Congressman Moulton Funds Community Projects in Annual Appropriations Bills

Moulton selected and submitted the project requests out of more than 100 applications based on his top priorities, district needs

 WASHINGTON— Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced that all of the local projects for which he recently requested Community Project Funding have cleared a key hurdle. They have been accepted at the subcommittee level by the House Committee on Appropriations. If the projects survive the entire appropriations process, their inclusion means Moulton will have secured more than $10 million for projects ranging from clinical support for police officers so they can more safely respond to people experiencing mental health crises, to money for food banks serving people hard hit by the pandemic, to building affordable housing and coastal infrastructure, and other economic development projects throughout the North Shore and Merrimack Valley region.

 Moulton received more than 100 applications for funding this year, and had to narrow the group to 10. His requests focus heavily on his top domestic policy priorities: improving mental health care, upgrading the region’s transportation systems, and recovering from the pandemic.

 The Community Project Funding process is new. The House Democratic Caucus developed the idea after rank-and-file members voiced support for it. The process provides individual lawmakers with the opportunity to request funding for projects submitted by community groups and state and local governments that align with the lawmakers’ priorities in the district they represent. The inclusion of the projects Moulton submitted in this year’s appropriations bills is a major step forward, but not the final step. The projects must advance through the House Appropriations Committee and survive conference, the process of merging the House-passed appropriations bills with the Senate’s.

Here are the projects that Moulton submitted:

Essex County Mental Health Initiative

Recipient: Essex County Community Foundation

Amount secured: $700,000

The Essex County Community Foundation Mental Health Initiative seeks to address the mental health challenges facing populations disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The investment will support programs for victims of domestic violence, veterans, high school students, and mental health outreach in policing.

North Shore Community Health Urgent Care Facility

Recipient: North Shore Community Health

Amount secured: $1,000,000

NSCH serves more than 13,000 North Shore residents through its network of three family medicine practices (Salem, Peabody and Gloucester Family Health) and school-based health centers. NSCH seeks to expand the Salem center to establish an urgent care center and increase primary, dental, and behavioral health services for low-income patients.

North Shore Community College’s Anatomy and Physiology Lab Renovation

Recipient: North Shore Community College

Amount Secured: $900,000

North Shore Community College’s (NSCC’s) Anatomy and Physiology Lab upgrade seeks to redesign and renovate a critical science lab used by Allied Health students and help build our healthcare workforce.

STAR Program for Convicted individuals

Essex County Sheriff’s Department

Amount Secured: $850,000

The STAR Program (Supporting Transitions and Re-entry) seeks to provide for enhanced post-release services for sentenced and pretrial inmates to establish a full continuum of care, including “wrap-around services,” with the overall goal of reducing recidivism and providing individuals the tools to become productive in society.

Open Door Expansion of North Shore Hunger Network

Recipient: The Open Door

Amount Secured: $786,892

The Open Door seeks to expand food distribution to residents in need through the North Shore Hunger Network. The network expansion will include a new commercial kitchen, additional cold and dry storage and warehouse capacity, expanded technology, strengthened transportation and fleet capacity, increased pantry hours, advanced food pantry equipment, and the increased purchase of local seafood and produce.

City of Newburyport Bulkhead Reconstruction

City of Newburyport

Amount Secured: $2,250,000

The City of Newburyport seeks to reconstruct a bulkhead that protects the waterfront and near shore economy, including fishing, cruising and tourism, and the recreational boating industries, as well as the heavily utilized boardwalk and public park. Portions of downtown Newburyport are located in the FEMA floodplain and highly susceptible to storm surge and flooding if the bulkhead fails.

Harborlight Community Partners Affordable Housing Development

Harborlight Community Partners

Amount Secured: $700,000

Harborlight seeks to build the Anchor Point affordable housing development. In addition to housing, Anchor Point will offer affordable childcare, computer labs, learning spaces and community gardens. It will foster economic opportunity, improved health, and equity in our region for our most vulnerable citizens.

Border to Boston Trail Gap Design

Recipient: Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Amount Secured: $1,200,000

This request will allow the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to complete engineering and design work for unfinished sections of the Border to Boston Trail in the Massachusetts Sixth District, specifically in the communities of Boxford, Georgetown, Newbury, Marblehead, and Peabody from MassTrails or the Massachusetts Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

South Salem Commuter Rail Stop

Recipient: City of Salem

Amount Secured: $372,000

The City of Salem, Salem State University, North Shore Medical Center, and the Salem Partnership have collaborated on investigating and advancing the concept of a South Salem Commuter Rail Stop, on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Newburyport/Rockport Line. This would establish a second stop in Salem, which already hosts the busiest commuter rail station outside of Boston. The location of the South Salem Stop is intentionally situated in close proximity to Salem State University, the North Shore Medical Center, and underutilized parcels of more than 30 acres, a large proportion of which can support transit-oriented development.

Design and Construction of the Wakefield Broadway Commuter Rail Crossing

Recipient: Town of Wakefield

Amount Secured: $1,200,000

The project will provide design and construction funding for the installation of the quad railroad gates and pedestrian/ADA mobility enhancements for Wakefield’s Broadway at-grade Commuter Rail crossing, which are safety measures mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration to meet Quiet Zone requirements. The crossing was closed by the FRA after the town completed utility work near the crossing and FRA discovered it no longer met new Quiet Zone requirements. Once completed, this project will allow the at-grade crossing to reopen, increasing safety and providing easier access to local businesses and schools.