MassDOT Launches BIL Expenditures Website

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced it has launched a new website, "Project Viewer," displaying information on expenditures made using federal funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) of 2021 as well as information on state matching funds.
 
The website will be updated weekly and allows users to view a breakdown of all federal and state matching dollars used on BIL-funded projects. Users can also filter this information by project type and view information on the current balances of funds that have not yet been obligated. 
 
The website was developed as required by An Act Relative to Massachusetts's Transportation Resources and Climate (MassTRAC), Section 31, which was recently passed by the Massachusetts Legislature and signed by Governor Charlie Baker.
 
"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will deliver billions in funding to the Commonwealth, helping to build on the investments the Baker-Polito Administration has made over the past 7 years to improve infrastructure, and we are pleased to offer a way for the public to see where the federal dollars are being spent," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler. "Under the Baker-Polito Administration, we have come a long way as a Commonwealth with increasing capital investments in our transportation system, with expanding municipal grant programs to help cities and towns improve core infrastructure and with prioritizing safety, equity, reliability and the resiliency of our transportation system.  The new Project Viewer will give community members a window into investments being made with BIL funds and with the support of the transportation and environmental bond bill called MassTRAC."
 
MassTRAC was signed by Governor Baker on Aug. 10, 2022.  An $11.4 billion infrastructure bond bill, it advances and supports the investments in the Commonwealth's roads, bridges, railways, transit agencies and environmental infrastructure with the enactment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  MassTRAC will allow MassDOT, the MBTA, and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to continue work supported by the recent transportation and environmental bond bills.
 
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized approximately 35 discretionary, competitive grant programs to be administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) over 5 years, with total funding in excess of $110 billion.
 
In addition to information on all BIL-funded infrastructure projects' funding source, cost, and category of spending, MassDOT's Project Viewer webpage contains a mapping feature that allows users to view projects' geographic limits and relative size compared to other nearby projects.
 
 
 

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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