Monthly Archives: April 2016

In a continued effort to ensure safe drinking water in schools around the Commonwealth, Governor Charlie Baker and State Treasurer Deb Goldberg today announced $2 million from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (MCWT) to fund cooperative efforts to assist Massachusetts public schools test for lead in drinking water. The funds, to be used by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will provide technical assistance to ensure that public school districts can sample the taps and water fountains in their schools, and to identify any results that show lead contamination over the federal action level

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is charging the owner of a Springfield, Massachusetts rental property with violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent an apartment to a husband and wife with children. The landlordwas also charged with printing discriminatory statements in his lease and retaliating against the family after they complained.Read HUD’s charge.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that according to the City's quarterly housing report, Boston remains on target to meet the goal of creating 53,000 units of housing by 2030. This quarter, 565 new housing units were permitted, for a total of 17,183 units that have either been permitted or completed since the launch of the administration's housing plan, Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030, in October 2014.

MassHousing has honored Residential Mortgage Services (RMS) for being the Agency's top retail producer of home mortgage loans in 2015, an award RMS has achieved for the second consecutive year.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced significant investment for homelessness services Boston to further the goals of the city's Action Plan to End Veteran and Chronic Homelessness in Boston. The increased funding for homelessness services is included in the Mayor's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17).

Through loans, grants and tax credits, legislation would inject more than $70 billion in the next 10 years into water infrastructure and lead relief programs. Markey legislation, the CLEARR Act, provides assistance for disadvantaged communities, brings public water infrastructure into 21st century

A home improvement contractor will pay up to $60,000 to settle allegations of failing to follow required procedures when he improperly removed asbestos-containing shingles from the exterior of an Ayer home undergoing renovation, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has announced that Massachusetts will receive $2 million in funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The funding is part of $95 million in LWCF funds being distributed to all 50 states.

Research and Development Grant to Northeastern University from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative will Support Advancement of Connected Technologies with Medical, Defense, and Energy Applications

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren issued the following statement today about the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) recent announcement that principal reductions will be made available for certain homeowners:

The Public Building Commission of the Town of Scituate, Massachusetts will issue periodic public updates about the construction progress for the Town Library project. Groundbreaking occurred on September 1, 2015. The project remains on budget. Completion is anticipated for late 2016/early 2017.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced a new partnership with Verizon to make Boston one of the most technologically advanced cities in the country by replacing its copper-based infrastructure with a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network platform across the city. The new network will offer enormous bandwidth and speeds. Through an investment of more than $300 million from Verizon over six years, this change will bring increased competition and choice for broadband and entertainment services in Boston, and support the ongoing efforts to spur innovation and economic opportunity in all neighborhoods.

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that documents the dramatic growth of nonbank mortgage servicers and details the need for stronger regulatory oversight of the industry. GAO produced the report in response to a request from Cummings and Warren.

The Baker-Polito Administration announced a total of $31,300 in Planning Assistance Toward Housing (PATH) grant awards to Beverly and Sunderland, to help these communities meet their housing needs. Beverly and Sunderland join 17 communities across the Commonwealth that have received a PATH grant award since the program’s authorization in 2014.

In partnership with the Boston Housing Authority, Beacon Communities Development LLC will lead the revitalization of Boston Housing Authority’s Lenox/Camden Apartments in Lower Roxbury. The Lenox/Camden family public housing development includes 285 units of federally subsidized housing in the Lenox portion of the site and 72-units in the adjacent state funded Camden portion of the site. The developers will play a lead role in all aspects of the relevant permitting, design, financing and construction of this project