that puts the economic                                                  tance for activities related to land use,
and community development goals for          of thousands of construction and new
                                             permanent jobs, while leveraging more       including assisting communities in the
more cities and towns within reach.” She                                                 development of a master plan, housing
added that the program “allows us to         than $13 billion in private investment.
                                                                                         production plan, zoning review and
bring a heightened sense of urgency to       The city of Lowell is getting a $1.72       updates, urban renewal plan, land use
our efforts to rebuild the economy.”         million MassWorks Infrastructure            plan, downtown plan, parking manage-
One Stop’s collaborative review process      Program grant to support the design         ment plan, feasibility study, or other
involves multiple agencies and direct        and construction of sidewalks, light-       strategic plan. Lowell’s grant will assist
referrals to programs across a number        ing and landscaping that will improve       in the creation of a new transit-oriented
of agencies, all in an effort to get more    vehicular and pedestrian travel in the      development district for the area sur-
communities closer to their economic         area adjacent to a private, mixed-use       rounding the Gallagher Terminal.
development goals, faster. The Expres-       development known as Acre Crossing.
                                             The project includes 32 condominiums        See the list of Community Planning
sions of Interest, Kennealy said, “open                                                  Grant Program awards. ●

                                                                                               November 2021 • The Beacon • 11
WEMO conference discusses resilient communities
By Meredith Gabrilska                                               nity outreach         on boosting diversity, equity and
Women Elected Municipal Officials                                   and engagement        inclusion in local government. Debra
gathered virtually on Oct. 15 for their                             through effective     Roberts, vice chair of the Stoughton
third annual Leadership Conference,                                 and inclusive         Select Board, discussed her communi-
which focused on the crucial role that                              use of social         ty’s efforts to increase diversity on local
women leaders play in recovery efforts                              media, websites,      boards and committees to better match
to establish strong, healthy communi-                               newsletters,          the demographics of the town, including
ties.                                                               livestreams and       voter outreach.
                                                                    community-based       “Progress has been made, but there is
“Women Leading Resilient Communi-                                   apps.
ties” kicked off with a keynote address      Karyn Polito
                                                                                          still more to improve,” Roberts said.
from Lt. Gov Karyn Polito, who thanked                               “We had to zig       Stoughton is one of only six municipal-
attendees for their dedication to serving                            and zag as elected   ities in New England to receive a Racial
their communities and welcomed those        officials,” said Easton Select Board Mem-     Equity Municipal Action Plan program
who are newly elected.                      ber Dottie Fulginiti, who described the       grant, which it used to help address
                                            creation of a volunteer phone bank to         hiring and retention practices.
“There is no better time for women’s        reach seniors in her town.
active participation than the present in                                                  Methuen Councillor Eunice Zeigler
public service,” Polito said. “The time     There was a consensus that the pan-           said developing a strong strategy and
and effort you put into bettering your      demic exacerbated some challenges that        structure is key to building a sustainable
communities and the value you bring         communities are continuing to work on,        initiative, which includes ensuring there
to your local constituents is critical,     including housing instability, supporting     is buy-in and understanding within the
especially now.”                            local businesses and workforce needs,         community. She gave examples: reach-
                                            and addressing public health concerns.        ing out to the younger population, mak-
Polito discussed the important part-        A common theme was workforce-related
nership between the administration                                                        ing information and meeting schedules
                                            concerns, both within municipal govern-       readily available on websites and social
and municipalities across the state and     ment and in downtown businesses.
its key role in the ongoing COVID-19                                                      media, creating public forums, and coor-
response and recovery efforts. She          “We are all seeing this,” said Holaday.       dinating with community partners.
highlighted the administration’s “Future    “There is not a business in town with-        “By having more diverse voices at the ta-
of Work” report, published in July, as a    out a help wanted sign. Everyone is           ble, you are able to promote policies that
marker for how COVID-19 is changing         burnt out. We are trying to reach out to      are more beneficial to your community
work habits and will drive the state’s      regional stakeholders to see how we can       and more encompassing of your entire
housing, transportation and workforce       provide relief or support.”                   population,” Zeigler said.
efforts.                                    Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll described            It’s important to make it easier for
“Massachusetts is well-positioned as we     a successful partnership the city built       residents to engage with the community
emerge from the pandemic,” she said,        with the MassHire North Shore Career          and local government, she said, through
“and the report provides a roadmap          Center to provide up to $800 in Visa          public forums, public art and cultural
forward.”                                   gift cards for eligible employees who fill    events, which provide the opportunity
                                            openings with qualified Salem business-       for interaction about why the work of
Polito also discussed the administra-       es.
tion’s plan to invest $2.8 billion in                                                     local government matters and conversa-
federal COVID-19 funding to support         “We had 36 applicants in just 48 hours,”      tions about similarities and differences.
economic recovery and communities           Driscoll said.                                Investing in these events can also help
hit hardest by the pandemic, including      Lexington Select Board Member Jill Hai        drive economic development.
investments in housing and homeown-         highlighted the need for more affordable      Attendees discussed best practices for
ership, economic development, job           housing and reliable regional trans-          holding and moderating public forums
training and workforce development,         portation in communities that have a          on diversity, equity and inclusion
and infrastructure.                         seasonal workforce, where housing can         efforts, how to best report about such
Following Polito’s address, members of      often be out of reach for workers.            efforts, grant opportunities, and when
the WEMO Steering Committee, chaired        Cohasset Select Board Member Diane            to work with outside consultants.
by Newburyport Mayor Donna Hola-            Kennedy said her town is facing staffing      The overarching theme of the other
day, led a discussion of recovery efforts   challenges.                                   breakout discussion, on climate adap-
in attendees’ communities. Attendees        “We don’t have enough staff or com-           tation and resilience, was the value of
discussed initiatives and efforts by        mittee members,” she said. “It’s a lot of     regional collaboration.
municipal staff, boards and committees      work to apply for grants and prioritize       Mayor Holaday kicked off the conversa-
to best serve communities during the        grant programs and execute, and man-          tion by discussing issues facing her com-
pandemic, including hosting outdoor         age all the CARES and ARPA funding —          munity, in particular with Plum Island
events in downtown areas to help bring      that continues to be a challenge.”            and the Merrimack River, which include
traffic to small businesses, artists and
other vendors, and increasing commu-        One of two breakout sessions focused                              n WEMO continued on 26

12 • The Beacon • November 2021
You can also read