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ASHLAND – The Town of Ashland received a $300,00 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) today, April 22.

The grant was one of 36 projects totaling $5.3 million in funding for the fifth round of funding from the Baker-Polito Administration’s Shared Winter Streets and Spaces program. 

The shared streets & spaces program, which was launched on November 10, provides technical and funding assistance to help Massachusetts cities and towns conceive, design, and implement tactical changes to curbs, streets, and parking areas in support of public health, safe mobility, and renewed commerce, with a special focus on the challenges of winter.

the Town of Ashland will use the $300,000 to improve 1,175 linear feet of sidewalk adjacent to shops, restaurants, the Ashland Public Library, and the Farmers Market.

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The awards made today, April 22, will provide funding to 36 municipalities and two public transit authorities for 40 projects.

Of the awarded municipalities, 50% are designated Environmental Justice communities and 18% are considered high-risk for COVID infections.

A total of 58% of today’s winners have never received a Shared Streets and Spaces award before.

The Shared Winter Streets and Spaces program provides grants as small as $5,000 and as large as $500,000 for municipalities and transit authorities quickly launch changes for safer walking, biking, public transit, recreation, commerce, and civic activities. These improvements can be intentionally temporary or can be pilots of potentially permanent changes. MassDOT is particularly focused on projects that respond to the current public health crisis and provide safe mobility for children, for elders, to public transportation, and to open space and parks.

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By editor

Susan Petroni is the former editor for SOURCE. She is the founder of the former news site, which as of May 1, 2023, is now a self-publishing community bulletin board. The website no longer has a journalist but a webmaster.