In the News

Area mayors met with both the Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Congressman Richard Neal to discuss the federal funding to the commonwealth from the Bipartisanship Infrastructure Law.

Mayors Nicolle Lachapelle of Easthampton, Domenic Sarno of Springfield, William Reichelt of West Springfield, William Sapelli of Agawam and John Vieau of Chicopee were among those who met with Neal and Walsh at Union Station.

Neal said the recently passed bill was “a once in a career opportunity to get infrastructure right.” The number one topic discussed with the mayors was improved passenger train service for east-west rail.

Walsh noted that Neal, as chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, had “his fingerprints all over the bill” and lauded him for his advocacy of the legislation.

He added the meeting with the mayors centered around infrastructure needs in their communities. Walsh noted cities and states have “projects on the shelf” due to a lack of funding.
“Now they can move projects forward,” Walsh noted.

Neal predicted by the middle of next year people should start to see projects undertaken and stressed the funding of the bill does not take the place of existing federal funding, but instead is an additional source of funding.

The congressman also noted all of the infrastructure improvements will take “a lot of planning.” He added, though, “There is no reason we can’t get these projects underway.”

According to the formula allocating the funds, $2.8 billion over the next five years will be delivered to Massachusetts for improving public transportation. Conducting the press conference in front of an Amtrak train, Walsh pointedly mentioned more than $66 million is earmarked for the improvement of passenger rail.

He said, as the former mayor of Boston, he sees the need for investment in east-west passenger rail. According to a press release issued by the White House, “U.S. passenger rail lags behind the rest of the world in reliability, speed and coverage.

China already has 22,000 miles of high-speed rail and is planning to double that by 2035. The legislation positions rail to play a central role in our transportation and economic future, investing $66 billion in additional rail funding to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic. This is the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtrak’s creation, 50 years ago and will create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight.”

Walsh also stressed the bill is one of economic development, creating what he called “good union jobs … that can’t be outsourced.” These jobs would continue what he called “the historic strongest economic recovery” in American history with the creation of 6 million jobs since the Biden Administration started and the drop in the unemployment rate to 4.2 percent.

When asked if he felt the surge in inflation would affect the infrastructure bill, he said no. Neal added, “No one has changed the law of supply and demand.

Vieau told Reminder Publishing Chicopee has several substantial projects that could be funded at least in part by the monies. He explained the city’s wastewater treatment plant, built in 1950, needs substantial work to be in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards.

He added the city is still addressing its long-time efforts to separate sewer lines to prevent sewage from flowing untreated into the Connecticut River as another infrastructure project.

Reichelt said West Springfield has “countless projects.” Over the past six years, the city has expended $40 million on infrastructure projects. “that’s a small piece of what we need to do,” he added.

Sarno called the infrastructure bill to be a “big game changer.” Besides the east-west rail project, Sarno there are water system and sewer concerns facing the city.

He sees the issues of workforce development and childcare as important to get people the training they need to go back in work.
“All of this goes hand in hand,” he said.

The Build Back Better Bill, passed by the House and currently in the Senate, would address those issues of childcare that would enable people to go to work, according to a White House fact sheet.

Walsh has been identified as a potential candidate for governor and State House News Service recently reported he has $5.1 million in his campaign account. When asked Walsh said with a laugh, “There’s a lot of speculation about a lot of things and I’m not speculating on it.”

He was working for a “great guy in President Biden,” and was focusing on his job.