MassDevelopment Announces $390,000 in Commonwealth Places Funding
451
BOSTON MassDevelopment recently announced the availability of $390,000 in funding for a new round of the Commonwealth Places program, a statewide initiative that leverages public support for placemaking projects in Massachusetts. Funding is being made available specifically to assist local economic-recovery efforts as community partners prepare public spaces and commercial districts to serve residents and visitors.
Eligible projects will comply with the Commonwealth’s Reopening Massachusetts plan, and may include outdoor seating spaces, sidewalk retail venues, partitions to support social distancing, and more.
“Our administration is committed to supporting local economic-recovery efforts as communities adjust and respond to the impacts of COVID-19,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “It’s more important than ever to find new and creative ways to drive foot traffic to our Main Streets and commercial distric
New funding available for Commonwealth Places program berkshireeagle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from berkshireeagle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wicked Local
With Newton joining other cities and towns in rolling back the Reopening Massachusetts plan to a modified Phase Two, Step Two starting Dec. 18, in an email Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said she hopes these efforts will help reduce the impact of the regional surge of COVID-19.
The city is also looking ahead to if and when its Health and Human Services Department will be involved in administering the vaccine, but Fuller said the state hasn’t made any decisions yet.
“We do expect at some point to be part of the process,” she said during a phone interview Thursday.
The COVID-19 surge across Boston is continuing and Mayor Martin Walsh said the city is focusing efforts on neighborhoods like Jamaica Plain that have a high volume of community spread ahead of the Christmas holiday as hospitalizations are on the rise.
Last week the BPHC reported that of the 26,438 Jamaica Plain residents tested for COVID 11.1 percent were found to be positive–an increase of 110 percent from the 5.3 percent reported just after Thanksgiving. .The citywide positive test increased 45 percent last week and went from 11.9 percent of Boston residents testing positive for the virus to 17.3 percent.
On Wednesday, Mayor Martin Walsh said that the number of COVID patients in city hospitals has continued to rise and, as expected, the latest data has crossed the thresholds for concern on some health data metrics.
New measures are being taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect hospital capacity.
In an effort to reduce the further spread of COVID-19 and its impact on Boston s health care system and essential services, Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that effective Wednesday, December 16, the City of Boston will return back to a modified Phase Two, Step Two of the Reopening Massachusetts plan. Mayors and city leaders from Massachusetts are joining Boston in announcing similar restrictions in their cities and towns, including Arlington, Brockton, Lynn, Newton, Somerville, and Winthrop. Unfortunately, we are at the point where we need to take stronger action to control COVID-19 in Boston, and urgently, to ensure our health care workers have the capacity to care for everyone in need, said Mayor Walsh. We are hopeful that by reducing opportunities for transmission throughout the region, we will reduce the spread of this deadly virus and maintain our ability to keep critica