2022 Community Mitigation Fund Archive - Massachusetts Gaming Commission

About the 2022 Community Mitigation Fund

The Massachusetts Legislature legalized casino gaming to produce broad-based economic development, including jobs and revenue. The Legislature also established an equally important mandate to mitigate unintended impacts associated with the arrival of casino gaming. To that end, the law created the Community Mitigation Fund to support communities and governmental entities in offsetting impact costs related to the construction and operation of gaming facilities.

Since 2015, the MGC has issued approximately $28 million in funding to advance needs in transportation, community planning, workforce development and public safety for municipalities and government entities located in the vicinity of the casinos.

The application period for the 2022 Community Mitigation Fund is now closed. Applications were due by January 31, 2022.

2022 Community Mitigation Fund Awards

Specific Impact Grants

City of Everett Fire Department: This funding will increase radio/communication reliability in and between responding members of the EFD and other responding municipalities.
- Award: $122,600 | Application
City of Everett Police Department: This will provide funding for Public Safety equipment, overtime reimbursement and communication interoperability.
- Award: $309,000 | Application
Hampden County Sheriff’s Department: These funds provide lease assistance for the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center after having to move its location to make way for the MGM Casino.
- Award: $400,000 | Application
Town of Mansfield Police Department: Funding of traffic enforcement and education equipment to mitigate safety concerns caused by increased traffic volume on Route 106 since the opening of Plainridge Park Casino.
- Award: $64,500 | Application
City of Springfield Office of Community Development: This grant will advance the site feasibility, design, and financing/development options for a new mixed-use/parking garage recommended in the Springfield Parking Authority parking study.
- Award: $300,000 | Application
City of Springfield Fire Department: Funding for the purchase of extrication tools for the apparatus that primarily responds to the casino area.
- Award: $41,300 | Application
City of Springfield Police Department: This project will address unforeseen deficits in the area of IT connectivity in support of the Gaming Enforcement Office.
- Award: $16,000 | Application

Specific Impact Grant Applications Not Awarded

Public Safety Impact Grants

City of Boston Police Department: Funding for increased investigative activities between the BPD’s Human Trafficking Unit and other related law enforcement entities; and increased traffic safety patrols on the roadways surrounding the casino.
- Award: $106,000 | Application
Town of Foxboro Police Department: These funds will continue training officers in high-liability areas to enhance public safety and mitigate areas of impact from the casino.
- Award: $71,400 | Application
Hampden County District Attorney’s Office: This grant continues funding to the Hampden DA’s Office for personnel to handle casino-related prosecutions.
- Award: $75,000 | Application
Town of Longmeadow: This grant will provide funding for cameras at the intersection of the I-91 and Longmeadow Street/Route 5 junction. Monitoring this site will determine the most effective methods of deploying law enforcement and public safety resources.
- Award: $85,900 | Application
City of Medford: The police department will use these funds to purchase a pickup truck and Speed Monitor trailer.
- Award: $68,300 | Application
Town of Plainville Police Department: This funding will cover police training costs on fair and impartial policing, human dynamics and conflict resolution and de-escalation.
- Award: $142,200 | Application
Town of Saugus: This grant provides funding for solar lighting on the Northern Strand rail trail, which would provide a safety enhancement for casino-related users.
- Award: $187,000 | Application
Town of West Springfield: Funding for additional police and fire/EMS personnel hired to increase staffing for the impact to municipal services resulting from the opening of the MGM Casino in Springfield, MA.
- Award: $200,000 | Application

Public Safety Impact Grant Applications Not Awarded

Transportation Planning Grants

City of Boston: Design of improvement to Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown.
- Award: $200,000 | Application
City of Chelsea: Funding for a comprehensive study to devise a conceptual design of multi-modal infrastructure enhancements on Spruce Street, between Everett Avenue and Williams Street.
- Award: $167,600 | Application
Cities of Everett & Boston: These funds will complete the formation of the Lower Mystic Transportation Management Association. These funds support the basic operational needs of the TMA during its first 3 years.
- Award: $450,000 | Application
City of Malden: This grant will provide funding for a traffic signal inventory and analysis on the major north-south routes into Everett and connecting east-west routes.
- Award: $57,500 | Application
City of Medford: This project will study the feasibility of utilizing a freight rail right-of-way to construct a multi-use trail that would improve connectivity in the Wellington/Glenwood neighborhood by creating a safe path of travel that is fully separated from motor vehicles.
- Award: $70,000 | Application

Transportation Planning Grant Applications Not Awarded

City of Malden 2022 MBTA Transportation Planning Grant Application

Transportation Construction Grants

Town of Agawam: Reconstruction of the intersection at Suffield Street, Cooper Street and Rowley Street.
- Award: $833,300| Application
City of Everett: This funding is to complete a missing section of the Mystic Riverwalk between Mystic View Park and Route 16/Woods Memorial Bridge.
- Award: 1,335,000 | Application
City of Medford: This project will add four stations to Medford’s new bike share system, connecting the Wellington MBTA station, Mystic River path system, and neighborhoods to the west to the initial six stations in Medford Square and South Medford.
- Award: $192,500 | Application
City of Springfield DPW: These funds are for the revitalization of East Columbus Avenue and Hall of Fame Avenue. Major elements will include roadway resurfacing, sidewalk and median improvements, bicycle accommodations, guardrails, and safety upgrades in the heart of downtown in a very close proximity to MGM Casino.
- Award: $766,700 | Application
City of Springfield – Court Square: This grant will help fund the construction of near-term priority public realm improvements to reopen roadways, improve overall access, upgrade utilities, and enhance the pedestrian environment to reestablish connectivity with MGM and the 13-31 Elm Building renovation project.
- Award: 1,500,000 | Application
Town of West Springfield: This grant will fund Complete Streets transportation improvements of Elm Street (Rte. 20) from Park Street/ Park Avenue to Garden Street.
- Award: $1,266,600 | Application

Transportation Construction Grant Applications Not Awarded

City of Medford 2022 Haines Square Transportation Construction Grant Application

Workforce Development Programs Applications

Holyoke Community College: Work Ready 2022 is a collaborative effort of HCC, STCC, and SPS to provide adult education, career readiness and occupational training to connect un- and underemployed residents to education, training and employment opportunities to meet the workforce needs of MGM Springfield and the region.
- Award: $500,000 | Application
MassHire Metro North & City of Boston: A consortium of partners will provide contextualized ESOL training, occupational skills training, job readiness training, digital literacy training and career counseling.
- Award: $500,000 | Application

Community Planning Grants

City of Everett: Funding for developing design guidelines for potential new development in the Everett DPA/Industrial District.
- Award: $100,000 | Application
Town of Foxboro: These funds will provide marketing tools for the implementation of strategies outlined in Regional Destination Marketing Plan in a comprehensive and integrated manner.
- Award: $136,000 | Application
City of Malden: The City of Malden is working to purchase the old Malden Courthouse and convert it into the Malden Center for Arts & Culture. The Reuse Study will produce a comprehensive report that will help determine the most appropriate and financially feasible mix of arts and cultural uses.
- Award: $100,000 | Application
City of Medford: This grant will fund a planning study for the Wellington area of Medford. The study will provide a basis for decision making about land-use planning, transportation planning, public infrastructure planning, and zoning modifications for the Wellington area’s future.
- Award: $100,000 | Application
City of Northampton: This grant provides continued funding for development and improvement of the northampton.live website.
- Award: $75,000 | Application
City of Revere: This grant provides funding for marketing efforts around the Broadway corridor in Revere related to district identity, brand association, improved public realm and cross marketing campaigns designed to stimulate economic recovery of the corridor while generating linkages to the district’s unique history and venues.
- Award: $100,000 | Application

Community Planning Grant Applications Not Awarded

2022 Community Mitigation Fund Guidelines and Instructions

The application period for the 2022 Community Mitigation Fund closed following the January 31, 2022 deadline.

The following application forms are meant for reference only. Applications must be submitted via COMMBUYS (BD-22-1068-1068C-1068L-64803), per the instructions. If you have any questions or concerns contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or during normal business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET Monday – Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

Applications must be sent to www.commbuys.com.

Further detail on this year’s program may be found in the Guidelines or by contacting Joe Delaney at joseph.delaney@massgaming.gov.

About the Funds

Reserves have expired as of 12/31/21

Communities have until December 31, 2021 to have funding committed to a project. Any funding not committed to a project by that time will be rolled back into the CMF and allocated equally between the Regions.

Specific Impact Grants

The 2022 Specific Impact Grant may be used only to mitigate operational related impacts that are being experienced or were experienced from the gaming facilities by the January 31, 2022 application date. MGC has placed a limit for the 2022 Specific Impact Grant of $500,000, subject to request for waiver.

Public Safety Impact Grants

Public Safety applications are now under their own category. Communities may submit for public safety operational costs, which also may include specific training related to gaming facility issues. To receive a public safety grant an applicant has to demonstrate three specific things (1) that the grant addresses an issue caused by the casino, (2) the impact is not addressed in the host or surrounding community agreement and (3) the funding will supplement and not supplant historical operational funding.

Incentive for Regional Cooperation

MGC established incentive funding for applications involving more than one community. These joint applications must specifically show the interrelationship of the communities in their endeavor.

Transportation Planning Grants

The 2022 CMF authorizes communities to apply for Transportation Planning Grants. MGC approved a target of $200,000 per grant (plus potentially a regional incentive).

Transportation Construction Grants

In 2022 MGC will continue grant funding for transportation construction costs. MGC has established a maximum contribution from the CMF of 1/3 of the total construction costs up to a maximum grant amount of $1,500,000. However, MGC has retained the ability to increase this award amount and other award amounts if funds are available.

Workforce Development Programs in Region A and Region B

MGC will make $500,000 in funding available for workforce development programs. One in each Regions A and B.

Community Planning Grants

MGC will make funding available for certain planning and technical assistance activities through Community Planning Grants. These grants may be used to achieve further benefits from a gaming facility or to avoid or minimize adverse impacts. The maximum

grant amount for 2022 is $100,000. In the event that a Community Planning Grant involves more than one community for the same planning project, applicants would be eligible for a Regional Planning Incentive Award.

Tribal Gaming Technical Assistance

MGC is making technical assistance funding available to assist in the determination of potential impacts that may be experienced by communities in geographic proximity to the potential Tribal Gaming facility in Taunton. This funding will only be made available if it is determined by the MGC that construction of the gaming facility will likely commence prior to or during Fiscal Year 2022.

Emergency Mitigation Grants

This category of grants is for significant impacts that may be identified outside of the normal CMF application process. Any impact must be newly identified and be of an emergency nature that would cause significant harm to the community if it were not remedied in an expeditious fashion. The intent of this grant is to allow MGC to be more responsive in addressing significant casino-related issues that do not fall within the normal CMF timelines.

Mass Gaming