FEMA Awards Almost $3.5M to Mass for COVID Vaccination Costs

Print Story | Email Story
BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $3.5 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing vaccinations to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The $3,494,771 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the cost of contracting to operate a statewide network of mobile vaccination sites between June and December 2022.
 
The contractor operated at 285 locations around the state and provided 73,455 vaccinations to individuals who met certain eligibility criteria. Services provided included screening patients, administering the vaccine, vaccine storage compliance, documenting procedures, and personal protective equipment protocol compliance.
 
"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Massachusetts with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation's ongoing recovery.”
 
FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
 
So far, FEMA has provided more than $2.6 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
 

Tags: FEMA,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Burlington Store Coming to Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A national retail clothing store will move into the recently shuttered Staples this summer.

Last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a sign exemption for Burlington Stores, formerly Burlington Coat Factory. This allows the company to place a sign larger than 100 square feet on the space in Berkshire Crossing at 555 Hubbard Ave.

Burlington plans to install a nearly 147-square-foot sign on the storefront that reads "Burlington" with "Deals. Brands. WOW!" underneath. The sign will be internally illuminated by LED lights.

According to its website, the Pittsfield store will open on Aug. 22. In the fall, signs appeared on Staples' front window indicating it would close on Dec. 13.

"We have a hardship. We're tucked back in the corner so there's a visibility issue and we're also working with a logo that was designed in 1982 so, as you can see, there's a lot of negative space," a representative from the retail company said, explaining that it was looking for a little relief from the requirement.

Exemptions were previously granted for non-conforming signage on other storefronts in the 15.3-acre shopping center due to the need for increased visibility from the roadway. Section 6.7 of the sign ordinance allows the sign board (ZBA) to grant up to 50 percent more up to 150 square feet.

Burlington said the need for increased visibility is because of the 900-foot distance between the private road that leads to the store — and even further from Hubbard Avenue.

Currently, the closest stores are in Latham, N.Y., and Springfield. A store in the Holyoke Mall is set to reopen in Holyoke Crossing [the former Bed Bath & Beyond] at the end of February. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories