Comerford talks grants, health insurance and legislative priorities with Erving officials

ERVING — State Sen. Jo Comerford joined Erving officials this week to discuss the town’s successes and challenges, including recent grant awards and the impact of rising health insurance costs.

The half-hour conversation started with the Selectboard expressing appreciation for Comerford’s support, particularly for her advocacy surrounding the Care Drive multi-generational and senior housing project, which was awarded a $2.4 million grant from the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program.

Selectboard Chair Jacob Smith also mentioned other projects in motion, including being accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Accelerated Repair Program for the roof and heating, air conditioning and ventilation system at Erving Elementary School, and progress of the Church Street bridge replacement, with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation awarding a $2.3 million bid for construction.

Comerford, D-Northampton, commended the town for securing grant funding for the Care Drive project after previous attempts were unsuccessful.

“There were some hurdles that we had to overcome and you didn’t fold. You just kept saying, “No, we’re going to do this. The town is committed,'” Comerford remarked.

Municipal health insurance was also discussed, with the Selectboard asking for updates regarding the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust. Comerford mentioned difficulty in addressing how to navigate legislative oversight over a private entity.

However, Comerford said the Healey-Driscoll administration has agreed to offer some help, such as a technical assistance seminar for members of the trust.

“I know that it is a very difficult … because this is a private entity and because we have no relationship to it in terms of oversight or regulatory framework,” Comerford said.

Comerford also mentioned H.4615, which would give municipalities financial relief if they decide to leave the trust for a different health insurance provider. The language would allow trust members who switch to a different insurance provider to pay the cost of the increases in equal payments over five years from fiscal year 2027 to fiscal year 2032. The bill has been passed in both the House and Senate, Comerford confirmed, and is now coming before a conference committee before going to the governor.

Erving is one of the more than 70 members of the trust who’ve experienced health insurance increases for FY26. On July 30, members voted to increase rates by 20%, effective Oct. 1, after being informed that the trust was at risk of going bankrupt due to increased pharmaceutical and medical claims and the growing popularity of weight-loss drugs.

Another topic discussed was infrastructure upgrades, with Smith asking about what legislative work is planned to help communities make capital improvements.

“The buildings end up aging over time, and while we do our best to try to be proactive and maintain them, there are points at which it becomes very costly and a capital investment to keep them going, no matter how well we maintain,” Smith told Comerford.

One of the main pieces of legislation Comerford mentioned is a bill that would establish a municipal and public safety building authority to help towns afford improvements to or replacement of municipal buildings. Comerford said it would be similar to the state Board of Library Commissioners’ Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. Comerford noted the Selectboard can show its interest by writing a letter of support for the bill.

Selectboard member William Bembury shared his concern with how climate change impacts local communities like Erving. In response, Comerford mentioned the significance of the environmental bond bill, called the Mass Ready Act, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program and the creation of the Environment & Climate One Stop program for climate and environmental resilience projects.