Town of Merrimac Awarded $1,365,000 Through State Community One Stop Grant Program For Infrastructural Improvements

MERRIMAC — The Town of Merrimac, Department of Public Works, and Select Board Chair Christopher Manni are pleased to share that Merrimac has been awarded three grants totaling $1,365,000 by the Commonwealth’s Community One Stop Grant Program.

The Community One Stop Grant Program, which was created in 2021 to help cities and towns across the state improve infrastructure and road transit safety, has granted 306 of the state’s 351 municipalities over 1,500 awards totaling more than $750 million.

Merrimac has received at least one grant from the program in each year of its operation. You can find information on grants awarded to the town on its grant page here.

The first of the awards is a $50,000 grant as part of the Real Estate Services Technical Assistance Program to support the Coastal Metals Site Readiness project. Merrimac will use the funding to develop concept plans for affordable housing areas at two locations in town, 2 Littles Court, a former planting facility, and 28 School St., the former location of the Town’s Senior Center. The Town owns both properties and intends to sell them together for affordable housing development.

The second and third grants of $1 million and $350,000 will be used to improve infrastructure around town.

The $1 million grant, awarded as part of the MassWorks program, will be used by the Town to replace the failed Mill Street culvert over Cobblers Brook and reopen the portion of Mill Street to reconnect to the Town’s wastewater treatment facility and light and power department. The Town will construct a new bridge approximately 100 feet north of the existing bridge, while the existing culvert will be removed. 

The $315,000 grant, awarded as part of the Rural Development Fund, will be utilized by the Town to replace a six-inch water main at the intersection of Liberty Street and Mechanic Street with a larger eight inch water main. The increase in size will allow for enhanced water flow and better quality for an area of town that is anticipated to have substantial growth and demand for water supply in the coming years. 

“The Town of Merrimac will benefit greatly from this funding, which will allow for necessary upgrades to our infrastructure, and will allow us to start the planning process for creating affordable housing opportunities in Merrimac,” said Select Board Chair Manni. “We would like to thank Robert Sinibaldi, DPW Director, Denise McClure, Town Planner and Alyssa Sexton, Administrative Coordinator, as well as the Healey-Driscoll Administration for its support in these projects.”