3 million in grants to help schools

Baker-Polito admin adds $150K for bus lanes

For the LEADER HERALD

The Baker-Polito Administration announced last week the opening of the sixth year of the Community Compact IT Grant Program which will provide a total of $3 million in grants for municipal and school district projects de- signed to modernize and improve technology systems. The Community Compact IT program will be accepting applications from September 15, through October 15, and will provide each municipal recipient up to $200,000 in funding.

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Governor Baker arrive at Bistro 5 to tour the restaurant and meet with the owner Vittorio Ettore in Medford, Ma on Thursday September 10, 2020.

Also, in a second bit of great news from the governor and lt. governor, the state has awarded Everett $150,000 for a northern bus lane to move pedestrian traffic on public transportation.

Since its inception, the Community Compact IT Grant Program has awarded 240 grants totaling $12 million to municipalities and school districts to invest in transformative technology infrastructure and critical equipment.

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Letter to the Governor

Governor’Baker:

As state and municipal officials, we thank you for responding to our letters from last week by issuing an order to close all non-essential businesses and advising residents of the Commonwealth to Stay at Home. While we appreciate the steps you have taken to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, we believe more aggressive action is urgently needed to further reduce the potential for transmission of COVID-19. Therefore, we call on you to take the following steps by the end of day, Friday, April 3, 2020. Shut down all non-essential construction. While we recognize some construction work is truly essential, such as emergency repairs to public infrastructure or work that is needed to stand up new facilities to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the current guidance continues to deem far too many construction projects as essential.

Moreover, the current COVID-19 Employee Health, protection, guidance and prevention guidelines indicate that in many circumstances, construction workers shall be supplied PPE including as appropriate a standard face mask, gloves, and eye protection. In this time where our healthcare professionals are being asked to ration the limited supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), the need to shutdown non- essential construction should be obvious. Look for additional ways to narrow the COVID-19 Essential Services list. We understand the state’s Essential Services list has been largely influenced by federal guidelines, but we in Massachusetts ought to be even more aggressive in taking steps to limit the spread of COVID-19.

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