Adams — The Baker-Polito administration announced on Tuesday a total of $5 million in MassWorks Infrastructure Program grants to Adams and North Adams to support private investment in tourism, commercial development, and housing production.
A $2.6 million grant was awarded to Adams to extend the Adams Branch rail line of the Hoosac Valley Service track south by roughly one mile. The track extension will provide a new direct link between the downtowns of Adams and North Adams via tourist train service offered by Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum. Nearly $2.2 million in funding went to North Adams to unlock the redevelopment of the Greylock Mill, an abandoned 240,000-square foot mill on a brownfield site. MassWorks funds will allow North Adams to make public improvements including providing public parking, pedestrian access, and site safety measures, that will facilitate the redevelopment of Greylock Mill into a mixed-use development. MassWorks will also grant $250,000 to support planning efforts for the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum, a permanent museum that would build on existing cultural assets in North Adams to create a family-friendly destination that pays homage to the area’s roots.
The MassWorks Infrastructure Program provides public infrastructure funding for municipalities and other eligible public entities seeking to support housing production, economic development, and job creation. The 2016 grant round generated 114 applications, requesting $287 million in public infrastructure grant funding. Infrastructure projects awarded in the 2016 grant round will generate $1 billion in private investment in communities. Each year, the MassWorks program allocates 10 percent of awarded funds to assist municipalities with populations of 7,000 or less in completing roadway safety and transportation improvement projects. In August 2016, Governor Charlie Baker signed H.4569, An Act Relative to Job Creation and Workforce Development, to reauthorize MassWorks and support $500 million of future investment in critical infrastructure. The Baker-Polito administration has increased MassWorks funding by $35 million over the past two fiscal years.
