State, Local Leaders Celebrate Funding Boost For Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Extension
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| Palfrey talks about his experience riding on the trail minutes prior to the press conference |
ADAMS, Mass. — State officials and local leaders kicked up their kickstands and took a ride along the final stretch of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail on Thursday to celebrate new investments in rural communities.
Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office (FFIO) Director Quentin Palfrey joined local leaders, including State Rep. John Barrett III and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) Executive Director Laura Brennan, in Adams to highlight the newest round of FFIO funding. The grant will provide BRPC with $64,700 in state funds to help advance the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail expansion.
"When Governor Healey came into office, one of her big day-one commitments was to make sure that Massachusetts was fighting for every dollar possible coming out of Washington," Palfrey said, speaking about FFIO, a program created in 2023 to help the state aggressively pursue and coordinate federal funding opportunities.
This builds on a $17.3 million federal award secured last year for the project, dubbed the A2A project, which supports the design of a 9.3-mile shared-use path connecting the existing Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to the Williamstown Mohican Path.
"One of the things that she emphasized to me when we set up the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office was that we need to make sure that these resources not only come into Massachusetts, but benefit all of Massachusetts," Palfrey added.
The additional $64,700 will allow BRPC to gather information about transportation needs in northern Berkshire County to help inform the design of the trail expansion. BRPC will partner with Williams College and Luminary Evaluation, LLC to use the University of Michigan's Transportation Security Index (TSI).
Brennan said BRPC will deploy a 16-question survey that will allow them "to research local and regional perspectives and surface the needs of our neighbors when it comes to transportation in the Berkshires."
"The best-case scenario would be if the survey turned up results that all needs are met and that everyone has access to the places and the things that they need to travel to – but we know that is not true," Brennan said. "We know that folks in Berkshire struggle to get to their place of employment, to be able to access important medical appointments, [and] other engagements. So, the transportation security index is going to help us really hone in on those specific needs, identify pockets of needs or areas where there is a strong concentration or depth of need."
She said FFIO's investment offers a "wonderful augmentation" to BRPC's current plans for the bike trail extension. It's also an investment that will make the region more competitive for other transportation opportunities.
"This is an incredibly multifaceted and valuable investment, and we deeply appreciate it," she said.
Barrett said these investments drive growth in the Berkshires.
"I've always found that if you're going to grow an area, you grow with what you have here to grow. You don't bring something in. We have a natural beauty. We have an environment that's second to none, and that's what we are going to grow on," he said.
Barrett said that in the First Berkshire District alone, 4,000 new people moved to the area.
"We're seeing that migration here. They're going to have activities. They're going to have jobs, and we're going to have a great educational system that goes with it with our two colleges that are here," he said.
Palfrey said it was clear during the initial creation of FFIO that federal funding often went to wealthier and more urban communities with larger planning departments and greater access to consultants. He added that FFIO helps reverse this trend and get projects in rural communities off the ground.
He added that he was proud the program funds community-driven projects rather than priorities determined by the state.
"These infrastructure projects have incredible returns on investment, but they take time, and there are a lot of challenges that local communities face in moving them forward," he said. "And one of the reasons that we put together this Municipal and Tribal Technical Assistance program [hosted by FFIO] is to help communities with that hard work that goes into the design and engineering, that goes into the grant writing, that goes into implementing these projects."
This round of FFIO awards also included $25,000 each for two other rural Berkshire County communities:
- Becket received $25,000 to support filing for Direct Pay clean energy tax credits with the Internal Revenue Service for a wind turbine project.
- Clarksburg was awarded $25,000 to update its Hazard Mitigation Plan, which helps towns proactively plan for disasters before they happen to reduce potential damage.
Tags: Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, BRPC,
