Federal Omnibus Spending Bill as $1M for Greylock Glen
ADAMS, Mass. — A $1 million earmark for the Greylock Glen is in the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that cleared Congress on Thursday.
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means voted to pass the funding legislation that he said includes transformative investments that will help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs, and support the vulnerable.
"In this pivotal moment, the Congress has risen to meet some of the most pressing challenges at home and abroad," said Neal. "This legislation will create good-paying jobs, lower costs for families, and support those in need. This is the latest major deliverable in our ongoing work for the people. I am proud to vote for this legislation, which will lower costs for working families, create American jobs, and support the vulnerable."
The bill contains $8 million in spending for Neal's 1st Massachusetts district, including $350,000 for Berkshire Community College's nursing program.
The long-planned Greylock Glen development project is moving forward with construction of an outdoor center this year. The state has committed $9.3 million to the project and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation invested nearly $3 million in the trail system that connects the 52-acre glen into the larger Mount Greylock State Reservation. The town of Adams was named developer of the state-owned parcel more than a decade ago.
The measure, now on President Biden's desk, unlocks infrastructure investments already been authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and removes the prospect of government shutdowns through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
"I am particularly pleased to have secured nearly $8 million in Community Project Funding to address some of the most pressing needs in western and central Massachusetts," Neal said. "These investments support and foster economic development, making a real difference in the lives of so many in our community."
Community Project Funding for Western Mass includes the following:
- $740,000 for the Town of Agawam's Main Street sewage main and slope stabilization project
- $450,000 for Springfield Urban League's Camp Atwater, The Next Century Campaign – Facilities Modernization and Stabilization Project
- $350,000 for Berkshire Community College's nursing simulation upgrades
- $100,000 for Rick's Place
- $250,000 for Mount Holyoke College's Professional and Graduation Education Department
- $200,000 for the Franklin County Opioid Task Force
- $2,000,000 for the City of Springfield's Forest Park Horticultural Plan
- $850,000 for the town of Sturbridge's Maple Street water line project
- $1,000,000 for the town of Adams' Greylock Glen project
- $2,000,000 for the city of Westfield's Operations Center Building at the water treatment plant
Under guidelines issued by the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, members of Congress requested Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funding for projects in their state for fiscal 2022. CDS requests were restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities were permitted to receive CDS funding.
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