Adams, Great Barrington Receive Water Project Loan Forgiveness Funds

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ADAMS, Mass. — Adams received $1,188,354 in loan forgiveness and Great Barrington Received $486,968 in loan forgiveness.
 
Both towns are making upgrades to their wastewater treatment plants.
 
State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (Trust) Board of Trustees, announced on Dec.14, 2022, that more than $107.3 million in grants were awarded for 43 projects in 35 communities across the Commonwealth.
 
The grant funds are awarded to cities, towns, counties, and water utilities to help pay for improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
 
"These grants will support vital water infrastructure projects throughout the state," said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. "This investment furthers our commitment to ensuring the health and safety of all Massachusetts residents by providing access to clean drinking water in even more communities this coming year."
 
The grant amounts are to be provided as loan forgiveness and are awarded by project category to provide much needed financial assistance towards high priority projects.
 
In Adams, funds will be used in the repair, replacement, and refurbishment of various systems of the Adams Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) as defined in the 2020 Capital Needs Assessment Report to address stringent NPDES permit limits, reduce nutrient discharges, and ensure the integrity of the plant. 
 
The Adams WWTF has been in operation since 1968, with limited capital improvements occurring in 2006. The Town of Adams has performed general maintenance and rebuilt equipment to maintain WWTF operation; however, many components have far exceeded their anticipated life expectancy. This project serves to repair and replace aging process equipment and infrastructure to allow the WWTF to continue serving the community and reliably protecting the environment in the future.
 
The total loan amount is $6,829,620.
 
In Great Barrington, funds will be used in part of a 20-year capital improvement plan to upgrade and modernize the Great Barrington wastewater collection system. The Town recently completed a long-term planning study that recommended improvements to its pump stations to extend their useful life, ensure long-term functionality, and permit compliance. 
 
The key components of the project include upgrades to pump stations at the following four locations: Cone Avenue, Risingdale, South Main Street, and Fairgrounds. 
 
The total loan amount is $4,508,962.
 
Additionally, communities that qualify as "Disadvantaged Communities", determined by an affordability metric that ranks each community in the Commonwealth, will receive additional loan forgiveness funds to ensure that subsidy is given to the communities that need it most. The Trust understands certain communities face exceptional environmental and financial challenges. By utilizing loan forgiveness, this can minimize the fiscal impact of these vital water infrastructure projects.
 
"All Massachusetts residents should have reliable access to safe drinking water and structurally sound water resources in their communities," said Administration and Finance Secretary Michael J. Heffernan. "We are pleased to put federal American Rescue Act funds to work toward financing infrastructure initiatives that will bring long-lasting benefits to water systems in these 35 municipalities."
 
The Trust, in collaboration with MassDEP, helps communities build or replace water infrastructure that enhances ground and surface water resources, ensures the safety of drinking water, protects public health and develops resilient communities. It accomplishes these objectives by providing low-interest loans and grants to cities, towns and water utilities through the Massachusetts State Revolving Funds (SRFs). The SRF programs are partnerships between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. SRFs function like an environmental infrastructure bank by financing water infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
 

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Adams Recycling Efforts Paying Benefits

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The town is doing well in terms of its trash management and recycling efforts. 
 
"Your recycling has definitely increased, and you're doing wonderful, Linda Cernik, program coordinator of the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District, said. "You have a 69 percent recycling ratio to your trash."
 
Cernik was giving an update to the Board of Selectmen at its meeting Wednesday. Adams is one of 14 towns that participant in the regional waste district. 
 
"Adams is the second-largest scrap metal recycler in the district with some 38 tons of scrap metal and the town made over $2,000," she said at Wednesday's meeting. "Textile recycling, you're the highest in the district. You've had over 17,000 pounds of textiles diverted from the waste stream, and brought in $1,200."
 
The town has diverted some 119 tons in "commingled" recyclables of paper, plastic and glass and trash collected was 172 tons. 
 
It also received a sustainable recovery materials grant of $4,550 through the Recycling Dividends Program, or RDP. The state grant is allocated on a point system using a criteria of waste diversion and number of households served. This past year's points were worth $325 and Adams scored 14 points. 
 
"This year, if you reach 10 and up, you'll get $600 a point," said Cernik. "So my goal is to work with all of the towns to try to get you as many points possible to increase your reward for MassDEP so you can put it back into your recycling programs. So kudos to the town. You're doing very well."
 
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