MONTAGUE — The town will be able to replace a sewer pump station on Industrial Boulevard, thanks to a state grant to the tune of $169,000.
Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy awarded the town with the grant, from the Rural and Small Town Development Fund, during a ceremony at the pump station’s site on Wednesday. Also among the 16 communities statewide to receive a share of the total $3 million in funding are Erving, Orange and Whately.
The existing sewer pump station was installed in the 1980s and serves significant facilities in Montague, including Franklin County Technical School and the Ja’Duke Center for the Performing Arts. Replacing the infrastructure is expected to ensure its continued operation for at least another 25 years.
“What we are about to do today is to see the realization of a critical infrastructure update,” Town Administrator Steve Ellis said during the ceremony’s introduction.
“Throughout the commonwealth, we see example after example of how small projects can build momentum for transformative development in communities that plan for growth,” Kennealy said in a press release announcing the grants. “We are proud to create responsive programming to support municipalities, including here in Montague, where sewer improvements will ensure local organizations and institutions can grow and adapt to future demand.”
During his speech at the ceremony on Industrial Boulevard, Kennealy emphasized the importance of the “rural and small town” aspect of the development fund.
“I think it’s helpful for everybody,” he said, “but for small towns that don’t have much of a team around them, I think it’s especially helpful.”
After Kennealy spoke, state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Sunderland, thanked him with a smile at the podium.
“Every single time you come here, you learn what we’re going through with our communities, and we love it when you come back with money,” she said with a laugh.
The Rural and Small Town Development Fund, born under the economic development legislation signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in January, is part of the Community One Stop for Growth platform for municipalities. It specifically supports projects in communities with populations below 7,000 people or a population density of less than 500 people per square mile.
Other Franklin County communities to receive funding are:
■Erving, which was awarded $60,000 to review current zoning bylaws to encourage housing options including affordable housing, commercial and industrial development in appropriate areas, and to eliminate redundancies and errors;
■Orange, which will use its $24,000 to complete a certified housing production plan to develop affordable housing in locations that reflect the community’s needs;
■And Whately, which received $30,000 to hire a consultant to complete and submit to the Department of Housing and Community Development a housing production plan for certification.
Kennealy expressed a desire to award more grants for similar projects.
“We’d like to do a lot more of this,” he said.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.