Hello everyone! I hope you are all able to enjoy the good weather this weekend is expected to bring. Today I will be attending the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam Ground War at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. The Soldiers’ home does a fantastic job of not just taking care of their residents but also honoring their service and sacrifice. Currently, there are 68 residents at the Soldiers’ Home that served in Vietnam or were active duty during the Vietnam War, and today we will honor them.
I attended three ribbon-cuttings yesterday in Westfield, which means that businesses are opening up – a great sign for the local economy. Now that spring is here, it will be easier to get downtown and walk around to the stores and restaurants, both new and old. There is a new breakfast place at the site of the old Elm Street Diner called Pancake Sundaes with a great atmosphere, as well as a new jewelry store on East Main Street.
Westfield on Weekends also moved their operations to the Rinnova Building downtown, a great location for the events and classes they have planned. I’m looking forward to the summer concerts and the other fun events they sponsor, including the 5k on May 16th! I’m stepping up my training at Expert Fitness so I can run on the Amelia Park Children’s Museum team. I can’t wait!
On Wednesday, my colleagues and I voted unanimously to pass legislation that will provide cities and towns with $200 million for road and bridge repairs. It also passed the Senate unanimously and was signed by the Governor this past Thursday. This is great news for Westfield, as the formula for distributing these types of funds provides us with around $600,000 of that figure. The Governor has also created a separate fund with $30 million specifically for pothole repairs. This money comes just in time for construction season and will help fund some of our local transportation projects.
On the other side of the transportation conversation, the MBTA’s troubles continue to get media coverage. The panel appointed by Governor Baker recently released a report that identified severe problems with management of the MBTA, weak workplace practices, and an overall lack of accountability. The problems don’t end there. The panel also found that in the last five years, the MBTA only spent $2.3 billion of the $4.5 billion that was appropriate for capital construction. This is an infuriating report, because even though the legislature has been throwing money at the problem, the money isn’t being invested, and it’s definitely not being invested wisely. The panel’s report suggested some solutions, including creating a twenty year capital plan to restore and modernize the MBTA.
The House budget comes out this week, so be sure to check in next week for an overview of what the budget entails. The Governor’s budget was released on March 4th, with many programs and services being level funded, or kept at the same level of funding as the current year. Many groups, organizations, and agencies are angered by the proposal of level funding, and the House budget will be a chance to advocate for some of these groups and line items. If there is something on your mind for the budget, or a question you have about the process, please feel free to contact my office.
As always, please contact me if you have an issue, a question, or a concern. I can be reached at [email protected] or you can send an email to my aide Neesha at [email protected]. Have a great weekend!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
