FEMA Awards Funds to Massachusetts for COVID School Testing Costs

Print Story | Email Story
BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $64 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of contracting to provide testing services in public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The $64,144,440 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the cost of contracting to provide testing at schools and in public buildings in surrounding communities between February 2021 and June 2022.
 
The contractor provided services which included operations and logistics of pooled testing, training, software, and technical assistance to school personnel.
 
The contractor also provided transportation for a total of 907,829 COVID-19 test specimens from approximately 2,400 public schools across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the laboratory for analysis.
 
"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 $2.7 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.

Former Country Club Reopens as The Venue at Skyline

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The new Patty Barnaby's name is all over the venue. 

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — A new but familiar space is opening for event rentals as The Venue at Skyline.

Patty Barnaby recently leased the former Skyline Country Club building at 405 South Main St. Barnaby used to attend events there, including holding her own "Jack and Jill" wedding shower.

"I've been to the golf tournaments. We've been to fundraisers. We've been to benefits. Actually, sports banquets for our girls, my oldest daughter. We had quite a few of her sports banquets here, just town events, truly, but our Jack and Jill was here," she said. "I had my stepfather's retirement party here, so, we've had a lot of events here as a family."

The golf course closed in 2021 after 58 years and sold to Mill Town Capital, which is using the course for a solar installation. The town's eyed the driving range for a new police station, and the club has been used intermittently, such as for the town's winter festival last year.

Barnaby is active in the community, including serving on the Lanesborough Community Development Committee. She enjoys hosting events and having get-togethers.

"I just have always loved to bring people together, like at our house, doing parties. And our house is very small, so it's always a big summer party," she said.

Barnaby wanted a place for people to host events that may be too big or busy for their homes, but also in an open and beautiful area.

"We need a space like this, not only in Lanesborough, for Lanesborough residents, but in general, for people to be able to come and have events, whether it be inside or outside when the weather permits," sshe said. "It's a beautiful spot, it really, truly is. And I didn't want to see it sit because it really is one of those staples in our town that everybody just knows."

Barnaby had indicated interest in the space after the Winter Festival. She signed the lease on Oct. 31 and has worked hard to make it her own.

She's painted, added new seating, redone the bathrooms, and some other cosmetics upgrades. She also added six televisions, more bar equipment, and will be adding a jukebox.

Barnaby kept the name Skyline because of the location's history and just added "The Venue" to make it her own.

"I just love this space. It is just one of those spaces that, like you don't want to see ever sit," she said.

The former pro shop will be turned into a thrift store. She currently sells clothes out of her house and hosting pop-up thrift events but is now excited to have a permanent space. It will have hours outside of events and will be listed on her social media page once it is ready. 

Barnaby is asking that vendors should reach out so that she can compile a list for those who want to host events. She is also looking for a food vendor to sublease the space.

"I would love to have people reach out to me as I have reached out to them, to be put on a list of like vendors that we can suggest to people that are coming up for events," she said.

Barnaby said she'll help with planning at the location and that she wants to create a comfortable and joyous environment that people would like to come back to.

"It's family friendly, like I am very community-oriented and being very family oriented, so I understand when you're trying to plan a birthday party, or you just need a space, or you're trying to put little details together. I want to be able to help with that," she said.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories